Haunting Me (An Angel Falls Book 3) Read online

  “Hello,” she says.

  “How’s it going?”

  Star moves over to the flask and looks down at the swirling goo. “How do you know my aunt?”

  The brew doesn’t hold her interest for long because she places a black purse on the table and rummages through it.

  “Un-flippin’ believable!” she says before I can answer.

  She’s gripping an orange plastic prescription bottle so hard I begin to wonder if the cap will shoot off.

  “Why would she do this? It’s none of her business!” Star says.

  She’s obviously not speaking to me, so I watch in silence as Star continues to stare at the bottle of pills like it’s a gross injustice of the world.

  She slams her fist back into her bag and stomps out of the witch’s pantry, the reek of piss and vinegar following in her wake. I add the last of the ground roots and look at the clock feeling grateful I’m not on the receiving end of Star’s sudden wrath.

  One minute until I add the pomegranate juice. The second hand ticks around the dial and I pour the entire bottle into the swirling concoction. The chunky magenta liquid stops circling, rises slightly in the center, and begins a slow downward spiral. Fascinated, I watch it move under its own volition within the sphere-shaped bottle. It changes colors from purplish-red to cobalt and then lightens until it’s a silvery-blue. It comes to a stop and settles inside the glass. Blue moon juice. Who knew? I jump to the conclusion it’s ready and pour it into the extra large vase. All the bits and pieces of matter have liquefied leaving a silver satin beverage that smells somewhat of blueberry tarts and crisp winter nights. I cradle it carefully and take it outside to the altar like Vivi asked.

  Juliana Crowson. I will haunt your front door until you come outside and look at me. The way our last date ended was misery. She has to know I don’t blame her for anything that happened while the succubus was controlling her. The look in her eyes that night was like she was ashamed and didn’t want me to look at her ever again. But nothing could be farther from the truth. I only want to be with her. I have been missing for days on end. I have so much explaining to do, but I can’t even see her. What happened to her house? She has to leave sometimes, doesn’t she? What if this new protective shield follows her wherever she goes?

  I look around the wooded yard for Vivi to let her know I’m leaving. Then I see her speaking to someone that jostles my grip on reality.

  As quickly as I can without looking supernatural, I cruise over to Vivi and Jared.

  Vivi is saying, “She’s a special girl. When she’s in a rage, you must be her calm. There is a balance, you see. Star’s ups and downs require extra care. If you want to be with my niece, help her stay steady. Either that or get the hell out her way and wait out the storm under shelter.”

  “Thanks for telling me, Ms. Costa, but I’m not sure Star wanted me to know all of that.”

  “Better you find out now before she shatters your illusions of her perfection.”

  “I guess so,” Jared says with a wary uncertainty.

  “How is everything, Jared?” I say as I glance around for Marcus.

  “What’s up, Nathaniel?” Jared says and flashes one of his huge grins at me and sticks out his hand to shake my own.

  Vivi shifts her gaze back and forth between us. “I see you two have some serious business to catch up on.” She raises inquisitive brows. “Thanks for the help, Nathaniel. I won’t be needing you for the rest of the night.”

  “Please call me if anything changes,” I say.

  “That’s quite enough fussing,” she says, her back already turned as she wanders toward a group of people gathered by the bonfire.

  “Good to see you, Jared,” I say as we grip hands for a brief but thorough shake.

  “Thanks, man. What are you doing up here?”

  “I was about to ask you the same thing.”

  Our eyes lock for a second of male camaraderie.

  “Is Jules…?” I start to ask, but Jared cuts me off.

  “My girlfriend, Star, needed to talk to her alone.”

  “Star? What? Juliana is here?”

  “Sure. They went walking along the creek,” Jared says and looks over at the water. “Star said it was girlie stuff. I didn’t want to get in the middle of that.”

  “You should come with me,” I say as I start jogging downstream.

  “Really?”

  “Yes,” I say even as I’m already fifteen feet away.

  Jared runs to catch up and we hurry along the bank until I see a glint of red and black hair. I point them out to Jared. They’re on the other side of the creek. A large flat rock juts into the water where I think Jared can jump across. I lead the way and he clears the water easily. We quicken our pace to catch up with Star and Jules.

  Juliana is turned slightly away from me, but seeing the curve of her hip, the sweep of her hair over her shoulder, and the side of her graceful neck takes my breath and steals my sanity. Unfortunately, I also notice Star. She’s standing too close to her and looks too stiff to be anything other than irate. She’s waving her little black bag in Juliana’s face.

  Jules takes a step back from Star and disappears from view behind an evergreen tree.

  Jared calls out, “Hey, Jules! Look who I found.”

  Startled, Star drops her raised hand and stares at us, eyes glowing with fury. Instantly she attempts to cover up her anger with a mask of innocence. I don’t fall for it. There’s something wrong with this girl and I certainly didn’t like the way she was looking at Juliana.

  Juliana peeks around the tree. I don’t think she sees me at first because she’s looking all around and appears slightly perplexed. Her green eyes meet mine and I fall a million miles a second into a void where only she exists.

  Forget acting like I’m a living human being. I have her wrapped in my arms before she can say anything or before she even sees me move. I feel her take a deep breath and lean into me. I cup the back of her head as it rests against my chest.

  I hear Jared’s footsteps and he says, “Everything kosher? You look kind of worked up.”

  “It’s nothing,” Star says.

  Jules’s back and shoulders are tighter than tension wires. She looks up at me and I see what I’ve seen before in those green and gold eyes. She’s afraid.

  Jules shifts her attention to Jared. “Star thinks I put the bottle of meds in her bag, but I didn’t.”

  “You’re the one who keeps pushing me to take it! Who else would have done it?” Star says, sounding slightly hysterical.

  “That’s enough,” Jared tells Star.

  I don’t have a chance to say anything because I hear Marcus say, “You’ve overstepped your boundaries again, Nathaniel.”

  From solid to vapor, I release my hold on Juliana and spin around to face him. This is the last thing I would ever want to do with my old friend, but his threat was perfectly clear with his tone of voice.

  He moves like a flurry of bats wings at dusk. Fast and dark and untouchable. With the sun setting, his black linen clothes blend in with the shadows of the darkening forest. Before I can pinpoint where he is, or which direction he went, I feel my legs kicked out from under me. I hit the ground without warning. I’m more concerned about Juliana than myself so I roll away from her and back onto my feet.

  “Stop it!” she screams and backs away.

  I sense something large moving at me, so I take to the sky. She can’t get hurt because of me, but I can’t leave either. I’ve only just found her. My instincts don’t misguide me. A jarring blow to my left shoulder knocks me half around. I lash out with my right fist and catch what I think is Marcus’s lower leg. He’s moving like lightning and I’m not sure how long I can keep this up, but for Juliana, I’ll never stop.

  “Jared, go back to the ranch! They’re fighting because of you.”

  Juliana’s voice carries up to me. I chance looking down at the ground. Jared is edging upstream with Star at his side.

  He calls back
to Jules. “I don’t want to leave you alone? What are they doing?”

  “Just go. I’ll be fine!” Juliana says.

  The next hit is a good wallop to the side of my head. He can’t kill me, but it’s still uncomfortable and pretty soon he’s going to drain me so much I’ll be forced to leave and recover. I was somewhat prepared for his next move, so with my head reeling, and before he slips away, I grab at him. Luckily I get a hold on what I wanted, his arm. With a burst of my strength and energy, I twist and shove, sending Marcus careening through the air.

  “Harmony, please do something,” Juliana says.

  My brain registers the name, but I can’t let distractions guide me at the moment. Marcus could be on top of me again in a second.

  “I can’t leave my sister out here,” Jared is saying.

  “I’ll catch up with you later!” Juliana sounds desperate.

  “The creek. Jump it, Jared. He can’t cross, remember?” Juliana says.

  The protection! I have permission, but Marcus doesn’t.

  “You’ll be spending eternity lamenting the path not taken, Nathaniel.”

  Marcus shifts around like an anxious ninja among the tops of the trees. The final light of the evening highlights him enough to see the heavy disappointment on his face.

  “I’m only here to see Juliana. You’re being an over-protective thug.”

  I drift closer to the earth and hope Jared is on the other side of the stream by now. The boundary around Vivi’s house follows the creek which encircles her home, the outbuildings, and a large portion of the surrounding forest.

  “Your business is with Vivian, not my client,” Marcus says.

  “Why don’t you tell me again in case I haven’t figured this out on my own?” My sarcasm isn’t the most appropriate way to address my mentor, but Marcus seems unable to disengage from the protocol of being an Angel of Death, even for me. “Get off it already. I’m only here to see Jules.”

  “You were trustworthy once.”

  “Believe whatever you want. I’m done with this. Jared is way over by the house, so go do your own job and leave me alone. I’m no threat to him.”

  I’ve almost doubled the distance between us. He isn’t advancing, and I start to wonder if I can get to Juliana and cross the water before he attacks again. My energy level has faded from the three blows he landed on me. It’s not a good sign. If he were to get his hands on me one more time, I may be done in for days.

  “I am doing my job. I’m trying to keep you from straying too far from what you are.”

  “My client is right over there, too. I’m not straying anywhere.”

  “Don’t bend the truth with me, Nathaniel. I know about Ireland.”

  I feel my jaw tighten as I clench my fists. He knew I was in Liam’s cave and did nothing to help me. Marcus glances toward the gathering and I take that as my cue to move. In an instant, I appear next to Juliana, whisk her into my arms, and make a dash across the knee-high water. She squeals from either surprise or shock, but her arms wrap around my neck. Her body settles against mine just as my foot plunges into a deep spot, wetting my leg up to my thigh. I tilt hazardously to the right. In the middle of this remarkable balancing act, my eye catches a flash of familiar emerald green velvet. My attention is instantly diverted as I see my friend and fellow angel, Harmony, wrapped in her cloak, watching us intently. I stumble forward and my other foot catches on a rock. I’m not sure how I make it across without dumping my girlfriend into the creek, but somehow I manage. I squeeze Juliana in closer to me and move as if the three Furies of the Night were on my tail.

  Knowing I can’t leave the protection of the perimeter of the stream leaves me with few options. My panic level at seeing Harmony has me reeling and searching for a place which doesn’t exist. A place beyond God where there are no all-seeing eyes. I feel like I’m spinning out of control so I force myself to stop moving. The earth continues to move no matter what my body is doing. I sink to the ground still holding Jules tight against me. I can’t let her go now. I can’t. I bury my face against her hair, unable to speak, or move or do anything.

  Harmony was with Juliana.

  Why?

  How?

  The tears begin. They leak like sharp silent diamonds of anguish. A pain like no other seeps out of me. Juliana is not going to live.

  After a timeless silence, Juliana shifts position so she’s straddled over my legs facing me instead of sitting sideways across my lap. Her fingertips trail softly over my hair, trace the line of my jaw, and then settle against my collar. Slowly, I lift my face and look into her eyes. She watches me with openness and purity. The moon is rising just behind her, full and glorious in its silver magnificence. Our hearts are breaking simultaneously for each other, for what will never be. And for not having enough time together and barely having a beginning.

  Tears shimmer in tiny pools at the edge of her long lashes. She leans forward, resting her forehead against mine, eyes closing softly as the first tear slides down her pale cheek. Her fingers splay over my chest and I wrap my arms around her back.

  “You saw Harmony,” she whispers as she lets her head drop to my shoulder.

  I nod slightly against her head.

  “It’s…I didn’t mean to…,” she says and her voice breaks.

  I grip her tighter, pressing her body against mine. “Do what?” I finally say, confused. “You didn’t choose for her to come? Only people who try to end their life choose.”

  “It was… accidentally on purpose?” she manages.

  “Explain, please.”

  Juliana sits back, then slides off my lap. She stays close though so her leg presses against mine. Her gaze is on the ground. One hand toys with a blade of grass.

  “I was trying to help Jared. He was so sick, Nathaniel. I don’t understand how I did it exactly, but when I was done, Harmony was with me.”

  “Juliana, have you talked to her about it?”

  “No. I’ve been avoiding her. And my house…you’ve missed so much. Marcus and Harmony can’t enter.”

  “I know. I couldn’t pass either.”

  “Oh my God. I didn’t realize. I just thought you…I thought there were problems with your trip, or you didn’t want to see me anymore.”

  “I wouldn’t stay away from you unless I had no other choice.” I take her hand in mine and lean forward. She won’t look up. “Do you believe me, Jules? I’ll never lie to you.”

  “I trust you, Nathaniel. I really do.”

  She starts to pull her hand back slightly, but I won’t let her get away just yet.

  “I don’t know if you should trust me,” she says.

  “What are you saying? Is this about the succubus again?”

  A deep thumping interrupts the quiet of the woods as drumming begins from over by the gathering.

  Juliana wipes a fingertip beneath her eye. It kills me to see her struggle like this, but I know I can’t take away someone else’s despair. The best I can do is be here for her, to listen and talk to her.

  “You don’t know everything. I don’t even know everything. There are holes in my memory.”

  “You can let whatever happened be behind you. That time was out of your control. I’ll never blame you. Never.”

  “But what if…?”

  She doesn’t finish. She bites at her trembling lip and her hands move to her stomach.

  When you’ve spent years observing people’s body language certain expressions become as clear as spoken words. Jules’s implication rings straight to my heart.

  Whether she’s worried about being pregnant, or dying before her brother, it doesn’t matter. I can’t stop myself from loving her or surrounding her with my arms and holding on. “I’m here, Jules. Whatever it is, I’m here with you. And I’m going to talk to Harmony. She only works the hardest cases. She may have something to tell me.”

  “Are you sure you still want to be with me?” she whispers.

  “I’ve never been so sure about anything.�
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  I feel Jules breathe. The long and slow breaths seem to help her relax. She slips one arm out from my crushing embrace. She doesn’t let go of me, but places her fingers against the side of my neck and tips her face up to mine. Her eyes are soft and sad, but also wanting. It’s an invitation.

  I’m tender with her to the point of agony as I lower my lips to hers and brush soft caresses down her back with my hands. I know she’s delicate right now, and I can’t break this fragility between us. Any human going through half of what she has had to deal with would be too easy to shatter. I’m about to pull back and wrap her securely in my arms when she presses into me harder. We rise to our knees so our bodies are pressed together. Her hands explore places which have me nearly to the edge of no return. Down my arms and across my abdomen. She grips me at the waist and strokes the muscles running down my back as our tongues meet.

  “In another second, I’m not going to be able to stop, Jules.”

  “I don’t want you to,” she says.

  Her breath is ragged. Her chest is rising and falling a little too quickly.

  Who could resist that request? Not me. I taste her again. Her mouth is perfect. Soft, and wanting, and playful, and heaven.

  Her hand moves under my shirt and I feel light nails and the soft pads of her fingers trailing over my skin. A low groan of pleasure rumbles through my chest. It seems to encourage her and she moves to one of my nipples.

  As difficult as it is, I break our kiss. “This isn’t the place,” I murmur.

  “It’s a perfect place to me,” she says, then nibbles my collar bone.

  I swallow hard and make my hands move to her shoulders and stop. She turns her face and rests her cheek against me. I can feel the warmth of her breath against my chest. Her heart beating next to mine.

  “If I have only one hour left, I want it to be with you. I started to believe you were never coming back. This is my life, and I want you, Nathaniel.”

  “And I convinced myself you were finished with me. When I was stuck in Ireland on some crazy errand for information, and then I couldn’t come to your door. Nothing has been working out.”

  I feel her begin to pull away from me. My hands tighten to keep her close. The feeling of her body pressing into mine is like a home I have never known, but someplace I have always wanted to live.