Read Online Heaven and Hell (Beautiful Beings, #2) by Kailin Gow - Free Book Online

croak. “How can that be?”
    “You're not the first to have this happen to, Brax.  Look at Shayne and me.  It’s a curse that is passed on from one generation to the next, each generation more deeply afflicted by the force of darkness.”
    “And that could be the reason you see angels and demons like I do,” I said.  “Yet, you're not really like me.  You're like Shayne and Moore.”
    He sat up.  “Are you nuts?  Like them?  Never.”
    “She’s right, Brax.  Just like Shayne and me, you’ll start to show demonic signs.”
    “I’m the same age as you are, Moore, and there is no sign I have anything demonic in me.”
    “To the outside world, I don’t really show any signs either.  It starts small, discreet, and to a certain extent you try to control it, but as you get older, that control gets harder to maintain and suddenly you find yourself doing things you never thought you’d do.  These evil spirits are corrosive and they eat away at your soul little by little, taking over in the most insidious way.  Maybe it’s a little slower in coming to you and maybe you’ve managed to hold it off a little longer than I have, but, I promise you, Brax, what’s coming isn’t pretty.”
    Brax gazed at me, his eyes imploring me to tell him differently.
    “You need to come back to St. James and to your uncle’s estate.  We have to find out what he knew and we have to find out what happened to your parents, what kind of curse hangs over your head.”
    He inhaled deeply and pulled me into his arms before letting his breath seep out in despair.  “A part of me wants to go back.  I’ve missed you terribly.”  He crushed me against his chest, his lips pressing to my temple.
    From the corner of my eye, I caught Moore sitting back and looking away, though I couldn’t quite read his expression.
    “Holding you like this,” Brax said with a tender squeeze. “I’d forgotten how good it could be; how wonderful you make me feel.” His nose to my hair, he breathed in. “You smell sweet and fresh, like a walk in the summer rain.”
    Moore stood and loudly clasped his hands together.  “Well, I think I’ve do ne all I can do here, Lux.  I brought you to Brax and now it’s up to him to make the decision to come back or to stay here.  I’ll let you two…”  He faltered over the words while holding his chin high and strong.  “I’ll wait outside.”
    Pulling away from Brax, I sat up.  “Don’t Moore.  Please stay.”
    Ignoring my plea, he opened the door and left.
    “Let him go,” Brax said, his gentle hand on my elbow, urging me to return to his arms.  “I want a moment alone with you.  It’s been so long; so unbelievably long.  And you…  I’m sorry I just left you like that, without a word.  I shut you out and this past month must have been difficult for you as well.”
    “It has, but I understand your desire to escape all that’s happened to you.”
    He gazed down at the working of his flicking fingers against his knee, his voice soft and regretful as he spoke.  “I think you guys might be right.  I’ve been ignoring the signs, pushing them aside and refusing to accept them, but these dreams I keep having…  Always so dark, so disturbing.  I’ve had nightmares before, but never anything like this.  I wake up feeling as though I’ve been visited by… something.  The kids in the rooms around me already think I’m some kind of freak.  In the past month I’ve awaken five times screaming at the top of my lungs.”
    “It’s understandable, your fear, but you can’t keep hiding.  You have to fight it.”
    He nodded and got to his feet, heading to the nearby window.  “Have you seen the view from here?”
    I went to stand beside him and marveled at the scenery.
    “I have a beautiful and clear view of the river.  The grounds are spectacular and when the sun comes out… that river sparkles and the greenery comes to life.  But all that is lost on me.  Everything