by Anna Santos
“She isn’t stupid,” Philippe claimed.
I was glad that someone wasn’t trying to sugarcoat things. I was tired of secrets.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Jo shrugged as she looked out the window. “Nothing. We had some business in common, nothing more. I was helping him with vampire business while you were busy with Aria.” She faced him. It didn’t seem like an accusation, only an affirmation.
Philippe stared from me to her and the other way around as he moved uncomfortably in his seat.
“He needs to talk to you,” I said to Jo. “He said it like a million times. I think he’s sorry for what he did to you. He explained his reasons to us. Cedric didn’t mean to…hurt you. It was just an elaborate plan to get me mad enough to channel my angel.”
“He betrayed my trust. I don’t take that lightly,” Jo stated.
I nodded, understanding her.
“Whatever his reasons were, I’m too mad to even look at his face.”
“I can’t blame you,” I whispered, staring at my hands.
“He’s a jerk. You are better off with Philippe than with him if he acts like that with people who want to help him,” Jo vented out her irritation.
I felt my cheeks burn. “I don’t need you to tell me with whom I’m better off. I’m capable of making my own decisions.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just mad at Cedric. I’m sorry if it sounded as if I was pushing you to choose Philippe. It wasn’t my intention. I spoke without thinking. I know Philippe better, and he would never do something like that to someone he loves.”
“Hmm,” I said, not so sure about her words. “I guess you haven’t seen him angry.”
Jo laughed as I arched an eyebrow at her reaction.
“He barks a lot, but he doesn’t bite. No pun intended,” she said, amused.
I didn’t smile. Her actions intrigued me. Jo was laughing, even though she didn’t seem happy.
Suddenly, she grabbed my hands. I recoiled as she spoke. “Promise me you won’t let him lose himself again.”
I sensed the sadness in her voice and saw grief taking over her expression. Touching her face, I sensed the energy that was coming from her. I was touching her soul and feeling her pain. It brought tears to my eyes.
Jo whispered, “Philippe wasn’t thinking straight. He was hurting…and alone.”
“We are all alone,” I said. “Everything will be okay. We will be okay,” I told her to ease her pain.
For a moment, Jo seemed puzzled by my words. I saw my reflection in her eyes—my red aura surrounding me.
“Do you want to give up your wings?” she asked, probably mesmerized by them like everybody else. I loved my wings. Being an angel was a privilege. I knew that.
“Being human is okay, too,” I said with a smile.
“I miss it,” she said, and I wiped away the tear that escaped her eye. “I miss the sun.”
“Jo, stop making everybody sad,” Philippe grumbled, looking out the window and watching people living their busy lives.
Jo leaned back in her seat. “Don’t you miss it?”
“You know I do. Stop talking about it,” he requested, looking at us.
“He pretends to be insensible, but he would give his entire fortune if there was a cure that could make him human again,” Jo whispered to me as if it was a secret.
“I know he isn’t insensible,” I whispered back. “I know him, Jo. He’s mine.”
Jo smiled and nodded happily at my words.
“That doesn’t mean I forgive him,” I clarified, so my words wouldn’t be misinterpreted. “Now, stop crying. He isn’t worth your tears. Men are jerks, angels and vampires alike.”
“I’m right here,” Philippe complained.
“You should be mad,” Jo whispered to me.
I shrugged.
“You like Cedric!” Philippe said, outraged. Points to him for being smart.
“Says the guy that wants to steal Cedric’s mate,” Jo accused him.
“She is my mate, not his.” Philippe avoided eye contact with me by looking outside.
“I won’t be his mate for much longer,” I said, relaxing against my seat and looking at the view. “How much longer before we get to the church?”
“We’re almost there,” Jo said, holding on to my hand.
“What can I do to help with the negotiations?”
“Listen to everything they have to say. Ask Philippe if you have any doubts. Keep glowing red and showing the shape of your wings.”
“Won’t that terrify them?”
Philippe explained, “It’s better for them to respect you instead of thinking that you are going to let them do what they want. We need to go inside that graveyard to look for Clarity. Kayden isn’t there, but they may know where he is hiding. We need to convince them that you aren’t going to hurt them. You can’t allow them to believe that you are afraid of them.”
I nodded.
“And don’t leave Josephine’s or my side,” he said as he leaned forward and tucked my hair behind my left ear.
I couldn’t help staring into his brown eyes and getting lost in them. “Or Cedric’s side, right?”
“Or Cedric, even if I’d rather have you by my side. He can’t be trusted with his bipolar behavior,” Philippe muttered.
“A bit like you,” I teased him, smiling and making him smile back.
“I’m still here. Do you want me to go on foot and give you some privacy?” Jo joked, and Philippe glared at her.
“Stop embarrassing Aria.”
“You are doing a pretty good job on your own,” she retorted.
I placed my hands on my red cheeks and sighed in frustration. “Seriously, you two act so much like a brother and sister that it isn’t even funny,” I complained, remembering my best friend’s fights with her brother.
“Exactly. We’re family not lovers,” Jo said.
I looked at her and smiled. “I like you.”
“I like you, too.” She hugged me tightly to my surprise. “It’s sad that I can’t stay longer.”
I wondered about her words. She was weirdly kind, even for a vampire. Philippe was right to say that she was the sweetest person he knew.
“When are you leaving?” Philippe asked as his attention focused on her.
“Maybe tomorrow. I’m not sure yet. We will talk about it another time. Now, we are here,” she said, letting me go and fixing my hair. “I had a daughter like you with big brown eyes and a pretty face.”
“What happened to her?”
“She…died. She was killed. It’s been a long time. I had her before I was turned into a vampire.”
“What was her name?”
“Angelique. Let’s go,” she urged us, probably wanting to change the subject. She fixed the makeup around her eyes, took in a big breath, and exited the car.
Philippe helped me get out.
Outside, I looked at the gothic church before me. A lot more cars were arriving, and Cedric was already at the entrance, waiting for us.
“Why do you own a church?” I asked Philippe.
“Sacred ground.”
I was going to say something else, but my eyes got distracted by a blonde girl that was coming our way.
“Camille,” I squealed like a groupie who had seen her favorite singer or actor. Running to her, I hugged her, and we talked about what happened since we last saw each other.
Chapter FIVE
ARIA
The meetings were tiring. Trying to put some sense into people’s heads was exhausting. These people were stubborn and didn’t trust anyone. They also didn’t believe anything the others had said. I suddenly remembered why I didn’t want to follow a career in politics. It was boring as hell. At least, I had Philippe by my side, patiently answering any question I had. He was smart and useful in helping Cedric convince the graveyard people—as I was calling them—to let the angels go in and search for the drug and the perpetrators.
It was fatiguing, but we had breaks for coffee and gossip. A lot of chatter, especially about me. They were intrigued. I was supposed to be Cedric’s mate yet was by Philippe’s side. I was becoming annoyed with the jokes and all the witty comments about what they thought was going on. Having super hearing could be daunting.
Camille and Jo were by my side, trying to convince me to ignore them. Eventually, I did. I had something else catching my attention. There was a red-haired girl in Philippe’s office, talking to him with googly eyes. She liked him a lot by the looks of it. She was pouting and making sexy grimaces, trying to get his attention. He seemed to like her back because he was falling for her show and was trying to calm her down.
“Who is Philippe talking to?” I asked Jo.
She looked into the glass-walled office. “That’s Mara. She’s a friend,” she said as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“She seems more than a friend.”
“They used to be lovers,” Jo explained mildly.
I looked at her sideways, exasperated with her calmness.
“Hmm.” I tried to think about something else and ignore the scene.
“They aren’t together now.”
“She seems to want to get back together,” I said as I watched Camille playing with her cellphone.
“Don’t be jealous. He’s just talking.”
“Jo, I would like to talk to you,” Cedric said, approaching us.
Jo didn’t say a word to him. She ignored him and pulled me to join her wherever she wanted to pretend to go.
To my distress, we ended up in Philippe’s office.
“The meeting is about to start,” Jo warned Philippe who stared back at her with lost eyes.
He had his hands on the girl’s arms, requesting her to stay there and calm down. He looked worried about her.
“Is everything okay?” Jo asked.
I bit my lower lip, uncomfortable by the silence that fell over us all.
“Mara was telling me that Margaret is refusing to leave the graveyard,” Philippe explained.
“Why?” Jo asked, closing the door behind us.
I stood there, feeling displaced.
“She doesn’t want to leave our family’s tomb,” Mara said with sadness in her voice. “I’m not going to let my sister stay there by herself.”
“I’m trying to convince Mara to go back to her hotel room and trust us. We will protect the people at the graveyard. The angels aren’t going to destroy anything or kill anyone.”
“Let me guess, she doesn’t want to go to her room,” Jo said as she folded her arms and arched an eyebrow.
I pursed my lips, trying not to smirk at her implied sarcasm.
“She wants to go to the graveyard and help the others with the protest,” Philippe informed us.
“I won’t leave my sister,” Mara said stubbornly.
“Then you shouldn’t be here,” I told her, losing my patience with her show.
“What?” Mara looked at me with her confused, deep, and, deceiving green eyes.
“If you don’t want to leave your sister, then I don’t understand what you are doing here. You should be at the graveyard,” I explained, so she would realize what she was doing wrong. She could fool Philippe, but she wasn’t fooling me.
“I came here to warn Philippe,” she claimed.
“About what exactly?”
“Margaret isn’t Philippe’s sister,” Jo piped in. “Plus, we are taking care of that matter right now. There is nothing Philippe can do in this instant. Or are you expecting him to leave an important meeting to babysit you and your sister?” Jo walked closer to the girl.
I followed Jo’s movement, pleased that she could see beyond the girl’s show and wasn’t falling for her desperate need to make Philippe pity her and comfort her. Or whatever she wanted.
“We are busy and don’t need drama right now,” I added coldly.
“Are you going to let them speak to me like that?” Mara complained to Philippe as she pointed the finger at us, infuriated.
Philippe sunk his hands into his pockets. “They have a point. I don’t know what you want me to do. I’ve told you to go home. If you want to be with your sister, it’s your choice. I’m here to stop the confrontation.”
Mara stood there, folding her arms and glaring at us without saying a word until she finally snapped. “You’re a prick! You’ve always been one, and I don’t know what I’m doing here. I should have let Margaret kill you.”
“Kill him for what?” Jo asked the girl, losing her temper while Philippe stood there quietly.
Is he really going to let her talk to him like that? She was insulting him because he wasn’t falling for her trick.
Jo scolded the girl, “Philippe helped you escape from your family of black witches. He helped you have a better life and even paid for your fancy apartment in London.”
“I gave up a lot of things to be with him,” Mara defended herself, pointing at Philippe.
“You didn’t stay with me. You left me,” Philippe reminded her, without losing his temper. He didn’t seem to want to fight with her. It was too late for that.
“Fuck you! Fuck you and your maker. Fuck you and your new girlfriend! I’m done. You can go to hell for all I care,” she declared, pushing him back and glaring at me. “You better enjoy it while you can because once he gets bored, he will get rid of you and someone else will take your place. And you look nothing like her,” she hissed.
I had no idea of what she was talking about.
“She looks nothing like Sophie,” Mara declared, glowering at Philippe. “What do you see in her?”
“You better calm down,” Philippe said, stepping forward, but she slapped his hands away, and something glowed in her hands.
I teleported from where I was and appeared in front of the girl, stopping her from hurting someone with her magical powers. Intuitively, my hand glowed, and I grabbed her arm, absorbing her magic and making her stop mumbling the words she was reciting to invoke a spell.
“Don’t force me to hurt you,” I threatened, noticing my glowing reflection in her green eyes. Her eyes opened wide as she retreated in fear. “Leave before you regret your actions.”
Stepping back, Mara smoothed down her dress. She folded a lock of hair behind her ear, saying, “You are screwing angels now!” Her eyes aimed at Philippe. Smirking at me, she added, “That’s an upgrade…or not.”
I gave her a half-smirk, so she would know that she wasn’t intimating me. Her words seemed to rattle Philippe more than me. The next time he spoke, the serenity was all gone.
“Mara, do you want me to drag you from this place by your hair?” Philippe sped to her, putting himself between us.
“Are you defending her honor?” she teased him. “That’s why you are so keen on helping the angels go to the graveyard and destroy our sacred grounds? Are you trying to get into her panties? You are losing qualities.”
“I swear I’ll slap you myself if you continue to act like a crazy bitch,” Jo warned her.
Mara pursed her lips as she looked back at Jo.
Philippe argued, “I’m not helping anyone destroy anything. I’m trying to prevent a war. Besides, your sister was on Kayden’s side. Do you want everybody to know about that? Do you want your family to be disgraced and accused of distributing Clarity? How long do you think they would last before the other vampires get revenge?”
Mara stepped back. Philippe’s words must have made her reconsider. She fixed her dress, turned around, and walked to the door.
“He will leave you,” she guaranteed, stopping with the doorknob in her hand. Looking back, she added begrudgingly, “He loves no one.”
“First, I’m not his girlfriend. Second, I couldn’t care less about your stupid advice. Now go away and leave us alone,” I told her, without breaking eye contact with her. If she thought she could bully me, she was mistaken.
Mara hesitated. She wasn’t expecting such an answer to her childish provocation. I annoyed her. Sh
e eventually left, after staring one more time at Philippe and slamming the door on her way out.
“Problem solved,” Jo chimed in.
I looked at her with an ‘are-you-kidding-me’ face. She smirked and shrugged. Philippe was staring at her, too. He wasn’t smiling. He seemed upset.
Walking to him, Jo fixed his collar. “What? We did you a favor.”
Philippe pushed her hand away with a sigh. “I was taking care of it.”
“That girl was trying to trick you, so you would give her more money. She wanted you to feel sorry for her and take you to…” Jo stopped talking and glanced at me, smiling goofily. She waved her hands in dismissal and said as an afterthought, “She’s a gold-digger.”
“She’s my friend,” Philippe said sternly.
I had to admire his words. Maybe they had been lovers, and she was trying to get back with him, but Philippe thought he was helping her.
“You need to understand the difference between friendship and dependency. She uses her appearance to get what she needs from you, either with sex or money,” Jo argued.
I felt uncomfortable having to listen to that private conversation. I turned around to leave.
“Aria…” Philippe grabbed me before I could reach for the door. His hands were warm on my arms, and I shivered at the proximity. “I’m sorry if you had to listen to that. She was upset and didn’t mean it.”
I turned around to face him. “She tried to hurt you,” I reminded him. “She meant it.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered as he lowered his eyes.
“Stop apologizing for everything,” I demanded, uncomfortable with that. “I have nothing to do with your personal life, and we have a meeting to attend.” I looked outside and noticed everybody going back to the table. “We should leave, don’t you think?”
Philippe stepped back, and I reached for the doorknob.
“Who’s Sophie?” I looked back and noticed how his eyes widened. “Do I have to assume that you have a thing for red-haired girls?”
“Sophie was a girl who Philippe loved a long time ago. She broke his heart into tiny pieces and treated him like crap when she found out who he truly was,” Jo enlightened me. “She looked a lot like Mara. Or should I say that Mara looks a lot like her,” she pondered as she rubbed her chin.
