Masquerade (Heven and Hell #1)(69)
Author: Cambria Hebert

A hysterical laugh bubbled out of me. What would she think if she knew I was dating a hellhound?

“You think this is funny?” She was incredulous.

“No! Not at all,” I said, suddenly very, very tired. “I can’t believe you think I’m evil.” I picked up my chair and sank into it.

“I don’t think you’re evil, honey; just that for some unknown reason evil has chosen you. I want to help you fight that.”

“By sending me to summer camp.”

She sighed. “It’s a retreat. The people there are very educated; they can help you.”

“You don’t know me at all,” I sadly said.

“Someday you’ll thank me for this.”

“No. I won’t.” I looked straight into her eyes when I said the words with absolute conviction. The tiniest bit of fear shone in her eyes. She not only thought I was evil, but she was scared of me. I stood. “I’m leaving.”

“What about dinner? Your clothes?”

“I’ve lost my appetite.”

“Heven,” Mom called when I was at the door. For the first time I heard regret in her voice.

It was too late.

I left without looking back.

The Hate

She forgives him for deceiving her. She knows what he is, and she still wants him. She knows I watch her, stalk her. She pretends she isn’t scared. I hear her mockery clear as a bell.

My claws sink into the ground, ripping open the earth. This wasn’t what I was supposed to come home and find. I expected to find Sam shredded and bleeding from her rejection. His world was supposed to be falling apart.

But it wasn’t.

No matter. I have found what I have been searching for. Finally it is mine. It’s my ticket to power. With this I can finally do what Satan sent us here to do: tip the balance between the divine and the vile.

When word gets out that I have what those below have been searching for…it will be my chance. My chance to rule and be followed. Feared and hated.

Everything I ever wanted. Mine.

I don’t need Sam anymore. I don’t need the others. I had never really needed them at all. Because in the end it had been me who had found what I sought. Proof that it belongs to me.

I’m afraid my find doesn’t bode well for others. What do you do when you no longer need something? What do you do when it loses its value?

Get rid of it.

Throw it out like yesterday’s trash.

Finally I can do what I have longed to do.

Watch out, pup. I’m coming.

Game over.

The HOPE

The situation was not going well. The enemy proves to be persistent, and I wonder how much longer she will wait. She’s been very busy wreaking havoc and stealing. I felt sorry for her lost soul, and I took a moment to say a short prayer that her soul might someday find rest.

“It may be time,” I spoke aloud because I knew I was not alone.

“Time?”

I looked over my shoulder. “For me to pay them a visit.”

“We don’t know yet if he can be trusted.”

“All the more reason to go.”

“What’s happening?” He came forward to gaze down into the water. The images rippled away. “I need to see.”

“Things have changed. You are not to get involved.”

“Keep her safe,” he implored.

I intended to.

Chapter Twenty

Heven

I drove for a while without caring where I was going. I felt numb. Thinking I could fix things with my mother so easily had been naïve. I guess I didn’t realize just how far apart we actually were. I felt like I had to mourn our relationship because a part of me knew that it was over. How could I be close to anyone who honestly believed that I was marked by the devil and meant for evil?

When the headlights of Gran’s car automatically turned on, I was shocked to realize that it was almost dark. I glanced at the clock; Sam should be getting off work now. I missed him so much there was a sharp ache in my chest. I wanted desperately to hear his husky voice and see his liquid-gold eyes. I needed to tell him that I loved him. I felt deep regret that I’d waited this long. Knowing his love was there was carrying me through tonight. How did he get through his tough days?

For the first time since I’d started driving, I paid attention to where I was. I was farther from town than I wanted to be. There was no one else on the road with me so I did a U–turn right there and started heading toward Gran’s. I searched through my bag for my cell, but I couldn’t find it. The bag was too deep, and there was too much clutter, so I pulled the car to the side of the road to find it.

I dialed Sam’s number and anxiously waited to hear his voice. It went to voicemail. With a sigh I left a message, “Hey, it’s me. Went to visit my mom. It didn’t go well. I’ve been driving around; I’m on Seven Hills Road, heading back to Gran’s now. There’s something I need to tell you so will you meet me there when you get off? Bye.”

I frowned at the phone and dropped it on the seat next to me. I thought he would be off by now. A bolt of lightning shot through the sky and landed in the field to my left and was followed by a deafening boom of thunder. I shivered and reached over to turn the heat on. Anxious to get home and see Sam, I put the car in drive and pulled out onto the road, only to immediately slam on the brakes.

Standing in the center of the road was a large black animal. Its flaming red eyes stared at me through the night.

It was a hellhound.

It wasn’t Sam.

Which meant it must be China.

I watched in horror as the animal stood on hind legs and pulled its lips back to reveal razor- sharp teeth. A threatening growl, a promise of harm, carried through the rising wind to reach my ears. A dim thought from earlier speared through my mind: the hiding and fear would indeed end tonight.

Another flash of lightning streaked the sky as the hound sprang forward.

I hit the gas and with a squeal the car gunned forward. I hoped to run the beast down. Instead, China jumped high into the air, landing on the roof on the car. I screamed, and the wheel jerked beneath my hands. Stay calm.

Yeah, right.

I reached for my phone to dial Sam, but it was just out of reach. I turned the wheel sharply, and the phone slid into my hand. I punched in Sam’s number and was about to hit SEND when China ran, head-on into the side of the car. I felt the impact like she was made of steel. The door bowed and screamed in protest, and the car careened into the wrong lane. My cell went flying out of my hand to disappear beneath the seats.