Tags:
Fiction,
Romance,
YA),
hollywood,
Young Adult,
teen fiction,
ya fiction,
angel,
fallen angel,
archangel,
contest,
City of Angels
âHavenât we proven ourselves?â
âYou have,â I rushed to assure them. âItâs just ⦠against the rules.â
âRules?â Aly asked.
I rubbed my hands over my face before looking at them again. âI have a strict code of conduct Iâm required to follow.â And I canât screw up my one chance at getting back in good graces with the big guy .
âAnd if you donât follow the rules, what happens?â Des asked. âDo you belong to some kind of magical mafia? Will your powers, whatever they are, get whacked?â
That wasnât too far off. âIâm sorry,â I said, kicking a rock across the sidewalk. âHeâd totallyââ
A burly biker with a beard and a crossbones do-rag walked out of the shop behind us with a Saran Wrapped arm just as Aly gasped, âIt is the mafia.â
I nodded at the dude and gave a heh-heh laugh until he passed by. âNo!â I said, horrified at her inadvertent comparison of my boss to Al Capone.
âThen are you part of a clan, a pack, a coven?â Des pushed.
âStop,â I said in exasperation. âItâs not like that.â A little help here , I silently pleaded.
âWhy so super-secret then?â Des asked. âYouâve had no problems telling us about weres, fangs, sirens, hags, and succubuses.â
âSuccubi,â Aly corrected. âNot buses.â
âSuccubi,â Des repeated, then asked me, âWhat makes you so special?â
Aly gave me a quizzical look. âDoes everyone of your ilk keep themselves secret?â
âIlk? Ilk ?â Des repeated, stepping onto the base of a lamppost and then hanging off it by one arm. âWho says that?â
âWhat?â Aly said in a haughty tone. âIt works perfectly well in this context.â
âWhatev, word nerd.â Des hopped down and turned back to me. âSo, how âbout it? Is everyone of your ilk ââ she leaned on the word and gave Aly a cheesy grinâârequired to keep a super-secret identity?â
âYes, butââ
âBut? But how are we supposed to trust you if we donât even know what you are?â Des asked.
âClearly heâs a good guy,â Aly said, and I felt grateful for her defense. âHe wouldnât be trying to stop Dakota if he wasnât.â
âYou canât know that,â Des argued. âHe could have his own agenda. Heâs asked us to believe him and everything that heâs shown us, but heâs unwilling to reveal himself.â She crossed her arms over her chest and gave me an evil eye. âSeems awfully suspicious to me.â
âSheâs got a point.â Aly bit her lip.
âRules are meant to be broken,â Des said.
âOh, Des.â Aly gave a long-suffering sigh. âYouâre always wanting to break the rules. Even when itâs unwarranted.â
âItâs not unwarranted here. We need to know exactly what weâre involved with.â
âBelieve me,â I said, arms held wide as I tried desperately to re-steer this careening conversation. âIâd tell you everything, butââ
âYouâre being hypocritical,â Des accused me.
I felt caught in a freakinâ tornado of feminine force. My head started to pound. âI ⦠I ⦠â I stammered, not knowing if Iâd snap under pressure and spill everything or run while I still could. Then I heard the haunting strains of a six-string guitar and Robert Plant singing about a lady and gold.
âExcuse me,â I said, stepping away and digging in my pocket for the phone. It was HIM. My hand trembled as I flipped it open and saw the little envelope icon indicating a text message. My gaze skittered to the girls, now whispering amongst themselves and staring at me, before pressing okay.
From: God
Itâs all good. U better tell them the truth.
CB:
Tim Curran
Elisabeth Bumiller
Rebecca Royce
Alien Savior
Mikayla Lane
J.J. Campbell
Elizabeth Cox
S.J. West
Rita Golden Gelman
David Lubar