Redeeming Angel

by JL Weil

  “It’s almost ten o’clock. At night,” she added helpfully, in case I was confused what time of day she was referring to. “And Colin is studying if you must know.” Feet planted, she crossed her arms over the pink sweatshirt that hung off one shoulder. “I’m not leaving until you take me to see her.”

  Just what I needed—a sit-in taking place in my room. Scooting up, I pressed my back against the headboard, tugging down my worn gray T-shirt. “We’ve been over this,” I mumbled.

  “I know. And I still don’t understand why I can’t see my best friend.” Her lips turned downward.

  “Lex,” I growled, not wanting to rehash the same old argument. “My answer is the same. No.” I held my ground.

  She looked around the room and then yelled, “Emma!” My cousin turned her pouty plea on the hunter as she darkened my doorway.

  My jaw hardened. “Jesus. Why not make this a party?”

  Emma stood against the door, ankles crossed in her usual black jeans and tank. “Oh, someone is feeling prickly this evening. Did the big, bad wolf have a rough day?”

  I struggled for patience, the vein in my neck throbbing. “Kiss ass, Emma.”

  The redheaded Lara Croft wannabe absently spun a pen between her fingers. “Don’t make me dot your eye.”

  I snorted. Emma and I could exchange insults all day. I never comprehended the term frenemy until Emma.

  Lexi’s hands went to her hips. “You don’t scare me, Chase Winters.”

  Courtesy of Travis and me, Lexi had been sheltered, protected, and indulged, which I was now regretting. Shifting, the mattress groaned under my weight. I rested my wrists on top of my knees.

  “Fine,” she said spinning, her blonde hair flying in the air. “Emma will take me.”

  Emma grimaced. “Uh-uh. Don’t drag me into this. I’m not willing to risk the mongrel’s wrath. No thanks. I’m saving my strength for when the world goes to shit.”

  I frowned. It’s not like I hadn’t been called worse, but on the flipside, at least she recognized my skills and agreed not to help Lexi. It still blew my mind that Emma and I could agree on anything. Not long ago, she’d been hell-bent on carving out my heart. I had committed some pretty unforgivable acts.

  Lexi’s lip started to quiver.

  Oh dear God. Not tears. I couldn’t handle another bout of tears, not from Lexi and certainly not from Angel. Emma…? I no longer thought she was capable of deep emotions.

  “I have a plan,” I quickly rushed before a single drop made its way down Lex’s cheek.

  Searching my face, she narrowed her eyes. “Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about what you’re going to tell me?”

  I gave her a look.

  “Chase,” she drew out my name. “I know that face. Tell me you’re not thinking of doing something that demented?”

  All I could do was clear my throat and stare at the empty spot between her ear and shoulder.

  “Chase! You can’t. Not after spending so much time controlling it. Not after everything you went through.” She looked crestfallen.

  “Will someone please tell me what the hell we are talking about?” Emma demanded, her golden retriever ears perking up and the hunter in her sniffing out trouble.

  I ignored her. “I will do whatever it takes to get her back, Lex. Even if it means sacrificing parts of me.”

  “I want her back as much as you do, but I can’t lose you both. There has to be another way.” Her eyes began to well with tears.

  It hadn’t been my intention to hurt Lexi, but I also hadn’t intended to fall in love. Shit happens. “There might be, but I don’t have time to waste chasing after possibilities. This is the fastest way to get the answers I need. You know it is.”

  “That doesn’t mean I like it.” A tinge of yellow flashed in her irises as she rubbed her hands down her arms like she was brushing off a chill. “Putting yourself in that kind of situation is something you might not recover from. It can change you. Would Angel want that?”

  “Someone better tell me what is going on, or I’m going to start cracking skulls,” Emma badgered.

  I flashed my demon eyes before turning back to Lexi. “The reverse psychology bullshit you’re learning in class won’t work on me. It doesn’t matter anyway. My mind is made up. What matters is Angel is alive and that I find a way to bring her back. Her safety is more important than my black soul.”

  “Fine, d-bag. Have it your way, but I’m coming with you. Someone has to keep you from going AWOL.”

  “No.”

  “Chase,” she whined. “If you won’t let me see Angel, then at least let me help you. I can’t sit here day and night, pretending everything is okay. Nothing is okay.”

  She didn’t have to tell me. My whole world was turned upside down. “I’m going alone.”

  “Alone?” She started to pace the floor, and I didn’t like the way her eyes began to glow. She was supposed to be the one with all the self-control, and here she was on the verge of letting her demon take possession.

  This was bad.

  And only explained how much Angel’s betrayal affected her. Lexi was far from okay.

  “Oh boy. Now you’ve done it, Deputy Dipshit,” Emma said, leaning a shoulder on the doorframe.

  I frowned. “Travis!” I roared.

  A second later he popped his head into the room, chomping on a mouthful of a monster-sized turkey club clutched in one hand. “What?” he mumbled, crumbs covering his ‘I don’t need to get a life. I’m a gamer. I have lots of lives!’ T-shirt. He had taken up wearing them in Angel’s honor.

  Seeing the ridiculous shirt squeezed my heart. Will I ever get her back? I let out a heavy sigh. “It’s your turn. Lexi’s throwing a tantrum.”

  “Again?” He ran his free hand through his tousled sandy hair. “Christ.”

  Lexi’s sea-green eyes went from me to Travis and back to me. She shook her head. “You’re all idiots.” Then she was gone as stealthily as she had arrived.

  “Umm, that went well half-breed,” Emma commented. “Now, are you going to tell me what is going on? Where are you going?”

  An awkward silence descended in the room. Travis inhaled another bite of his sandwich, dropping more bread bits on my floor. I sighed. “Three’s a crowd, don’t you think?” Hint. Hint. I wanted to be left alone. “Someone should probably check on Lexi and make sure she doesn’t break a nail.”

  “On it,” Travis said, turning to leave.

  I cleared my throat. “Take your girlfriend with you.”

  “Winters, I have a right to know what you’re planning. It’s my duty to protect humankind. If you’re about to—”

  Travis scooped Emma off her feet, tossing her over his shoulder as she gave a little shriek of displeasure. I didn’t know a guy on campus who would envy Travis right now. Two extremely pissed off extraordinary females that could give him one heck of a fight—he was going to have his hands full. Hopefully, he didn’t come away with too many cuts and bruises.

  I waited until the door closed behind them, listening to Emma bitch and moan to Travis about how she was going to pull his balls out from his throat. Sinking against the wall, I let my back hit the drywall. There was only one more person I needed to see before I hit the road.

  Chapter 4

  {Chase}

  No matter how long I stood under the steaming hot spray, I didn’t feel cleansed, and the growth on my face was out of control. After a quick shave, I put on black sweats and a white shirt that was identical to the fifty others I had. I could have gotten dressed in the dark and my look would have been similar. My wardrobe was simple. Jeans. T-shirts. Comfy clothes.

  I hadn’t even left the house and already I felt tainted—the demon slowly shadowing my humanity. My gut twisted as I stared at my reflection, the silver in my eyes glossed by an uncanny gold.

  Before Angel, I had traveled down a dark path. There were many moments in my life I wasn’t proud of, but there were some choices I wish I could whiteout, obliterate
from existence. Angel didn’t know of my less than stellar past, other than I had one. I didn’t want to talk about it or think about it.

  That person no longer existed.

  The pain I’d caused my family was unredeemable, and I’d taken a vow to never go back. At that time I’d meant it with my last dying breath…until Angel.

  She had no idea how much she’d saved me. How much light she’d offered me at a time in my life when I was emerging from such blackness. Knowing I was about to enter a past I swore to leave behind was chilling, but for Angel, I would walk through Hell. Nothing in the world was going to stop me.

  And if it came down to it, I would choose her over family, over life, over death.

  There was no doubt in my mind I would help. No matter what condition she was in when this was over, I could handle it—we could handle it. I just hoped I was in a state of mind to see her through the worst of it.

  Plucking a set of keys off the dresser, I turned to leave, kicking a discarded bottle of some kind of carbonated drink. I swore and took a good look around my room. Christ, was I in desperate need of a maid. Everything had gone down the shitpot, including my necessity for tidiness.

  Closing the door behind me, the house was silent as I moved through it toward the front door. No one tried to stop me. I didn’t know if I was relieved or disappointed, not that it mattered. My mind was made up.

  Slipping behind the wheel of my newly-acquired sports car, I revved the engine a few times, eyes glancing in the rearview mirror. This was it. Do or die. My foot slammed on the gas. The wheels spun for traction a moment before lurching forward and shooting down the road like a bullet.

  I had a thing for fast cars. I also had a thing for crashing fast cars. In my defense, four out of five of those had not been my fault. Demons materializing out of nowhere, while cruising at speeds nearing seventy miles an hour equaled big crashes. Angel unfortunately had a front row seat in one of those famous wrecks.

  The drive to nowhere was only about twenty minutes from the college, but the way I drove, I could do it in half the time, except my paranoia was real. I spent more time staring in my rearview mirror than I did on the road in front of me. Not a damn thing happened the entire drive. Sand and gravel kicked up from the tread of the tires as I came to a stop.

  What was down in the cellar wasn’t really Angel—not the girl I loved with every breath I took. And she wasn’t in control of herself or her abilities. It was only a matter of time before she hurt someone or worse…herself.

  The idea of what I was about to do screamed wrong on every level, but there was no other choice. I had to do this.

  As I stepped out of the car, a dry heat more suitable for Arizona washed over me. Even the climate was feeling the heat of Hell. There had been little butterflies in my stomach the closer I got, but as I pulled open the hidden door, a warm tingle shimmied down the base of my neck that had nothing to do with the sun.

  I couldn’t wait until I never had to see this dump again. Titanium and whatever other twisted crap the hunters used to secure this place fucked with my mojo. And no one messed with my mojo, not unless they wanted to die.

  I zapped down the stairs, anxious. Whether she was snarling at me or threatening to kill me, it didn’t matter. I only wanted to see her face one last time before I walked into Lucifer’s den.

  She lay on a bed of blankets, her hair spilling over the gray material, eyes closed. Approaching the bars, I slipped a hand through, my fingers brushing aside the tangled mess of auburn hair. She could pretend all she wanted, but with me, it was pointless. The quickening of her heart gave her away.

  {Angel}

  The sound of footsteps neared, and I cracked my eyelids. A face, tilted sideways, came into view, blocking the measly amount of light. Fabulous. It was my not-so-better half.

  The skin around his eyes crinkled as his brows knitted together. “Good. You’re awake.”

  My body locked up at the sound of that particular male voice. Jaw clenched, I tried to look away. “Duh. You try sleeping on a slab of metal.”

  “Guess I don’t need to ask how you’re feeling today,” he said in a level voice.

  I spit in his face.

  The bastard laughed. “Spunky.” He swiped the back of his hand across his face. “I’d say that’s progress. I’m getting to you. I can feel it.”

  Pushing up on the bed, I sung my feet over the side. “The only thing you are feeling is my bitter hatred emitting through our despicable bond.”

  Backing up, he propped a shoulder on the concrete wall, all while keeping those silvery eyes glued to my face like he was memorizing every detail.

  “Take a picture, it lasts longer.”

  A lazy smirk crossed his lips. Amusing him was not what I wanted to do. “Ah, there she is.”

  “You’re demented, you know that? I will destroy you.”

  “Angel, I know you’re in there. I would not be standing here if you were truly gone. Our connection wouldn’t be just as strong if a piece of you weren’t still alive. I know you.”

  I wiped at the corner of my eye, swiping an invisible tear. “Isn’t that just too sweet. Go suck a lemon.”

  Chase. The nicest jerk I’d ever met. He made sure I had everything I needed to survive in my little jail cell. There was a small bathroom off the back left side of the cage. A metal bed was bolted to the floor with a lumpy mattress, but at least the sheets were clean. And each time he came, he brought me fresh clothes and food.

  Today it was a chicken salad.

  “Eat,” he demanded, staring at the untouched plastic bowl. “You need to eat if you plan to take over the world, Angel Eyes.”

  Unfurling my legs, I flashed to my feet, standing as close to the metal as I could without getting fried. “Don’t call me that. I’m not your Angel anything anymore.”

  He blinked.

  “What? No plans of salvation?” I pushed out the words, feeling the anger grow inside me. I angled my head. “Did you finally come to your demon senses?”

  “Actually, it’s why I’m here.”

  I slid my gaze to him, one side of my lip tipped up. “About damn time. We can make such a great team, you and I. Nothing will be able to stop us.”

  “That’s true,” he agreed.

  “Then what are you waiting for? Let me out of here.”

  “Sorry, toots. That’s not on the agenda for what I have in mind.”

  “Grr,” I growled, hands clenching at my sides. I pulled back my lip, letting out an eerie, real-sounding hiss. “Why are you wasting so much time on something you can’t change?”

  “Because you’re worth it. You’re everything.”

  I smiled. “I hate you.” Then I hurled the plastic bowl directly at where he sat. Lettuce, shredded cheese, and pieces of chicken, flew through the air and crashed against the bars before clattering on the floor. Salad dressing and some other gunk splattered on his shirt and cheek.

  He crinkled his brow, face strained. “I just took a shower. And that’s not true. You love me. You just need to look deep enough. It’s there.”

  I lifted my head, eyes blazing. “Go away.”

  He rubbed the heel of his palm over his heart. “Never. I’ll be back. You can bet your freedom on it.”

  A dull ache pressed against my ribs. I stamped it out. Soft, love-sick Angel was not going to make an appearance today. “So you’re just going to leave me here to starve to death?”

  He snorted. “I’m not that cruel. Travis and Emma will make sure you’re taken care of.”

  I hated that my eyes were drawn to his lips, unable to control the attraction between us— although wanting to kiss him and choke him in the same moment wasn’t a foreign feeling. “Oh goodie. Let me try to contain my excitement,” I said dryly. “You better hope the hunter doesn’t shank me in my sleep.”

  Chase’s shoulders stiffened, the lines around his face hardening. “She won’t touch a hair on your head,” he promised.

  “Why? Because you trust h
er?”

  His eyes narrowed, turning all amber as he stared at me. “No, because I’d kill her.”

  I grinned. Finally, he was speaking my language. “That’s more like it.”

  He rolled his eyes, his tight shoulders relaxing a fraction of an inch. “Now who’s demented?”

  I took a step back from the titanium, not willing to risk singeing my eyebrows. Already my skin was feverish, but oddly it wasn’t the heat that bothered me. It was the nonstop tingles that flittered up and down my body. “Whatever. Are you at least going to tell me what shenanigans you have planned?”

  “Funny,” he said flatly, pushing at a strand of hair that fell over his right eye. “On the very slim, and I mean minuscule, so tiny it can’t be seen by the human eye—”

  “I get it. I’m stuck here, but do you have a plan?” I asked, interrupting.

  “If you let me finish,” he said, drawing out the words.

  I folded my arms, leaned my weight on one foot, and waited.

  He shot me a look. “On the chance you do manage to get out of here, I think it’s better for everyone if you don’t know.”

  I frowned. “Why do I remember you being more fun?”

  With a half grin on his lips, he started toward me. “You want some fun? Here.” He pulled a small device from the back pocket of his pants and slipped it through the bars. “I brought you something to pass the time.”

  I stared down at the electronic handheld video game unit. “What the hell am I supposed to do with this? Try to beat some nerd’s highest score in Pac-Man?”

  A crestfallen expression crossed his face, and he was quick to hide it behind a sinister smirk, but not before I caught a glimpse. “Hang on, Angel. When I come back, this will all be a bad dream.”

  “I don’t plan on being here when you get back,” I yelled, but it was useless. He was already gone.