by Weil, J. L.
HUNTING ANGEL
A DIVISA NOVEL
BOOK 2
A novel
By
J. L. Weil
Kindle Edition Copyright 2013
by J.L. Weil
http://jlweil.blogspot.com/
All rights reserved.
First Edition June 2013
ISBN-13: 978-1490962795
ISBN-10: 1490962794
Edited by Elena Boteva
Cover design by J.L. Weil
Kindle Edition, License Notes
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblances to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights are reserved. No part of this may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.
Novels by J.L. Weil
Saving Angel (Divisa #1)
Losing Emma (Divisa #.5)
Hunting Angel (Divisa #2)
Luminescence (Book 1)
Amethyst Tears (Book 2)
Dedicated to those who are reading this book right now. Without you, I wouldn’t have had the courage to write another book. You guys rock my flip-flops (I love ‘em).
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 1
Chase Winters was the bane of my existence.
Some people have death experiences and realize how precious life and love is.
Not me.
Just the opposite.
Oh, I appreciate life. I love feeling the wind in my hair, the taste of dark chocolate on my tongue, and I even came to love the country scent of Spring Valley, Illinois. What I didn’t have was an epiphany about my love life.
Instead of falling head over heels in love with Chase Winters, my savior, I actually loathed him more, if that was even possible. Okay, maybe loathe was a strong word. Truthfully, I didn’t know how I felt about Chase. Sometimes I saw glimpses of kindness. He could be sweet, considerate, and incredibly protective. But even so, Chase wasn’t the kind of guy who was easy to love. Sure, he looked like he was sculpted by the Gods, but the second he opened his mouth the godly illusion evaporated. Mostly all I got was a selfish ass. To make matters worse, we were linked by some Grim Reaper voodoo.
Thank you Death.
Chase has saved my life not once, not twice…shit at this point I’ve lost count. Maybe I should have shown a little more gratitude. Maybe I should have tired and get along with Chase a little better, especially considering that neither of us really understood this connection we have. Or maybe I should have stay as far away as possible.
I might have, if he suddenly hadn’t gone from being a douchebag to someone I barely recognized. The arrogant, snarky, asshole was still there, but with me he was different. And I found that even more dangerous. It was throwing me through crazy, messed up loops. That was what he was doing lately – messing me up.
I could handle the sarcasm all day long, but it was the charm that played with my head. Since that night everything changed. Or maybe it was just me who changed. My mom had gotten one heck of a surprise when I saw her that night after work. I hugged her like I was afraid to let go. We had spent the rest of that night on the couch together watching our favorite movie until I’d finally fallen asleep. She had sensed how much I needed to just spend a night with her, like we used to. It was the best medicine in the world – a mother’s love.
And her special chocolate milkshakes.
There really was no point in dwelling on what I couldn’t change. What was done was done. I should have been focusing on what happened now, like finding out if I was still human or some genetically altered badass. Hey, it was possible. As much as I despised to admit it, Chase was the badass. So it was deducible that some of his awesome baddassness could have rubbed off on me.
Oh who was I kidding? I didn’t feel like a badass. It was strange – I felt different, yet I couldn’t put my finger on what those changes were. When I looked in the mirror, my face looked exactly the same. Not one blasted freckle out of place. My hair was still as straight as a board and as black as spades. I hadn’t gained or lost any weight. I was still only five foot three, and my tongue was just as sharp as ever – maybe sharper.
What I really needed was a distraction from my own rambling thoughts, something to fully occupy my mind. If I kept going at this rate, I would drive myself straight into the loony bin. I knew just what I needed.
No, not Chase.
Tiptoeing down the hall in my striped knee-high socks and white cotton shorts, I skipped down the stairs trying not to disturb my sleeping mother. It had been a long night. Sprawling out on the zebra print sofa, (mom was totally into animal print) I flipped the TV on, finding my favorite YouTube channel. Yes, this probably raised my geekdom levels, but I couldn’t help it. I was addicted to YouTube.
I was completely immersed in the repartee between Sips and Sjin when I felt the familiar heat skirt down the back of my neck, and the tattoo now gracing my hip tingled. Every time he was near, the same symptoms came over me. It was both disarming and irritating.
“What are you doing?” he asked, making himself at home on the couch beside me. His long legs stretched out in front of him. Letting himself into my house whenever he felt like it, had also become a habit.
My eyes were glued to the screen. I fought the urge to look over at him, finding it more difficult than it should have been. Whenever we were in the same room, I instinctually sought him out. Our eyes would connect, the world would standstill, and then we would go on as if nothing had happened. So recently I began to challenge myself, to see how long it would take me before I caved. “What does it look like? I’m watching TV, genius. Even you should be able to figure that out.” I answered, in a droll voice never taking my eyes off the tube. Try as I might to ignore his overbearing presence, I failed. Epically and continuously.
“This is not TV,” he argued, remaining as difficult as always.
“It’s Sips and Sjin,” I added, clenching my fists. My nails dug into my palms. It was all I could do to not look at him.
I felt those silver eyes on me and shifted under his gaze. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?” His voice alone could cut straight to my heart and make it beat a million times faster.
Tossing a handful of green and red skittles into my mouth, I snickered at the banter between my two
favorite gamers. “They do a play through of games and post them on YouTube with snarky humor. It’s a-ma-zing,” I informed, chewing on the wad of rainbow candy.
“Attractive.” His weight sunk his side of the couch.
I grinned, finally giving in and meeting those smoky eyes that haunted my dreams, no matter how much I willed otherwise. “It’s totally turning you on,” I teased, over exaggerating my chomping. I hated that just a peek at him in his ripped jeans and a black t-shirt could leave me breathless.
Joke was on me. His silver eyes flickered gold, and he shot me a devilish grin. “You’re right.”
Shit.
I swallowed. Well, that totally backfired. My pulse picked up, and I could feel myself pulled toward that god-worthy body. “Whatever,” I shot back weakly and returned my attention to the TV, though at this point he’d ruined it for me.
My feet were pressed against his thigh, seared by his incredible heat. He was like an inferno. “Okay. So let me get this straight. Instead of playing video games, you are now watching someone else play video games?”
I kicked him lightly in the thigh. “You got a problem with it – leave.” I put on a much braver front than I felt. Truthfully, if he did leave, I knew that the moment he was gone I would miss him. Pathetic.
“God, you are lame.”
That was it. I didn’t even think about what I was doing, I just tossed whatever was in my hand directly at Chase’s smirking mouth.
It happened to be the remote control.
I watched as his hand snatched it out of the thin air before it connected with his beautiful bad boy face. Damn his demon reflexes. “Nice try, Angel Eyes. I love it when you’re feisty.”
I scowled at him. “Mom is upstairs you know.”
He lifted that stupid brow with the hoop in it. Envy-worthy long lashes fanned around his twinkling eyes. “That sounds like a challenge.”
“God, you are warped.”
His wrist snaked out before I even saw it coming and gripped my ankle. With a quick tug he pulled me to him, and I shrieked in surprise. “You like it,” he murmured, his breath tickling my skin.
Suddenly I found myself in a very precarious position, straddled over his lap. Being this close to Chase meant trouble – of the good kind. I pushed aside the butterflies of excitement and anticipation. My body knew what was about to follow the kind of look he was giving me, and it was on high alert. “If you came over for a quick tumble you’ll be sadly disappointed,” I said, trying to sound completely bored and uninterested.
Yet the golden gleam in his eyes said no one was fooled, least of all him. His hands spanned on either side of my hips, burning right through the flimsy white cotton of my shorts. I cursed myself for not wearing more clothes and lots of layers. No, instead I strolled around the house next to naked.
“Nothing I ever do is quick Angel.”
Every time he said my name my pulse decided to race like it was on speed. I bit my lip to keep from sighing. The last thing I needed to do was stroke his already out of control ego.
“Do you need a demonstration?” he whispered, his voice dropping to dangerous octaves.
I swallowed, entranced by his eyes. He tipped his head forward grazing his lips across mine. A blaze of heat tore through my body leaving me achy and wanting more. I knew that I should pull away while I still had opportunity, because the small window was closing quickly.
As if I had a choice.
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I watched as his eyes darkened and flickered. He wasn’t the only one who could use the element of surprise. I laced my fingers into his hair, loving the way his eyes changed right before me. Never losing contact, I moved in to seal our lips together, needing –
Like I weighed no more than a pound of sugar, he lifted me in the air, and dropped me down on the couch. For a split second I was stunned…then I went up in flames. Roughly pushing the hair out of my face, I glared up at him, seething. “I am going to make you regret that Chase Winters.”
He stood hovering over me with a stupid grin. “I’m looking forward to it.”
I jumped off the couch, meeting him head-to-head. Okay well in reality it was like head-to-chest. It wasn’t my fault he was so damn tall or that I was so short. Cursed genes. “I think you better leave before I give in to the urge to stab you.”
He chuckled walking to the door. “There is never a dull moment with you.” Pausing in the doorway, he leaned against the frame. “It’s why I like you, Angel Eyes.” He brushed a piece of loose hair behind my ear.
Without further ado, I slammed the door in his face. As usual, his laughter seeped through from the other side. This seemed to be our signature goodbye more and more lately. I think he liked it in some twisted way. It was like he lived to get under my skin or under my shirt. Propped against the closed door, I closed my eyes and released a whoosh of breath I’d been holding from his touch.
“Angel,” my mom called from upstairs.
Ugh. I had woken up sleeping beauty with my outburst. “Sorry mom,” I hollered back.
~*~*~*~
Hello Monday morning, you suck. That was my first thought of the day – lovely wasn’t it? Lying in my bed, I stared at the ceiling. Today there would be many firsts for me.
First day back to school since my… accident. Is that what I should refer to it as? An accident?
First time I would see Brandy since she lured me into a trap. In her defense she had been compelled, so I couldn’t really hold it against her. Chase on the other hand, had absolutely no qualms about holding her entirely responsible. Nothing in his thought process made any sense to me. Or maybe that was just guys in general.
First time I would be leaving the confines and security of my house. I would have to be a fool and an idiot after all I went through to not be nervous and cautious about the creepy and scary as shit things that are out there. They weren’t just stuff made up in nightmares and horror films.
Rolling out of bed, I stood in front of the mirror and pulled up my t-shirt. There it was – the black swirly design. A constant reminder of that night, the night I became something more than human. It had been a week since that hellish night – a week of me skipping school. My mom thought I had come down with some kind of extreme illness. I told her I caught it from Chase, which in a funny way was the truth.
The intricate swirls were no longer red or caused me pain, but the mark did sometimes tingle or get warm. Tracing the tribal lines with my finger, I thought about Chase and what he had done to save me. I still didn’t fully understand what he had sacrificed other than tying our souls together forever.
Forever.
It sounded so definite. Forever with Chase. I should have been horrified by the idea not…
Thrilled.
Eager.
Elated.
Huffing at my reflection, I pulled down my shirt and went to my closet. School waited whether I was ready or not. I’ll admit there was some apprehension coiling in my belly. Tossing on a pair of jeans and a cardigan, I raced downstairs.
Heading into the kitchen, I went to grab myself a bowl of Lucky Charms. I could use a little luck of the Irish. There was a pink note on the granite counter that captured my attention. A small box sat under the note. It was from my mom.
Angel,
I love you dearly, but I swear if you drop this phone in the toilet, run it over with your car, or any other excuse you can come up with, it will be the last time you use a phone. Got it? I’m pretty sure the guy at the phone company thinks I eat cell phones for dinner. Please be more careful.
Love, Mom
P.S. Speaking of dinner, I made extras tonight for Chase.
Good Lord. Now my mom was cooking him dinner. He even had her wrapped around his finger. I would deal with that later, but right now I grinned as I tore open the box to my new iPhone.
Hell yeah.
The worse part of getting a new phone was that I had to input all my contacts again, which I guess wasn’t as bad as it seem
ed. I mean, I live in Spring Valley. There really weren’t that many people to add. Glancing at the clock, I realized my glee was to be short lived. If I didn’t hurry my tushie, I was going to be late for school. Slipping my new kickass phone into my backpack, I threw down a bowl of leprechaun cereal just before a car horn beeped outside my house.
Chapter 2
The horn beeped again two seconds later. “Hold your boxers on,” I mumbled. He could be so intolerable. Why had I agreed to ride with Chase and Lexi to school this morning?
Oh yeah, that’s right. He hadn’t given me a choice. Chase had gone all macho and bossy insisting that we ride to and from school together, for my safety of course.
What a bunch of baloney.
Grabbing my bag from the corner, I locked the front door behind me. I don’t know why I bothered. There wasn’t a lock Chase couldn’t get around. It was on his long list of skills. There, in my driveway was a shiny, brand-spanking new, silver Audi. The color reminded me of his eyes. I was starting to think that Chase went through vehicles as much as normal people change their sheets. It was insane – and costly.
Plopping into the passenger seat, I smiled at Lexi in the back. “What happened to the bike? Don’t tell me you totaled it already.”
He gave me a disarming grin, ignoring my barb. “It’s been retired for the season. You like?”
I shrugged. “If you’re into flashy. Not my style.” I was trying hard not to be impressed. It was a very attractive and sleek car – sort of like its owner.
“I’m flashy, and I’m your style,” he said cockily.
Lexi snickered from the backseat.
Laying my head on the back of the seat, I groaned.
“Better buckle up. This baby has quite the pickup.”
“Fabulous,” I muttered under my breath, clicking the seatbelt securely in place. Just what he needed, another ultra-fast car to kill me in. Given that I could be killed – again.
