Shattering Halos (7 page)

Gabriel took a step back against me, and his hands clamped my hips, holding me still behind him. Pressed against his back, I felt Gabriel’s snarl vibrate through me as it grew into a roar. “I said back off!”

“Gabriel—” I began. The door blurred as it opened and slammed shut, and without warning I found myself inside the house…alone.

I stared at the wooden panels inches from my face. No sound came from the other side. I tried to turn the knob, but the door was locked. I fiddled with the latch, which showed no sign of budging.

No way. He’s locked me in!

Furious, I stalked through the house and out the kitchen door. I crossed the back yard, looped around, and reached the driveway in one minute flat. By then, it was too late. Raindrops and silence was all they had left behind.

Chapter 8 — Damage Control

Gaia

“Gaia, we need to talk!”

Story of my life, much?

I hadn’t expected a wide-eyed Marina to stare me down first thing in the morning. She tended to burst into her first class while the teacher called roll, so this confrontation should have hit me much later.

Unfortunately, my new kind of luck had Marina lying in wait behind the cafeteria door. All claws, she pounced at me as soon as I entered. Creases from her pillow still marked a cheek, and agitation kept her puffy eyes round as she hauled me to a table. I’d have a monster on my hands once she woke up enough to discover her missing makeup. Her Betty-Boop slippers still snuggled her feet too.

Damage control, and pronto.

I rummaged through the backpack and pulled out my “first aid kit” as she shoved me into a seat in front of her. Grumbling, I glanced up at the clock. If she wanted to, she could have at me for fifteen agonizing minutes before the bell rang. Damn me and my early arrivals.

The path of least resistance seemed like the smoothest choice, so I handed her a hairbrush and waited for her to tear into me. The brush went through Marina’s hair in automatic strokes while she stared me down.

What did I do to deserve this again?

“Am I your BFF?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Dude, seriously. Do you trust that I only want the best for you?”

“Yep. Yep-yep.”

I pulled out the mocha-colored eye shadow from my emergency kit. God knows where the courage came from, but I started layering it above her intent glower.

“Listen to me, Gaia!”

“I
am
listening. Geez…”

Her shoulders relaxed. I finished with the mocha color and moved on to a lighter latte for the arch below her eyebrows.

“Okay, so my family’s Catholic, right? We believe in Jesus, the Virgin Mary, the saints, angels, demons—everything.”

“Uh-huh, yes.”

Her espresso-colored irises would stand out nicely with green eyeliner. I whipped mine out and began shaping her eyes.

Marina continued. “Since I know quite a bit about them, I recognized him yesterday. I don’t think you Lutherans have the same kind of relationship with them?”

“With who?”

“Demons, dammit! This is important!”

“True. No association with demons. Call me antiquated, but I doubt you Catholics can change my mind on that one. Just boring old me, I guess.”

“Okay, okay.” Marina shut her eyes, trying to curb her impatience, and I suppressed a snort. Taking advantage of her closed lids, I corrected the eyeliner. Then, I started dabbing my favorite rose-colored rouge at the high points of her cheekbones.

“I don’t even know where to start, Gaia. I’m so worried. Please come and meet the priest at our church?”

“What the…? Calm down, girl! I don’t need a priest. Gabriel explained everything yesterday.”

“Really? Did he tell you he’s a demon?”

“No, he
didn’t
because he
isn’t
! Has anybody told you how out of your stupid mind you are?”

Marina was mad too now. She slapped away the rouge brush and leaned into me. My fingers shook a little as I unscrewed the mascara lid.

“Oh, so you think he’s from the light? Well, get this: demons are fallen angels. They can totally be super-beautiful, like Gabriel—”

“And only demons are beautiful?”

Ignoring me, she pressed on, freight-train style. “—plus they’re super-evil. He’ll exploit you so bad you won’t remember your own name when he’s done with you. They’re the servants of the devil!”

Beneath the anger, Marina was truly frightened, and I hated that it affected me. The crowded cafeteria was beginning to feel too public, so I lowered my voice into a whisper. “Stop it. Gabriel is my guardian angel. He’s amazing, Marina. All he wants is what’s good for me; it’s like he’s made of love or something.”

“Ha, he better not show you too
much
love!”

My cheeks colored. Obviously, I couldn’t share everything from the night before with her. Getting up, I started toward the door. She grabbed my sleeve and tried to retain me, but I yanked free and hurried to the exit. With the doggedness of a terrier, she followed close behind, still yapping.

“So explain to me why he dazzled me yesterday if he’s only concerned with what’s good for you? He literally forced me to back off your case. Gabriel freaking
wants
you, Gaia. Next thing, he’ll be looking for an artery!”

I chuckled despite myself. Count on Marina to give even the most bizarre situation a comic twist.

“Oh, get over yourself already. He wanted to explain to me in person, and he did, didn’t he?”

For a second, I absently marveled at the 1950s Hollywood eyelashes I’d managed to create for her.

“Please—make me happy, chicky. Come with me to Father Damian’s?”

“Marina.” I shook my head, fighting the irritation. Few things annoyed me more than being manipulated. This was far overboard, and I wrenched my wrist free of her grip. From all sides, curious stares lingered on us now, and she dropped her voice to a hiss as she dug into my arms. The questions hit me rapid-fire.

“Listen up. How can you trust that he’s not a Fallen? Why would he want you so bad if he were good? Shouldn’t he be selfless,
above
our kind of love? Demons are self-serving, lustful, evil, and yada, yada, yada—and Gabriel wants to be with you. What white angel would be like that?

“Oh, and here’s a great one: have you ever heard of someone obsessed with her guardian angel? I don’t think so. That stunning freak show has dazzled you into oblivion.”

“No, you don’t get it…”

“He
owns
your ass!”

The silence suddenly stretched on, and Marina shuddered. I had nothing else to say. I wanted her to be happy, not to worry about me. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to see her priest.

My defeat sounded too loud in my ears when I exhaled. “Fine, I’ll go with you if it shuts you up. But just so you know, Gabriel and I are not together.”

Marina looked truly surprised. “What? You’re not, um, hanging out?”

“Well, he sort of is my twenty-four seven bodyguard, so he’ll be around, but we’re not…dating or anything. Apparently, it’d be kind of ginormous if we did, and not in a good way. Something about the big picture,” I added awkwardly. She snorted and rolled her eyes.

“You don’t say? Not that I’m a believer, but if he
were from the light, I betcha God would’ve sicced another guardian on you so fast it’s not even funny.”

It was my turn to ignore her words. “Please, tell me you haven’t told anybody else about Gabriel. I’d appreciate it if you kept this to yourself.”

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one with interesting mood swings, because Marina instantly reached over to hug me. “No matter what, I never
ever
spill on my friends. Also, I couldn’t break this kind of news to Lucio. He doesn’t deserve any of this.”

****

I spent most of the day staring blankly at the teachers. I wasn’t mad at Gabriel anymore, but the way he’d lost his cool with the new angel scared me. He didn’t seem to trust him.

How I wished Gabriel would stop cloaking himself. I hadn’t seen him all day, and I already missed him. My stomach hurt when I thought about how amazing it felt to be kissed by him. Gabriel’s rule of no contact would be hard to uphold. I shut my eyes and stifled a whimper.

“Gaia, are you okay?” The teacher frowned down at me.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I just have a headache,” I lied.

“Do you need the nurse?”

Kyle studied me from the neighboring desk, and I looked away. “No, no, I’m okay.”

Throughout the day, with the sun peeking out and flooding every surface, I began to feel better.

Between Computer Apps and Pre-calculus, Gabriel finally materialized. He sucked the air out of me just by standing there in the nook by the band room.

“Gabriel! What happened last night?”

“Hi sunshine. It wasn’t safe for you outside, so I had to tuck you away.”

“Who
was
that guy?”

His laugh lines showed, and I loved it. I remembered the sensation of his stomach rippling with amusement under my touch. Already I wanted to break the no-contact rule.

“He’s nobody. Don’t worry about him.” Gabriel leaned against the closed door, and his gaze softened as it met mine. “I’ll take care of you, Gaia.”

****

Secret happiness began to seep in over the next days. My life shone bright and complete. After a week, I even manned up enough to apologize to Lucio. I caught him by the arm on the way out from class.

“Hey, Lucio?”

“Gaia.” He acknowledged me with a nod before staring off into the hallway.

“I’m sorry about what happened at the dance.”

“Yeah, it’s fine.” He didn’t turn to me, and his stance remained tense.

“I didn’t mean to run off like that.”

Brilliant, just brilliant, Gaia.

“Sure, it’s cool. I’m off to P.E.” Lucio pulled his arm discreetly out of my grasp.

“Right, sorry…” I watched him stalk down the hallway. As he turned for the west corridor, he shot a pained glance in my direction. His expression said more than words. Why hadn’t I understood that he
felt
something for me?

Marina caught up with me as I headed to class. “What was that about?”

“Your cousin…I think he liked me.”

“Yeah, dick move at the dance.”

“Thanks.”

“No, just saying.”

Over the next days, whenever my happiness was too obvious, Marina would glare at me and remind me of my promise to come to church. I could only imagine the fit she’d throw if she discovered the source of my bottled-up euphoria.

During the weeks following the dance, Gabriel would randomly appear during my school days.

In Computer Apps, I was half listening to the lecture when he materialized Indian-style on top of the teacher’s desk. Like an illusion, he leaned toward me with his back too straight for anybody but a Kirov dancer. I let my hair slide in front of my face to disguise my elation.

“Genie,” I mouthed, and he shook his head, feigning outrage.

He pointed at me. “You.”

My strangled laughter alerted Marina, who slapped me on the arm. “What’s going on?” she hissed.

From the teacher’s desk, Gabriel shimmered and sent me a playful smile that provoked my most exultant grin. “Nothing. Just this stupid Excel formula I’m fighting with.”

Marina held my stare longer than I liked. “Bull.”

“You’ll be a strict mother one day,” I said, and she rolled her eyes. “Hey, the eye roll’s my move.”

“Whatever, Gaia. I’m on to you.”

Besides Gabriel’s irrational beauty, his most prominent external trait was the way he shone. His dimming skills seemed to only go so far, but he was doing his best to spare my senses.

My crush grew tenfold with the angel side of Gabriel tempered down and the out-of-this-world male thing ratcheted up to a devastating, off-the-chart level.

I was dying for him but tried not to be too transparent. Occasionally, Gabriel’s stare sparkled with promises too wicked for an angel, and the thin veil over my obsession unraveled.

One day during homeroom, I ran to the bathroom with a nosebleed. The girls’ room was empty, and Gabriel appeared, legs crisscrossed, on the bathroom counter.

“Hey, you’re in the wrong bathroom, sir,” I said and watched him smile.

“
You’re
here, aren’t you? It seems like the right one to me.” He winked.

“Angels wink now?” My heart pounded in my chest.

“We can do all kinds…” The way he tapered off left me out of breath.

“Gabriel,” I said, already regretting the next words.

“Gaia?” He supported his chin in a palm and trailed my nervous moves from under his lashes. The paper towel covered half of my face by now. It was blotted with red.

“Why do I feel the way I do about you?”

His pupils dilated. “How
do
you feel about me?” Shaking his head, he closed his eyes. “No, don’t tell me.”

“I’m crazy about you!” I walked up and leaned against the counter in front of him. His sapphire stare rested on my hands then drifted slowly up my body to my face. He sat perfectly still, waiting.

“Never mind. I don’t need an explanation. Why the hell
wouldn’t
I be crazy about you? You’re a freaking angel! Insanely gorgeous, nice, kind,…unbelievably wonderful—gah! You protect me and you’re with me all the time. You’re perfect in every way.”

“I’m not so perfect anymore.”

I raised my hands and supported them against the mirror on both sides of his neck. Gabriel sat immobile, eyes glittering. I leaned closer, swallowing the lump in my throat.

“Not so perfect,” he whispered. His scent enveloped me. Our breaths mingled warm in the tiny space between our lips.

“I don’t want to be good, Gabriel.”

With his gaze penetrating mine, he vaporized as the restroom door opened behind me. I held my breath and strained to retain the vision of him while he vanished particle by particle. I squeezed my eyes shut after he was gone and forced myself to relax.

“Are you okay?” A freshman stared at me from the door. The bloody paper towel lay in a wet heap in the sink, and I was still leaning against the mirror. She hesitated in the doorway.

“Yeah, thanks. I’m good.”

****

The next day, Marina chattered away at my side as Gabriel rounded the corner and walked toward us. I didn’t slow down, but kept my eyes fixed on him until he smoldered an inch from my skin. Gabriel held my gaze until we were so close that he could have kissed me. When he faded away, only the heady tinge of verbena persisted.