Angel, on the other hand, looked as if she was going to burst at the seams. She was a bouncing, fidgety bubble of caffeinated energy. A cold front breezed through, and she snuggled closer to Chase, burrowing in her hoodie and against Chase’s chest. His arms wrapped around her securely, and a look of contentment passed over his face, lightening the yellow of his glowing eyes. Though he didn’t look entirely pleased to be there, I got the impression that he was there for Angel, for her safety. I think Chase Winters might actually enjoy someone else’s company. If I didn’t know better, I swear I was on an alternate planet. There was no other explanation.
Having her in his arms had an effect on Chase. His eyes lost some of their freaky demon luster. Tension slowly eased from his body, and he buried his face in her long hair. I scratched my head as I watched them. It appeared that Angel calmed Chase’s roaring demon, which was preposterous. Unheard of. Nothing could quiet the demon once it began to surface. That was what we had been told, but I couldn’t discount what I saw, not yet.
I was starting to question everything the facility had thrashed into us about Divisa, but maybe it was just Chase that was an exception to the rule. He was, after all, special.
A special pain in my ass.
She turned in his arms, looking up at him with love and concern. Chase pulled her tighter as he stretched his demon abilities, scanning for me. He just didn’t know that he was looking for me. They were a striking couple. I might not agree with their relationship, but there was something in the air that sparked and sizzled between the two of them. And it was more than lust and sarcasm.
I wasn’t green with envy.
I wouldn’t dare admit such a thing, certainly not to myself.
Who was I kidding? I was jealous—insanely envious of Angel.
She had what I had a year ago. A knock-you-naked boyfriend, a Winters nonetheless. They were like the holy grail of hot boys. A best friend you could be nutty and laugh with and a bright future, though in Angel’s case that was debatable. Being with Chase was more gloomy than bright, but to each her own I guess.
Regardless, I still had to kill him.
Maybe I would just wipe them all out. Kill four demons with one stone. Hell, I’d kill them all. The more the merrier. It was because of them that my life had been stripped from me. My fingers gripped the steering wheel, knuckles turning red. A mountain of pent-up rage and injustice built up inside me.
I needed air, suddenly feeling claustrophobic in my eight-passenger SUV. It was risky getting out, walking around, and exposing myself, but at that point, I didn’t care. I welcomed the rush of the cold twilight, taking a huge gulp of air.
Securing the black hood over my attention-drawing hair, I weaved in with the crowd until I was only a few people behind the snarky couple. They were immersed in one another. It made my stomach churn, and I tried not to gag. Angel gave a squeal as the line slowly began to move. Her hands went up in the air in a silly overexcited jig, and the movement lifted the sweatshirt she was wearing.
What my eyes couldn’t believe was the mark decorating Angel’s hip. I narrowed my gaze at the black swirly tattoo that looked identical to the one I knew Chase was branded with in the exact same spot. Sure, there might have been a rational answer, like this girl was completely cray-cray and had gotten a tattoo to match her boyfriend’s, except Angel didn’t strike me as that type of girl. She was mouthy, and she wasn’t frivolous.
So I tossed that theory right out the window.
With pursed lips I fell back from the shifting sea of dorky teenage boys. There had been whispers within the white walls of the facility about Divisa being linked or altering humans through some great act of sacrifice. I couldn’t see the egocentric Chase sacrificing anything to save someone else’s skin, unless it was Travis or Lexi. Then again, I’d never seen Chase in love, and every girly intuition left inside me said that he was very much infatuated with Angel. And vice versa.
What had happened between those two while I was gone?
The unknown ate at me.
What great act had Chase performed?
What exactly did that mark mean? Was Angel part-demon now? Was she different?
So many questions and I was more determined than ever to get the gritty answers.
And so went my taunting of Chase Winters. I was there at the Halloween bash and what a perfect cover for stalking half-demons. However, I wasn’t nearly as creative as half of the partygoers. It was such a mind-freak walking among my classmates and them not even knowing it was me; the hooded cape and mask helped conceal my face and hair.
Both Brandy and Kailyn were there and didn’t even spare me a second glance. The two cheerleaders spent most of the night dancing and giggling with Angel and Lexi. I couldn’t help but feel a stab of jealousy at how easily I had been replaced. A year ago, Brandy and Kailyn had been hounding me relentlessly to join their squad.
But that was nowhere near as disconcerting as Angel. There was something odd about her, and I couldn’t put my finger on it, but she had every eye on her as she danced with Lexi. At first I was too mesmerized, pulled by the music and movement, even if most of the group was buzzed and their dancing was sloppy. It still struck a cord deep inside me. I unconsciously moved toward the makeshift dance floor in the field clearing, only to be stopped short at the sight of everyone around me enthralled with Sally Stitches, AKA Angel Morgan.
I angled my head and contemplated…