To Fall (The To Fall Trilogy Book 1)

by Donna AnnMarie Smith

  I shook my head. “No.”

  He eyed my chest and arms. “You lift?” Yeah…if he only knew how much he was out-muscled.

  “In my spare time,” I lied.

  Tyler laughed and rolled his eyes. “Okay.” He looked over my shoulder, apparently bored with me. “Well, welcome to my home. Feel free to save anyone else who may need it tonight and help yourself to a drink.” Turning, he began flirting with a brunette in a green bikini. I was sure he was with Melanie at the last party.

  Making my way over to the drinks, I poured a glass of water. The kids here were indulging themselves in too much liquor, and there was some hard stuff here. Tyler wasn’t concerned for the safety of his guests, just how popular he was.

  “Alexander! I was hoping you’d be here!” Greg pulled me into one of those half bear hugs I’d seen guys give each other.

  Greg was sober tonight, which I was happy to see. Smiling was easy with Greg. I learned after meeting him at the last party that he was a genuinely nice kid. “Greg, how are you?”

  “I’m good. Been busy with training for football this season.”

  “Already?”

  He laughed. “Yeah, well, when your brother was the star Sidewinders’ lineman with the most tackles, it tends to give you an incentive.”

  I nodded. “I have a brother, too. I know what you mean.”

  “I have big shoes to fill, which is ironic.” Greg pointed to his sneakers, which had to be custom ordered.

  “I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

  “I hope so. I don’t like disappointing my old man. Football is his religion.” Greg’s gaze went over my head and a look of disgust drew up on his face. I glanced back to what caused his reaction. “Man, Tyler is such a sleaze. Look at him. He was into Heather two seconds ago,” he grumbled behind me.

  Tyler draped himself around Melanie, who wore a bright blue bikini. Beth maneuvered through the crowd toward a group of different girls and I saw her. Abby. I stayed where I was, out of her line of sight. I wasn’t sure what to say to her yet, so I watched her.

  Something slugged my arm. “Go say hi to her,” Greg urged.

  “Who?” I asked, not breaking my stare.

  “The girl you can’t take your eyes off of, Abby Miller.”

  I turned to see Greg’s response. “You think she wants to talk to me?”

  Chuckling, his brown eyes lit up. “Uh, yeah, I think she wants to talk to you.”

  Before I could ask how he knew that, I sensed it. A demon presence. I couldn’t pinpoint it yet. Excusing myself, I stalked around the room looking for it. I texted Caleb; with most of these kids drinking, it would make it much easier for a possession and a quick getaway. Alcohol made the human mind weaker, and by the looks of this party, we needed everyone here.

  I smiled, wondering who would lose Rock-Paper-Scissors this time. The loser had to drive the Civic and the winners flew. I brought the SUV here tonight in case I had to drive anyone home. I secretly hoped that person would be Abby.

  Abby began moving through the room, which was difficult with so many people here, and I lost her a few times because she was so tiny. Her head popped up as she stood on her tiptoes, and before dropping down, I caught a flit of a frown. My heart did a little jump, thinking that she was looking for me. Her head angled toward the back door and I watched her move toward it.

  Someone yelled, “Hey, Pink Polka Dots!” Abby was wearing a blouse with pink dots on it.

  Stopping just feet from the door, Abby’s head angled back, smiling. “Hey, Jake.”

  My stomach churned watching her with him. Maybe she was looking for Jake and not me. Did she think of him as more than a friend, did she dream of him, or want to kiss him? I could have done without that image.

  He took a long drink off his cup. “What are you doing here by yourself?”

  “I came with Beth and Mel.” Her tone suggested she would have rather not come.

  “You want a drink?” He shook his red plastic cup at her.

  The back door opened, forcing Abby closer to Jake. “No, I’m good, thanks.” Once the door closed, Abby backed away from him.

  Jake leaned closer to her. “You change your mind and wanna hook up?”

  Abby’s smile wasn’t real this time. “No.” Her gaze darted around the room and I made my way over to her.

  “No bathing suit again tonight?” His eyes raked her up and down and Abby crossed her arms over her chest.

  “No, not tonight.” Her voice sounded breathy, chest heaving.

  Jake moved closer to Abby and she let out a little cough. Feet away, I could smell the alcohol on his breath and the half-bottle of body spray he doused himself with. I didn’t get a close look at him at the last party, but there was something different about his eyes, a darker shade of green.

  Though I didn’t tell my body to move, I shot forward. Nearing them, the demon presence grew stronger. The jealousy that had been building vanished as the tingling in my spine moved to my wing lines. Yearning to break my wings out, I had to restrain the urge to cast him away. He was filthy, tainting God’s Earth, soiling the human soul of the body he occupied. The need to purge him was overwhelming, but I couldn’t risk revealing myself.

  Jake.

  It was inside the kid. I needed to get a little closer to get a sense of who the demon was. The demon pushed against her chest and he had the audacity to touch her blouse, grabbing the ruffle at her sleeve. She gasped and I looked to see he had slipped his finger inside her shirt. Her skin broke out in goose bumps from either fear or how cold Jake’s skin was from the demon possessing his body. He smirked as though he took pleasure in making her uncomfortable. I knew he did. Bastard.

  Abby tried to take a step back, but she bumped into me with inches to spare between the top of her head and my chin. The curl of her ponytail brushed my wrist and I fisted my hands to restrain myself from grabbing her and flying her far from danger. The demon glanced up over her head and the smirk faded. Before I could sense who it was, he jumped bodies.

  “Look, Jake, I’m gonna go find Beth. I saw Danielle near the spa.” She pushed his hand away and I heard the snap of her bra against her skin. Abby slipped out the door.

  Jake stood, blinking, shaking his head. He stumbled into a few people, disoriented.

  Damn, the demon left before wiping his memory, probably in a rush to escape after realizing what I was.

  Following Jake down the hall, he aimed toward the bathroom, using the wall for support. No one was around. Gripping his neck, I pulled him into an empty bedroom, wiped his memory, and left him to sleep.

  I could lie and say I followed Abby outside to make sure the demon didn’t try to go after her again, but I would have gone out to her regardless. I hoped Greg was right that she would talk to me.

  It was still hot outside and I wanted to make sure she didn’t pass out again, so I grabbed another cup of ice water. Except for Abby, the basketball court was empty with a gentle hum of music flowing from inside. Abby lay on the concrete, knees bent, staring up at the inky sky sprinkled with stars.

  “Beautiful.”

  Abby shot up and twisted toward me. Her gaze started at my flip-flops and took their time reaching my eyes. Even in the dark, I saw the stain of pink on her cheeks. Closing the distance between us, I knelt and handed her one of the cups.

  She looked at the red plastic like it was ticking down numbers. “Thank you, but I…uh…don’t drink. I know that’s lame and I appre—”

  Abby was rambling and I bit off a chuckle. “I don’t drink either. It’s water. It’s warm out here and I thought you could use it.”

  Her dark eyes sparkled, picking up what little light was out here. Taking the cup, her fingers grazed mine and she sucked in a breath. Was it possible she felt the same electric current shoot up her arm that I had? “Thank you, again. That was very thoughtful.”

  “You’re most welcome.” Observing the empty court, I said, “What are you doing out here? Not much for parties?”
<
br />   “Not really. I was looking at the stars. You can see them better out here. Over by my house there are too many street lights.”

  Taking full advantage of our privacy, I laid down on the court next to her. My legs stretched out and Abby followed. Her spiced jasmine scent blew over me, and before I wasted time on the hundreds of thoughts running through my head, I rested my knee against hers, just an inch of skin. Even if it was a small point of contact, I had to feel her because there was nothing like her touch. The connection resonated through my skin and into my soul, bringing me such calm. Though it was slight, her leg relaxed and I felt a little tug on my heart that she didn’t pull away.

  Abby turned her head toward me and her eyes widened, not expecting me to be staring at her.

  “How’s Bozo?” I asked.

  The corner of her mouth tipped up. “Living up to his name.”

  My brows pinched. “You’re not taking him on any more walks are you?” I already knew the answer.

  “No, maybe I should train him on the treadmill, instead,” she quipped.

  I laughed and the color on her cheeks deepened. “That would be something.”

  “Are you here with your brother?” she wondered.

  “Hmm. He might be here somewhere.”

  Questions formed on her lips, and before she could ask, Beth sniffed, “Abby?”

  I could be wrong, but disappointment crossed her features a second before Abby looked to see Beth crying on the edge of the court. Concerned, Abby stood and went to her friend with me on her heels like a damn puppy dog.

  Abby rubbed Beth’s arm. “What happened?”

  Beth’s eyes darted between Abby and me, cringing. “I’m sorry. Of all the… Mark is here with Danielle.”

  Abby’s shoulders dropped. “Oh.”

  Beth looked like she was ready to crumble and disintegrate right here. Her eyes turned watery and she mouthed with trembling lips, I’m sorry.

  I would have given my left wing to see Abby’s reaction.

  There was an audible swallow before Abby said, “Okay. I’ll go in with you to find Mel.” Turning back to me, her voice filled with sadness. “I’m sorry, Xander. I’ve gotta go. It was nice talking to you without you saving my life this time.”

  Whoever the hell Mark and Danielle were, I cursed them in my head. Abby was a good friend and she was doing the right thing, but damn them.

  Hiding my disappointment, I laughed. I tilted my head down to her and said, “I also prefer talking to you when I’m not saving your life. And maybe next time I find you, you won’t be lying down.”

  Abby laughed this time and my heart grew warmer. Good Heavens, I loved that sound. “That’s right. Three times now.” Her smile faded. “Goodnight, Xander.”

  “Goodnight, Abby.”

  There was a flash of something in her eyes that I didn’t understand, but she tried to cover it with a smile. That wasn’t a real smile. I had done something to upset her.

  Abby rotated back to Beth and I should have gone after her, seen her out, but I didn’t. Locked onto her every move, she looked at me before turning the corner, and I swore my heart skipped a beat this time. I wondered what would have happened if Beth hadn’t interrupted us.

  Craning my head back, I looked to the stars, hoping for a day that I could show Abby the sky as I saw it.

  “You get it?” Caleb asked.

  I had sensed his and Hannah’s presence a few minutes ago. “No, he bolted. He was talking to Abby, but I didn’t have enough time to make him.”

  “Damn.” He looked over his shoulder. “What’s going on in that house? And did you catch the lewd acts in the spa? Sweet angel light!” His hand raked his hair so as not to disturb the faux hawk.

  “Yeah, I did. I think this is normal, Caleb.”

  “Ah hell.”

  14

  Abby

  It had been a week since I saw Xander, and he let me go with a simple “goodnight.” It was the perfect opportunity to get my phone number and he didn’t. Was he too shy to ask in front of Beth? He didn’t seem like the shy type.

  Having seen her ex with Danielle Quincy messed with Beth’s head. Mark and Danielle had to have been hooking up for the night. She wasn’t known for relationships and neither was he, evidently. Mel and Beth called her Double-D Danielle for obvious reasons. She was one of those girls I would never get along with. Danielle knew I had a heart condition and she made sure to drop comments any chance she could.

  Before our freshman year in high school, everyone heard about her home invasion and the horrible death of her parents. Thank goodness Danielle happened to be sleeping at a friend’s house. She lived with her older sister now, and my heart went out to Danielle. Both of us had been orphaned at different points in our lives, and she at least knew her parents. That loss must have been so difficult, and I reasoned her lashing out at me was a result of whatever pain she was going through. So I steered clear of her, resisted the urge to fire back, but I heard my best friends had words with her once or twice.

  I had registered for my courses online and decided to sign up for culinary class. Maybe with professional instruction, I could at least learn kitchen basics and hope to keep all ten fingers.

  Because I didn’t have a dorm or a car to house my supplies, I rented a locker from school.

  With Mel and Tyler dating, we didn’t see much of her. Beth popped over to my house around the same time every day and we entertained my sisters. Although she denied it, she was still in love with Mark. I figured once school started she would find someone. Beth was the kind of girl any guy would be lucky to have.

  Friday night before the start of school, Mel and Beth were off to another one of Tyler’s parties. The last two didn’t go well for me, so I opted to stay home, which was a mistake, because I couldn’t stop thinking about Xander. I wondered if he was there and if he hoped to see me. Maybe I had missed another opportunity with him. At some point, after obsessing over his chiseled chest, ripped abs, and full lips, I fell asleep.

  During the night, I woke to Bozo barking outside my bedroom door, which he never did at night. Stretching before I rolled over to fall back asleep, I sensed it, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Someone was watching me, a presence, like the one in my nightmare. Was I dreaming now?

  Lifting my head, I focused on an odd shape in the corner. Nothing in my room would cast a shadow like that. Near the top of it, light glinted. It moved. It wasn’t a shadow. Realizing what it was, ice flowed through my veins and tears burst forth. Imposing and silent, a tall form stood and the eyes shifted again. A man. The evil.

  Opening my mouth to scream, nothing came. I tried to move, jump out of bed, run, but I couldn’t. I was paralyzed, trapped in my body. This couldn’t be happening. I was dreaming. Wake up. WAKE UP!

  It was dark, but I should have been able to see his face as he stalked closer to me. It was as if he was made of the dark, birthed from shadows. I could only see his eyes. Black marbles gleamed from whatever light was in the room, watching me. Cheeks wet with tears, I trembled, and a scream locked in my throat.

  His hand came to my face. Spindly, icicle fingers combed my hair back and touched my forehead. A rough finger caressed my cheek, then over my lips.

  Struggling to get away from him, the only movement I made was of my heaving chest and thudding heart. His skin was so cold, as though the evil within him repelled all warmth. Vaguely, I heard Bozo’s continuous barks and snarls, and I prayed for help.

  Faster than my eyes could react, the covers were thrown back and his black eyes soaked in my body. Fingers trailed down my neck and a wave of shivers swathed over me. He stopped at my nightgown, fabric pulled, and I realized he was unbuttoning it. The cotton drew apart and the fan blew air over my skin, exposed to him. My stomach clenched and bile encroached up my throat. In the dark, I could hear him smiling, reveling in my fear as though it fed him.

  Terror obliterated any humiliation I may have had. My eyes were locked on his every m
ove. He leaned close enough that his chilled mouth came to mine. Wetness flicked along my lips, tasting me. The acidic bile burned in my throat, threatening to come. The bed frame hit the wall in tiny shocks that matched my quaking body. A thick, cold trail followed his tongue to my cheeks, lapping up my salty tears and a growl vibrated over me.

  In a flicker, he moved, the air chilling the path his tongue created down my throat, collarbone, and chest, sliding along my scar. Frozen fingers slithered up my sides to my ribcage and I erupted in goose bumps. Hands kneaded my breasts and tugged on my nipples. Hovering over me, I heard an intake of breath and another growl.

  Ice immersed one of my breasts, and once I heard a sucking noise, I realized it was his mouth. My tears came in rivulets off my cheeks. The mattress dipped under his weight, something hard pressed against my leg, jabbing me. Fear clouded me and I couldn’t focus. His weight shifted and his mouth trained on my other breast. The hard thing moved to between my legs. I understood what it was and my pulse roared in my ears.

  He thrust his hips into me again. My mouth opened farther as if that would help break my scream free. Five individual, moving icicles stretched and pulled on the waist of my panties. I had to lay here and watch him torture me. My heart was on the brink of exploding. My breaths were too shallow and fast to feed my body oxygen. The last layer of protection disappeared and cool air brushed over the new exposed skin. His hand dragged up my inner thigh, and my body jolted from the touch of ice between my legs, sinking inside me.

  I woke up with a start.

  My hand flipped the light on and I searched the room. No one was here and everything was in its place. I was still dressed, and the covers were on me.

  Gasping for air, I looked to the time. 1:00 a.m. Scrubbing my face, it was wet. I must have cried in my sleep. I guess I had another nightmare to add to my collection. With shaky legs, I went to my bathroom and turned the light on. The medicine in my pill bottle rattled, taking much longer than it should to single out a pill. I flung my head back and guzzled tap water, staring at my wide-eyed reflection and stained cheeks.