The Awakening (10 page)

“What?” Tabby asked. “No not you,” she said into the phone.

“The man I saw earlier is standing by the candy stand.”

“Hang on.” Tabby lowered the phone from her chin. “Where?”

“On the far right, near the kids. He’s got a white shirt and dark pants.”

She shot her gaze toward the candy stand. I watched the stranger just stand there and waited for Tabby to say she saw him. She lifted the phone back to her ear. “Jonas, she said she’s seen a man several times today and he’s standing not far from us. But I don’t see him.”

“What?”

“Hold on.” She handed me the phone. “He wants you to tell him everything.”

I took the phone from her hand and pressed it to my ear. “Hi Jonas.”

“Tell me everything about him,” he said. “What does he look like?”

I took a deep breath and glanced at the candy stand again. The mystery man stood in the same place staring at me.

“Average build. Young guy. Wavy, light-brown hair. White shirt and dark pants.”

“Do you see his eyes?” Jonas asked.

“Not up close. At a distance, he looks normal.”

“I think you should come back,” he said calmly.

“Why?”

“What’s he saying?” Tabby asked.

I lowered the phone. “He wants us to leave.” I shifted the phone closer to my lips. “Any ideas what this stranger might be?” I had to ask.

“Mm...it’s hard to say without being there. I’m more concerned that you’re seeing him and Tabby isn’t. The person either knows magic or is very powerful. In either case, you need to leave.”

My heart skipped a beat. After bumping into a demon at a grocery store, I sure didn't want to run into any more powerful creatures. “Okay, we’ll come back. I don’t need any more trouble.”

“I need to talk to Tabby,” Jonas said.

I handed the phone back to her and picked up my smoothie. Sucking down the rest of the cold drink, my eyes returned to my secret admirer. He rocked on his feet, keeping his hands in his pockets. Though he appeared harmless, I knew better by now than to judge by appearance alone.

“All right,” Tabby said. “We’ll stop at the store and be home soon.” She paused. “Bye.” She dropped the phone back in her purse. “He wants us to make a stop before we go back.”

“Did you ever see him?” I asked, swishing around the remnants of my drink.

“No.” She grabbed her purse in hand and rose. “And it bothers me you can see him and all I see are moms and little kids. He must not be human.”

Rising to my feet, I took another glance at the candy stand. The mystery man had disappeared.

“He’s gone,” I said, scanning the area for him.

“Come on.” Tabby gathered her bags. “Let’s get out of here.”

We gathered our purchases, tossed our empty cups in the trash and headed for the exit. I glanced over my shoulder a few times, but didn’t see him again. We reached Tabby’s car, and I turned and stared at the doors to the mall, waiting to see if he’d walk out. He never did.

A short drive later, we were at a megastore similar to Wal-Mart. Tabby stopped several feet from the greeter at the entrance.

“Shoot.” She clacked her heel on the floor. “We came in the wrong entrance. This isn’t like the one near our house. We have to walk to the other end.”

More walking? My feet complained. “Mind if I wait around here? I promise not to wander too far.”

“All right. I won’t be long.” She left, her shoes clicking softly on the floor.

For a minute, I just stood and looked around for something to hold my attention. Customers walked by with their carts in front of them. I turned to my right and found an aisle with books and magazines. Perfect.

I strolled down the aisle, scanning the magazines on the shelves. A magazine with the headline “Aliens Are Here” caught my attention. I grinned and lifted it from the rack.

Leaning my back against the shelf, I thumbed through the pages.

“What are you reading?” a male voice asked.

I jerked upright. “What? Hey!” I stared in shock at the stranger from the mall. How had he followed us?

His gaze lowered to the paper in my hands. “What are you reading?”

I closed the magazine. “Who are you?”

“Benny.” He kept his hands hidden in his pockets.

I gave him a quick appraisal. He had an innocent look with a soft glow radiating from him. Stranger yet, I caught a floral scent coming from him.

“Who are you?” he asked, meeting my gaze.

I hesitated to answer. I hated not knowing my own damn name. “Stephanie. Are you following me?”

“I haven’t seen you before. Where are you from?”

The young man had light brown eyes with a glassy finish and as I peered closer, I saw my reflection.

“Who are you?” I asked softly.

“I told you. Benny. Where are you from?”

Thinking fast, I answered, “Out of town. I’m visiting a friend.”

“The shape shifter you were with?”

I nodded.

“Are you protecting or delivering a message?”

I bit down on my lip, and pretended I understood his question. “Protecting.”

“Ah, sounds like fun. I normally get humans.” He turned to the magazines on the shelf. “I heard shape shifters are tricky to protect.”

Clueless about what he meant, I turned my gaze away from him and put the magazine in my hands back on the shelf.

“What’s going to happen to her?” he asked.

My face became numb. “I...don’t know.”

His eyebrows rose. “You don’t know?”

Shit! How long could I pretend I knew what I was doing? “I forgot.”

He cocked his head to the side as he studied me. “You are a strange one, even for a half-breed. But I like you. How long are you going to be here?”

Great, a new friend. Did this mean he intended to continue following me?

“Hey, there you are,” Tabby said as she drew near. “Find anything good?”

I looked at Benny and he shrugged his shoulders. “Tabby, this is Benny.” I waved my hand in his direction.

“Benny?” she asked with a confused look on her face. “Who’s Benny?”

“He’s right here.” I met his eyes.

“She can’t see me,” he said.

“Where? I don’t see anyone but you.” Tabby stared at me.

I turned to Benny. “Why can’t she see you?”

“I’m not a half-breed like you.”

“So?” I asked.

He shook his head and his brown locks shook. “They can’t see angels.”

My heart stopped. “What?”

“What’s he saying?” Tabby asked. She waved her arm in the air. It passed through Benny.

Holy shit!
I couldn't believe my eyes. Then the next realization came to me. Soft glow. Reflective eyes. Protective. Appearing and disappearing. Oh no, no, no, no. I couldn’t be. No freaking way!

“Are you all right?” Benny asked, eyes narrowed. “You seem surprised.”

I swallowed hard. Surprised? The word seemed a bit mild.

Tabby pulled on my sleeve. “What’s he saying?”

I held up my finger to her. “Hold on.”

“I better go before she thinks you lost your mind. If you need anything, call me.”

Before I could say anything, he walked right through the magazine shelf and disappeared.

“Oh my God.” I began to hyperventilate. “I don’t fucking believe it.”

“What? What is it?” Tabby asked, panicky.

“That was an angel,” I replied, gasping. “He said I was a half-breed.”

Chapter 11

Sunglasses covered my closed eyes while I rested my head on the headrest. The sun warmed my face and the silence in the car made me feel drowsy. Questions flooded my mind, keeping me awake. How the hell could I be part human, demon, vampire, and angel? Who could do such a thing? I had to be dreaming. Had to be!

“I’m popping open one of those beers as soon as we get home,” Tabby said.

I opened my eyes and turned to face her. “I don’t understand. How can I be vampire, demon, human, and angel? I just don't understand how or why.” My head ached.

“He disappeared through the shelf?” she asked for the third time.

“Yes, and when you were waving your hand in the air, it passed through him. I
know
what I saw.” I was not crazy. I was not losing my mind.
But it felt like it.

“I believe you,” she said.

“Boss won't believe me.” After what happened earlier, I doubted he would believe anything coming out of my mouth. He didn't want me around because I was dangerous as part demon and vampire. Violence was innate, according to him. His logic made sense. Yet I knew deep in my soul I wasn’t a killer. Maybe the angel part of me prevented me from ruthlessly harming others.

The throb in my head intensified. How was any of this even possible?

She briefly veered her eyes from the road. “We'll have to find a way to convince him.”

And how could I prove it? The whole idea of being a mixed breed seemed preposterous. I had to be out of my mind. I lowered my gaze. “Maybe I'm going crazy.”

“You seem sane to me.” She turned the vehicle into the neighborhood. “I have an idea. Maybe we should see if you can pass through walls.”

“It’s worth a try,” I said in a glum voice. I'd try anything at this point. “But if I can’t, what else is there? What other things can angels do?”

“Well, aren’t they guardians or protectors?”

I snapped my fingers. “He asked me if I was protecting or delivering a message. I told him I was protecting you.”

“Me? Really?” Her voice held a touch of excitement.

“I didn't know he was an angel or what he meant when he asked me. I pretended I understood him, hoping he would go away.”

Tabby turned the car onto the driveway. As the garage door lifted, I removed my sunglasses and tucked them in a bag near my feet.

“Jonas or Boss will know more. I don’t know half of what they do,” Tabby said.

I sure hoped they could help me figure out everything. Otherwise, stick me in the nut house.

Tabby parked the car next to the SUV, and reached for her door.

“Tabby.” I grabbed her arm. “I want to tell Jonas first. Then I’ll tell Boss.”

She smiled kindly and nodded. “Sure.”

I had a plan. Before telling Boss what happened, I wanted to prove I was part angel. Jonas was the best person to help me. If I could get him to believe and help me confirm I had angel blood in me, then Boss would have to believe. So I hoped.

And if we proved my mixed breed make-up included angel, maybe Boss would see me in a different light, a better one.

Bags in hand, Tabby and I made our way from the garage, up the stairs, and down the hall to her bedroom.

“You home?” Jonas called out from the opposite end of the hall.

Tabby dropped the bags on her bed. “We’re home.”

I stood near her dresser and set my bags on the floor. Her cheery bedroom had three large windows in the back and yellow walls. The pattern of the lavender bedspread matched the curtains. Everything appeared tidy, clean, and in its place.

“Mind if I leave these here?” I asked. “I’d like to talk to Jonas.”

“Sure. Leave them there. I’ll take the tags off and wash the clothes for you.”

I felt fortunate to have met Tabby and Jonas. If Boss had been the only one to find me at the dump, he probably would have kicked me to the side of the road and left. Somehow, I had to change his mind about me.

I backed out the door. “Thanks Tabby.”

She smiled. “Glad to help.”

I walked down the hall and stopped outside Jonas's room. Jonas sat behind a desk, pushed against the wall, not far from me. He stared at a laptop in front of him.

“Knock, knock.”

He glanced up from his laptop. “Come on in.”

Jonas’s room was smaller than Tabby’s and had half as much furniture. In fact, his room had just the basics–a bed, nightstand, and the desk. Dark sheets covered the unmade bed. I glanced down, and spotted a pile of clothes near the wall.

“Find anything?” I peered at his monitor as I drew near.

“So far, I have not found a single post about a missing person with the initials SB. I sent messages to the local clan leaders to see if they knew anything about a meeting at the dump. The ones who have replied claimed they knew nothing. I’m still waiting to hear from some of them. I’m also waiting to hear back from a few members of the council.”

I read the top of the screen. “What’s the World Wide Organization of Peace and Protection?”

“It’s the organization Boss and I work for. So far, the vampire, werewolf, and shape shifter councilmen have claimed they were unaware of any gathering.”

“Is there a demon representative?”

“Yes, and I’m still waiting to hear from him. Apparently he’s here in the States.” Jonas rolled the chair away from the desk and threaded his fingers behind his head. “Did anything else happen at the mall?”

“No, but something happened at the store. Mind if I sit on your bed? My feet are sore.”

“Make yourself at home.” He lowered his arms and swiveled around in the chair. “What happened at the store?”

I sat and leaned back on my hands. “The man from the mall showed up again.”

“What? He followed you?”

“No, I don’t think he did,” I said, shaking my head. “I was alone one minute and then he just showed up.”

“You didn't see him leave the mall or anything?”

“No, and I looked.”

Jonas rubbed his jaw. “Was Tabby with you when he showed up?”

“No. She went shopping for groceries while I waited by the magazines.”

“And you saw him magically appear?”

“I had a magazine in my hand. When I looked up, he was in front of me.”

He crossed his arms. “That’s interesting. Not many breeds can appear and disappear quickly. Did you talk to him?”

“I did.” For the next several minutes, I told Jonas about my conversation with Benny. I mentioned Tabby waved her hand through him and that she never once saw him. Jonas listened intently. When I brought up Benny's comment about humans not being able to see angels, but half-breeds could, Jonas’s eyes grew wide.

“I don’t believe it,” he said. “He's an angel and he thinks you're a half-breed?”

His reaction wasn't quite as strong as mine had been, but shock still reflected in his face.

“Yes, and I watched him walk right through the shelf and disappear.”