by JL Weil
No matter what Lexi said, she couldn’t justify a rational explanation for Angel taking off without so much as a note. It was so out of character for her. If we were just another couple, the anxiety I was feeling wouldn’t be a tenth of what it was. She was out there, alone, in or causing trouble, and hiding it from me.
It didn’t take Lex long to realize that my freak-out was warranted. For the first sixty-one seconds, I waited. I paced. I disrupted the entire house. After ten minutes, I was ready to call the F.B.I, the S.W.A.T. team, and the A-team. I’ll be damned if Angel ended up on the side of a milk carton, which made me remember Emma’s disappearance. What if the hunters had gotten to her? What if I was wrong and she had been abducted?
I picked up the phone and called Travis. Emma still had connections. If Angel had been taken, Emma would know. Not that I expected her to just volunteer the information, but if I had to, I would make her wish she had never met me.
The short conversation got me zlitch. It was time wasted, and I was already on borrowed time. Emma reinforced what I knew in my heart of hearts. Angel wasn’t being held captive and tortured, or worse. I would have known if she was. With all rational options exhausted, I finally stopped avoiding what I already knew.
Angel had gone after her father, and God help us, nothing positive was going to come from that conversation. I hated to admit it, but it was anyone’s guess just what kind of shit pot she was stewing.
Why?
I had a few theories. None of them good.
The more I thought on it, the surer I became. However, I still didn’t know where she would have gone to find him. This cursed bond had better come in handy, because the thought of Angel isolated with her father made my stomach lurch. I couldn’t snuff the horrible feeling that Chris was more than just a former inmate integrating back into society.
He was about as human as I was.
Staring out the window, there was nothing but darkness, gloom, and silver clouds. No stars. No moon. I turned at the waist. “Lex, I’ve got to go look for her. I can’t stand to be in this house doing nothing, knowing she is out there.” I’ll be damned if anyone was going to get in my way. Like a power switch, my worry turned to bitter anger surging inside me.
Lexi’s face paled. “Go. I’ll stay here in case she comes home.”
“Why don’t you call Colin and have him wait with you?” I hated leaving her alone.
She nodded, nibbling on her manicure, a sign of just how upset she was. Lexi did not risk chipping a nail.
“Call me if you hear from her,” I said, my hand on the knob.
“You will be the first. And then I am going to kill her.”
“Get in line,” I mumbled.
It was three in the morning when I left. My anxiety was killer. A swell of panic rose up inside me the moment I stepped outside. “Angel,” I murmured. I picked up speed, flying past the row of campus houses, avoiding the cluster of drunken students stumbling their way home, and headed straight for the trees surrounding the courtyard.
Not quite halfway there, I felt a tug inside me, pulling me back the other way, toward the academic buildings. I skidded to a halt, whirling around, and saw a blur of warm yellow light glowing from the second story window.
Interesting. I would not have thought she would break into the school after hours. Then again, nothing she did lately made sense, and neither of us had expected her father to show up.
Pivoting, I was about to take off when I heard a distinctive growl. “You’ve got to be kidding.” Impeccable timing as always. At least she left a trail I could follow.
Two hellhounds emerged from the shadows, eyes burning like red-hot coals, legs squared, and the hair on the back of their necks spiked like thorns. Their claws pawed the ground, kicking up rocks and dirt. My brain was churning, but I didn’t have much of a plan. Then again, I normally didn’t.
The super-sized pups were situated in front of a set of double doors that led to the science wing. Testing, I took a step forward. As expected, they barked, a deep, baritone woof. The warning was clear: Do. Not. Pass. We bite.
So do I.
The thing was, I very much wanted to get inside the building. They were standing between me and the girl I swore to protect with my life—although, by the look of things, she had found a new source of protection.
Guard dogs. I’ll be damned. Angel had put up quite the security to make sure no one got inside the building. Well, we will just see about that. In the distance, I picked up voices, fighting. A sense of urgency barreled through me.
Holding out a hand, I inched closer. “Sit, Fido, sit.”
The snarl that came out of their muzzles was not friendly, and I was done pussyfooting around. Whipping the knife from my boot, I spun, heading straight for the mutts. They lunged, and seconds before their jaws clamped onto a piece of my flesh, I sliced the end of my blade across one hellhound’s neck. Then I whirled, embedding the knife in the back of the other. The razor sharp spikes cut into my hand.
Fido and Dido decomposed into smoke.
My entire body sizzled like a firecracker from the rush of the kill and because I was getting closer. The connection with Angel was like playing the hot and cold game.
I slipped through the door, relieved to find it unlocked. Unfortunately, gaining entry was the least of my problems. There was a welcome party waiting for me inside. Fabulous.
Hellhounds and demons, oh my.
I never got over just how ugly these guys were. Demons were nasty. It didn’t matter where they were on the food chain, lower-demon or higher-demon. They were all devious SOBs. “Looks like I’m crashing the party.”
“We don’t want to hurt you,” hissed one of the demons through his pointed black teeth.
I cocked my head. “Why don’t I believe you?”
“It’s the truth,” he insisted, not that his word meant shit to me.
“That’s a shame.” I cracked my knuckles. “Because I am going to enjoy hurting you.” Taking off at Mach ten, I let out a roar. My hands grasped a head of hair on each demon, slamming them together. Their skulls made a glorious cracking sound and, hopefully, splintered.
Clearing the cobwebs, the demons shook their heads as I waited for them to attack. I was sorely disappointed. The chumps wanted to talk. “She summoned us,” one of them croaked. In demon form, it was hard to tell the grotesque beasts apart.
Honestly, I didn’t care if they were summoned by the pope. They didn’t belong here. “Where is she?” I demanded.
His hollow, shifty eyes moved down the hall, and I saw a gleam of light drifting from under one of the doors.
“Stay out of my way and I won’t dismantle you limb by limb.” I didn’t wait to see if they would try to stop me. I zapped down the hall, and with an outstretched hand, I touched the door; a heated buzzing of voices came through from the other side.
Static crackled down my arms as I threw open the door and stepped into…
Holy batman.
I had no freaking clue what I had walked into. Angel, more or less, was glowing. Her eyes. Her skin. Her hair. A frightening deep shade of red. However, it was what she was doing with her hands that alarmed me. She clutched one of my daggers, pressing it to her father’s Adam’s apple. Surrounding her were more demons. They encircled Chris, making sure escape was impossible.
I treaded lightly, moving carefully into the science lab. “Angel,” I called softly. “What are you doing?”
She didn’t flinch and wouldn’t make eye contact with me, which meant she had known I was coming. The demons around her hissed. “You don’t understand, Chase. He’s not who he says he is.”
I’d never been to this part of campus before, and I couldn’t help but wonder how they had ended up here of all places. “Okay. Let’s talk about this. Don’t do anything rash-er,” I added. She had already gotten herself into this extremely sticky situation.
Her hand remained steady, keeping the blade flush against the sensitive skin of Chris’s neck. For
someone who was close to death, he wasn’t sweating it. “What took you so long?” she asked. “You almost missed the grand finale.”
Eyes scanning, I ignored the pounding of my heart. “Yeah, about that… Christ, did you have to summon an entire army of demons?”
She gave a half-ass shrug. “I panicked.”
I shook my head. “It made finding you a bit more challenging. That’s for sure.”
“You always find me.”
“Why do I get the feeling you aren’t happy I did?”
Finally, I got her attention. She craned her neck toward me, the unearthly glow still encompassing every part of her body. I didn’t think it was possible, but she scared me. “Maybe because I’m not.”
Uh-huh. This wasn’t going well. “Think about what you are about to do.” I scratched my head. “What is it you exactly plan to do?”
“If I tell you, you’ll try to stop me.” The crimson shadow blanketing her began to grow, slinking over the floor and crawling up the table legs.
I took a step forward. “Eh, I’m probably going to try regardless.”
“Exactly,” she replied.
The room got so quiet you could hear the nitrogen fizzle. Chris took advantage of the pregnant pause. “It doesn’t matter if he stops you. Without me, no one else can save you.”
I couldn’t tell if there was truth in what he said, or if he was just trying to save his own hide. I was more interested in what he was saving her from. It was no secret that Angel’s behavior had been bordering on unstable. She had been relying on the realm downstairs too often lately. In my experience, the moment you turned to Hell to save you was the moment you went dark, and Angel was at the brink. I was here to make sure she didn’t take the plunge.
If she did what I thought she had planned, the whole reason behind her seeking Chris out, then she was about to cross a grim line. For the first time, I was nervous that I might not be able to save her.
My track record wasn’t good. I had failed Sierra when she needed me, her death still weighing heavily on my heart. The very thing Angel was sinking into had tormented so many people in my life. Hell was no joke.
“Save me from what?” Angel asked.
“From yourself,” he stated obviously. “You are a danger to everyone around you.” His throat bobbed, causing the blade to nick his flesh. Blood beaded. It was no shock that his blood ran black.
“In case you haven’t noticed. I don’t need to be saved. It’s you who is damned,” she said.
“These parasites,” he spat. “They are your protection? All they are good for is to lead you straight to hell.”
“Buddy. I am pretty sure those freaky cat-eyes give you have a one-way ticket on the Hell-bound train.”
That was when things started to get hairy. Chris became the staring role, taking the limelight from my shimmering girlfriend. I didn’t think things could get any weirder. Boy, was I wrong. He was doing the bone-flickering trick, and his eyes were shining in two-toned amber.
“See what I’m talking about!” Angel shouted, distraught.
“Oh, I’m already ahead of you. I just didn’t think you had noticed. What is he?” I asked, not expecting an answer.
Angel’s gaze was concentrated. The only muscles moving were the ones in her mouth. “Not my father, that’s for sure. I was attempting to get it out of him before I slice his throat.”
Who was this girl?
She had become a loose cannon, and her powers supplied her with gunpowder. When the hell had that happened? How had I missed the part where she started to rely more on her connection to the underworld than me?
Shocked into a stupor, I stared at Angel in disbelief. “Crap.”
The next thing I knew, two of the demons erupted in dust, and through the clutter stood Skeletor Chris. I hadn’t even seen him move. Before I could process this little bit of information, he attacked.
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.
