Loving Angel (A Divisa Novel Book 4) (8 page)

She shrugged, avoiding my gaze. “I don’t know exactly. Hell forgot to send the instruction manual on being the
keystone
.”

“You’ve felt it, haven’t you?” Things were shifting—changing—and I couldn’t say I liked the direction we were heading. “It’s okay if you’re scared,” I said, hoping she would trust me.

She nibbled on her lower lip like a bunny. “I feel like I am losing myself, the pieces that make me human. Something happens when there are demons close by. I feel pulled. They summon me to them.”

“It has to be Alastair.”

She nodded. “It fits, but why? What does he want from me? I already made it clear that I wasn’t interested in his job offer in Hell.”

The same thing he wanted before—chaos on Earth. He didn’t want to be chained to the underworld. But that was just a guess. Who the flip really knew what went on in his manic mind? “I don’t think his motives have changed, but we’ll figure it out.”

She stared straight ahead. “And in the meantime, I’m just supposed to wait? Maybe have a few more of those gross nosebleeds, a couple blackouts here and there, and don’t forget the physical changes I’ve been ignoring, praying they would just go away.”

I flinched. The helplessness and aggravation in her voice broke something inside me. I would give my left arm to take away the uncertainty, but I didn’t know how much I should divulge. Her fears were valid, and now that we both were openly admitting that things were transforming, for the worse, I felt like we could move forward. Figure out what this was and nip it in the bud. Crush it. Destroy it. Whatever it took. I would risk anything—except her.

One step at a time and finding the source was the first stride. “Have you ever known me to be the waiting type?”

She opened her mouth and then closed it. The slightest lift materialized at the edge of her lips. “Never,” she replied, unfurling her legs.

I tucked the hair framing her face behind her ear. “Angel, I—”

The grand speech that was on the tip of my tongue ended before it had a chance to begin. Lexi came buzzing into the room like a tornado of glitter and excitement. She was wearing a bedazzled NIU shirt and more makeup than usual. “Let’s ride, lame-os. We’re going to a party.”

My cousin was going to be the death of me.

Chapter 11

“I need a wingman,” Lexi pouted upon seeing my scowl.

“Go ask Emma,” I told her. “We’re busy.”

Did that just come out of my mouth?

Oh crap. I must have drunk the crazy juice if I was suggesting Emma as a wingman.

“Oh, I can see that,” Lexi barked, hands on her hips.

“He’s kidding,” Angel quickly added.

No, I wasn’t, and she knew it, taking any opportunity to escape our caring and sharing time. To think, I thought we had been making progress.

A party was the very last place I wanted to be, but I could sense that Angel really wanted a change of scenery, something to get her overactive brain off the
other stuff
. She had lost interest not only in her video game, which was a big deal, but also in talking about demons. Often, it felt like that was all we ever discussed.

How to fight. How to stay alive. How to kill. A party might be what the doctor ordered, a little bit of normal, stupid, drunken fun.

“How the hell did you get invited to a party when we haven’t even started classes?” I asked, eyeing Lexi. I had to bite my tongue before I ordered her to change. Way too much leg action for my sensitive eyes.

She gave me a cheeky grin. “I have my ways.”

Who was this person? I barely recognized my cousin. Gone was the innocent girl with bouncing blonde pigtails, and in her place was a sleek, adventurous, young woman. She used to get excited over the new issue of
Cosmo
or the mention of shopping. Now she was boy-crazed like the rest of the female population.

Dang. Come to think of it, I don’t think she had even scoped out the mall yet. Ghastly.

Popping off the couch, but not as fast as I normally would, I pressed my hand against Lexi’s forehead.

She swatted my hand away. “What are you doing?”

I shot her a sincere look. “Making sure you’re not running a fever. I think you’re sick.”

“Sick of you hovering,” she replied, frowning.

“Is SoCalie going to be there?” Angel asked, having scooted to the end of the couch, closer to Lexi and me.

SoCal who?
I didn’t like the way her voice had gone all flirtatious.

Twisting toward Angel, Lexi’s aqua eyes began to shimmer as she nodded vigorously. “He just texted me.”

I guess SoCalie was her “in” to this party. Initially, I thought she had used compulsion. SoCalie…the mysterious texter. It was past time I met this stalker. Tapping the hoop on my brow, I realized I was actually considering fraternizing with frat boys. Frightening.

“Chase,” Angel called, but not before I caught the wink she gave Lexi. “Go get your party hat on. It’s time to boogie.”

Ha. Ha. Ha.

If the two of them thought they could gang up on me, they had another thing coming. The idea of
me
dancing was laughable. Not in this millennium. Then again, once the idea of seeing this guy Lexi was infatuated with took root, I thought a quick interrogation might be in order. It was my stand-in brotherly duty. Before I committed to this party, I wanted to make sure this was what Angel wanted. “Are you sure you don’t want to rent a movie instead? It’s safer.”

Just as the last word rolled off my lips, in walked my daymare. “Loser,” Emma chimed with an L-shaped hand signal against her forehead.

I scowled, my body stiffening.

Emma’s smile widened, noticing the rigidness of my back. “Come on, big guy. Are you telling me
you
can’t handle a college party?”

Only Emma could goad me into doing something I didn’t want. If I didn’t know better, I swore my cousin set her up to do it on purpose, because the next thing I knew, I was escorting the three amigos across campus.

Christ, when had I lost the ability to make them listen to reason?

What I had wanted to say was that no, I didn’t think I could handle a college party if I had to babysit the three most troublesome, danger-seeking, hair-brain girls in the universe. But I knew that statement would blow up in my face.

And without me, let’s be real, the amount of crap they could get themselves into was scarily staggering. A half-demon, a hunter, and…there were no words to describe Angel—what an utter formula for disaster.

I let out a bear-sized sigh, which could be heard over the clopping of heels and sneakers. Each time I stepped outside during the night, a yearning pulled at the demon—the darkness. I listened, picking up the sounds of laughter, the rustle of leaves, and Lil Wayne—most importantly, no howling.

Angel looped her arm through mine. “Relax,” she whispered.

If only…

The two-story dark blue row house was pouring with college students. Some lounged on the lawn, while others hung out on the balcony or the porch. They all carried plastic cups. It was a staple, along with horrible taste in music.

This was my first, and probably my last, college party.

“So where do we find SoCalie?” Emma asked, scouring the perimeter. Some instincts were bred deep, like being paranoid. She had traded in her usual camo for white shorts and a black tank top.

Lexi’s whole face transformed. She had always looked like a fluttering humming bird to me—sweet and tiny. Seeing her light up was causing mixed emotions inside me. I didn’t know if I was going to puke or dot both of this guy’s eyes with my fists. In all honesty, I was feeling jealous and shielding. Travis and I had been the only guys in Lexi’s life—ever. Hayden didn’t count. We all had known that it wasn’t serious. Their relationship/friendship had been more out of loneliness and boredom, and possibly some pressure to date one of our own.

But this douche… He made her heart skip.

Climbing down the last few steps from the stoop was a willowy guy. He wasn’t as tall as me, and he definitely didn’t have my godly physic, but I couldn’t really expect him to compare to perfection. The stupid grin on his lips was charming and harmless. His brown eyes were only for Lexi. It sort of felt like an intrusion, the three of us standing around gawking at them.

A flop of sandy hair, a tad too long hung in his face. “Hey,” he greeted Lexi.

Eloquent.

“Hey,” Lexi replied with giddiness.

I rolled my eyes. This poor sod had no game. How he had been able to catch a splinter of Lexi’s attention was beyond me.

SoCalie (I got the reference now. He looked like he had grown up on the sandy shores of California) shoved his hands into the pockets of his khakis shorts. “You made it.”

Lex lowered her eyelashes, angling her body closer to the doofus. “You didn’t honestly think I would miss this?”

The nauseating feeling was starting to come back.

“Come on. I’ll introduce you to everyone.” He reached to secure her hand.

That was my cue. I stepped between them. “Hang on…”

“Colin,” he supplied with a friendly but cautious grin. “And you are?”

Your worst nightmare, friend.

I give him points for standing his ground. He didn’t shy away, and I thought I saw a flicker of annoyance at my intrusion. That was something to think about. I felt Lexi’s eyes at my back, incinerating me with sharp, deadly daggers. I ignored her. “Chase, Lexi’s cousin.” My chest expanded, and I stood a little straighter. I found intimidation always worked best.

His brows furrowed together, until the name clicked. “Oh, right. Lexi’s talks about you all the time. It’s nice to put a face with the name.” The muscles in his athletic frame relaxed, and he held out a hand.

I left him hanging. Total dick move. “I can’t say the same.” A not so gentle pinch came from behind, digging into my side. I relented and shoved my hand into his extended one, tightening my grip just so we were clear who was the boss.

Surfer boy gave me a nod, and a look of understanding crept into his eyes. “It’s cool man. I’ve got a little sister. I would be just as untrusting, probably more.”

I doubted that, but it meant something to me knowing that he might understand a miniscule of where I was coming from. My gut reaction was to be a prick, but for Lexi’s sake, for her chance at happiness, I pushed that part of me aside—for now. I was not going to be held responsible for ruining her life as she dramatically would put it.

“You don’t know me, but I’d like to change that,” Colin added.

First impressions: Colin wasn’t another tool. He seemed genuine in his intentions toward Lexi. I mean, if he was willing to go through
me
to see her, that spoke volumes. I was a severe obstacle. The tension lines around my mouth softened. “Sure, I’m willing to give it a shot, for Lexi.”

Colin grinned. “Good.”

I sidestepped, allowing him to take Lexi’s hand. “He’s not what I imagined,” I mumbled, staring as Lexi went into the house with a guy other than me. Emma was trailing behind them. The fireball redhead looked over her shoulder at me. An understanding passed between us. She would keep an eye on the budding Romeo and Juliet.

Angel snorted. “What? Nice?”

“No. Not as impressive as me.”

She nudged me in the side. “Be happy for her.” She was being serious.

I slipped my hand around her slender waist, pulling her close to me. “I’m getting there.”

“Good,” she said, grinning, and she placed a hand on my chest. “Now let’s go.”

I let her haul me inside the house. No sooner had we stepped foot into the overcrowded space, did I start to feel like Bruce Banner about to go into beast mode. The hardwood floors were sticky and vibrated under my feet in beat with the bass. Loud music pumped from the back of the house.

The few parties I had been dragged to back home were no different than this. I wasn’t sure what I expected, but it didn’t really matter. High school or college, people’s reactions were still the same. They took a step back as I strolled by. They stared, wondering what dark alley I had strolled in from. It was natural to me. Angel still struggled with the unnecessary attention.

We found a corner with a clear sight of the exit—you never know when you might need a quick getaway. Angel leaned against the wall. The dim lighting cast dark shadows along her cheeks. “Get me a drink?” she asked.

I tilted my head to the side, deliberating. Things had been wacky lately, and I wasn’t so sure Angel and alcohol should mix.

Sensing my internal turmoil, she assumed it was because I didn’t want to leave her alone. “I’ll be fine,” she insisted.

I hoped so. Weaving my way toward the kitchen, I followed the stench of sweat and sour yeast. Some lightweight bozo, who obviously couldn’t hold his beer, bumped into me. I growled as he staggered, ninety-nine percent sure my eyes were glowing.

“Watch it, asshole,” he snapped, slurring.

Keep calm. Don’t break his nose.

I worked my jaw, but kept walking, the less confrontation the better for all.

“Hey!” Sloshie called.

He wasn’t worth my time. I turned the corner into a room that might have once been a functioning kitchen. A quick perusal of the beverage selection and I was glad Angel wasn’t picky. I snatched two plastic cups from the stack and hit the tap. Goldish brew poured into the bottom, fizzing the cup with white foam.

Itching to get back to Angel, I only filled them halfway and turned back the way I’d come. She was waiting where I’d left her, but she wasn’t alone. And from the looks of it, someone was making the moves on my girlfriend.

He was a dead man.

The soon to be corpse had his arm propped up on the wall above his head, leaning too close. I gave him serious boyfriend eye, but he was preoccupied, lingering on Angel’s face. When his hand reached out to brush a strand of hair away from her eyes, my vision tinted. One of the drinks splashed over the rim onto my hand.

In a snap, my demon was craving a fight—muscles ready to engage. “Touch her again and you’ll be missing a few fingers.”

Slowly, like this dickhead had all the time in the world, he turned his head to glance at me. “Can’t you see I’m busy here? Piss off, before I rearrange your face.”

Oh, for the love of God.

This turd had it coming. He really did. Peering at him through narrowed golden eyes, I curled my fists, and if it weren’t for Angel, he would not still be breathing.

“Chase!” She gave me one of her disapproving glares, detecting the control slipping from my fingertips.

Unable to ignore
her
call, my eyes sought hers. “This guy wants to rearrange my devastatingly handsome face. I can’t have that, now can I?”

She rolled her eyes. “He is pretty partial to his face,” she said to preppy boy.

He looked at Angel in a slow, leisurely perusal, lingering too long for my liking at certain areas. His lips curled into a lazy grin. “Please tell me this douchebag isn’t your boyfriend, beautiful?”

My blood pressure spiked a thousand degrees. I did what any guy in my situation would do. I cocked my fist, and I punched his lights out. The feeling of my knuckles cracking against his mouth was freaking nirvana. I wanted to do it again and again, probably would have if…