bedeviled & beyond 06 - bedeviled & befouled Read Free

sugar as I can stuff down.”
    She glared down at me. Funny, I would have thought contrition and apology would have looked a lot less hostile. “Astra, stop being such a baby. We’re going to find a way around this little problem, and until we do, we need you to stay positive.”
    “Good, because I’m positive there’s no way I’ll get my magic back.”
    Myra crossed her arms over her chest and her face pinkened with pique. I was pretty sure she grew an inch or two, as warrior angels tended to do when they were pissed off. “Despite your defeatist attitude, Aubrey and I have come to make you a proposition. Are you going to listen to us or not?”
    I groaned. “Not. I’m full up on propositions today, angel. How about we pick this up again tomorrow...or next millennia?”
    Queue the good cop-angel. Aubrey touched my arm. “Astra, I’m sorry. My remark was insensitive and—”
    “Insufferably snotty?”
    His frown slipped away and he actually smiled. It was one of Aubrey’s better things...his ability to laugh at himself. It was a trait Auntie Myra didn’t share. “Yes. That too. But none of us think of you as a human. You’re a magical creature of great power. You’re just currently a little low on voltage.” His smile widened.
    Despite my foul humor I couldn’t help smiling back. “Okay. Got it. You haven’t given up on me. I appreciate that. I really do. But you need to understand that this is really hard and I’m dealing with it as best I can.”
    “We do understand that,” Aubrey said. He even seemed sincere. “Which is why we’re offering you some help.”
    Uh oh. “What kind of help...exactly?”
    “We want you to come up for some celestial counseling.”
    My shocked gaze flew to my aunt. “You what?”
    “Our trainers have actually had considerable success helping magic users through their rough spots,” Aubrey assured me.
    “Hello. Earth to angels. This isn’t a rough spot folks, this is a dead zone.”
    “We don’t actually know what’s going on,” Myra informed me. “For all we know your magic is still in there, hidden behind some kind of wall—”
    “That would be a hell of a wall, Auntie.”
    “Yes. It would. But...” Her pretty face finally softened and she reached to touch my arm. I flinched, scarred from years of being force-shifted all over the place by my pushy guardians. She sighed, letting her hand drop without touching me. “We think it’s worth a try. Will you let us help you?”
    “Worst case is that we can help you figure out how to deal emotionally with this issue, Astra. That’s not all bad, is it?” Aubrey’s impossibly handsome face clearly showed his concern.
    My mind raced. Heaven. Ugh. I was pretty much allergic to white. Even the silver and gold of the higher angels’ wings couldn’t do much to take the sting out of a world that was almost entirely white. I wondered if I could smuggle some red or blue into the place. On the other hand... I had been considering going away for a while. The Celestial Realm was definitely away. “It’s worth thinking about,” I finally allowed.
    I was rewarded for this reasonableness by being the unlucky recipient of two wide, happy, angel smiles. “Good.” Myra nodded as if it was decided.
    “I said I’d think, Auntie.”
    Myra opened her mouth to argue but Aubrey reached out and gently clasped her arm. “We’ll give you time then, child.” He fixed my aunt with a look that took the militant starch right out of her wings.
    I wondered if he could bottle that look and sell me a case of it. I’d been trying to introduce my aunt to the concept of capitulation for almost two decades.
    She finally nodded. “We’ll check back tomorrow and get your response.”
    I was on the verge of asking for more time but then decided I’d pushed her enough. “Tomorrow works.”
    Aubrey nodded and stepped back. “Good. We’ll see you then, Astra.”
    Myra stared at me for a long moment and then, seemingly on impulse,