“Oh, she won’t care. Do you, Milayna?” Ben looked at me with big eyes.
“Nope. I’ll watch.” Actually, I slept most of the time. But every time I woke up, Chay was still playing with Ben and I’d let myself get sucked back into sleep.
“Don’t leave me,” I told Chay, my eyes heavy.
“I won’t,” he promised.
I bolted upright on the couch. It took me a minute to remember where I was. Chay was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the family room floor, playing Legos with Ben. My mom was cooking dinner in the kitchen, and my dad wasn’t home from work yet.
“What’s wrong?” Chay dropped his Lego tower and scooted to the couch.
Me standing in the kitchen. My back facing the person staring at me. I see myself through their eyes.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. My other arm wrapped protectively around my side.
Turning, I look at the person and smile.
“What’s wrong?” Chay asked again.
“Milayna?” I heard my mother call from the kitchen.
My smile fades. I double over. A look of shock registers on my face.
“Are you having a vision?” Chay’s voice.
I nodded and squeezed my eyes closed.
I look up. My face is white. I see the person’s reflection in the kitchen window. Jake. He looks down. Blood. I feel his excitement. The adrenaline running through his veins.
I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the vision. It was eerie seeing it through another person’s eyes… watching them kill me, feeling what they felt as they plunged a knife deep in my gut.
Jake raises his head. I see the reflection in the window. Chay.
I gasped, and the vision melted away.
“What’d you see?” Chay asked, lines creased his forehead.
I smoothed the blanket over my legs. “Nothing, just a lot of jumbled images.”
I’d had enough visions and nightmares to realize someone was definitely planning to kill me. What I couldn’t figure out was who. My money was on Jake. He had it in him to be a murderer. When he sided with Azazel, he lost all sense of right and wrong. But something bothered me about the visions. I smiled at my attacker. I’d never smile at Jake. He’d never be welcomed in my house… unless I changed. If I changed sides, then Jake and I would be working together, but that didn’t make sense either. Why would he try to kill me if I changed?
Another thing bothered me about the visions. Why did they always end with Chay’s face? I refused to believe he’d hurt me. But that didn’t change the fact that I saw him in nearly every vision or nightmare. He was the one constant.
***
The group came to visit Tuesday evening.
“Hey, you look better than the last time I saw you,” Drew drawled and leaned down to kiss my cheek.
“Gee, thanks.”
“Yeah, I think she just wants to skip school,” Jen said with a smile.
“You caught me. That’s exactly it.”
“Hey, Milayna.” Xavier bent down and grazed his lips over my forehead. It happened so fast I almost thought I’d imagined it, but then I looked at Chay’s stony expression and his jaw tightening and untightening, and knew I hadn’t. His hands made fists, relaxed, and then fisted again.
Uh-oh.
“Chay.” I moved my feet. “Sit by me.”
He walked over and sat down next to me. His eyes never left Xavier’s face.
After dinner, we talked and joked. Drew and Muriel played video games. Chay never left my side. Possessive.
“I’ve been doing some research,” Xavier said to no one in particular. “I think I’ve found some answers about who Azazel’s boss might be.”
“Yeah? Who?” Chay leaned forward.
“There’s a name that keeps coming up. Abaddon. From what I can ascertain, he’s called The Destroyer and makes Azazel look like a kitten. He’s also known as the King of the Abyss.”
“Well, it sounds like he’d be the type to kill first and ask questions later. But why is he after Milayna?” Chay ran his fingers through my hair.
“That I don’t know.”
“Then you really didn’t find out much, did you?” Chay snapped. “Any of us could have come up with a name. What we need is a reason.”
“Well, unless you want to take a trip down there and ask him yourself, I think you’re gonna have to settle for a name. We know he wants her dead. We’re gonna have to wait for him to let us in on the reason.”
“So we know the who, but we still don’t know the why,” Jen said.
“Pretty much,” Xavier agreed.
Jen rubbed her hands up and down her thighs. “Do we know if Milayna is the only one on the hit list or are we all?”
They all looked at me. “I haven’t had any visions about anyone. Has anyone else had visions?”
None of them had.
Great. I’m the only one he’s after. That makes me feel so special.
14
Almost
My mother finally let me go to school Friday. I was still feeling tired and a little woozy at times, but I was going stir crazy sitting at home all day. I was excited to see Chay that morning and called him for a ride.
“Hey,” I said when he answered the phone. “I’m going to school today. Wanna ride together?”
“Always. I’ll pick you up.”
“See you in an hour.” I clicked off the call and hurried to get ready.
My mom put a bandage around my waist to hold the wound as still as possible so I wouldn’t break a stitch. I was brushing through my hair when I heard the doorbell ring.
I walked as quickly as I could to the door, dragging my messenger bag behind me. It thudded against each step. “Come in, Chay.”
The door opened, and he stuck his head inside. “Here, give me that.” He opened the door and stepped through, taking my messenger bag from me. “You aren’t supposed to be carrying this. Let me do the heavy lifting today.”
“Sounds good,” I said as we walked outside and got in the car.
“How are you feeling?” Chay maneuvered the car through the neighborhood toward school.
“Good.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “Liar.”
Chay carried my bag into chemistry, hanging it over the back of my seat before pulling the chair out for me to sit. He held on to me as I eased onto the seat. He was babying me so much I half expected him to insist on carrying me from class to class. It was ridiculous and totally unnecessary, but I loved every minute of it. Any reason for him to touch me was a good one. So I let him feel like he was helping and I got to feel the electrifying currents run through my body every time his hands touched me. I got the better deal.
It wasn’t until lunch that I knew something was wrong.
“Milayna, can you hitch a ride home with Muriel or Jen?”
“I guess so, but why?” I looked at him. His face was flushed. I cupped his cheek with my hand. “You’re burning up.”
“Yeah, I’m not feeling too hot. I’m going to go home.” He handed my book bag to Drew, who was walking by us in the hall.
Drew took the bag and looked at Chay. “What?”
“I gotta go. Make sure she doesn’t carry this.”
“Okay. Hey, Milayna, how you feeling?” Drew smiled at me.
“Good.”
“Liar,” he said with a laugh.
I can’t lie to anyone without them knowing… geez. Maybe it’s a demi-angel thing.
Drew carried my bag for me to the cafeteria. He waited while I bought something to eat, and then carried my tray.
“I can carry a tray with a salad on it,” I complained, feeling completely useless.
“Chay said for me to carry your things, and that’s what I’m gonna do. He scares me a little.”
I laughed and then held my side, letting out a slow breath. “Don’t make me laugh. It hurts.”
After lunch, Drew and Muriel walked with me to my English class. Making sure I was settled befo
re they left, Muriel told me someone would meet me afterward and under no circumstances was I to pick up my bag.
“I’m not an invalid.”
“I know. But you aren’t supposed to lift anything heavy. So let us do the carrying.”
“Fine,” I said with a sigh. “I’ll wait.”
Muriel smiled and left, Drew on her heels.
After English, I realized I had a problem. It wasn’t Muriel or Drew that showed up. It wasn’t even Jen. Xavier.
“Hey.” He swung my bag over his shoulder like it was a light as a feather pillow.
“Hi.”
“Drew and Muriel were on their way, but I told them I’d grab your bag since we’re going to the same class.”
“Oh.” I sucked on my bottom lip and nodded.
“So, how are you feeling? And don’t give me any of that fine crap.”
I laughed. “I’ve felt better.”
He slipped a tendril of hair that had fallen from my messy bun behind my ear. “You should have waited until Monday to come back to school.”
“Probably.”
“But I’m glad you came today,” he said quietly.
I looked at him with a raised brow. “Why?”
“I missed you.”
“Oh. Well, I missed everyone here, too.” I had no idea how to respond. I didn’t want to be rude, but I didn’t want give Xavier the wrong idea either.
“Not quite what I meant.”
“Xavier, I—”
“I know.” He smiled down at me.
Geez, he has a great smile. That dimple is killing me. Stop it! You shouldn’t be looking… but he’s so easy to look at.
When we got to our class, he pulled my chair out for me and hung my bag on the back before walking to his seat. He sat down and looked over his shoulder, catching me watching him. His lips twitched into a small smile.
Ugh, what am I doing?
I looked down at the gold band Chay gave me and felt a twinge of guilt in the pit of my stomach.
After class, Xavier and I walked to our next class together. Lily walked toward us. I saw her ball her fists as she neared. Some tells were so easy to spot. When her hand darted out to jab me in the side, I grabbed her wrist and twisted it painfully. I leaned into her so the sides of our faces were almost touching.
“Don’t screw with me,” I whispered. She tried to jerk away, but I tightened my grip. “It’s been nice having this little talk,” I said louder before letting her go. She stomped away with a scowl, rubbing her wrist.
“Not very friendly, is she?” Xavier put his hand on the small of my back and guided me around him so the wall of lockers was on one side of me and he was on the other, blocking me from the crowd in the hall.
I trailed my finger along the blue and gold lockers, looking at the photos and things people had pasted on the outside of the doors.
“What class do you have last hour?” he asked.
“Gym. I’m sitting out, obviously.”
“Where are you going?”
I shrugged. “I’ll probably go to the library and work on my homework until Muriel is ready to leave.”
“Ah.”
***
I’d just gotten settled in the library that afternoon when I saw him saunter across the room toward me. His jet-black hair gleamed under the incandescent lighting, his blue eyes twinkling mischievously.
“Shouldn’t you be in class?” I asked.
“I came to save you from an hour of boredom.” Xavier pinned me with one of his dimpled grins.
“So you’re skipping,” I accused under my breath. “Shame, shame. Not very angelic of you, now is it?” He laughed, and I grinned at the sound.
I’m in way over my head here. I just need to stay away.
“Like I said, I’m saving a damsel in distress. That takes precedence over English class.” He leaned his hip against the table where I sat. “So, can we go before I get caught?”
“You should go to class, Xavier,” I said quietly.
“Why? You think he’d have a problem with me driving you home an hour early from school? He could’ve taken you when he left at lunch. It was obvious to everyone you weren’t feeling up to being here today.” His voice had a hardness I’d never heard in it before.
He’s right. I didn’t feel like being here.
I tapped my pen on the book opened in front of me and let out a sigh. Biting my lip, I looked around the room. It was empty except for the librarian and us. It would be so easy to slip through the tall bookcases and out the side door. Once in the hallway, we’d be just a few feet from a door leading outside and to the student parking area.
“Okay,” I whispered and closed my book, slipping it into my bag. “Let’s go.”
His dimple winked at me, and he took my bag from the table. I stood, and he waved me in front of him with a sweep of his arm. “Ladies first,” he teased, bending at the waist. I stifled a laugh and walked past.
We slipped through the door into the hallway and made our way outside. The sunlight glinted off the newly fallen snow covering the ground. Our footsteps crunched when we walked across it.
“Snowball snow,” I said.
“Hmm?”
“You can tell by the way it crunches when we walk on it. It’s good packing snow. Great for building snowmen.” I reached down and scooped up a handful, squeezing it into a small ball. “Or snowballs.” I tossed it at him, laughing.
He bent and scooped up two handfuls of snow, patting them together to make a ball the size of a softball.
My laughter faded, and my eyes grew wide. “You wouldn’t throw that at an injured woman, would you?”
“Of course not.” He shook his head. “I’m going to toss it.” He lobbed the snowball at my feet, chuckling. “I’ve never had a snowball fight before.”
“When I’m feeling better, we’ll have one…” My words faltered.
We both knew it wasn’t true. I was with Chay. He wouldn’t look at a snowball fight as innocent fun. I wasn’t sure Xavier would either.
“Yeah.” He reached out and threaded his fingers through mine. I stared out our entwined fingers for a beat before pulling away. His grip tightened. “I’m just holding you so you don’t slip.” His words rang false, but I didn’t push. I tried not to think of why that was, but I was sure it had something to do with the way his fingers felt against mine, warm and strong.
Stop it! You’re crossing a fine line.
We reached his car, and he threw my bag in the backseat before he helped me into the car. He walked around the front to the driver’s side, his hands in his pockets, looking down. A lock of hair fell over his forehead. I balled my hands in my lap to keep from smoothing it back in place when he got in the car.
He slid inside, and my nose was immediately assailed with his scent. I breathed him in, musky and a little woodsy. Mixed with the smell of his leather jacket, it made my head swim. I turned my face from him and inhaled the crisp, frigid air seeping in through the window.
“You’re cold,” he said, mistaking the shiver that ran through my body as having to do with the temperature.
He started the car and angled the heat vents toward me. Picking my hands up, he rubbed them between his. I nearly groaned out loud.
What is wrong with me?
I kept trying to picture Chay’s face, hear his voice, smell his scent. Taste his kiss. But being so close to Xavier was clouding my head. Any other time, Xavier would definitely be someone I would’ve been attracted to, would’ve loved receiving attention from. But I had Chay. And I loved him. I didn’t want to be attracted to anyone else, much less Xavier.
The heater started blowing warm air. “Feel better?” he asked, smiling at me.
“Yeah, thanks.” I pulled my hands from his. He held on to them a second longer before he let them slip between his fingers. I waited for him to pull from the parking lot. Instead, he settled back in his seat.
“So… How’d you meet Chay?”
I looked at him
with a raised brow. “I knew him from school, but we met through the group. Why?”
“Curious. How long have you two been… dating?”
I frowned. “It’ll be five months soon. Why are you so curious?”
“I want to know more about you.” He shrugged a shoulder.
My heart did this little fluttery thing that was generally reserved only for Chay. I didn’t like that it reacted the same way to Xavier.
“But you aren’t asking about me,” I pointed out. “You’re asking about my boyfriend. Why?”
“Is that what you are? Just boyfriend and girlfriend?” He looked at the ring I wore. Absently, I fingered it, twirling it around with my thumb.
“Yes, that’s what we are.” I bit my lower lip.
Why didn’t I say we were more than that?
“Not even five months, huh? Seems like it’s kind of soon to be wearing his ring.”
I didn’t see the need to answer. It wasn’t any of his business.
“What do you know about him, really?” Xavier asked.
“What difference does it make to you?” I snapped.
He smiled, unfazed. “I’m here to protect you, remember? I’m just trying to do the job I came here to do.”
“That’s why you’re here? To protect me?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“That’s the only reason? It’s completely selfless?”
His gaze held mine. “That’s my job.”
“You didn’t really answer my question, Xavier.”
“No, that’s not the only reason I’m here. And, no, it’s not completely altruistic on my part. But that doesn’t change the fact that I need to learn about the people in your life, make sure they’re safe. Someone is trying to kill you, remember?”
My hand moved involuntarily to my side. “Yeah. I remember. But it’s not Chay.”
Xavier shrugged a shoulder. “And Jeff? Did you think he was trying to kill you?”
“That’s not… the same thing.”
He drummed his thumb on the steering wheel. “Okay, let’s assume Chay’s a good guy.”
“He is. There’s no need for assumption.”
Milayna's Angel Page 14
