Loving Angel (A Divisa Novel Book 4) (18 page)

Chapter 22

Angel’s breathing was ragged as I busted through the front door. I could hear the rapid beating of her pulse, and I wanted to offer solace, assure her it was going to be okay. The problem was I couldn’t calm myself down. My heart was jumping out of my chest, and the blood in my veins was pumping a mile a minute. If I didn’t get this under control now, the rage was going to consume me.

Lexi appeared in the kitchen archway, an apron wrapped around her waist. Her hair was twisted up in a funky bun, wisps stuck to the sides of her face. “Cookie...?” Her voice trailed off as she got a glimpse of Angel and me. “Why does Angel look like she just gave blood?”

Angel chose that moment to collapse against the wall for support. Her face was wishy-washy, and her eyes were dilated and glossy. Now that the adrenaline rush was descending, her muscles were weakening. It was only a matter of seconds before she face planted the floor.

Leaving me no choice, I plucked her off her feet, gently laying her on the couch. Her skin was cool to the touch, and any fight that she had was gone. I sat on the edge of the cushion beside her, running a soothing hand up and down her arm.

Lexi hovered behind me, worry lines crinkling her forehead. “Is she okay?”

I nodded. “She will be.” I believed it, mostly because I willed it. “She had a scare. We saw a ghost from her past.”

Lexi shifted just the slightest to the left, and a movement caught the corner of my eye from the kitchen. Apparently, she wasn’t alone. Colin. This was the last thing I wanted to deal with, but I didn’t have the strength to voice my opinion. Not to mention, I had made a promise to Angel to butt out of Lexi’s love life. The idea of her having one made me cringe.

I needed to be more careful about the promises I made.

A confused expression crossed Lexi’s pixie face. “Come again?”

“I’ll tell you about it later,” I said, bringing my gaze back to Angel who was staring at the ceiling in a trance. If she didn’t start to snap at me soon, I might begin to
really
stress out.

Lexi wasn’t deterred. “She’s not moving.”

“I think she is in shock.”

“You think? What was your first clue, Einstein?” she retorted.

“Maybe a glass of water would help.” There stood Colin-shmolin holding a clear glass.

Lexi gave a smug
umph
.

I took the water with my frown still in place. Carefully, I put my hand under Angel’s head. “Angel Eyes, here, take a drink.”

She cooperated, sipping small amounts of water before clamping her eyes shut. “Tell me I’m dreaming and none of this is real.”

I wiped a dribble of water from the corner of her mouth. “I wish I could, love.”

She turned her cheek into my palm, brushing her lips lightly against the center. “What am I going to do?”

“What is she talking about?” Lexi harped, her hands on her hips.

I dropped my arms between my knees, gritting my teeth. “Lex, not now.” Geez, what was with her? She wasn’t normally this slow about picking up subtle hints. This wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have in front her boy “friend.”

She leaned over the back of the couch and muttered, “It’s okay. Colin knows everything.”

My head snapped up. “Excuse me?” This was the very last thing I needed. For the love of God, I must be trippin’, because I swore she just said she told a guy she hardly knew that we weren’t entirely human. Christ, I hoped my hearing was clogged.

She straightened up, crisscrossing her arms. “You heard me. Don’t play dumb.”

“Have you lost your freaking mind?” I bellowed.

“Don’t be a hypocrite, Chase. Why is it fine for you and Travis to spill the beans, but for me it’s forbidden?”

What did it matter? The cat was out of the bag, so what was the use in arguing? However, I wasn’t a reasonable individual. I popped off the couch, and in a heartbeat, I was standing in front of Lexi. I heard Colin gasp. “I think that you should have talked to me first.”

Her chin jutted out. “It just happened.”

“You mean you were careless.”

“Ah!” She groaned, a ring of gold outlining her aquamarine eyes. “You are such an ass-holio. Isn’t that the same thing that happened with you?”

Colin came to Lexi’s defense, which might have been admirable if I wasn’t in a shit-tastic mood. “Look, man, I am not going to say anything. I swear. What Lexi can do—what you guys are…I think it’s cool.”

Cool
? He thought being half demon was cool. Maybe he needed a display in just how
un
cool I could be.

I moved.

Lexi moved, blocking me.

“Lexi!” I thundered.

“Chase,” she countered.

“Get out of my way.”

She stabbed a finger into my chest. “I’m not going to let you hurt him or intimidate him.”

I arched a brow. “Oh really?”

Feet planted, she stood her ground. “This is unnecessary. He knows that we’re dangerous.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Colin must have liked living on the edge. Before I got the chance to exercise my skills of coercion, he had snuck up beside Lex, towering over her small frame. “I don’t exactly know what is going on here, but I am sure fighting about it isn’t going to change anything.”

Lexi swung a chuck of her blonde hair over her shoulder, flashing an anything-but-sweet dimple at me. “Thank you, Colin. I couldn’t agree more.”

I sighed, not pleased they were right. “This isn’t over yet.” By that, I meant later I would be doing some late-night brainwashing.

“Shouldn’t we be focusing on Angel?” Lexi suggested. “And you still haven’t told me what happened.”

Angel was curled into a little ball, propped against the corner of the couch, and hugging her favorite fuzzy blanket to her chest. She hadn’t made a sound during our little spat.

I cleared my throat, stepping around the couch. “Hey, how are you feeling?”

She laughed, but her voice came out more like a croak. “Just peachy.”

I thrust my fingers through my hair as my eyes moved over her face. “You look better.”

She wet her lips; nervously fidgeting with the necklace I had given her. “Don’t leave,” she whispered.

Angel was remarkable. And strong. I don’t think she realized just how strong of a person she was. “I wouldn’t think of it.”

Then she said, “I don’t want you to do anything stupid.”

I realized the real reason behind her not wanting to be alone. She was concerned I would go on a hunting spree. “Me? I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Funny.” Reaching for my hand, she braided our fingers. “Do you think he is gone?”

“If he knew what was good for him.”

She let out a long yawn. “I’m so tried.” The sound of her voice was getting heavy with fatigue. The emotional ups and downs of seeing her father had worn her out.

I bent down, sweeping a kiss across Angel’s brow. “We are going to figure this out. Now get some rest,” I whispered.

Pulling the blanket up to her chin, she closed her eyes. I watched her for a few minutes, listening to her inhale and exhale. In sleep, she appeared peaceful, yet I could still feel the turmoil boomeranging inside her. Leaving her sleeping cozily on the couch, I strolled into the kitchen. Lex was putting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher. I took a seat opposite of what’s-his-face.

Lexi placed a plate of still warm cookies and a tall glass of milk in front of me. “I’m sure you’re starved. It’s been like two hours since you last stuffed your face.”

“Glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor.” I shoved half a cookie into my mouth. “Sorry I got on your case.”

“I understand why, but I promise, Colin isn’t going to say anything. He’s like Angel.”

“No one is like Angel,” I grumbled.

The chair scrapped across the floor as Lexi took a seat. “Well, not now, but before. You know what I mean.”

And I did. There were very few people in this world who were not unnerved by us. “Believe it or not, I’m not mad anymore.”

“It’s a miracle.”

I downed my glass of milk and set my gaze on Colin. “I hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into. This one is a handful.”

He paused. Unknowingly, I had put him in a tight spot. If he agreed with me, Lexi would undoubtedly be pissed, but I could see from his lopsided grin, he knew just what he was getting into. “I never back down from a challenge.”

I grinned.

Lexi rolled her eyes. “Enough about me. Tell me what has gotten our girl all shaken up.” She laid a hand on Colin’s forearm.

Sighing, I finally resigned myself to accept that Lexi had a boyfriend. She had someone else to lean on besides me, and he seemed like a decent one at that, even if he had surfer locks. It was something I would have to learn to deal with. I couldn’t believe that I was actually considering letting Colin keep our secret.

I gave Lexi a recap, while Colin did his best to keep up. By the time I finished, he looked as frazzled as I had felt. It was past midnight when Colin left. As best as I could, I tried not to eavesdrop as they said goodnight. When I heard the smacking of lips, I plugged my ears and hummed.

Getting to my feet, my stiff bones cracked. The recliner never looked so inviting. I dropped into the chair, kicking out my legs, and laid back. I wanted to stay close in case Angel stirred. Since Alastair had taken her mom hostage, she tossed and turned, whimpering in her sleep almost every night. Although she didn’t know it, I comforted her, consoled her back to the world of sweet dreams on more nights than I could remember. I owed it to her, for those nightmares were because of me.

It was hours before sleep claimed me, but I welcomed the blissful oblivion, even for a short period.

I woke up to darkness and the sense that something was very wrong. The demon and I flew out of the chair, poised to slay the intruder. Almost immediately, I realized there was no intruder, just the opposite. Someone was missing. The tingles that were always fluttering from Angel’s closeness were gone. My stomach pitched, pitting with worry and something else.

Her distance caused me not only physical pain but weakness, and I could feel the onset of those symptoms. I still had hours before I would feel the actual effects, but time had a way of sneaking up on you. I had to find her.

I raced through the house in a blur of fretfulness and panic, checking each room. The pit in my belly spread with each empty room I found, until I was numb with fear.

“Angel!” I thundered, shaking the rafters.

Chapter 23

For a second, standing in utter blackness, my mind went into a million wild tangents, all of which left me breathless. Every minute. Every second. Every millisecond that ticked by without her drove me fucking insane.

She didn’t answer her phone.

She didn’t respond to my texts, even when they turned downright nasty.

As time ticked by, I knew at the bottom of my gut she was doing something utterly, absurdly, gravely stupid. I couldn’t dodge the feeling that it involved Hell and her father. What a deadly combo.

I shouldn’t have been fooled by the tired woe-is-me act. Her reaction to seeing a man who had been absent in her life for years had been awkward, but from what I knew about him and how she felt about him, I’d expected the discomfort.

To leave in the middle of the night and not tell a soul where you were going was not only unlike her, but extremely irrational. When I found her, I was going to wring her pretty neck. And I
would
find her. That was a guarantee. Then I was going to cage her as I’d so often threatened.

No matter what Lexi said, she couldn’t justify a rational explanation for Angel taking off without so much as a note. It was so out of character for her. If we were just another couple, the anxiety I was feeling wouldn’t be a tenth of what it was. She was out there, alone, in or causing trouble, and hiding it from me.

It didn’t take Lex long to realize that my freak-out was warranted. For the first sixty-one seconds, I waited. I paced. I disrupted the entire house. After ten minutes, I was ready to call the F.B.I, the S.W.A.T. team, and the A-team. I’ll be damned if Angel ended up on the side of a milk carton, which made me remember Emma’s disappearance. What if the hunters had gotten to her? What if I was wrong and she had been abducted?

I picked up the phone and called Travis. Emma still had connections. If Angel had been taken, Emma would know. Not that I expected her to just volunteer the information, but if I had to, I would make her wish she had never met me.

The short conversation got me zlitch. It was time wasted, and I was already on borrowed time. Emma reinforced what I knew in my heart of hearts. Angel wasn’t being held captive and tortured, or worse. I would have known if she was. With all rational options exhausted, I finally stopped avoiding what I already knew.

Angel had gone after her father, and God help us, nothing positive was going to come from that conversation. I hated to admit it, but it was anyone’s guess just what kind of shit pot she was stewing.

Why?

I had a few theories. None of them good.

The more I thought on it, the surer I became. However, I still didn’t know where she would have gone to find him. This cursed bond had better come in handy, because the thought of Angel isolated with her father made my stomach lurch. I couldn’t snuff the horrible feeling that Chris was more than just a former inmate integrating back into society.

He was about as human as I was.

Staring out the window, there was nothing but darkness, gloom, and silver clouds. No stars. No moon. I turned at the waist. “Lex, I’ve got to go look for her. I can’t stand to be in this house doing nothing, knowing she is out there.” I’ll be damned if anyone was going to get in my way. Like a power switch, my worry turned to bitter anger surging inside me.

Lexi’s face paled. “Go. I’ll stay here in case she comes home.”

“Why don’t you call Colin and have him wait with you?” I hated leaving her alone.

She nodded, nibbling on her manicure, a sign of just how upset she was. Lexi did not risk chipping a nail.

“Call me if you hear from her,” I said, my hand on the knob.

“You will be the first. And then I am going to kill her.”

“Get in line,” I mumbled.

It was three in the morning when I left. My anxiety was killer. A swell of panic rose up inside me the moment I stepped outside. “Angel,” I murmured. I picked up speed, flying past the row of campus houses, avoiding the cluster of drunken students stumbling their way home, and headed straight for the trees surrounding the courtyard.

Not quite halfway there, I felt a tug inside me, pulling me back the other way, toward the academic buildings. I skidded to a halt, whirling around, and saw a blur of warm yellow light glowing from the second story window.

Interesting. I would not have thought she would break into the school after hours. Then again, nothing she did lately made sense, and neither of us had expected her father to show up.

Pivoting, I was about to take off when I heard a distinctive growl. “You’ve got to be kidding.” Impeccable timing as always. At least she left a trail
I
could follow.

Two hellhounds emerged from the shadows, eyes burning like red-hot coals, legs squared, and the hair on the back of their necks spiked like thorns. Their claws pawed the ground, kicking up rocks and dirt. My brain was churning, but I didn’t have much of a plan. Then again, I normally didn’t.

The super-sized pups were situated in front of a set of double doors that led to the science wing. Testing, I took a step forward. As expected, they barked, a deep, baritone woof. The warning was clear: Do. Not. Pass. We bite.

So do I.

The thing was, I very much wanted to get inside the building. They were standing between me and the girl I swore to protect with my life—although, by the look of things, she had found a new source of protection.

Guard dogs. I’ll be damned. Angel had put up quite the security to make sure no one got inside the building.
Well, we will just see about that.
In the distance, I picked up voices, fighting. A sense of urgency barreled through me.

Holding out a hand, I inched closer. “Sit, Fido, sit.”

The snarl that came out of their muzzles was not friendly, and I was done pussyfooting around. Whipping the knife from my boot, I spun, heading straight for the mutts. They lunged, and seconds before their jaws clamped onto a piece of my flesh, I sliced the end of my blade across one hellhound’s neck. Then I whirled, embedding the knife in the back of the other. The razor sharp spikes cut into my hand.

Fido and Dido decomposed into smoke.

My entire body sizzled like a firecracker from the rush of the kill
and
because I was getting closer. The connection with Angel was like playing the hot and cold game.

I slipped through the door, relieved to find it unlocked. Unfortunately, gaining entry was the least of my problems. There was a welcome party waiting for me inside.
Fabulous
.

Hellhounds and demons, oh my.

I never got over just how ugly these guys were. Demons were nasty. It didn’t matter where they were on the food chain, lower-demon or higher-demon. They were all devious SOBs. “Looks like I’m crashing the party.”

“We don’t want to hurt you,” hissed one of the demons through his pointed black teeth.

I cocked my head. “Why don’t I believe you?”

“It’s the truth,” he insisted, not that his word meant shit to me.

“That’s a shame.” I cracked my knuckles. “Because I am going to enjoy hurting you.” Taking off at Mach ten, I let out a roar. My hands grasped a head of hair on each demon, slamming them together. Their skulls made a glorious cracking sound and, hopefully, splintered.

Clearing the cobwebs, the demons shook their heads as I waited for them to attack. I was sorely disappointed. The chumps wanted to talk. “She summoned us,” one of them croaked. In demon form, it was hard to tell the grotesque beasts apart.

Honestly, I didn’t care if they were summoned by the pope. They didn’t belong here. “Where is she?” I demanded.

His hollow, shifty eyes moved down the hall, and I saw a gleam of light drifting from under one of the doors.

“Stay out of my way and I won’t dismantle you limb by limb.” I didn’t wait to see if they would try to stop me. I zapped down the hall, and with an outstretched hand, I touched the door; a heated buzzing of voices came through from the other side.

Static crackled down my arms as I threw open the door and stepped into…

Holy batman.

I had no freaking clue what I had walked into. Angel, more or less, was glowing. Her eyes. Her skin. Her hair. A frightening deep shade of red. However, it was what she was doing with her hands that alarmed me. She clutched one of my daggers, pressing it to her father’s Adam’s apple. Surrounding her were more demons. They encircled Chris, making sure escape was impossible.

I treaded lightly, moving carefully into the science lab. “Angel,” I called softly. “What are you doing?”

She didn’t flinch and wouldn’t make eye contact with me, which meant she had known I was coming. The demons around her hissed. “You don’t understand, Chase. He’s not who he says he is.”

I’d never been to this part of campus before, and I couldn’t help but wonder how they had ended up here of all places. “Okay. Let’s talk about this. Don’t do anything rash-
er
,” I added. She had already gotten herself into this extremely sticky situation.

Her hand remained steady, keeping the blade flush against the sensitive skin of Chris’s neck. For someone who was close to death, he wasn’t sweating it. “What took you so long?” she asked. “You almost missed the grand finale.”

Eyes scanning, I ignored the pounding of my heart. “Yeah, about that… Christ, did you have to summon an entire army of demons?”

She gave a half-ass shrug. “I panicked.”

I shook my head. “It made finding you a bit more challenging. That’s for sure.”

“You always find me.”

“Why do I get the feeling you aren’t happy I did?”

Finally, I got her attention. She craned her neck toward me, the unearthly glow still encompassing every part of her body. I didn’t think it was possible, but she scared me. “Maybe because I’m not.”

Uh-huh. This wasn’t going well. “Think about what you are about to do.” I scratched my head. “What is it you exactly plan to do?”

“If I tell you, you’ll try to stop me.” The crimson shadow blanketing her began to grow, slinking over the floor and crawling up the table legs.

I took a step forward. “Eh, I’m probably going to try regardless.”

“Exactly,” she replied.

The room got so quiet you could hear the nitrogen fizzle. Chris took advantage of the pregnant pause. “It doesn’t matter if he stops you. Without me, no one else can save you.”

I couldn’t tell if there was truth in what he said, or if he was just trying to save his own hide. I was more interested in what he was saving her from. It was no secret that Angel’s behavior had been bordering on unstable. She had been relying on the realm downstairs too often lately. In my experience, the moment you turned to Hell to save you was the moment you went dark, and Angel was at the brink. I was here to make sure she didn’t take the plunge.

If she did what I thought she had planned, the whole reason behind her seeking Chris out, then she was about to cross a grim line. For the first time, I was nervous that I might not be able to save her.

My track record wasn’t good. I had failed Sierra when she needed me, her death still weighing heavily on my heart. The very thing Angel was sinking into had tormented so many people in my life. Hell was no joke.

“Save me from what?” Angel asked.

“From yourself,” he stated obviously. “You are a danger to everyone around you.” His throat bobbed, causing the blade to nick his flesh. Blood beaded. It was no shock that his blood ran black.

“In case you haven’t noticed. I don’t need to be saved. It’s you who is damned,” she said.

“These parasites,” he spat. “They are your protection? All they are good for is to lead you straight to hell.”

“Buddy. I am pretty sure those freaky cat-eyes give you have a one-way ticket on the Hell-bound train.”

That was when things started to get hairy. Chris became the staring role, taking the limelight from my shimmering girlfriend. I didn’t think things could get any weirder. Boy, was I wrong. He was doing the bone-flickering trick, and his eyes were shining in two-toned amber.

“See what I’m talking about!” Angel shouted, distraught.

“Oh, I’m already ahead of you. I just didn’t think you had noticed. What is he?” I asked, not expecting an answer.

Angel’s gaze was concentrated. The only muscles moving were the ones in her mouth. “Not my father, that’s for sure. I was attempting to get it out of him before I slice his throat.”

Who was this girl?

She had become a loose cannon, and her powers supplied her with gunpowder. When the hell had that happened? How had I missed the part where she started to rely more on her connection to the underworld than me?

Shocked into a stupor, I stared at Angel in disbelief. “Crap.”

The next thing I knew, two of the demons erupted in dust, and through the clutter stood Skeletor Chris. I hadn’t even seen him move. Before I could process this little bit of information, he attacked.