Angelbound

Ick. The thrax must have whined to Zeke’s parents. Not good.

I park Betsy and step up to the mansion, all innocence and smiles. “Hey, guys! What’s going on?”

Zeke taps his foot. “What in blazes did you do at the thrax compound the other day?”

I unzip my hoodie and try to look casual. “Oh, they mentioned me?”

Zeke’s eyes almost pop out of his head. “Mentioned you? They howled about you. It’s a diplomatic nightmare.”

I roll my eyes. “It is not.”

Cissy frowns. “Is too. You flattened three of their Lords.”

I did, didn’t I? Sweet Satan, that was fun.

Cissy points at my mouth. “I see that self-satisfied smirk. You’re getting in deeper by the second.”

I force my face into neutral-mode.

Zeke rubs his temples. “When you were said you knew the thrax Prince, we thought you were kidding.”

“Hmmm. Let’s take a step into the way-back machine here. I told you both that the Prince and I fought; you refused to believe me because you thought…what was it you thought again?” I give my chin a dramatic tap. “Oh, yeah. You thought that I had a huge crush on Zeke. Well, for the record, I don’t give a crap about Zeke.”

“Fine, we believe you now.” Cissy half-frowns. “But that’s not the point, Myla. The point is that you fought back against the Prince in a mean and sneaky way.”

I keep my face carefully neutral. Mostly. “I fought back? How’s everyone so sure it was me?”

“Hmm.” Now it’s Zeke’s turn to tap his chin. “How many Arena-quality fighters are there out there who got honorary swords from Prince Lincoln? It’s a short list. You.”

“Hey, I did what you asked and delivered the note. Case closed.”

Zeke frowns. “Not by a long shot. The thrax want you to make things right. My parents say if you agree to whatever they ask, we’re all good. You can even keep using the library.” His brows raise. “If you agree, that is.”

The chill of shock envelops me. No library means no way to find out more about my father. I hadn’t thought about that. Cissy sniffles miserably, her bottom lip trembling. I hadn’t thought about how I could hurt her, either. My cold shock solidifies into icy guilt.

“So, what do the thrax want me to do?”

Zeke screws up his mouth. “Uh, we don’t know yet.”

“So, can I go to the library today anyway? I can’t really agree until I know what they want.” I shift my weight from foot to foot. “Plus, I really want to research–” I stop myself before saying ‘my ghoul heritage.’ “Uh, things.”

“I don’t know.” Zeke slaps on his Mr. Smarmy grin. “We really shouldn’t let you go until everything’s worked out.”

Disappointment lands on my shoulders. “I get it.” I jam my hands into the pockets of my sweats. “I’ll head home.” I turn toward Betsy.

Cissy grabs my arm. “No, you can still use the library.” She starts blinking madly, a sugary grin forced onto her face.

Uh-uh. Cissy’s working some angle here.

Zeke wraps his arm around her shoulder and winks. “Of course! Mom and Dad said it was fine, just for today. Only promise to stay in the library. No roaming around.”

I eye their forced chipper-ness carefully. They’re definitely up to something. I shrug. What do I care? I want intel and now I can get it. “I’ll stay in the library, no problem.”

Cissy opens the front door with a long creak; then she gestures toward the West Wing. “See you later.”

“Have fun, you two.” I speed down the West Wing hallway and up to the fourth floor library. Stepping out of the stairwell, I’m greeted by the familiar labyrinth of tall wooden bookcases. I wind my way through the maze of shelves, finding the ghoul section in the far right corner. After scanning a few dusty volumes, I find the Libra Ghoul.

My muscles tighten with nervous energy. Here’s the master encyclopedia on all things ghoul-ish. I pull down the four-inch thick book and eye the hefty leather binding. Across the cover, a hundred ghouls are listed as authors, their letters and numbers all in glittering gold script.

I haul the Libra Ghoul over to my favorite window seat. I sit down, open the book, scan the index, and find the section on ghoul half-breeds, reading:

Ghouls may mate with creatures from other realms. The offspring will appear in human form throughout their mortal lives, a phase which is known as the larvae stage.

I stick out my tongue. Yuck, I’m a larvae right now.

Upon death, the larvae mature into their wondrous ghoul form. In their mortal state, half-breeds are notorious for failing to follow rules and procedures. Once dead, however, they develop a natural appreciation for Group Think and process.

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