The Mephisto Kiss (The Redemption Of Kyros) Read online

  And wasn’t that the ultimate irony? He’d spent a lifetime appeasing his lust with girls who meant nothing to him. The one female who mattered, who had the power to redeem his debauched soul by loving him, felt as much for him as he did for all those long-forgotten girls.

  In his bedroom, he found one of Ty’s kittens asleep on his bed, along with a note: For Jordan, because girls like baby cats. He looked at the gray-striped kitten, who woke and mewed at him before pouncing on the Post-it note, which promptly stuck to his paws and freaked him out. It was war, and the sticky note was winning. Reaching down, Key scooped up the fur ball, pulled the note off of him, then popped back up to Jordan’s room. He set the kitten on her bed and watched him explore until he found a spot against the curve of her belly and curled up to sleep.

  Back in his room, he changed into sweats then popped out to the gym to get in a workout before breakfast. He felt more energized than he could remember, which was amazing, considering how close he had come to death.

  He was only half surprised to find Phoenix in the weight room, on his back at the bench press. “Can’t sleep?”

  His brother grunted in reply, never slowing his up-and-down rhythm. Based on the sweat covering his body, Key guessed he’d been out here awhile.

  Taking a seat on the rower, he wondered what sick twist of fate had brought him an Anabo before bringing one to Phoenix. Maybe he didn’t talk about Jane, but Key knew he never stopped thinking about her. He emphatically said he didn’t want another Anabo, but Key didn’t believe him. If the right Anabo appeared, he’d leave Jane in his memory and move on with living his life.

  Key waited until Phoenix finally rested his weights, then told him the new plan. His brother sat up, reached for a towel, and mopped the sweat from his face. “If you allow her to go on a takedown at her own funeral, you’re even more coldhearted than I thought.”

  “She insisted. Said she’d do whatever is necessary to get ready for it.” He kept rowing. “It’s another pair of hands, and this is going to be extremely difficult.”

  “Don’t do this, Key. I’ll think of another plan.”

  “We’ll discuss it at breakfast and see what the others have to say.”

  “I always knew you were different than the rest of us, and you take your job way more seriously, but I never figured you’d put what we do ahead of an Anabo.” He stood and went toward the door that led from the weight room into the gym. “It makes me question just how much of our mother’s light remains in your soul.”

  Key abruptly stopped rowing. “You didn’t really just say that.” It was maybe the meanest thing any of his brothers had ever said to him, and that was saying a lot.

  “I’m sorry,” Phoenix said, his hand on the doorknob. “You’re doing it wrong,”

  “I don’t know how to do it right.”

  Looking at him over his shoulder, Phoenix said very quietly, “From now on, forever until the end of time, it’s always about her. Always. It’s just that simple.” He sighed. “And just that difficult.”

  Jordan woke up with what felt like needles in her back. What the …?

  “ ’Tis a wee kitty,” Mathilda said from somewhere across the room. “Roll over gentlelike, so’s not to crush the mite.”

  Jordan moved just slightly, and the kitten leaped onto her pillow, where he began a fight with her hair. Rolling to her back, she extracted him carefully, then held him suspended above her. She wasn’t a big fan of cats, but this little thing was übercute. “Where did he come from?”

  “I don’t reckon I know, but I’m guessing he’s a gift from Master Ty. He’s a hopper, that one.” Mathilda came closer and waggled a finger at the cat. “Use the box, little man, or ye’ll be back in the stables.”

  The kitten mewed at her, and Mathilda harrumphed. “Ye’d best be getting up now, Miss Jordan. Breakfast is in half an hour, and Master Jax expects you in the gym just after for yer first training. You need to practice popping around, and God willing, ye’ll be better at it than Miss Sasha. Puir lamb ends up in some strange places, she does, and it doesn’t matter how hard she practices, she gets no better. Ye’ll also be learning to use a blade. The brothers don’t care for pistols and such, because they make noise and can’t always be reliable not to kill. Blades will tame a lost soul long enough to take them out, but ye have to learn where best to attack.”

  The idea of cutting someone turned her stomach. Relaxing her arms, she put the squirmy kitten down and sat up in bed. “What do I wear for training?”

  “Master Jax likes his pupils to wear what they wear in the field.” She went to the closet and returned to the bed with a pair of black leather pants, a black silk long-sleeved T-shirt, and a black leather trench coat. She made another trip to the closet and this time returned with a pair of black boots. The Mephisto monochrome. “Why all the black? And why leather?”

  “Takedowns are usually at night, and almost always a surprise to the lost souls and Skia. Black blends into the dark. Leather is warm, and more resistant to cuts than cloth.”

  Jordan pulled the kitten and his needle claws away from the coat, and he attacked a lump beneath the covers, which was her right foot. “Mathilda, how long have you been with the Mephisto?”

  Smiling at the kitten, she said, “Since 1852.”

  She waited to hear why Mathilda was mad at God, but the woman didn’t say anything else, and Jordan didn’t want to overstep or pry.

  “What time is it?” She hadn’t known what time it was since her kidnappers had taken her cell phone out of her pocket at Matthew’s house, and it was making her crazy.

  “Close to seven. Breakfast is always at seven thirty.” Mathilda plucked the kitten from where he was batting at a loose string on the coverlet. “I’ll look after yer kitty, Miss Jordan.”

  When she was gone, Jordan didn’t waste any time getting ready. She was starving. While she braided her hair, she wondered if Key’s family would be friendlier now that he wasn’t at death’s door.

  She had her answer ten minutes later when, on her way downstairs, she met Zee at the landing of the second floor and he asked, “What kind of music do you like?”

  “Mostly rock and some R and B.”

  “What’s the last concert you went to?”

  “I’ve never been to a concert.”

  He stopped her halfway down the steps with a hand on her arm. “Wait. Seriously?”

  “It’s not as if I haven’t wanted to, but I’ve been the president’s daughter since I was twelve, and my dad always said no, that it was too much trouble for the Secret Service.”

  He looked like he felt sorry for her. “That’s it, then. First chance we get, I’m taking you to one. You think about who you want to see, and we’ll go wherever they are.”

  Seeing the offer as an olive branch, an unvoiced apology for yesterday, Jordan accepted. “Thank you, Zee.”

  They continued down the stairs, then toward the back of the great hall and into the dining room, which smelled delicious and made her mouth water. Deacon stood in front of a buffet with an array of silver chafing dishes, staring straight through a large window with a view of the mountains. The only other person in the room was Denys, who spun a plate balanced on his forefinger. “Good morning, Jordan,” he said with a grin while he gave her a once-over. “All set to start training, I see.” He pushed the plate into the air, then caught it with his other hand and set it on the table. “Take my advice and eat a lot. Jax is a real gentleman until he gets into training. Then he becomes a maniacal hard-ass.”

  “I wouldn’t say maniacal,” Jax said as he walked around her toward the table.

  “More like homicidal,” Sasha said, following Jax.

  Jordan noticed Sasha looked different today, but she couldn’t decide why. Her blonde hair was in a ponytail, and she was dressed all in black just like yesterday, so what was unusual?

  Zee said, “It’s the Anabo glow. You can see it now, can’t you?”

  It wasn’t what she expected, which w
as some kind of golden light. Instead, she thought Sasha looked … ethereal. Almost otherworldly, and so beautiful, it was hard to look away from her.

  Sasha took a seat next to Denys and smiled at Jordan. “Now you can see how Jax and I knew you were Anabo the second we laid eyes on you at the National Cathedral on Christmas Day. It’s kind of awesome, yeah?”

  “Amazing. But I have to ask, how does a son of Hell go inside a church?”

  Jax reached for Sasha’s ponytail and smoothed the stray hairs. “I earned the right to stand on holy ground because of Sasha.”

  “How? What did she do?”

  “It’s the Mephisto Covenant,” Key said as he came into the room and walked to the chair opposite Denys, “a deal made between our father and God when we became immortal. If any of us love a girl and she loves us back, we have the same chance of Heaven as anyone else, and we can go inside a church without burning to ash. We’re limited to Anabo girls because they’re not afraid of us, but finding one is rare, and even then, we’re not really cut out for undying, noble love.”

  As if he hadn’t just told her she was his only hope of Heaven in the same tone he’d tell her they needed a gallon of milk, he pulled out the chair and waved her toward it. “Have a seat and let’s eat, Jordan. Lots to do today.”

  Behind her, someone cleared his throat. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Ty and Phoenix looking awkward. Darting a look at Zee, who was frowning, she walked toward Key and took the seat. He sat at the head of the table, just to her right, and Zee took the chair to her left. After Ty and Phoenix were seated, Deacon began to serve in the uncomfortable silence. Hoping to dispel the awkwardness of Key’s casually delivered bombshell, Jordan said, “Ty, thank you for the kitten. I’ve never had a cat before.”

  “Give him a try, and if you decide he’s not for you, he can go back to the stables.”

  Silence fell again, and as they all received their food, they became completely focused on their plates. She made herself concentrate on what she was eating, while she determinedly tried to avoid thinking about the Mephisto Covenant.

  Eggs Benedict was one of her favorites. There were also bacon and scones. And kippers. She skipped those.

  Holy crap. She could kiss him, and after what they’d done on the couch in the TV room last night, she could almost imagine sleeping with him somewhere down the road. She didn’t doubt they could be friends. But love?

  Hans was a genius. There were tiny pancakes. Or were they blintzes?

  Key was a dictator, rough and curt, a son of Hell. Was he capable of sincere, unselfish love?

  She wondered if she could have more bacon. How could she still be hungry? Why couldn’t she make her brain stop thinking about the Mephisto Covenant?

  Wasn’t it enough that she had given up mortality for him, to stay here and be with him? How could she be his only chance of redemption? Mary Michael had failed to tell her about the Mephisto Covenant. Why would God lay something this heavy on her?

  Into the exaggerated racket of cutlery clinking against china, Key said, “There’s been a slight change to the plan.”

  Everyone stopped and looked at him.

  “Jordan is certain her father wouldn’t have a party to celebrate her return, which kills the original plan. Instead, the takedown will be during her memorial.”

  The table erupted in angry voices, until he held up his hand and said, “Unless one of you can come up with a better solution, this is the way it will be.”

  “Tell them the other part of the plan,” Phoenix said in a deadpan voice.

  “Jordan will be with us for the takedown.”

  They all turned their attention to her, and Jax said, “You don’t have to do this. We can handle the takedown.”

  “I want to be there. I want those people who’ve screwed over my father to know I’m aware of what they are, and what their betrayal has cost them.”

  “We’re not about revenge,” Zee said. “They won’t care anyway. All the lost souls give a damn about is Eryx, and saving their sorry asses from Hell on Earth.”

  “It’s not right for her to be there,” Phoenix said. “She needs time to come to terms with all that’s already happened to her. Going to her own funeral, seeing her dad and family and friends—it’s a recipe for disaster.”

  “She’s a liability,” Jax said. “If she wigs out, she can threaten the whole takedown.”

  “I’ll take responsibility,” Key said, now scowling.

  “I won’t wig out.” Jordan could see from their faces that they all expected her to fly to pieces. “I’m not saying it’ll be easy, but it’s important to me to be there, and if I’ve done all I need to do to prepare, I don’t see the big deal.”

  “You can physically prepare,” Jax said, not unkindly, “but mentally, I don’t think you can do it.”

  Key set his fork down. Loudly. “I’ll make sure she has what she needs.”

  “She’s going to be wiped out,” Ty said, “and you want us to believe you can put her back together and make it okay?”

  “I don’t need anyone to put me back together.” This was starting to tick her off, in spite of their concern. She wasn’t some tender flower to be coddled.

  “She’ll be Mephisto by the time of the takedown, and that will make all the difference.”

  “No, it won’t,” Sasha said. “Her dad isn’t a lost soul, and it’s going to kill her to see him and not be able to speak to him. And even if she’s Mephisto, it’s still way freaky for her to be at her own funeral. I think it’s a terrible idea, made worse because you’re so sure you can help her. No offense, Key, but you’re the last guy on Earth I’d look to for emotional support.”

  He had no expression on his face, gave no indication that their words fazed him, but how could he not be hurt? Jordan wanted to tell them to back off.

  “I think you should sit this one out,” Zee said to her. “It’s a bad way to start, and Key’s not going to—”

  “Okay. I get it. I’m not Mr. Sympathy.” He wasn’t hurt. He was mad. Or maybe he was hurt and hiding it behind a ferocious scowl. He gave her a hard look. “Are you sure you want to do this, considering you’ll have no emotional support?”

  His anger toward her was unfair, and it pissed her off. “A lack of emotional support is one thing, but you’re acting like a total tool.”

  The look went from hard to cold. “I asked a simple question.”

  “Loaded with an unjust accusation. I never said anything about needing help to get over being at my own funeral. And what’s with that look? I get that you’re the one in charge, but no way that gives you the right to glare at me like I’m a misbehaving child. Is this how you run things, Kyros? Maybe everybody here puts up with it, but I won’t.”

  “No one ignores me.” His voice was low, almost threatening.

  “No one patronizes me. And since we’re on the subject of your leadership skills, what’s with tossing the Mephisto Covenant at me like it’s an afterthought? That’s seriously huge, and you didn’t bother to mention it last night? I have to assume it’s not important to you, so why should it be important to me?”

  “What did you want me to do? Make a formal speech, with trumpeters and a scroll? It is what it is, and my opinion of its importance is irrelevant. Whether or not we grow to love each other has no bearing on what needs to happen right now, and what we have to do to prepare. I don’t have any illusions or expectations about you and me, Jordan, and neither should you. All you need to worry about is completing your change to Mephisto.”

  “You’re doing it again.”

  “What?”

  “Telling me what to think, setting my priorities for me, and generally being a d-bag.” She laid her napkin on the table and stood. “Jax, I’ll wait for you in the hall.” Turning, she grabbed her coat from the chairback and walked away. As she passed Deacon, she said, “Please tell Hans that breakfast was exceptional.”

  The Moor nodded, and she thought she saw a hint of a smile on his ordina
rily so solemn face.

  Watching Jordan walk out, Key was struck by how quickly things had deteriorated and how thoroughly he’d been told. From the looks on the others’ faces, they were equally stunned. Maybe if he was the joking kind like Denys, he’d say something flip, and they’d all laugh it off. If he was deliberate like Phoenix, he’d point out that Jordan had a lot to learn about being Mephisto. Or, if he was a gentle soul like Ajax, he’d say he clearly had a lot to learn about females. Especially one who had come of age in the White House.

  But he wasn’t like his brothers, and he would handle this in his own way. He’d keep his thoughts to himself and silently dare anyone to say a word. He swept his gaze around the table, glad when no one picked up the gauntlet.

  “I’ll be out most of the day, looking for something in Washington we can use for our base, but as soon as I’m back, we need to meet and talk about taking down those nut jobs in Texas.”

  “The ATF and the FBI are there now,” Zee said, “demanding Red Out’s surrender.”

  “I suspect Eryx told them to hold out and force the Feds to storm the place. If they die, he wins—not only because he gains that many more souls, but killing those people will make the president look like he was out for revenge.”

  He stood and walked toward the door, but slowed when Phoenix said, “Will you allow Jordan to be at the Red Out takedown?”

  Without turning around, Key said, “No, it’s too soon. We need to do it by tomorrow night, and she won’t be ready.”

  “She could go along to observe. That’d be helpful.”

  Key continued walking. “We’ll see.”

  In the front hall, he found Jordan staring up at Jane’s portrait. When he reached her side, she asked, “Did he love her?”