“Our parents are dead.” Jared tensed, but his voice didn’t betray a hint of emotion.
My throat went dry at the sound of the word and the thought of any more dead parents. “I’m sorry. But shouldn’t someone else do it? It’s obviously dangerous.”
Jared turned down an alley flanked by warehouses with dented metal doors. “There’s no one else. It’s our job.”
“Your job?” He made it sound like they were delivering pizza.
Lukas watched me with the intense blue eyes he and his brother shared. “It’s what we do, Kennedy. Our father chose Jared, and our uncle chose me. We’ve been training since we were kids.”
“Somebody has to do it.” Jared seemed almost apologetic. “If it weren’t for us, you’d be dead.”
Like my mom.
My chest tightened, and I took a trembling breath. “Stop the car.”
“What’s wrong?” Lukas asked.
I gripped the edge of the seat, my nails digging into the leather. “Please.”
“Are you gonna be sick?” Jared sounded worried as he guided the van to one side of the alley.
Lukas slid out and held the door open as I stumbled onto the filthy street. I turned my back on them and focused on the shiny puddles of water in the potholes, fighting the tears burning my eyes.
“Kennedy?” I caught a glimpse of Jared’s army jacket.
I spun around, shaking. “My mom is dead because of a demon your family summoned.”
Jared took a step back as if I had slapped him. “Our family didn’t do it alone. Someone from your family was there, too.”
8. PROOF
I heard the words, but they felt impossible.
Someone from your family was there, too.
And there was no one to confirm or deny it. My aunt was the only family I had left. If one of our ancestors was in a secret society, my mom would never have told her. They barely spoke, and when they did, it always ended in an argument.
I swallowed hard, fighting to keep my voice steady. “How do you know?”
Lukas pushed past his brother, walking toward me slowly like he was approaching a frightened animal. “There are always five members of the Legion. A month ago, all five died on the same night. Exactly the same way. Our dad and uncle, your mom—”
Jared leaned against the side of the van, his hands shoved in his pockets. “You weren’t the only one with a psychotic cat.”
“You think this is funny?” I snapped.
“No, I didn’t mean—” Jared’s eyes dropped to the ground.
“I get that this is a lot to take in, but you need to know the truth,” Lukas said.
I only nodded.
“Our place isn’t far.” Lukas led me to the van, and I climbed in without arguing. “It’s not like you can go back to your house.”
I hesitated for a second. “Wait. What time is it?”
“Eleven. Why?”
I was supposed to meet Elle at nine thirty. She would’ve gone by my house when I didn’t show up. I tried to picture exactly how it looked when we left—the door blown off the hinges, windows shattered, knives sticking out of the kitchen walls. Considering the number of people who had been opening their doors when we drove away, the police had probably beaten her there.
The police meant a call to my aunt, who would have me on the next plane to Boston if I went back.
If Lukas and Jared were telling the truth, a plane ride wouldn’t stop vengeance spirits from finding me. I couldn’t risk leaving until I knew how to protect myself.
I turned to Lukas. “I have to make a call. I was supposed to meet my friend, and she’s probably freaking out.”
He handed me his cell phone. “You can’t say anything about us. We don’t want to deal with the cops.”
“I just want to tell her that I’m okay.” I dialed Elle’s number, and she picked up on the first ring.
“Hello?”
“Elle—”
“Kennedy? Oh my god! Where are you?” She was talking so fast I could hardly understand her. “Your house is totally trashed and—”
“Elle? Are you alone?”
“Yeah, why?” Her usual confidence was gone.
“You can’t tell anyone I’m on the phone. Do you hear me?”
“Okay.”
I took a deep breath and tried to sound calm for her benefit. “Listen. I’m fine. Something happened at my house and these guys helped me.”
“What guys?” she hissed under her breath. “Everyone is looking for you. Your house is a crime scene, and I found Elvis wandering around in the street.”
“You found him? Is he all right?”
“Your stupid cat’s fine. He’s in my car.” Her voice rose, hysteria taking over. “But I’m in the parking lot at the police station. I practically had to tell them everything you ate for the last two days. They think you were abducted.”
“Hold on.” I hit Mute and turned to Lukas. “The police think someone kidnapped me. Should she tell them I’m okay?”
“No,” he said quickly. “They’ll ask her a million questions, and she might get nervous and let something slip.”
I got back on the line. “Elle, you can’t tell anyone you talked to me.”
She sniffled. “Are you running away? Is this about boarding school? You can move in with me if you don’t want to go.”