by JL Weil
“Don’t call me that,” Angel said, grinding her words.
Fire flicked in my core.
Glops of heat sweltered within Angel and me. We were both going to lose our cool, if you got my drift. One of us needed to take a chill pill, and I knew it was going to have to be me. I’d had a lot more time reining my control. Angel was much too emotionally invested. By calming myself, I could potentially douse the flames that were sparking in her eyes.
“The last thing I want to do is talk to you,” she added.
I exhaled. Thank God. She was going to be reasonable for once.
She lifted her chin. “I want you to leave.”
Chris flinched. “Angel—”
Lips turned down, bolts of fear and rage ricocheted inside her. “And I don’t just mean my school. I want you to leave the state. The goddamn country for all I care.” With each sentence her voice got louder and louder. “Go as far away from here as possible, and don’t ever look back.”
I expected to see shock on his face, but certainly not the glint of anger. There was something not right in his dark eyes. My demon senses warned me he was not the kind of guy you wanted to push too far. Angel’s father wasn’t at all who he appeared. There were dark, dangerous skeletons hiding in his closet, and they were close to unraveling.
He looked around fleetingly, sweaty palms fumbling with the camera strap. “Prison has changed me.”
“I’ll say, but you aren’t the only one who has changed,” she snapped.
He cocked a slim brow, and in a cold, detached tone said, “I noticed.”
“What does that mean?” Her head did a little bob and weave.
“You’re in college. You have a…boyfriend.” His gaze shifted to mine in a not-so-friendly stare.
I call bullshit. That was not what he had implied. I shot him a lopsided grin, shoving my hands into the back pockets of my jeans. Damn right she has a boyfriend, Pops. And I am your worst nightmare.
“I’m not a little girl anymore. That’s what happens when you miss the last six years of my life.”
Judging by the grim expression on his face, someone wasn’t happy. “I’m still your father.”
“A pathetic excuse for one. How did you even get out?” Angel asked.
“I was released early for good behavior.”
She snorted. “I seriously doubt that.”
Their banter went back and forth. The tension between them was thick and mounting. Evidently, there was a lot they had to get off their chests, but it still pissed me off. With each retort, their tempers elevated. People were starting to look at us funny. Not that I gave two shits.
Angel grabbed my hand, turning her back on her dad. The scattered textbooks on the ground were long forgotten as we started to walk away.
We didn’t get far.
“I saw your mom with her new boyfriend,” he shouted after us.
Son. Of. A. Bitch.
We both jerked to a stop.
I wanted to hit him. Right then. Right there. I wanted to take his camera and ram it so far up his nose that he would be able to get a killer shot of his brain cells. I probably would have if I hadn’t felt Angel shaking violently beside me. Through our interlaced fingers, I felt the tremors that shook her body.
She was fuming.
Our heads twisted toward each other, eyes glowing. Mine yellow. Hers blue. Color rose in Angel’s cheeks. “Stay away from my mom.”
I would know the sound of Angel’s voice in a crowd of a million people. This was not her. There was a grainy, electronic quality that had me doing a double take, just to make sure it was still her beside me and not a deep-fried robot.
Mentioning Chloe was a very stupid move. My hopes for getting out of this situation without any demon-mojo decisively plummeted.
Angel had kept her face angled toward me. How many ways did she have to tell him no?
“You can’t just leave. We have unfinished business.” He reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder.
That did it.
Heat swept down my throat, and my skin prickled. Seeing him lay a hand on her, my demon flared to the surface, quick and furious. I gripped his wrist and jerked. “Don’t touch her.”
In that moment, I never wanted to hit someone so bad; I could literally taste my need for blood. Angel’s father’s blood. I wanted to make him pay for the hurt, the pain, and the struggle that she suffered because of him. I wanted to sock him for Chloe, too. She deserved a man who was a thousand times better than this lowlife. He wasn’t worth the dirt on their sneakers.
And as much as I never wanted to involve her in my drama, I was happy and relieved that Angel and Chloe had moved next door to us, because there was no way in hell that Devin or I would let this douchebag, imbecile hurt them again. As soon as I got her out of there, I was making a quick phone call to Dev. He needed to know there was a crazed lunatic on the loose.
Chris didn’t back down as I’d expected. Oh no, this daredevil, he stepped forward, asking for trouble. “I have unfinished business with my daughter that doesn’t concern you. And I wouldn’t dismiss me so easily. You won’t like the results.”
Did he just threaten me? It was laughable. This conversation kept getting more and more unreal. And eerie. And weird.
I flexed my arms, preparing for fists of fury.
Angel’s hands flattened on my chest, pushing me back in a poor excuse to hold me. “Or what?” she fired at her father. “Are you going to hurt us? I’d like to see you try.”
“I might surprise you.” The cockiness was evident in his tone. He actually thought he stood a chance.
“Oh, but I’m full of surprises,” Angel sneered. “Chase, get me out of here before I do something I’ll regret.”
With pleasure.
Funny how doing something regrettable used to be my line. By the look in her eyes, it might already be too late. It was quite obvious from the glowing red ring surrounding her irises that things had accelerated. “Um, I think we better go now.”
This time when we walked away, he didn’t try to stop us. I took one last look over my shoulder, and what I saw curdled my blood. Her father stood with the night back dropped against him, hands clenching his camera and eyes radiating the color of good aged whiskey. If that had been all, I could have rationalized it. Dealing with the abnormal was no sweat off my back. However, it was the flash of his skeletal frame before it flickered back to human that had me tripping.
Shit sandwich.
What the hell was that? What the hell was he?
Chapter 22
Angel’s breathing was ragged as I busted through the front door. I could hear the rapid beating of her pulse, and I wanted to offer solace, assure her it was going to be okay. The problem was I couldn’t calm myself down. My heart was jumping out of my chest, and the blood in my veins was pumping a mile a minute. If I didn’t get this under control now, the rage was going to consume me.
Lexi appeared in the kitchen archway, an apron wrapped around her waist. Her hair was twisted up in a funky bun, wisps stuck to the sides of her face. “Cookie...?” Her voice trailed off as she got a glimpse of Angel and me. “Why does Angel look like she just gave blood?”
Angel chose that moment to collapse against the wall for support. Her face was wishy-washy, and her eyes were dilated and glossy. Now that the adrenaline rush was descending, her muscles were weakening. It was only a matter of seconds before she face planted the floor.
Leaving me no choice, I plucked her off her feet, gently laying her on the couch. Her skin was cool to the touch, and any fight that she had was gone. I sat on the edge of the cushion beside her, running a soothing hand up and down her arm.
Lexi hovered behind me, worry lines crinkling her forehead. “Is she okay?”
I nodded. “She will be.” I believed it, mostly because I willed it. “She had a scare. We saw a ghost from her past.”
Lexi shifted just the slightest to the left, and a movement caught the corner of my eye from the kitch
en. Apparently, she wasn’t alone. Colin. This was the last thing I wanted to deal with, but I didn’t have the strength to voice my opinion. Not to mention, I had made a promise to Angel to butt out of Lexi’s love life. The idea of her having one made me cringe.
I needed to be more careful about the promises I made.
A confused expression crossed Lexi’s pixie face. “Come again?”
“I’ll tell you about it later,” I said, bringing my gaze back to Angel who was staring at the ceiling in a trance. If she didn’t start to snap at me soon, I might begin to really stress out.
Lexi wasn’t deterred. “She’s not moving.”
“I think she is in shock.”
“You think? What was your first clue, Einstein?” she retorted.
“Maybe a glass of water would help.” There stood Colin-shmolin holding a clear glass.
Lexi gave a smug umph.
I took the water with my frown still in place. Carefully, I put my hand under Angel’s head. “Angel Eyes, here, take a drink.”
She cooperated, sipping small amounts of water before clamping her eyes shut. “Tell me I’m dreaming and none of this is real.”
I wiped a dribble of water from the corner of her mouth. “I wish I could, love.”
She turned her cheek into my palm, brushing her lips lightly against the center. “What am I going to do?”
“What is she talking about?” Lexi harped, her hands on her hips.
I dropped my arms between my knees, gritting my teeth. “Lex, not now.” Geez, what was with her? She wasn’t normally this slow about picking up subtle hints. This wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have in front her boy “friend.”
She leaned over the back of the couch and muttered, “It’s okay. Colin knows everything.”
My head snapped up. “Excuse me?” This was the very last thing I needed. For the love of God, I must be trippin’, because I swore she just said she told a guy she hardly knew that we weren’t entirely human. Christ, I hoped my hearing was clogged.
She straightened up, crisscrossing her arms. “You heard me. Don’t play dumb.”
“Have you lost your freaking mind?” I bellowed.
“Don’t be a hypocrite, Chase. Why is it fine for you and Travis to spill the beans, but for me it’s forbidden?”
What did it matter? The cat was out of the bag, so what was the use in arguing? However, I wasn’t a reasonable individual. I popped off the couch, and in a heartbeat, I was standing in front of Lexi. I heard Colin gasp. “I think that you should have talked to me first.”
Her chin jutted out. “It just happened.”
“You mean you were careless.”
“Ah!” She groaned, a ring of gold outlining her aquamarine eyes. “You are such an ass-holio. Isn’t that the same thing that happened with you?”
Colin came to Lexi’s defense, which might have been admirable if I wasn’t in a shit-tastic mood. “Look, man, I am not going to say anything. I swear. What Lexi can do—what you guys are…I think it’s cool.”
Cool? He thought being half demon was cool. Maybe he needed a display in just how uncool I could be.
I moved.
Lexi moved, blocking me.
“Lexi!” I thundered.
“Chase,” she countered.
“Get out of my way.”
She stabbed a finger into my chest. “I’m not going to let you hurt him or intimidate him.”
I arched a brow. “Oh really?”
Feet planted, she stood her ground. “This is unnecessary. He knows that we’re dangerous.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Colin must have liked living on the edge. Before I got the chance to exercise my skills of coercion, he had snuck up beside Lex, towering over her small frame. “I don’t exactly know what is going on here, but I am sure fighting about it isn’t going to change anything.”
Lexi swung a chuck of her blonde hair over her shoulder, flashing an anything-but-sweet dimple at me. “Thank you, Colin. I couldn’t agree more.”
I sighed, not pleased they were right. “This isn’t over yet.” By that, I meant later I would be doing some late-night brainwashing.
“Shouldn’t we be focusing on Angel?” Lexi suggested. “And you still haven’t told me what happened.”
Angel was curled into a little ball, propped against the corner of the couch, and hugging her favorite fuzzy blanket to her chest. She hadn’t made a sound during our little spat.
I cleared my throat, stepping around the couch. “Hey, how are you feeling?”
She laughed, but her voice came out more like a croak. “Just peachy.”
I thrust my fingers through my hair as my eyes moved over her face. “You look better.”
She wet her lips; nervously fidgeting with the necklace I had given her. “Don’t leave,” she whispered.
Angel was remarkable. And strong. I don’t think she realized just how strong of a person she was. “I wouldn’t think of it.”
Then she said, “I don’t want you to do anything stupid.”
I realized the real reason behind her not wanting to be alone. She was concerned I would go on a hunting spree. “Me? I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Funny.” Reaching for my hand, she braided our fingers. “Do you think he is gone?”
“If he knew what was good for him.”
She let out a long yawn. “I’m so tried.” The sound of her voice was getting heavy with fatigue. The emotional ups and downs of seeing her father had worn her out.
I bent down, sweeping a kiss across Angel’s brow. “We are going to figure this out. Now get some rest,” I whispered.
Pulling the blanket up to her chin, she closed her eyes. I watched her for a few minutes, listening to her inhale and exhale. In sleep, she appeared peaceful, yet I could still feel the turmoil boomeranging inside her. Leaving her sleeping cozily on the couch, I strolled into the kitchen. Lex was putting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher. I took a seat opposite of what’s-his-face.
Lexi placed a plate of still warm cookies and a tall glass of milk in front of me. “I’m sure you’re starved. It’s been like two hours since you last stuffed your face.”
“Glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor.” I shoved half a cookie into my mouth. “Sorry I got on your case.”
“I understand why, but I promise, Colin isn’t going to say anything. He’s like Angel.”
“No one is like Angel,” I grumbled.
The chair scrapped across the floor as Lexi took a seat. “Well, not now, but before. You know what I mean.”
And I did. There were very few people in this world who were not unnerved by us. “Believe it or not, I’m not mad anymore.”
“It’s a miracle.”
I downed my glass of milk and set my gaze on Colin. “I hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into. This one is a handful.”
He paused. Unknowingly, I had put him in a tight spot. If he agreed with me, Lexi would undoubtedly be pissed, but I could see from his lopsided grin, he knew just what he was getting into. “I never back down from a challenge.”
I grinned.
Lexi rolled her eyes. “Enough about me. Tell me what has gotten our girl all shaken up.” She laid a hand on Colin’s forearm.
Sighing, I finally resigned myself to accept that Lexi had a boyfriend. She had someone else to lean on besides me, and he seemed like a decent one at that, even if he had surfer locks. It was something I would have to learn to deal with. I couldn’t believe that I was actually considering letting Colin keep our secret.
I gave Lexi a recap, while Colin did his best to keep up. By the time I finished, he looked as frazzled as I had felt. It was past midnight when Colin left. As best as I could, I tried not to eavesdrop as they said goodnight. When I heard the smacking of lips, I plugged my ears and hummed.
Getting to my feet, my stiff bones cracked. The recliner never looked so inviting. I dropped into the chair, kicking out my legs, and laid
back. I wanted to stay close in case Angel stirred. Since Alastair had taken her mom hostage, she tossed and turned, whimpering in her sleep almost every night. Although she didn’t know it, I comforted her, consoled her back to the world of sweet dreams on more nights than I could remember. I owed it to her, for those nightmares were because of me.
It was hours before sleep claimed me, but I welcomed the blissful oblivion, even for a short period.
I woke up to darkness and the sense that something was very wrong. The demon and I flew out of the chair, poised to slay the intruder. Almost immediately, I realized there was no intruder, just the opposite. Someone was missing. The tingles that were always fluttering from Angel’s closeness were gone. My stomach pitched, pitting with worry and something else.
Her distance caused me not only physical pain but weakness, and I could feel the onset of those symptoms. I still had hours before I would feel the actual effects, but time had a way of sneaking up on you. I had to find her.
I raced through the house in a blur of fretfulness and panic, checking each room. The pit in my belly spread with each empty room I found, until I was numb with fear.
“Angel!” I thundered, shaking the rafters.
Chapter 23
For a second, standing in utter blackness, my mind went into a million wild tangents, all of which left me breathless. Every minute. Every second. Every millisecond that ticked by without her drove me fucking insane.
She didn’t answer her phone.
She didn’t respond to my texts, even when they turned downright nasty.
As time ticked by, I knew at the bottom of my gut she was doing something utterly, absurdly, gravely stupid. I couldn’t dodge the feeling that it involved Hell and her father. What a deadly combo.
I shouldn’t have been fooled by the tired woe-is-me act. Her reaction to seeing a man who had been absent in her life for years had been awkward, but from what I knew about him and how she felt about him, I’d expected the discomfort.
To leave in the middle of the night and not tell a soul where you were going was not only unlike her, but extremely irrational. When I found her, I was going to wring her pretty neck. And I would find her. That was a guarantee. Then I was going to cage her as I’d so often threatened.