“He is coming.”
Rolling my eyes, I sighed. “Azazel has no power over me, and I’m getting tired of hearing about him. So vamoose.”
“Not Azazel, not Azazel,” Friendly chanted. “Another is coming, he is coming… for you.” He whispered the last words, and then let out a fit of giggles.
With their warning given, there were two little pops and the hobgoblins disappeared, leaving nothing behind but two puffs of smoke and the faint odor of sulfur.
“What did they want?” Chay asked behind me.
I jumped, a small gasp escaping my lips. “Don’t do that,” I said, rubbing my hands up and down my arms to ward off the cold Michigan breeze.
Chay pulled me against him, kissing the top of my head and wrapping his arms around me. I snuggled against his warmth, breathing him in.
“What were they doing here?” His lips moved against my hair, sending shivers down my body that had nothing to do with the cold night.
I looked up at him and smiled. “They came to warn me.”
“About?”
“They told me ‘he is coming,’ whoever that is.” I shrugged.
“Hmm, sounds ominous,” he said with a twitch of his lips.
“Just empty threats.” I stood on my toes and kissed Chay lightly.
When I started to pull away, he tightened his grip around my waist. “Don’t go,” he murmured, nuzzling behind my ear. “I’m cold.”
I laughed and kissed him quickly. “If my dad catches you out here, you’ll be toast.”
Chay angled his mouth over mine. He kissed me long and slow, his tongue dipping between my lips. I sighed at the feel. It was a pure bliss kiss. The kind that made my toes curl. That was what Chay’s kisses were—pure bliss. When he raised his head, we were both breathing hard. My head swam and goose bumps dotted my skin.
“I guess I should go.”
“Yeah.” I nodded, still out of breath.
He grinned crookedly and kissed me one last time before he jumped the back fence and jogged home. I watched him until he disappeared into the dark night, my fingers lightly touching my lips, still swollen from his kiss.
***
I was talking with Chay before chemistry class started when I felt a bump under my seat. I ignored it. A few seconds later, there was another kick. I turned in my seat and looked behind me. A flash of white glinted between his full lips when he smiled at me. His dimple, just one, creased deep in his cheek.
“Hi,” Xavier said.
“Hey.”
“Did you finish the calculus homework?”
“Yes. Why?” I asked.
“Would you mind looking at my answer for number seventeen and seeing if I’m even in the vicinity of being correct?” He gave me a pleading look. Chay’s hand squeezed mine painfully as he watched Xavier.
“Um, sure.” I grabbed my homework from my binder and slid it across the table to him. He compared his calculations to mine and sighed.
“Great. I’m not as lost as I thought I was. My other school hadn’t covered this material yet.”
“Glad I could help.” I reached for my paper and slipped it in my binder. Chay cleared his throat. I turned around in my seat and frowned at him. “Knock it off,” I whispered.
“He’s flirting with you.”
I rolled my eyes. “In what world does asking someone for help on calculus homework constitute flirting?”
“In a guy’s.”
“Don’t you trust me, Chay?”
“Yeah. It’s him I don’t trust.” He flicked his eyes in Xavier’s direction.
I leaned over and kissed him, biting his lower lip before sucking it into my mouth. Chay threaded his fingers through my hair and held my head to him. When I pulled back, I looked him in the eyes. “You don’t have anything to worry about. I love you.”
Halfway through the class, I felt a nudge on the bottom of my seat. I eyed Xavier over my shoulder, raising a brow in question. He handed a folded piece of paper to me.
He’s passing me notes now?
I took the paper and read it when the instructor had his back to the class: Thanks for the help. I owe you one. Lunch?
Wadding the paper up before Chay could read it, I lobbed it backward toward Xavier. I furrowed my brows and shook my head once. Surely, he could see Chay and I were together. Why would he ask me to have lunch with him? Was he flirting like Chay insisted or was it just an innocent invitation? Either way, my answer was the same. No. Chay and I had lunch with the other demi-angels every afternoon anyway.
***
“So I heard you had visitors last night?” Muriel asked when I saw her in calculus.
I dropped my books on the table and slid onto the seat next to her. “Yeah.”
“I wonder why they’re back? It’s not like Azazel can do anything to you.”
“No. But he can target the group.”
“Hmm, true. Even so, I think we’re fine. They just want to cause trouble. Any visions?”
“Just the usual stuff.”
“Then I wouldn’t worry too much about the little red goblins.” Muriel opened her binder and pulled out her homework.