Rogue Angel

by Stephani Hecht

  “Bear keeps looking over here at you,” Megan announced.

  Tiffany rolled her eyes. “It’s probably because I’m doing something that’s annoying him.”

  “I think the dork is trying to make you jealous,” Heather scoffed disgustedly.

  Well it that was the case, then it was working. Anihita grabbed Bear by the front of his shirt and planted a big one smack on his lips. When Bear didn’t pull away, Tiffany felt an awful burning lump build up in the back of her throat. “I gotta pee.” She stood and ran to the bathroom before her friends saw the tears, but judging from the expressions they all exchanged, they already had.

  * * * *

  Bear knew the instant she left because he always knew where Tif was. Even though he hated admitting it to himself, she occupied his every waking thought. Lately, she occupied the sleeping ones, too. Anihita was still kissing him and it did nothing for him. He gently pushed her away. She rubbed against him and laughed when she felt his hard on. Bear wondered what she would say if she knew it wasn’t from her, but from Tif. Ever since he saw her in that sexy little Red Riding Hood costume back at the house, he was like that. God, Cam was right, he did have the hots for his healer, bad.

  Anihita lunged at him again. “Come on, Bear, I know a place where we can have more privacy.”

  “Not right now.” He jumped back when she grabbed him through his pants. She ran her hands up his chest and rubbed her breasts against him.

  “I know all kinds of ways of taking care of you.”

  She ran her tongue along her bottom lip so he had no doubts whatsoever on how exactly she would take care of him. That part of him screamed to go with her, but, he felt like he would betray Tiffany if he did. You stupid idiot, go. It’s not like Tiffany had even the slightest bit of interest in you. This is a sure thing, don’t blow it. Pun intended .

  “Thanks for the offer, but I can’t tonight.” What are you saying? His alter ego screamed in his head. Have you freaking lost your mind? He dodged Anihita’s hands, for like the ten millionth time, and left the dance floor to find Tif. He knew she was upset because he felt it, but then he felt everyone’s freaking emotions. In fact, it felt like his head was going to explode from all the overload.

  Anihita yelled, “If you leave, Bear, you can just lose my number. Wait, I didn’t mean that. Give me a call tomorrow, okay?”

  He ignored her and continued walking, never looking back, intent on reaching Tiffany. A couple suddenly blocked his way. The female put a fast melt Benadryl strip on her tongue and then kissed the male so they could share it. When they were done, she turned to Bear and held up another strip with a questioning look on her face.

  “No thanks,” he replied weakly. “I’m good.” He pushed his way past them to get to the table where he saw Tif sitting. Her three friends gave him dirty looks, their arms crossed. Yippie, this is going to be fun.

  “You’re supposed to be wearing a costume,” Little Bo Peep said

  “Huh?”

  Snow White crossed her arms over her barely covered chest and snapped, “Where’s your costume, Lehor boy?”

  Bear pulled a pair of plastic fangs and sunglass out of his pocket and put them on. He followed up with a ta-da motion of his arms. All three of the females looked horrified.

  “You came as your brother, Cam?” Snow White’s voice was sharp with anger.

  “Umm…yup.”

  “You dare to mock your Lordship?” Little Bo Peep’s blue eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head.

  “Sure I do.” Bear took off the glasses and fangs. “He pissed me off. Now, why don’t you lay off me, Little Bo Peep?”

  She pursed her lips, “My name is Megan, thank you very much.”

  Bear sighed, this insane conversation wasn’t getting him anywhere. He still didn’t know where Tif was. “Where is she?” “Who?” The dark haired one snapped. “Tiffany or that fugly bitch you were dancing with?”

  “Yeah,” piped in Megan. “You almost marked that witch right there on the dance floor. I can’t believe you kissed her. You better go get yourself checked for diseases.”

  “Look,” Bear growled. “I have a freaking headache and I’m really not in the mood for games. So tell me right now, where is Tif?”

  “Oh no, look out.” Heather held up her hands and her brown eyes got big with mock fear. “He’s going to go all Lehor brother on us and start throwing stuff.”

  Bear closed his eyes and counted to ten, very slowly. “Please, I just want to apologize to her.”

  “For what?” Megan tilted her head to the side. “Calling her a whore or breaking her heart by dry humping some other female?”

  “Since when does Tif care who I’m with?”

  The three females looked at each other and rolled their eyes. “He’s supposed to be the smart brother?” Jules quipped.

  Bear already knew her name because he had gone to empath training with her.

  “Personally, I always thought Derel was the smart one.” Heather replied. “Bear here just knows a lot about computers and stuff like that. Derel knows about everything.”

  Megan shook her head in disagreement. “We all know Cam is the smart one. That’s why he was chosen to lead the empaths. He’s been such a good ruler, too.”

  Jules snorted. “You’re just saying that because you have the hots for Cam.”

  Bear pounded a fist on the table so hard that all the females jumped. “Can you three just focus for one freaking minute? I need to know where she is.”

  Heather turned her nose up at him. “No.”

  Bear ground his teeth together, swallowed every last bit of pride he had left and gave her the same flirtatious smile he saw his brothers use countless times in the past. “Please, it would mean so much to me.”

  “I said, no.”

  He wasn’t surprised the charm failed. That was Cam’s department, not his. He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to leave.

  “Wait, stop,” Megan called. “Heather, I can’t take those sad puppy dog eyes. He’s really worried about her.”

  Heather motioned to the empty chair next to her and Bear reluctantly sat in it. She said coolly, “I’ll tell you were she is, if you answer one question for me. How do you feel about Tiffany? I want to know the truth, too. I may not be telepathic like a lot of your family is, but I’m an empath so I’ll know if you’re lying to me.”

  Bear twisted around in the chair, desperately seeking an escape route, only to find himself surrounded by the three scantily dressed females. He fought demons almost every night, hell he had even been in a full-scale angel-demon battle, but he’d never been as scared as he was now. He started to chew nervously on his thumbnail. “It doesn’t suck being around her,” he muttered.

  Heather cupped her ear with her hand. “What was that? It’s so hard to hear with all this loud music.”

  “I like her just fine,” he said loudly. His head pounded even worse. He glanced over at a nearby table and saw a group a male archangels doing Benadryl shots. Every time they downed one, the buzzing in his brain got worse. He shook his head to try and clear it, but that only made it worse.

  “What do you like about her?”

  “Huh…what?” Between the second hand Benadryl buzz and getting the third degree from the females, he had trouble staying focused.

  Jules gave him a shrewd glance. “Are you high?”

  “Crap no. My brothers would kick my ass if I so much as touched that stuff. Besides, I’ve got enough excitement in my life without adding chemical enhancements to it.”

  “Good,” Jules smiled smugly. “We wouldn’t want Tiffany dating a dope head. She’s our friend.”

  Bear rubbed his temples. “We’re not dating.”

  “Only because you’re too stupid to ask her.”

  He brought his head up sharply, wincing in pain. “Are you trying to tell me she wouldn’t turn me down?”

  Heather clapped her hands together. “It’s a miracle, he has finally seen th
e light.”

  “Are you guys trying to punk me? There is no way in hell you’re going to convince me that Tif likes me. Females like her go for the archangel type, not empaths like me.”

  The three females looked at each other and seemed to come to a silent agreement about something. Jules addressed him, “You can either believe us or not. All I know is that if you break her heart one more time, I’m going to kick your ass.”

  He shuffled his feet and wondered how in the hell he got himself in this situation. He should have just stayed home, but no he had to disobey Cam and go looking for Tiffany. He scrambled to think of something clever to say, but his mind was still on overload and he was really starting to feel sick. His stomach started to roll in painful waves and his mouth watered. “Don’t you feel it, Heather?”

  She frowned. “Feel what?”

  “Those Benadryl heads are sending all their emotions out and I’m absorbing them big time. You’re an empath, too, so aren’t you feeling it, too?”

  “No, I’m not.”

  Well he definitely was and he was about to hurl all over Tif’s friends. He tried to get up, but Heather braced her legs against the wall and blocked his way. Bear sat back down with a groan and he swallowed several times as he fought to get his rebellious stomach back in control.

  Heather rapped on the table with her knuckles in order to get his attention. “You never answered my question. What do you like about Tiffany?”

  Desperate to leave the club, Bear admitted the truth. “I like everything about her. Satisfied now?”

  “No, you need to be more specific.”

  Bear cursed under his breath. “I like the way that she smells like Cherry Jolly Ranchers, that she always sings the wrong words to songs on her iPod, how she snores just a little bit when she sleeps. I even like the way she fights.”

  “That’s so sweet.” Megan clasped her hands together. “No wonder Tiffany is so into you.”

  Heather finally had mercy and moved her legs.

  Bear jumped up and ran outside. He barely made it to the back of the building before he puked his ever-living guts up. With his head leaned against the wall, he struggled hard to clear his mind. What was wrong with him? It seemed lately he was turning into an empath to the tenth degree. He was not only absorbing others feelings, but it seemed like he was amplifying them, too.

  He groaned as he realized what he admitted to Tiffany’s friends. As Cam liked to say, fuck, damn, shit. They were going to tell her. How was he going to even look at her again let alone live with her? What was worse was Cam was sure to find out he snuck out of the house. He was going to be in for it big time. He tired hard not to sniff in the stink of his own vomit while he wallowed in self-pity. This had to be the worst night of his entire life. A small, soft hand touch his neck. It trailed upward before fingers spread out and fanned through his hair. The caress felt so good against his pounding head. “Is that you, Tiffany?” he asked hopefully, not turning from the wall.

  “Oh, you look like my little puppy,” a soft voice cooed.

  Oh boy, that definitely wasn’t Tiffany. He spun around and saw a small blonde succubus standing there. She smiled, showing off her fangs, then shook her long black wings and folded them neatly into her back. She wore a tight red leather outfit with matching high-heeled boots.

  No biggie, she was only one demon. He could take her easy. He grabbed his nanchakus and moved to attack. Before he could, she reached out and grabbed his arm. He sucked in his breath sharply as his mind was slammed with flashbacks. They weren’t his though. They were Cam’s. His brother was in some dank cell dying and this female demon hovered over him. Then she fed him angel’s blood and changed Cam forever.

  “You’re the one that turned him,” Bear rasped. His knees buckled underneath him as the energy leave his body. Whatever was happening to him made him sicker than a dog and as weak as a kitten. Crap, this was not good.

  “Yes, I am the one that transformed your brother.” She pushed her body against his and licked him on the side of the face. “Do you want to know how my puppy repaid me for helping him? He dumped me. Now I have the chance to teach him a lesson.”

  Before Bear could even think to fight back, she pinned him against the wall and bit his neck. With every drag of blood she took in, the night grew darker and darker. All he could think about was that he was going to be destroyed and he had never had the balls to tell Tiffany how he really felt. He slipped into a fuzzy sensual haze.

  The succubus pulled her head away from him and licked her lips. “How interesting, you taste almost like your brother, too. I think I’m going to keep you. Maybe Daddy will let me turn another one.”

  Her voice sounded miles away. She reached down and caressed him through his pants and he was ashamed when his body responded. Even in the condition he was in, he still was as horny as hell, but not for the female demon. “Tiffany,” he moaned.

  The succubus snapped her head up, her bright green eyes blazing with anger. “You dare call me by another female’s name?”

  Before Bear could apologize, much less get ready to defend himself, she pulled a dagger and stabbed him in the gut. He tried to cry out in pain, but all that came out was rush of air. She slammed him against the wall and bit him again. This time it was much harder and deeper. Tiffany, I messed up. This time he spoke her name in his head and in his heart.

  * * * *

  “What took you so long?” Heather asked.

  Tiffany wasn’t about to tell them she had spent all this time in the stall crying. “There was a long line.”

  “You missed all the excitement,” Megan smirked.

  “What do you…” Tiffany stopped short, something was wrong. She might not be an empath or a psychic, but she knew that there was something bad happening to someone she cared a lot about. She stood up with a gasp. “It’s Bear, he’s in trouble.”

  “Did Bear fall down a well, Lassie?” Heather quipped.

  Tiffany ignored her and ran outside. The healer didn’t know how she knew where he would be, she just did. As soon as she was outside, she whipped off her red hood and armed her bow. Tiffany rounded the corner and saw the succubus pinning him to the wall. The angel pointed her weapon straight at the demoness. “Get your ugly hands off my male, you demon bitch.”

  The succubus turned and laughed. Bear’s blood trickled down her chin. “You want him, then come and get him.”

  Five more succubi flashed in, blocking her way to Bear. Tiffany could only watch in horror as the bitch demon used a dagger and slashed his throat. Bear fell to the street as he grabbed at his wound, like he was trying to stop the blood from pouring out. Tiffany screamed in denial even as she shot an arrow. It hit the blonde succubus right between the eyes. The demon hissed in pain as she vanished. The rest of the demons prepared to attack.

  “Don’t worry, Tif, we’ve got your back,” Heather said.

  Tiffany smiled as the relief washed over her. Her friends hadn’t let her down. All three of them were there and ready for battle. Heather had her whip out, Jules brandished two small daggers and Megan had a crossbow.

  Tiffany heard Bear gagging on his own blood and felt a desperate urge to get to him. However, she kept her face cold and emotionless. The five succubi charged and the female angels met them in the middle of the street.

  Tiffany called on all the training she leaned growing up and everything Uriel taught her since. She had to get to Bear to help him and that meant getting through the demons. She was not going to let him down. Tiffany grabbed the closest one by its hair and pulled it down while bringing up her knee. She felt the demon’s nose break. Tiffany pushed the succubus away with her foot. The female demon stumbled back several feet, then on her rump. Tiffany shot her right in the heart with her bow, sending the bitch back to Hell.

  Her friends were engaged in their own battles. They may have just looked like a group of ditzes, but every one of them were highly trained angel warriors and they were good at what they did. Jules danced aro
und and brandished her daggers with deadly efficiency. The demon she fought was cut to ribbons and Jules finally finished her off with one last stab. Heather and Megan held their own, too. Heather beat the crap out of a demon with her whip while Megan used her crossbow to shoot the demon tramps.

  After they sent the last succubus back to Hell, Tiffany ran toward Bear. Before she could take more than two steps, more demons flashed in, surrounding them. This time it wasn’t succubi, it was a group of demon assassins and there were a lot of them, too. The females pressed their backs tight together and waited for the attack.

  A ball of fire shot through the night and hit one of the assassins. It let out a bloodcurdling scream as it was completely vaporized. It was Cam and he looked every bit as big and scary as she always imagined he would in battle. He had Appolion, Ana, Rachael and Uriel with him and they didn’t exactly look friendly either.

  The demons ran to fight the newcomers and that was all the opening Tiffany needed. She ran to Bear and threw herself onto the ground next to him. She scooped him up in her arms and held him to her chest as she wept in relief. His blood soaked through the top of her costume, but she didn’t care. All that mattered was that he was going to be safe. His mouth opened and closed several times as he struggled to say something. “Shhh, don’t try to talk,” she soothed. “Save your energy.”

  Ana ran over. “Tiffany, flash him back to the house. I’ll call Derel to heal him.”

  “No.” Tiffany shook her head.

  Ana gave her a shocked look. “What do you mean, no?”

  “I heal Bear, nobody else.” Tiffany lifted her chin even though she couldn’t believe she was finding the courage to stand up to Bear’s sister. “He’s mine.”

  Ana was silent for a second before she gave a curt nod. “All right, you heal him. Take him home and we’ll take care of the demons.”

  Tiffany tightened her grip on Bear and flashed them back to her room.

  Chapter Fourteen