What was she?
There was something alluring about Angel, besides her homemade costume.
The moonlight shone off her dark hair as she gave Lexi a nervous half grin. Angel had no idea the amount of attention she was drawing, and I could tell that she was most definitely not comfortable dancing. She was having fun with her friends, but she looked ready to bolt if given the opportunity.
First her mysterious mark that looked eerily like Chase’s and now this. It might take a few phones calls and asking the right questions before I got to the bottom of Chase and Angel’s relationship.
One thing was certain: Those two were definitely hiding something.
I plucked a beverage from one of the coolers, needing something to loosen my rigidness. I’d been wound tight and on guard for too long. I wanted a night to let go. Always the epitome of a good girl, I’d never had an alcoholic beverage before becoming the facility’s soldier.
The first swig of the bottle when down the hatchet in a sour burn, but by the second and third, it was smooth city. I began to relax. My limbs felt lighter and my head just a tad fuzzy. It was glorious, freeing, and reckless. If the facility knew I was drinking on the job, there would be a punishment not worth imagining, but what they didn’t know couldn’t hurt me.
With one eye out for Angel, I kept to the dark shadows of the field. I watched her leave the horde in search of some fresh air and maybe some half-demon hunk. However, not far behind her was a clumsy jock with a gleam in his eyes that made me shiver. After a moment or two it was clear that he was following Angel.
Where was her bodyguard now?
I crouched in the background, wondering how long Chase was going to let this go. It was clear to me that this guy was drunk as a skunk and copping way more than just a feel on Angel. I bit the inside of my cheek, very tempted to intervene, maybe with an arrow to his junk. As luck would have it, Chase finally made himself known after Angel cried his name.
What a dick.
I thought this was supposed to be the girl he would die to protect, and here he was, letting some sloppy drunk grope her at some sleazy excuse for a party. To say I was outraged was an understatement. I felt the blood in my veins begin to boil, and the need to hurt someone boomed inside me. Chase deserved a lesson in humility.
If we weren’t in such a public place, I would have put an arrow in his heart, but I guess I would have to settle for the next best thing. The only problem, my aim wasn’t precisely at its sharpest. Maybe that beer hadn’t been the best idea, but hey, a girl needed to let her hair down every once in a while.
Chase was dragging a shocked looking Angel back toward the party. He had only taken a few steps when I made a move. My turn. I let the arrow fly.
His eyes burned the color of hot amber coals right before he body slammed Angel, taking her to the ground with him. I almost let out a tiny squeak when I realized that my arrow was slightly off course. Chase had been my intended target, but it veered right to the center of Angel’s chest. Good thing Chase had demon reflexes or his little pet would be spitting blood.
One of these days, my arrow was going to be faster than his demon abilities, and he wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell.
Chapter 8
I had been dreading the deed all day. It wasn’t something I could put off any longer without raising suspicion; plus I needed answers to those burning life questions.
What the hell was Angel?
Was it possible to mutate a human?
What in the world had Chase been thinking?
You know, the usual.
I dug out my phone and made the call. He answered on the first ring. “Emma. Glad to hear you’re still alive.”
No honey, how are you? No real concern for my safety, not even for his daughter. He only cared that I was still on the job, still following orders. I swallowed. “Yes, sir.”
“Do I assume that everything is in order?”
It was crazy what his voice could do to me. I sat straight as a board on the bed, my leg tapping. “I saw something that might be of use.” There was a long pause as he waited for me to continue. I don’t know why I hesitated. Maybe because I wasn’t sure I would like the answer. “There is a human girl who has the target’s Divisa mark.”
He cleared his throat. “Hmm, it sounds like our famous little half-breed has been quite busy during your training. It’s a binding ritual, marking the human as part of Hell and belonging to the Divisa. Often the human will acquire traits from the half-demon during the branding process, which is supposed to be very unpleasant. Be wary of her. We don’t know what she can do.”
I was battling inside with what he was telling me and what I’d seen. Angel did not appear to be some supernatural wielding badass. That was reserved for Chase, not that I was admitting he was a badass.