is in the jumping mood. It sort of hates me at the moment. I wonder, though, if I’m part angel, can’t I just heal myself? Can angels do that? Or is that something they only did on television and movies?
Wish I knew other angels. All I know is a demon. And I know Lucien, but he’s gone. Fallen into the pit. I don’t know if he’ll ever be able to get out.
“Don’t be like this, Gracen. I swear I won’t hurt you.”
“You hurt me all the time.”
“Never in real life. Only in your dreams.” He counters, his big brown eyes shining. “I’ve taken care of you since I brought you home. Don’t ruin all of my hard work by hurting yourself before you have time to heal.”
It makes sense. I hate it, but it does. I don’t say he can do it, however, and I don’t tell him he can’t. He walks over to me and helps me sit back down. His fingers are warm as he takes my ankles and slides them onto the bed. For the first time, I notice I don’t have on any pants. I’m in the old white gown I haven’t worn in ages. I’m more of a sleep-in-whatever-shirt-I-have-on type of girl. In fact, the gown I have on is the only one I have. It reminds me of one of those old timey gowns. Long, down almost to my ankles, with sort of lacy cap sleeves. I don’t even know why I bought it… actually, I didn’t. My Aunt Willow did for Christmas one year.
Hart.
“My gown?”
When my eyes meet his, Sam/Hart just shrugs. “I like it. I liked it then. I like it now. Sue me.”
That little… No. I won’t get mad. I don’t have the energy to get mad, but when I do, the first thing I’m going to do is do whatever an abomination does to Hart. He deserves it.
“You do realize how creepy this is, right? You’ve known me since I was a baby.”
“I’m aware.” He answers simply as he pulls the covers up to my chin, above and beyond where they need to go.
I wiggle them back down so they aren’t suffocating me. All the while he has a smile plastered on his face. I always did like that smile… on Sam. On Sam I liked it. Not on Hart. Not… Oh, good Lord, I can’t separate them anymore.
“I’m calling you Hart,” I say simply.
To that, he raises a brow and has the nerve to sit beside me on the bed. Thankfully, he doesn’t touch me. He’s close enough so he can. But he doesn’t. This demon does seem to have a good side.
“Yeah, I figured you might. Though, I have to admit, I liked being Sam.”
“Why?” I scoff. “Because you got to lie? You got to play me and pretend to love me.”
“It wasn’t—” He stops himself very quickly and bites his lip. “It wasn’t that. I liked being him because he was human. You have no idea how hard it is to keep your humanity when you’re a demon. That’s why they torture you in Hell, you know? How they break you. They get someone you know, someone you love, who didn’t make it to the Pearly Gates and they turn them loose. They don’t remember you, not really. If they do, they don’t remember they love you. They only know they are supposed to hurt you and break you and take your humanity. So that’s what they do.”
His eyes are distant, and I don’t really think he knows he’s telling me so much. Maybe he’s wanted to all these years, and he’s never had a chance. I guess everybody or everything has to talk at one time or another.
“That’s what she did.”
“Who?”
Hart settles back against my headboard and closes his eyes. He folds his arms over his chest and sighs. “It doesn’t matter. I had a plan, and I stuck with it. Honestly, everything she did to me, it made the fire burn hotter inside me. Gave me more of a drive to hunt my brother down and kill him. I pretended to lose my humanity so I could be turned into a demon and hurry back to Earth.”
“And now he’s in Hell.” I say the least helpful and possibly most hurtful thing I could have said. “I don’t mean… I mean… I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re right. He’s in Hell. Being tortured in
Wish I knew other angels. All I know is a demon. And I know Lucien, but he’s gone. Fallen into the pit. I don’t know if he’ll ever be able to get out.
“Don’t be like this, Gracen. I swear I won’t hurt you.”
“You hurt me all the time.”
“Never in real life. Only in your dreams.” He counters, his big brown eyes shining. “I’ve taken care of you since I brought you home. Don’t ruin all of my hard work by hurting yourself before you have time to heal.”
It makes sense. I hate it, but it does. I don’t say he can do it, however, and I don’t tell him he can’t. He walks over to me and helps me sit back down. His fingers are warm as he takes my ankles and slides them onto the bed. For the first time, I notice I don’t have on any pants. I’m in the old white gown I haven’t worn in ages. I’m more of a sleep-in-whatever-shirt-I-have-on type of girl. In fact, the gown I have on is the only one I have. It reminds me of one of those old timey gowns. Long, down almost to my ankles, with sort of lacy cap sleeves. I don’t even know why I bought it… actually, I didn’t. My Aunt Willow did for Christmas one year.
Hart.
“My gown?”
When my eyes meet his, Sam/Hart just shrugs. “I like it. I liked it then. I like it now. Sue me.”
That little… No. I won’t get mad. I don’t have the energy to get mad, but when I do, the first thing I’m going to do is do whatever an abomination does to Hart. He deserves it.
“You do realize how creepy this is, right? You’ve known me since I was a baby.”
“I’m aware.” He answers simply as he pulls the covers up to my chin, above and beyond where they need to go.
I wiggle them back down so they aren’t suffocating me. All the while he has a smile plastered on his face. I always did like that smile… on Sam. On Sam I liked it. Not on Hart. Not… Oh, good Lord, I can’t separate them anymore.
“I’m calling you Hart,” I say simply.
To that, he raises a brow and has the nerve to sit beside me on the bed. Thankfully, he doesn’t touch me. He’s close enough so he can. But he doesn’t. This demon does seem to have a good side.
“Yeah, I figured you might. Though, I have to admit, I liked being Sam.”
“Why?” I scoff. “Because you got to lie? You got to play me and pretend to love me.”
“It wasn’t—” He stops himself very quickly and bites his lip. “It wasn’t that. I liked being him because he was human. You have no idea how hard it is to keep your humanity when you’re a demon. That’s why they torture you in Hell, you know? How they break you. They get someone you know, someone you love, who didn’t make it to the Pearly Gates and they turn them loose. They don’t remember you, not really. If they do, they don’t remember they love you. They only know they are supposed to hurt you and break you and take your humanity. So that’s what they do.”
His eyes are distant, and I don’t really think he knows he’s telling me so much. Maybe he’s wanted to all these years, and he’s never had a chance. I guess everybody or everything has to talk at one time or another.
“That’s what she did.”
“Who?”
Hart settles back against my headboard and closes his eyes. He folds his arms over his chest and sighs. “It doesn’t matter. I had a plan, and I stuck with it. Honestly, everything she did to me, it made the fire burn hotter inside me. Gave me more of a drive to hunt my brother down and kill him. I pretended to lose my humanity so I could be turned into a demon and hurry back to Earth.”
“And now he’s in Hell.” I say the least helpful and possibly most hurtful thing I could have said. “I don’t mean… I mean… I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re right. He’s in Hell. Being tortured in
Similar Books
Joshua (Book 2): Traveler
John S. Wilson
Witch Silver
Anne Forbes
The Boatmaker
John Benditt
CRUISE TO ROMANCE
Toby Poznanski
Waiting for Midnight
Samantha Chase
Cornered
Peter Pringle
The Makeover
Vacirca Vaughn
The Wrath of Fu Manchu and Other Stories
Sax Rohmer
The Green Mile
Stephen King