The Seer's Lover (The Seven Archangels Series) Read Free Page A

couldn’t control. Something she’d never liked. Lucas seemed different than anyone she’d met.
    “Do either of you know a lady named Carmen who lives in Mal Pais?”
    The men both laughed.
    “Sure we know Carmen. She’s famous in Mal Pais. Want me to introduce you?” Ron asked.
    Could it be this easy?
    “Yeah, I met a friend of hers who told me to come see her.”
    “Who’s that?” Ron said as the Jeep lurched over another dip in the road, much to the chagrin of Calise’s rear end.
    The guide propped his elbows between Ron and Calise as if to listen.
    “Juan Torres. Do you know him?”
    Ron shrugged. “He probably remembered how good her pizzas are.”
    “I’m sorry. Pizza?”
    “Carmen’s restaurant is a hot spot. Best food in Mal Pais. See Lucas, you should tell her, her reputation precedes her.”
    The pizza lady couldn’t be the Carmen that Mr. Torres had spoken of, could she? Calise looked back at the guide a few times. Each time, she caught him staring at her. Sadness filled his expression before he looked away.
    Maybe she was crazy and antipsychotic meds would fix everything when she got home. Demons couldn’t possibly exist and the only famous Carmen in town…made pizza.
    ****
    The resort sat perched atop an impossibly steep dirt road on the outskirts of Mal Pais. Smack in the middle of thick jungle, was Ron and Anna’s place—marked with a sign hammered to a short, wooden post that read, “The Howler Monkey Resort.” When they reached the summit, Ron jumped out and came around to open her door. She climbed out of the Jeep with the last snatches of daylight waning. She was rewarded with a view of the overlook to the ocean’s multilayered sunset of crimson, ginger, and delicate pinks. She couldn’t wait to catch the breathtaking view it promised the next morning.
    “There’s my house, and the stables are over there.” Ron pointed. “The guest pool is by the kitchen and behind that, is a path leading to the guest bungalows. I’ll get your bags while you have a look around.”
    Lucas dropped his eyes when she spied him once again watching her.
    “Hey Lucas, can you close the gate on your way out?” Ron asked.
    He nodded, gave Calise one more long look, and disappeared into the night. She heard the gate groan when Lucas pushed it shut.
    She wandered up to the kidney-shaped guest pool, the centerpiece of this Eden. A lit three-tiered waterfall cascaded down a natural rock outcropping on one side, where dozens of sweet-smelling, showy orchids dipped their petals into the cool water. Loose petals floated on the surface. Teak lounge chairs with fluffy blue pads lined the periphery of the pool.
    “I’ll put your bag in your room. Sit down by the kitchen and relax. I’ll fix you a drink.”
    “Thanks, Ron. A drink would be heavenly.” She ducked into the open-air kitchen. The space boasted a full refrigerator, grill, and a twelve-by-six foot cut stone counter. Baskets of fruit hung from the overhang above and spices waited on the counter, as if begging use. She sat at a small table and inhaled the moist evening scent of the jungle around her, heavy with the pungent fragrance of unfamiliar flowers. The late night drone of insects filled her head.
    And in an instant, her Eden was ruined. The temperature suddenly dropped and a cool shiver of fear radiated down her spine, crawling out to her arms as goose bumps marred her skin as though she’d gone outside in winter without a coat. A stunning woman appeared before her with an iguana in her arms and a monkey perched on her shoulder. A crimson skirt and cream tank top wrapped snugly around her enviable thirty-something body. Long dark hair cascaded down her back like a black river, her green eyes and tan skin somehow blending serenely into the surroundings. Calise’s all too familiar “feelings” flooded her senses.
    Not now.
    “Hola, I am Anna, Ron’s wife.” She enunciated her name, pronouncing it ah-na. “This is Screech and this one,