Charade (Heven and Hell #2)(61)
Author: Cambria Hebert

What took you so long? I demanded, pulling him inside and closing the door. The morning sky was just beginning to show signs of day and the cool air came rushing in with him.

I was just making sure Logan was okay. His eyes narrowed on my face.

How was his first night at my mom’s?

He said it was fine. I think he’ll be okay.

That’s great. Now you won’t have to worry about him.

Sam didn’t seem completely convinced about this.

“Good morning, Sam,” Gran called, setting a large plate of muffins on the counter.

“Morning. Thank you for letting me leave my truck here while we’re gone.”

“Have some breakfast; we should be going,” Gran said, looking at the clock.

My stomach revolted at the thought of food, but I grabbed a muffin from the counter and pretended to eat it. When Gran wasn’t looking, I handed it to Sam. He frowned, but took it and ate it in one bite.

The ride to the airport was quiet and uneventful. I could feel some tension from Sam and noticed the way his eyes swept the streets and road behind us. Did he think that we might get ambushed on the way? The scroll felt heavy in my bag and the closer we got to getting rid of it, the more anxious I felt.

When we finally said good-bye to Gran, I felt a little guilty for the relief I felt. Maybe now she would be safe and I wouldn’t have to pretend so much to be excited for this trip. Cole was already here, sitting at the gate with most of our class. After Sam and I checked in with Mrs. Britt and her odd assistant Ms. Merriweather, we went and sat next to him.

“Ready for this?” Cole asked in low tones.

I nodded. Sam was busy watching the people around us, looking for signs of danger. I slumped in the seat close to Cole and resigned myself that this is the way the trip would be. Asking Sam to relax would be pointless. He would be wound tight until this Treasure Map was no longer in our possession.

Another tremor decided to run through me, shaking my arms even as I tried to hold still. “Whoa,” Cole said. “Are you okay?”

Sam turned to glance at me.

“I’m good.” The overhead lights seemed harsh, not really hurting my head, but not really helping either. “I’m going to go to the bathroom.”

Cole jumped up to escort me at the same time that Sam appeared at my side. I stifled an eye roll. “It is right over there. I’ll be fine.”

“We’ll walk you,” Cole said.

I didn’t say anything and tried to ignore the glances of my classmates as I was ‘escorted’ to the ladies room that was only feet away. Are you going to burst in there and search it too? I asked grumpily.

“Call for me if you need help,” Sam said, ignoring my barb and tapping my head before I could walk in the restroom.

In the bathroom, the lights weren’t any dimmer and I did my best to ignore them. I had a sinking feeling that whatever this new power of mine was had to do with my head and eyes again. I turned on the taps to let the cool water slip through my fingers and dampened a paper towel to blot over my eyes and forehead.

“What’s wrong with you?” a voice from behind me asked.

I jumped and spun around toward the voice. “Gemma? What are you doing here?”

She shrugged. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“Cole.”

“What about him?”

“He’s special, you know?”

I nodded; my brother was very special. His aura proved it with the unique shade of color that he carried around him permanently. Is that what this was about? Gemma did say that she knew why Cole’s aura was different than everyone else’s. “You never did tell me about Cole’s aura. There’s something about him I should know, isn’t there?”

Gemma nodded. “You said you heard your father the last time you were in the InBetween?”

“Yes. Airis wouldn’t let me see him.” The memory left a small pang in my chest. “But what does that have to do with Cole?”

“Your father must be a Supernal Being.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a step down from an angel.”

“My dad never had any powers,” I said, head reeling.

“Supernal Beings usually don’t. But if he did, they probably would have been easy to hide. They are humans, kind of like angels on Earth. They are inherently good people, people that don’t have any kind of malice within them. They can’t be influenced by Satan’s darkness. These people tend to take on armed-justice roles, to keep peace and balance here.”

“My dad was a police officer,” I murmured.

Gemma nodded, her wide gray eyes expressive. “They have an inherent need to help and protect others, especially those they care about. A police officer would have been a natural career choice for him.”

I was surprised by this, but honestly, I wasn’t shocked. Too much had been happening to me since last year that my dad turning out to be some angel on Earth wasn’t a huge revelation. In fact, it just made all my memories and feelings about him feel validated. He was truly a good man and if anyone could be considered an angel—a Supernal Being—it would be him. “Did my dad know what he was?”

Gemma shook her head. “Probably not. Most people have no idea that they might be more than just a good person. But I think that’s why you could hear him. He must still have his complete form.”

“What do you mean?”

“When you die, your soul leaves your body. You go to Heaven as a spirit; there’s no need for your complete form. Supernal Beings tend to keep their form and all their memories. Sometimes God calls upon them to spread his word or do certain acts.”

My father could be sent back to Earth by God? I pushed the thought away, terrified of getting my hopes up of someday seeing him again, knowing how bad it feels when you get so close and then nothing. “But demons have bodies. Aren’t demons sinners who have died and went to Hell?”

Gemma nodded patiently. “Think about it, Hev. Demons don’t really look like humans, do they?”

I thought back to the half-man, half-crocodile and shivered. “I guess not.”

“Their souls are just twisted into different evil forms.”

The Dream Walker didn’t look like a demon. What did that mean? “Why are you telling me this now? And what does this have to do with my brother?”

Gemma shifted and glanced away.

“Cole’s a Supernal Being, isn’t he?”