“Great,” I squeaked out. “Really fantastic. You?”
He shrugged and grinned at me, still looking extremely pale. “I’m with Carly, so I guess I’m pretty happy.”
“Yeah.” I swallowed. He didn’t even realize what had happened. He thought he’d just kissed a girl he liked while they were on their very first date.
I felt ill.
“Join us.” Carly scooted over.
She looked so normal now I could almost forget what I’d just seen—a black-eyed monster feeding on a human soul. A monster who, for a moment, had looked at me as if she wanted to tear me apart for stopping her.
She’d said she wouldn’t do this. That she had it under control. That I should trust her.
The monster was gone now, without a trace. Carly was back to normal.
But she wasn’t normal. I glanced behind me, but it looked as if no one had noticed what happened except for me.
“I, um, can’t stay. I just wanted to say hi.” I looked at the plate in front of her, still half full of food. If that had been my plate, it would have been shiny clean by now.
She frowned and reached out to touch my arm. Her skin felt ice-cold and I flinched away from her. “You don’t look so good. You sure you can’t sit down for a minute?”
This was not the time for accusations. Maybe she didn’t even realize what she’d just done.
I shook my head. “I really need to go.”
“Me, too,” Paul said. “It’s been great, Carly. Sorry I have to take off early. Maybe we can do this again?”
“Absolutely,” she said with a big grin. “Thanks so much for dinner.”
I didn’t think she was only talking about the daily special.
I lingered to make sure Paul got out of the club, watching him walk slowly to the exit as if he was inexplicably exhausted. Carly gave me a big hug then studied my face. A frown creased her brow.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she said. “But it’s no big deal, okay? He’s fine. I barely took anything. But…I had to. I couldn’t help it. I was so hungry.”
I just nodded. “If you say so.”
As I headed for the door, I looked over my shoulder to see she was on her way upstairs to hang out with the other grays.
As for me? I headed out to find an abandoned church on Wellesley Avenue.
“Find your answers?” the homeless guy asked as I passed him. “Or just more questions? You saw her, didn’t you? She’s just like she was last time only worse…much worse.”
He knew about Natalie. That she’d been here before. I’d planned to keep walking, but instead I crouched down in front of him so we were at eye level. He looked at me with surprise, as if he’d expected me to ignore him.
I reached out and grabbed his dirty hand in mine.
Electricity sparked up and down my arm—shocking, but not painful. And familiar. I watched him closely and, yes, just the slightest edge of that confusion seemed to disappear from his eyes this time.
“You’re an angel, aren’t you?” I asked.
He inhaled sharply, his dark brows drawing together. “I screwed up once—according to them. Now I’m punished forever. They have no idea what they did to me.”
“Can you think clearly?” I asked, squeezing his hand. “Does this help?”
He looked down at my grip on him. “Nothing eases my pain, not for long. I try and try and try, but I can’t escape it. The shackles are heavy. I feel them even now. One day I will be free.”
He still sounded crazy. I’d hoped he wouldn’t, that I could help him and he could help me in return.
“How do you know about her?” I asked.
He just shook his head back and forth, his lips sealed tightly until he finally spoke. “Tried to help. Didn’t matter. She was out of control, had to be destroyed. Couldn’t stay, had to go.”
Was he a part of the team of angels and demons who’d killed my mother? Who’d sent my father and Natalie to the Hollow? Grief and anger clenched my chest at the thought.
No. I couldn’t assume these things. Not now. They were too major to even wrap my head around. “I have a friend, his name’s Bishop,” I said. “He’s like you, I think, but he just got here. Can you tell me anything that might help him?”
“Watcher of the night, angry and vulnerable. Won’t be long now. Without you, he’ll be lost as his chains grow thicker and thicker. You must help me, beautiful star. You’re the only one who can.”
“I don’t know how.”
He was an angel, just like Bishop, but he hadn’t gone back to Heaven. He was stuck here for some reason, and his mind had been permanently damaged. Bishop said that when he went back he’d be fixed. This guy—how long had he been here? Natalie said that demons and angels remained the same age as when their human self died, so I knew I couldn’t go just by appearance alone.
I didn’t have time tonight to help this angel, even though I wanted to.
“I’ll see you again,” I told him, my chest tight. “And if I can, I’ll try to help you, I promise.”
He didn’t try to stop me as I walked away. I needed to see the other angel, the one I knew I could still help. The one I desperately hoped could help me in return.
Chapter 17
St. Andrew the Apostle, the abandoned church I’d been looking for, stood tall in front of me despite being run-down and boarded up. The sign out front was broken, the glass from it scattered on grass that looked like it hadn’t been mown in a couple of years. The building was both ominous and sad-looking.
He shrugged and grinned at me, still looking extremely pale. “I’m with Carly, so I guess I’m pretty happy.”
“Yeah.” I swallowed. He didn’t even realize what had happened. He thought he’d just kissed a girl he liked while they were on their very first date.
I felt ill.
“Join us.” Carly scooted over.
She looked so normal now I could almost forget what I’d just seen—a black-eyed monster feeding on a human soul. A monster who, for a moment, had looked at me as if she wanted to tear me apart for stopping her.
She’d said she wouldn’t do this. That she had it under control. That I should trust her.
The monster was gone now, without a trace. Carly was back to normal.
But she wasn’t normal. I glanced behind me, but it looked as if no one had noticed what happened except for me.
“I, um, can’t stay. I just wanted to say hi.” I looked at the plate in front of her, still half full of food. If that had been my plate, it would have been shiny clean by now.
She frowned and reached out to touch my arm. Her skin felt ice-cold and I flinched away from her. “You don’t look so good. You sure you can’t sit down for a minute?”
This was not the time for accusations. Maybe she didn’t even realize what she’d just done.
I shook my head. “I really need to go.”
“Me, too,” Paul said. “It’s been great, Carly. Sorry I have to take off early. Maybe we can do this again?”
“Absolutely,” she said with a big grin. “Thanks so much for dinner.”
I didn’t think she was only talking about the daily special.
I lingered to make sure Paul got out of the club, watching him walk slowly to the exit as if he was inexplicably exhausted. Carly gave me a big hug then studied my face. A frown creased her brow.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she said. “But it’s no big deal, okay? He’s fine. I barely took anything. But…I had to. I couldn’t help it. I was so hungry.”
I just nodded. “If you say so.”
As I headed for the door, I looked over my shoulder to see she was on her way upstairs to hang out with the other grays.
As for me? I headed out to find an abandoned church on Wellesley Avenue.
“Find your answers?” the homeless guy asked as I passed him. “Or just more questions? You saw her, didn’t you? She’s just like she was last time only worse…much worse.”
He knew about Natalie. That she’d been here before. I’d planned to keep walking, but instead I crouched down in front of him so we were at eye level. He looked at me with surprise, as if he’d expected me to ignore him.
I reached out and grabbed his dirty hand in mine.
Electricity sparked up and down my arm—shocking, but not painful. And familiar. I watched him closely and, yes, just the slightest edge of that confusion seemed to disappear from his eyes this time.
“You’re an angel, aren’t you?” I asked.
He inhaled sharply, his dark brows drawing together. “I screwed up once—according to them. Now I’m punished forever. They have no idea what they did to me.”
“Can you think clearly?” I asked, squeezing his hand. “Does this help?”
He looked down at my grip on him. “Nothing eases my pain, not for long. I try and try and try, but I can’t escape it. The shackles are heavy. I feel them even now. One day I will be free.”
He still sounded crazy. I’d hoped he wouldn’t, that I could help him and he could help me in return.
“How do you know about her?” I asked.
He just shook his head back and forth, his lips sealed tightly until he finally spoke. “Tried to help. Didn’t matter. She was out of control, had to be destroyed. Couldn’t stay, had to go.”
Was he a part of the team of angels and demons who’d killed my mother? Who’d sent my father and Natalie to the Hollow? Grief and anger clenched my chest at the thought.
No. I couldn’t assume these things. Not now. They were too major to even wrap my head around. “I have a friend, his name’s Bishop,” I said. “He’s like you, I think, but he just got here. Can you tell me anything that might help him?”
“Watcher of the night, angry and vulnerable. Won’t be long now. Without you, he’ll be lost as his chains grow thicker and thicker. You must help me, beautiful star. You’re the only one who can.”
“I don’t know how.”
He was an angel, just like Bishop, but he hadn’t gone back to Heaven. He was stuck here for some reason, and his mind had been permanently damaged. Bishop said that when he went back he’d be fixed. This guy—how long had he been here? Natalie said that demons and angels remained the same age as when their human self died, so I knew I couldn’t go just by appearance alone.
I didn’t have time tonight to help this angel, even though I wanted to.
“I’ll see you again,” I told him, my chest tight. “And if I can, I’ll try to help you, I promise.”
He didn’t try to stop me as I walked away. I needed to see the other angel, the one I knew I could still help. The one I desperately hoped could help me in return.
Chapter 17
St. Andrew the Apostle, the abandoned church I’d been looking for, stood tall in front of me despite being run-down and boarded up. The sign out front was broken, the glass from it scattered on grass that looked like it hadn’t been mown in a couple of years. The building was both ominous and sad-looking.
