Red Angel (The Angels of Paris Chronicles Book 2)

by Anna Santos

  “And?” I asked, trying to understand what the real purpose of bringing this up now was.

  “They asked me if I could host her birthday party so all the single gargoyles from both kingdoms can join in order for her to look for a new match.”

  “Where are you going to host the party? I’m still not understanding you.”

  “At my palace in the other realm. It’s the safest place to do it.”

  I frowned. “Why does it have to be in your palace? Why can’t they host it in their own palace?”

  “Because I’m a member of the original royal family. I’m the only one who has access to the other realm. They live among the humans, and they don’t have a palace like mine. Charlotte is a princess. Her birthday party is an important event. Many will come from different parts of the world. The security measures must be tight. There isn’t a place more secure than my realm. Vampires and humans can’t go there. Rogue packs of wolves can’t reach it, either.”

  “Are you asking for my permission to let Charlotte’s party be hosted at your palace?”

  “Yes. I don’t want you to get upset and jealous over it. Charlotte is nothing more than a friend. She’s going to change into a gargoyle, and her parents want to find a suitable candidate for her. It’s also an opportunity for one of the other gargoyles to be someone’s mate and break their curse.”

  I bit my lip and shrugged. “It’s fine by me. You can let her have her party at your place.”

  “Our place,” he said in a sweet voice.

  I smiled at him, only to lose it. “Cedric, is there any way you won’t turn into stone if we fail the trial?” I didn’t want his death on my conscience, and the pressure of saving his life was getting to me. I doubted my feelings a bit since, apparently, I felt something for Philippe. I had heard about girls falling in love with two guys, but I was sure people couldn’t love two people with the same intensity.

  He tensed. “Why are you asking me that?”

  I knew that if I told him the real reason behind my question, he wouldn’t be happy about it. He wouldn’t understand it. My angel didn’t. That must have been the reason why she’d hijacked my body and got into bed with Cedric. She didn’t want to lose him. The part of me that loved him didn’t want him to die because I wasn’t strong enough to reject Philippe and be immune to him.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and stared into his eyes. The little voice inside my head was whispering the solution to all my problems. She told me how I could break my bond with Philippe and completely forget about him. I needed to strengthen my bond with Cedric and give in to the heat. I needed to commit myself to our love with body and soul. Making love would let us share a special bond, something neither of us had with anyone else. The yearning was there every time we touched and kissed. I didn’t think about Philippe when I was with Cedric. It was just when I was alone.

  “Why are you looking at me like that, Aria?” he asked, probably noticing the gleam in my eyes as the angel took over my thoughts.

  “I’m weak,” I whispered, holding back tears. Cedric had no clue what I was referring to. But my subconscious knew the truth. I was weak and pathetic.

  “That’s okay, honey. You don’t always need to be strong.” He brushed the hair away from my face and kissed me.

  “Can we have a romantic dinner tonight? Just the two of us. I want to spend time with you. You can play the piano for me, and we can talk about our favorite songs and composers.”

  “Sure, but I have to tell you that I’m not that into classical music. I’m more of a rock and roll kind of guy.”

  “That’s fine by me. I don’t just play classical music with my violin. Have you ever listened to Lindsey Stirling? She gives amazing violin performances of all kinds of music. It’s fun to play like her. I do a pretty awesome Imagine Dragons Cover for ‘Radioactive.’ And my favorite thing is to play Evanescence songs. They sound incredible on the violin.”

  Cedric grinned, and I felt silly for sharing that with him. He might have found it childish. My mom and dad thought it was just a phase whenever I went against their love for classical music, but for me it was a passion.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked, blushing intensely.

  “Nothing. Imagine Dragons is one of my favorite bands. I think it’s cool you like them, too. I also find it awesome that you like to perform more recent music with the violin. Maybe you could perform at Charlotte’s birthday party.”

  “God, no,” I shrieked, covering my cheeks. The idea of performing at such an important event and in front of so many people terrified me.

  “Then do it for me tonight while dressed in something sexy, so I can take it off after dinner,” he whispered in my ear, giving me goose bumps and causing crazy butterflies to crash against my stomach’s walls.

  I gave a nod, smiling against his neck. “I’ll take care of everything for tonight then. I’ll make you a romantic surprise, and I’ll make sure to chase away all those nightmares that don’t let you sleep at night.”

  “Okay,” I whispered, ticklish, positioning my neck away from his kisses.

  “Are you sure, honey?” he asked, making me stare at him. He seemed astonished by my answer.

  “I’m sure. It’s time for me to grow up, isn’t it? And it’ll strengthen our bond and make our love stronger.”

  “Yes, it will.”

  “I know it was wrong of me to let Philippe…get near me. But I won’t let him ruin our love anymore. I’m yours now. Mom and Dad love you, and I have plenty of time to figure out what I want to do in the future. I know that a lot of beings are depending on us to be safe. I know that you have a lot of responsibilities and that you deserve a mate who supports you and loves you. If you’re willing to respect me and understand my reasons to pursue a career in whatever I choose, then we have a future.”

  “I’ll put your needs above others,” Cedric said solemnly. “I want to make you happy.”

  “I want to make you happy, too.” I stroked his messy hair. “I realized that I was being selfish these past few days. I was only thinking about what you had to do for me, and I didn’t think of what I should do for you. You’re taking a huge risk in trusting me to break your curse. And you never said that you didn’t want me or that I wasn’t suited to be your mate.”

  “Fate wouldn’t have matched us if we weren’t meant to be.”

  “I admire your faith,” I whispered, stroking his face. “I’m lucky to be your mate. I know that. Don’t think for a moment that I’m not happy to be yours.”

  “So why were you crying, Aria?” he asked with hurt eyes, catching me off guard.

  I hugged him tight. He didn’t seem angry. I knew I should trust him and open up. That was what mates do; they share everything—even their darkest secrets.

  “A part of me misses Philippe and thinks about how things might have been if he hadn’t rejected me,” I explained, sensing Cedric’s body get tense. “Are you mad?”

  “No.” His lips brushed mine. “I just need to work harder to convince you that you and I are better together. That I can give you the life he couldn’t give you. Besides, it wouldn’t be a trial if you didn’t have some doubts about what you truly want. Every rejected soul has feelings for their previous mate. It’s up to them to reject that bond and ignore those feelings or not.”

  “But if we mate, I will forget all about him, won’t I?”

  “Aria,” he said, making sure I was looking into his eyes, “love is more than sex. It’ll bring us closer and increase the passion, but it won’t stop you from feeling a bond with him. You need to want to let him go.”

  “I told him to let me go.”

  “But did you let him go?” he asked. “He showed regret and appealed to your kindness to get near you again. He’s cunning. You shouldn’t feel sorry for him. You shouldn’t want to forgive the evil he did to you. Nonetheless, I understand why you want to. The kindness in you tries to see the best in people. But he doesn’t deserve your forgiveness.”


  “I know.”

  “Do you want to make him suffer for what he’s done to you?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Do you want to go back to him?”

  “No, I don’t,” I asserted, ashamed of his question and afraid he might doubt me again.

  “I don’t know what to tell you, Aria. I don’t have a formula to fix things and remove him from your heart and head. But you said you wanted to be with me. Then you need to be with me and stop thinking about him.”

  “I know.” I sighed, unable to disagree with him. He was right.

  “Your parents are waiting for us downstairs. You have the whole day to think about how you feel. We’ll have a romantic night and…maybe tomorrow things will be a lot clearer.”

  “I love you, Cedric. I want to be with you; don’t think that I don’t. I’m just…”

  “Confused?”

  “Yes, but it helps that you try to understand and support me. I don’t want to hurt your feelings. But I don’t have anyone else to talk to about this.”

  “Fine. Now let’s stop being gloomy and go downstairs to have some fun with your folks. After your magic lesson, you can drive them to the airport. What do you say?”

  “I think that’s a really good idea,” I said, wanting to change the subject and chase the unhappiness away.

  It was a long ride to the airport. My parents decided to call Uncle Steve to come pick them up and drive them there. Mostly because Mom wanted to say her goodbyes to her brother and explain the best she could why they were making a sudden departure. Cedric let me ride with them in my uncle’s cab, as he used the free time to prepare our romantic dinner. He was being secretive about it. I didn’t mind. I loved surprises, and I was sure he would do something incredible. Since we’d talked, I’d been feeling a lot better.

  We were distracted because Uncle Steve was telling us about some of the crazy passenger requests he’d had. We were laughing when it happened. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the front of the jeep that crashed at high speed against the driver’s door and made the car roll several times in the air. I screamed, I know I did. I remembered listening to Mom screaming, too. Then everything went quiet when the car stopped turning. I opened my eyes. My body hurt. I realized that I was stuck between the belt and the seat. My chest especially ached, and I could taste blood in my mouth. I looked around and noticed that my uncle and my mom weren’t moving. They were passed out, I hoped. I wanted to scream and cry. My dad asked me if I was okay. I looked at him, but before I could say anything else, the door was ripped from beside me, and hands grabbed me.

  I tried to push back the men who were forcing me to exit the vehicle.

  “Draw the symbol on her chest before she can use her powers!” a male voice ordered.

  “Dad! Mom!” I screamed, scratching and kicking as a blade ripped at my dress and exposed my chest. There were too many hands holding me back.

  “Hold her! Her angel is surfacing!” another ordered.

  I tried to look around me, to focus on their faces as my angel ragged inside my mind. Pointless. The moment a cold object touched my skin and drew patterns that I couldn’t see, I lost my voice, my breath got heavy, and my skin burned and itched. Weakness took over as my angel screamed and her presence began to fade. I could feel her slip away from my mind and see her being trapped in an imaginary cage. Then a blow to my head knocked me out and everything went black.

  Chapter EIGHTEEN

  PHILIPPE

  Insomnia was becoming my best friend. I tried to resume my life and stop feeling sorry for myself. But my night ended with a bottle of bourbon in one hand and a lot of regrets floating around in my head. I missed her so badly; it was insane how the alcohol wasn’t soothing the pain.

  Aria was gone. I’d promised to stay away. The fact that I didn’t know if she was okay made me feel restless and worried. I was staring too often at my phone, chasing away my desire to call her and listen to her voice. Her dad hadn’t phoned me back to tell me how she was. Maybe the lack of news meant that everything was okay in the angel world.

  Life goes on, right? Wrong. It wasn’t that easy. I was dying here. I hadn’t felt this bad since… I didn’t think I’d ever been this down. Not even when Sophie left me for another guy, one richer than me, one who could give her the life she’d always wanted. I had wandered the streets of Paris, thinking about the things I could do to win her back. Back then, time seemed to be eternal. Grief made for bizarre company, whispering thoughts of suicide and rage. I wasn’t angry now. I wasn’t feeling cheated on or unworthy. All I was feeling was sad and empty. I’d lost a part of me when I lost Aria. I was hoping that my loss would be what was best for her. I wanted her to be happy. Truly happy. I wouldn’t make her happy. I wasn’t human anymore. I could be rich, but I was dark and damaged. Damaged beyond words. What could I give her? I would ruin her innocence and her beautiful soul.

  At least, I would be part of her life. She would be the Queen of the Angels. We would see each other at parties and gatherings. I could watch over her and witness her happiness. Altruism didn’t suit me at all, but if it was to save her soul from Hell, I could hurt a bit more. Loneliness and pain weren’t strangers to me. I had learned to live side by side with them. A bottle of bourbon and my misery were the only things I needed to survive these days. The pain would eventually lessen. It wouldn’t stop, though. I knew that. But the easy way out wasn’t an option. Killing myself wasn’t an option. I had considered it. I had tried to do it so many years ago when Jo found me and saved me. But if I was gone and ended up in Hell, who would make sure that Aria had the life she deserved? I would just miss her more. The pain wouldn’t stop. I’d rather suffer near her than in Hell. It could wait for me a bit longer. I wouldn’t even complain to go there when I was sure that she had ascended to heaven and nothing or no one could hurt her anymore.

  The daylight had come, and I was still awake. Too many thoughts, too much pain, and too much loneliness. I wanted to smash and break everything around me. I wanted to scream and curse my existence. Maybe I was going insane.

  “Philippe.” Gerard’s voice woke me up from my troubled thoughts. “Are you here?”

  It was dark inside my office. Everything was closed to keep the daylight from leaking in. I knew it was day because I was feeling weaker. I had my back to the door as I sat on my armchair. He couldn’t see me there unless I moved and his eyes were adjusted to the darkness.

  “I said I didn’t want anyone to disturb me,” I growled.

  “I was worried. You aren’t acting normal these days,” he said.

  “I’m not the only one not acting normally these days,” I retorted, clasping the glass in my hand and clenching my teeth.

  If he thought I didn’t know what he was up to, he was dead wrong. I didn’t survive this long by trusting people. He might be my number one, but I knew that he thought I was becoming weak. Everybody knew that vampires couldn’t be trusted. I was just waiting for him to stab me in the back, no pun intended, to claim my title.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he declared with his most innocent voice.

  “You’ve been away all night. Where have you been?” I asked.

  “I was with Margaret,” he answered. “Can’t I have fun? She’s a feisty witch.” His mocking tone implied he’d had a sexual interlude. I wasn’t falling for that. There was only one reason for him to keep that witch around him. She was foolish enough to believe him and do his bidding. It was a nice resource for a vampire to have a powerful witch on his side.

  “Does Margaret live in the graveyard now?” I asked, putting the glass on the table and getting up. I folded my hands behind my back and heard his movement behind me. I was wondering if he was reckless enough to try anything against me. He probably was. “Aren’t you going to deny that you spent your night in the graveyard? That it was the first place you went once the night came? What were you doing there? Were you striking some sort of absurd deal with the specters?” />
  “Are you doubting my loyalty to you?”

  I smirked, turning around to watch him. “I’m not a naïve girl, Gerard. I know you’ve been fooling Margaret to think that she’s your soulmate when, in fact, we both know she isn’t. She’s a dark witch. Her coven has ties to the specters. You’ve been acting rather mysterious these past few weeks.”

  “So have you,” he said.

  “I have my reasons.”

  Gerard gesticulated with his hands, his eyes wide. “I tried to prevent this from happening.”

  I arched an eyebrow at his enigmatic words. “What do you mean?”

  “You rejected her, but you didn’t have the balls to sentence her to death. I told those idiots to finish her off. They were incompetent, and she escaped. I thought she would die in the river. I’m tired of cleaning up your mess.”

  “My mess?”

  “You’re too honorable to be a good Vampire King. We need someone with…more greed and fewer morals. You talk a big game, but you don’t do anything to get rid of the angels and gargoyles.”

  “Let me see if I understand you. You were the one responsible for Aria almost dying on the night I rejected her?”

  Gerard balled his hands into fists and stared at me with dark eyes. “Are you too drunk to understand the words coming out of my mouth?”

  Narrowing my eyes, I muttered, “Apparently.”

  “You’ve been in bed with angels—literally. What do you think will happen if you keep pushing Cedric’s buttons and chasing his mate?”

  I pointed one finger at him. “My private life doesn’t concern you!”

  “It does if you’re putting all our lives at stake! You’ve grown weak ever since that girl showed up in your life! She’s an angel, a powerful one if you don’t know by now. She could get us all killed!”