We watched the road now. I looked at Kaidan’s hand on the steering wheel, and just for fun I said in my mind, Tap your finger on the wheel.

Tap, tap. Oh, my gosh! He did it! I tried it again, and this time when he tapped the wheel I tittered. He didn’t even notice he was doing it.

“What’s up with you?” he asked.

“Are you sure it’s not possible for a Nephilim to have the influence?”

“I’ve never heard of anyone having it except a Duke, and trust me, I’ve tried. It doesn’t work.”

For twenty minutes Kaidan would periodically chuckle under his breath and shake his head. I kept grinning, too.

We were less than two hours away now.

“I know we’re going to be there soon, but I really need to go to the bathroom,” I said.

“Oh, all right. Loo stop.” He took the next exit and we both went into a convenience store. When I came out I saw the back of Kaidan as he was walking to the exit doors. I had a sudden urge to try my power of influence again.

Spin around! I willed to his back. And to my utter disbelief, he spun midstride and then put his hand on the door handle to open it. He paused there for a moment, and then turned and looked at me with an incredulous, wide-eyed expression. I darted into the candy aisle and bent over laughing.

“Oooh, so not funny,” I heard him say as the bell chimed his exit.

I couldn’t stand straight as I made my way back to his car, holding my sides and cracking up, no matter how hard I tried to keep a straight face. He gave me a fake glare and shook his head when I climbed in.

“How did you do that?” he demanded.

“I don’t know. Just like you said, I gave you a silent command and willed it to happen. You weren’t really thinking about it, so I guess you went with it.”

He continued to shake his head.

“I can’t believe it. Maybe you’re more powerful because you’ve got the double-angel parentage. That’s completely unfair.”

“Ha, ha,” I teased.

On our way back onto the interstate we passed a long row of stores and shops, and a giant tattoo parlor.

“I had a tattoo once,” said Kaidan. “Last year, just before we left England.”

“What do you mean, you had one ‘once’?”

“Bloody thing was gone by the morning!” His voice was indignant. “Sheets were black with ink. I put myself through all of that for hours, and my body just pushed it back out!”

And once again we were both in a fit of hysterics, sharing the world’s best inside joke. We were doubled over, unable to breathe, and I accidentally snorted. Kaidan pointed at me and laughed harder, clutching his stomach.

“What was your tattoo?” I managed to push the words out.

“You had to ask. It was a deadly-looking pair of black wings on my shoulder blades.”

Kaidan and I started roaring again, muscles clenching from the exertion.

We had no way of knowing it would be our last reason to laugh for a very long time.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

THE GREAT PURGE

We made our way through the dry hills and valleys of Southern California, passing neighborhoods of homes with rounded red tiles on the roofs, and manicured lawns. By nightfall we were outside of Los Angeles. I kept checking Kaidan’s phone for calls from the convent, but there was nothing.

“It’s still early,” Kaidan said. “Let’s drive through L.A. or Hollywood. We’re close enough.”

“Hollywood!” I wasn’t up-to-date on celebrity gossip, but it sounded exciting, and I wasn’t ready to settle down yet.

We were focusing on road signs when I happened to notice writing on a small mountain.

“Oh, my gosh, Kai, look! The Hollywood sign!” I bounced in my seat and pointed to the giant white capital letters standing on the mountainside. His head tilted to the side, peering at me.

“You called me Kai.”

“Sorry,” I said.

“No, it’s okay. That’s what my friends call me.”

“Your friends?” I asked.

“As close as I have to friends, yes. Four Neph. Two I’ve known since childhood, although I’m not particularly close with any of them. It’s more like we’re all in it together.”

“Will I get to meet them?”

“I don’t know. I’m not going to tell them about you, because I think you need to lie low. But that doesn’t mean they won’t hear about you through word of mouth. The Dukes and demons are worse than a bunch of gossiping old women.” That was a funny image.

“What are your friends like?”

“Well, there’s Blake, the son of the Duke of Envy. He lives out here on one of the beaches. He was born in the Philippines. His job is the best, because all he has to do is get his hands on the latest material things and date the most beautiful women. I’ve wondered if he even feels a pull to sin. He’s completely mellow. I’ve seen him jealous only once, and it got ugly.”

“What was he jealous about?”

“A girl he liked was chatting up another bloke. Anyhow, he’s a thrill seeker. Likes all the extreme sports. He travels the world to surf. He’s got freakishly good balance. And then there are the twins, Marna and Ginger.” His voice went a little sour as he spoke of them. “Daughters of the Duke of Adultery, Astaroth. They’re dancers. I spent a good bit of my childhood with them, sharing tutors and whatnot. They still live in London. Marna can be a joy, but Ginger has not been pleasant for quite some time.”