Seduced by Lies by Alex Lux Page A

character from the old Wile E. Coyote cartoons. Not trusting the rope alone, I added shackles, confident he wouldn't be moving, let alone escaping, any time soon.
    I cut off the excess rope and stared at the knife in my hand, running my finger over the sharp edge as I thought of all the innocent lives Ryder had destroyed.
    "Derek." Someone called to me, but the knife held my attention.
    "Derek." A hand rested on my shoulder. I turned to my sister's grim face. "I'll watch him. Go be with the others."
    Right. Beleth was with Drake, to hopefully heal him. I nodded and closed the knife, shoving it back into my pocket. "Thanks."
    Ryder would live another day.
    If he was lucky.

    The infirmary was crowed as Beleth stood over Drake with Sam and Dr. Susie at his side and Father Patrick and Alaric in the corner watching. I didn't see Toby, but that didn't mean much.
    "In order to save him," Beleth said, "Drake must become more angel than human. There are two ways to become Nephilim: through birth if one parent is angel or Nephilim, or through a blood ritual. Drake was born, but this ritual I must do will also imbue him with angel blood, which is something rarely, if ever, done to turn one who is already Nephilim. The angel blood will further his transformation which began the day of his wedding, when I performed the first ritual to unlock some of his powers by painting an ancient symbol on his forehead with my blood."
    It was a lot to take in. What would this change do to Drake? How would it change him? I'm sure Sam and everyone else had the same questions.
    Sam didn't hesitate though. "Turn him. Now."
    "He's already Nephilim," Beleth said. "That's his birthright. This will unlock his power." He hesitated. "And his weakness."
    A shimmer of light hovered in the air and solidified into a street savvy boy who always appeared scuffed up. "What weakness?" asked Toby.
    Only Alaric looked surprised at his appearance, but Drake had saved Toby from a life, and death, on the streets. The boy was never far from his side, even if his parapowers hid him.
    "The craving for blood," Beleth said.
    "Like human blood?" Toby asked.
    Beleth nodded.
    "Can he control it?" I asked.
    Beleth stood still, like a rock or a mountain. "He can learn."
    Sam shivered. "How long will it take?"
    "Days. Weeks. It's different for each Nephilim," Beleth said.
    Father Patrick stepped forward, speaking mostly to Sam. "There is one more thing you should know.
    He licked his lips nervously. "Not all survive the transformation."
    Sam nodded, likely having read the priest's mind already. She turned back to Beleth. "You're not pure angel anymore. You've been genetically modified. Will that affect the ritual?"
    Beleth dropped his head a fraction, such a small movement but on one usually so still, it felt big. "I don't know. But I do know he will die soon if we do nothing."
    She steeled her shoulders and squeezed Drake's hand. "Do it."
    Beleth's hand turned into a blade—was that an angel trait or unique to his newly bred genetics?—and used it to cut open his wrist.
    I wasn't sure what I expected, more subtlety or some incense and chanting maybe, but not something this blatant.
    The blood poured into Drake's mouth and down his throat. I turned away, troubled by the thought that my best friend would crave this particular delight.
    I faced Alaric instead, whose face had paled considerably. I didn't want to think we were both disgusted by the same thing. "Take Ryder and leave. Tonight."
    He pulled his eyes away from the blood meal to lock eyes with mine. "You may wish to reconsider."
    "Why?"
    "You and Rose must accompany us."
    Yeah, not happening. "I've spent enough time around you."
    Rose slipped her hand into mine, and even in the midst of all this hell, her touch made me shiver and long for more. "For the trial?" she asked.
    The bishop nodded. "Aside from Drake, you two are the only witnesses."
    "And if you go alone?" I asked.
    "Then there can be no trial, and he'll be set