Loving Angel (A Divisa Novel Book 4) (19 page)

Chapter 24

A bolt of neon yellow energy slammed into my chest, burning a hole through my favorite shirt. That did not just happen. The bright light fizzled out before it could touch my skin. Angel’s father was not a friendly. His gaze was downright hostile. Lucky for him, I was royally pissed.

That little fireball display was a new trick. “How—? Why—?” I couldn’t even string the words together. I was that angry and flabbergasted.

He rolled his hands in the air. “You’re aren’t the only one with talent.”

Threaten my awesomeness and I swiftly found my tongue. “That might be, but mine are still better.”

“We shall see.”

So be it.

I threw my arm out, hitting him in the chest with a broad swipe. He went up into the air, arms flapping like a raven before he smashed into the center of one of the science tables. All I could think was Hulk smash. Glass test tubes and graduated beakers shattered, spraying shards over the floor.

I bet that stung like a bitch.

I snuck a peek at Angel. Her brain didn’t look like it had caught up to the change of events. I didn’t think she expected to lose control of the situation, or for her father to move so quickly.
Never underestimate your opponent.
Her back was butted up to one of the lab tables, fingers clutching the edges. Now that all of her underlings had been expelled, she lost some of her sureness.

Chris pushed himself off the floor. Tiny flecks of sticky, black blood covered his cheeks. He shot toward me, so I grabbed the first thing within reach and hurled it at his head. The Bunsen burner wacked him in the forehead with a
thump
. He stumbled backward, raising his hand to the already reddening spot. “You are a fool.”

“So I’ve been told. You, on the other hand, are a new breed of freak.”

“Do you know nothing of the world you come from?” he asked, giving me a disgusted grimace.

Now he insults my intelligence. Not cool.
“I know I am probably going to have to kill you.”

He laughed, glass crunching under his feet as he slowly stalked toward me.

What a whack job.
“I fail to see humor in your death.”

His shoulders moved as he let out a satanic laugh. “You can’t kill me.”

I scowled, feeling extreme crankiness. “Others have had that same ignorant mentality, and guess what? They’re all dead.”

Angel leapt in front of me. “What did you do with my dad?” she yelled.

“That loser? He was worthless. I’m the new and improved model.” He held out his arms, a twisted grin on his face. Like a match being lit, twin globes of greenish-yellow appeared in his hands. “What do you think?” He bragged.

“I think you should go to Hell,” Angel stated, her voice floating over the science room.

He leered back at her. “I’ve already been there sweetie, and it’s a blast.”

Angel’s eyes flickered. “You died?”

While she and Chris conversed, I strategically positioned myself between the two, giving me easier access to Chris’s vital organs. If he made any sudden movements, I would have no qualms about ripping his trachea from his throat. Father or not, I think I’d already established that it didn’t matter to me. You threatened what was mine, and I would eliminate you. Permanently.

I didn’t need a weapon to kill, but it would be less messy with one.

“I rotted away behind bars until an inmate stabbed me in the back. Literally,” he snarled. “With my track record, there was only one place for me.”

“How did we never hear about it?” Angel asked. Wide-eyed, her face contorted in shock and skepticism.

“That is a question you should ask your mother.”

I wanted to smack the smugness off his treacherous face.

“Are you implying that she knew and didn’t tell me?” Her head shook back and forth in denial. He was pushing the wrong buttons. “She wouldn’t keep something like that from me. You’re lying.” And that’s when she lunged.

Good grief. What happened to civil interrogation? I thought it was going fairly well, considering.

Screw it.

I jumped in. Couldn’t let my girlfriend have
all
the fun, although…

She was doing a damn good job holding her own. With one clean swing, Angel clipped Chris on the cheek, her nails scratching the crap out of his face. Instantly, red marks emerged, oozing goo. “So, you’re a demon. Big whoop,” she sneered. “I’ve dealt with my fair share.”

“I’m no demon, little girl,” he snarled, raising his hand, preparing to backhand her.

My hand snaked out, lightning quick, catching his wrist before he could touch her. I squeezed, my eyes searing into his brownish-gold cat globes. He’d just issued his own death sentence. Chris became public enemy number one, and boy did I have an atomic-sized bone to pick with him. My face hardened, and the coolness radiating from me chilled the room. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Each word was punctuated with a growl.

It all went down in what seemed like just a blink. Chris twisted his hand, grasping onto my forearm, and the next thing I knew, I was staring up at the white tiled ceiling. He was a fast bastard. I’d give him that, but so was I.

Rolling, I missed his foot slamming into my pretty face by a hair. My leg jutted out, the heel of my boot hitting him in the shin. Chris went down beside me. I grabbed a fistful of his shirt, hauling his ass closer to me and striking out with my fist. I nailed him in the mouth. With satisfaction, I watched as blood poured from his split lip like a freaking fountain. It trickled down his neck, mixing with sweat.

Where was the challenge he’d promised? I was sort of disappointed.

I deflected a bone-jarring punch, following it up with one of my own. The difference, I didn’t miss. Pleasure spiked inside me, propelling me forward. My anger made me quicker, deadlier.

Cockiness took over, so of course shit hit the fan.

Instead of Chris following through with another attempt to mar my face, a bright orb of fire hit me directly in the heart, sending me backward a good ten feet. I hit the wall with a loud whack, followed by the cracking of my skull.

A metallic taste burst in my mouth. It was one I was quite acquainted with.

I felt like I had just been served my ass. My ears rang, and stars dazzled behind my eyes. Plaster from the wall cracked, sprinkling over my head and down my face.
Asswipe.

I winced. Through half-lidded eyes, I saw Angel standing in front of me, blocking me from the line of fire with her body like Wonder Woman. I always had the hots for women in spandex, especially ones who kicked major butt. except, I wasn’t the kind of guy to let a girl fight my battles. I shot to my feet.

Angel’s eyes narrowed. “If you aren’t a demon…?”

“My death meant something to someone. I guess they saw an opportunity in me.” This guy really liked the sound of his own voice. “So instead of keeping me to maintain the fiery pits, I was given a second-chance.”

“How is that possible?” I asked. “Hell doesn’t give second-chances.”

“I guess you aren’t as unique as you’d like to think you are. I’m a hybrid. My human DNA, well my dead DNA was injected with demon lifeblood. It does something different to the body.”

I’ll say.
“You’re telling me that you’re a demon hybrid zombie? Freaking wonderful.”

He wiped at his mouth, flinging inky blood on the walls. When his eyes met Angel’s, he was a different creature entirely. He might have the face of her father, but there wasn’t a grain of recognition for his daughter. His humanity was gone, eyes vast and empty. Now he was nothing but a shell for Hell to torture, a puppet to do Hell’s bidding.

My demon switch flipped.

I shoved Angel behind me, swiping my blade from her clasp, and pounced. I slipped past one of the eckto balls he threw at me and cut him across the chest.

It didn’t faze him.

Not one single bit.

But I was staggered. My blade wasn’t any old weapon. Its sole purpose was to destroy. Whether it was demons, hellhounds, or the damn devil himself, it was forged with material to kill anything that had stepped a toe in Hell. That included Plasma Man here. He had admitted to getting the hellish royal treatment, which meant he should be a pile of smoldering ash right now.

We circled each other.

The air around Chris shimmered. Then, like an automatic gun, he began to fire globes of energy at me, each glowing with the power of a hundred suns. In the back of my mind, I knew I wouldn’t be able to dodge and deflect them all, plus keep Angel from getting incinerated. I was fast, but I couldn’t be in a hundred different places at once.

To prove my point, one smacked me in the shoulder, momentarily robbing me of breath, pain igniting. A burning so intense it made my eyes water, radiating down my forearm and into my fingers. As the ruby knife fell from my grasp, a prism of light reflected off the blade, hitting the walls. It clattered to the floor.

The radioactive shower fizzled out. Wisps of smoke the color of blood streamed over the floor. The only sound in the room was our combined ragged breathing, until…

“Kill me!” he screamed like Tarzan, nostrils flaring.

Huh? Wow. That was new. I’d never actually had a whatchamacallit beg to be killed. I kind of liked it. Made things simpler. The only problem was, he wasn’t talking to me, but to his daughter.

Suddenly, it made sense.
I
couldn’t kill him, but Angel could. Holy shitballs. We’d been played.

I twisted around to warn her—

Son of a bitch
.

The spot where she had stood seconds ago was empty. Ice filled the pit of my stomach. I lifted my head, peering through a flop of hair that hung over my eyes. Air rushed through my lungs in a panic.

She clutched my dagger in her hands, firmly pressing the tip into her father’s heart. The hardness in her eyes terrified me. There were consequences for taking a life, human or supernatural. It was irreparable, and my demon senses were telling me this was precisely what Chris wanted. It had been the plan. We had been duped, falling right into his plan. The girl I’d fallen in love with might never be the same. Some things change you. Killing was definitely one of those things. It was the how much that worried me. She was tenderhearted. Whether or not she understood the depth of her actions in the heat of the moment, it would be devastating nonetheless.

I had one shot to reason with her, make her understand the huge mistake she was about to make. “Angel, don’t do it. The road you are about to travel is dark and lonely. Something you may never come back from. I don’t want that for you.”

Rage clouded her sense of morals. “It has to be done, Chase. We can’t let him go. He is already dead.” Like lava flowing through her veins, blistering rage welled up inside her, coating her skin. A veil of red fell over her eyes. I could feel each ragged rise and fall of her chest, mirrored in mine. “I have to do it.”

“Angel!” I bellowed, running.

But I was too late. One split-second. That was all it took for the horrific deed to be done. Her father was dead, his unnatural body crumbling to the ground.

Chapter 25

My face paled.

Angel stood over her father, clutching the bloody blade. I could hear the drops dripping from the hilt onto the tile. A look of pure trauma flooded her face. She stared at the weapon in her hands as if she didn’t know how it had gotten there, her knuckles turning white as she clutched it in a death grip.

The ginormous knot in my stomach moved upward, settling in my throat and making it hard to breathe. I don’t know why I expected her to instantaneously grow horns, turn a nasty shade of red, and wave a pitchfork. It was absurd, but this whole thing was illogical.

My marks flared to life, a dead giveaway. Hell’s handiwork was at play. I pinched the bridge of my nose, waiting for the inferno at my side to extinguish. Yet the burning only enhanced. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the excitement wasn’t over. Not yet.

“Dad?” she squeaked, falling to her knees beside him. Chris peeled open his eyes, looking at his daughter and, for the first time, really seeing her. “Is it really you?” she asked.

“Angel Cake,” he croaked.

Tears glistened in her eyes, rolling down her cheeks. “I’m sorry. You were—”

“Don’t cry.” He pressed a hand to her mouth, silencing her. “It’s okay. You did me a favor. I was suffering inside. You’ve released me.”

She let out a loud, ugly sniffle. I stood in the shadows, close, but just far enough to give them space.

Wheezing, her father struggled to talk, blood gurgling from his fatal wound. “It’s coming.”

Angel wiped the tears aside with her sleeve. “Who?”

“Hell,” he managed to say right before his eyes deadpanned. His head lobbed to the side, hitting her leg.

I really wanted to un-hear what he had said, and un-see what had happened here. Then maybe none of it would be real.

A loud, deafening pop sounded. Chris had exploded, his body blowing up into a dust storm, leaving me with a gazillion questions looping in my skull.
Normal
demons didn’t detonate like a bomb, and nor did it take quite so long for the fireworks. Hell had outdone itself. Through the muck, my eyes stayed on Angel, waiting for her to do or feel
something
. I stood over the area where Chris had once been. There was nothing left but a heaping pile of charred ash. The lab was a catastrophe. Papers were scattered all over the floor. Glass littered the tables.

She hadn’t moved a muscle, and if I hadn’t been able to hear her heart beating, I might have thought she’d stopped breathing. “Angel,” I called softly. Kneeling, I moved the pad of my thumb across her bottom lip. It trembled under my touch.

Her gaze flicked up.

More than ever, she needed my help, needed me. I pried the knife from her clasp, lifting each finger. Shell-shocked, her trepidation quadrupled. Angel was having a panic attack.

Her body shook fiercely, teeth chattering. “I-I don’t understand what happened,” she said, her eyes unable to focus on my face.

“It’s going to be okay.”

“I-I killed him,” her voiced hitched. “Didn’t I?”

I couldn’t lie to her, but I the words were lodged in my throat, so I offered her another explanation. “We were manipulated. It was a setup, Angel.”

She clung onto the idea. “I gave them what they wanted. Me.”

My jaw tightened. “Yeah, well, it doesn’t matter. They are going to have to go through me to get to you. And no one gets through me.”

She sprung, throwing herself into my arms, shaking uncontrollably. “I want to go home.”

By
home
, I knew she meant Spring Valley. “We’ll go in the morning,” I promised, running my fingers through her hair. “After you’ve gotten some sleep.”

She nodded.

I wasted no time getting us the heck out of there. I ran out of the building, into the night, and all the way to our house. I stopped for nothing.

The quaking hadn’t receded and was still racking her body. Her breathing came out in short pants. The pressure on my chest tightened, making it nearly impossible for me to inhale and exhale.

“Oh. My. God. That’s blood!” Lexi stated as soon as Angel and I barreled through the front door. She was on her feet, worrying her heart out.

I took Angel to the couch, sitting down beside her. “Grab some blankets,” I ordered.

Lexi was back in a jiffy with an armful of colorful quilts. “Is she okay?” she asked, tucking the ends underneath Angel so she looked like a burrito.

“I hope so. I sincerely hope so.” But I had my doubts. She wasn’t out of the woods yet.

Angel had moved into a state of shock, and who could blame her? But that wasn’t what had me uptight. Her eyes hadn’t gone back to normal. The ring of death was still there, and I was afraid it meant something or was, God forbid, was permanent.

Angel shoved off the thick blankets, kicking them to the edge of the couch. “I’m boiling,” she murmured, hoarsely.

I swept damp strands of hair off her face, the heat from her flush skin radiating. My inner thermometer was warning me that her body was running at very dangerous temps. It would put a normal person in the hospital with a coma or brain damage.

Lexi planted her hands on her hips, glaring down upon me. “What happened, Chase?”

Angel’s body convulsed, and I shot to my feet. “I don’t have time to explain. I have to go.” The transformation was progressing rapidly, making my worst fear a swiftly approaching reality.

“You’re leaving? Now?” Lexi shrilled.

It was the hardest thing ever, leaving when I knew Angel needed me, but I to fight
for
her. I had to do something
now
. Before I lost her and my whole life spiraled into oblivion. I nodded. “Keep an eye on her, Lex. Don’t let her out of your sight. And no matter what, don’t let her out of the house. I’ll be back.”

“Chase!” Lexi yelled.

But I was already gone.

It was late, or early depending on how you looked at it, but I was counting on Professor Rivers being awake. If not, I was going to shake the roof. Like me, most Divisa suffered from insomnia. I could go weeks without sleep at night. During the day was another matter. Most of Professor Rivers’s classes were in the evening. Hmm. Go figure.

I knew it was iffy leaving Angel when she was feeling vulnerable, freaked out, and potentially undergoing an unimaginable transition. The way I saw it, my choices were limited. Watch Angel become someone I no longer recognized, or do everything in my power to pull her out of the fire.

I had to make the hard decision, even when it involved my love life.

Being responsible sucks.

Professor Rivers had a house within walking distance of campus. In my case, it was a hop, skip, and a jump. Anyone else might have been disturbed by a student showing up on their doorstep. Professor Rivers didn’t bat an eye. He ushered me inside to a small but quaint study. On the corner of the desk, graded papers were stacked under a miniature hippocampus paperweight from
Harry Potter
.

“I don’t have a lot of time,” I started, pacing the room from corner to corner. “Angel’s in trouble.”

Professor Rivers sat down on a gray love seat situated against the left wall not in the least bit awkward that he was in his pajamas. He crossed an ankle over his knee, waiting for me to continue.

I didn’t need much persuasion. The words were rushing from my mouth. “I am pretty sure we might have just released Hell on Earth.”

A hand combed through his scraggly hair. “That is a serious statement. Why would you believe that?”

“Call it a hunch.”

With serious eyes, he said, “Tell me what happened.”

“We were set up, that bastard,” I replied, teeth clenched, my fists balled. “Angel took a life. Human or demon, I don’t think it mattered. There was enough of his humanity left that it counted. Before he passed on to the other side, he said that Hell was coming. And I believe him.”

He rubbed both hands over his face, working out the stress wrinkles. “I’m not sure I’m following. If
Hell
is coming, its pawns won’t be able to stay, not without human hosts. Their time on Earth is limited, and we’ll find them. Without a tie to ground them here, the ones we don’t find will go up in smoke.”

I stopped carving circles in the carpet. “About that. Angel is the keystone.” I waited for the gasp of surprise.

Nothing.

“I had my suspicions.
Damn
,” he muttered. “This changes things. Drastically.”

Tell me about it.

“She
is
the anchor,” I finally said out loud, shoving my hands into my pockets instead of the wall. “And it’s eating away at her.”

“If this is true, then you aren’t going to like what I have to say.”

“Tell me you have a grand scheme to save the world.”
Along with my better half, I might add.

“I must warn you, it’s risky and there’s no guarantee.”

“What’s life without a little risk?” I doubled over, my gut searing in pain, striking through every organ. My eyes burned, watering, and my innards felt like they were being roasted over an open pit. My fingers dug into the drywall, and I clamped my eyes shut, trying to breathe through the hurt. The onset of agony brought on my demon full force. Quick and disorientating, it caused my head to spin. I had no control, making me very dangerous to be around.

My entire body was like a livewire during a rainstorm, sparking, thrashing, and lighting up. A low rumble curdled at the back of my throat, gaining potency.

It was happening.

“Chase,” I heard Professors Rivers call through a haze of pain.

I bumped the door open and left without a word, unconcerned that I was being rude. All I could think about was the horrific pain tearing through my body…and Angel. It felt like I was being separated from my soul. The only thing that was keeping me sane was my connection to her, a bright star amongst utter darkness. I kept a firm lock on it, refusing to let it slip away—to let
her
slip away. She was mine.

In a sweet relief that was almost painful, I heaved a sigh. The suffering and the struggle left my body. And I knew…

It was done.

At least we were still linked. I had feared that the change would break our bond, yet through it all, I had felt Angel’s emotions, which happened to be very different than mine. Where I felt agony, she felt pleasure. Where I felt rage, she felt supremacy. Now matter how hard Hell tried, it hadn’t been able to take her from me.

There was only one option left. I had to get to her before Hell did.

I booked it home straight from Professor Rivers’s house, dreading what I was about to do. Honestly, I didn’t know if I had the gumption to go through with it. I only prayed that one day she would be able to forgive me, to see that everything I did was for her—especially the hard stuff.

I skidded to a halt, kicking up dirt behind me as I stared at the house. It was lit up like the LAX runway. Every freaking light was on in what could have been a homing signal for supernatural creatures.

I barged through the door. “Where is she?”

Lexi was sitting primly on the couch with her hands fumbling in her lap. “Chase, I—”

“Lexi!” I thundered.

She lost it. Tears the size of almonds streamed down her cheeks, which I just noticed were scratched from one side to the other. “I don’t know what happened. She was sleeping; at least I thought she was sleeping. And then, she wasn’t. Her eyes. Oh God, she was like a different person,” Lexi jabbered. “S-she attacked me.”

She was clearly distraught and confused. Who could blame her? It wasn’t every day that your friend became a portal to the underworld. I rushed to her side. “Hey, I’m sorry I yelled, okay? I’m just as worried as you. That’s all.”

She hiccupped, smearing the tears with the palm of her delicate hand. “What’s happened to her? Angel would never hurt me, hurt anyone.”

“My worst nightmare,” I mumbled.

“She was babbling, not making any sense. It was crazy-talk.”

Crazy indeed.

Stage one: Angel’s DNA mutated, allowing her body to survive on Earth
and
in the burning Hell pot.

Stage two: Harvest the demon. Killing her father was the push needed to bring the dormant demon inside alive. Now
it
was going to be looking to nurture its need for chaos. And blood.

“There was nothing you could have done,” I reassured her. “I need you to stay here and stay safe. Can you do that?”

Lexi dropped her head on my shoulder. “Only if you bring me my best friend back.”

I was going to do my damnedest.

So I called upon the last person in the world I wanted to ask for help, but the only person I knew with the resources I needed and the clearance to make it happen.

Emma.