Redeeming Angel (12 page)

I slammed my fist down on the table,
harder than I’d meant to. The bowl clattered on the wood top. “This
isn’t your fault, Uncle Dev.”

He arched his brows. “But you blame
yourself. Chase, at some point you have to stop always taking the
fault. This wasn’t the life you asked for. If anyone is to be
blamed, it’s Hell.”

Logically, I knew he was right, but I
wasn’t a logical person. “We’re going to need some more Captain
Crunch,” I said, staring into the empty box.

His coffee mug was pressed to his
slightly curved lips. “What’s new? I’ll go to the store and get
some groceries before you clear out Chloe’s pantry.”

“
What are you going to tell
her?”

“
I don’t want to worry her
yet. You’re sure she is going to wake up?” he asked, eyes glancing
toward the stairs.

I wasn’t sure of anything, but I
sincerely believed Angel was a fighter. “She has to.”

He leaned forward. “You Chase, are
fierce, a protector. I know that you love just as fiercely. It’s
who you are. Let’s face it. I tried to do my best to keep Lexi, and
Travis safe, but without you, it would have been a thousand times
harder. I don’t know how I would have done any of this without
you.”

Emotion clogged the back of my throat.
I hadn’t expected the well of feelings to rise up and grip me.
Since the moment I closed the doors on Angel’s prison, with her red
eyes staring back at me, I’d been in a constant state of
suppressing any type of feeling. If I hadn’t, there was no way I
would have been able to withstand seeing her suffer, hearing her
pleas, feeling her pain, or imagining a life without
her.

Now, it was coming to the
surface.

Devin stood up and laid a hand on my
shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze before going to set his mug in
the sink. “Oh…” He paused and turned back around. “Whose car is
parked in the driveway?”

I cleared my throat. “It’s probably
better you don’t know.”

“
That’s what I was afraid
of.”

~*~*~*~

Her lashes lifted. Wispy sunlight
caught those strange eyes meeting mine for a brief second, and I
wasn’t sure I would ever get used to the color. Violet eyes, a
perfect blend of her blue human eyes and her red demon eyes. Angel
had slept for nearly twenty-eight hours, waking up for only a few
minutes when I laid her in the back seat of my car.

I bit the inside of my cheek as her
lashes swept down. Angel was beautiful to me—flawless. An exuberant
amount of relief pinged through me. She was home, no longer
connected to Hell and not trying to kill me.

Her long lashes lifted again and our
eyes locked, a sweet flush creeping across her cheeks. My eyes
dipped and her lips parted, causing a hunger to stir inside
me.

{Angel
}

Chase’s handsome face came into focus.
The sun was highlighting the sharp angles of his jaw through a
window I knew well. It faced his bedroom.

I was home.

It was surreal. I kept blinking just
to make sure this wasn’t a dream. When his fingers lightly ran
under my chin, I thought I might cry. They felt very
real.

There were a million things I wanted
to say, but I had no idea where to start. I was lucid for the first
time in…I wasn’t sure how long. I felt like myself, but I
didn’t—something was different. As I gazed into his eyes, I
realized one thing hadn’t altered—my feelings for Chase. They were
tremendous. They were strengthening. They were
overwhelming.

I might be a complete basket case, but
I was certain of one thing. I’d been saved by his infinite
love.

Without a word spoken between us, I
leaned forward to kiss his jaw, the stubble he was sporting
tickling my lips. I nipped playfully at his chin and then pressed
my lips softly to his. “Thank you,” I whispered, resting my head
back down on the pillow beside him so we were
face-to-face.

His eyes morphed into incandescent
gold slits, and a shiver skated over my skin. He let out a
shuddering breath. “I was terrified the entire time you were lost.
I’ve never been so scared out of my mind that I would never be able
to hold you again.”

My arms tightened around
him.

“
And when I did see
you
, I was afraid it
might be the last time I’d ever hear your laugh or see your
smile.”

My heart tripped, dancing.
“Chase…”

“
Don’t you dare,” he said,
putting a finger to my lips. “I know what you’re going to say and
you don’t owe me an apology. None of this would have ever happened
if I had just stayed away from you.” His chest heaved. “I’m scared
shitless that we’ll never be the same again. That you won’t love me
the way you did.”

“
Stop,” I said, blinking
back tears. “How can you say that?”

“
Angel, I’ve taken so much
from you, from your life. My world has almost killed you, taken you
from me, and destroyed you. How can’t I feel responsible for
altering your life so much?” His jaw locked.

“
None of that matters. You
saved me. You always save me.”

He cast his eyes downward. “I promised
you that you would be safe. I lied. You’ll never be safe with
me.”

“
That’s such bullshit. I
owe you my life.
You
brought me home.
You
always know what I need even when I don’t.
You
love me no matter
what stupid thing I’ve said or done. And…I love you. That’s never
going to change.” I softly rubbed the pad of my thumb over his
lower lip.

He closed his eyes. “Say it
again.”

I leaned forward, pressing my lips
smoothly against his and whispered, “I love you more than I ever
thought possible. Nothing you can say, nothing you do will ever
change that. You’ll always be a part of me.”

His lips parted on a sharp inhale. “I
only want you to be happy.” He slid his hands over my hips as he
pulled me into his lap, eyes searching mine.

“
You
make me happy,” I said, tracing my fingers over the nape of
his neck.

He lowered his forehead, pressing it
against mine. “What I did—”

I pressed a finger to his lips,
silencing him and shaking my head. “I don’t want to talk about it.
Not yet.” There was a goose-sized lump in my throat, and I forced
the tears that threatened to take over back down. “I don’t want you
to regret the choice you made bargaining for my soul.”

His bright golden eyes twinkled as he
looked down at me. “I would make the same choice a thousand times
over. You’re worth every fight, every bloodshed, and I’ll never
stop fighting for you.” He placed his mouth to my ear, his breath
tickling the sensitive area. “I love you, Angel Eyes.”

I was breathless, and he hadn’t even
kissed me yet.

It was so easy to slip into his arms,
slip back into this radiant feeling he enticed inside me with just
one steaming look. We might have only been apart for a few weeks,
but gazing into his dreamy eyes, it felt like a lifetime. I wanted
him to make me forget everything else but him. I wanted him to hold
me and never let go.

Chase seemed to be able to know what I
wanted without my having to tell him. I could thank our bond for
that and his deep feelings for me.

One of his hands moved to my thigh,
slipping his fingers under the cotton material of my long shirt. As
his hand inched up, his lips made a hot line of kisses down my
throat, causing warmth to flood over my body. This was real. He was
real.

And I didn’t want to think or feel
anything but this moment, if only for a little bit. “Will you love
me?” I whispered. The embarrassment I was feeling leaked through my
voice, staining my cheeks.

“
Now?” he growled, his lips
reaching my jawline.

I nodded, unable to speak as I watched
his irises meld from silver to gold.

“
Are you sure? You’re not
too tired?” There was heat in his tone.

I rolled my eyes. “I think I’ve slept
long enough. Make me feel again,” I murmured.

I never saw him move, but
suddenly his lips were on mine, and it was as magical as I
remembered. My hand moved into the silky strands of his hair, our
breath mingling as I deepened the kiss. I wanted,
needed
more of him. It
felt like forever since he’d kissed me, and I let my eyes drift
closed, my insides lighting up from the power of his
kiss.

His arms dropped to my waist, and then
I was lying on my back, staring up into his face. “Are you feeling
anything yet?”

I wrapped my legs around his as we lay
hip to hip, his weight sinking into me in the most delicious way. I
traced my finger over the curve of his cheek. “Exceedingly happy,”
I said, along with more emotion than I could name. Chase evoked all
of it and so much more.

Chapter 12

{Chase
}

Every limb in my body was buzzing with
the aftereffects of being with Angel. I didn’t know what I’d been
expecting when she woke up—who she’d be or what she would remember.
She had definitely caught me by surprise.

Slipping on my rumbled shirt, I sat on
the edge of the bed as Angel clutched the sheets to her chin. There
was this shy quality in her expression and a sense of
what-in-God’s-name-do-I-do-now?

Angling my knee on the bed, I peered
down at her and my heart skipped a beat. “How about a shower?” I
suggested. “Then you should eat.”

“
Okay.” She glanced up at
me, soft eyes drifting over the planes of my face in a dreamlike
trance.

Hesitating a moment longer, I
eventually forced myself to stand up. She was only going to be in
the next room. At least that was what I kept telling myself. It did
nothing to stop the panic fluttering in my chest or the fact I just
wanted her close to me.

Who was I kidding?

I was afraid if I blinked she would be
gone. We might have some serious separation anxiety for a while. Or
a decade.

Placing a fresh towel on the bathroom
vanity, she followed me into the confined space. Her eyes took in
everything, familiarizing herself with her things as if she was
seeing them for the first time. Then her gaze landed on her
reflection, and she let out a loud gasp. Leaning forward, her hand
flew to her face as she tilted her head from side-to-side. “What am
I going to tell my mom?”

Wide eyes the color of polished
amethysts stared back. I said the first thing that popped into my
mind. “We’ll tell her you got contacts.” Anything, as long as the
defeated look was erased from her face. I knew how much it would
bother Angel to lie to her mom, but I also knew she wasn’t ready to
talk about what had gone down.

Her bottom lip quivered, and I thought
she might cry, finally break down, and I knew it would send me over
the edge. But just as her eyes started to glisten, her chin lifted
and she pulled it together.

Angel never ceased to
amaze.

“
Okay. I can do that,” she
said, meeting my eyes in the mirror.

I nodded.

What a pair we were. No one could ever
say our relationship was dull. Unhealthy? Hell yes, but never
boring.

The hiss of the shower sounded almost
immediately after the door closed behind me. I leaned against the
wall and closed my eyes. How the hell was I going to leave her
alone?

{Angel
}

I’d taken countless showers. It was a
mundane task, but this shower was like none of the others. There
was an immense appreciation for something as simple as having hot
water spray over my face in a waterfall effect. The water didn’t
sputter or turn brown. There weren’t spiders dangling from the
ceiling or some ugly as sin creature scampering
underfoot.

Everything was exactly where I’d left
it. I ran my fingers over the variety of bottles and jars, wanting
to touch it all. Opening my shampoo bottle, I dragged in a deep
breath of honeysuckle and ripe strawberries. I wanted to drench my
body in the scent; it was that good. Oh. My. God. A razor. I could
kiss the little beauty tool. Once glance at my pale skin confirmed
my legs had definitely seen better days.

A few times I pressed my shaky hands
to my face, but the steady stream of water washed away the grime
and sweat stuck to my body. The shower worked with the sugar and
caffeine Chase had left for me, clearing a few of the cobwebs so I
could put my mind to other things.

Like seeing my mom.

Overall, it felt good, like cleansing
the soul in a way.

I opened the door, a fog of steam
following me into the bedroom and floating along the floor.
Clutching the towel to my chest, I went into the room, my eyes
immediately drawn to Chase pacing the floor.

He exhaled, leaning against the
window. “I was two seconds from breaking the door down. I thought
you passed out in there.”

My lips curved up. “Sorry,” I said,
padding across the carpet to my dresser. I opened the top drawer.
My gamer shirts and comfy clothes lay in disorder in the drawer. If
I’d been alone, I would have taken out each piece just to look at
them.