Hunting Angel 2 (21 page)

My name whispered over my shoulder in the girl’s gym locker room. Coach Jenssen had sent me to retrieve a cart of soccer balls from the storage room. A simple errand, yet that was never in my case. Again my name breezed through the stuffy room smelling of sweaty socks and hairspray. I spun around.

Nothing.

Then I heard the unmistakable voice of Emma Deen. “Hiya demon lover.” Her breath was at the back of my neck and something pointy was jabbed into my side.

I froze.

Gosh, even in a mesh gym uniform she looked formidable. “Where are your bodyguards when you need them?”

I swallowed, afraid to breath. “If you are going to kill me, just do it already,” I said, managing to sound bored and a lot braver than I felt.

She chuckled. Emma had a sweet voice, but she had way of making it sound like vinegar. Bitter and Foul. “And make it easy for you? Where is the fun in that?”

For someone who was so scrawny, she packed the strength of a giant. “You tell me. I’m not the one with ideas of perverse fun.”

She stabbed the object further into my side, and I winced. Okay. Wrong answer. “Do you think your half-demon will still like you if I cut out your tongue?”

“He’d probably thank you.”

“Maybe you’re right.” There was enjoyment in her voice. She spun me around. Her emerald eyes shimmered with amusement and arrogance as we stood face-to-face. “It’s just a pen silly.” She held up a blue ink pen, twirling it in her fingers. “See you later.” Then she walked off.

I fumed.

My temper skyrocketed. I was going to beat her into a bloody pulp. I took a step forward, toward her retreating back with visions of her blood on my hands. How dare she threaten me with something as stupid as a pen.

“She giving you shit too?” Sierra asked, suddenly beside me, and I further shamed myself by jumping.

I couldn’t decide if I was more annoyed that she had stopped me from going Claude Van Damme on Emma’s ass, or if it was because it was her. “What are
you
doing here?” I shrieked. My heart couldn’t take all this excitement.

“Coach sent me to see what was taking so long. Don’t worry, I told her you had your monthly and probably had to change your tube.” Her grin was downright conniving.

“Wonderful,” I said sarcastically. Ugh, two in one day. It was more than I could handle. A person can only take so much. I could feel her smirking and I shrugged. “Emma’s threats are nothing new. They are starting to grow on me.”

She snickered. “Travis better do something soon. Chase isn’t going to let this continue much longer.”

I sighed and hugged my arms around myself. “I know.” My voice was tinged with sadness. I got this feeling that felt like rocks in my belly. This wasn’t going to end well, and I think I was more afraid that when it was all said and done, Travis and Chase might not ever be the same. It was an ominous mood that settled between Sierra and I, our thoughts both heading down the same road.

“What do you plan to do about it little Miss sassy pants?” Sierra goaded.

Like I had any control over the outcome or over Chase for that matter. And I wasn’t sure how I felt about her insult. “I don’t know yet?”

“Well I’ll tell you what I’d like to do to Emma.”

I thought maybe I should cover my ears for the next part. It was probably going to be graphic and gruesome.

“I’d like to rearrange twinkle toes face and shove one of those arrows up her–”

“I got the point,” I interrupted, not really needing anymore details.

“Do you?”

Yeah, she was as crazy as Emma. “We should get back to class.”

~*~*~*~

After dumping my bag by the front door, I threw myself on our zebra print couch, staring crossed-eyed at the black and white stripes. I was mentally exhausted and had no plans to move from this spot for the rest of the night.

Of course plans change.

Twirling the charm bracelet twinkling at my wrist, I couldn’t help but smile, regardless that today had been a craptastic day. Every time I looked at this bracelet, I thought back to the day I received it. It was one of those treasured memories that you never forget, one of those perfect days. This little silver piece of jewelry would forever symbolize that moment. It was what made it so special.

It was also the first gift Chase gave me.

Well unless you don’t count the tattoo, which I didn’t. That hadn’t been quite what I thought of as a gift, more of a hindrance.

We had been sitting on the porch steps when he pulled something out of his pocket. There was an unmistakable gleam shining in his eyes, playful and full of delight. “Here.” He held out his hand with a tiny pink box in the center of his palm. I almost giggled at seeing such a frilly and girly color in Chase’s masculine hand. The deep pink package was tied with a thin ribbon around.

“Did you buy me a gift?” I asked, my blue eyes narrowing in suspicion. What was he up to? I was almost too nervous to get excited in case this was some kind of sick joke. I wasn’t naive enough to think just because I had professed my love for him that he would suddenly become the guy of my dreams. This was the real world, and I accepted Chase for exactly what he was, an arrogant, commanding, hot, bad boy with the temper of a demon.

How could a girl resist?

I plucked the square box from his palm.

He shrugged, stuffing his empty hands into his jean pockets. “It’s no big deal. I saw it in the window and thought of you.”

I tried my damnedest to not be touched, to not let my heart flop at the gesture.

No lie. It was hard.

Impossible really.

Unraveling the white ribbon, I tugged open the box. This little package was better than Christmas morning. Better than a fresh baked orange scone. Better than getting a new video game. Better than…I think I made my point. My insides fluttered like fragile hummingbird wings.

Wow, just wow.

Resting on a bed of that poofy, fabric stuff was the prettiest silver bracelet I’d ever laid eyes. I wasn’t a blingy kind of gal, usually some earring studs and watch a completed my ensemble, but this was simple and beautiful.

With adept fingers he took the shimmering chain and clasped the charm bracelet around my wrist. The moon and stars chimed together as I spun it around, admiringly.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered, afraid if I said anymore, my voice might give away too much, or there was the chance that I would choke on the intense feelings coursing through me.

He reached for my hand, sparks ignited on contact. You think by now I would be used to the whole cosmic tension that was always between us. “The two stars each have an engraving, see…” He spun the trinkets around so that I could read them, and my eyes ran over the etchings.

“AM and CW…” my voice broke off with a hitch. Our initials. Now he’d done it. For sure I was going to start bawling like a sappy twit, and I was definitely not a sappy anything.

Not a big deal? Who was he kidding? You don’t get something personalized if it wasn’t a big deal.

I came back from memory lane with a smile on my lips and suddenly heard the strangest sound. Don’t get me wrong, my house made all kinds of weird sounds, but this didn’t belong, sort of like a branch hitting the house. It started out as just a pesky scratch, but I couldn’t pinpoint the source. Ignoring it didn’t make it go away.

Drats
.

Someday ignoring a problem was going to work.

Then those little scratches were accompanied by the teeniest cry. At first, I was sure that I imagined it. Yet, whatever it was, they were persistent, and those tiny cries became more of a desperate yawl.

We better not have mice
.

Muting the TV, I tiptoed through the house trying to locate the source. It didn’t help that every other floorboard groaned under my weight. As I approached the backdoor, it became apparent that the cries were actually more of meows. Cracking the door with caution, I wasn’t too sure that the only thing behind this door was an innocent cat.

For once it was nice to be wrong. There pacing on the threshold was a tabby colored kitten. Cocoa colored stripes covered his fluffy coat. Where had this surprise come from? My guess, he was a wittle-bitty lost farm kitten. Poor fellow.

It was at least a mile to our nearest neighbor. I didn’t even consider them neighbors, it was that far. I couldn’t believe he traveled the distance by his lonesome. His sad green-yellow eyes looked up at me, and he gave another pitiful meow. I bent down to pick him up, and the scamp darted down the steps. What a little pooper.

Biting my lip, I debated going after him. In the end, I knew I couldn’t leave him out in the cold. Evening was approaching right around the corner, and he would probably freeze to death if I didn’t offer him shelter for the night. It was going to be one of those cold ass nights where you could see your own breath. Tomorrow I would take him into town and see if anyone was looking for him.

Now, I just had to catch the stinker.

I took a quick peek next door just to make sure I wasn’t under lockdown. There was a driveway of cars parked next door. They were apparently having some kind of Divisa powwow, which I hadn’t been invited too. Not that I wanted to be involved in their half-demon politics. Though I half expected someone to pop behind me and scold me for sneaking out past curfew.

Cutting across the slightly damp grass to the edge of the woods, I kept my eyes glued on the kitty. He turned his head up at my approach, eyes glinting off the half-moon that shone through the branches.

“Hey little guy.” I slowly crouched closer to his level. He watched me intently, looking ready to run. “Come here, kitty, kitty,” I coaxed in baby talk and held out my hand.

We never had pets growing up, so I wasn’t even sure if this kind of thing was effective. I inched forward and he dashed just inside the one place I wasn’t very keen about entering.

“Seriously,” I muttered in aggravation and regretted not grabbing a hoodie. The last thing I wanted tonight was to be chasing a stray kitten through the woods.

I knew that I shouldn’t follow the little rascal into the woods, but I couldn’t help myself. He was lost and alone. He needed my help. A little farther into the forest wouldn’t hurt. It was not like I was miles away. I could still see my house in the distance. Straightening my shoulders, I took a deep breath and crossed into the place of my nightmares.

A chilly gust of wind lifted my dark hair and sent a shower of brownish dead leaves shimmering around me. An eerie shiver shuddered through me, skirting down my spine. Just like my spooky old house, there was something dark and forbidden living in these woods. Not just the hounds from hell that roamed at twilight, not just the lower demons sent to cleanup. Or maybe it was all of that and more. Blood had dripped on the forest floor of needles and crumbled leaves. Creatures and humans hunted in here. Maybe it was that these woods had seen more than I could wrap my mind around.

Letting out a nervous laugh, I realized how incredibly silly I was being, working myself into a tizzy. Moving forward, I spotted the nuisance not too far in front of me. It was time for a new approach. Cautious be damned. I marched right up to the rascal, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and–

The snapping of a twig sent my heart in a downward spiral. My heels dug into the partial frozen dirt as I stood and spun in wild circles, searching. The furball forgotten and my own instinct for survival kicked in. Though I could see no one, I knew I was no longer alone in the trees. A ghostly silence hit the air, and the only sound was the quickened rise and fall of my chest.

I never saw it coming. Never new was lurking about, because at that moment a wet rag was pressed against my mouth and nose from behind me. I opened my mouth to scream, Chase’s name on the tip of my tongue – a fatal mistake. No sound came out, and it was followed by the smell and taste of a pungent odor. Frantic, I fought but in seconds my limbs refused to obey my brain. Heavily, I felt myself sink into oblivion.

My eyes lost focus, blurring the forest into a muddle of colors. There were voices behind me, smothered from recognition.

Then everything went black.

Chapter 21

I woke up with the feel of cold steel pressed against my cheek. Goosebumps covered my arms, chilling me to the bone. Disoriented, I slowly lifted open my eyes, fluttering against blackness. A musky dampness filled the air, tickling my nose.

I blinked, which to my annoyance didn’t really do much.

There was a heaviness to my lids that made it difficult to keep them open. A fog snared inside my brain. When the cloudiness lifted and my vision finally cleared, I wished for blissful darkness again. Nothing made sense.

What happened to me?

Where was I?

Because I was pretty sure I wasn’t in Kansas anymore. And if this was Oz, where were my ruby red slippers? Had I slipped down a rabbit hole and landed in Wonderland?

All fairytales start with a bump on the head and as I sat up, I was damn sure I had one of those. Cursing, a stinging pain shot through the back of my head and made me gasp. I rubbed the tender spot and got my first glimpse of my surroundings. It wasn’t a palace.

Nothing in a million years would have prepared me for the sight at which greeted me. This was far from a Never Never Land and there weren’t going to be any dwarfs at my rescue. Not in a room this tiny.

I looked around the closet size room wildly, my blue eyes going wide. There was nothing but a metal bed bolted to the floor and a door with thick bands of bars. It was a cell. My stomach knotted unbearably. Stark fear rose in my throat like bile, coating it with pure panic.

Reality descended upon me all at once.

I was trapped.

Captured.

A prisoner.

This was the kind of thing that only happened on CSI. Only happened to other people. Not me. I did not want to make the local news. I was not that girl on the side of the milk carton who’d been abducted, whose mom was frantically going out of her mind with worry.

Mom
.

She was going to be beside herself. What would she do without me? I hated having to think about her mourning for me. What she would go through? How long would it take her to notice I was missing? Sometime days went by without us really seeing each other, just a text here and there to make sure I was alive. I knew Devin would take care of her, but it had always been just her and I. She needed me.