Loving Angel

by JL Weil

  Devin.

  This one I dreaded for entirely different reasons than the first. I had promised Chloe that I would look out for her daughter. In layman’s terms, I’d failed miserably. I also needed to warn Devin that the end of the world was around the bend. He deserved a heads-up, as did all those back home. He needed to protect Chloe. He needed to strap on his gun holster and prepare to go Chuck Norris. I owed Angel that.

  When I finally got off the phone, I was weary to the core, mentally and physically. Telling people you love that you were responsible for unleashing Hell on Earth was as tough as it got. That was a conversation I never wanted to have again. He was freaked out and understandably so. Everyone that Devin and Chloe loved was here, right smack in the thick of it all. Naturally, his initial response was to come get us and tuck us in the safety of his home. He had always done so.

  But I wasn’t giving up. I refused to let Angel down and would stand tall, fighting to the end for her. I had promised Devin that when we made it through, we would come home for a much-needed visit, so he and Chloe could see us with their own eyes. I honestly didn’t think he would stay put, so I needed to move fast.

  Angel didn’t deserve what was happening to her, and I felt to blame. If she had never met me, if I had kept my distance, none of this would be happening, and I wasn’t all that sure exactly what was happening. I did know I had to stop it, and the measures I was willing to take were a testament of how far I would go.

  A half hour passed, the absolute longest I was willing to wait before I decided to go on my suicide mission alone. I had just stood up when Emma and Travis strolled through the front door. A whoosh of air expelled from my lungs. They had come. For a while, I had been certain I would be going at this solo. The sight of my cousin and the hunter increased my odds of success by ten percent. Still, I’d take it, but that didn’t mean I was confident this harebrained plan would work. Not by a long shot.

  It was the clear that neither Emma nor I were glad to see each other, but she had come for Angel, not me. That meant everything.

  “I’m not doing this for you. I couldn’t care less about your feelings.” Emma stated, grossly.

  My features tightened, eyes flashing like a silver bullet. “Understood. That doesn’t mean I can’t be grateful.” It was like eating sand.

  “Save your gratitude, mutt. When I’m done, you won’t be thanking me.”

  I swallowed.

  Her thumb hooked through the loop on her camo pants. “I hope you have the balls to go through with it.”

  Travis stood against the wall with his battle face on. Quiet.

  “Don’t worry about my kahunas,” I said. “Just stick to the plan. No deviation.”

  She snorted. “Your plan has about a hundred percent fail rate.”

  “Thanks,” I grumbled.

  Lexi was buzzing around the house doing what she did best. Being a pesk. I know she was only worried, but she was making me antsy, fluttering about. I could tell she was still disorientated. Witnessing Angel change into someone she didn’t recognize had been a blow. Angel had been the first normal friend Lexi ever had. She was as afraid to lose her as I was.

  “Lexi, you don’t have to worry,” I whispered.

  Her gaze drifted to the window as she nervously tapped her nails on the counter. “I can’t believe I was naïve enough to think we had left all this crap behind us.”

  “There is nothing wrong with wanting a life without fear. Without fighting for your life at every turn. There is nothing wrong with holding onto the hope that someday that might be possible.” Lexi had always been optimistic, a half full kind of girl. She could not give up hope.

  Her arms crossed over her midsection. “Tell me she is going to be okay, and I will believe it.”

  “You know I will find a way. This is me we are talking about, and there is no situation I can’t demolish myself out of.”

  Nothing in this world or the underworld was going to stand in my way.

  With perfect timing, a symphony of howls exploded in a variety of octaves, ripping through the night. The synchronized volume had the force of a sonic boom. Windows rattled. Floorboards shook. My eardrums rang. And that was my cue.

  “It’s time,” I said, lacking my usual thrill for the kill.

  ~*~*~*~

  The sun was going to be up in a few hours, and the very last thing I wanted to be doing was tromping in the dark on a manhunt. Damp blades of grass stuck to my shoes, and a dense fog moved over the ground, giving an unearthly ambiance that crawled with the mist, sending a warning of the unnatural.

  While the rest of NIU dreamed of candy love, beer bongs, and winter break, I was battling problems most college students wouldn’t be able to conceive. Normally, I enjoyed a good chase, but this was one of those times I was dragging my boots. It went against every bone, every muscle, every fiber in my body.

  Hunting Angel might kill me.

  I glanced over at my companions, Travis and Emma, as we darted across campus, moving to the southeast side. Tracking Angel wasn’t always black and white. There was a lot of gray. Yes, our bonds made it easier in the sense that I could use them to my advantage. The intensity of my demon marks. The weakening of my abilities. The hammering of my heart. They were all telltale signs I was on the right or wrong path.

  This time, she summoned me. Convenient, since I was dying to find her and I didn’t want to waste time chasing her. There was a pull inside me, like following a breadcrumb trail. I let it lead me. Being summoned sucked. It took away my free will. I liked to come and go as I pleased and answer to no one. Being forced rubbed me the wrong way, and I found that even though it was Angel, it still made me grouchy.

  Gravel crunched under our boots as we traveled through campus. “Do you know where you are going?” Emma asked, restless.

  I glared sideways at her, knowing I had to get this off my chest before I went into a potentially hazardous situation. Our history made trusting the other impossible, and in a fight, that was a huge liability. People died because of lack of trust. It only took one slipup to be life threatening, and no one was dying today. “You better not double-cross me, Deen. I swear. If you do, I’ll kill you.” I don’t throw around death threats easily, but when I do, you could bet your sorry ass I would carry through. Emma knew I meant it. My word was good.

  Travis let out a growl of warning, his sea-green eyes going gold. The last thing we needed was to fight among ourselves, but I could feel the inner workings of chaos between us, meaning we must be getting close.

  Emma ignored Travis. “Threaten my life again and I walk. You need me, and it is killing you.”

  Touché. She had no idea just how much. After everything I’d done, I was astonished she had agreed to help. I guess, in a roundabout way, I had Angel to thank. It was their friendship over the last few months that opened Emma’s mind and heart—a difficult task.

  “Did you bring every hardware you own?” I inquired, nodding at the series of weapons strapped to her body. It’s not like Angel was a serial killer. Yet.

  Emma stepped over a tire stop as we came to a deserted parking lot, touching the handle of the knife situated at her hip. “I like to be prepared, especially when dealing with the end of the world.”

  I stiffened, my heart rate picking up speed, and I instantly knew. “She’s here.”

  “This is it?” Emma asked, clearly unimpressed.

  Nothing but blacktop stretched in front of us with an abandoned car parked slanted off to the left. I rubbed the throbbing at my hip. Showtime. “Yeah.”

  Emma snorted. “Goodie. Remember, you do your job, I’ll do mine.”

  The burning in my eyes increased. “Just don’t miss. We’re only going to get one shot,” I murmured.

  Out of the darkness, the parking lot lit up with what looked like dozens of red fireflies. If only they were as harmless as bugs. Hell on Earth. But it was one pair of eyes that stood out.

  Angel.

  A shadow flickered over her fac
e, darkening her eyes, but there was no mistaking. They weren’t midnight blue as I adored, but a glowing scarlet that made my veins prickle with icy fear.

  God almighty.

  Seeing her like this rattled me more than I was prepared for. Hell had gotten the only thing that mattered to me in this world, and right then, through the anguish, through my shattering heart, I swore to all the gods, to every deity, to every higher power, that I would get her back.

  Or die trying. That was my promise.

  And so it began.

  I was going to wipe the floor with these bastards, all in the name of Angel.

  My trio stepped into the center of the parking lot and was immediately surrounded by snarling hellhounds and demons in all their hideous grandeur. Angel’s vibrant eyes slid toward me, and it was like the blinds were closed. She looked at me like I meant nothing to her, as if we hadn’t shared the most amazing experience of my life.

  For the first time, I saw loathing in her stare, so vital and strong it reached across the parking lot and slapped me. Sure, she’d given me looks of contempt in the past, they were kind of our thing, but underneath had always been desire and intrigue.

  Not this time.

  She didn’t take her eyes off me. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t come.”

  I felt the pull of her deep in my belly, my marks dancing with fire. “You didn’t give me a choice.”

  The Angel I knew would have flinched. This Angel showed no expression at all. “It was important for you to see this.”

  I wouldn’t be surprised if she started to levitate and her head spun like an owl, I was that caught off guard. The girl I loved wasn’t standing in front of me. “Nah. I’d rather not.”

  “Good thing I’m not asking.” She had an air of confidence about her, but not in a sexy good way. It was a pure predatory look. “You’re mine now to do with what I like, and I need you to join forces with me. It’s where you belong.”

  I stepped back, physically recoiling from her statement. Going up against the girl who held my heart twisted my insides into a ball of dread, spreading to my limbs. “You don’t have to do this, Angel. Fight it. I know you’re in there. You are brave, relentless, and smart. Don’t let it in. Don’t let it turn you into something you will regret.”

  She clapped. “That was touching, but you’re too late.”

  “It’s never too late.”

  A chorus of hisses belted out in an ominous signal that things were about to get down and very dirty. The fight hadn’t even begun, yet I was already achy. Angel. Her whack-a-doodle DNA was throwing interference with our bond.

  Travis swung around. “They’re coming.”

  They were.

  From all sides and all angles, demons in true form edged along the sides of the parking lot, with hellhounds at their heels. These leeches were going to go down in a blaze of glory. Yep. I totally just quoted Bon Joni. It takes a legend to know one.

  Emma shot first, a flare of red light heading straight for an unlucky candidate, but before it reached its mark, the arrow split into three shards, each taking out a demon. I waited for the eruption of ash. Plot twist. The demons ruptured into flames. They screamed.

  I whipped around, my arm darting out and catching a demon in the throat. Smacking another one in the back of the head, I thought for sure his eyeballs were going to pop out.

  Getting to Angel wasn’t going to be as easy as I had anticipated. Nothing worth fighting for was ever easy. Whitish-red sparks flew, lighting up the dark lot like sparklers. “I see you’ve learned a few new tricks.”

  Angel’s body stared to blur. My stomach dipped as I glanced back and forth between Angel and her demons. “A few. Stay tuned. The show isn’t over yet, douchebag.”

  I had lost count of the number of times she had called me a douchebag, and it reinforced my hope that Angel was still in there. “Neat-o, but I’ve been at this a lot longer than you. You won’t escape, Angel Eyes.”

  “You have no idea what I can do.” Venom dripped from her words.

  My brows lowered. “No, but I’m getting a clearer picture.”

  We were minutes away from daylight, and I was feeling less than a hundred percent. The feeling was utterly foreign to me, but we were going in hot.

  “Catch.” Emma tossed me a gun.

  Thanks to my insane reflexes, I caught it before it discharged and shot one of us in the process. A gun wasn’t my weapon of choice, as I normally had supernatural speed and strength on my side.

  “It’s loaded. Go wild,” Emma encouraged, slicing her blade across a hound’s throat.

  I discharged the entire clip, watching thirteen demons spew into flames, but it made no difference. There were twenty more to replace the ones we’d disposed. This was hardly my first rodeo. Being outnumbered wasn’t a surprise.

  “Give up before you embarrass yourself,” Angel yelled.

  “You know I can’t.”

  She flexed her fingers, linking them together and stretching them out in front of her. “We’ll see about that.”

  I squared my shoulders. “You might be able to control me like one of your puppet demons, but nothing can break our bond.”

  She lunged.

  Emma’s voice rose above the chaos, shouting at me. “Now. Do it now, Winters.”

  Heart pounding like a jackhammer, I threw out my hand, willing an ability I rarely used. Levitation wasn’t my thing; I’d rather rely on brute strength, quick speed, and a sharp mind. Drained, I pulled from my core, putting everything I had into this last act. If we screwed this up…

  I shook the thought from my head, refusing to even think it. This would work, at least until I found a way to cure her. When Angel surged forward, I froze her, lifting her off her feet. Clearly pissed off, she bared her teeth, suspended in midair.

  One shot. Everything I put into motion was dependent on one shot. “Emma!” I yelled.

  I knew I had no other choice.

  I knew it was Angel who screamed.

  I knew she would probably hate me.

  Chapter 27

  I wouldn’t be able to hold her there for long, my abilities weakening from my feelings, and they were pinging erratically inside me. Seeing her side with my enemy broke me. I hated the wedge that was forced between us, putting us at odds.

  I heard the arrow eject from Emma’s bow and whiz through the air, twirling until it sunk itself into Angel’s thigh. She snarled, thrashing against her frozen bonds. Closing my eyes, I struggled to keep my grasp steady, until the tranquilizer mixed with the demon blood in her system.

  She screamed in anger, an animal-like sound.

  Automatically, I blinked, meeting her glare head on. It was a reflex, my desire to help her, the demon inside me conflicting against the man at every breath. He despised me for not running to her aid at the sound of her cries. Through it all, my self-control was dwindling, slipping right through my fingertips. The more he brawled against me, the shakier I became.

  Idiot.

  If he had half a brain, he would realize that I was helping her, just not in our usually attack-everything-in-sight style.

  Slowly, the serum began to take effect, her eyes getting heavy. I was stricken by my inability to protect her from what I was about to do. The space between my ears buzzed, like a swarm of killer bees, and I realized there was a fault in my plan.

  A big one.

  Through our bond, I felt the effects of the drugs, making my bones feel like Jell-O. It was unexpected, and I lost my hold.

  Double Shit.

  Her body plunged toward the ground as she succumbed to the murky depths. I moved, but even at my speed, I might not make it in time. Cobwebs clouded my brain; still I had to try. With only half my bearings intact, I ran.

  “Nice catch, Romeo,” Emma said, her shadow falling over me just as the sun peeked over the horizon.

  I didn’t even know I had caught her until that moment. The feel of Angel’s weight in my arms sent a bolt of relief so strong it al
most knocked me to the ground. Gently, I cradled her, gliding her into my lap as I sunk into the grass. All around us, little piles of flames flickered, slowly burning out. The smell was worse than charred flesh.

  She pried her eyes open, staring straight at me, and stark terror spun through me. Shimmery blue liquid spilled out the side of her mouth. Blood soaked her shirt, not hers, but the sight was disturbing. Discombobulated, I shook my head, attempting to separate myself from the craziness ricocheting inside her. It speared my heart.

  “Chase,” she whispered in a voice I was secretly afraid I would never hear again. Then, she was gone. Lights out.

  Hesitantly, I touched her cheek, overjoyed at the spark that traveled from her skin to mine. I wanted a moment to savor the feel of her in my arms, not knowing how long it would be until I got the chance again. The lack of physical touch would hurt us both, a side of effect of our bodybond.

  “We need to hurry,” Emma interrupted. “She isn’t out of the woods yet.”

  Reluctantly, I nodded, gathering Angel back into my arms. “You’re right. Let’s go.”

  Angel was a wildcard. Hell had gotten what it longed for, a way to the human realm and an anchor to keep it here. It had used me and Angel as pawns in its sick, twisted need for power and pandemonium. I knew in the depths of my half-breed soul that Alastair was responsible. Knowing what it had done to Angel didn’t diminish what I felt for her. If anything, it only fueled my fierce determination for revenge.

  Travis and Emma took the lead as we backtracked our steps, crossing through an open field, taking the shortest possible route home. With the sunlight, came early-morning stragglers, college students drunk and staggering home from last night’s frat party, or the early birds getting in their run. The last thing we needed was someone to see us covered in blood, carrying a lifeless body, and decide to call the cops. I had a bad rep with authority. “I’ll meet you at the car,” I said, making the decision to go ahead.

  Travis nodded. His skin was slick with sweat. “We’ll be right behind you.”

  I returned his nod. Then I took off, securing Angel’s head against my chest, thinking about the very first time I had carried her through the wheat fields. She had gotten sick. How simple high school had seemed compared to this. I never thought there would be anything harder than having Angel find out what I truly was.