Redeeming Angel (18 page)

“
Oh my God.
Yes.”

“
I don’t know how it’s
possible, but I can’t make sense of anything Hell does.”

I couldn’t imagine what passersby
thought catching pieces of our conversation, but somewhere along
the way I’d become immune to the world around me. “What Chase did
to save me was only a temporary solution. If I don’t find a way to
control it, Hell will have the advantage once again.”

“
Shit,” she
swore.

“
I never want to feel like
that. Lost. Not in control. Will you help me?”

“
I might not agree with
your reasons for keeping this from Chase,” she said, “but of course
I will. I can’t have my BFF fly off the rails again.”

My attention was drawn to the smoothie
stand across the mall. I was dying for a peach-strawberry, the
greatest smoothie known to man. “When do we start?”

“
Now,” she
stated.

“
Now?” I echoed. What could
I possibly learn in the mall?

She held up only her index finger.
“Lesson number one. No smoothie.”

I frowned. “Are you screwing with
me?”

She drew an air circle around her
face. “Does this look like I’m screwing with you?”

Ugh. “How is this going to help? I’m
dying of thirst.”

She folded her arms, pouty
pink lips pursed. “Only because you think you are. Your mind is
telling you that you
need
to have a drink. Conquer the urge.”

I was seriously thinking about
knocking her flat on her ass and making a mad dash across the mall.
Good God. I was a crazy person. “Fine.” I shook out my hair,
exhaling. “You’re right.”

She looped her arm through mine, and
we stood. “See that wasn’t so bad.”

“
So you’re not getting
those shoes?”

She plucked the red wedges from the
shelf. “Did you hit your head? These shoes were made for my feet.
This is your test, not mine. I already know my limitations.
Shopping is not one of them. It’s my anchor. It helps me keep the
beastly part of me from making poor decisions.”

I rolled my eyes and pouted as she
dragged me into yet another store. Although my mind was still on
the peach-strawberry smoothie, I started to question asking Lexi
for help. Her methods made absolutely no sense to me right, but I
was desperate, and she did have way more experience when it came to
demon matters than I did.

By the time we left the mall, I
expected to feel relieved. Instead, there was this pressure of
unease clamping down on my heart, and it wasn’t from all the body
lotion samples. I’d tried so many I smelled like I worked at Bath
and Body Works, minus the cheery attitude. It would take more than
bubbles to turn this frown upside down.

At least Lexi agreed to help
me—however bizarre her methods were. That made my hours of
suffering worth it.

I guess.

Chapter 17

{Angel
}

“
Fight me,” I
said.

Chase and I just finished a perimeter
walk. I couldn’t sit inside, twiddling my thumbs and doing nothing.
My tortured mind ended up getting the best of me.

Lexi had been helping me with the
mental stuff, control and whatnot. We’d only been at it for a week,
and already I felt reinvigorated, but I didn’t just want to be
mentally stronger than the darkness; I also wanted to be physically
strong. I wanted to test myself, see what I could do with these
abilities I was given. Sitting in my room, playing video games for
hours, wasn’t going to save the world.

Not that I thought little old me was
going to become Earth’s champion alone, but I never wanted to be at
the mercy of a demon again. I was tired of being scared and
weak.

Chase gave a stunted laugh. “I’m not
going to fight you, Angel Eyes.”

I tilted my head as we walked down my
driveway toward the house. “Chase, this isn’t a joke.”

The half-grin faded from his lips, and
he rubbed the back of his neck, eyeing me. “I can see that,” he
said, but it wasn’t what he meant. He wasn’t taking me
seriously.

I was going to have to find a way to
change that. Whether Chase liked it or not, Hell was furious, and
we were the prime targets. It suddenly became important I learn how
to defend myself, instead of always looking for him to save me.
“I’m stronger. If we’re going to beat Alastair, then I need to
fight.”

His eyes darkened, flashing with a
glint of gold. I could only guess that the idea of me fighting
against his father didn’t make him happy. “I’d agree with you, but
then we’d both be wrong.”

“
Chase,” I whined. “Be
serious.”

“
No.”

I hated that single, short word. “No?”
I echoed.

“
No!” His voice got heated.
“Any hero ideas you’ve conjured in that pretty head of yours,
forget them. You’re not going anywhere near the bastard.
Understood?”

I stepped forward, my eyes on his,
completely undeterred. “You are being so unreasonable. I can do
this, Chase. I’m not the same girl.”

We were toe-to-toe and his gaze
softened. “I know, but I’ve come too close to losing you. I’m
trying to keep you safe.”

It was going take a whole lot more
than one of his dreamy looks to persuade me this wasn’t a good
idea. My mind was set. I sighed. “You leave me no choice.”
Sometimes the big dope needed to be forced, so I struck out,
hitting him with a closed fist on the chest. It was a sad, feeble
attempt, but hey, a girl had to start somewhere. And the idea was
to provoke him, which normally wasn’t hard. Add my mouth to the
equation and it was a done deal.

His lips thinned. “Angel,” he
growled.

“
What? Are you afraid I’ll
kick your ass?” We both knew that wasn’t even a possibility,
but…

“
No. I’m afraid I’ll hurt
you.”

“
You already said that,” I
pointed out.

“
Then let me tell you
again.” And he did. Three more times he said no.

When he finished, I said, “I heal,
remember. Thanks to you.”

“
How can I forget?” he
mumbled, tangling a hand through his dark hair.

“
I want to learn, Chase. I
want you to teach me. You’re the best.”

A brisk fall breeze picked up the
slight waves at the ends of his hair. “Flattery isn’t going to get
me to teach you to fight.”

“
How about this?” Unbidden,
I took a step closer to him, pressing my lips softly to his. “Does
that change your mind?”

His eyes were closed for a beat. Hard
bands wrapped around my upper arms. “This is absurd.”

I angled my face to the
side just so I could feel his breath on my cheek. Then I threw my
elbow into his gut, not holding back.
Touchdown
. “Still think it’s
absurd?”

He grimaced. “You’re serious about
this?”

I twisted in his arms until he
loosened his hold. “I am. Do you need another demonstration of my
seriousness?”

“
In an hour, you might be
wishing you’d never thrown that hit.”

“
Maybe. But it’s my choice.
I’ll deal with the consequences.”

He gently flicked the end of my nose,
and I could see the surrender in his eyes. “Speed, stamina, and
quick wits will save your life. You still have the knife I gave
you?”

Swallowing, I nodded.

“
Good.”

“
So, I’ll be learning how
to use it?”

“
Yes, against my better
judgment, and because we’re working with daggers, you’ll have to
get up close and personal to render a demon extinct. You have to be
prepared for anything, always. Demons are not only fast, but
devious. You ready?”

“
Yes,” I
replied.

Putting a few feet of space between
us, he eyed me up and down, making me feel like a bug under a
microscope. “Okay. Come at me.”

It took me a moment to register what
he’d said. This was what I wanted, but now I was feeling
self-conscious and silly. “How do—?”

“
You’ve done it before,” he
said, grinning.

Yes, but never with the intent to
actually hurt him. My expression was pinched with concentration as
I figured out what to do next. The idea of fighting was much easier
in my head. Did I lead with my right foot or left? Did I tuck my
thumb under or cross it over the others? I was totally overthinking
each action.

“
Don’t think. Just act.
Pretend I’m the jerk you wanted to punch when we first
met.”

“
That won’t be hard to do,”
I mumbled.

His silver-studded brow went
up.

But it did help to think about the
strife he frequently stirred inside me. We did the whole song and
dance, me on the offence and Chase on the defense. He was patient,
encouraging, and didn’t make me feel like a ninny.

“
There you go.” Chase
nodded as he deflected one of my blows. “Use your speed, and move
with purpose. You want to use your small frame to your
advantage.”

I knew he wasn’t trying to insult me,
but I hated being called small. Wiping the sweat off my brow with
the back of my hand, I motioned for him to come at me
again.

He didn’t hesitate.

Chase launched himself at me, and this
time I blocked his jab, but just barely. He didn’t even give me a
second to gloat over my small triumph. God, he could move that body
like a ninja. Even with my enhanced skills, I still wasn’t as fast
or precise in my movements. With more practice, I might be able to
defend myself, but actually besting Chase? I wasn’t sure I would
ever acquire that ability.

“
You’re holding back,” I
hurled. “Don’t.”

“
Angel, I—”

“
Don’t,” I emphasized. “A
demon wouldn’t think twice about ending me. Don’t go easy on me.
How else am I going to stay alive?”

He straightened. “That’s why you have
me. There is no need to push so hard, not yet.”

My response was to throw a right hook
straight for his pretty-boy face. I got nothing but air, but he
could see my determination, and that was when my training really
started, when it no longer became a game for him.

I couldn’t even block most of Chase’s
attacks. He went through several more techniques, but I was
starting to realize how much I had to learn. It would be a miracle
if I managed to kill two demons, let alone one.

“
Watch me.” He swung out,
the heel of his hand slipped past my arms and into the side of my
gut. The impact sent me sprawling on my butt with a sharp spike of
pain followed by throbbing. I was momentarily robbed of air, and
when I finally inhaled, I slowly breathed through the
agony.

Chase was crouched in front of me.
“You okay?” he asked, concern flickering over his face.

I clenched my teeth, looking up at the
sky. “Yeah.” All I wanted to do was not move from this spot. My
body ached; even my armpits ached.

He looked down at me, doubtful. “We’re
done for the day. I won’t mar your skin. It will break me to see
the bruises I caused, even if only for a short time. I won’t hurt
you, Angel.”

I sat up, grabbing his forearm. “I’m
fine. It just startled me.” Then because I’d seen the conflict in
his eyes and I could feel the inner turmoil causing a ruckus inside
of him, I used both hands and tugged.

He came toppling down on top of
me.

{Chase
}

I could have caught myself, but where
would the fun be in that? And after the last hour of sweating and
grueling paces, we needed a little entertainment. Cheeks red with
exertion, she let out a squeal of laughter. Real laughter. Her
resilience and persistence impressed me. It was impossible to deny
that Angel Eyes had the heart of a fighter.

Grabbing ahold of her wrist, I trapped
her with my body, pinning her to the ground. Her laughter proved to
be infectious, and I reveled in the sound. I reached over, prying
her fingers loose and brought her injured knuckles to my lips. I
kissed each one. “I should have taught you how to survive in my
world a long time ago.” My arm tightened around her.

Her smile spread, lighting up her eyes
as her gaze settled on me. “Are you admitting I was
right?”

I pushed the hair out of
her face. L
arge eyes, framed by dark lashes
were beaming, and her cheeks were pinked by the sun, the wind, and
the fight. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I stared at
her for a long while. “
Have I ever told you
that I think you’re the bravest person I’ve ever met?”

She angled her head. “I don’t think
so, but you can try.”

“
You’re the bravest person
I’ve ever met,” I said.

She grinned, amused. “Not true, but I
like the sound of it.”

“
We’re going to get through
this.” I brushed pieces of her dark hair off her forehead. “That’s
what people do. They mend.”