“What kind of power?” I asked.

“The al -knowing, understanding dead languages blah, blah, blah. I also know when they move, when they approach, when they leave, and why they’re doing it. And I think I can take their power at wil , but none of them have gotten close enough for me to try.”

“So Kim is an asset,” Claire said, sul en. “She affects them in ways no one understands.”

“I…you….” A mil ion questions swirled in my head, but the most upsetting revelation was that nothing was separate, now. My normal life just had a head-on col ision with my life with Jared.

The air around me felt thick and ful of static. An end table next to one of the chairs shook for a moment, and then slid across the floor a few inches.

“What just happened?” I said.

The table vibrated again, and then shot to the wal , the legs squealing as they grated across the tile.

“Sweetheart,” Jared warned.

My fingers worked in smal circles against my temple. “Okay,” I whispered. I worked to release any negativity that the demons could use to fuel their power. “What now?”

“I can help you,” Kim said, uncharacteristical y sympathetic. “I can help you find the book, Nigh. They’l tel me. They have to.”

Al expression fel from my face. “So you’re like…you’re like the demon whisperer. My wacky friend Kim. That’s just great.”

Kim nodded, unaffected by my jab.

“You never said why you’re here,” I said.

“I wanted to check on Ryan. I also have news.”

News was usual y the job of Samuel, and I wondered why Kim had been sent instead. The more I knew, the less any of it made sense—which was annoyingly typical.

Claire crossed her legs, settling in her chair. “Wel ? Tel us already.”

“Jared and his covert operation tipped them off. He’s asked too many questions, and they know what he's after. The book has been moved six times in as many days. We’ve got some work to do when we get home.”

Jared glared at Kim, annoyed. “I have to look it over before we take it back. There are things within those pages that could help Nina.”

“That was the deal, wasn’t it?” Kim replied.

Jared nodded, and then looked to his sister. “Now that Ryan’s stable, we should head back. Did the Colonel say how long you’d be here?”

Claire shrugged. “At least until he’s stable enough to ship state-side, and then we’l probably be at a VA rehab until he’s functional. I’ll keep you updated.”

I stared at the smal table that had slid across the floor. Two hundred or so demons had been swirling about, and they were already onto the next subject. The air had returned to its normal temperature, but watching an inanimate object glide across the room left me uneasy—not that I had felt anything close to composed since Gabe had infiltrated my dream on the plane. Life was spinning out of control again, but this time there was no normal life to escape to.

One-third of my anchor to normal was lying in a hospital bed, and another sitting beside me, talking about things so opposite of the realm of ordinary, it was difficult to remember she was part of my other life at al .

Anger consumed me. I felt I'd been lied to. “What deal are you two talking about?” I asked.

“Your man is going to help me return the book to the Sepulchre if I help him get it from Shax,” Kim said.

“Were you going to tel me about any of this?” I said to Jared.

Jared took my hands in his. “We talked about this.”

“Yes, that you would omit things that didn't directly me, but first Ryan, and now Kim? They were my friends, Jared!”

“We stil are,” Kim said.

I ignored Kim. “Are you sure I can’t see Ryan?” I asked Claire. She shook her head with an apologetic expression. “It was good to see you again,” I said to Claire, hugging her. “Kim….” I trailed off, unable to find anything nice to say.

Kim had betrayed me; sneaking her mystical bul shit in the back door, and sucker punching me with her possession-crusades-basilica sob story.

Now she was supposed to help us find the book because of her Oh So Spooky to the Demons powers. I didn’t care! She was supposed to be my normal, and she had ripped it right out from under me.

Gabe had wanted us to turn back, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I wasn’t supposed to know about Kim. Could Gabe’s appearance be mundane as a paternal need to protect me again, or was it something different? Maybe Kim wasn’t supposed to help us? Maybe she was working for the other side.

I had almost reached the elevator when Jared call ed my name. Soon, his hand was in mine. He stopped mid-step, causing me to jerk backward.

“We have to go,” I said, tugging him down the hal .

Jared stopped me again. “Would you please tel me what’s going on?”

“No,” I snapped, smacking the button to the elevator. “That would require me tel ing you the whole truth...and that's not real y how our relationship works.”

The door opened, and I pul ed Jared inside. We were alone, and for the first time I felt I could breathe. I leaned against the wal and sighed. “This isn’t happening.”

“What isn’t happening? Nina, talk to me,” Jared said, putting his hands on the wal at each side of my head.

“She’s my friend, Jared! She was on the other side, the side that kept me grounded…sometimes kept me sane, and now it’s gone! It’s al gone!”

Jared cupped my face. “She’s stil your friend. You’re life at Brown is no different.”

“It’s not different? It’s disappeared!”

He frowned. “Let’s think of this as a positive thing. You have someone to talk to about this, now. Someone on the other side that understands.”

I crossed my arms. “I needed them, Jared...so I wouldn’t get lost in al of the heaven/hel fiasco.”

“She’s human, Nina. She may handle it differently, but she knows how you feel. She knows what it’s like to know things, and be different because of it. Embrace it.”

“Embrace it,” I grumbled. “You don’t understand.”

Jared took my hand and kissed my fingers. “This is a good thing. With her help, we can find the book.”

“Great!” I said as the doors opened to the main floor. “Let’s find the damn thing and get rid of it! Take it back to the church, I’ll stop having the dreams, Kim can be Kim again, and I can get my life back!”

Colonel Brand waited next to the car that would take us to the base. Jared and I remained silent during the trip, but once the plane took off from the runway, he began again.

“Nina, we can’t just take the book back. We have to read it; find out why Jack stole it from Kim’s uncle in the first place.”

“Because Jack was crazy, that’s why,” I snapped.

Jared sighed with frustration. “They’ve been tel ing us why. In your dreams.”

I thought for a moment, recal ing Jack’s words on the roof. He had to save her. I could think of only two women in the world my father would risk his life for. The inscription on my ring leading to a deposit box only Jared and I could access…he had stolen the book to save me.

But from what?

I narrowed my eyes. “Are you insinuating that I'm keeping something from you? Because that would be just...total y and completely hypocritical.”

Jared frowned. “No. But we need to find someone that can interpret what your dreams mean.”

“Who would know, Jared? Besides Eli or Samuel. They wouldn’t tel us, anyway, right? Who would know?”

“Asking them again wouldn’t be a good idea. Kim said they’re already onto us. It’s impossible to keep a secret in that realm. We need a human.”

“A human isn't going to be able to make sense of my dreams, Jared, unless it's someone that already knows. One of Graham’s men, maybe?”

Jared shook his head, deep in thought. “Claire didn’t leave any of them alive. Anyone that might have known anything about it is long gone.”

An idea popped into my head, instantly creating a sinking feeling in my stomach.

“What is it?” Jared asked, concerned.

My mind instantly searched for other options. I was desperate to make the name stuck in my throat a last resort, but she was our only choice. “My mother,” I whispered. “Cynthia would know.”

Jared’s brows pul ed in for a moment. “Jack left her in the dark.”

“You don’t real y believe that, do you?” I asked, incredulous.

He peeked over at me, and then relaxed. “You’re right. How to get her to tel us anything is the question.”

“SHe’ll tel us,” I said, determined.

Chapter Seven

The Perfect Storm

“Isn’t this a surprise,” Cynthia said, fussing with her hair. “I’m on my way to the Komen fundraiser, Nina dear. We’l have lunch tomorrow.”

I side-stepped, guarding the front door. “This is important.”

Cynthia laughed once, unamused. “Not more important than breast cancer, I assure you.” When I didn’t move, she cocked her head. The expression she used for immediate intimidation lit her face. “You wil let me pass this instant, young lady.”

Instinctively, I obeyed. Seeing that she was in no mood for antics, I decided to try the blindside approach.

“Daddy stole a book from someone a few years ago. Do you remember?”

She blinked a few times, my words clearly unsettling to her. “Your father was in shipping, Nina. What interest would he have in a book?”

“He did it, Mother. I’ve seen the book myself. Jared’s held it in his hands.”

Cynthia’s cold eyes darted to Jared, and then narrowed. “I must ask at this point, Jared. Are you trying to get Nina kil ed?”

“No,” Jared said emphatical y, taking a step toward her. “No, that’s why we’re here. We need to know why Jack took the book. What was inside that he was hoping to find?”

Cynthia relaxed, lifting her chin. “Nina, you’l find that if you ignore things…they tend to go away. Now, I real y must be going….”

Jared’s jaw flitted, and then he took an obstinate step in front of the door.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Grey, but I can’t al ow you to leave until you tel us what you know.”

Cynthia stood unaffected, as if she could brush past Jared if she chose, but she was simply too much of a lady to shove her way through.

“What makes you think I know anything?” she asked, a tiny smirk on her face.

I crossed my arms. “Because you know everything, Mother.”

A smal grin of satisfaction crept across Cynthia’s face. “Your father underestimated that particular talent of mine for years. It’s nice that someone noticed.”

“We need your help, Cynthia,” Jared said. “Why did Jack think Shax’s book could save Nina?”

“The truth wil only hurt you, Dear,” Cynthia said. Her words were meant to be empathetic, but her eyes were devoid of emotion.

I pressed my lips together in hard line, taking her warning very seriously. Before I could make a decision, Jared spoke.

“I'm only going to ask you one more time, Cynthia. What do you know about Jack's reasons for taking the book?”

Cynthia chuckled. “Empty threats rarely compel me to comply.”

Jared leaned against the door. “I have al night, Cynthia. How important is this fundraiser to you?”

“Very wel , then,” Cynthia said. She shifted her weight, clearly irritated. “Your father never wanted children. I wasn’t exactly…maternal…so I never questioned him. But when you came along, Nina, it changed him. He seemed to watch you as if he were waiting for something. I asked him, once, why he stared at you that way. His expression was both disgust and shame, but he didn't answer. He simply walked away.”

Her words cut so deeply that I felt physical pain in my chest, as if a thousand needles were boring their way to the center.

Jared took my hand. “Jack adored Nina. He died trying to save her life.”

Cynthia laughed without humor. “You misunderstand. The first time Jack held Nina in his arms, nothing else mattered. There was nothing more precious in his eyes,” she paused. “But he was afraid.”

I struggled to swal ow the lump that had developed in my throat. “Of what?”

“You, I suppose,” Cynthia shrugged. Her eyes switched to Jared, then, resentful and accusing. “When your father recognized that you were in love with Nina, he shared a story with Jack. It was a story within the last passages of the book you're so desperate to acquire. About a human woman giving birth to a son of God, and that child would disturb The Balance.”

My face twisted. “You mean the story of the virgin Mary and Jesus? What could that possibly have to do with me and Jared?”

Cynthia sighed. “No, Dear. Sons of God are angels. Hel believes a human woman wil give birth to an angel; a powerful angel that wil threaten their power here.”

Jared frowned. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why Nina, then? Human women have been giving birth to Half-breeds for centuries. And even if Nina and I had a child, the baby would have just a quarter of divine blood in its veins. Nothing for Hel to be concerned about.”

“A human woman gave birth to Jesus Christ, Jared,” Cynthia retorted.

“He was human,” I said.

Cynthia raised an eyebrow. “A mortal man who performs miracles and rises from the dead? That’s some human...now if you'l excuse me....”

Jared didn't budge, stil unsatisfied. “Gabe and Jack believed Nina to be the woman in the prophecy, and they stole the book to try to figure out a way to stop it?”

“They stole it twice,” Cynthia corrected. “First, from a family…the Pol ocks. They had spent lifetimes protecting it. Shax and his men alerted the Pol ocks somehow, and your fathers were detected. While they and the Pol ock men were distracted with one another, Shax absconded with his book. It was several months before Gabe located the book again and was able to successful y retrieve it. That’s when it al began.”