“How about this?” I asked the guy. “Let’s play darts, and the loser buys the next round.”

He sucked in air through his teeth. “I don’t know. I’d feel kinda bad making a pretty girl I just met buy my drink. . . .”

“Oho, so it’s like that, huh?” I hopped off the stool, surprised by my own ability to feel lighthearted at the moment, but sometimes boys needed to be taught lessons about underestimating girls.

And so the night passed with me kicking the butt of every guy in the bar. The girls, after realizing I wasn’t interested in their boyfriends, became my cheerleaders. Yeah, I got a few people drunk. Between the beers and shots, I pushed glasses of water their way all night, hoping to keep them hydrated.

I never forgot who I was, or the fact that I wasn’t one of them, but I still let myself enjoy their company and the feeling of being embraced by friendly strangers. We were having a great time until someone turned up the television for a breaking news story. A popular rapper had been shot after his show in D.C. while greeting fans. He had a colorful past, serving jail time, but had turned his life around and become an education advocate—an inspiring American success story. And now he was in a coma, probably going to die.

Everyone in the bar shook their heads, muttering, “What is wrong with this world?”

If they only knew.

The mood was somber after that.

At closing time I managed to evade the cute boy who’d been at my side all night. I slipped the bartender a note to call cabs for my drunken buddies, giving my credit card number as payment.

As I shuffled back to the dorm at two in the morning, a knife in my pocket and the Sword of Righteousness strapped to my ankle under my jeans, I imagined that Kaidan went to school there with me and we were a normal couple. Students. Sometimes it was fun to pretend, but I didn’t let myself long for impossible things, because there were Nephilim who would do anything to have the life I led.

Calling my life blessed was ironic, considering, but when it came down to it, I was loved, and that made life worth living. Just like my mother, Mariantha, said.

As I was having that lovely thought, my dorm in sight, a dark shadow flew into my path on the narrow sidewalk, causing a shriek to stick in my throat.

“Baby . . .”

I pressed a hand to my chest. “You scared me half to death, Dad!” My telepathic voice screamed at him, and I looked behind me, searching for signs of whisperers but finding none. “Pharzuph is here tonight with a ton of spirits!”

“I know. Hurry up and get to your room so we can talk in private.” He flew ahead of me, disappearing into the side wall of my dorm.

I huffed a little, my nerves still on alert, and sped to the entry door. It was strange passing the night-watch girl at the desk. I gave her a small smile and she nodded, oblivious to the gigantic ram-horned demon at her side.

In my room, Dad practically took up the whole space, and I felt too edgy to sit. I told him about Pharzuph coming and how Kaidan and I should be safe from him for now.

“But I don’t understand something,” I said. “I didn’t recognize anything about him—he didn’t even talk the same anymore. Has he been an American before, or did he train himself to have a new accent that fast?”

“No, this is his first time in a U.S. body, but there’s certain knowledge a body retains, even when the souls switch. The brain and body hold on to habits like language and gestures. It’s still going to talk and act the same until you train it otherwise. It’s always strange at first because it’s hard to control, but it ends up being a benefit for us Dukes.”

Yeah, how convenient for them.

I told Dad what Pharzuph had said about him being in trouble. Dad laughed. Always a scary sound, deep and guttural, even in spirit form.

“They would’ve been suspicious of me one way or another, and damned if I was gonna let them capture me. I’ll be hunting for a body next, but I came to tell you that Pharzuph and the others have called for a summit tomorrow night—probably to talk about their findings and figure out what to do next. They’ll be in Switzerland.”

“Switzerland?”

“A ski town. They like to make a vacation of these summits, you know. And since they were just in Vegas, they wanted something different.” Dad, being all business, naturally disagreed with the other Dukes’ idea of mixing fun with work.

My hopes lifted.

“Wait. Does this mean we Neph have a couple safe days?” I asked.

He grunted. “Yes, but be careful. I’d say you have forty-eight hours starting tomorrow afternoon when they’re all traveling. Some will stay there longer than two days, but don’t take any chances. If you need to gather your allies or be in contact with them, this is your chance.”

“And I can see Patti!” I clapped my hands and smiled. This seemed to soften him a little.

“Yeah, you can see her. Give her my regards.”

I wished I could hug him, but all I could do was beam up at his frightening face, making him chuckle.

“And guess what else?” I said. “I got to meet Mariantha.” He became still in front of me. “She came to congratulate me on my marriage. She was beautiful, Daddy.”

He drifted back a little, weightless, whispering, “Yes . . . beautiful, and full of love. You’re so much like her, baby girl.”

I held up a hand, splaying my fingers, and he lifted his big, clawed mass of cloudy hand to mine, overlapping it.

“I love you, kid,” he said.

We shared a long, quiet pause.

“Be careful,” I told him. “Wherever you go, I hope I see you again soon.”

I closed my eyes as he surrounded me with a hug, and when I opened my eyes again he was gone.

UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

HarperCollins Publishers

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

MAKESHIFT HOLIDAY

It was three in the morning, Pharzuph was somewhere nearby terrorizing the campus, and I was devising a plan. The Dukes were meeting tomorrow night, so the Neph would have to meet, too.

The thought of seeing Kaidan again after our night together gave me tingles. We wouldn’t be alone this time, but being near him was all I needed.

I knew it was safe texting Kaidan since his father was “busy,” but my hands still shook with nerves. I didn’t want to reveal too much. Each message I sent and received, I deleted immediately.

Book a flight to Va tmrw.

With pleasure. U ok? It’s been insane here.

Insane? I wondered if he meant his father’s “death.”

Here too. Lots to tell.

Same.

I texted him Patti’s address and told him I was contacting the others. I knew I’d piqued his interest and concern, but I didn’t feel comfortable sharing anything else until the Dukes were all convened on the other side of the world.

Next I texted the twins, then Blake and Kope, telling them where and when to meet. Kope would bring Zania. Everyone was a go. I contemplated texting Jay and Patti, too, but that could wait until the morning.

I was so excited about seeing everyone, and nervous about Pharzuph being so close, that I was restless all night. I finally felt myself pulled under just as the sun was rising. A couple hours of solid sleep would have to hold me over.

When I emerged, groggy and craving coffee, I wished I was better at using my supernatural sense of hearing. I wanted to know if Pharzuph was gone, but when I attempted to scan the area, everything sounded like a jumble to me—too hard to discern. Other Neph were good at it, having trained for years.

After showering and dressing, I walked downtown to a busy coffee shop, keeping my eyes peeled. It was a hot morning, but pleasant compared to the oppressive humidity I was accustomed to. I’d just paid for my drink when everyone got quiet and broke into whispers.