It's here!! Chapter 1 for Loving Angel, releasing Oct. 17th.
I am sitting here watching old reruns of Supernatural, so I thought it was only fitting I throw in a few of these… (like I ever forget)
Enjoy!!!!!
Graduation day.
This was my ecstatic face.
It was the same as my
who-gives-a-crap face. I had so many bigger things going on in my life that
high school fell to the very bottom of the totem pole. When you had hellhounds
nipping at your heels, demons trying to end your existence, and a neighbor that
was some kind of key to the underworld, who also happened to be the girl you
were in love with, it kind of put things into perspective.
My hummingbird, flighty cousin,
Lexi, lived her life by the rules of Gucci, Kors, and Dior. I watched her zip
up the stairs for the thousandth time. “Lexi,” I growled after her.
She flashed back down and
stopped in front of me, smiling sweetly. “You summoned, almighty one?”
I shot her a dry look, although
I had to admit, it did have a nice ring to it. “You are driving me insane.”
Blowing an oversized grape
bubble in my face, she grinned. “Like I care.”
“Lexi, so help me—”
The sound of her brother,
Travis, laughing saved her from the end of my sharp tongue. I glared at him
lounging on the couch with an Xbox remote clutched in his hand. He spent so
much damn time with that stupid gaming system that I never got the chance to
demolish it. Then there was also the probability that Angel would never talk to
me again if I actually laid a hand on the black box. She was nearly as bad as
Travis with video games.
I never imagined being so jealous
of an object.
“Give it up, Chase,” Travis
said, smirking. “You know that once Lexi gets going, there is no stopping the
whirlwind from tearing through the house.”
He was right, but still…she was
making me dizzy. I glanced back to face the little hellion, only to see the
spot where she had stood was empty. Huffing, I dropped down onto the couch
beside Travis.
“Are you going to get ready for
your big day?” Travis asked.
I cracked my neck. “I was
thinking about skipping.”
Travis snorted. “No way is my
dad going to let that happen. I assumed you’d want to be there, standing next
to your little angel.”
The play on her name brought a
smile to my lips. There wasn’t anything angelic about Angel. Begrudgingly, he
did have a point. Devin would probably make me go just so he could make the
moves on Angel’s mom. And Angel, well, I could handle her…possibly.
We had this completely insane
connection, and trust me, I was used to some pretty messed up stuff. Hell, I
was part demon for God’s sake, but what I had with Angel, trumped anything the
universe could throw at me.
Bring it.
“I guess. It just seems like a
waste of my time,” I said, stretching my legs.
“Oh, your time is so valuable.”
“Damn straight.”
Travis shook his messy blond
hair. “Uh-huh. If I have to be there, so do you.”
“You’re going to watch Emma get
her piece of paper?” The hunter’s name made my demon itchy. I didn’t trust her,
but I also kept that to myself. Travis couldn’t handle losing Emma again. That
much I was sure.
Pride shone in his eyes. “I
wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
I groaned. “When did you become
such a d-bag? What? Are you going for the best-boyfriend-of-the-year medal?”
He shrugged. “Remind me again
what a smart girl like Angel is doing with a jerkwad like you?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know? I
can’t give away all my secrets,” I said.
“Please. Just remember who is
older…and has more game.”
I socffed. “Sorry to crush your
spirits, but you don’t have shit on me.”
His sea-green eyes got that
challenging glint. “Oh, really?”
A butt-kicking vibe hit the
air. It had been awhile since I had been able to flex my ass-whooping skills. I
couldn’t let them getting rusty. Just as I was about to go all gung-ho on my
cocky cousin, I felt the familiar tingles.
Angel was near.
I raced to the door like a kid
in a candy store, ripping it open before she had the chance to knock. Her hand
stopped midair. She looked up at me, shifting her feet on the porch. “I don’t
know why I bother,” she mumbled under her breath.
My heart tripped. I loved that
she mumbled. It was just one of her many endearing qualities. She looked
absolutely adorable in her black and red gown and cap. Her dark hair was blowing
lightly in the wind, long and loose, just the way I liked it. I couldn’t resist
the urge to kiss her. Lightly, I pressed a kiss to her berry-flavored lips.
“Hey, hot stuff,” I murmured.
Her lips twitched even as she
playfully whacked me on the chest. “You seriously have sketchy taste in
hotness.”
“Maybe I like the brainy look.
I know I like what is under that—”
Her hand shot out, covering my
mouth. “You are insufferable,” she said, her blue eyes twinkling.
I was just getting started. My
tongue darted out, grazing the inside of her palm. I watched her eyes darken
and start to glow. Did I mention that there was nothing average about my
girlfriend? Seeing the supernatural effect was a reminder that I was the one
responsible for the change, which was both thrilling and depressing.
All I’d ever wanted to do was
save this girl, protect her with my life. How I ended up binding myself to her
heart, body, soul was still surreal to me. I wasn’t sure I would ever get used
to the idea that Angel was mine—only mine—forever and beyond.
That was a hell of a
commitment.
I grabbed her wrist, feeling
her pulse jump under my fingers. Score one for me.
“You are going to make us
late,” she whispered, swatting at my hands.
“And you both are making me
sick.” Travis made obscene gagging noises from behind me.
“Excuse me, while I teach my
cousin a lesson in manners.”
Before I zapped across the
room, Angel laid a hand on my arm, and that was all it took to keep me from
thrashing Travis.
I sighed. “Fine. Let’s go, but
I’ll drive.” I stepped out onto the porch and dug in my pocket for my keys.
“Wait. What about Lexi?” Angel
asked.
“She can get her own damn ride,”
I grumbled.
Angel grinned, and I swear I
felt it all the way to my gut, as well as other unmentionable parts. I angled
my head, and for one split second, I contemplated sweeping her off her feet and
making a beeline for my bedroom. I figured I could make it to the top of the
stairs before she made a stink.
“Wow. Someone is feeling
prickly,” she said.
That wasn’t all I was feeling.
She crossed her arms. “Who
pissed in your cheerios?”
Opening her door, I waited
until she was settled before zipping around the car. Hey, I might be a jerk
most of the time, but at least I still knew how to be a gentleman when it
counted. The car roared to life much like the demon inside me. Then, because
I’m a guy, I revved it a few times, feeling the power of the engine tremble
under my hands.
Angel slid me a sideways glare.
“Was that necessary?”
I put the car in reverse. “Does
Howdy Doody have wooden balls?”
She tried to cover the grin
that was threatening to make an appearance. “I don’t know why I bother.”
“Yes, you do. You are
infatuated with me, and who could blame you?” I said matter-of-factly.
“I am going to pretend I didn’t
hear that.”
“Think we have time to pull
over and do a little making out?” I ran my hand up her leg.
She smacked it away.
“Definitely not, octo-arms. Keep both hands on the wheel.”
The teeniest bit of unease
stirred inside me, but it wasn’t mine. It was coming from Angel. I knew her
well enough to know that my driving still made her nervous, and I couldn’t
blame her. I did flip a car with her in it. In my defense, she barely sustained
a scratch. I hadn’t been so lucky, but when you have demon blood in your veins,
you heal at an ungodly rate.
I didn’t like that she was
feeling even a splinter of anxiety. Deliberately, I slowed my speed, watching
the tall pines that lined both sides of the road pass by. The ride into town
was short and uneventful, thank God. Country roads could be pretty mundane.
I made the turn into Spring
Valley High, and a sense nostalgia fluttered in my stomach. This would be the
last time we pulled up together in this school parking lot. In a way, I was
sad. It was here, in this school, that Angel and I had spent a bulk of our time
together. Chemistry class had never been so combustible, and it hadn’t been the
experiments going up in flames. Nope—it had been us.
Stepping out into the bright
sun, I let the rays warm me. June in Illinois could go either way. It could be
eighty degrees and beautiful, or it could be forty degrees and crappy. The
weather here was as unpredictable as my temper and Angel’s tongue—almost. What
a match we were.
I weaved our fingers together.
“Are you ready for this?”
She stood tall for a petite
frame. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Her hand felt so small in mine
it was ridiculous, but there was nothing fragile about her. She was one of the
strongest girls I knew, besides Lexi.
“Did you get anything yet?” she
asked with a trace of expectancy.
I knew what she was asking. The
same question over and over again since we filled out those college
applications. We were late to the game, and the suspense was driving her crazy.
More than once, I thought about breaking my promise and taking a quick trip to
the admission’s department, but damn it, I valued her trust.
When had I become a guy of
morals?
What had she done to me?
“No. Not yet. We still have
time,” I said, trying to be optimistic for Angel.
Disappointment sprang into her
eyes.
I might be taking a road trip
after all. A little persuasion to move the process along couldn’t hurt. She
would never have to know.
“Chase!” she said sternly.
The way she said my name had my
pulse jumping, and I smirked. She knew how my mind worked.
We had crossed the parking lot
and just reached the entrance to the football field. Her hand tightened in
mine. Momentarily, she forgot about my devious mind. I felt her shudder beside
me.
Ah, yes.
The football field wasn’t
Angel’s favorite spot. She darn right avoided it. A demon had lured her here
under false pretenses, using her to trap me. It wasn’t likely she would ever
forget, and she wouldn’t let me whiteout that night, as much as I would like
to.
Her blue eyes went wide. I
could see the flash of memories coming back to haunt her, but worse yet, I
could feel her panic.
Damn
Alastair. The list of shit my douchebag father was responsible for
was quite extensive…and growing. Even from the underworld, he could cause
problems.
I pulled Angel to the side as a
group of kids passed. “Hey, you have nothing to worry about,” I said, framing
her face with my hands. “Today is going to be perfect. Nothing is going to go
wrong. I swear.”
Now, I just hoped I could keep
that promise. No dead bodies. No demons. No funny business. Those were all tall
orders to fill when you were a Divisa and trouble followed you around like
flies on shit.
Slowly, as she kept her gaze
locked on mine, the pressure that was clamping down on my chest eased up, her
fear subsiding. She took a deep breath of the country air she was so fond of.
“You’re right,” she said, leaning against me. “Thank you for doing this.”
As if I could ever deny that
face anything. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. “Let’s go graduate.”
Her smile brightened.
Together we walked hand-in-hand
to take our places among the small class of 2014 graduates. We were assigned
seats based off our last names. I would like to see someone try to pry me away
from Angel’s side.
Not happening.
I also might have given the
ladies in the office a little demon-eye action the last week of school.
