“Glitch-head’s right,” Cameron said, tying off another stitch. “Even a hundred descendants would have trouble bringing you down. How did they take you?”

Jared turned his attention toward him so slowly, so methodically, I was certain he did it to goad Cameron. “Why?” he asked at last, planting a humorous and, if I didn’t know any better, taunting gaze on him. “Looking for pointers?”

“It’s just a little hard to believe.”

“So is reality TV, but there you have it.”

The tension between them simmered, thickened, blanketed the room in silence.

“What are descendants?” I asked, breaking it. They had been getting along famously—or, well, semi-famously. Now was not the time for tempers to flare. When they were at odds, architectural structures paid the price. “And why on earth would they attack you? Surely they don’t know what you are.”

After a long moment, Jared tore his gaze away from Cameron. “They know exactly what I am. And they are descended from the original nephilim that were created centuries past.”

“They’re nephilim?” Brooklyn asked, her voice soft with astonishment. “Like Cameron?” She snipped the last suture and cleaned off Jared’s wound with peroxide.

“They’re diluted versions of Cameron,” Jared explained, “descended from the original nephilim, so there’s a lot of pure human mixed in. It’s like taking a single drop of food coloring and adding a gallon of milk. The food coloring will alter the color slightly, but for the most part it’s still milk. There simply can’t be that much seraph DNA left in the breed.”

“There’s not,” Cameron said. “I would be able to tell if there were. I would be able to feel them.”

Brooke smoothed antibiotic ointment onto the stitches and covered them with a bandage.

“In an effort to contain the purity of the race,” Jared continued, examining her handiwork, “there has been a lot of inbreeding as well. From what I understand, they’re not right in the head.”

“Then you are related,” Glitch said to Cameron.

“Their attacking Jared proves they have a screw loose,” Brooke said, ignoring Glitch. “What did they hope to gain?”

“To leave Lorelei vulnerable,” Cameron said.

“Me?” I asked, alarmed. “What do I have to do with the descendants?”

“I have no idea what they would want with you, unfortunately,” Jared said.

Cameron raked a hard gaze over him. “They tracked you here. When you showed up a few weeks ago, they tracked you.”

“Or they were invited.” Jared’s accusation was as smooth as caramel. He settled a withering stare on him. “You’re the hybrid. You’re like them.”

“I’ve never even seen one of those things.” Cameron bit down in an effort to control his temper. “I didn’t even know for sure they existed until you showed up.”

“And yet here they are.”

“And here you are,” Cameron volleyed, baiting the only one in the room who could kill us all with a thought. He was looking at Jared like he’d never seen him before, like he was different somehow.

After a moment, Jared leaned back in his chair and scrubbed his face with his fingertips. “They must have an agenda. They attacked me for a reason.” He looked at me, his brows drawn together. “They have to be after you. It’s the only explanation.”

I really hated to hear that.

“I still think we should get you to the hospital,” I said, switching the focus off me. “You could have a concussion.”

“Hey,” Cameron said, clearly offended. “I got this.”

The corner of Jared’s mouth lifted into a lazy grin. He let his gaze drop to my robe. I pulled it tighter, smoothed my hair down, and tried not to concentrate too hard on the dark sparkle in Jared’s eyes, the powerful set of his shoulders. Even injured, he exuded authority, his supremacy so absolute, so pure. “I know this is going to sound dumb, but are you sure you’re okay?” I was still floored with the attention he was giving me. It was like the old Jared was back. Scraped up. Bruised. Covered in wounds. Yep, it was definitely the old Jared.

His grin widened, and I realized his gaze was glassy, as though he had a fever. “I’m fine. I’ll be ready for school in a couple of hours.”

“School?” I asked, stunned. “I think you can miss a day or two, considering the extent of your injuries.”

“She’s right. You should stay home today,” Cameron said.

I brightened. “See.”

“You’re no good to us injured,” Cameron continued.

“That’s not what I meant,” I said.

Jared looked at Cameron. “We need to figure out what’s going on.”

Cameron nodded. “There’s a new kid at school you need to meet.”

Brooke gasped. “You think he’s one of them? A descendant?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” he said, his expression grave.

EXPRESSIONLESS

The next morning, we got ready for school in relative silence. Except for the howling from Glitch when he got the last shower. At least cold water was invigorating.

“Would you kids like some breakfast?” Grandma asked when we made our way downstairs, shuffling off the landing one by one. She sat by Granddad at the table, drinking coffee and reading the sports section. I didn’t know why. She never watched sports.