by Weil, J. L.
I figured I would let her work that out with Devin. “Umm.” I pulled a knee up to my chest and rested my chin on it.
Her amber eyes narrowed. “Let me guess. There’s more.”
“Just a few teeny tiny details.” Nothing gargantuan. I’m just linked to Chase in these unbreakable bonds. No biggie. Even in my head that didn’t sound very simple.
“Demons,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief. “I knew there was something fierce about that boy, but dear God. That’s intense. The lot of them.”
“Intense” barely covered Chase. I could think of a few other choice words to describe him. Intense was being nice.
“When I think how you could have been hurt, taken from me—” her voice trailed off.
She’d seen Hell, seen what they were capable of, up close and personal. A part of me wanted to ask her what she had seen, what she had been through, but I knew it was too soon. I didn’t want to be pushy. So I stuck to me. “I had Chase looking out for me.” And since I didn’t want there to be any more secrets between us, I went on. “Actually…” I swallowed unable to believe what I was about to say. “Chase, he, umm, brought me back…from death.”
Her hand clutched the back of the couch. “Excuse me. What did you say?”
It wasn’t any easier the second time. “I died. The night of homecoming.”
Her face paled. “What happened?”
Here we go. I was either going to sink or swim. “I had been marked by a hellhound and was ambushed by lower-demons. Chase was able to save me. It’s how I got this.” I lifted my Gaming goddess t-shirt.
She hissed in shock.
“Well, not the whole thing.” I rushed to explain the black Celtic knots that ran intricately up my side. I traced the design of soulbond. “He made a deal by bringing me back, he linked our souls. I was marked with the crest of his demon.”
“And the others?” she questioned. “Or don’t I want to know? Please tell me you haven’t died more than once.” Her voice quivered with emotion.
I shook my head and flushed to my roots. The other two were more intimate. “No. Chase made sure I was safe.”
She sighed in relief. “I knew there was a darn good reason I liked that boy.”
I smiled sheepishly. “This one I got when he told me he loved me.” Heartbond.
Her eyes widened. “Wow. That’s some powerful love.”
You’re telling me. It was pretty freaking cosmic. “It is,” I agreed, knowing that my love for him shone on my face.
“And what about this one?” she prompted, indicating my newest mark.
Bodybond. How did I tell my mom I was no longer innocent? That I had been with someone in the most exposing and passionate way? It did not matter that I was almost eighteen—practically an adult. She was still my mom. I nibbled on my lip awkwardly. “It appeared after we, umm—”
She filled in the blanks, connecting the dots. “Oh, I see. My baby is not a baby anymore. Glad to see all those sex talks took.”
“Don’t worry. We were totally safe.”
“Wow, that is a lot of important stuff I missed.”
“There’s more.”
“Hold on. I think I need a drink.” She padded into the kitchen to come back a minute later with a tall glass of white wine she only used in emergencies. Mom pretty much never drank. Sitting back down she asked, “You have more tattoos?”
I snickered. “No. But each mark came with a price.”
Her brows shot together. “What kind of price?”
Picking the fuzzies on my shirt, I mumbled, “Chase has a mirror image of the same marks. They link us together.”
“Hmm,” she said with pursed lips and stretched out her legs. “Link you together how?”
In ways I don’t understand. “Our souls, our feelings, and our physical beings.”
She shook her head. “This is so surreal. I don’t know how you handled yourself so calmly these last few months with your life being threatened constantly.”
“It wasn’t easy. That’s for sure, but Chase is sort of special.”
“I can see he’s special, as are you” Her eyes misted. “You’re the keystone.”
I stared at her silently, feeling the need to lie rise up in me, but I had promised myself no more. It was scary to admit, even to myself. “That’s what I’m told. I’m still not used to the idea.”
She leaned forward, the cushions sinking under her weight, and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “I’m not sure I ever will. You are still my little girl. That won’t change—ever. Thank you for saving me.”
A little lump formed in my throat. But before I lost it and turned this into a tear-fest, a familiar tingle came over me. My heart kicked up, and the marks at my hip went wild. He just couldn’t stay away, and it made me grin on the inside. I hoped Mom was ready to see him.
The doorbell chimed.
Looking steadier and with more color in her face, she stood up. “I got it.”
I sort of got the feeling she thought it was going to be Devin.
We both were right.
“Chase.” Then she surprised us both by hugging him. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Don’t thank me. I would do anything for your daughter,” he said softly.
My heart swelled so much I thought it was going to pop.
Pulling back, she nodded her head. “I know.” She smeared away the few tears that had gathered in her eyes. With a soft smile on her face she said, “So you’re supposed to be dangerous?”
He didn’t miss a beat. “I am.”
“And you love my daughter.”
I rolled my eyes behind her.
There was no hesitation. “Very much so.”
Her smile was soft. “I can’t think of anyone more perfect for her than you.”
Well now that we were a big, happy, shiny family again, Mom glanced at Devin.
“Angel told you?” he asked, stepping from the shadows behind Chase. It was the first I could remember seeing Devin nervous. He stood on my porch, waiting for Mom to say something, anything.
I felt compelled to help the poor guy out. Mom was tongue-tied and staring at him like he was a Cyclops. “I am sure you guys have a lot to talk about, so we are going to just skedaddle.” I grabbed a fistful of Chase’s cotton shirt and tugged him upstairs.
I barely shut my bedroom door before Chase was kissing me, eclipsing all my inner turmoil. His mouth moved tenderly and sweetly against mine, as he pinned me to the door with his body. I thought he was going to rip me a new asshole for going after Alastair alone, but this was so much better.
When he pulled away there was a dark scowl on his face, and I knew I wasn’t going to get off that easily. “Now that we got that out of the way, I could throttle you. What were you thinking going after Alastair alone?” Sparks of gold burst in the center of his eyes. “I knew you were planning something, but I didn’t realize you were reckless and brainless.”
I sort of wanted to punch him in the face. If I wasn’t still reeling from the unearthly feel of his lips, I might have given in to the urge. Actually, I didn’t understand how he could go from kissing me senseless to ripping my head off. “It had to be done.”
He started to wear the color out of my carpet, pacing in the room. “I get that. I’m a get-shit-done kind of guy.” What he meant was that he was a hothead. “What I don’t get is why you didn’t think to tell me.”
It had been a tiring day, and the last thing I wanted was to bump heads with him. I knew how stubborn he could be, and even if I wanted to do this later, that didn’t mean he would oblige. But heck, it was worth a shot. Maybe I would get lucky. “Can you just hold me? It’s been a long day, and I don’t want to fight. I just want to feel you.”
He zapped in front of me, which never failed to make me jump. Now was no exception. Off balance, I caught myself, flattening my hands on his expansive chest. “Tomorrow?” he asked.
My lips twitched. “Tomorrow, we can have an epic fight. We�
��re probably due for one.”
He took a breath. “You’ve taken all the fun out of it, buzzkill.”
Pressing the hardest part of him against me, I bit back a moan. “We are not doing that. My mom is downstairs with your uncle,” I said, giving him the eye.
“That’s part of the excitement. What do you think they are doing?”
I screwed up my face. “Gross. So not happening now.” Slinking out of his arms, I jumped on the bed. One of my frilly pillows hit the floor. Turning around, I blinked and Chase was already beside me.
Grinning, he reached up and smoothed my hair off my face. “Yeah, not my most strategic comeback.”
Wiggling my arms around his waist, I settled back into the crook of his arm, happy to just be near him. “I’ll say.”
“Let me make it up to you,” he murmured, chewing on my ear.
“It might take a long, long time.” My breath was shaky.
He rubbed his stubble over my cheek, tickling me. “Good thing we have a lifetime.”
That we did.
Chapter 29
“I think that went way better than I planned,” I said on our way to school the following Monday.
He snorted, taking the turn into the school parking lot. “Face it, Angel Eyes, your plans suck.”
I socked him in the arm. “Hey. I beg to differ.”
His eyes glittered like stars. “You would. At least it looks like your mom and Devin worked things out.”
“Including us?”
His eyes softened, and I knew he wasn’t angry with me anymore. Thank goodness.
Lexi was leaning up against my locker when I went to grab my books. Chase had stopped to talk to Hayden and Craig on our way through the hall. I could see that something was definitely bubbling inside her. She was dying to spill the beans. We hadn’t really seen each other since my mom’s safe return home.
“This weekend was so insane,” Lexi said, swishing her ponytail. “I can’t wait to do it again.”
I slumped against the metal locker, not sharing my best friend’s enthusiasm. “You are nuts. I never want to see another demon as long as I live.”
“Yeah, not that part, but the fighting…it is exhilarating. Ninja kicking. Getting my hands dirty. And I didn’t even break a nail. I get why Emma is into all that hunter crap. Demon hunting is ah-ma-zing.”
Oh dear God.
The last thing we needed was Lexi to do something so dangerous on a regular basis. Travis and Chase would have a shit-fit.
Spinning the dial on my locker, I punched in my combination. “Can’t you just take up kickboxing or something? Leave the whole underworld out of the equation?”
She propped a shoulder on the locker next to me and hugged her books. “You know that we can never be entirely rid of them. It is just part of our life. And yours now.”
I sighed. “I know.”
“On a brighter note. I met a guy,” she said out of nowhere, grinning widely. Her dimples twinkling on both cheeks.
My mouth dropped opened. “What? Where? When?” That was about all the Ws I could come up with. “Dish. I all the deets, and don’t you dare leave out the teensiest of details.”
The smile on her face shone brightly. “On my college tour.”
I shook my head. “How the heck did you have time to manage that? And why wasn’t I invited?”
“Well.” She looped her arm through mine and started leading us toward our next class. “While you were sucking face with my cousin day and night, I started exploring my ‘after high school’ options.”
Wow, how very un-Lexi-like.
She continued, “And I didn’t invite you because you were too busy sucking face with my cousin all the time.”
Geez. That stung a little but was probably close to the truth. “So what is he like?” This was normal. Comfortable. Talking boys with my best friend. I needed normal right now.
She got a starry quality in her eyes. “Hot. Athletic. Hot. Dreamy eyes. Hot. And the best part…he wasn’t put off by me.”
Her giddiness was infectious. “I think I get the point.” He had Lexi drooling, and the icing on the cake was he, apparently, was like me. Lacked the gene that made most people leery of Divisa. I knew that was what Lexi had been longing for. What she thought she would never have. I couldn’t help but hope this guy wasn’t a d-bag.
If anyone deserved the fairytale ending with her prince charming, it was Lexi. No one deserved sublime happiness more.
“You have got to check it out. The campus I mean, not the guy. It’s perfect,” she gushed, rambling. “I know that you and Chase would love it. Just think, the three of us in college, together.”
I groaned. I didn’t exactly share her gusto. A bunch of horny, drunk frat boys in the same vicinity as my protective (that was putting it nicely) half-demon boyfriend. Add Lexi into the mix…
Total recipe for disaster.
But now that there was a definite future for me, college was becoming more and more appealing.
Dorm rooms.
No parents.
Chase whenever I wanted.
It was a no-brainer. We were going to college if I had to drag him there by his ear. “I think I’d like that,” I heard myself say just as we walked through the classroom door.
“Eeee!” she squealed. “We are going to have the best summer. I can’t wait to tell Emma.”
“Don’t tell me. Emma has decided she wants to attend the same school.”
She nodded. “She came with me to visit the school, took one look at their archery department, and fell head over heels in love. But she has to attend summer classes if she wants to graduate on time.”
College.
Watch out University of Illinois. Things were about to get very interesting—or weird—on campus. If it was anything like high school, we were all going to be in hot water. There were only a few months left before graduation, which meant Chase and I better work on our applications ASAP.
After school, I handed Chase a school admittance form for the university and plopped down next to him on my couch.
“What is this?” he asked, giving me a funky look that was still cute on him.
I tossed him a pen, which he caught midair. “A college application,” I informed him, clicking the top on my pen.
He stuck his pen behind his ear and stretched out his legs in front of him. “When did we decide to go to college?”
“Today.”
One dark eyebrow went up, the silver hoop catching in the lamplight. “Do you really think college and I are a good idea?”
“Yes.”
He wasn’t convinced.
I turned toward him, our legs bumping. “Chase, you can’t let what you are limit you. So what if you have a dark side? Who doesn’t?”
I got the one-sided smirk. “Is that what you think I’m doing?”
I shrugged. What else made sense? I didn’t know what was going through his head on a good day. Emotions—sure, I could detect those all day long, but Chase was good at making my head go loopy. “If that’s not it, then what is your beef with obtaining a higher education?”
“Will it make you happy?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He let out a long reluctant sigh. “Okay. Let’s go to college. I am so going to regret this,” he mumbled.
Throwing my arms around his neck, I planted a quick kiss on his lips.
“I got you something, too,” he said as I pulled away. “But I am thinking I got the shittier side of the stick.” He dug around in his book bag and pulled out a humongous red bag.
I couldn’t stop the stupid smile that flashed on my lips. “A month’s supply of Skittles.”
He gave me a lopsided grin. “Only the green and purple ones.”
“Did you sort them yourself?”
He snorted. “I don’t love you that much.”
I sent him a long, under-the-lash look. “Yes you do.”
His eyes, a burnish gold, dazzled me. “It’s no big deal. I ju
st thought you could use something sweet in your life.”
“Chase, shut up,” I murmured and sealed his rambling with a kiss. I already had something sweet in my life. Him.
Our souls were bound together. Our hearts were tied together. And now our bodies were pledged to one another.
He might be part demon, but he was my guardian angel.
Coming soon…
LOVING ANGEL
(A novel entirely from Chase’s POV)
~*~*~*~
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