Betrayed: The Chronicles of Luxor Everstone Book Two

by Jacklyn Daher

  "Spare me the tourist guide information, I'm from the area. And besides, I wouldn't want to go to a place you've shared with someone else." He exposed a replica of the emotions she had been suffering.

  Betrayal. Hurt. Rejection.

  "The guy's not a stranger; he's Ayla’s cousin. Xavier Frangelico," Evie explained to him, twirling a straw about her glass of coke, witnessing the second drama of the day. "What a name. Hey isn't Frangelico a name of a yummy alcohol? Oh my God, he's uber hot!" she teased, waving her hand like a fan.

  "Xavier.” A darkened expression full of hatred crossed Hunter's face, misdirected and solely on Ayla. He moved away to the other side of The Hive joining Melita, and Theo and Castor who'd just arrived.

  "What the hell was that?" she seethed.

  Ayla smiled sweetly. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

  "Don't act all innocent. I know what you're doing. I'm trying to make amends and be friends with Hunter, why are you stirring things up again?" Luxor dug her nails into the vinyl seats, mentally counting to ten.

  "I'm not, it's my intuition," Ayla said placidly. She was calm and emotionless as if her actions were justified when it only wreaked further havoc.

  "Well, your intuition can suck a big, fat fireball. Cut it out!" She banged on the table, and the salt and pepper shakers smashed to the ground.

  Hunter returned and yanked Ayla's arm right out of the booth. "What are you playing at?" he snarled.

  Luxor shot out of her seat, and pushed him back, except he was too sturdy. "What are you doing?"

  Ayla closed her eyes, her hair whipping around her face. In the next moment, Hunter growled, swearing under his breath and dropped her arm like a red-hot poker.

  "Are you okay?" Luxor shot him a filthy expression.

  "I'm going to go home," Ayla said. "Go to Evie's, I'll come there soon."

  Hunter obstructed her way, his six-foot frame hovering over her petite one. "No, you're not! You're going to explain why Pharzuph is here." He bared his teeth, the veins in his neck pulsating.

  "Hunter, back of her," she defended Ayla. Even though she annoyed her with her self-righteousness she didn't deserve the attack.

  "Angel, you'd want to stay away for his," he roared, crowding Ayla's space. "How did you do it?"

  "What's gotten into you?" Luxor cried out, nudging his ribs and created a gap, protecting Ayla from his raging wrath. Never before had she see him with that immense amount of anger.

  The argument had created a scene at The Hive, diners craning their head to witness it. Castor and Theo round them up, and one by one they exited in a straight and orderly line, with dazed expressions.

  "I'll take you home," Evie steadied Ayla.

  Ayla shook her head. "You need to stay with Luxor. My house isn't far." She moved to leave.

  Hunter leaned forward and yanked the hem of her dress. “I’d say the Heavens are pretty far!”

  Luxor clenched her fist, a spasm pulsating underneath the skin of her wrist. She spun around and retracted her foot, kicking Hunter’s kneecap with force resulting in a click. He tumbled down, latching onto the seating of the booth. The walls closed in on her threating to squeeze all of the out of her system. She wiped the groceries off the table and they flew across the room.

  A clap of thunder rumbled, followed by a flash of violet lightening illuminating through the window. Lured by the serenity, spittle’s of rain fell, and she fled to the middle of the Village Bowl. She tilted her head sky-ward and coaxed the downpour, to drench all her worries away, and burden them on those worthy of her wrath; Ayla, Evie, Hunter. The heaviness weighed heavily on her shoulders, and she was sick of being in the middle and on the receiving end of drama. She waved her arms about and gritted her teeth. Another strike of thunder zig-zagged the air and she seized the control.

  Violet clouds materialised and spread until they transformed into an opaque mist. The air whispered, and swayed like a lullaby. The further in it came, the more it blotted out the entire expanse until a violet curtain was all that existed.

  A buzz vibrated, and she swayed momentarily as her body was shaken.

  “Angel.” A boy’s voice called out.

  Becky ran on over, her frizzy hair expanded into an afro, and pinned Luxor’s arms down with force to placate her.

  “Don’t you dare touch her,” he said, his voice low and lethal.

  “Stop making excuses for her tantrums.” She rubbed her palms together, tinged grey and, and passed him a tissue. She peered over at the theatre. “Clean her up and get this problem fixed. I have to go.”

  He nodded, and turned his back in a non-verbal way to say goodbye. He wiped the blood from her nose and ears, holding her close. “More secrets. More bullshit.”

  Luxor stirred, and held a head to her head, swiping stringy stands from her eyes. For a split-second she paused, a lapse of concentration lowered her guard. She blinked a few times and invited the storm within. A shift surged and the stormy clouds cleared, and eradicated the thunder. She dropped to her knees as all at once the sensations of the environment overcame her.

  “God, I did it again, didn’t I?” she said, through half-lidded eyes. He nodded. “Why can’t I employ that to real danger?”

  “Because this is personal.” Hunter helped her to her feet, and she onto his shoulder.

  A sense of a familial connection hit as more mist wafted in, except now his full form was perfectly clear in all of his devastating glory, and beside her.

  Luxor stilled, and her body locked up from terror, her eyes swelling up with moisture. When she gained mobility of her limbs, she choked out a barky cough. Bad move. The sulphur burnt her larynx, and stripped away her ability to talk, and she swore if there was such a thing as internal sunburn, then she had it.

  “Angel, are you okay?”

  I’ll never be okay ever again.

  Cane’s Machiavellian smile big her goodbye, and his image disappeared.

  Luxor inhaled a gigantic influx of oxygen and rubbed her throat. She straightened up to project a veil of strength, not able to prove what she just occurred. She had to divert the conversation. And quickly.

  “Why did you lash out at Ayla? You’re jealous when you clearly aren’t interested in me, or if you are, you have a screwy way of showing it,” she said. “I swear I didn’t send the message. Who else would?”

  “Ayla. She’s shadier than a wide brimmed umbrella.” He rubbed the bright, red welts on his palms which were on their way to forming blisters. “I have to show you something.” He led her to a silver BMW, and climbed inside.

  Luxor followed. Hunter retrieved a large book from the back seat and unravelled it. The Complete Bible of the Grigori lay in her lap, very same book in which she had found information about the Nephilim. “He’s not who he says he is.”

  She averted her eyes from the book, and gripped the edges. "You know him, don't you?"

  He shook his head. "Not personally, but his reputation proceeds him."

  "But how? He's Ayla's cousin."

  "Is that the story he's given?" he said incredulously.

  "Story? How can you assume a lie about somebody you've never met?" Luxor said. Hunter peered down at the book, urging her to go through it. "What exactly am I looking for, there's like a million pages in here?"

  "More like one-hundred-and-ninety-seven. Look under P." His presence created a support system, and he placed a palm across her shoulders.

  She flipped page over page, getting more anxious as she reached the middle, expecting the worst, if her days were anything to go by. After she passed Orion’s page, nothing prepared her for what lay next.

  A sketched portrait of a boy with light, wavy hair ending under his chin. His full lips smiling, showing his dimples. Even though it was in grey lead, there was no mistaking those dark, long lashes framing his pale blue eyes anywhere, the flecks which she knew were green staring out from the page.

  He was the sea that calmed her, and protected her from the self-inflicted
hurricane.

  Xavier.

  The hefty book pinned her down forcing her to accept the truth. Trailing her finger over the image her sole focus was on the picture; Xavier's flawless face, piercing eyes with such love embedded within them, the same glint sparkled in his eyes that always made the butterflies erupt. His hair was longer but everything remained the same.

  “He’s a Grigori,” she whispered.

  Ayla and him had lied, they weren’t cousins in any sense of the word.

  She glanced on top of the page. Pharzuph, and below The Lothario.

  “Their names…I know it’s not mistaken identity. But why?”

  “You’ll have to ask him that. Pharzuph is a fallen angel who incites lust and fornication.” Hunter's gripped tightened on the steering, his body taut. Luxor’s heart squeezed in her chest, and she looked away. "You like him, don't you?" he asked softly, looking forward in the vacant distance. He shifted in his seat, running his palms against the length of his jeans.

  It was a question where any answer would end badly. Either Luxor would be called a liar, or worse still he'd never want to be near her. "Yeah, I do." There was a minor pause. "But it's not how you think," she quickly added.

  Hunter scoffed. "Don't presume to know me, you've done a crappy job so far despite ample opportunity."

  "Don't be like that," she begged, and reached out.

  Hunter turned his body away from hers resting his head on the steering wheel. A few minutes later he faced her with sorrow. "Then explain it." He held her chin smoothing his thumb over her bottom lip, his gaze never leaving. "Has he kissed you?" Luxor took an intake of breath, sparks flying in all directions. "Does he make your heartbeat so hard you'll explode?" His thumb trailed across her cheek. "Does he hold you and wipe your tears when you can't deal anymore?"

  The pieces to her heart cracked into chips, her mind screaming at her to lie. She pursed her lips not able admit she needed Xavier to deal with the constant inner turmoil inflicted on a daily basis whenever Hunter wasn’t about.

  "Well, that's that then, prepare for the shit storm about to hail down on your perfect little illusion." Hunter narrowed his eyes. "I have to admit even after all these years he hasn't lost his touch." His shoulder nudged hers as he reached over to unlock the door, and wrenched it outwards. "Just get out."

  "Wait." Luxor wriggled forcing herself back, struggling to close the door. She wanted to admit everything to him, to tell him point-blank why Xavier was important.

  "I said get out," he growled, and pushed her out.

  The car zoomed down the street and zigzagged on the opposite side before rounding the corner. She couldn’t fault him for his reaction especially after everything they had shared. The night Verity and Aiden ended her life, Hunter had legitimately been a pillar of strength even she didn’t want him to. He could have let her drown in her own misery consumed by pills but he took charge, his bizarre intuition nature there for her. He became venerable which solidified their connection and helped her through the darkest period in her life.

  She whipped out her mobile and sent a quick text.

  Luxor: Can I see you?

  Almost immediately her mobile pinged in her hand.

  Xavier: Of course,

  Luxor: Wishing Well. I'm on my way.

  "I'm okay. Things will be okay." She unsatisfactory convinced herself.

  Fear held Luxor back and she hesitated in the shadows forcing herself to obliterate the black pit weighing down in her gut. Holding her side, her organs churned, the side effects of not able to know how to ask and worse still the response he'd give. She couldn't just go up to Xavier and say. ‘Oh hi, how are you? Me I'm good. Oh, just wondering, are you a fallen angel?’ If her face mirrored her internal turmoil it would have been obvious.

  The heady sweet scent of apple blossoms and freesia entwined together infused around her; intoxicating and sickening. Splashes of puddles loomed behind, and she jumped darting around. It lacked the electric charge Hunter emitted, instead, it was an all too familiar smell. Sunshine. Only this time it didn't comfort her. It literally made her ill similar to being in a heatwave with no water to ease dehydration.

  "Xavier," she whispered into the air. Luxor twirled around, squinting her eyes surveying the area around her. No one was there.

  A swoosh of heat fanned her face. Xavier appeared in front of her causing her to blink. "I've missed you.," he said with a hint of shyness. Dressed simplistically in beige chinos and a pale blue shirt that complemented his eyes, he was a vision to behold.

  Luxor resisted the urge to snort and suppressed the flutter which against her will flared up, and held onto her resolve, and created a distance. She leaned against the wishing well, and crossed her arms across her chest.

  "I was shown something tonight." She jumped right in not bothering with common courtesy.

  Xavier’s boat shoes sifted through the grass, and he settled underneath the flourishing pink cherry blossom tree. He pulled up a blade of grass and twirled it around his finger. "Must have been important."

  "I don't know, you tell me. It's The Complete Bible of the Grigori." she told him. He became rigid, his smile evaporated and he swallowed hard. A couple of heart beats later he peered up. "So, it's true," she asked rhetorically.

  All the evidence was laid out on a platinum platter but inside her brain screamed no, it's a lie, Hunter was conspiring to bring him down out of jealousy. But the logical part knew she was clutching at straws. Hunter had the book even before he knew about Xavier.

  "Yes," he mumbled under his breath.

  Luxor slumped down the stone exterior of the wishing well scraping her back. She tucked her knees in close and bowed her head against them, her hair curtained her face. Shielding herself from him. Shielding her emotions.

  That three-lettered word burned inside her ears, the realisation blazing across her mind, a giant flame highlighting the truth. Xavier was a Grigori, unlike Ayla in which he claimed. Which they claimed.

  "What are you thinking about?" he asked gently, and attempted to move forward. One lethal glance from her had him retreating.

  Luxor stretched her sleeve and sniffled, wiping away the tear that trailed down the side of her cheek. She glimpsed at him through her wet eyelashes. "This is...you are..." she spluttered, the words lodged in her throat. "A demon," she blew out, the mere name acidic on her tongue.

  Xavier shot up like a missile. "What? No. Fallen angel." He disregarded her previous request and knelt by her side.

  She turned her shoulder to block him off, and moved away nearing the soothing lake. "Same shit. If you were kicked out of Heaven then you can only belong in one other place."

  He sighed, shaking his head dismally. "It's not so black and white."

  “Ying yang theory yeah I get it.”

  The association with Angels was clear; physical perfection with an unearthly grace unparalleled within this world, their enemies, the complete opposite. Demons possessed obsidian eyes which flashed crimson when inflicting their torture, an aura of doom and gloom tainting their aura. But mainly they obeyed their master, the horned and tailed beast otherwise known as Satan.

  Xavier was a template for an angel except one thing setting him apart. "The scars on your back...?" She remembered the V-shaped which disfigured him. He had changed the subject before she could prod him further.

  "When I was banished here over time they moulted off," Xavier told her regretfully. "If I was truly evil, the Archangels would have stripped them in the most tortuous of ways."

  "Grigori were banished for, you know creating babies with humans. Do you have any children?" Luxor asked.

  Out of anything I could have said why did that come out?

  He hesitated. "No." She shot him a doubtful look hoping to read anything in his expression. "Look in the book if you don't believe me it'll be down the bottom."

  "I don't have it," Luxor replied, she didn't focus on any written words the sketch was enough.

  "Of course, you don
't. He's too clever for that," Xavier sneered.

  "He?"

  He ignored her confusion instead he continued, "I cannot fathom bringing a child into this world. They'd be different and I couldn't stand around and see it was my fault. There are many consequences, and aside from the moral aspect, the Archangels wouldn't hesitating in sending me..."

  "To Hell."

  "Yes, although I might as well be there. Earth has changed so much and continues to evolve, and as much as I've tried blending in it's a constant struggle to be normal. I'm no different from you. If you were never told, we could have been truly happy. For a while."

  "You're not human, we'd never be happy," she spat.

  It was an insane notion; a fallen angel and a mortal girl, how would that even work?

  "Why specifically were you kicked out? And don’t say for breaking the rules because that’s a no-brainer. Each Grigori are categorized, why are you called 'The Lothario?'"

  Xavier half laughed sardonically. "It says that? Trust Orion to put tags on us. You've read about Azazel ‘Weaponry,’ but Orion is 'The Hunter,' specialised in finding the Lost Souls. Orion is an honourable and powerful Watcher. Hunter on the other hand, by reputation, not so much. As with all Nephilim, he inherited his father's traits although it's magnified. Let's just say he has conjured up quite the reputation for his ruthlessness, he's conniving and his morality compass is non-existent."

  "You're lying,” she told him shaking her head. “He’s a good person.”

  "Denial is a wicked thing especially when you're in love with someone—it'll only make your life harder. Accept and move on. Like Orion my acts were minor. I received the label of Lothario because of..." he hesitated, and licked his lips nervously holding his head up high. "Believe me I'm not proud of the things I've done, or the ones I've hurt. Choices I made long ago resulted in being banished out of Heaven." He circled around her seemingly confessing to himself. "Love and lust are fickle, consuming you until you feel as if you couldn't live without them. I didn't think loving someone would be such a crime, after all, Lucifer and his followers were wreaking havoc but it didn't matter. Rules are rules. I gave up everything but love is worth it."