by Weil, J. L.
As soon as the bell rang, I was the first out of my seat and through the door. I was surprised I’d made it so far. By the end of the day, I was split in half. There was no denying that a huge part of me wanted to tell him to stick his explanation where the sun don’t shine. Another part of me, a slim part of me, wanted to hear him worm out of this without my hand connecting to his cheek.
When I pulled into my driveway, his car was already parked sleekly in his. What the hell? How had he beaten me home? Well, it was now or never. It turned out, my feet made the decision for me.
I marched across his yard, each stomp getting heavier and heavier until I reached the steps of his white porch. I put a hand on the banister. No way was I meeting him anywhere. I was going to tell him off, lose his number, and forget he was alive. That was the plan.
The plan was blown to shit.
The door opened before I had a chance to knock. I stood on the porch seething with pent up rage. Before I even registered what I was doing, my hand was sailing through the air straight for Chase’s perfect cheekbone. Unfortunately my hand never made the connection. And it burned my blood. It was the least he had deserved after the way he had made me feel.
His hand wrapped around my wrist, and his thumb rubbed over my pulsing vein. “You are a naughty girl.”
I let a strangled cry right before I launched myself at him. Nothing beat a woman scorned. My fist beat against his chest wildly with unrestrained vigor and was anything but effective to my utter frustration. I wanted to hurt him as much as he had hurt me. But it was like hitting a solid wall, and I only ended up bruising my hands in addition to my already bruised heart.
To say I went ballistic was an understatement.
His arms engulfed me, holding me until the fight was drained out of me. My breathing was coming in quick pants having exerted so much energy. I expected him to laugh at me or tease me, anything but the harsh regret I heard in his voice.
“Angel, it’s not what you think,” he whispered in my ear.
I went limp in his arms, my heart squeezing. “I’m not an idiot Chase.”
“I never said you were, but you are acting like a fool.” That was it. I clamped my teeth on his arm and bit down. His arm released me on a curse like hot coal. “Dammit Angel.” Firmly he spun me around to face him. “What can I say to you that will make you believe that there is nothing between Sierra and I? There never was and there never will be. Not now.” There was desperation in his tone that I never thought possible.
I narrowed my eyes. “Why? Because of this stupid mark?” I snorted. “Please, don’t let it stand in the way.”
He groaned, running a frustrated hand through his midnight hair. “Ugh, Angel you are such an impossible brat.”
“Me!” I shrieked. He had some nerve. His hand reached out to me again. “Touch me, and I will make mincemeat out of you,” I threatened through my clenched teeth. My jaw was starting to throb, along with my head.
Travis snickered from inside the house. I hadn’t even noticed him or that we had an audience. My rage had disbursed all my focus on Chase. Nothing new, he always consumed me in one way or another.
Chase scowled, his whiskey rimmed eyes never leaving mine. “Travis, don’t you have some brain cells to kill?”
I saw Travis lean over the back of the couch. “Are you kidding? And miss Angel tear you to shreds? This is way more entertaining.”
“Fine,” said Chase, a vein at his temple pulsing. “We’re leaving.”
“I am not going anywhere with you,” I announced prepared to hug one of the porch columns if necessary.
His eyes flashed as he engulfed the doorway. “You can walk out of here on your own, or I can help you. And trust me, I would enjoy it.”
“Why should I got anywhere with you, you two-timing low-life,” I snapped.
“So I can show you what I’ve been doing…and it hasn’t been Sierra.”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine,” I reluctantly agreed. He had piqued my interest. “Travis, if I don’t come back…avenge me.”
Dimples in full view, Travis laughed. “It would be my pleasure.”
Chapter 11
“Where are you taking me?” I asked, grudgingly hopping into his overpriced car. He was keeping a close eye on me, and I knew that if I made a break for it, he would stop me before I’d even had the chance to take one step. Why had I agreed to let him hijack me without giving me any information?
After last night, he was lucky I was even speaking to him.
“To get some answers,” he said short.
“Stop being so mysterious. It’s annoying.” His grip tightened on the wheel, and I secretly grinned inside. Good, let him get agitated.
“You aren’t going to give up are you?” he asked.
“Not a chance in hell. You got me in the car, the least you can do is tell me where we are going. You owe it to me.” I leaned against the door, putting as much space as the car allowed between us.
“You would see it that way.” He sighed. “It’s not what you think. Sierra has been helping me.”
“Oh, I’m sure she has,” I sneered, narrowing my gaze.
“You are utterly impossible,” he declared, shaking his head, the light from the window emphasized his chiseled cheekbones.
I pivoted in my seat. “Don’t you dare make this about me. I’m two-seconds away from jumping out of the car.”
“You won’t even reach the handle before I got to you,” he heaved heavily, clearly unhappy with the direction this convo was going. “Look, before this turns into a full out combat, just listen.” He looked over at me waiting to see what I would do or say next.
I did nothing.
Turning his eyes back to the miles of road stretched out before us, he took advantage of my silence. “Sierra’s parents are both half-demons.”
That was nothing new to me. Lexi had told me about her parents. I didn’t really see what they had to do with any of this. Were they pushing Chase and Sierra together? The thought filled me with red hot jealousy. I bit my tongue and let him continue.
“They know a lot of people within the Divisa community. We’ve all heard rumors about humans being bonded to half-demons, but that’s just it – rumors. I never really put much stock in any of that crap. Well, until you. Sierra however, totally bought into it mainly because of her parents. I asked her for help locating someone who might know more about our connection, about what might happen to you because of it.”
Wow. I sort of felt lame.
He wasn’t sneaking off and hooking up with that skank Sierra. But even so, I absolutely hated knowing that they had spent any time together just on principal, even if it was for a good cause.
When the initial shock wore off, I asked. “And you found someone?”
His lips twitched. “I found an extremely knowledgeable Divisa on the outskirts of town. He might be able to shed some light on this whole connection we got going. That’s what Sierra and I were doing, tracking him down. Her parents only had a name. When we found him, they made a call. He agreed to talk with us.”
“And Sierra was just helping you out of the kindness of her black heart? Bullshit. What does she get? What did you promise her in return?” It was common knowledge that there was no love lost between Sierra and I.
“Look, I know that she can be…”
“A bitch,” I supplied.
He grinned. A low beam of sunlight hit him through the window, highlighting streaks of midnight in his hair. “That’s putting it nicely. But she just wants to help.”
“You expect me to believe that load of crap?”
“I do. I’ve never lied to you Angel. I am not about to start now,” he declared.
I looked away, staring out the window as rows upon rows of dense trees rolled by. “Do you really think he will be able to help?” I finally asked.
“I hope so. He is our only lead so far.” He gave me a crocked grin. “Hold tight, this is going to be the ride of your life.”
I crossed my fingers as he drove us out of Spring Valley and onto the highway. There was something relaxing about the way he drove. I shouldn’t have felt that. Not. At. All. He didn’t exactly have the best track record with cars. You’d think that I would have been scared to death to get in another car with him, but that wasn’t the case. Somehow Chase always managed to make me feel safe and secure.
Even when I was pissed to the max at him.
I was totally going to blame that on this bond. Also, I couldn’t help but notice that just being near him made me feel at peace. “So what’s his name?” I asked, tucking my hands into the pockets of my teal hoodie.
Peering at me from under insanely thick lashes, he grinned. “Ives.”
“Ives,” I echoed, scrunching my nose. “What kind of name is Ives?”
Not long after that he turned off the main road and down what I wouldn’t have even deemed a road. It was more like a path, a ghostly path. When he pulled up to a house that looked more like an abandoned shack, I figured we were lost. Boards twisted chaotically, falling off and the wood was miss-matched and different colors. “Why didn’t you use the GPS?”
He gave me an odd look. “We’re here. What do I need the GPS for?
“You’re joking,” I snorted. “He lives here? A rat couldn’t live here.”
“Angel Eyes, sometimes you can be such a snob.”
I gave him the stink eye. Me? I’m not the one driving a car that obviously cost more than this guy’s house. Reluctantly following him out of the car, I waited on the rattling and rickety porch as Chase knocked on the door.
“It’s open,” called a voice from inside.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I whispered. “I better come out of here alive,” I warned unable to shake this eerie vibe.
Chase grinned devilishly. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”
“I left it at home with my common sense,” I replied surly.
The decrepit door creaked like an old woman as Chase pushed it open. When we looked inside the air swirled with dust particles through a tiny stream of light. The uneven floorboards groaned as Chase walked over the threshold. His body was taunt and on alert, looking for anything out of the ordinary. He might be here for answers, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t cautious. Chase was always on guard.
It was just one of his many annoying traits.
“In the back,” yelled the voice again. It was deep and sounded like aged wine. Maybe he was as old as this dump.
I followed close behind Chase. Possibly too close. I could smell him over the musty, pine scent. Sexy. Wicked. Yummy. Unable to help myself, I inhaled deeply, forgetting where we were or why we were here.
He stopped abruptly right outside a doorway, and I bumped ungracefully into him, the whole arms flailing deal. “Did you just sniff me?” he asked with a lazy grin.
I regained my balance. “And if I did?”
He just shook his head and stepped through the door. The room wasn’t exactly what I’d been expecting. Papers were scattered haphazardly on top a large mahogany desk. And the man behind the desk was an even bigger shock. He was maybe in his forties, with brown wavy hair, a day’s growth covered his face, and…he was smoking hot for an old dude. Gently smiling, he indicated for us to take a seat in the two chairs.
I didn’t move.
“Angel, you can close your mouth now,” Chase whispered in my ear, pulling me from my gawking state.
I gave him an evil glare from the corner of my eye, and then planted my butt in front of the massive desk. Trying to ignore my flushing cheeks, I glanced at the rest of the room. Framed maps lined the walls along with a whole lot of other ancient mumble jumble.
“Wow. I was skeptical when Magnolia called.” I said, looking me over. I assumed Magnolia was Sierra’s mom. His green eyes brimmed with wonder. “You really do ooze his signature. Could I possibly see the marks?”
“I don’t do show and tell,” I snapped. No matter how hot Ives might be, I wasn’t ready to lift up my shirt for any yahoo.
“Not going to happen,” Chase refused, echoing my rude remark. “You’ll just have to take our word for it. They’re there and identical.”
“I can tell you it burned like a mother,” I said, offering that little tidbit. The memory still tortured me some nights, even some days. It was the kind of pain I never wanted to feel again. The marks were unique to the demon bloodlines. You could tell which demon had sired the half-breed by the mark they were born with. Travis and Lexi share the same symbol – the same demon blood.
Ives reclined from the desk, putting his hands behind his head. “Hmm. That sounds about right. It’s been quite some time since I have seen a bond such as yours – one linking a human with a half-demon. I will answer any questions that I can, but I must warn you, I am no expert. It’s a phenomenon few understand and grasp even less.”
Goodie gumdrops. It was our lucky day.
“But wow, what the two of you have is strong,” he added.
Chase cut the friendly pleasantries. “How about you start with what you do know,” he prompted, not entirely impressed with Ives. He was such a cynic.
Ives palm tree green eyes twinkled. “Well there are three various bonds. If the information I’ve gathered over the years is accurate, yours is a soulbond – a linking of souls. It is believed that the circumstances surrounding the connection play into factor as to the kind of link that is shared between the two involved. There must be an extremely strong desire for the completion to take place and also a sacrifice from the half-demon. Do you have any idea what your sacrifice was?” he asked Chase.
“Yeah, my sanity,” he mumbled under his breath.
I kicked him.
Chase raised a curious brow at me.
Finding humor in our behavior, Ives lips turned up at the corners. He folded his hands together on top of the desk. “Well, I can draw my own conclusions. Getting back to the connection…There is a contingent to the bond. The more time you spend together, the stronger your bond will become.”
Oh crap on a stick.
I chewed on my bottom lip. “What do you mean by time?” I asked.
His clear green eyes met mine. “From what I’ve learned, each moment you are together tightens the link between you. Even just being in the same house, the same school can strengthen the connection.”
“Errr, what about being neighbors? Is there a radius on this together aspect? Are we talking few feet, a few miles?” I asked.
“Hmm, good question. I take it you live next to each other?”
We nodded in unison.
“I can’t pinpoint an exact distance. It doesn’t work that way, but it is something that I would tell you to experiment with. A few miles would be my guess,” Ives informed.
“So by us being neighbors…” I began, trying to put together the pieces and wrap my head around this. “We are potentially forging our connection to each other without trying?” Dear God.
“Potentially – yes. From what I can sense…most definitely,” Ives confirmed with a serious expression.
Chase groaned and I squeaked.
After a few moments of sinking silence I heard Chase ask, “What happens if we are separated?”
The computer screen on his desk flickered black from inactivity. “Well, for short periods of time – nothing. It’s the long timeframes that you need to worry about. The tighter your link to each other is, the harder a separation can be, even crucially painful. It starts out with just a tightness in the chest and then progresses to difficulty breathing, only to get worse and worse the more drawn out the length is.”
Pure panic filled me. Chase reached over and twined our fingers together, offering me comfort. There he went again, trying to be sweet. But this time, it was appreciated and effective. The alarm I felt moments ago dissipated.
“Enough to kill us?” Chase asked what was in both our thoughts. Had he saved me, only to possibly send us both to the grave?
Ives tapped the end of a p
encil on the desk. “Not that I have ever seen, but it can weaken you to the point of death.”
“Well that sounds fun…maybe if you were sadistic,” I mumbled.
Ives mouth twitched. I could tell he was amused by me. Who could really blame him? I was just a ball of sunshine.
Ives pushed up the sleeves of his black cardigan. “Let’s do a little test, shall we?” he sprung on us sounding like a scientist.
“I’m a sucky lab rat,” I assured Ives. A test? I didn’t like the sound of that and by the stiffening of hothead beside me, neither did he. We were both afraid of what the conclusions might be.
“I couldn’t help but notice how upset you got Angel when I mentioned the pain you could encounter if kept apart. Then Chase, you reached for her hand. Why?”
Chase angled his head and looked at him calculatedly, like he was trying to figure out his angle. “I was trying to offer her comfort,” he replied, shrugging like it was no big deal.
“And Angel, did it work? Was he able to take away the fear you were feeling?”
I looked from Ives to Chase feeling exposed. “Maybe.”
Ives grinned. “I’ll take that as a yes. What I think neither of you realized is the depth of the connection that is already in motion.” His eyes sought Chase’s. “Chase you can feel Angel’s emotions, what she is feeling and in return act on what her emotions are telling you. When you touch her, you take away her pain, her fear, and give her comfort, solace. She can also offer the same to you. Together, the two of you are indirectly responsible for the other’s well-being, for their happiness.”
Neither of us looked convinced – or thrilled by this revelation.
I scowled, not liking the path this conversation was taking. I seemed to find myself more and more attached to Chase – without even trying.
“What are you feeling now Angel?” Ives asked quietly.
“Like I want to stab him,” I answered, attempting boredom.
“And Chase…”
A hint of smirk crossed Chase’s lips. He reclined in his seat like he didn’t have a care in the world, except of course for the little tick in his neck. It was little things like that I noticed and maybe more... He wasn’t any happier about our little experiment than I was. At least we were in agreement on something. “Like she is stabbing me,” he replied.
