“Ouch. I clocked you better than I thought I did,” Jake said, laughing.
“Yeah, you hit a girl. Your mother would be so proud,” I snapped. “What are you doing stalking around in the dark like the cockroach you are, Jake?”
His laughter died on his lips, and I thought he was going to hit me. I braced myself, getting ready for the attack, ready to block his blow. But Jake didn’t take a swing. Instead, his gaze drifted over my shoulder and he smiled.
“Can’t stay away, huh?” Jake said to Chay. “I have to admit, I don’t blame you.”
Chay’s look was defiant. He didn’t acknowledge Jake or his comment. He just stared at him, moving his hand possessively to the small of my back.
“Well, as much fun as this little reunion is, it’s time for you to leave,” I said.
“Don’t you want to know what I came to say?”
“No.”
Jake leaned in close to my ear. His vile breath moved wisps of my hair when he talked. “He’s sending someone for you.”
Chay grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me away. “Back up,” he ordered Jake.
Jake took a step back, his hands raised in surrender. “Hey, whatever, man. Just thought I’d give ya a head’s up is all.”
“Who?” I called out as Jake walked down the porch steps.
“Someone you’ll never see coming. Someone you trust with your life.”
“I already know Azazel has sent someone,” I bluffed.
Jake laughed. The sound matched the sneer on his face, garish and ugly. “Ha! You don’t know anything.”
“Then why don’t you enlighten me?” I didn’t really expect him to. I was surprised when he did. I guess he was in a talkative mood because I learned a lot from our little meeting.
“Abaddon. He’s ticked that Azazel couldn’t finish you when he had the chance. He garfed up the whole thing. So Abaddon is going to take care of things. You won’t be as lucky this time around, Milayna, and neither will the ones you love. He’s gonna take them from you.”
“Who’s Abaddon?”
Jake smiled like we were talking about the weather and not my impending trip to Hell. “Your worst nightmare.”
“What does he want with my family?”
“Nothing.” He shrugged a shoulder. “He just wants to hurt you, and hurting your family is the best way to do it. Maybe he’ll let you live. Then you can spend the rest of your life knowing you got your family killed because you wouldn’t listen when you had the chance. Your time is running out. You can still switch sides even though you’re eighteen. You can voluntarily crossover.”
“No.”
“Whatever. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. See ya around, Milayna. Chay.” Jake jogged down the driveway and turned on the street toward his house.
Chay guided me into the house. “C’mon. Let’s go back inside. It’s freezing out here.”
“He’s coming after my family to get to me.”
“Jake’s just trying to upset you, Milayna. Don’t let him.”
“You don’t believe that any more than I do,” I accused.
Chay looked down at me. His brow was furrowed over his eyes, and he looked worried. No, he knew what Jake said was the truth. Whoever—whatever—Abaddon was, he was after me and anyone I cared about.
Chay threaded his fingers through my hair and lowered his lips, grazing them softly over mine. I fisted my hand in the front of his sweatshirt, the other on his shoulder, pulling him to me. He kissed me greedily, his lips gentle, but demanding. His fingers clenched and unclenched in my hair. I was lost. My emotional side longed to keep him with me, to keep kissing him like we were the only two people in the world. My rational side, damn it straight to Abaddon and back, told me to stop. Chay didn’t want me. He made that perfectly clear. And although I tried not to listen to the rational side of my brain, it finally broke through and I turned away from Chay’s kiss.
He slowly let go of my hair, combing through the red curls with his fingers. Opening the hand that held his shirt front, I placed my palm on his chest and pushed him away. As much as I wanted him, as much as I loved him, I didn’t want just a kiss and a grope in the middle of the night. I wanted all of him. Something he wasn’t going to give me.
“Is that why you did it?” I whispered, looking away from him.
He sighed in frustration. “Why I did what?”
“Broke up with me. Did you do it because this Abaddon person is going to kill off everyone I care about? Because if you did, it won’t work. You won’t be safe.” I looked into his blue-green eyes. “You might not love me, Chay, but I love you and, apparently that’s all it takes to make you a target.”
“Who said I don’t love you?”
“You did.” I threw my arms up in the air and let them fall with a smack against my thighs.
“Well, that wasn’t completely true.”
I didn’t answer. I just stared at him, waiting.
“I did… do love you, Milayna. I just can’t be with you.”
“Then it’s true. You broke up with me because of Abaddon.”
“No. I’m not scared of him.”
“Then?”