Hunting Angel 2 (2 page)

He chuckled walking to the door. “There is never a dull moment with you.” Pausing in the doorway, he leaned against the frame. “It’s why I like you, Angel Eyes.” He brushed a piece of loose hair behind my ear.

Without further ado, I slammed the door in his face. As usual, his laughter seeped through from the other side. This seemed to be our signature goodbye more and more lately. I think he liked it in some twisted way. It was like he lived to get under my skin or under my shirt. Propped against the closed door, I closed my eyes and released a whoosh of breath I’d been holding from his touch.

“Angel,” my mom called from upstairs.

Ugh. I had woken up sleeping beauty with my outburst. “Sorry mom,” I hollered back.

~*~*~*~

Hello Monday morning, you suck
. That was my first thought of the day – lovely wasn’t it? Lying in my bed, I stared at the ceiling. Today there would be many firsts for me.

First day back to school since my…
accident
. Is that what I should refer to it as? An accident?

First time I would see Brandy since she lured me into a trap. In her defense she had been compelled, so I couldn’t really hold it against her. Chase on the other hand, had absolutely no qualms about holding her entirely responsible. Nothing in his thought process made any sense to me. Or maybe that was just guys in general.

First time I would be leaving the confines and security of my house. I would have to be a fool and an idiot after all I went through to not be nervous and cautious about the creepy and scary as shit things that are out there. They weren’t just stuff made up in nightmares and horror films.

Rolling out of bed, I stood in front of the mirror and pulled up my t-shirt. There it was – the black swirly design. A constant reminder of
that
night, the night I became something more than human. It had been a week since that hellish night – a week of me skipping school. My mom thought I had come down with some kind of extreme illness. I told her I caught it from Chase, which in a funny way was the truth.

The intricate swirls were no longer red or caused me pain, but the mark did sometimes tingle or get warm. Tracing the tribal lines with my finger, I thought about Chase and what he had done to save me. I still didn’t fully understand what he had sacrificed other than tying our souls together forever.

Forever.

It sounded so definite. Forever with Chase. I should have been horrified by the idea not…

Thrilled.

Eager.

Elated.

Huffing at my reflection, I pulled down my shirt and went to my closet. School waited whether I was ready or not. I’ll admit there was some apprehension coiling in my belly. Tossing on a pair of jeans and a cardigan, I raced downstairs.

Heading into the kitchen, I went to grab myself a bowl of Lucky Charms. I could use a little luck of the Irish. There was a pink note on the granite counter that captured my attention. A small box sat under the note. It was from my mom.

Angel,

I love you dearly, but I swear if you drop this phone in the toilet, run it over with your car, or any other excuse you can come up with, it will be the last time you use a phone. Got it? I’m pretty sure the guy at the phone company thinks I eat cell phones for dinner. Please be more careful.

Love, Mom

P.S. Speaking of dinner, I made extras tonight for Chase.

Good Lord. Now my mom was cooking him dinner. He even had her wrapped around his finger. I would deal with that later, but right now I grinned as I tore open the box to my new iPhone.

Hell yeah.

The worse part of getting a new phone was that I had to input all my contacts again, which I guess wasn’t as bad as it seemed. I mean, I live in Spring Valley. There really weren’t that many people to add. Glancing at the clock, I realized my glee was to be short lived. If I didn’t hurry my tushie, I was going to be late for school. Slipping my new kickass phone into my backpack, I threw down a bowl of leprechaun cereal just before a car horn beeped outside my house.

Chapter 2

The horn beeped again two seconds later. “Hold your boxers on,” I mumbled. He could be so intolerable. Why had I agreed to ride with Chase and Lexi to school this morning?

Oh yeah, that’s right. He hadn’t given me a choice. Chase had gone all macho and bossy insisting that we ride to and from school together, for my safety of course.

What a bunch of baloney.

Grabbing my bag from the corner, I locked the front door behind me. I don’t know why I bothered. There wasn’t a lock Chase couldn’t get around. It was on his long list of skills. There, in my driveway was a shiny, brand-spanking new, silver Audi. The color reminded me of his eyes. I was starting to think that Chase went through vehicles as much as normal people change their sheets. It was insane – and costly.

Plopping into the passenger seat, I smiled at Lexi in the back. “What happened to the bike? Don’t tell me you totaled it already.”

He gave me a disarming grin, ignoring my barb. “It’s been retired for the season. You like?”

I shrugged. “If you’re into flashy. Not my style.” I was trying hard not to be impressed. It was a very attractive and sleek car – sort of like its owner.

“I’m flashy, and I’m your style,” he said cockily.

Lexi snickered from the backseat.

Laying my head on the back of the seat, I groaned.

“Better buckle up. This baby has quite the pickup.”

“Fabulous,” I muttered under my breath, clicking the seatbelt securely in place. Just what he needed, another ultra-fast car to kill me in. Given that I could be killed – again.

We arrived at school in record time, which was a good thing, because we were running late. The bell rang just as we were walking through the parking lot. Hall High looked exactly the same as the last time I’d been here. I shuddered, not realizing how being here again was going to affect me. This school was definitely filled with unpleasant memories. Somehow I always ended up fighting for my life.

Chase was immediately at my side. “Hey, you okay? Your face just lost ten shades of color.”

I nodded, unable to speak. My throat had closed up on me as I mechanically put one foot in front of the other.

Nodding for Lexi to go on ahead of us, he put a hand on my shoulder, halting my movements, and turned me toward him. “Angel, look at me.” With his thumb, he titled my chin up, staring into my face. “Nothing is going to happen to you. Not while I’m here. I promise.”

I wasn’t convinced. “You can’t be sure of that. What about when I’m alone?” Yes, I was totally acting like a frightened, needy baby, but that was exactly how I felt. No matter what I do or where I turn, trouble found me. I was like a heat seeking missile for misfortune. To make matters worse, I was now marked. There wasn’t a safe corner for me to hide in.

“You won’t be alone.”

I gave him a funny look. “What? Are you going to follow me into the girl’s bathroom?”

He smirked as if the idea held promise. “If I have to.”

The big jerk probably would and enjoy it too. “Be serious Chase.”

His hands ran down my arms leaving behind tendrils of warmth. “I am actually. Look, last week Lexi and I sort of talked with administration. We rearranged our schedules so that one of us will be in your classes.”

Oh goodie. I had babysitters.

By talking, he really meant they had used compulsion. I took a deep breath. Looks like I was going to be spending a whole lot more time with Chase than I ever could have imagined. If I thought one class was bad…what were multiple classes going to be like? A part of me knew I should have been outraged, not relieved, yet I couldn’t rationalize anything
normal
anymore.

“Come on. We need to get to class before we’re late. I wouldn’t want us to spend your first day back in detention. I have plans after school.”

Plans
? I ignored the tiny flutter of panic that sprinted across my heart. If he was going out after school why should I care? It was not like he had to check in with me or anything. He was a free agent and able to come and go as he pleased.

Then why did I feel this irrational beating against my ribs at the thought of being away from him? It made no sense. It was not like we were with each other twenty-four seven. He lived next door for God’s sake.

I was shocked how easy it was to get back into the swing of things. It helped that Chase had made sure I didn’t have any homework to make-up. I am sure that this applied as cheating, but in this case I was willing to let it slide. Though I think he was using his mind-altering talents a little too freely. I was going to have to have a talk with him before it started to get out of hand.

In-between classes, Lexi (my assigned shadow for the period) and I were at my locker when I heard a voice that made me cringe and stew with distaste. I felt a foul taste in my mouth like coppery blood and battery acid. Yeah, it was that bad.

“Oh. My. God. You’ve got to be kidding me.” Glancing over my shoulder, I found Sierra glaring at me with hate. “It’s true.”

I scanned the halls looking for the source of Sierra’s freak-out, even though I knew she was talking about me. “What the hell is she spazzing about?” I asked Lexi beside me. I figured that the other Divisa’s had been brought up to speed about what went down that night. Hayden had been there, he must have told them what happened. So what was Sierra’s deal? Maybe she had a hard time believing it, or maybe she was just pissed off that I hadn’t died so she could have Chase to herself. Sorry to disappoint.

“I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it,” she went on and on like a broken record. Her screeching voice was making my ears bleed.

So much for lying low and not causing a scene on my first day back, I should have known that it would be Sierra who was the hiccup in my otherwise normal day. “Why’s that so hard to believe,” I spat, crossing my arms. It was no secret Sierra and I hated each other’s guts, though it was probably not the smartest idea to bait her. She was part demon after all, more to the point – she was a bitch.

“I get that he saved you, is
always
saving you,” she dragged out overdramatically.

I clenched my jaw.

“But this,” she threw her hands in the air making her red locks fly with the exaggerated movements. “This is too far. She reeks of him.”

“Sierra,” Lexi warned low. “If Chase finds out about this…” Lexi’s words implied that he wouldn’t be happy.

She smiled smugly at me. “At least he hasn’t completed the bond. One out of three, I guess that’s a small consolation.”

I wanted to slap that superior grin off her gorgeous face. Forget that I had no idea what she was talking about.

What the hell was going on? What did she mean I reeked of him?

Before I could demand answers, a rush of warmth spread through me, and my tramp stamp started to tingle. I didn’t even need to turn around to know who stood behind me. He was like a looming force of steel.

“Is there a problem?” he asked Sierra in a condescending tone.

She glared at him over my head with tiny spears of disgust, and then promptly turned on her Dior heels and stomped gracefully down the hall. I watched in a haze of confusion and animosity as her painted on jeans sauntered away.

Hello Hall High…I’m back for your amusement. Step right up as we watch Sierra make mincemeat out of me.
Ugh
. Sometimes being a teenager sucked. Being an altered teenager bound to a half-demon was proving to be cumbersome.

Chem class proved to be even more entertaining, if that was possible. Chase assumed his bodyguard duty behind me, causing the temperature in the room to rise by about a hundred degrees. Pulling out my notebook, I heard my name whispered to my right. I glanced sideways to find Brody, the football jock, smiling at me.

His chocolate eyes were bright with excitement. “Hey, I’m glad to see you are back. We really missed you around here.”

I blinked. In school this size it was impossible to not be missed. “Thanks, I think.”

His boy-next-door-grin widened. “Anytime. This class just isn’t the same without your pretty face.”

I got the feeling that he was being overly friendly, almost as if he was into me. Not that long ago he sort of asked me to homecoming, and that hadn’t ended well. I just assumed that had been the end of it. I must be the most clueless girl in the school. “I’m sure anything beats Mr. Edginton’s monotone lectures,” I replied, trying to downplay what I thought was a come on.

Chase shifted in seat, leaning forward and making his presence known. I don’t know how anyone could forget he was in a room. Try as I might, I never could. Brody’s eyes darted to Chase warily and then back to me. He cleared his throat, and I knew from the shuffle of his feet under the desk what he was going to ask before he said it. “Maybe we could, I don’t know, hang out sometime.”

Oh boy. He was totally nervous. And I was dumbfounded. The day wasn’t even half over and this was like the third time a guy had suggested that we
hangout
. For real. The first one I figured no big deal. The second one I thought coincidence, but a third one? This had to be a joke. I most definitely was not that popular, even in a school this small.

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him to bite me, yet… Chase leaned back into his seat and snickered. Not just any kind of snicker, the kind that made me what to make him crazy, insanely, jealous. Served him right. “Sure,” I found myself answering.

Truthfully though, I knew that when the time came, I would find an excuse why I couldn’t go. It probably would have been easier had I been up front with him, but I was too nice and afraid to hurt his feelings – again.

Class started shortly after that, and I was listening intently to Mr. Edgington’s lecture, hanging on his every word. Okay, that was a total lie. What I was really doing was trying to pretend that Brody wasn’t winking and air blowing kisses at me from the next aisle over. Well maybe the air-kissing was going too far, but still, what the hell? I was also trying to ignore the rapid tapping of Chase’s pencil on the desktop. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who had noticed Brody’s cheesy attention.