seats in
three of the corners, with plenty of wooden end tables for people
to set their coffees on. The walls were sky blue with pictures of
other coffee shops painted on them—a few from France and Italy, and
a few with more of an island theme. There was a heavyset man
sitting on one of the love seats with a newspaper in his hands. A
couple of college-aged guys occupied two of the tables. One of them
was an angel—in human form. The rest of the guardians (and demons)
were diaphanous, hovering around each of their charges. Even though
they could physically see me, masking my aura prevented them from
sensing my angelic waves. Very few angels had this ability, and I
was so very thankful it hadn’t been stripped from me—yet.
Luke ordered an iced green tea for me and a
chilled vanilla latte for himself. After retrieving our drinks, we
went over to the table furthest away from the other customers and
sat down across from each other.
“Vanilla latte, huh?” I teased.
Luke smiled, big and beautiful, a trace of
fang glistening through his lips. “Don’t knock it ’til you try
it.”
I set my tea on the table and crossed my
left leg over my right. “Why the formalities? Why not just tell me
what I need to know in the alley where you had me meet you?”
The smile faded and, as he leaned closer,
his eyes darkened. “Don’t worry about what I do or why I do it. Do
you still want my help or not?”
I stared at his eyes—deep, dark pools of
mystery. I could feel them poking at the corners of my mind, making
tingles scatter around my head, then spill down my neck. My body
tensed. I couldn’t look away. I inhaled a deep, slow breath. My
fingers sizzled with energy, but I pushed it away. I couldn’t tap
into any more of my powers; as it was, masking my aura was
probably pushing it. And I knew it was just a matter of time before
Luke figured that out (though I was certain that action alone
wouldn’t have been enough to alert Raphael).
He pressed a little further, digging deeper
inside me, and I had to let him do it. Seconds dragged by, or maybe
no time passed at all. Panic seized me as I felt him slithering
through my head, slimy tentacles slicking inside the most private
sectors of my mind, prying and prodding into my deepest, darkest
secrets. The moment he had complete control over me, he pulled out,
leaving me feeling dirty…and violated. I quickly looked away,
blankly staring outside the window, and hugged myself. I let out a
breath without realizing I’d even been holding it. “You bastard,” I
murmured.
“Why’d you let me in?” he asked, an
inquisitive tone in his voice. “From what I’ve heard about angels,
you could’ve stopped me.”
I looked over at him, careful not to meet
his eyes this time. “Don’t worry about why I do things and I won’t
worry about you.”
A sly smile curved his lips. “How about you tell me what I want to know because you’re the
one who needs help from me.”
I swallowed hard, keeping my eyes on his
lips. My hands dropped to my lap. “Please just tell me what Typhon
said. Will he help me…um…us?”
Luke took a sip of his latte and set it
down. “I can see we’re not going to be able to work together on
this. Perhaps I should be going now.” He stood up slowly,
cautiously.
I reached forward and grabbed his hand.
“Please, don’t go!”
His fingers intertwined with mine and, in a
sudden blur of movement, he pulled me up against him. I felt dizzy
and afraid, but I didn’t try to pull away. I was all in with Luke,
with no other options. I’d never felt more weak.
His lips were close to my ear. I could feel
his breath—a chilling warmth brushing my skin. He’d recently fed
and stolen the heat from his victim. “Answer my question so I can
answer yours, Angel. Why didn’t you stop me from getting inside
your head? I really didn’t need to know all of those details
about you and Cole.”
Cole. Just hearing his name created instant
tears in my eyes. “I
three of the corners, with plenty of wooden end tables for people
to set their coffees on. The walls were sky blue with pictures of
other coffee shops painted on them—a few from France and Italy, and
a few with more of an island theme. There was a heavyset man
sitting on one of the love seats with a newspaper in his hands. A
couple of college-aged guys occupied two of the tables. One of them
was an angel—in human form. The rest of the guardians (and demons)
were diaphanous, hovering around each of their charges. Even though
they could physically see me, masking my aura prevented them from
sensing my angelic waves. Very few angels had this ability, and I
was so very thankful it hadn’t been stripped from me—yet.
Luke ordered an iced green tea for me and a
chilled vanilla latte for himself. After retrieving our drinks, we
went over to the table furthest away from the other customers and
sat down across from each other.
“Vanilla latte, huh?” I teased.
Luke smiled, big and beautiful, a trace of
fang glistening through his lips. “Don’t knock it ’til you try
it.”
I set my tea on the table and crossed my
left leg over my right. “Why the formalities? Why not just tell me
what I need to know in the alley where you had me meet you?”
The smile faded and, as he leaned closer,
his eyes darkened. “Don’t worry about what I do or why I do it. Do
you still want my help or not?”
I stared at his eyes—deep, dark pools of
mystery. I could feel them poking at the corners of my mind, making
tingles scatter around my head, then spill down my neck. My body
tensed. I couldn’t look away. I inhaled a deep, slow breath. My
fingers sizzled with energy, but I pushed it away. I couldn’t tap
into any more of my powers; as it was, masking my aura was
probably pushing it. And I knew it was just a matter of time before
Luke figured that out (though I was certain that action alone
wouldn’t have been enough to alert Raphael).
He pressed a little further, digging deeper
inside me, and I had to let him do it. Seconds dragged by, or maybe
no time passed at all. Panic seized me as I felt him slithering
through my head, slimy tentacles slicking inside the most private
sectors of my mind, prying and prodding into my deepest, darkest
secrets. The moment he had complete control over me, he pulled out,
leaving me feeling dirty…and violated. I quickly looked away,
blankly staring outside the window, and hugged myself. I let out a
breath without realizing I’d even been holding it. “You bastard,” I
murmured.
“Why’d you let me in?” he asked, an
inquisitive tone in his voice. “From what I’ve heard about angels,
you could’ve stopped me.”
I looked over at him, careful not to meet
his eyes this time. “Don’t worry about why I do things and I won’t
worry about you.”
A sly smile curved his lips. “How about you tell me what I want to know because you’re the
one who needs help from me.”
I swallowed hard, keeping my eyes on his
lips. My hands dropped to my lap. “Please just tell me what Typhon
said. Will he help me…um…us?”
Luke took a sip of his latte and set it
down. “I can see we’re not going to be able to work together on
this. Perhaps I should be going now.” He stood up slowly,
cautiously.
I reached forward and grabbed his hand.
“Please, don’t go!”
His fingers intertwined with mine and, in a
sudden blur of movement, he pulled me up against him. I felt dizzy
and afraid, but I didn’t try to pull away. I was all in with Luke,
with no other options. I’d never felt more weak.
His lips were close to my ear. I could feel
his breath—a chilling warmth brushing my skin. He’d recently fed
and stolen the heat from his victim. “Answer my question so I can
answer yours, Angel. Why didn’t you stop me from getting inside
your head? I really didn’t need to know all of those details
about you and Cole.”
Cole. Just hearing his name created instant
tears in my eyes. “I
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