The Devil You Need Read Free Page B

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, stepped in and gave me a hug. I almost swallowed my tongue.
    First Darma was nice and now my acid-tongued aunt was going
all mushy on me. I figured I only had a few hours to live.
    “Please let us do this, Astra. I think we can help.”
    I was too shocked even to say something snarky. So I just
watched them blip away. I stood there for several moments before I found the
energy to move again. Then I went in search of Bob and Ralph.
    Maybe Bob could do an empathic read on me and discover if
I’d lost my mind or something. The Big Guy knew I must be in dire straits if my
family was being nice to me.

Chapter Two
    Decisions, Decisions
     
    To the celestial shrink or no, young miss has not a
clue,
    But if she should decide to go, with her tender mind
he’ll screw.
     
    Slayer’s sword arm sliced downward, cleaving the air a
breath away from my cheek. A ribbon of my long, auburn hair hit the ground at my
feet. I danced backward, too late, and hit the wall hard. Slayer slammed up
against me, his sword arm pressed against my throat. His other hand grabbed my
wrist, halting my reflexive strike.
    I rested my head against the wall and lowered my sword,
feeling tears prick the inside of my lids as I closed my eyes.
    “You’re not even trying, Astra.”
    Anger brought heat to my face…or embarrassment…I wasn’t sure
which. I opened my eyes and glared at the other Tweener. “I see you and my
sister went to the same motivational seminar.”
    He frowned down at me. “My friend, this is life or death. If
you don’t give this training everything you’ve got you’ll soon be an attractive
but leaking pile of flesh on the floor. Can you at least try to fight with some
enthusiasm?”
    I sniffed, and jerked my wrist from his grasp. “I am trying.
I’m just a little—”
    “Distracted?” He lifted a perfect eyebrow, fixing me with a
sexy golden gaze. “Really?”
    “Shut up.”
    He stepped back and I moved around him, grabbing a white
towel from the top of my desk. I found the towel much more effective than
drying spray during my training sessions with Slayer, because he always