by Anna Santos
I sighed deeply. Why does everybody think that I’m going back to Philippe? It was becoming annoying.
“Jo says he loves you. Maybe she’s right, and I’m overreacting and my fear for your life is unfounded. But you need to understand that Philippe isn’t a normal wounded person who you can cure. He’s an old vampire, someone who hurt a lot of people. He may be damaged beyond repair. He may damage you and destroy everything that makes you beautiful.”
“I know that,” I said to him. “I’m not as naïve as you may think. You aren’t in a better shape yourself. Something hurt you, and you have to deal with that. Your hate for vampires isn’t healthy. Your fear of abandonment isn’t healthy, either. You need to listen to other people’s opinions.”
“I’ll try to work on that next time. If there’s a next time after you reject me.” I ignored his pleading eyes. “You are sexy when you get mad,” he whispered with a smirk.
“Are you being serious?” I rolled my eyes when he nodded. “You need a shrink.”
“Probably,” he teased. “It’s difficult to explain, but I need someone to tell me to my face when I’m being a jerk or stubborn. Someone who can handle me.”
“Then I’m not it,” I assured him as I folded my arms.
“You are. You are strong and have your heart in the right place.”
“Are you ready to go or not?” Philippe asked, opening the door and stepping inside. His eyes narrowed at the sight of Cedric and I being close to each other.
“We are ready,” I said, walking towards the door.
Philippe looked at me intensely.
“I’m okay,” I whispered, so he would relax.
“I’m taking Aria with me,” Cedric said, following behind us.
“Aria is coming with me and that’s not even opened to discussion,” Philippe said, holding on to my hand.
“She can decide for herself,” Cedric snapped at him, teleporting to the end of the stairs and waiting for us to arrive there.
“And you just figured that out for yourself, did you?” Philippe mocked.
“Are you two going to act like kids the entire night?” I asked, stopping in the middle of the stairs. “We have an important matter to resolve, and you need to stop competing for my attention. It’s embarrassing.”
“So, with whom do you want to go?” Cedric asked, folding his arms and waiting for my decision.
My words were useless because, apparently, I had to decide. I looked from Philippe to Cedric and then back to Philippe.
“Since you didn’t want me at that meeting in the first place,” I said to Cedric. “I’m going with Philippe.”
Cedric said nothing. He was distracted and looking upstairs. I followed his eyes. Jo was coming down in a new blue dress and looking gorgeous but fierce.
“I’ll wait for you two in the car,” she said to us, completely ignoring Cedric and leaving a trail of sensual perfume behind.
Cedric’s behavior was intriguing. I looked at Philippe. I was probably imagining things, but Philippe was looking at Cedric with narrowed eyes that confirmed my gut-feeling.
Philippe lifted me into his arms and pressed me against his chest. It sent waves of heat straight to my face. “My mom is off limits to you,” he told Cedric before we sped out of there to the car.
I was able to breathe again when he placed me inside the car next to Jo.
Philippe is jealous of Cedric or is it my impression?
The driver started the car, and we were on our way to the church. The silence bothered me. So, I decided to be straightforward about my doubts.
“Are you two lovers?” I had to know what I was getting myself into. Cedric had implied it, but I didn’t want to believe him. Maybe he was right, and I was truly naïve and stupid.
“Of course not. Cedric and I aren’t lovers,” Jo denied promptly.
“What?” I gestured my hands in denial. “No, you and Philippe,” I explained. Why would she even think I was talking about Cedric? Philippe was right. I wasn’t imagining things.
“No,” she replied with a serious face without blinking. “We are not.”
I looked at Philippe to see his expression. He was quiet.
“We aren’t.” Looking at Jo, he probed, “Yet, I would like to know what is going on between Cedric and you. He keeps saying that he wants to talk to you, and you two were overly friendly the past few days.”
Jo folded her hands on her lap and looked at me. “We shouldn’t be having this conversation in front of Aria.”
“She isn’t stupid,” Philippe claimed.
I was glad that someone wasn’t trying to sugarcoat things. I was tired of secrets.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Jo shrugged as she looked out the window. “Nothing. We had some business in common, nothing more. I was helping him with vampire business while you were busy with Aria.” She faced him. It didn’t seem like an accusation, only an affirmation.
Philippe stared from me to her and the other way around as he moved uncomfortably in his seat.
“He needs to talk to you,” I said to Jo. “He said it like a million times. I think he’s sorry for what he did to you. He explained his reasons to us. Cedric didn’t mean to…hurt you. It was just an elaborate plan to get me mad enough to channel my angel.”
“He betrayed my trust. I don’t take that lightly,” Jo stated.
I nodded, understanding her.
“Whatever his reasons were, I’m too mad to even look at his face.”
“I can’t blame you,” I whispered, staring at my hands.
“He’s a jerk. You are totally better off with Philippe than with him if he acts like that with people who want to help him,” Jo vented out her irritation.
I felt my cheeks burn. “I don’t need you to tell me with whom I’m better off. I’m totally capable of making my own decisions.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just mad at Cedric. I’m sorry if it sounded as if I was pushing you to choose Philippe. It wasn’t my intention. I spoke without thinking. I know Philippe better, and he would never do something like that to someone he loves.”
“Hmm,” I said, not so sure about her words. “I guess you haven’t seen him angry.”
Jo laughed as I arched an eyebrow at her reaction.
“He barks a lot, but he doesn’t bite. No pun intended,” she said, amused.
I didn’t smile. Her actions intrigued me. Jo was laughing, even though she didn’t seem happy.
Suddenly, she grabbed my hands. I recoiled as she spoke. “Promise me you won’t let him lose himself again.”
I sensed the sadness in her voice and saw grief taking over her expression. Touching her face, I sensed the energy that was coming from her. I was touching her soul and feeling her pain. It brought tears to my eyes.
Jo whispered, “Philippe wasn’t thinking straight. He was hurting…and alone.”
“We are all alone,” I said. “Everything will be okay. We will be okay,” I told her to ease her pain.
For a moment, Jo seemed puzzled by my words. I saw my reflection in her eyes—my red aura surrounding me.
“Do you really want to give up your wings?” she asked, probably mesmerized by them like everybody else. I loved my wings. Being an angel was a privilege. I knew that.
“Being human is okay, too,” I said with a smile.
“I miss it,” she said, and I wiped away the tear that escaped her eye. “I miss the sun.”
“Jo, stop making everybody sad,” Philippe grumbled, looking out the window and watching people living their busy lives.
Jo leaned back in her seat. “Don’t you miss it?”
“You know I do. Stop talking about it,” he requested, looking at us.
“He pretends to be insensible, but he would give his entire fortune if there was a cure that could make him human again,” Jo whispered to me as if it was a secret.
“I know he isn’t insensible,” I whispered back. “I know him, Jo. He’s mine.�
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Jo smiled and nodded happily at my words.
“That doesn’t mean I forgive him,” I clarified, so my words wouldn’t be misinterpreted. “Now, stop crying. He isn’t worth your tears. Men are jerks, angels and vampires alike.”
“I’m right here,” Philippe complained.
“You should be mad,” Jo whispered to me.
I shrugged.
“You like Cedric!” Philippe said, outraged. Points to him for being smart.
“Says the guy that wants to steal Cedric’s mate,” Jo accused him.
“She is my mate, not his.” Philippe avoided eye contact with me by looking outside.
“I won’t be his mate for much longer,” I said, relaxing against my seat and looking at the view. “How much longer before we get to the church?”
“We’re almost there,” Jo said, holding on to my hand.
“What can I do to help with the negotiations?”
“Listen to everything they have to say. Ask Philippe if you have any doubts. Keep glowing red and showing the shape of your wings.”
“Won’t that terrify them?”
Philippe explained, “It’s better for them to respect you instead of thinking that you are going to let them do what they want. We need to go inside that graveyard to look for Clarity. Kayden isn’t there, but they may know where he is hiding. We need to convince them that you aren’t going to hurt them. You can’t allow them to believe that you are afraid of them.”
I nodded.
“And don’t leave Josephine’s or my side,” he said as he leaned forward and tucked my hair behind my left ear.
I couldn’t help staring into his brown eyes and getting lost in them. “Or Cedric’s side, right?”
“Or Cedric, even if I’d rather have you by my side. He can’t be trusted with his bipolar behavior,” Philippe muttered.
“A bit like you,” I teased him, smiling and making him smile back.
“I’m still here. Do you want me to go by foot and give you some privacy?” Jo joked, and Philippe glared at her.
“Stop embarrassing Aria.”
“You are doing a pretty good job on your own,” she retorted.
I placed my hands on my red cheeks and sighed in frustration. “Seriously, you two act so much like a brother and sister that it isn’t even funny,” I complained, remembering my best friend’s fights with her brother.
“Exactly. We’re family not lovers,” Jo said.
I looked at her and smiled. “I like you.”
“I like you, too.” She hugged me tightly to my surprise. “It’s sad that I can’t stay longer.”
I wondered about her words. She was weirdly kind, even for a vampire. Philippe was right to say that she was the nicest person he knew.
“When are you leaving?” Philippe asked as his attention focused on her.
“Maybe tomorrow. I’m not sure yet. We will talk about it another time. Now, we are here,” she said, letting me go and fixing my hair. “I had a daughter like you with big brown eyes and a pretty face.”
“What happened to her?”
“She…died. She was killed. It’s been a long time. I had her before I was turned into a vampire.”
“What was her name?”
“Angelique. Let’s go,” she urged us, probably wanting to change the subject. She fixed the makeup around her eyes, took in a big breath, and exited the car.
Philippe helped me get out.
Outside, I looked at the gothic church before me. A lot more cars were arriving, and Cedric was already in the entrance, waiting for us.
“Why do you own a church?” I asked Philippe.
“Sacred ground.”
I was going to say something else, but my eyes got distracted by a blonde girl that was coming our way.
“Camille,” I squealed like a groupie who had seen her favorite singer or actor. Running to her, I hugged her, and we talked about what happened since we last saw each other.
CHAPTER FIVE
ARIA
The meetings were tiring. Trying to put some sense into people’s heads was exhausting. These people were stubborn and didn’t trust anyone. They also didn’t believe anything the others had said. I suddenly remembered why I didn’t want to follow a career in politics. It was boring as hell. At least, I had Philippe by my side, patiently answering any question I had. He was smart and useful in helping Cedric convince the graveyard people—as I was calling them—to let the angels go in and search for the drug and the perpetrators.
It was fatiguing, but we had breaks for coffee and gossip. A lot of gossip, especially about me. They were intrigued. I was supposed to be Cedric’s mate yet was by Philippe’s side. I was becoming annoyed with the jokes and all the witty comments about what they thought was going on. Having super hearing could be daunting.
Camille and Jo were by my side, trying to convince me to ignore them. Eventually, I did. I had something else catching my attention. There was a red-haired girl in Philippe’s office, talking to him with googly eyes. She liked him a lot by the looks of it. She was pouting and making sexy grimaces, trying to get his attention. He seemed to like her back because he was falling for her show and was trying to calm her down.
“Who is Philippe talking to?” I asked Jo.
She looked into the glass-walled office. “That’s Mara. She’s a friend,” she said as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“She seems more than a friend.”
“They used to be lovers,” Jo explained mildly.
I looked at her sideways, exasperated with her calmness.
“Hmm.” I tried to think about something else and ignore the scene.
“They aren’t together now.”
“She seems to want to get back together,” I said as I watched Camille playing with her cellphone.
“Don’t be jealous. He’s just talking.”
“Jo, I would like to talk to you,” Cedric said, approaching us.
Jo didn’t say a word to him. She ignored him and pulled me to join her wherever she wanted to pretend to go.
To my distress, we ended up in Philippe’s office.
“The meeting is about to start,” Jo warned Philippe who stared back at her with lost eyes.
He had his hands on the girl’s arms, requesting her to stay there and calm down. He looked worried about her.
“Is everything okay?” Jo asked.
I bit my lower lip, uncomfortable by the silence that fell over us all.
“Mara was telling me that Margaret is refusing to leave the graveyard,” Philippe explained.
“Why?” Jo asked, closing the door behind us.
I stood there, feeling displaced.
“She doesn’t want to leave our family’s tomb,” Mara said with sadness in her voice. “I’m not going to let my sister stay there by herself.”
“I’m trying to convince Mara to go back to her hotel room and trust us. We will protect the people at the graveyard. The angels aren’t going to destroy anything or kill anyone.”
“Let me guess, she doesn’t want to go to her room,” Jo said as she folded her arms and arched an eyebrow.
I pursed my lips, trying not to smirk at her implied sarcasm.
“She wants to go to the graveyard and help the others with the protest,” Philippe informed us.
“I won’t leave my sister,” Mara said stubbornly.
“Then you shouldn’t be here,” I told her, losing my patience with her show.
“What?” Mara looked at me with her confused, deep, and, deceiving green eyes.
“If you don’t want to leave your sister, then I don’t understand what you are doing here. You should be at the graveyard,” I explained, so she would realize what she was doing wrong. She could fool Philippe, but she wasn’t fooling me.
“I came here to warn Philippe,” she claimed.
“About what exactly?”
“Margaret isn’t Philippe’s sister,” Jo piped in. “Plus, we are taking care of that matter righ
t now. There is nothing Philippe can do in this instant. Or are you expecting him to leave an important meeting to babysit you and your sister?” Jo walked closer to the girl.
I followed Jo’s movement, pleased that she could see beyond the girl’s show and wasn’t falling for her desperate need to make Philippe pity her and comfort her. Or whatever she wanted.
“We are busy and don’t need drama right now,” I added coldly.
“Are you going to let them speak to me like that?” Mara complained to Philippe as she pointed a finger at us, infuriated.
Philippe sunk his hands into his pockets. “They have a point. I don’t know what you want me to do. I’ve told you to go home. If you want to be with your sister, it’s your choice. I’m here to stop the confrontation.”
Mara stood there, folding her arms and glaring at us without saying a word until she finally snapped. “You’re a prick! You’ve always been one, and I don’t know what I’m doing here. I should have let Margaret kill you.”
“Kill him for what?” Jo asked the girl, losing her temper while Philippe stood there quietly.
Is he really going to let her talk to him like that? She was insulting him because he wasn’t falling for her trick.
Jo scolded the girl, “Philippe helped you escape from your family of black witches. He helped you have a better life and even paid for your fancy apartment in London.”
“I gave up a lot of things to be with him,” Mara defended herself, pointing at Philippe.
“You didn’t stay with me. You left me,” Philippe reminded her, without losing his temper. He didn’t seem to want to fight with her. It was too late for that.
“Fuck you! Fuck you and your maker. Fuck you and your new girlfriend! I’m done. You can go to hell for all I care,” she declared, pushing him back and glaring at me. “You better enjoy it while you can because once he gets bored, he will get rid of you and someone else will take your place. And you look nothing like her,” she hissed.
I had no idea of what she was talking about.
“She looks nothing like Sophie,” Mara declared, glowering at Philippe. “What do you see in her?”
