I would have to read between the lines when it came to Kaidan. To know him, I would need to know why he ignored their pain, and what would happen if he did let their suffering into his thoughts. If he took pleasure in hurting others, he would bask in their pain, not deflect it.
“Why are you trying so hard to make me think you’re a bad person?” I asked.
“Because it would be best for you to have a healthy fear of me so you can’t say you weren’t warned. I’m not like boys at your school. Think of the pull you feel toward drugs. That is how I feel about sex.”
Oh.
“Starting to get it now? Let me be even clearer.” His voice lowered as he walked me through his work. “I can feel out someone within five minutes of conversation to know what I would have to say and do to lure her into bed. That includes you, though I admit I was off my game last night. With some people it’s a matter of simple flattery and attention. With others it takes more time and energy. I do whatever it takes to get their clothes off, and then I attempt to make it so they’ll never be with another person and not think of me. I know secrets of the human body most people don’t even know about themselves. And when I leave, I know they’re ruined when they’re begging me to stay.”
My heart pounded. I was afraid now. He flicked his eyes around my aura.
“It’s about time,” he said.
CHAPTER TWELVE
KAIDAN’S COLOGNE
We kept our thoughts to ourselves as we entered New Mexico. The abrupt change in landscape filled my mind with relief. Flat Texas plains had morphed into expanses of gently rolling hills and small mountains, patchy with shrubs. The Southwest was wide open. I was amazed how far I could see.
Kaidan slowed to exit as the sun drooped low in the sky. We parked at a fast-food place and got out to stretch our legs. The absence of moisture made the air feel thin in my lungs. I was accustomed to choking on humidity.
We ordered meals and ate them in silence, sitting in front of the glass wall that looked out at the parking lot. The setting sun caused a robe of deep pink and orange to spread itself over the landscape.
“Nice country you’ve got. Very diverse.”
“It’s gorgeous,” I agreed, pushing the other half of my chicken sandwich toward him. He finished it while I nibbled the last of the fries.
“We’ll go a few more hours and then stop for the night,” he said. “I’ll wait to fill the tank until morning.”
I nodded and cleared away all of the trash to get ready to go. The thought of another night together made me nervous.
As we climbed back into the car and continued down I-40, the beauty of the Old West emboldened me. Kaidan’s gaze brushed over me as I turned toward him, pulling my bare feet underneath me.
“There’s someone else I need to see in L.A., besides my dad.”
He nodded for me to continue. I told him the story about the angel visiting Patti, and how she came to be my foster mother. Then I told him that the nun, Sister Ruth, had requested that I come and speak to her in person.
“I just can’t imagine what she needs to tell me that she couldn’t tell Patti.”
“Huh. I haven’t heard anything about angels coming down and speaking directly to humans in recent history either.”
“I’m worried she won’t live much longer,” I told him. “I think that’s the only reason Patti let me come on this trip with you.”
“We’ll get there in time.”
I hoped so.
“I want to know everything you know about the demons,” I said.
He cleared his throat and began, matter-of-factly.
“I’m sure you’ve heard of the seven deadly sins: wrath, sloth, gluttony, envy, greed, lust, and pride. Pride is said to be the sin from which all others arise. So here’s how their rankings work on earth: there’s one demon in human form assigned to each of the seven deadly sins, except sloth and gluttony; those have been combined under one demon, since they often go hand in hand. There are six additional sins as well: lying, murder, hatred, theft, adultery, and substance abuse. That makes twelve dark angels in human bodies. They’re called the Dukes, and they’re the bosses of evil on earth.”
“Our dads are two of the twelve Dukes?”
“That’s right.”
It was strange listening to Kaidan talk. His accent took on a roguish edge when he was excited or angry, but then there were times, like now, when he sounded like a refined schoolboy giving an oral report. I realized he could transform himself to suit his audience. Kaidan could play the part of a gritty bad boy or an educated gentleman as needed. But who was he really? I reached back to rub my neck, which had begun to prickle.
“So what’s the difference between a Duke and the other demons, like the one in the restaurant today?”
“In spirit form they’re the same, but Dukes are the only demons allowed to possess human bodies. Each Duke commands a legion of demon whisperers who haunt the earth. The whisperers are called the Legionnaires. We sometimes just refer to them as spirits. Between the Dukes and the Legionnaires, there are six hundred and sixty-six demons on earth.”
A prickly chill of disbelief coursed through me.
I did the math. “So, twelve Dukes, six hundred fifty-four whisperers, or Legionnaires... where do the Nephilim figure in?”
“We’re just a by-product. We don’t count as human, but also don’t qualify as being part of the demon Legionnaires. We work for our fathers and keep our mouths shut. That’s it.”