Losing Emma (A Divisa Novella) (Divisa Series)

by Weil, J. L.

  “Hey,” he greeted, his voice like velvet.

  She pulled out her earbuds. “What are you doing?” she asked, grinning.

  “I missed you, and I needed to do this.” He pressed his lips against hers. She sighed into the kiss and into his embrace.

  Inside she was blooming with happiness. The kind of happiness she had never felt before. This was the first time she had actually felt like she belonged. Everything here felt right. She could live in this moment, basking in Travis’s kiss forever.

  It ended far too quickly. The noise from the halls returned to full force. Interlocking their fingers, she gazed into his sea-green eyes.

  He smiled down at her glowing face. “So how do your parents really feel about us?” He asked his hand warm in hers.

  She shrugged her shoulders smiling gently. “It went better than I imagined. I guess maybe I didn’t give them enough credit.”

  “So does that mean I can take you out on a real date?”

  Her grin spread. “Maybe.” He wove them into the sea of students lingering in the halls between classes. “So has Chase warmed up to the idea that I know?”

  Travis snorted. “I don’t think he’ll ever warm up to any idea. This one might take him a lifetime to forgive me.”

  She hated that she had caused any kind of rift between them. There had to be a way to patch it up and makes things normal again. Well as normal as they could be considering. “I’m sorry. This is all my fault. The last thing I want is to cause problems in your family.”

  He tugged on her arm stopping them in the middle of the hall. Kids shuffled around them. “This isn’t your fault. I don’t want you blaming yourself. Chase and I will always have a difference of opinion. He is just so stubborn and cocky. If it wasn’t us it would be something else,” he passionately assured.

  She wasn’t so sure she was convinced. Maybe there was something she could do or say to convince Chase that her knowing wasn’t the end of the world.

  After her last class Emma searched Chase out. A swarm of butterflies swam in her belly. Who knew how he would react. He was like a live wire waiting to ignite. There was a small part of her that wished she wouldn’t find him…but she did.

  He had a hand propped against the lockers boxing in an extremely beautiful redhead. The girl looked at him with a sultry glare, loving his attention. It was evident she was captivated by him. The same couldn’t be said for Chase.

  Emma shivered. She fought the need to flee. He scared the daylights out of her. She was at a lost for what the redhead saw in him. Sure he was gorgeous if you are into egotistical assholes, but under the surface, those silver eyes were hard as steel and looked just as ruthless.

  Coming up behind him, she cleared her throat. The redhead stared her down and looked ready to rip off her head. Suddenly she was thinking this was a very bad idea.

  Chase slowly turned around seeing the flames flare in Sierra’s amber eyes. She didn’t look pleased, not that he cared. He was getting tired of her always throwing herself at him.

  It was embarrassing.

  He hadn’t expected to fall upon a large pair of doe green eyes that looked ready to dart. Lifting a brow, he waited for her to say something.

  Emma swallowed the lump in her throat blocking her speech. She would have to freeze up now and end up looking like a complete imbecile. Taking a deep breath, she ignored the stink eyes from the redhead. “Can I talk to you? Alone,” she added. She didn’t want to say what she had come to say in front an audience, especially one that looked like she wanted to stab her.

  “Beat it Sierra.” He didn’t even turn her way.

  What an ass.

  Now her nerves were shot. He gave her a look of boredom as he leaned his back on the lockers in a lazy pose. “I – I just wanted you to know that I am not going to tell anyone about–”

  “And why should I trust anything you say?” he interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest.

  Oh man. He wasn’t going to make this easy. “Because I care about Travis, and I know you do too. I would never do anything to hurt him.”

  He studied the dainty girl who had the gall to approach him when it was obvious she was scared shitless. Had to give her credit for that, he might be leery of people by nature but something in her mossy eyes told him she was sincere.

  She would keep their secret, maybe even protect it. Well at least Travis he was certain He hoped he wouldn’t regret this. “Surprisingly I do believe you.”

  She was stunned. The argument she had ready was rendered useless. “Oh…good,” she replied, slightly feeling puzzled. “I don’t want to get in-between your relationship.”

  He smirked, reminding Emma of a predator. “Rest assured I won’t disown him just yet.”

  This whole conversation was more than she had hoped for. It made her cautious and had been far too easy. And if there was one thing she was certain, nothing with Chase was easy. “Okay. Can we keep this between us?”

  “Probably best.”

  She left feeling not entirely sure if they had come to some kind of friendly agreement or if she had just struck a deal with the devil, but she could have sworn there was a glint of respect in his silver eyes.

  Chase watched her retreat down the hall. If he wasn’t so opposed to human and Divisa relationships, he would think that Emma was exactly what his lighthearted cousin needed. The way he saw it, there was already too many complications being a Divisa, why add a human relationship to the mix. It was a recipe for disaster. Not to mention the gigantic risk you took at exposing them to life-threatening danger.

  Chase was better off alone than with that amount of responsibility on his conscious.

  Chapter 15

  Christmas approached. Emma couldn’t believe how giddy and happy she was. Travis had asked her to the Winter Formal, but that wasn’t all he asked her.

  It was official.

  She had a boyfriend.

  Eeee.

  She had plans today to go shopping with Brandy and Kailyn for the perfect dress. The two of them were complete jokers, so it should be an interesting experience. It felt normal to be going out with friends, to be going to a dance with a boy. Finally, it was past time Emma had some normal and consistency in her life.

  Saturday in Princeton was chaotic for a small town. Everyone seemed to be outside enjoying the unseasonably warm climate. Well warm for December. They sun was bright and reflecting a glistening light off piles of snow. A light breeze with a bite blew through her knitted hat, ruffling tendrils of her loose hair. It was mother natures remaindered that it was indeed winter, and to not let the sun fool you.

  There was a permanent smile on her lips as she walked down the cobblestone pathway. It had been there since Travis had asked her to the dance.

  Brandy and Kailyn were waiting at the corner on Main Street. She could hear their loud voices over the bustle of the crowd. They were cheerleaders after all and blessed with voices that carried so unlike Emma’s soft spoken one.

  “We didn’t think you were ever going to get here,” Brandy said as she approached. Her chocolate eyes glimmered flippantly.

  Kailyn looked frozen to the bone in a skimpy skirt, bare legs exposed to the chill of winter. She was all for fashion but not at the expense of freezing to death. “Are you crazy? What are you wearing?” Emma asked her stupefied.

  “What?” Kailyn replied, looking down at herself completely clueless. “This cardigan totally goes with the skirt.”

  She didn’t doubt Kailyn’s fashion abilities, just her lack of common sense. Emma fought the urge to roll her eyes. “We better get inside before you stop traffic.”

  Brandy giggled. “Isn’t that the point?”

  She couldn’t argue with that. It was obvious that was Kailyn’s intention. Walking into the department store, Emma loved the scent of new merchandise. It was hers for the picking.

  “Girls, lets shop until we drop,” Brandy said, grinning.

  The three of them tore through the dress racks
like a bum rushing tornado and laughing like school girls. Emma was having the time of her life.

  Poking through a row of white gowns, she felt Brandy nudge her shoulder beside her.

  “So you’ve been spending a lot of time with Travis,” Brandy commented, her voice hinting at something.

  Emma paused for just a second. She wasn’t sure she was going to like where this was going. She felt so defensive about Travis lately. Well since she found out what his secret was. “I guess.” Neither of them had exactly spread the news of their relationship. She was probably just digging for dirt.

  “Hmm,” Brandy pursed her lips. “Well what’s it like?” she asked, her eyes glowing deviously.

  Emma’s brows drew together in confusion. Did she have to be so encrypted? “What’s what like?”

  She eyed Emma like she had a giant L on her forehead. “The sex duh.”

  This time Emma did roll her eyes. Brandy was like a girl version of a guy, sex always on the brain, except she also liked a good scandal. “I wouldn’t know.”

  Brandy stopped in place, her hand resting on some gaudy dress. “What! I don’t believe it.”

  “Believe it,” Emma insisted.

  “We’re talking about a high school boy.” She gave Emma a pointed look.

  “Not everything is about sex,” Emma defended.

  “Are you an alien? He is a guy. Of course everything is about sex,” Brandy rebutted.

  She shrugged, not entirely comfortable talking about something so private and intimate. Even if she was one of her closest friends and what she said might be true, but Travis was different. Boy was he ever.

  “So are the rumors about his family true?” Brandy asked, raising an eye.

  Shifting uncomfortable, she was feeling the pressure under fire. Sweat beaded at her hairline in panic. She forced a laugh of silliness, like it was the most absurd thing she could ever imagine. It had to be convincing, and Emma was no actress. “Hardly. His family is great.”

  “You aren’t the least bit scared to be alone with them? In that big old house?” Brandy asked wide-eyed, uncertainty lacing her tone.

  This she could answer with honesty. “No. If anything I feel the opposite. I feel safe there.”

  Emma thought for sure she would press the matter. Her heart pounded. It turned out that Brandy move swiftly from topic to topic. She was slightly scatter-brained and could be difficult to keep up with. Apparently covering the basics on her relationship with Travis had satisfied her need for gossip.

  Well at least for now.

  Kailyn appeared around the corner, bouncing curls framing her face with an armload of glitzy dresses. She looked between the two of them empty handed. “Why are you guys just standing around with your thumb up your ass? Do you plan on going to the dance naked?”

  Brandy and Emma looked at each other and busted out laughing. Kailyn had the class of a mule. They spent the next hour trying on dress after dress. She adored every minute. The dressing room was littered with discarded clothing and filled with their giggles. It was wonderful to be silly and carefree.

  In the end, Emma fell in love with the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. It might just be over the top, but she couldn’t help it. She felt like this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Regardless of how much fun she had today, something loomed in the future she couldn’t yet gasp, but it was inevitable.

  She wasn’t sure why she suddenly felt a cloud of gloom. There was a nagging in a tiny corner of her brain telling her she needed to treasure each moment she was given. It could all end as quickly as it began.

  And that this might be the only high school dance she would attend.

  Chapter 16

  The next day the weather took a dramatic turn. A blizzard like Emma had never seen raged outside her bedroom window. So thick were the flakes it was nothing but a sheet of white. It looked fierce and anger as it waged a battle against elements, wind, brittle cold, and heavy snow.

  She sat with her hand in her chin staring at the storm beating on her window.

  All hope of seeing Travis today vanished. You have to be insane and crazy to venture on in a storm like this. She had visions of being snowed in as she watched the piles of flakes accumulate at rapid speeds. That would just be her luck. She was probably the only girl who actually wanted to go to school only to be denied by the physics of nature.

  How cruel.

  With all her commitments at home and at the studio, school was the one place she was sure to see Travis.

  Sighing against the frozen pane, she started to feel trapped inside her room and a little stir crazy. Maybe she should go entertain Abi for a bit and get her mind off the disappointment. Just as she was about to get up from her position on the window seat, her phone buzzed beside her.

  Travis.

  His name splashed across the screen. She smiled.

  Are you as bored as I am? His text read.

  God was she ever. You have no idea. Is the snow ever going to end?

  It doesn’t look like it. I think we’re pretty much caged in for the day.

  Ugh. Any chance you can control the weather?

  Sorry, not part of my curse.

  She hated that he thought of himself as cursed. In her eyes he was perfect. This sucks. She had such an elegant way with words.

  Her parents were downstairs doing who knows what, but as long as they were up and around there was no way she could sneak Travis in. Well that was also if he was able to trudge through this blasted weather. Something told her that those were all very large and impossible ifs. She couldn’t help but be disappointed.

  I was really hoping to see you. She sent back to him before he had a chance to reply.

  Me too. He answered with a sad face.

  Suddenly she needed to hear his voice. It wasn’t enough through words. If she couldn’t spend the day with him, then she could at least spend it talking to him. So when her phone rang and startled her, she shouldn’t have been surprised it was Travis. They always seemed to be operating on the same wavelength.

  It was freaky.

  “Hey,” she answered. “That was weird. I was just going to call you.”

  “You were,” he said in a voice like velvet. “Looks like we both had the same idea.”

  Their conversations were always so effortless and carefree. She didn’t have to worry about saying the wrong things, or filling in uncomfortable silence. Words, laughter, and longing flowed between the two of them.

  Easily they lost track of time. She noticed how quite the house had gotten as their conversation turned toward his secret life. The more she learned about his world, the more she felt like a fish out of water.

  “Are you ever afraid?” she asked

  “Afraid? Do you mean of hell and the hunters?”

  “That and dying? Doesn’t it ever just get to you? That tomorrow might be the last day you live?” It was starting to really sink in how dangerous and precarious his life really was. He didn’t have the solid future most did. What kind of future was it always fighting for your life?

  “Those aren’t things I’m afraid. I guess it would make more sense if I was, but those things, hell and hunters have always been a part of my life. I’ve never known anything different.”

  Emma couldn’t help but feel sympathy. She thought about the human hunters who took it upon themselves to decide that all Divisa were a threat that needed to be extinguished. Emma knew how wrong they were.

  Murders.

  That was what they really were. Travis wasn’t just a demon. He was human also and deserved a chance as much as the rest of the world. She knew firsthand all the good inside Travis. In her eyes it outweighed the sliver of evil that lurched within. And even then he could control it when he set his mind to it.

  He could beat it.

  “What I fear most is losing you,” he admitted.

  Well damn. That just softened her mounting anger. “Smooth, I’ll give you that,” she said, grinning. “But it still doesn’t
change the amount of danger you face constantly.”

  “Are you worried about me?” There was a hint of smugness in his tone.

  “Possibly.” Duh. Of course she was worried. From what she understood, you never knew when an attack from the underworld was possible. The visuals she was getting were definitely not helping the situation either. That was what she got for having such an over-active imagination.

  “You don’t need to worry,” he stressed. “Nothing is going to happen to me.”

  “There is no way you can promise that,” she rebuked. “How can I not worry? There are things and people trying to kill you.”

  “True, but this is all new to you. It’s normal to be wary of the unknown, but I’ve spent too much time with evil to not know what to expect. And that is advantage they don’t have. I understand you are afraid, and I can promise you that I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  That she believed without hesitation. She still wasn’t entirely convinced that he was safe. And that was going to haunt her all night.

  Tossing and turning, Emma couldn’t chase the nightmare that followed into her dreams. Somewhere along the lines of sleep her subconscious seemed to lose the borders of reality and dreams.

  She found herself in the middle of a thick forest with Travis at her side. Sure it didn’t start out that bad, actually it was nice.

  His smile.

  His hand in hers.

  His wicked eyes.

  And just like that, in a split second his eyes were blazing a terrible yellow. Wicked indeed. Gone was any trace of the calming turquoise and replaced with a fiery fire.

  The trees around her closed in, blanketed her in darkness as she begin to panic. The air was heavy and hard to breathe. She felt Travis warm hand squeeze hers in comfort. It offered little, but she knew that there was something out there in, luring in the towering trees. Just waiting, waiting to strike.

  Emma expected to see a gruesome and horrid beast, like the hellhound that had pounced on her car that icy night. She was surveying the small area for searing crimson eyes and the low rumble of hell. The prickle at her neck indicated impending doom.