Angel

One

But I will save you for last, Kiara, so you have to watch.

The demonic creature flicked its hand, and the flames licked up a tree. Kiara shut her eyes, and I watched the flames disperse.

The demon’s words bounced around the walls of my mind, an echo I couldn’t dispel. What if the demon made good on its promises? What if Kiara was left on her own to fight it? I knew she was strong, but could she do it all alone? Without Kaleib? Without me? If that thing got to me, I wouldn’t be there to help her, to protect her. I was not about to let that happen.

My hands clasped firmly around Kiara’s waist. Her body trembled under my grasp, and the wind around us howled, cool air biting our skin as the morning sun shone down on us through a haze of clouds. I looked down at the top of Kiara’s head. She was causing it. Her powers were tied to her emotions. And the emotion she was feeling? Anger. It was what I’d be feeling.

Her hands clenched into fists by her side, her petite body rigid as she shook. Leaves kicked up from the ground, swirling in a tornado around us. The demon’s laugh died in its throat. The dead things that had once been eyes looked around at the mini-wind storm engulfing it.

It was afraid.

Its gray cloak slid along the dead grass as it backed up. Stop. Its raspy voice poured out.

Excuse me? Kiara spat.

Stop.

"Why would I do that?’

You are not the only one who possesses powers, Kiara. Where are your godparents this very moment? Ah yes, they are secure from me. They are wandering the shops for ingredients to your aunt’s homeopathic remedies.

How did- Kiara started the question I was thinking myself. How did it know?

I can have them killed in under five minutes. Kiara froze, and her hand squeezed mine. I squeezed back.

What are you talking about? Kaleib piped up from beside me. How?

It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I can. Its cloaked, decaying head looked around in a slow circle. Stop this. Let me leave, and no harm will come to them…today. Its grotesque, blood-caked mouth twisted into what was meant to be a grin. I can’t make any promises about tomorrow or the next day. But at least you know you’ll get this day with them.

My arms slid from Kiara’s waist as she lunged forward. I shot towards her and snatched her up in my arms again, hauling her against me. Kaleib’s shoulder touched mine as he reached out for Kiara’s arm. The demon’s broken laugh resounded again as Kiara settled back against me.

I’ll let that go. Do you really want to get your godparents killed sooner than they have to be, Kiara? With everything else, I don’t think you want that on your conscience.

Before we could reply, the demon vanished. Kiara wriggled against me. I held her tight and hauled her back into the house, up the stairs, and to her bedroom. As I dropped her feet on the floor, she pushed against my chest. Let me go, Trent!

No, not this time, Kiara.

Let go! She yelled as she pushed against me. I grabbed her arms and held them down to her sides. Trent!

No, not this time, I told her. The soft cotton of her robe pushed up her arm so her skin, almost equally as soft, was under my rougher, calloused hand. The contrast of feeling her silky skin sent jolts through me, and I wanted to tug her to me, hold her, and never let her go. Never let her out of my arms. Disillusioned that somehow I’d be able to protect her from the evil lying just beyond the doorstep, I slid my hands up to her shoulders, the material of her robe bunching under my fingertips, and gently pushed her back into her room. Somewhere, under all the anger and panic, was the urge to slide her robe off her shoulders and lay soft kisses over them. I pushed the urge away into a corner of my mind.

Kiara, what are you going to do? I lowered my voice, kept it soft and steady as I gazed at her. You heard what it said. I tucked back a strand of hair from her delicate face.

I don’t…I don’t know… she sighed.

You heard what it said about Abby and Robert.

She gulped. I did. I just…I don’t know…I don’t know what to do…People are going to die. She whispered the last words.

And if you’re one of those people, then that demon will never be gone. If you’re dead, it’ll just go on killing people and will never stop.

But it threatened my aunt and uncle. It threatened Sarah’s family. Kaleib. People I care about. It threatened y- She stopped short, her cobalt eyes flying to mine. She sucked a sharp breath, her eyes going wide as she stared up at me. I didn’t think I’d wanted to kiss her as badly as I did in that moment. Take her face in my hands and mold my lips to hers. Pour all my feelings for her into the kiss. Whisper to her, ‘I care about you, too, Angel. Don’t you ever doubt that.’ She was still fighting it. Something was holding her back. And me? Was I holding back? If I was, it was because she was. I didn’t want to force her into accepting her feelings, embracing them. Nudging her into it, maybe… But what held her back from accepting it all?

Kaleib stepped into view, in the corner of my eye, his eyes drilling into me. My chest tightened. Something told me he was part of the answer. I touched her cheek and said, I know, Kiara.

Tears sprung up in her dark eyes as the sleeve of her robe fell off her shoulders. A soft growl came from her pink lips as she ripped the tie open and threw the robe to the floor, exposing her lilac pajamas. She carded a hand through her thick golden hair. I reached out again, my hand on hers as the tears poured down her cheeks.

I just…don’t know… she mumbled. I let my hand fall to her waist and wrap delicately around it. Her legs gave way beneath her, and I reached around her with both arms as she sagged in my grip, sinking down to the floor. I sunk with her, one arm around her waist and the other in her hair as we sat on the floor, Kiara letting her tears fall free against me. I tightened my grip on her, pulling her shaking body closer to mine as I stroked her blonde hair.

Kiara… I whispered and then stopped, at a loss for what to say. How could I tell her that it would be okay? There was nothing to suggest that it would be. Kiara had already lost her mother and her best friend, Sarah. Now the demon threatened to kill everyone else that she had left. Maybe she’d finally reached her breaking point. I was surprised it took her this long. But she had to pull herself together if we had any hope of stopping this demon. I was going to be there through all of it. I would always be there. As long as I could.

Kaleib stepped around us and walked over to the window. He peered through it before turning to me and shaking his head. I knew he meant the demon was no longer there. He took one last look and walked back toward Kiara’s desk.

Trent… Kaleib whispered from behind me after a minute or so. Kiara didn’t even budge from my arms as I turned to look at him.

What? I whispered back, no hostility coating my voice.

I think I’m going to go. He jerked his thumb toward Kiara’s bedroom door. You seem to have everything handled here. He gestured toward the girl currently falling apart in my arms. There may not have been any hostility in my voice, but I sensed a dose of it in Kaleib’s. I reminded myself of what Charity had told me. If Kiara really did look at me like that, really cared about me that much, how hard it must be for Kaleib to see a young woman he considered a younger sister caring about me, of all people. Honestly, it was no wonder he wanted to rip my head off sometimes. I was a bit surprised he hadn’t. Yet.

Are you sure? I asked him, glancing down at Kiara.

Yes, I’m sure. He nodded and backed out of the room. Tell Kiara I’ll be back tomorrow.

Okay. He nodded once, took a last look at Kiara and was out the door. A moment later, I heard the front door close.

Kiara clung to me like I was her last shred of sanity. Her world was crumbling around her, and if I knew her as well as I thought I did, she probably thought it was her fault.

Kiara. I started again, only to stop once more. This time, though, she did look up at me. Her fair face soaked with her tears. They fell onto her pajama top, the lilac darkening to a deep purple.

What? she choked out.

We’ll get through this. We will. I promise. I stared into her dark blue eyes.

How, Trent? How?

Do you remember at Sarah’s search party? I started to promise something, but I never finished because you got a text from your Aunt Abigail. I brushed away tears with my thumb, watching them be replaced by more.

She nodded. Yes. What were you going to say?

I tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear. I was going to say I promise that no matter what happens, I will be with you through all of it. I cupped her cheek softly.

She gifted me with a weak smile and leaned her head on my chest again, her arms wrapping around me. I held her close and pressed my lips to the top of her head.

I added softly, Always.

Soft fabric brushed my cheek as I opened my eyes. I squinted. My throat was scratchy and sore. I clutched the covers tighter to my chest as I recalled the night before. Trent lifting me up and placing me in my bed, tucking the covers around me. Crawling in next to me when I asked him to stay. At some point during the night, I felt his strong arm curl around my waist, and I settled closer to him. I reached behind me but felt nothing. I turned over. No one.

Trent?

Right here, Angel. He appeared in my doorway, a book clutched in his right hand, his hair still disheveled from sleep. I couldn’t stop my eyes from taking a quick perusal over him. His messy hair, his t-shirt wrinkled and clinging to him, highlighting the lean muscles on his chest. I prayed the heat rising to my face wasn’t obvious as I noticed him giving me a once-over, too.

I pulled myself up in the bed. Hey.

Hey, back. He grinned as he walked over to me, and the mattress dipped beneath his weight.

What’s that? I gestured to the book in his hand.

He glanced down. A book. He smirked at me, his black eyes glinting.

I rolled my eyes. Gee, really, smart ass?

You’re the one who asked, he jested with that grin of his in place. At a quirk of my eyebrow, he chuckled and set the book on his lap. "It’s Wuthering Heights." My eyes darted over it. The dark gray fabric with light blue vines climbing the cover. ‘Wuthering Heights’ and ‘Emily Bronte’ were in the same blue.

"You mean my copy of Wuthering Heights."

He shrugged. I told you what happened to mine.

My lips tugged down into a frown. Right. I worried my lip for a moment. So, decided to reread it after all?

I did. His eyes seemed to stare right inside of me. I looked down to my purple comforter.

How long have you been up? My voice was raspy.

A couple of hours.

His index finger was marking a page in the book. He couldn’t have been more than fifty pages into it. You weren’t reading that whole time. It was a statement, not a question.

He shook his head.

What were you doing? I looked up at him, my hair falling into my eyes.

He bit his lip before finally opening his mouth to speak. I was…thirsty.

I nodded. Oh, I whispered. I didn’t pry. I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear any more. I briefly wondered whether he’d killed whoever he’d fed on. I really didn’t think he had. He had better self-control than Kaleib gave him credit for. I didn’t push the issue.

I reached forward and placed my hand over the book on his lap. The hand that wasn’t marking a page came up and rested right next to mine, the tips of our fingers brushing. My breath hitched at the touch of his hand. I had the urge to lace my fingers with his and stay that way. I liked having him close to me, the feel of his hand over mine. It warmed me and made me feel safe and, if not exactly happy, then at least content. What were we? I felt we were in some weird limbo. Not together but certainly more than just friends. And why couldn’t I embrace my feelings toward him? It wasn’t only Kaleib, though he was part of it. I couldn’t shake the feeling of betrayal. But…even though Trent wasn’t evil like Kaleib made him out to be at first, he was darker than Kaleib. As I came to care for Trent more, I wondered what that said about me. My fingers reflexively jerked like they were about to intertwine themselves with Trent’s of their own accord.

Kiara, he said almost in a whisper.

I flicked my gaze back up to him, my breath still uneven. Hm?

He cleared his throat and looked away. Um, nothing.

I frowned and tugged on the book in his hand.

Hey, what are you doing?

It’s my book. I want to see it.

You’ll lose my page.

I huffed and reached into my bedside drawer. I handed him a bookmark, and he grinned as he tucked it between the pages. I slid the book from his grip and relished the way his skin felt against mine. I opened the cover and flipped forward a few pages. I leaned back and held the book up to my face, breathing in one of my favorite scents.

Trent quirked an eyebrow, and I shrugged. I like the smell of books, I mumbled.

Whatever works for you, he said, holding his hands up. I swatted him with the book, and he laughed. Still feisty.

Shut up, I sighed. I shook my head and looked back down at the book on my lap. I was pretty sure I remembered which page it was. Trent watched me flipping pages silently until I stopped. I read over my favorite quote and blinked slowly once, running my fingers over the quote gingerly.

Trent spoke up. What were you looking for?

My favorite quote.

What’s your favorite quote?

I didn’t have to look at the book to see, I knew it by heart. "‘Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.’"

I wasn’t expecting the huge grin that appeared on Trent’s face. What? He paused as he gazed at me with an emotion I couldn’t place.

That’s my favorite quote, too, he said finally, a satisfied smile on his handsome face.

Oh. I glanced down at the page again. Heat rose within me. That’s funny. It was all I could think to say. But for some reason, in that moment, I couldn’t bring myself to meet his eyes.

Yeah. His hand slid toward mine, the tips of his fingers resting on mine in a gentle caress. I guess it is, Angel.

Two

I looked up from the book of spells sitting on my lap and sighed. Large flakes of snow fell outside, unusual weather for New Orleans. We had light coatings of snow sometimes. I could still hear it crunch under my feet in the forest like I was still there. Sarah - or what was left of Sarah - ready to kill me, Kaleib, Trent, Aunt Abby… That demon popping up. It hadn’t attacked, yet. It had only been a day, but I was on edge.

What are you thinking about, Angel? Trent’s voice pulled me out of my memory.

I turned toward him and shook my head. Nothing.

Are you sure? Are you okay? His dark hair fell over his forehead as he twisted to face me on the bed.

"I’m fine, don’t worry. It’s just, that demon still hasn’t attacked, yet. I don’t know when to expect it. How am I supposed to protect people if I don’t know when this thing is going to attack?"

I know, Kiara. Kaleib rolled my desk chair over the carpet to the edge of the bed. The sound of wheels on carpet set my teeth on edge. My senses were heightened and that combined with my heightened emotions…things were getting to me. We just have to keep looking for something that can help us.

I know, but I don’t see anything here. When my ancestor created this demon, she never wrote anything about destroying it. All I can figure out is that it’s going to take a large amount of power. There is no specific spell or anything in any of these books that I can find. I slammed the book shut and pushed it off my lap. It thudded to the floor at Kaleib’s feet. He leaned over and scooped it up, placing it on my desk behind him.

Come on, there has to be something, Trent said. We just need to keep looking.

Trent, this is the third time we’re going through these damn books. I don’t see anything. I raked my fingers through my hair. Maybe Aunt Abby can help.

I thought that she wasn’t into all this….witchy stuff, Trent said, waving his hand in the air.

She isn’t anymore. But when my mom died, she studied so that she could teach me. Once she taught me everything she learned, she didn’t practice as much. She can still do spells, and you saw her use her power. She just doesn’t do it a lot. But she may be able to help. Maybe she knows something that we don’t. I shrugged. We’re not finding anything here. It’s worth a shot.

I hopped off the bed and strode over to my bedroom door.

Aunt Abby? I called as I descended the stairs.

Yes, dear? Her voice floated up to me. From the kitchen, of course.

The smell of dirty rice and bread baking, fresh in the oven, led me to her. I would never get tired of the scents of breads and gumbos and baked goods wafting through the air. If something happened