Beautifully Unnatural: A Young Adult Paranormal Boxed Set

by Amy Miles

Gabby arched a brow scanning Alexander’s large frame and light hair compared to Sammy’s dark hair and petite frame.

  She shook her head, her short dark hair wafting back and forth. “Fraternal, not identical.”

  A sudden chill reminded her of the rain pelting down on them and she wrapped her arms around herself and sighed. The day had started out so peacefully.

  Alexander retrieved her shirt, beach towel, art supplies, and discarded drawings. “What’re these?” he asked, lifting two blurred pictures from under the supply box. His soaked shirt gaped open, exposing more tan skin and well-defined muscles. Her eyes stuck to his body for a second too long, until her mind processed what he was holding.

  She quickly stepped forward then halted, forcing herself not to overreact. It would only make them more curious. But her heart was fluttering faster than humming bird wings. “Uh, just crazy ideas I come up with,” she said, trying to sound casual.

  “They’re good.” He eyed one of them for a moment then pointed at the dark-horned figure, bleeding down the page. “Is this a monster?”

  “I, uh, guess you could call it that.” She toed the sand, not wanting to expose herself any more than she already had.

  He looked between the two drawings. “They look like something straight out of a nightmare,” he said, almost absently.

  Gabby stared at him in disbelief. How did he… No, there’s no way he could know that.

  He handed them to her, along with the supply box. “You’re a gifted artist. These are sick.”

  Gifted? Sick? Which was it? “Um…thanks.”

  “You been drawing long?” Sammy asked.

  “All my life, but… just this kind of stuff for the last year or so.” She tucked the ruined pictures inside the supply box then hugged it against her chest. When Sammy gave her an odd look, she couldn’t help but bite her bottom lip.

  “What happened?” Sammy asked.

  “I’m sorry?” Gabby said, confused by the girl’s question.

  “What happened a year ago that would make you want to create such dark pictures?”

  Instantly, familiar and deep, stabbing pain of loss pierced her heart and she inhaled sharply, fighting to keep her composure. “Just seemed interesting, I guess.” Clutching her belongings to her chest, she started back down the beach. “I should get home. My father’s due back any time and he tends to worry.”

  Not taking the hint, Sammy followed her down the path that led to her father’s shack. “Why don’t we stop by tomorrow to check on you?”

  That couldn’t happen. She couldn’t chance her father coming home early. The last thing Gabby wanted to do was get back in the water, but she didn’t want Sammy or Alexander running into her father. She stole a quick glance back at Alexander. He stood there with an air of confidence. Yet his eyes were soft. “How ‘bout we meet here instead.”

  “Sounds good. We’ll be here mid-morning, say ten-ish.” Sammy yelled over her shoulder before she jogged back toward the beach.

  “Tomorrow then,” Alexander said, his deep voice carrying on the wind.

  Gabby nodded then raced to the house. If her father beat her home, there’d be hell to pay.

  The sun was setting and she needed to get dinner. She swatted gnats from her face as she slowed at her back yard. Breathless, she opened the door and stopped short. Her father was glowering at her from his favorite brown chair. She sucked in a quick breath.

  Which father was it today? Mean drunk or supportive dad?

  Chapter Two

  Alexander looked out over the ocean. Only a few minutes ago he’d carried Gabby’s small, limp body onto the beach, her long blond hair full of seaweed, her tan skin marked with demon burns. He’d been keeping watch from afar since Gabby had arrived that morning, but the attack had been so sudden and unexpected. Still, he cursed under his breath, angry with himself for not keeping her safe.

  Laughter caught his attention then a dark shadow emerged from the waves. Forras marched onto the beach, his thick wart-like gray skin turning flesh as four horns slid into a shrinking forehead. When pink lips formed, they spread wide across his face into a menacing smirk.

  Three more demons from Forras’ clan followed. One slithered from the waves, his long tail swished, cracking in the air like a whip, the rattlesnake-like end hissed. Another followed with spikes along his back that slid into his skin while his bones crackled. And the last one galloped on all fours with shinning yellow eyes that glowed then faded into human form.

  Alexander shook with rage. A vibration shot from vertebrae to vertebrae up Alexander’s spine. His muscles twitched and bones cracked, but no wings emerged.

  “Stay calm,” Sammy warned. “You don’t want to do something to attract hunters.”

  A brown dog he’d seen around the beach charged from the brush and snarled. He usually found the dog annoying following him around all the time, but in this case, he found the dog useful. “Don’t worry. None of us want hunters around here.”

  Forras signaled the other demons to stay at the water’s edge. He walked toward Alexander, his gait loose and cocky. “If it isn’t the white knight.”

  Alexander’s fists clenched tight. He wanted to fight, to drive them out of the area. Hadn’t Gabby been tortured enough? He took a step forward.

  The dog barked as if to warn Alexander to stay away.

  One of the demons waved his hand and the wind picked up, creating a wall of sand, sending the dog retreating to the woods.

  Damn demons and their control of nature.

  “Go back to Hell where you belong, Forras. You’ve had your fun.” Alexander swatted the sand away.

  “If you’re not enjoying our game, then leave.” Forras glanced at the others then turned back with a grin. “Oh, that’s right. You’re impotent. You can’t even get your wings up.”

  Alexander’s rage boiled to the surface. Wings or no wings, he’d take this smug demon out.

  “Still nothing back there?” Forras leaned to the side, as though trying to see around to Alexander’s back. “Too bad you killed that woman. Maybe if you’d saved her you could still fly.”

  Visions of their last encounter that ended a woman’s life flashed and Alexander lunged forward, tackling Forras to the ground. Forras kicked Alexander in the ribs, sending him several feet into the air. Alexander’s back slammed against the packed sand. Before he could get back up and tackle Forras again, Sammy landed between them, her rose-hued wings spread wide, each shimmery feather fluttering in the sea breeze. “Do you want hunters to find and slaughter us all?”

  Forras ignored her warning. “Need your little sis to save you, do you?”

  Sammy fisted her hands and stood tall. “It’s time to go.”

  As Alexander slowly climbed to his feet, Forras snarled at him, the demon’s eyes mutating from bright green to blood orange. Red lines erupted outward from the pupils. Bones and tendons cracked as Forras’ body pulled and stretched. His ashen skin bubbled and contorted. Four horns protruded from his skull, two on either side of his head. In full demon form, Forras bounded into the brush.

  The other three demons followed.

  “Stay away from Gabby,” he shouted.

  The stench of rotting garbage lingered in the air, causing stinging acid to bubble up Alexander’s throat into his mouth. Over a year on Earth and he still couldn’t control the retched bodily functions and emotions inherent with this form.

  “Don’t worry,” Sammy said as she folded her wings. The pale pink light shrouding her body faded as the wings disappeared into her tiny human frame. “Gabby’s home with her father. She should be fine.”

  Alexander gave her a stiff nod then took the path toward home, his body still shaking with disgust. What good was he? An angel without the power to fly, transport long distances without movement, heal a human, or any other gifts, wasn’t an angel at all.

  Sammy trotted after him. “There’s no turning back now, you know. Now that you’ve saved her, Forras will target her. He won’t gi
ve up. You need to be careful. I don’t think it was wise to start something with him again. Besides, I don’t want to have to leave Kemp because you two had a hissy fit and brought hunters to our area.”

  The muscles in his face twitched with agitation. He hated when she was right. “I’m always careful. We won’t have to move,” he muttered.

  “By saving Gabby, you just challenged Forras. He was using her as a play thing, but now she’s been marked.”

  “Fun? He almost killed her.” Alexander gritted his teeth.

  “He wouldn’t kill her, he wants to torture, not kill people and you knew that. That’s why we’re here, right? You said you wanted to protect those susceptible to demons. It was your idea to attend high school since we were put into these young human frames. Isn’t that why we go to high school and make friends, to save as many souls as we can? We guide and protect these humans from the ultimate sacrifice, but there is no way to keep them from their everyday harassment. It would be impossible and Forras knows that. He baits you and you fall for it every time.”

  Alexander had said all that and more, but he couldn’t stand by and watch Forras torture her. It took everything he had not to hold her in his arms and drive the darkness from her soul on the beach. “It might have been reckless, but I didn’t reveal our kind to her. He took things too far with this girl, Gabby. And if we swore to protect then that’s what I’m going to do.”

  “You’re right, she does need our protection now that Forras marked her. We both know he intends on taking this to the next level, but you can’t do it alone. I’ll help.”

  Alexander continued walking, but she flew in front of him and landed with arms crossed, showing him she had superior abilities now. He should be grateful she wanted to help, but instead he envied her. “Fine.”

  Her wings furrowed into a pink light then disappeared behind her. “I have an idea. I can use cheerleading as a reason to stick around. What high school girl doesn’t want to be a cheerleader?”

  She spun on her heel and jogged up the path to the tree line. Finally, their white Victorian-style house came into view, the sight warming his chest. The brown dog pranced in front of their home as if he lived there. Darn dog took off when he was most needed and now he wanted food?

  He reached the end of the steps and eyed the front porch. Situated on the edge of the beach, he usually loved to sit on the swing with Grace and Sammy, watching the waves, but he didn’t feel like having their company right now, nor a dog that followed him around.

  “Get.” He shooed the dog away. Eyeing Sammy standing on the welcome mat he paused by her side. “Fine. We’ll convince her tomorrow.” Her brushed past her and the front door slammed behind him before he darted up the stairs.

  “Are you hungry?” Grace called from the kitchen before he’d even made it to the landing.

  Alexander sighed. In the last year, Grace had become more than just a mother in name only. Grace cooked, cleaned and nurtured their human development. Having the assistance of a fallen angel who’d been here for a couple of centuries helped the transition after their fall.

  “No, thanks,” he yelled down as he continued up the stairs. Then he stepped into his room and closed the door. Hands shaking, he lifted a leather-bound copy of Edgar Allen Poe: Complete Tales and Poems from the nightstand.

  With the book in his grasp, he moved to the bank of windows and pulled back navy blue curtains to peer out the floor-to-ceiling glass. His gaze drifted down the beach in the direction of Gabby’s house. There was something familiar about the way that girl’s blond hair danced in the wind, the way her hips swayed when she walked. Something he couldn’t help but be drawn to.

  He heard a tap on his door. “Alexander? Are you okay, son?” Grace called.

  He gritted his teeth, torn. Half of him needed to open the door and talk. Grace would know why his heart felt so heavy, why his hands were cold and clammy. But the other half wanted to avoid any conversation pertaining to Gabby Moore.

  “I’m fine.”

  “May I come in?” she asked.

  “It’s your house,” he said, shame filling him. Grace didn’t deserve his rude behavior. She was so good and kind to him and Sammy.

  He internally moaned when she entered and shut the door behind her. She sat on the bed, a gray wisp of hair falling into her eyes. Her hand brushed it back toward the tight bun resting neatly on the top of her head.

  Grace patted the bed next to her, inviting him to sit. “I heard you met a girl today.”

  Alexander clenched his teeth. He wanted to smack Sammy upside the head for saying something. Instead, he shrugged casually and remained by the window, ignoring the way his heart sped up. The girl was nothing to him.

  “I was wondering when this might happen,” Grace said softly, resting her hands in her lap, her eyes haunted.

  “I don’t know what the fuss is about. She’s just some girl.” But there was something familiar about her. Something that bothered him more than he cared to admit. Alexander placed the well-worn book back on the nightstand. “Something else happened, though.” A rise of excitement traveled up within him at the memory. “It was…was…”

  “What?”

  He pivoted to face her. “I’m not sure. Something strange is happening to me. Do you think I might be gaining some of my abilities back?” Alexander plopped down onto his bed beside her. He hated that he sounded like some teenager, waiting with baited breath for permission to attend a dance or party. Except this was no party. This was everything.

  Grace squeezed his hand. “Anything is possible, but what makes you think you’re getting them back?”

  He thought for a moment, not sure how to put into words what he’d felt when he’d rescued Gabby in the ocean. “I-I felt different when I tried to push the demonic images from her mind. It was as if something was moving inside my stomach. My hands were shaking and sweaty, and my head spun.” So much so, he thought he would pass out.

  “I see.” Grace rose from the bed and walked around the room for a moment. “Where your powers are concerned, I’ve often wondered if their loss was due to the guilt you cling to over the woman that died when you took on Forras last time. I thought they might return when you were ready to forgive yourself. But I never believed Heaven revoked them. When you awaken after your fall, your gifts are set. They don’t change, so I think in this case something else is going on.”

  He stared up at her. “What? What else could it be?”

  “Alex, the symptoms you spoke of could also mean that you feel something for this girl. Something a human male might feel for a human female.”

  Alexander clenched the corner of a navy blue pillow. “I don’t want anything to do with her. I only experienced my gifts returning.” When she glanced at his hand, he forced himself to unclench it and smooth the wrinkles from the gray bedspread.

  “Again, I only believe it may be possible. But if you do start to find yourself attracted to this girl, I urge you to talk to me about it. There are things you need to know.”

  “What kind of things?”

  Grace absently smoothed non-existent wrinkles from the front of her white shirt. “You need to understand that while you might have the body of a teenage boy and the healing powers of an ancient angel, you have the self-control of a two-year-old child.”

  Alexander bolted from the bed, the pillow clutched tight in his hand again. “The self-control of a two-year-old?”

  “Yes,” she said, her hard gaze pinning him. “After all, you’ve only been human a little less than two years.”

  “That’s ridiculous. I showed amazing restraint today. Did I kill all those worthless demons? Did I?” As he paced the floor, anxiety burned his skin at the thought of those monsters touching Gabby.

  Grace sighed. “All I’m saying is that you must speak to me about these things. It’s imperative you understand how powerful you are and how easily you can lose control. I love you, son. And I’m here for a reason.” She laid her hand on his head in a comfor
ting gesture he’d grown accustomed to then quietly left the room.

  Alexander stared at the door, his irritation rising. I’m not two years old. He didn’t have a problem with control and he most certainly didn’t have feelings for some human. It was just that she seemed so frail and in need of protection. And wasn’t protecting humans his responsibility as an angel? He’d find a way to regain his abilities and keep her safe.

  What Sammy had said was true. By saving Gabby, he’d blocked Forras’ fun and made things worse. Now, the girl would suffer years of torture until she went insane, just so Forras could prove a point. He shouldn’t have interfered.

  A shiver raced down his back as if his feathers, locked inside his flesh and bones, ruffled. But it was too late. He had inadvertently challenged Forras and Gabby would pay the cost. He had to make it right. It wouldn’t hurt to keep an eye on her for a while. Besides, this could be another chance to save a life. It was his duty, after all, and he wouldn’t fail. Not this time.

  Chapter Three

  Gabby’s father shifted forward in his chair, his gaze analyzing her face. She forced herself to keep a blank stare, retreating back two steps before holding her position.

  “Where were you?” His quiet, yet deep voice commanded her attention. She stood rigid, waiting to figure out what direction this conversation would turn. It was so much easier to gauge his mood when he was yelling and screaming.

  “I went for a walk on the beach,” she answered a little too quickly.

  He stared at her for a moment and the tension in the room grew. Finally, he said, “Came home early to help with the unpacking.” His eyes swept over the sparse room. “Anything left to do?”

  Thank God, she sighed inwardly. He wasn’t drunk. But his tone indicated something was wrong.

  She ran her toe along the intersection in the floor, where the linoleum of the kitchen peeled away from the carpet of the living room. Don’t move us again. Not now!

  She glanced at the few remaining boxes nestled in one corner of the room, which could easily be thrown into the back of his truck again. Not even the items already tucked neatly into their new residence would be enough to hinder them leaving in the morning.