Milayna's Angel

by Michelle K. Pickett

  “Jake’s just trying to upset you, Milayna. Don’t let him.”

  “You don’t believe that any more than I do,” I accused.

  Chay looked down at me. His brow was furrowed over his eyes, and he looked worried. No, he knew what Jake said was the truth. Whoever—whatever—Abaddon was, he was after me and anyone I cared about.

  Chay threaded his fingers through my hair and lowered his lips, grazing them softly over mine. I fisted my hand in the front of his sweatshirt, the other on his shoulder, pulling him to me. He kissed me greedily, his lips gentle, but demanding. His fingers clenched and unclenched in my hair. I was lost. My emotional side longed to keep him with me, to keep kissing him like we were the only two people in the world. My rational side, damn it straight to Abaddon and back, told me to stop. Chay didn’t want me. He made that perfectly clear. And although I tried not to listen to the rational side of my brain, it finally broke through and I turned away from Chay’s kiss.

  He slowly let go of my hair, combing through the red curls with his fingers. Opening the hand that held his shirt front, I placed my palm on his chest and pushed him away. As much as I wanted him, as much as I loved him, I didn’t want just a kiss and a grope in the middle of the night. I wanted all of him. Something he wasn’t going to give me.

  “Is that why you did it?” I whispered, looking away from him.

  He sighed in frustration. “Why I did what?”

  “Broke up with me. Did you do it because this Abaddon person is going to kill off everyone I care about? Because if you did, it won’t work. You won’t be safe.” I looked into his blue-green eyes. “You might not love me, Chay, but I love you and, apparently that’s all it takes to make you a target.”

  “Who said I don’t love you?”

  “You did.” I threw my arms up in the air and let them fall with a smack against my thighs.

  “Well, that wasn’t completely true.”

  I didn’t answer. I just stared at him, waiting.

  “I did… do love you, Milayna. I just can’t be with you.”

  “Then it’s true. You broke up with me because of Abaddon.”

  “No. I’m not scared of him.”

  “Then?”

  “I’m scared of what might happen to you,” he whispered. “I’ve gotta go.” He stepped through the door, closing it quietly behind him.

  Well, that clears up everything. So glad we talked.

  ***

  By Tuesday night, my face looked better. Makeup covered a lot of the bruising and the swelling had gone down enough that I could open my eye, which would come in handy when I needed to look at the white board in class—or over my shoulder for demons. I tried to convince my parents that I needed to stay home one more day, but they weren’t buying it. So Wednesday, I was going to school, but I made my objections perfectly clear to both my parents.

  “Duly noted,” they said. I hated that response. It meant I was going to school. So long, weird game show people. My time of watching daytime television had come to a bitter end.

  “You look better today than you did yesterday,” Muriel said when she picked me up for school.

  I smiled. “You’re a bad liar.”

  “Yeah, well, I tried,” she said with a laugh. “So… anymore visits from Jake the stalker?”

  “Not since I talked to him Monday night. I guess he ran out of things to say.”

  She drummed her fingernails on the steering wheel. “Maybe.”

  “What? What do you know?” I sighed. I hated when they kept things from me.

  “Nothing. Just… Jake’s been spreading rumors, saying that Chay smacked you around and that’s why you two broke up.”

  I laughed. “Really?” Muriel nodded, and I laughed harder.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing. It’s just that most people will probably believe him since Chay can act like a real douche sometimes… well, most of the time lately.” I wiped the tears of laughter off my cheeks with the back of my hand and blew a piece of hair out of my eyes. “That’s classic.”

  Muriel glanced at me. “Glad you find it funny. Chay doesn’t.”

  “Probably not. I’ll set it straight. By the end of the day, his reputation will be saved and he’ll be free to date whatever bimbo he wants.”

  She glanced at me. “I guess that answers my next question. No chance of you two getting back together, huh?”

  “Nope.” I shook my head. “None.”

  “What about Xavier?”

  I looked out the side window. “What about him? We aren’t dating, if that’s what you mean. I haven’t even talked with him since Sunday afternoon.”

  “Oh.”

  “What? Oh, what?”

  “I was just curious,” Muriel said. “Are you gonna? Date him?”

  I lifted a shoulder and let out a breath of annoyance. “I don’t know.”

  Xavier is smart, charming, and straight-up sexy, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to date. Scratch that. I know I’m not ready to date. I’m in love with Chay, even if he doesn’t love me, which, according to him, isn’t the case.

  I angled my body to face Muriel. “Chay said he still loves me.”

  “Really? Huh. Then why—?”

  “Why did he break up with me? According to him, he loves me but can’t be with me. Makes sense, right? I mean, why wouldn’t you want to be with the person you love, especially if they loved you back? It’s so totally Chay to say something so freakin’ stupid.”

  ***

  That afternoon, I overheard Muriel and Chay talking. “What’s up with you? You’ve been acting weird.” I stood around the corner from our locker, eavesdropping shamelessly. Holding my breath, I waited for his answer.

  “Nothing,” Chay mumbled.

  “Something. Everyone sees it. Even Milayna sees it, even though love is supposed to be blind and all that crap,” Muriel said.

  “I’ve… I’ve been having visions,” he admitted.

  “Standard visions or something else?”

  I wished I was able to see his expression when he answered.

  “Something else. They’re about Milayna… I know who’s gonna try to hurt her.”

  “Who?” Muriel asked slowly.

  “Me.”

  “What? What are you talking about? You’d never hurt her. I know you two aren’t together anymore, but you’d never hurt her.”

  “My visions say different. And when I have one, I have this… urge… to make it… real.”

  “You’re scaring me, Chay,” Muriel said quietly.

  “I scare myself. I’d never hurt her intentionally. I love her, but the urge to carry out the vision is so strong…”

  “Have you told her?” Muriel asked.

  “Hell no!” he snapped. “What am I supposed to say? ‘Oh, by the way, I’ve been having dreams of killing you, and I think I want to make them a reality.’ Yeah, just what every girl wants to hear from their boyfriend.”

  Their voices faded as they walked away from the lockers and down the hall. I stood rooted in place. My heart slowed in my chest. It plodded along painfully. I could feel it squeezing each drop of blood through it, like someone was wringing it dry.

  Chay, my ex-boyfriend, the guy I’m still hopelessly in love with, who I’ve been dreaming is trying to kill me, is having visions about hurting me? Can my life get any more complicated?

  The thought scared me. When I, or another demi-angel, had visions telling us to do something, it was almost impossible to fight the urge to carry it out. But they were always about ways to help people. They were meant to show us how to protect humans—to right a wrong. Not to hurt someone.

  “Someone you’ll never see coming,” Jake had warned. “Someone you trust with your life.”

  21

  Fire

  Friday night and a double date—what could be better? Maybe going with Chay instead of Xavier. Although, I was probably safer with Xavier, considering Chay wanted to kill me. Yeah, Xavier was the best bet,
even if it wasn’t a real date. Just two friends going to a movie and dinner with each other.

  The school day dragged on forever. I never thought it would end. My head hurt, and my face throbbed. I just wanted to go home, stand under a hot shower until the water ran cold, and then go to bed. But that wasn’t how things were gonna play out. Nope. Date Night. Or rather, non-date, date night.

  Xavier picked me up at six o’clock. “Hi.” He smiled when I opened the door. His dimple winked deep in his cheek.

  “Hi. Thanks for picking me up.”

  “Why wouldn’t I? I wasn’t going to let you drive to the restaurant alone.”

  Oh, yeah. We aren’t supposed to be alone. At least, I’m not. With Abaddon and Chay running around, both trying to kill me.

  I smiled. There really wasn’t anything to say.

  “So. Our second non-date, date.”

  I laughed. “I guess so.”

  “Maybe we could rename it. To, oh, I don’t know, maybe our-first-real-date date. Something like that.”

  “Let’s see how our second non-date goes first,” I said, smiling to take the sting out of my words. I just wasn’t ready to date anyone. I was too confused by Chay and his hot-and-cold behavior. But still, Xavier was here… he wanted to spend time with me and, bonus, he wasn’t trying to kill me.

  “You look good tonight,” Xavier told me walking into the restaurant. “Your face isn’t as awful looking.”

  I laughed so hard I snorted. “Gee, thanks for that compliment.”

  “You know what I mean,” he said with a chuckle.

  I was still laughing, but nodded my head. “I know what you mean.”

  “I like that.”

  “What?” I was still preoccupied by his sort-of compliment

  “The sound of your laugh,” he said quietly.

  I smiled then. “Thank you.” I could feel a blush heat my cheeks.

  When I slid into the booth, Xavier followed, sitting next to me rather than across like I wanted. I’d rather look at him than touch him. Although, both were equally disturbing. Just looking at him made my stomach do funny things. Things it shouldn’t be doing if I loved Chay. And touching him… well, that was almost torture. When his thigh pressed against mine, flames licked my skin, followed by the prickling of goose flesh. Being close to Xavier wasn’t a good thing. Not when it was Chay I was supposed to be with.

  I’m in all kinds of trouble. Bring on the Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream and a big spoon. There’s no way I’m getting out of this unscarred, and that means one wicked ice-cream binge is in my future.

  We beat Muriel and Drew to the restaurant. With each second that ticked by, I became more furious at Muriel for leaving me alone with Xavier. I needed her and Drew as a buffer.

  Xavier and I sat in a corner booth and talked while we waited. Like the first time we went out, he was funny and easy to talk to. The apprehension I felt about being alone with him slipped away—so did thoughts of Chay—and I found myself wishing we were on a date. A real date. Without Muriel and Drew.

  “What can I get you to drink?” our waitress asked, looking at Xavier.

  “Coke, thanks,” he said.

  She continued looking at him, waiting for my order. “I’ll have a Coke, too,” I told her, leaning forward and blocking her view of Xavier. She gave me a tight smile, practically flung the menus in my direction, and told Xavier if he needed anything to ask for Amy.

  “That’s funny,” I said and bit my lower lip to hid a grin.

  “What?”

  I shrugged. “Amy.”

  “What about her?”

  “Oh, please. You can’t tell me you didn’t know she was flirting with you. She never stopped staring.”

  Not that I blame her.

  “No, I didn’t notice. I wasn’t looking at her.”

  “Well, she was looking at you,” I muttered.

  “Milayna, are you jealous?” he asked, laughing.

  Am I jealous? No… yes. I am jealous. And she’s pretty, too. Figures.

  I looked at Xavier out of the corner of my eye, pretending to study the menu. “No. Why? Should I be?”

  He shrugged a shoulder. “You have nothing to be jealous of. In case you were wondering.”

  My cheeks heated in a small blush. I had been wondering. “Good to know.”

  Amy walked to the table, carrying our drinks. She bent toward Xavier just enough to give us both a good view of her cleavage before she set the two Cokes in front of him. Maybe she thought he was really thirsty.

  “Are you ready to order?” She looked doe-eyed at Xavier.

  “We’re waiting on two people.” Her gaze never left Xavier’s face

  “Okay, just let me know when you’re ready,” she told him. I had to laugh.

  “I think I’ve discovered my superpower. I’m invisible.” I winked at Xavier and he chuckled, which made me start laughing again.

  I was still laughing when Muriel and Drew sat down. “What’s so funny?” Muriel asked, shoving her gigantic purse next to her.

  “The waitress has a thing for Xavier,” I answered.

  “Who doesn’t?”

  “Sitting right here, you know.” Drew raised his hand over his head and pointed down at himself.

  “Not me.” She reached over and pulled his lips to hers for a quick kiss before telling him, “Everyone else.”

  Xavier eyed the huge, flowered bag Muriel was still shoving into the space between the seat and table. “What do you keep in that thing?”

  “Just the essentials.”

  “Wow.” Xavier scratched his bottom lip with his thumb. “You have a lot of essentials.”

  Muriel and Drew ordered their drinks. Somehow, Amy was able to tear her gaze away from Xavier long enough to take their orders. She came back with their Cokes and asked if we were ready to order. Of course, she looked to Xavier first.

  “I’ll have the steak.”

  She wrote his order on her notepad, never looking away from him. I wondered if she’d even be able to read it when she turned the order in.

  She’ll screw it up.

  “I’ll have the… Hello? I’m over here,” I said, snapping my fingers in the air. She rolled her eyes but looked at me while I gave my order, her gaze flitting to Xavier every few seconds.

  There goes your tip, honey.

  Finally, we’d all placed our orders and gotten our food. Poor Amy didn’t have a reason to come to the table, so she stood by the bar in the back of the restaurant and watched him eat. I shook my head and smiled.

  We were having a nice dinner, laughing and talking, when my stomach heaved. Afraid I was going to be sick, I stood up so fast I knocked my Coke over, spilling it across the table and onto Drew’s lap.

  “I’m sorry. I gotta… excuse me.” I put one hand over my mouth and tried to push my way out of the booth with the other.

  Xavier stood and let me out. I tripped over my feet and grabbed the tabletop to steady myself, sending Xavier’s plate of food flying. It hit the floor with a crash, shards of glass scattering across the floor.

  “Milayna?” Xavier’s forehead creased.

  “She’s okay. It’s a vision.” I heard Muriel tell Xavier.

  I stumbled into the bathroom like I’d just downed three margaritas. I was sure that was what people were thinking. Finding an empty stall, I went inside, locking the door after me.

  “Milayna? Open the door,” Muriel called to me. Her voice was amplified in the small space and bounced around in my already-pounding head.

  I reached out and slid the lock open. She opened the door and walked into the stall, locking the door behind her.

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t know yet.” I squeezed my eyes shut against the stabbing pain in my head, waiting for the images to appear. My vision was gone. The bathroom had disappeared. I couldn’t see Muriel. I only saw black. All around me. Just black.

  But the smell was overpowering.

  Burning. Smoke.
<
br />   Coughing against the smell of the smoke, I couldn’t get a breath. It was as if the smoke was billowing around us in the stall. I covered my nose and mouth with my hand to staunch the smell. Slowly, the blackness lifted and images took its place.

  The room is smoky. It’s like a haze filling the space. I can’t see through it.

  “There’s going to be a fire,” I whispered to Muriel.

  “Where? Here?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t see through the smoke.”

  Photographs. Flowered-covered couches.

  I shook my head and concentrated harder on the images, trying to ignore the smell of smoke filling my nose.

  Hot. Crackling. Glass shattering.

  “It’s so hot. I can hear the fire burning, glass breaking.”

  “Where are you, Milayna? Look around.”

  “I’m trying to,” I snapped. She acted like I’d never had a vision before.

  We’re driving. I’m not in the fire anymore. A man is cursing. The city lights are speeding by the window.

  “I’m in a car. We just turned down my street.”

  Lights flashing. A hazy glow surrounds a house.

  I grabbed Muriel’s arm, squeezing so hard she flinched. “The fire… I think it’s my house.”

  “Let’s go.” She ushered me out of the stall. A lady watched, raising a perfectly plucked eyebrow at us.

  We ran through the crowded restaurant to our booth.

  “Everything okay?” Xavier asked when he saw us.

  “No, we have to go,” Muriel said quickly. Drew stood without a word, threw a wad of bills on the table to cover our food, and started toward the door. “Now!” Muriel whispered through clenched teeth when Xavier hesitated.

  On the way to our cars, Muriel briefly told the guys what my vision showed. I was still seeing images. My head pounded like an army of miners were tunneling through my skull. My breathing was labored, fighting the effects of the smoke.

  “We’ll meet you there.” Drew climbed into his car and gunned the engine before backing out and speeding out of the parking lot, tires squealing as he turned onto the road.