I opened the basement door and Bruno was already at my feet, jumping up and down in excitement. “Hey buddy. I got you some new stuff!” I knelt down in front of him and pet his belly as he rolled onto his back.

  Joey stepped through the door behind me, and Bruno went into ultimate protector mode when he saw him. He flipped back around to his feet, and the hairs on his neck rose. Bruno growled like I had never heard him do before. I never even saw Bruno get defensive around hoards of people wandering through the shelter.

  I jumped to my feet as well and placed myself in between Bruno and Joey, putting my hands out in front of me. “It’s okay, Bruny boy. It’s only Joey.”

  I stepped toward Joey and wrapped my arms around him, showing Bruno that he is plenty trustworthy. “See, bud. We like Joey.” Bruno relaxed and laid down on the floor again, his head perked up as he watched us with unblinking doggy eyes.

  Joey pulled me fully into his arms and smiled down at me. He really was handsome and any girl could fall for him. I did. “So, we like Joey again, then? You’re not still mad at me?” His eyebrows raised in question and he stuck out his bottom lip.

  I glared at him. “I only said that for Bruno, so he wouldn’t bite your head off.”

  “I really am so sorry, Erin. I tried to leave, but my uncle is… he’s a scary guy.” He stroked a hand up and down my back. “Do I need to worry about you biting my head off?” The corners of his lips lifted again, and I couldn’t help but smile back at him.

  I had to roll my eyes at his pouting. “I’m not carnivorous at this time.”

  “Good. ‘Cause I missed you.” He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss on my lips. It felt somewhat off, but I ignored the feeling and let him deepen the kiss.

  Kissing Joey was no boring thing. I got all of the good feelings when he touched me, but I never felt... needy for more. Joey on the other hand, was always needy for more.

  I wanted to enjoy kissing him. I wanted to forget about the man I couldn’t have in the same way as I had my boyfriend at that moment. So, I let Joey kiss me. A lot.

  His hands moved from my back and gripped the base of my neck as he deepened the kiss. He pressed against me, until I was against the wall by the door I had just come in through.

  I gripped his shoulders and kissed him back, wanting to feel more. Joey growled against my lips and his strong hands slid to my thighs. In a second, I was removed from the ground as he lifted me onto his hips.

  Our mouths separated for a moment, but that was all I needed to put an end to it. It felt as wrong as it did exhilarating to have him hold me that way. “Joey, we need to stop,” I said breathlessly.

  His eyes were dark and he breathed heavily on my face, not yet putting me back to the floor. “We don’t need to stop, Erin. I missed you so much.”

  He kissed me again and his grip under my thighs tightened, almost as tight as the Nephilim had a hold of my arm days before. My fight instinct kicked in then, and I pushed against his chest, no longer having fun. No longer wanting more.

  “Joey. Seriously, stop.” I spoke sternly to him, trying to get him to take the hint.

  His dark eyes watched me and the look on his face wasn’t like the Joey I always knew. His smokey scent was his, his lips were his, but something wasn’t right. He pressed me harder against the wall, at war within himself as he watched me, and that was when I heard Zander’s voice in my ear.

  “Stop him, Erin. Or I will.” His voice was deep and strong. And furious.

  I gasped and my body lit up just like it had with the Nephilim. I yelled, “Stop, now!” I shoved as hard as I could against his chest and he jumped away from me with a sharp hiss.

  “What the hell, Erin?” His shirt was singed where I shoved him and the olive skin underneath was bright red. “What did you do?”

  The glow around me faded again and just as I suspected as I scanned my surroundings, Zander was nowhere in sight. I turned back to Joey and my eyes narrowed in anger at him. “You weren’t stopping, Joey!”

  He threw his hands up in the air. “So you burn me? I wasn’t going to hurt you.”

  “But you were hurting me! You don’t ever listen!” My anger wanted to boil over.

  He crossed his arms and looked at my empty hands. Something in his eyes changed as he hesitated. “How did you burn me anyways? Do you keep a lighter on you?”

  I stood straighter and opened the door beside me. “I don’t owe you an explanation. Just go.” I waved my hand at the staircase on the other side of the door.

  Joey scoffed and shook his head. “You’re my girlfriend! You can’t just kick me out. You have to talk to me.”

  “Bruno,” I said, still glaring into Joey’s eyes. “Are you hungry?”

  Bruno stood, and to my surprise, his growl returned. I looked down at him as he circled Joey until his back was to me.

  “Fine. I’ll go!” Joey veered around Bruno slowly, and walked past me. He turned to give me another angry look. “You kissed me back, Erin. I thought you wanted it.”

  I crossed my arms. “I thought I did, too.” Then I shut the door, locking it behind him.

  Bruno came to my side and nuzzled my leg with his wet nose, calmed down now that it was only the two of us. I patted his head and sat on the floor with him. “Thanks for that. You’re the only man for me, Bruny.”

  ⬨⬨⬨

  I knew I was dreaming again when my eyes opened to see my bare feet standing in perfect green grass. I groaned, not wanting to face Zander after what happened. He clearly saw the very intimate moment between Joey and I, and I knew he’d be mad.

  My eyes roamed over the grass, hesitantly, until they landed on him. He sat beneath the weeping willow with his arms crossed over his chest and his intense eyes bearing down on me.

  He stood abruptly and stomped toward me. “Why do you let him do that?” He shouted the words at me and I took a step back from the anger coming off of him. He was mad for sure.

  “Excuse me?” I yelled back. Just like that, I was mad too.

  Zander threw his hands out to his sides and his angry frown deepened. “You let him kiss you, Erin, when I know you don’t want it… and you don’t stop him until his hands are all over you!”

  He was right. I shouldn’t have put up with a lot of Joey’s behavior, but I still cared for him. And I felt way too ambushed to rationalize with the angel yelling at me.

  I crossed my own arms, fully insolent at that point. “It’s none of your business what I do and don’t do with my boyfriend, Zander!”

  He flinched at my words but the anger remained. “It’s my business when you call out to me every time he touches you.”

  “No... I don’t.” Do I?

  He pointed a judging finger at me. “You may not realize it, but I have been there... for all of it. He touches you, or kisses you, and something inside of yourself knows it’s not right.” His voice got a notch quieter. “I just wanted you to stop him, so I didn’t...” he trailed off.

  I stood stunned. He saw it all. Everything. He knew me almost better than I knew myself, so I couldn’t keep arguing what we both already knew to be true.

  I clenched my fists. “Fine. I’ll try not to call on you anymore. For any reason... I’m sorry.”

  I wondered if he was really there the night before when I called him, and I could feel his presence beside me, holding me. Maybe it was all in my mind.

  He closed his eyes and shook his head. The anger faded from him with a slow breath, and he stepped closer to me. “That’s not what I want, Erin.”

  I didn’t want to hear it. I was so sick of the raging emotions and not knowing the right thing to say. I closed my eyes and pinched my arm as hard as I could. In seconds, I was awake again, and I needed to stay awake.

  I jumped out of my bed, and patted Bruno on the head as he slept. It was dark outside, but I just wanted to get away. I quietly snuck upstairs and grabbed my mom’s keys from the kitchen island. She never cared if I drove her car, so I wasn’t worried about her being mad at me just like everyone else.

  I wanted space, and I knew just where to go, so I got in my mom’s car, and I drove.

  Chapter 11

  * * *

  It was three in the morning as I drove past downtown Albuquerque, toward Tingley Beach on the river. My parents took me there a lot when I was a kid and it was always so fun. The barbeques, birthday parties, and sunshine made the place feel like a perfect childhood memory.

  I hoped I could at least find some quiet time there, away from the two stupid men in my life.

  As long as I tried to stay calm, Zander wouldn’t come to me. I wasn’t about to call out to him either. I really wanted to just be alone for once. The dark road ahead of me was empty of all other vehicles. I guess 3:00 AM wasn’t a hot cruising time for the folks of Albuquerque.

  Some movement outside my passenger window caught my eye, but a quick glance showed nothing but night and dark trees. I tried to stay focused ahead of me, and ignore my surroundings. I didn’t want fear to control me.

  I was rounding a sharp bend, when a dark figure started to move in front of me off to the side of the road. I tried to slow down, just as the figure stepped onto the road. It was a person, though I didn’t see a face, but in the quick look I got, I saw large black wings spring from the person’s back.

  “No!” I screamed and tried to hit the breaks, but it was too late. They were too close.

  Instinct made me close my eyes as I gripped the steering wheel, before a crashing sound filled my ears. Sudden pain spread from my legs to the rest of my body. My head hit something hard, and blackness overcame me.

  I was in and out of consciousness, completely unaware of time or place. Bits of light would bleed through my eyelids in a bright red hue, and then darkness would smother the light out again.

  When my eyes finally fluttered open, Zander was there. He was leaning over me with his own eyes closed.

  Everything got dark again before he spoke to me. “Erin, please wake up. I’m here with you. This is what I was made to do, so you can’t stop fighting. Please.” His final “please” was a whisper in my ear and I felt hot lips against my temple.

  I could smell fire, but not like the bonfire by the beach party. It was like burning rubber and melted plastic. The smell hurt my nose and it felt like I was swallowing the flames themselves.

  “Zander.” I could barely hear the name on my own lips as I spoke it. I opened my eyes again and he was holding me in his arms. The starry sky was behind him and his green eyes were wide as they searched my face.

  Zander had his arms around me, and I could feel the muscles flex in his arms with every movement. We sat on the dark pavement beside my mom’s broken car. It smoked from singed metal and melted tires. I didn’t care about that, though. I could feel my guardian angel.

  I looked at our bodies touching, and my body glowed with a white light like it had before. I wanted to investigate, but I lacked the strength to move. “How are you touching me?” I asked him, my voice full of rasp.

  He stroked my cheek with his soft fingers and my whole body shivered from the contact. He shook his head. “That’s just another thing that I don’t understand,” he said as his eyes stayed locked to mine.

  “Please don’t ever let me go,” I whispered to him, and then I was pulled back into the darkness again.

  ⬨⬨⬨

  “Come on, sweetie. Open your eyes. I’m right here with you.” My mom’s soft, encouraging voice made me want to comply, but my eyelids were heavy and I had zero control over them.

  I’m trying, Mom. I thought the words, but couldn’t get them out of my mouth. I was lying on something firm and uncomfortable. From what I could remember about the wreck I was in, I imagined I was in a hospital bed. I knew Mom was there beside me, and I could feel her soft caress on my hand.

  I tried to squeeze her hand, and I guessed it worked, because I heard a small gasp from my left. “Mark, she squeezed my hand! I think she heard me!”

  Mark, my dad, shifted beside me on the right, and I heard him clear his throat loudly. The sound made me flinch, and he hurried out an apology. “I’m so sorry, baby girl. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “It’s… okay, Dad.” The words barely left my throat with a harsh rasp and burned on the way out. I smacked my lips and tasted a stale dryness in my mouth.

  “Let me get you some water.” My mom released my hand and I heard a sink faucet turn on. I opened my eyes just a slit to see her hurrying back to me with a paper cup in her hand. Her usually styled hair laid flat on her head, and I could see new bags under her eyes.

  I blinked past the bright light coming from the window of my small hospital room and pointed a finger at the blinds that were pulled all the way up. “Can you close that?” I asked my parents, and Dad jumped at the task.

  I was able to open my eyes better in the dimly lit room. It was nearly all white from top to bottom. Oh, the joy of hospital rooms. Nothing compares to the isolated feeling of being in one. My mom handed me the cup and I gulped down the water in half a second, savoring the cool feel on my sore throat.

  “Thanks, Mom.” I smiled at her, feeling better after only one glass of water. “Are you alright? You look really tired.”

  She touched her cheek and tried to ruffle up her flat blonde bob. “I haven’t slept since I got the call about your accident yesterday morning.” Her eyes filled with tears and she swallowed a deep breath of air past her naturally pink lips. “Do you remember what happened, sweetie?”

  My mom laid her hand on mine again as my dad returned to his perch in the roller chair next to me. His large hand pushed the hair away that fell in my face and he smiled down at me the way only a father could, with crinkles outlining his eyes and a hidden look of worry somewhere behind them.

  I looked from one of my parents to the other. “I remember going for a drive. I thought I’d visit Tingley beach.” In unison they both tilted their heads at me. Why would a person drive out to the river at three in the morning?

  I continued. “Anyways, something jumped out onto the road.” The image of the Nephilim’s black wings flashed through my mind. “I don’t know what it was, but I reacted too fast and swerved. I don’t really know what happened after that.”

  My story had holes. A lot of them, but what else could I say? I couldn’t tell them that a fallen angel made me wreck my mother’s car. I couldn’t tell them about being mad at the two boys that caused me to flip out and take the car without permission at three in the morning. And I absolutely couldn’t explain waking up in Zander’s arms after the accident. I didn’t have any answers for that myself.

  “I’m so sorry, sweetie. Dad and I were so scared for you. It’s a miracle that you’re here with us right now.” My mom cried fat crocodile tears and I wanted to cry with her, but my body was too tired.

  My dad kissed my forehead and held my other hand in his big ones. “You should see the car. I can’t even believe you don’t have a scratch on you after that wreck.” He searched my face and my arms that were above the tucked in blanket wrapped around my hospital gown clad body. “Not a single scratch. You’ve got angels looking out for you.”

  At least one angel, for sure.

  I tilted my head as much as I could and moved my limbs around carefully. “I feel completely fine,” I said, truthfully.

  A knock on the room’s door had us all turning our heads. “That must be Joey. He has been asking about you,” Dad said.

  Before I could stop her, my mom called out, “come in,” and in walked Joey Pierce, in all his bad-boy glory. So much about him ticked me off, but I still couldn’t help that he was handsome and a comfort to me. Being friends for years and then becoming a couple gave me an unbreakable attachment to him.

  “Hey, look who’s awake!” Joey smiled and leaned above me to kiss my cheek. His smokey scent filled my nose and as much as I wanted it to feel like home, I didn’t care for it. Something had changed.

  Joey sat beside me on the bed and both of my parents stood up. My dad kissed my hand with his bearded face and patted Joey on the back. “We’ll leave you two to talk for a bit. I’m pretty hungry.” He turned to me again with a soft smile. “Love you, baby girl. Mom and I’ll be back in a bit.”

  My mom took my dad’s hand. “I love you too, sweet heart. Don’t talk too long, and try to rest.” With that, they were gone and it was just Joey and I alone.

  Joey leaned in to kiss my lips, but I turned away from him. “I’m sorry, Joey, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I looked up at his confused face.

  “You’re not still mad at me, are ya? I was so worried about you.” His face showed real concern, but something was hidden in his eyes. His dark irises didn’t seem to quite focus on my eyes completely. Not the way Zander’s eyes locked onto mine.

  I pulled the rough hospital blanket higher on my neck and shifted so my body wasn’t up against his. “I’m not mad at you, I just think things have changed.”

  “Of course things have changed, Erin. You almost died. That’s a pretty big change to me. But nothing is different for us as a couple.” He noticed the tilt of my head. “Is it?”

  I wanted to explain what I had been through, but so much of it wouldn’t make a lick of sense to him, so I went for vague. “Do you believe in angels, Joey?”

  His eyebrows scrunched together. “Not really. I mean, if I saw one then I would, but as of now… no.”

  I nodded and looked up to my forehead, trying to find my next words. “I think I believe in angels. I’ve always felt sorta different and I never told you about it, but I’m curious to know what you think.” If he could understand what was happening to me, then maybe our relationship stood a chance.

  “What do you mean different?” he asked, seeming to really want to know.

  “Ever since I can remember, I’ve been able to see things that others couldn’t… like auras.” He was quiet so I added to the craziness. “And, I can feel other people’s feelings, just by focusing or having them touch me…”