Chasing Angel (A Divisa Novel, Book 3)

by Weil, J. L.

  He pressed a kiss on my head, and I breathed in the intoxicating scent of him. “You promise you’ll stay close. That you won’t do anything stupid or irrational.”

  I twiddled with the material on his shirt. “When do I ever do anything like that?”

  He chuckled low and under his breath. “Do you want me to make you a list?”

  I glanced up at him. “I should be outraged, but…I promise.”

  “That’s the smartest thing I’ve heard out of your mouth all day.”

  He left shortly after my seldom swear, and that night I lay in bed thinking about what Chase had said. How there was something different wafting in the air.

  Tossing and turning, I attempted to work out a kink in my back, trying to get relaxed. My little catfight with Emma was catching up to me and my sore muscles. Lying there as still as possible, with the silver comforter pulled to my chin, I cleared my thoughts. I focused on my mark and the light pulse that was always present, sometimes stronger than usual, my connection to the underworld. I still wasn’t certain how the mark worked, but I knew when it burned or tingled it meant something was going down.

  And lately, there had been a constant hum flowing through the black ink that marred my hip. I’d sort of gotten used to the soft pulsating, but now…

  I knew I felt it, too.

  All the way to the bottom of my fuzzy knee high socks.

  Something wicked was about to storm Spring Valley.

  I shuddered.

  Chapter 10

  It was like I was living in an episode of Supernatural, except I wasn’t kissing Dean Winchester. That would have made it bearable. Chase couldn’t be Dean in this scenario. He was more like Sam with the whole part demon thing in common, but Dean was hotter. Way hotter.

  So the whole idea was ridiculous, but I was sitting in history bored to tears, and all I could think about now was Dean Winchester’s butt. This was the kind of day I was having.

  To top it off, Emma was being agreeable and nice.

  I kept waiting for her to stab me in the back. Some habits die hard.

  She was even wearing something stylish for a change, tight jeans and a cardigan. I had done a double take and then I about fell out of my chair. Just how much damage had I done to the girl’s head?

  That was it. I officially forbade myself from ever using compulsion again. It was obvious that I was a complete newbie and didn’t know jack about playing with people’s heads. I mean, I might have completely screwed up Emma for life, not that she hadn’t been totally messed up before, but…

  Then she opened her mouth.

  “Where’s your shadow, demon-girl?” she asked in that snarky tone.

  Yep. Still Emma in there.

  I made a face. Not a pretty one either. “What’s with the getup? Did your mom finally burn all your cargo pants?”

  She eyed my jeans and “Eat, sleep, and game” t-shirt. “You’re one to talk.”

  I distinctly remembered telling her to be nice to me. What the hell? I was so damn tempted to ask her what happened to her lip. It was still swollen and turning a gross shade of purple, but I reigned in my need to lash out. The last thing I wanted was to trigger any memories I’d worked so hard to make her forget. So I settled for something safer. “Did you talk to Travis?” I asked, hoping for an attitude change.

  Her eyes flinched. “What Travis and I do is none of your business.”

  I rolled my eyes. If this was her being nice to me, then maybe I should have been more specific. Geez. “I wasn’t asking for a play by play.”

  “Good. It’s too hot for you to handle.” She gave me a wicked grin.

  What was going on here? She was hurting my brain. Stupefied, I watched her saunter off down the hall toward her next class. When lunch rolled around, I was hit with another bomb. They just kept on falling.

  At lunch, Emma sat down at the table between Lexi and me. Chase’s brow shot up.

  “So, is someone going to tell me why everyone is staring at me like I’ve grown an unicorn horn?” Emma asked, her food tray clattering on the table.

  My mouth hit my plate of pizza.

  “Gosh, where to start?” Lexi chimed in. That’s my girl.

  I fidgeted on the edge of my seat.

  Chase reclined in his chair, legs stretched out under the table as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

  Emma forked a heap of lumpy, watery looking potatoes. “God, the food here isn’t fit for dogs.”

  I took a sip of my drink, eyeing her over the cup, waiting to see what she was going to do or say next? Was she screwing with me? Had my compulsion wore off? Not once had Emma ever sat at our table. I didn’t know what to think or make of it.

  “Neither is the company,” I muttered under my breath.

  Lexi kicked me from under the table, and I narrowed my eyes at her.

  Chase’s laugh was deep and rich beside me.

  “You wound me.” Emma’s lips curved into a faint smile. “And to think I thought we had put all that crap behind us when I saved your ass.”

  It was sort of nice having the old Emma back, the one I was accustomed to. This one I understood. “Looks like someone got lucky last night. You’re awful chipper and chatty,” I shot back.

  “Speaking of getting lucky, have you two…?” She made an obscene gesture with her hand.

  Chase coughed, covering a grin.

  I flushed to my roots. “I’m glad to know everyone is so interested in my sex life.”

  Kailyn and Brandy chose that moment to sit down at our table. “Thank God someone is having sex, because I’ve hit a dry spell,” Kailyn informed.

  TMI.

  “Tell me about it,” Brandy piped in. “I’m tired of these boys. We are in desperate need of some fresh meat. I can’t wait for college.”

  College. We were almost halfway through senior year, and I still hadn’t decided what I was going to do. Procrastination at its finest.

  Lexi’s aqua eyes brightened. “I plan on majoring in frat boys.”

  Everyone at the table laughed except for Chase. He was scowling.

  ~*~*~*~

  While everyone else was interested in my sex life, I was only interested in having a sex life.

  I deepened the kiss, unsatisfied with innocent smooching. We were alone. In his bed. I hated to waste the opportunity. I pushed harder. He made a purring noise in the back of his throat and flipped me under him.

  Sharp need punched through me as he slid down my body. I marveled at the sensations that engulfed me from head to toe. It was magic and mist, romance and desire. There was hunger in the way he kissed, but he was gentle, such a contradiction to the demon that lived within. When the two blended together it was a potent combination. Sweetness and danger. Heaven and Hell. Silver and gold. He could make me tremble with the slightest brush of his lips, or send me up in flames as he sucked my lip.

  I never knew which side I was going to get, and that was part of the allure, part of the excitement of being with Chase. His firm buttocks weren’t bad either.

  With feather softness, he smoothed the pad of his thumb over the slant in my cheek.

  Holy hot pitchforks.

  There was so much chemistry swirling in the room it was combustible. Boom. We were going to fry the ancient electric in his old house.

  This was what I wanted, what I needed. To lose myself in Chase. In his lips. In our needs. Adept fingers snapped the button on my jeans in one shot, and he was wiggling them over my hip. I didn’t hesitate to lend him a helping hand. The quicker I shed my the clothes, the quicker we—

  Out of nowhere, he broke off the kiss and sprang away from me. I groaned in protest, trying to tug him back down on the bed.

  He wouldn’t budge and actually put more distance between us, like across the room.

  My attitude turned sour. “God, you are turning into douchebag tease.” I was rockin’ some seriously tousled hair as I caught a quick glimpse of myself in the mirror.

  Not that Chase cared
; he was throwing his shirt back over his head with a fierce frown on his swollen lips.

  Dear God, they looked even more scrumptious after being thoroughly devoured by moi.

  Stunned speechless, I watched as he grabbed the handle to his bedroom door.

  Oh no he didn’t.

  But he did. The assmunch walked right through the door without so much as a backward glance at his half-naked girlfriend.

  I was going to turn green and go Hulk on his ass. “Where are you going?” I yelled, whipping into action. Hopping toward the door, I tugged my jeans back into place. My bra was somewhere on the floor, but in a time like this, support for the girls was the least of my worries.

  What the hell? What now?

  I followed him down the stairs.

  “Chase,” I pleaded, placing a hand on his shoulder. The mark at my hip began to prickle like tiny needles. He gripped the banister, and I watched him struggle. “I’m being summoned,” he said clearly displeased.

  And then he was off again. I’d never seen anything like it. A chill raced down my spine accompanying the tingling tattoo. “Summoned?” I echoed. “By who?” I raced to catch up with him before he decided to leave me eating his dust. Was he joking? No one ever said anything about half-demons being summoned. I was so confused.

  “Hell,” he rumbled.

  “What? They can do that?”

  “Apparently,” he replied dryly.

  My mind raced. “Can’t you just say no?”

  Ripping open the front door, an east wind blew past him, hitting me. “Angel Eyes, if it was that easy, don’t you think I would?”

  Okay. Fine. That was a great argument. I had nothing.

  Grabbing a jacket off the hook, I followed him outside. “What are we going to do?”

  He was on the porch steps when he spun around suddenly, facing me. I smacked into him unexpectedly, with only one arm in a sleeve. “You…” he fixed me with one of his famous don’t-argue-with-me glares, “are going to stay here until I get back. I am going to find out what they want.” There was a quick flash of lightning in his eyes. Then it was gone.

  I checked the “no” box. Shaking my head, I responded, “Not happening, jerk face. I’m coming with you.”

  Those unique eyes fell. “I can’t argue with you right now.”

  “No shit. I’m still coming, and I am guessing you can’t stop me either, since you can’t seem to stop yourself from walking out the door to heaven knows where.”

  “Angel!” he growled. “I am going to kill you when this is over. Do you hear me?” His whole body was tight.

  Loud and clear. Christ. He was yelling. Obviously I heard him. “Yeah, I am sort of getting used to being threatened all the time. It doesn’t really have much effect on me.”

  He shook his head. “If you insist on making a nuisance of yourself, we’ll take my car.”

  Oh goodie.

  I jogged to passenger side of his sporty car before he decided to try to pull a fast one on me. The car ripped to life as I was slamming the door. Burying deep into my ski jacket, I tried to find a comfortable position, nearly impossible when I wasn’t sure what we were walking into. He drove along the main road, through town, and jumped onto a narrow road leading toward the outskirts of town.

  “How do you know where to go?” I asked, curious what was guiding him. Did he have this internal GPS that lead him to Hell?

  “I don’t really know. There is this pull inside me, kind of like being compelled. I can feel someone or something muddling around in my head—calling me—yanking me.” The more he spoke, the darker his tone got. His hands tightened on the wheel, and the vein at his neck popped. “I’m going to kill them.”

  Ookay.

  I certainly didn’t envy who or what was waiting for him. They were in for a can of demon whoop ass.

  I nibbled on my nails. “Do you think we have time to stop for a snack? I’m starving.” I was trying to lighten the thick tension that joined us in his car. It was choking me, along with my fear.

  He did not find me amusing. I got the Lucifer glower, which was totally frightening. The closer it seemed we got to this unknown location, the brighter Chase’s eyes glowed.

  I practically jumped out of my skin and hit the roof when he parked the car. My eyes glanced up. “This is it? An abandoned parking lot?” The place gave me the willy-nillies. It was too dark, too isolated, and dense pine trees surrounded the whole lot. But most importantly, my hip was throbbing.

  “I don’t make the rules, Angel.” Darkness etched in every line of Chase’s face.

  “This is bad,” I said.

  Chapter 11

  “Stay here,” he whispered, reaching for the door handle.

  “Where do you think you are going?” I demanded in a louder voice.

  He glanced over his shouldered. “To see who is out there.”

  I wrapped my arms around myself. There was an evil vibrating in the atmosphere. “I’ll tell you what’s out there—trouble. And you can’t leave me in here alone.” Someone or something might sneak up on me, I added in my head. My overactive imagination was going to do me in.

  His lips pursed as he considered the amount of crap that could go wrong. If it was anything like the thoughts running wild in my head, they were doozies. “Christ,” he muttered under his breath. “I want you suction cupped to my side at all times. Got it?”

  I nodded, liking this plan. Next thing I knew, he had zapped to my side of the car and was opening the door. With reluctance and shifty eyes, I took his hand and stepped out. “Do you still feel them summoning you?” I asked softly.

  His eyes lit up the parking lot, burning so bright. Our fingers were weaved together, and his tightened on mine. “Yes. Much more now.”

  Just ducky.

  Judging by the color of his eyes, I knew that it wouldn’t be long before Chase went full-on demon. Our footsteps were light and cautious as he scanned the area, but they sounded heavy to me. Tall weeds and prickly bushes rustled in the wind. I stretched out my hearing even though I knew that Chase would pick up any noise before I did. For once I would just like to be forewarned before something jumped out to try to kill me.

  Once couldn’t possibly be too much to ask for.

  I never get a break.

  Chase spun us around so fast, I was sure he had given me whiplash, but the pain in my head was momentarily forgotten as my mouth hit the ground.

  Eric’s lips twisted into a plastic smile, eyes solid black—soulless. “Well, if it isn’t the dynamic duo. What took you so long? I don’t like to be kept waiting.” His voice was all off. It had a gravelly texture that was stuffed with an arrogant kiss-my-ass attitude.

  It reminded me of someone else.

  “Holy crap,” Chase said.

  Holy crap indeed.

  What the shit was going on?

  I blinked. Blinked again. Then I rubbed my eyes. Each time I saw the same image. Eric. Eric. Eric. I have to say…he’d seen better days. Death did not agree with the man.

  Dressed in a very slick, overpriced black suit—or maybe it was navy, bad lighting and all— he stood in front of us looking very much not dead, but even as I stared at him, I knew that it wasn’t Emma’s dad. The eyes, they were all wrong, and I’d seen them before. In my nightmares. In lower-demons. In hellhounds. They were the eyes of Hell.

  The fact that Hell had taken an interest in Eric should have come as no surprise.

  The man, when alive, had been filled with lunatic ideas and probably killed more Divisa than I was ever going to be comfortable knowing. He was one soul that definitely belonged in the underworld.

  Adjusting his tie, demon-Eric slinked forward, and he had eyes only for Chase. “Don’t you recognize me…son?”

  I think I blacked out at that point.

  Surely Chase did.

  Tiny stars started twinkling in the back of my eyes. I know I stopped breathing. Together the two of us were having a battle of shock between us.

  This
wasn’t just any demon. This was the demon. The one no Divisa ever wanted to meet.

  Their sire.

  My head screamed a string of swear words that would have made the Devil blush. I imagined Chase had a pretty inventive chain of words himself.

  Fear pumped inside me.

  I had met my fair share of Hell’s minions, but never a higher-demon. My knees started to feel wonky, and I gripped onto Chase’s forearm to steady myself. I dared a peek at him.

  He didn’t have the exact same reaction I did. There was doubt written in every line of his face, along with his famous superiority. His chin lifted. “Wow. I wondered when this day would come.” He looked demon/Eric/father over. “You don’t look at all like I envisioned.”

  The being from Hell puffed out his expansive chest. “You think I would get that a lot being the Billy badass of the underworld, but believe it or not…you’re an only child.”

  Chase angled his head. “Couldn’t find any fresh meat-suits? You had to go for a dead one?”

  A tight smile crossed the demon’s dry, sneering lips. “This one holds a special place in my soul. He came through my domain, and I knew that he was the one for my appearance on earth.” Taking a long glance around at the woods, he said, “It’s been awhile.”

  I felt Chase’s muscle flex under my hand. “Eighteen years,” he supplied.

  “Who’s counting? Eighteen. A decade. A millennium. The years all start to blur.”

  “You don’t think that using a dead dude is a little, messy?” Chase asked.

  He was goading a higher-demon. It was making me very nervous. My palms were sweating, and I swear the demon could smell my fear. Eric lifted his nose in the air as I tried to figure out what this demon wanted with Chase. What exactly his plan was, and how much shit we were in.

  Demon/Eric’s nostrils flared. “I thought it was poetic. After all, you did snap his neck.”

  Chase crossed his arms, keeping mine looped in his in the process. He widened his stance. “Yeah, that’s right. I did. So, am I supposed to call you Eric, Dad…? What’s the drill here?”