Read Online Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore - Free Book Online Page B

God’s holiness in their angelic form.
    Damien tries to remember what it’s like to be grateful to Him, to feel indebted to the Creator. Instead, as Helene’s cries fade, hatred stirs in his spirit—hatred for what he is, disgust for the limitations of his kind, and resentment that one decision long ago numbered his days.
    It’s no wonder the voices of the Fallen can do nothing but rage like beasts in the Celestial. When their mouths open, it’s their vile hatred that is thrown into the atmosphere: guttural cries and howls, snarling hisses and roaring growls. These are the only sounds their Celestial lips can make.
    He transfers to the Terrestrial and pulls out his phone, finds the contact, and dials.
    “Our position’s been compromised. We need to move the merchandise. Today.”
    The idiot on the other end of the line rattles off question after question. Logistics Horacio would have been happy to work out.
    Damien looks down at the man’s empty body, and he curses.
    He needs a new right hand.
    Someone to corrupt.
    And he needs him now.

7

Brielle
     
    S aturday morning arrives, and I haven’t slept at all. The storm last night was brutal. Rolled in by the frigid winds of the past few days, rain and ice fell, pummeling the roof and keeping me wide awake.
    Dad’s up just after dawn. He has to work today. It’s like this in the fall. He has to get in as much work as he can before the weather makes it impossible. I’m showered and eating a bowl of Cocoa Pebbles when his crew arrives. They joke and mill around the driveway while he packs his lunch.
    “You call Kaylee or something, Elle. I don’t want you moping around all day by yourself.”
    “I’ll do something,” I tell him. “Dishes or laundry. Movie marathon, maybe.”
    “Fine, but get that vegetarian over here to do it with you, all right? Bribe her with some carrots or lettuce or something.”
    I scoop another spoonful of chocolate-y yumminess into my spoon. “She’s not a rabbit, Dad.”
    “Might as well be.”
    “I thought you liked Kay?”
    “Oh, I do. I love that kid. She’s good for you. But no meat? Come on. How she lives with Delia and her lamb fetish is beyond me.”
    He slams the lid of his lunch box—an ice chest, really—and cups my chin. “I mean it, kiddo. Alone time is off the table today. Promise me.”
    I want to remind him that I did perfectly well in the city without him, but that’s not entirely true, is it?
    “I gotcha, Dad. I promise.”
    “I’ll be back late. Call if you need me.”
    My mouth is full, but I ask anyway. “You get cell phone coverage up there?”
    “Not really.”
    “So, you’re useless, then.”
    “Pretty much.”
    I kiss his cheek. “Love you, Dad. Be safe.”
    “Love you too, kid. See you tonight.”
    He loads into his truck with his ice chest and tool belt. Four or five other guys and their trucks back out and follow him onto the highway. A roughneck car club.
    My Cocoa Pebbles are gone, so I rinse my bowl and put it in the dishwasher. I mean it when I tell Dad I’ll stay busy. The idea of spending an entire Saturday with nothing but my memories for company tastes bitter, and I decide firmly against it.
    I think about calling Kaylee—it’d make Dad happy—but can’t imagine passing the day while she mitigates my failures. No, I’d rather be alone with my guilt than listen to an ignorant someone tell me it wasn’t my fault. There’s got to be something I can do to get the blood pumping. Something that doesn’t require me to wear tights and a leotard. Something active.
    But this is Stratus.
    Honestly.
    What is there to do?
    I scrounge the quilt from the living room and step out onto the porch. The sun has disappeared behind a layer of gray clouds, but the wind has mellowed and rain hardly seems imminent. My camera is in the backseat, and the storm is sure to have left some fabulous wreckage all over Stratus. I think about the old horse stables at the back of our property. Did they