Loving Angel (A Divisa Novel Book 4) (23 page)

“Dad?”

~*~*~*~

Pain. The intensity brought recollections of my first mark—soulbond. Such burning, it felt as if my innards were being grilled on hot coals.

I sucked in a sharp gasp.

Then, it was gone. Poof. Just vanished.

I barely had time to appreciate breathing again without pressure squeezing on my heart, when a pleasure so extraordinary, it bordered on grievous. Nothing had been okay since I’d been thrust into these keystone powers. I hated it. Hated the way I felt. Hated the changes in myself. Hated that I was unable to stop any of it.

My head fell back.

Something was happening to me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Helpless, I was both frightened and excited, completely at
its
mercy.

“Angel.” A voice whispered through the buzzing between my ears.

It was familiar, yet I couldn’t place a name or a face.

Then the voices started. Whispering in my ear, in my mind, all saying the saying the same enticing words. I shook my head back and forth, but it did nothing. Their voices were too strong, the temptation too great. I wasn’t strong enough to resist.

Confusion and fear had been my constant companions lately as my body underwent the ongoing changes. For longer than I wanted to admit, I tried to convince myself that I was fine, that nothing was wrong. Ignorance might have cost me my soul. If I had been open and honest, maybe we would have been able to prevent what was happening.

Too little, too late.

It was done. And now that transition was complete, I felt a slow grin tug at my lips. Suddenly, everything was so clear. My purpose. I understood what I had to do, the task set in front of me. Why had I ever felt lost? Why had I ever been afraid of the power I was given?

I should
be
feared, not fear.

One-handed, I push damp strands of hair off my face, fidgeting on the couch in the process. I was antsier than ever. Dumping a pile of blankets on the floor, I sat up.

“Angel?”

It was that voice again. I opened my eyes. “Lexi,” I growled.

For just a split second the gravelly texture of my voice surprised me.
I
didn’t growl, but then I realized, I wasn’t
me
anymore. And the new Angel could do all sorts of cool things, like growl.

In some murky, repressed corner of my mind, I knew that this person in my body wasn’t who I was, but it was buried so far deep, it had no hope against the darkness.

Lexi sat down on the coffee table in front of me, concern bouncing off her. “Hey. You’ve got everyone worried sick about you. How are you feeling?”

“I feel…great.”

Her slim brows burrowed together. “You do?”

I flex my fingers. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Her pretty eyes flickered down to my shirt, and I followed her gaze, seeing myself covered in blood and black stuff. She edge to the end of the table, both feet flat on the ground. “Did you want to talk about what happened?”

“Where’s Chase?” I asked, completely disregarding her question.

She was taken back by the harshness. “H-he had to run out for a moment. I am sure he will back any minute.”

I grinned. “Perfect.”

“Are you sure you are okay? You seem different.”

“I am,” I replied, knowing that my eyes were glowing. Then I reached out, grabbing a fistful of her hair. I watched as shock glistened in her aqua eyes right before I slammed her head into the table.

***

Keep reading for a sneak peek into my new series,
White Raven
.

PROLOGUE:

It only took one heartbeat to change my whole life. One chilling phone call in the middle of the night.

The screams. I’ll never forget that blood curdling sound. It echoed in my head, like a train horn in an underground tunnel, bouncing from one wall to the other. It wasn’t until TJ wrapped me in a hug, that I realized that those screams of pain and sorrow were mine.

On more nights than not, my own screams haunted my dreams. I lost count the number of times I’d woken up in a dead panic, icy cold, and clammy. All because my mom had been murdered. It was gut retching.

My mom had been my best friend, my world, and when she had been shot at point blank in a robbery on West Twenty-Fourth Street, my world crumbled. Hearing those words, “sorry honey, your mom is dead”, from a stranger made the air stall in my lungs.

Chinatown, one of my mom and I’s favorite places, was just around the corner. Carrying an order of sweet and sour chicken and beef lo mein, she was on her way home, down the same street we’d walked countless times. We only lived five blocks. Five measly blocks—that was all that had stood between my mom and her life. There were perks to living in the city, but then again, there were huge sacrifices.

I learned that the hard way.

Acknowledgements

First off, I want to thank the readers. You guys are fantastic! I couldn’t do any of this without the supportive or kind things you guys send my way <3 <3 It is because of you that I am able to share Angel and Chase’s journey. Special thanks to Kelly Hashway and her mad editing skills. I am so lucky to have found her. A HUGE thanks to my crit/beta team.