Beelzebub Girl (25 page)

"So, you didn't talk?" I finished his water and placed the glass back on the table with a little too much force.

"We did."

"About what?"

Dallas hesitated. "You don't like me spending time with him, do you?"

How could I when Dad was a fallen angel who could burst Dallas's bubble of living in Disneyland any time? I doubted Dad had taken a liking to the idea of me getting married, so it was only a matter of time until he let something slip and Dallas put two and two together. "No. I’m just curious. You don’t have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No secrets between us, remember?" He grabbed my hand. Our fingers intertwined. For a moment, I honestly believed he meant it.

Guilt nagged at the back of my head, until I remembered he had been keeping a few secrets as well. I knew his sister was an immortal being, but not because Dallas confided in me. He still didn't trust me with that part of his life.

"He's invited me to stay here," Dallas said.

My jaw dropped. From all the things Dad could've said, this was the one thing that didn't make any sense. "Why?"

"Because he offered me a job."

"You didn’t take him up on the offer, did you?"

Dallas avoided my gaze. There was my answer then. Groaning, I threw my hands up. "Why would you accept, Dallas? You know I can't wait to get away from here."

His eyes sparkled with curiosity. "See, that's weird. You have a beautiful home. Bob's a great guy, and the pay package is so much better than anything I could find in London. Why don't you wanna stay?"

"Because no girl wants to live at home. Now drop it." I stomped out and slammed the door so he'd get my point. Aunt Krista said, once I started working in the 'family business' I'd never get out to see the world. She might be eccentric with the attention span of a five-year-old, but she probably had a point. I doubted I could break Dad's heart by raising his hopes and then crushing them again. Offering Dallas a job must be part of his plan to keep me here. There was no way in hell I'd let him take Dad up on the offer.

Furious, I burst into Dad's office without knocking and planted myself in front of his desk so he couldn't ignore me. He looked up and sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"You offered Dallas a job. How could you?" I took an accusatory step forward until my thighs brushed his armrest.

"The boy's looking for work and he likes it here." Dad shrugged.

"You should be happy for him."

I couldn't believe the cheek. "Dallas hates the heat. He'd only accept because he wants to take care of me, and you know it."

"That's not what he assured me." Dad stacked away the loose sheets from his desk and turned to regard me. The expression on his face was serious, too serious even for him. "Cass, have you given any thought to your financial position?"

I snorted and rolled my eyes. That was Dad, always the practical soul with no romantic bone in him. "Don't worry about it. I've got it all covered."

He seemed unconvinced but didn't comment further. "As you wish. What about Dallas getting older and you not? Don't you think he'll notice?"

"Maybe."

"No, Cass. It could happen now or in ten years, but he'll start asking questions eventually." He rubbed his forehead. "I offered him the job because at least here, he gets to stay the same."

As in, he wouldn't grow old and die. That tiny detail must've slipped my mind. Nothing ever changed in Hell. How ironic that what once irritated me was actually the answer to one of my biggest problems: Dallas's mortality.

"Thanks, Dad," I whispered, burying my head into his shoulder.

He nodded. "Don't sweat it, kiddo. I want to see you happy.

That's all that matters to me. You did a great job with the TV show."

Embarrassed, I smiled and ran a hand through my hair. "Thanks."

"You're so grown up and all." Dad slapped my shoulder awkwardly. "I've decided to give you a break from Kinky and Pinky. At least for the time being so you can spend some time with Dallas. But don't do anything stupid, or they're back in no time."

I gaped at him. "Are they gone?" I peered around me, looking for the tiny angel and demon, suddenly realising I hadn't heard from them in a while. "What did you do to them?"

"Pinky's back in heaven on vacation and Kinky's, you know—" he waved a hand in the air "—around. I thought that was what you wanted ever since your mum and I decided to make them your companions."

I nodded because he was right. For years, I had been complaining, and yet, for some inexplicable reason, I felt sad. I pulled my nose and fanned myself air to dry my suddenly wet eyes. "I would've wanted to say goodbye."

"Don't be sad, Cassie. You can visit them any time."

I nodded again, the thought comforting me a little. I wanted to grow up and be alone for a change, without the constant yapping in my ears and watching over my shoulder. It was probably for the best. I smiled, pushing my melancholy to the back of my mind. "I'll invite them for my wedding."

"Don't you have a plane to catch?" Dad winked, smiling.

"Spending hours on a plane and the consequent jetlag sucks." I kissed him on the cheek and dashed out shouting over my shoulder,

"Sorry about before."

"One last thing before you leave."

I stopped in mid-stride, suspicion washing over me again. "What, Dad?"

"When you travel together—" he cleared his throat, avoiding my gaze "—what are your sleeping arrangements?"

"Huh?" I laughed. "You're kidding." He inclined his head, his face remained dead serious. No kidding there, then. "You've kept us so busy it's taken us forever to even share a first kiss."

"Really? That's exactly how I like it. I gather you'll continue to be busy, yes?" Dad beamed up at me. His broody mood from before seemed completely lifted. For a fallen angel, he sure was conventional.

"We'll do our best." I headed for the door, hesitating because something didn't quite feel right. For a brief moment, my vision blurred and my ears picked up a piercing sound, like the cry of an eagle. And then it was gone again. I turned, shaky on my feet. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Dad asked, brows raised.

I shook my head, wondering whether all the stress from the TV

show finally got to me. "Nothing."

"Have fun in New York, then," Dad called after me. Ignoring him, I went in search for Dallas.

The office was empty, but the door to his room stood open. He was leaning over his small suitcase, arranging his clothes meticulously.

I wished I could tell him I could program anything into my phone and it'd all be completed by Hell's energy from which the phone drew its power, but firstly we hadn't reached that level of trust yet. And secondly, he looked so cute with his forehead creased in concentration, I wouldn't mind watching him for hours.

"Hey." I tapped him lightly on the shoulder because I didn't know what to expect after our first fight.

"Hey." He turned and smiled, pointing at his luggage. "Want to give me a hand? I was never good at this stuff."

"Sure." I didn't point out I'd never manually packed anything in my entire life.

"Are you okay?" He sounded so cool and nonchalant, as though we hadn't just argued less than half an hour ago. His easy-going attitude sure beat the drama and shouting I was used to from past boyfriends.

"Yeah. Are you?"

He shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be?" I started tossing his clothes in haphazardly, my mind a million miles away. "On a second thought, you might want to get your own packing done," Dallas said, pushing me away.

"You're right." For a moment, we stared at each other. The air was charged with something, making my mouth dry. My hands turned clammy as he leaned forward and planted a kiss on my lips. My skin tingled, my heart raced. He broke off the kiss too soon. As usual, apart from the golden speckles in his eyes, he seemed unfazed.

"When's the flight leaving?" Dallas asked.

He was too observant for his own good. In all the drama, I completely forgot to check.

"There's plenty of time," I said, hoping he wouldn't persist. "See you later."

Outside, voices carried over from the ground floor. I leaned over the balustrade to get a better look when I realised no one was there.

It was the same whispering—countless voices speaking at once—from before, all in my head. After seventeen years, I was used to reading minds, but usually they were accompanied by a mental picture of the person speaking. This didn't make any sense.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, willing the mysterious voices to go away. They persisted. My phone rang. For a moment, the piercing sound competed with the sudden screeching in my head. I didn't feel like talking to anyone, but it might be important, so I picked up.

"Cass, someone broke into Distros." The tension was palpable in Dad's voice. "I need you to stay inside until we've found the intruder."

How could anyone break into Hell? There were only two gates in Distros, one leading to the lower and upper plane, the other to the world of the living. Both were heavily guarded by the Keepers aka Dad's winged demons. "The TV show did its purpose then. You're famous. Everyone wants a piece of you," I joked.

"Not me, your friends," Dad said.

"What? How do you even know about them?" I asked, but he'd already hung up.

For the first time in years, I actually missed Kinky and Pinky.

Truth be told, I was starting to feel kind of lonely without the tiny devil and angel. If only they were here, they might know what the voices in my head were all about and advise me how to get rid of them. I realised, without my companions I was completely on my own.

Only after we were out of Hell and on the way to the airport did the murmurs drop to an unobtrusive level that could be ignored. I was finally able to sustain a conversation with Dallas, but he seemed engrossed in his phone, typing furiously.

"You okay?" I asked, leaning closer to get a glimpse.

"Sure. Just busy." He turned away from me, hiding the screen from view.

My trust in him instantly evaporated into thin air. He was hiding something. Once again, I wished Kinky were here so he could peak over Dallas's shoulder and spy on him.

"Anything important?" My attempt to sound nonchalant failed.

Dallas put his phone away and sighed.

"Nothing worth mentioning."

"Ah." I nodded, scolding myself for not having the guts to ask him straight out. The problem with being too interested in his matters was that he might misinterpret it as being snoopy, or insecure. That isn't a message one wants to convey so early in a relationship, so I kept quiet and put on my poker face, ready to pretend all was well with the world and I wasn't in the slightest bit obsessed. But I was so very desperate to know his secret. Would my phone be able to find out?

I tapped my fingers on my thigh, considering whether to give the tiny device a try at mind reading when the car pulled up at the airport. We got out and headed for the checkin area, followed by the driver, a six-feet Schwarzenegger-type of guy who seemed to be glued to us. It wasn't the poor guy's fault Dad was obsessed with the idea we were not safe after someone broke into Hell. Now I knew from which part of the family I inherited my tendency toward OCD.

"Franz, tell Dad we got on the flight in one piece," I whispered to the driver.

"But, Princess, you haven't boarded yet." For such a big guy, he sure sounded whiney.

I glared at him, marvelling what the air must smell like up there. "Do as I say."

"My instructions—"

"We'll be fine," I hissed. "Now chop, chop. Or you'll be looking for a new job once I get back home."

He bowed, his brows furrowed. "As you wish."

As soon as he was gone, Dallas and I purchased a latte macchiato and headed for our gate, ready for our final adventure aka visiting Aunt Selena.

It was a half-hour drive from the airport to Aunt Selena's bungalow in a suburb of New York. I paid the cab driver while Dallas grabbed our bags, then we headed up the front porch, my heart hammering in my chest. Two aunts down, one to go, but any previous success could pulverise into dust with a snap of Aunt Selena's fingers.

She was the dragon among my aunts, the stubborn one, the spinster that kept changing her mind like the weather. Heck, a hurricane was more predictable.

"How old is she?" Dallas whispered.

"Old," I muttered. "Why?"

"I'm trying to figure out which charm to use."

"You have more than one kind?" I snorted. "Don't waste your breath. Whatever you sell, she probably ain't buying it."

"Why?"

He'd see soon enough. Ignoring him, I pressed the bell, peering around as we waited for someone to open. The hedges were trimmed to perfection. Wild rose bushes stretched from the ground to the windowsills, their gigantic thorns sending out a menacing message to any prospective burglars. I stretched out my hand, watching the thorns move toward me as though they were alive. This was definitely good ole magic because no thorn I'd ever seen could do that.

The wall was painted a dirty white. A huge box blinked in the upper right corner. The door looked like not even a medieval battering ram could kick it in.

"She's into security big time, isn't she?" I whispered.

Dallas nodded, grinning. "You could say that."

A door bolt slid open, followed by a loud rattle, then the door opened with a heavy groan, and my aunt appeared. I stared at her, dumbfounded. She couldn't be serious. What was wrong with my wacky family? If Dallas didn't make a beeline for the nearest exit already, I wouldn't be surprised if he did now.

"Cassandra." Aunt Selena's thin lips curved downward as she grabbed me in a loose hug. The countless wooden yin yang pendants dangling from various chains around her neck clattered against each other. Her once black hair shimmered grey and golden in the sun.

"What happened? Did you turn into a pumpkin?" I pointed at her garish orange dress, tight around the waist and buttoned up to her chin. She laughed, but it sounded more like the cawing of a crow.