by J. L. Weil
He demanded it.
Arrogant ass.
“You got a flat,” Chase said, stating the obvious. A piece of his midnight hair fell to one side. It was so dark now, and he blended in with the night, except for his eyes.
“Duh, it’s the arrow sticking out of the tire that has us freaked out,” I heard Angel snap.
He inspected the tire and the nasty arrow embedded in the rubber, then he took off lickety-split.
Oh shit.
“Where the hell did he go?” I heard Lexi ask, but I was already on the move. He had veered left, so I went right. But I knew it would be only seconds before he backtracked this way.
Damn. This was so not going according to plan.
I flattened myself against a tree and held my breath. There was a rustling of leaves, and I could hear him breathing behind me. If I moved one itty-bitty bit he would hear me, but on the other hand, I could attempt to shove my blade into his gut. The knife trembled in my grasp as I waited. In the end, I never moved, and he bolted back to the car after a scream of frustration rippled through the night. It sounded like a very aggravated Angel.
It looked like I owed Chase’s demon lover a word of thanks.
Yeah, not in this lifetime.
She might have saved me, but it wasn’t going to save her from me.
Laying my head back against the tree, I debated how much I wanted to push my luck. If I snuck back to listen to their conversation, Chase would hear me.
Curse their demon abilities.
I was smart enough to know when to retreat, though I flirted with the idea of revealing myself just to see the look on that cocky face of his. God, that would have been a sight. But I knew that I needed to buy my time to get the job done right the first time, so I trekked through the woods.
The facility would be checking any day for a report on my status. Joy. Can’t say that I was looking forward to it. They might very well accuse me of dragging my feet.
They might not be far off base. I knew that they had given me this assignment to test my loyalty and dedication.
Chapter 7
Walking up the cobblestone path to my home, I couldn’t help but think it was another night just like all the other nights. The house I used to love and that had been a sanctuary for me was almost as much of a prison as the facility had been. Maybe there weren’t locked doors at night, and maybe I wasn’t ushered out of my room like cattle day in and day out, but there was still something suffocating about the walls of this house.
Alone in my room, I plugged in the earbuds to my old iPod. It had been lying on my bed with a note.
I thought maybe you could use these.
Love,
Mom
Short and simple. What wasn’t written in the lines of the pink paper was how she was hoping that by giving me something I used to love, I would somehow find my way back to the daughter I used to be.
It was a nice sentiment, but no amount of music was going to cure what ailed me. It was hardly that easy. What I had done, the things I had seen, didn’t just vanish with the sounds of music.
The nights had been the hardest since I’d been home. I thought I had moved past the nightmares that used to plague my dreams behind the walls of the facility, but I guess I had been wrong. Night after night, the screams, the begging cries, and the blood tortured my sleep. I don’t know why they had returned. Why I ever thought that I had put those horrors behind me was beyond me. The stamp Hell left on you never disappeared, regardless of whether you were inhuman or not.
I awoke that night covered in a sheen of sweat, heart pounding wildly and a scream stuck in my throat. It was not exactly enjoyable. My eyes madly scanned my surroundings before the realization seeped in that I was in my bedroom, not boxed into a white cell. Pushing the strands of strawberry hair off my face, I took five deep breaths and stared at the ceiling.
I needed therapy.
Sleep was pointless, so I did what calmed me the most. I sharpened the tips of my arrows—so far from the graceful movements of dance that a year ago would have been my only escape from madness.
~*~*~*~
He angled his body in front of hers, hiding her from my line of vision and my arrow.
Slick move, lover boy.
It was obvious from the way Chase stiffened that he knew something was amiss. I watched as his eyes tinged with a glow of amber, skimming the parking lot. He might have sensed trouble, but he hadn’t pinpointed me. Yet.
Score one for me.
The darkness and the crowd gave me the perfect cover. A video game release at midnight, were these people insane? I didn’t know squat about gaming, but this was some extreme shit, and the fact that Chase was among them…well, let’s just say I wouldn’t have believed it, had I not seen it.
Angel, on the other hand, looked as if she was going to burst at the seams. She was a bouncing, fidgety bubble of caffeinated energy. A cold front breezed through, and she snuggled closer to Chase, burrowing in her hoodie and against Chase’s chest. His arms wrapped around her securely, and a look of contentment passed over his face, lightening the yellow of his glowing eyes. Though he didn’t look entirely pleased to be there, I got the impression that he was there for Angel, for her safety. I think Chase Winters might actually enjoy someone else’s company. If I didn’t know better, I swear I was on an alternate planet. There was no other explanation.
Having her in his arms had an effect on Chase. His eyes lost some of their freaky demon luster. Tension slowly eased from his body, and he buried his face in her long hair. I scratched my head as I watched them. It appeared that Angel calmed Chase’s roaring demon, which was preposterous. Unheard of. Nothing could quiet the demon once it began to surface. That was what we had been told, but I couldn’t discount what I saw, not yet.
I was starting to question everything the facility had thrashed into us about Divisa, but maybe it was just Chase that was an exception to the rule. He was, after all, special.
A special pain in my ass.
She turned in his arms, looking up at him with love and concern. Chase pulled her tighter as he stretched his demon abilities, scanning for me. He just didn’t know that he was looking for me. They were a striking couple. I might not agree with their relationship, but there was something in the air that sparked and sizzled between the two of them. And it was more than lust and sarcasm.
I wasn’t green with envy.
I wouldn’t dare admit such a thing, certainly not to myself.
Who was I kidding? I was jealous—insanely envious of Angel.
She had what I had a year ago. A knock-you-naked boyfriend, a Winters nonetheless. They were like the holy grail of hot boys. A best friend you could be nutty and laugh with and a bright future, though in Angel’s case that was debatable. Being with Chase was more gloomy than bright, but to each her own I guess.
Regardless, I still had to kill him.
Maybe I would just wipe them all out. Kill four demons with one stone. Hell, I’d kill them all. The more the merrier. It was because of them that my life had been stripped from me. My fingers gripped the steering wheel, knuckles turning red. A mountain of pent-up rage and injustice built up inside me.
I needed air, suddenly feeling claustrophobic in my eight-passenger SUV. It was risky getting out, walking around, and exposing myself, but at that point, I didn’t care. I welcomed the rush of the cold twilight, taking a huge gulp of air.
Securing the black hood over my attention-drawing hair, I weaved in with the crowd until I was only a few people behind the snarky couple. They were immersed in one another. It made my stomach churn, and I tried not to gag. Angel gave a squeal as the line slowly began to move. Her hands went up in the air in a silly overexcited jig, and the movement lifted the sweatshirt she was wearing.
What my eyes couldn’t believe was the mark decorating Angel’s hip. I narrowed my gaze at the black swirly tattoo that looked identical to the one I knew Chase was branded with in the exact same spot. Sure, there might have b
een a rational answer, like this girl was completely cray-cray and had gotten a tattoo to match her boyfriend’s, except Angel didn’t strike me as that type of girl. She was mouthy, and she wasn’t frivolous.
So I tossed that theory right out the window.
With pursed lips I fell back from the shifting sea of dorky teenage boys. There had been whispers within the white walls of the facility about Divisa being linked or altering humans through some great act of sacrifice. I couldn’t see the egocentric Chase sacrificing anything to save someone else’s skin, unless it was Travis or Lexi. Then again, I’d never seen Chase in love, and every girly intuition left inside me said that he was very much infatuated with Angel. And vice versa.
What had happened between those two while I was gone?
The unknown ate at me.
What great act had Chase performed?
What exactly did that mark mean? Was Angel part-demon now? Was she different?
So many questions and I was more determined than ever to get the gritty answers.
And so went my taunting of Chase Winters. I was there at the Halloween bash and what a perfect cover for stalking half-demons. However, I wasn’t nearly as creative as half of the partygoers. It was such a mind-freak walking among my classmates and them not even knowing it was me; the hooded cape and mask helped conceal my face and hair.
Both Brandy and Kailyn were there and didn’t even spare me a second glance. The two cheerleaders spent most of the night dancing and giggling with Angel and Lexi. I couldn’t help but feel a stab of jealousy at how easily I had been replaced. A year ago, Brandy and Kailyn had been hounding me relentlessly to join their squad.
But that was nowhere near as disconcerting as Angel. There was something odd about her, and I couldn’t put my finger on it, but she had every eye on her as she danced with Lexi. At first I was too mesmerized, pulled by the music and movement, even if most of the group was buzzed and their dancing was sloppy. It still struck a cord deep inside me. I unconsciously moved toward the makeshift dance floor in the field clearing, only to be stopped short at the sight of everyone around me enthralled with Sally Stitches, AKA Angel Morgan.
I angled my head and contemplated…
What was she?
There was something alluring about Angel, besides her homemade costume.
The moonlight shone off her dark hair as she gave Lexi a nervous half grin. Angel had no idea the amount of attention she was drawing, and I could tell that she was most definitely not comfortable dancing. She was having fun with her friends, but she looked ready to bolt if given the opportunity.
First her mysterious mark that looked eerily like Chase’s and now this. It might take a few phones calls and asking the right questions before I got to the bottom of Chase and Angel’s relationship.
One thing was certain: Those two were definitely hiding something.
I plucked a beverage from one of the coolers, needing something to loosen my rigidness. I’d been wound tight and on guard for too long. I wanted a night to let go. Always the epitome of a good girl, I’d never had an alcoholic beverage before becoming the facility’s soldier.
The first swig of the bottle when down the hatchet in a sour burn, but by the second and third, it was smooth city. I began to relax. My limbs felt lighter and my head just a tad fuzzy. It was glorious, freeing, and reckless. If the facility knew I was drinking on the job, there would be a punishment not worth imagining, but what they didn’t know couldn’t hurt me.
With one eye out for Angel, I kept to the dark shadows of the field. I watched her leave the horde in search of some fresh air and maybe some half-demon hunk. However, not far behind her was a clumsy jock with a gleam in his eyes that made me shiver. After a moment or two it was clear that he was following Angel.
Where was her bodyguard now?
I crouched in the background, wondering how long Chase was going to let this go. It was clear to me that this guy was drunk as a skunk and copping way more than just a feel on Angel. I bit the inside of my cheek, very tempted to intervene, maybe with an arrow to his junk. As luck would have it, Chase finally made himself known after Angel cried his name.
What a dick.
I thought this was supposed to be the girl he would die to protect, and here he was, letting some sloppy drunk grope her at some sleazy excuse for a party. To say I was outraged was an understatement. I felt the blood in my veins begin to boil, and the need to hurt someone boomed inside me. Chase deserved a lesson in humility.
If we weren’t in such a public place, I would have put an arrow in his heart, but I guess I would have to settle for the next best thing. The only problem, my aim wasn’t precisely at its sharpest. Maybe that beer hadn’t been the best idea, but hey, a girl needed to let her hair down every once in a while.
Chase was dragging a shocked looking Angel back toward the party. He had only taken a few steps when I made a move. My turn. I let the arrow fly.
His eyes burned the color of hot amber coals right before he body slammed Angel, taking her to the ground with him. I almost let out a tiny squeak when I realized that my arrow was slightly off course. Chase had been my intended target, but it veered right to the center of Angel’s chest. Good thing Chase had demon reflexes or his little pet would be spitting blood.
One of these days, my arrow was going to be faster than his demon abilities, and he wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell.
Chapter 8
I had been dreading the deed all day. It wasn’t something I could put off any longer without raising suspicion; plus I needed answers to those burning life questions.
What the hell was Angel?
Was it possible to mutate a human?
What in the world had Chase been thinking?
You know, the usual.
I dug out my phone and made the call. He answered on the first ring. “Emma. Glad to hear you’re still alive.”
No honey, how are you? No real concern for my safety, not even for his daughter. He only cared that I was still on the job, still following orders. I swallowed. “Yes, sir.”
“Do I assume that everything is in order?”
It was crazy what his voice could do to me. I sat straight as a board on the bed, my leg tapping. “I saw something that might be of use.” There was a long pause as he waited for me to continue. I don’t know why I hesitated. Maybe because I wasn’t sure I would like the answer. “There is a human girl who has the target’s Divisa mark.”
He cleared his throat. “Hmm, it sounds like our famous little half-breed has been quite busy during your training. It’s a binding ritual, marking the human as part of Hell and belonging to the Divisa. Often the human will acquire traits from the half-demon during the branding process, which is supposed to be very unpleasant. Be wary of her. We don’t know what she can do.”
I was battling inside with what he was telling me and what I’d seen. Angel did not appear to be some supernatural wielding badass. That was reserved for Chase, not that I was admitting he was a badass.
Wow, suddenly I had grown a conscience.
“You know what to do,” he continued in a voice devoid of emotion, just hard, unyielding authority. “All threats on society must be eliminated. Is that clear?”
My blood turned to ice. “Yes, sir.” It was an automatic response.
Was she a threat?
I wasn’t so sure.
But I was positive that I was not a cold-blooded killer. Murder wasn’t something I wanted on my resume. Killing half-demons for the greater good—fine, but killing Angel—it struck a chord of humanity I still was clinging to—that even with all the evil running amuck there was a balance of good. That there was still a shred of decency in this world, a thread of decency left in me. I wanted to believe that the facility hadn’t wiped me clean of all sense of wrong and right.
Did I still have a heart? Any morals? Common sense?
I needed to run. Far and fast.
~*~*~*~
So a run might not have
been the smartest move, but in the end, I knew my identity would be discovered sooner or later. I had just hoped it would have been later. Once it was known that I was back, the hourglass would be short on sand.
Tires squealed against the blacktop, piercing my ears. Chase had spotted me.
Damn.
Damn.
Damn.
I kissed my nice jog through the woods, which was supposed to calm my antsy spirit, goodbye. Just like a half-breed to ruin what was shaping up to be a perfect evening. Alone with nature on my daily run had become a habit. It was the only time I felt inner peace.
My hair was plastered to my damp, glistening skin. In deep, heaving breaths, I raced over a hill and to the edge of the road where I stopped for a breather. While I guzzled from a bottle of water I’d brought with me, the leaves rustled in the trees behind me.
With the back of my hand, I wiped a dribble of water from my mouth, and it was just my freaking luck. Chase’s car zoomed past. Immediately slamming on the breaks, he caught a glimpse of me before I dashed back into the woods. I pushed myself, not letting panic set it. Here I was, caught unaware without my bow and just a dagger stuffed in my sock. Not exactly an ideal situation for a hunter.
Kicking it up to full speed, my thighs burned from the excursion as I flew over the rough terrain. Even I knew that there was no way I could outrun him. My only chance was to get to where I had left my weapon and hopefully turn the tables on him.
I had the bow in my sights as I rounded a big oak. Never easing my speed, I ran straight for the weapon, picking it up on the fly. As my hands wrapped around the curved hilt, I spun on my heels and pulled back the arrow already in place. The only sound I could hear was the panting of my uneven breaths.
I had no more than steadied my hand when he was suddenly in the clearing. He blinked at his first real sight of me. Then he blinked again, angling his head. “Well, it appears the missing has risen from the dead. Joy.” His voice was dark and deadly, making his words come out as a threat.