It had to be Micah. Maybe Julian did it out of some sick way of helping clear her name. However, that would be pretty useless considering the fact Micah wouldn’t be confessing to anything or anyone anytime soon.
She knew it was crass to think of Micah like that, especially after what was done to him. And why was she in Anacostia? She hated this area—hated the crime, the hopelessness, and the fishy smell the river gave off every time a rainstorm came through.
And then she felt it—a minion.
Cracking her knuckles, she backed up a couple of feet. Empty, dilapidated row houses lined the street. Skeletons of their former glory, they were now inhabited by rats and the homeless.
But the minion wasn’t there.
Lily almost grinned when she realized where it was—the old reform school they had brought Michael to. Taking off down the block, she hopped the fence and headed around the building. The sensation grew, telling her she was on the right trail.
Entering through the busted-out window, she quietly crept through the abandoned classroom and hall. The doors at the end of the hall were open. Releasing her blades, she edged along the wall.
The balcony above the gymnasium was empty. Quickly, she scanned the upper level and then peered over the rusted railing. Empty.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” she whispered, gazing up at the ceiling.
“I’m right here.”
The voice sent shivers down Lily’s spine. She recognized it, knew it to be a voice she should never hear again. She turned around, feeling her heart twist. “William?”
Chapter Twenty-nine
“Are you shitting me?” Michael peeled off the helmet, staring at the reform school. Jesus, he had hoped he’d never come back to this place. “She would go here?”
Luke tucked the helmet under his arm as he climbed off his bike, looking around with a frown. “We’re gonna have to ditch the bikes, and there’s a good chance we may never see them again.”
Michael soured at that. “No…I like this bike. I want to keep it.”
“We’ll get you another one.”
He sure hoped so. “Why would she come here?”
Luke pitched the helmet into a bush. “I just know Lily.”
Michael looked over the fence. Ice flooded his veins. He had a bad feeling—a real bad feeling about this. He turned to Luke, but he’d already jumped the fence and stood on the other side, waiting.
“You’re slowing me down,” Luke said, then turned and strode off through the overgrown grass.
He flipped him off and followed. It took Michael a bit longer to make his way over the fence. He jogged to catch up to him. “So you think she went here to find Julian?”
They rounded the building and stopped in front of the same window Luke had pried the boards off over a month ago. Michael started to climb through first but stilled. The ice was spreading through his body, forming icicles in his stomach. A shiver ran up his spine. “I feel…something,” he said.
“What do you feel?” Luke said from behind him.
Michael peered over the ledge of the window, pieces of wood and brick crumbling under his fingers. “I feel another…Nephilim, but…”
“But what?”
There was something else in that reform school—several things, or something really powerful. It reminded him of the feeling he got when he’d seen Baal, but much…much worse.
“You know what I don’t get?” Luke said, his breath bouncing off the back of his neck. “How you’ve survived this long when you’re really this stupid.”
“Shit.” Michael drew in a shallow breath and started to turn. The back of his skull exploded in pain, and then there was nothing.
…
Lily couldn’t stop staring at William. He shouldn’t be standing there. “You’re supposed to be dead.”
William glanced down at himself, smoothing a hand over his pressed polo and smiling in a smug way. “Nah.”
Just the sight of him caught Lily off guard. His sudden reappearance was something she couldn’t comprehend. Luke had killed…he had said so. It was only a moment she hesitated. That split second was enough time to give William the upper hand. She saw him move and raised her arm to block him, but it was too late. His fist connected with the side of her face. There was the sickening sound of bones crunching that seemed far away, and then fierce pain burst through her body as she staggered to her knees.
She lifted her head, spitting out a mouthful of blood. A rush of air served as a warning, but Lily couldn’t move quickly enough. William’s steel-toed boot connected, flipping her onto her back. She felt her cheek split open, then the warm cascade of blood that followed.
“Lily…Lily, I’ve always thought you would be smarter than this,” taunted William. He reached down, grasping a handful of her hair. “You thought I was dead? Why?” He yanked her to her feet. “Ah, that’s right. Luke told you so.”
She swung the blade at his chest, but he caught it, snapping one of the daggers off her cuff. Shit. This wasn’t going well.
William tossed the dagger over the railing. “Good old crazy-off-his-ass Luke.” He swept her legs out from underneath her, sending her spilling to the dirty alley. “Do you know how truly fucked-up your BFF is?”
She couldn’t afford to listen to him. Not when he had her on the ground. It was the first lesson every hunter was taught. Never let them get you on the ground. But his words were distracting her. She rolled onto her back, narrowly avoiding another boot to the face. Over the pounding of her heart, she heard the distinctive thump of something large being dropped.
“He killed that little Nephilim whore you call Anna. He’s the one…” William jerked, his words cut off. He made a strangled sound, and they both stared down at his chest. A Sanctuary dagger pierced his heart clean through. Then William was gone, really dead this time.
Lily rolled to her side, staring up at Luke. It was hard to see through the blood pouring down her face, and her words came out slurred. “I thought you said…you killed William?”
He helped her to her feet. “I did say that.”
She pulled away, nearly toppling over. She grasped the banister for support. “I don’t…you…killed Anna?”
“I did kill Anna,” he answered simply.
She stared at Luke, horrified. The walls tilted. “No, Luke, please no. You didn’t. You know what…that means.”
“It’s okay now, Lily. Don’t be afraid of me.”
She staggered along the railing. A lump on the floor moaned. “Michael? Luke, what…what did you do?”
Luke grabbed her arm, spinning her away from Michael. “Don’t worry about him. He’s not going to be our problem. Not for much longer, anyway.”
This had to be a nightmare. “I don’t understand. Luke, you…loved Anna.”
“I did love her, but she loved a Fallen!” he roared, his grip tightening on her arm. “I would have done anything for her, and she betrayed me!”
Lily pulled her arm free. The pain from the broken bones in her face was making her dizzy. She was having a hard time processing what he was saying. “Why didn’t you come to me? Why didn’t you tell me you needed help?”
Luke stared at her, confused. “I don’t need help. I want to see the Sanctuary crumble upon itself. You were turning out just like Anna.” He licked his lips, reaching for her again. “You went out and screwed a Fallen and messed everything up.”
“Oh my God.”
The sound of wood splintering somewhere on the ground floor turned into footfalls. It sounded like a herd of elephants running through the halls, and within seconds, the doors below busted open. Glancing over the banister, Lily felt her heart stutter.