Charade (Heven and Hell #2)(42)
Author: Cambria Hebert

But he wasn’t normal.

“Crap. I left something in the truck I need. I’m going to run down and get it and I will be right back.”

He nodded, absorbed in whatever he found to watch. I slipped out the door, avoiding the police still in the store and went around the side of the building in the alley. My brother needed help. I needed help to help him. I only knew of one person that might be able to help me. I stared up at the sky and prayed that she would listen, that she would come to me.

“Airis!” I said her name as loud as I dared, not wanting to draw attention.

Nothing happened.

“Airis!” I yelled louder this time, not caring who might hear.

Still nothing.

I began to pace. Why wouldn’t she come? Didn’t she care? Wasn’t it her job to care?

I let out a frustrated growl when a white light appeared off to the side and Airis floated through. She was dressed all in white like always and her blond hair was around her shoulders.

“You came,” I said, rushing toward her.

“Technically, I shouldn’t be here. But your intentions are good.”

“Why shouldn’t you be here?”

“Because Heven isn’t here, so this obviously does not involve Heven—the Supernatural Treasure you are meant to protect.”

“Heven is fine. I’m protecting her.”

Airis inclined her head. “Yes, you have done well.”

I didn’t say thank you because I got the feeling it wasn’t a compliment. “Look, you said to protect her at all costs. I’ve had to kill some demons—”

She held up her hand. “This isn’t about you and the demons after Heven.”

“Then what’s this about?”

“You are getting caught up in your lies. Be careful, Sam. Do not stray from your path.”

Lies? What lies? “If you mean what I told the police, I was protecting my brother. I think he’s sick, there’s something wrong with him. I need help to figure it out. You’re the only one that can help me.”

“Perhaps a doctor would help?”

I let out a frustrated growl. “You know I can’t take him to the doctor. He’s a hellhound. I think his body is rejecting the hellhound gene… it’s the only thing that makes sense. It’s supposed to be only one hound every other generation. I already turned; he wasn’t supposed to.”

“You need to focus on your responsibilities, on the scroll. On Heven. You are getting distracted.”

“Then help me!”

“I am helping you. You aren’t listening.”

“You’re telling me to forget about my brother—my only family, to just leave him alone when he is sick!”

“I’m telling you that you are straying from your path—your job. Don’t let the darkness around you cloud the way you think—the way you behave.”

“The darkness. You mean the hellhound in me. That’s why you won’t help Logan. Because he’s a hellhound and he hasn’t passed any of your ‘tests.’”

“Not every hellhound has your ability for good.”

Maybe they would if they weren’t treated like they were lepers. Like they were evil. It was obvious that Airis wasn’t going to help me and this was a waste of time.

“Thanks for the help,” I said sarcastically and turned my back on her to walk away.

“Remember what I said, Sam. Remember who your first priority is.”

She made it sound like Heven was a job, an assignment. Like she forgot that the whole reason any of this happened was because I’m in love with Heven, that I would die for her… I didn’t like being made to feel like this was a job. It wasn’t. This was my life.

And my brother was part of my life whether Airis liked it or not.

If she wanted to spew her riddles and half-answers then she could, but I wasn’t going to listen. I was just about around the corner when Airis called out to me. I stopped and turned, hoping she changed her mind.

“Remember if you or Heven need me just call.”

I snorted. She meant if Heven needed help because, just now when I asked, things went so well. I walked around the corner without another glance. She made it clear where I stood with her but it didn’t matter. I would find a way to help Logan without her.

Chapter Ten

Heven

It seemed a little strange to have a quiet, uneventful morning in the middle of an extremely unpredictable summer. It almost made me wary to relax so much.

Everything okay where you are? I asked Sam.

Yes, everything is fine.

I sighed and concentrated on my cereal bowl. I wished Sam were here instead of spending the morning with Logan at his apartment. A few moments later, there was a loud clatter and a bang. I leapt from my chair, sending it crashing to the floor, and looked for the demon that probably just broke in.

“My goodness!” Gran said. “I didn’t mean to startle you. You’re about as jumpy as a cat this morning, Heven.”

I took in the tray at her feet and the upset tin of coffee on the counter and felt like a complete idiot. “Sorry, Gran,” I muttered, righting my chair and sinking back into it.

“It’s all right.” She began to clean up and bent to pick up what she dropped. “I know the last few days have been very stressful.”

“You do?”

“Of course, finding out you have a brother isn’t something that happens every day.”

She thought all of this was about Cole. I nodded and allowed her to think that, even though Cole was about the only thing that seemed to be going right these days.

“Did he find you yesterday morning?”

I nodded. “Sam and I were in the orchard.” And Cole got quite an eyeful. After Gemma left Sam and I sat Cole down and did our best to explain everything to him. It took a while because we had to go all the way back to last year when I was injured (I didn’t think of it as disfigured anymore because I wasn’t disfigured. There had been nothing wrong with the way I looked. The problem had been with the way I felt.) It was such an unbelievable tale I thought for sure he would think I was crazy and declare he didn’t want anything to do with me ever again. But he surprised us by believing everything we confessed. Thinking about it now, I guess it isn’t so hard to understand why he accepted everything. Cole had seen too much to discount everything we told him. The abrupt disappearance of my scar, the demon attacking me added to what he witnessed with Sam and Gemma made a very impressive case.