Milayna's Angel (19 page)

“Snowball snow,” I said.

“Hmm?”

“You can tell by the way it crunches when we
walk on it. It’s good packing snow. Great for building snowmen.” I
reached down and scooped up a handful, squeezing it into a small
ball. “Or snowballs.” I tossed it at him, laughing.

He bent and scooped up two handfuls of snow,
patting them together to make a ball the size of a softball.

My laughter faded, and my eyes grew wide.
“You wouldn’t throw that at an injured woman, would you?”

“Of course not.” He shook his head. “I’m
going to toss it.” He lobbed the snowball at my feet, chuckling.
“I’ve never had a snowball fight before.”

“When I’m feeling better, we’ll have one…” My
words faltered.

We both knew it wasn’t true. I was with Chay.
He wouldn’t look at a snowball fight as innocent fun. I wasn’t sure
Xavier would either.

“Yeah.” He reached out and threaded his
fingers through mine. I stared out our entwined fingers for a beat
before pulling away. His grip tightened. “I’m just holding you so
you don’t slip.” His words rang false, but I didn’t push. I tried
not to think of why that was, but I was sure it had something to do
with the way his fingers felt against mine, warm and strong.

Stop it! You’re crossing a fine line.

We reached his car, and he threw my bag in
the backseat before he helped me into the car. He walked around the
front to the driver’s side, his hands in his pockets, looking down.
A lock of hair fell over his forehead. I balled my hands in my lap
to keep from smoothing it back in place when he got in the car.

He slid inside, and my nose was immediately
assailed with his scent. I breathed him in, musky and a little
woodsy. Mixed with the smell of his leather jacket, it made my head
swim. I turned my face from him and inhaled the crisp, frigid air
seeping in through the window.

“You’re cold,” he said, mistaking the shiver
that ran through my body as having to do with the temperature.

He started the car and angled the heat vents
toward me. Picking my hands up, he rubbed them between his. I
nearly groaned out loud.

What is wrong with me?

I kept trying to picture Chay’s face, hear
his voice, smell his scent. Taste his kiss. But being so close to
Xavier was clouding my head. Any other time, Xavier would
definitely be someone I would’ve been attracted to, would’ve loved
receiving attention from. But I had Chay. And I loved him. I didn’t
want to be attracted to anyone else, much less Xavier.

The heater started blowing warm air. “Feel
better?” he asked, smiling at me.

“Yeah, thanks.” I pulled my hands from his.
He held on to them a second longer before he let them slip between
his fingers. I waited for him to pull from the parking lot.
Instead, he settled back in his seat.

“So… How’d you meet Chay?”

I looked at him with a raised brow. “I knew
him from school, but we met through the group. Why?”

“Curious. How long have you two been…
dating?”

I frowned. “It’ll be five months soon. Why
are you so curious?”

“I want to know more about you.” He shrugged
a shoulder.

My heart did this little fluttery thing that
was generally reserved only for Chay. I didn’t like that it reacted
the same way to Xavier.

“But you aren’t asking about me,” I pointed
out. “You’re asking about my boyfriend. Why?”

“Is that what you are? Just boyfriend and
girlfriend?” He looked at the ring I wore. Absently, I fingered it,
twirling it around with my thumb.

“Yes, that’s what we are.” I bit my lower
lip.

Why didn’t I say we were more than that?

“Not even five months, huh? Seems like it’s
kind of soon to be wearing his ring.”

I didn’t see the need to answer. It wasn’t
any of his business.

“What do you know about him, really?” Xavier
asked.

“What difference does it make to you?” I
snapped.

He smiled, unfazed. “I’m here to protect you,
remember? I’m just trying to do the job I came here to do.”

“That’s why you’re here? To protect me?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“That’s the only reason? It’s completely
selfless?”

His gaze held mine. “That’s my job.”

“You didn’t really answer my question,
Xavier.”

“No, that’s not the only reason I’m here.
And, no, it’s not completely altruistic on my part. But that
doesn’t change the fact that I need to learn about the people in
your life, make sure they’re safe. Someone is trying to kill you,
remember?”

My hand moved involuntarily to my side.
“Yeah. I remember. But it’s not Chay.”

Xavier shrugged a shoulder. “And Jeff? Did
you think he was trying to kill you?”

“That’s not… the same thing.”

He drummed his thumb on the steering wheel.
“Okay, let’s assume Chay’s a good guy.”

“He is. There’s no need for assumption.”

“But is he good enough?” Xavier asked.

I sighed. “Good enough for what?”

“For you.” He threaded a lock of my hair
between his fingers before pushing it gently behind my ear.

I bit my lip. His eyes followed the motion.
He trailed his hand around my jaw to my mouth, caressing my lower
lip with his thumb, pulling it from my teeth. I shivered in
response.

“That wasn’t because you’re cold,” he
murmured.

His gaze found mine. I stared into the liquid
blue pools, knowing I should look away, but I was mesmerized by
their beauty, by him. He cupped the side of my face with one hand
and leaned forward. His lips came so close to mine I could smell
his minty breath, feel it fan across my skin. My tongue darted out
and wet my parted lips. He hesitated—maybe he was giving me time to
pull away, maybe he was deciding if it was what he wanted. It
didn’t matter. That split second hesitation was all I needed to
bring me back to reality. I turned my face from him.

“Damn,” he ground out.

I reached to open the door. “I should go back
inside. Muriel and Drew will wonder where I went.”

“I already told them I’d bring you home,
Milayna.”

“Oh.” I looked out the side window when a
thought occurred to me. “Are you?” I asked, not looking at him.

“Am I what?”

“Good enough for me?”

He blew out a breath. “No. And neither is
he.”

***

I was home alone when it hit. My parents were
still at work. Muriel was across the street; Drew had just dropped
her off from school. Xavier had wanted to stay with me, but I
thanked him for the ride and said I didn’t need a babysitter.

I pushed speed dial, and she answered on the
first ring. “Muriel,” I said.

“I’ll be right there.” She hung up the phone
without another word. I heard her walk into the house a minute
later. “Vision?”

I nodded. The vision was in full swing by the
time she’d gotten there, and I wished I hadn’t called her—she was
part of it.

Chay. Muriel. Talking.

I squeezed my eyes closed.

Lockers.

They were talking at school, but I couldn’t
hear what they were saying. I placed my hands over my ears, trying
to drown out the sounds around me and focus on the noises in the
vision. There were none. Frustrated, I swore violently. I heard
Muriel’s quick intake of breath and opened my eyes. She stared at
me, shocked by the words that had just spewed from my mouth. I
shrugged a shoulder.

I’m watching them. Listening. I see my hand
resting on the wall. The gold band on my finger gleams. They’re
laughing.

Struggling to concentrate, I willed the sound
of their voices to break through the vision. I had the overwhelming
feeling I needed to know what they were saying.

Milayna.

It was just a whisper, but I caught it. The
only sound I heard from the vision. It was Chay’s voice. When he
said it, a look of disbelief washed over Muriel’s face, followed by
a look of distrust.

“Milayna!” I heard him yell as the back door
flew open.

“She’s in here, Chay,” Muriel called.

Muriel. Chay. Laughing.

The vision fizzled away when Chay ran into
the room.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“A vision. Are you barefoot?” I looked
pointedly at his feet, red from walking through the snow.

He looked down like he’d just realized he’d
forgotten shoes. “Yeah.”

“How are you feeling?” I asked him.

“Like shit on a shoe.”

I blew out a breath and shook my head. “Well,
it’s no wonder. You’re running around the neighborhood without any
shoes or shirt on. It’s twenty degrees outside, Chay.”

“Yes, Mom,” he teased and scooped me into a
hug. Even though he was shirtless, wearing just a pair of sweat
pants, his skin was hot with fever.

“You need to get home. You’re still burning
up. Here, take this.” I gave him one of my dad’s jackets and a pair
of tennis shoes. “Go home and stay in bed.”

“Geez, you’re a nag,” he said with a chuckle.
He grazed his lips over my forehead and sent shivers down my spine.
All thoughts of Xavier’s touch flew out the window as soon as Chay
was near.

I’m a horrible person. I can’t believe I let
Xavier almost kiss me… that I almost kissed him. Chay deserves so
much better.

***

I smelled sulfur before I saw them. One
darted past the family room window. I was lying on the couch
resting, worn out from school the day before.

Rolling off the couch, I walked to the
window. I watched Friendly’s fat body run through the backyard.
Scarface stalked across the snow to stand on the deck, his body
wracked with shivers. I smiled. He needed to cool off a little. He
was way too high strung, even for a goblin.

“Milayna!” Scarface shouted. “It’s too damn
cold out here.”

“And what am I supposed to do about that?” I
called through the window.

“Stop farting around and making me come up
here. Just switch sides already,” he grumbled, rubbing his fat
hands up and down his arms.

“That’s okay. I like the side I’m on.”

“Milayna,” Friendly sang. “Are you okay?”

My blood ran cold. “Yeah, why?”

“Did you like our game? At the mall? Did you
like our game?”

My hands curled into fists. “What do you know
about the mall?”

“You got stuck. Spent the night in the
hospital. Got a few stitches. Whatever.” Scarface ticked each point
off on his sausage fingers.

“You did that?”

Friendly looked at me, his eyes wide. It made
him look innocent, cute even. “He made us.”

“Who?” I knew they wouldn’t tell me, but I
asked anyway.

“Him. He said it was a warning. That worse
things were coming.”

“Well, you can tell him I’m fine.”

“Who was with you?” Scarface asked, a sly
look on his face.

“You seem to have all the answers tonight.
You tell me.”

“Muriel and Drew. Those you can trust,”
Friendly said with a smile. “The others, not so much.”

“What others?”

“If they weren’t at the mall, you should
watch out for them, especially the one who didn’t want to go.”

Chay
.

“Whatever. You two are wasting my time. When
you have something important to tell me, come back. Otherwise, go
to Hell.”

“It’s going to get bad,” Scarface yelled
after me. “And not just for you.”

“For who, then?” I asked slowly. Sucking my
lip into my mouth, I rolled it between my teeth.

“Everyone.”

15

The demons chased me. I was alone in the
dark, outside. None of my neighbor’s houses had lights on. I ran
home. The door was locked. I reached for my key, but it wasn’t
there.

I ran across the street to Muriel’s, but no
one answered when I knocked.

I darted around a group of demons and through
my backyard. Chay. Jumping the back fence, I found the only house
in the neighborhood with lights on and ran to it. I pounded with
both fists on the blood-red door.

“
Help me,” I screamed.

The demons grew closer. I could smell the
sulfur radiating from their bodies, see their sickly gray skin.

The door opened and I fell inside, hitting
the floor with a grunt. I scrambled away from the door, kicking it
closed.

“
Thank you,” I said, out of
breath.

“
They told you not to trust me,” he said.
I looked up into his blue-green eyes, staring coolly back at me.
Slowly, he opened the door and the demons walked inside, grotesque
smiles pulled across their yellow, dagger-like teeth.

I opened my eyes with a gasp. I’d fallen
asleep doing my calculus homework. Raising my head, I smoothed the
pages of the book back into place.

I rubbed my eyes with the heel of my hands.
I’d had the dream before, months ago. It didn’t mean anything then.
I could, and did, trust Chay with my life.

But I couldn’t help but stew over the
possibilities. Chay had definitely been acting funny. We’d had more
disagreements than the entire time we’d been together. It worried
me, and I hated that. I hated second guessing him, looking for
clues of his betrayal. But my visions had never been wrong before
and in them… I didn’t want to think about it. He loved me, and I
loved him.

He would never hurt me. He wouldn’t.

I kept repeating that over and over.

The hobgoblins were trying to stir up
trouble. That was their job. My visions might have never been wrong
before, but I believed they were wrong about Chay. And I never had
a vision that Jeff was going to betray me to Azazel, so they
weren’t always reliable indicators either.

I can trust Chay. I believe that.

***

Monday. I hadn’t talked with Chay all
weekend. He texted a few times, but other than that, we didn’t
talk. I chalked it up to him being sick. He was resting and didn’t
feel like texting or talking on the phone.