Supernatural Lies: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Romance (An Angel and Her Demons Book 1), Lacey Andersen [phonics story books txt] 📗

The girl’s eyes widened, and she spun to her mom. “Can we? Can we?”

The male angel leaned over Carys, spouting his poison in her ear. “Leaving the house is dangerous. Do you want to be hurt? To die? To abandon your child as your mother abandoned you?”

Fear uncurled within Mark’s stomach, but he pushed the magical feeling away.

The goddess’ smile fell away, broken by the angel's harsh words. “I don’t—I don’t know if I can."

“Please,” her daughter whispered.

The goddess hesitated.

“Please,” her daughter asked again.

After a moment, the mother gave in to her daughter's pleas. “Just a short trip though, okay?”

As the little girl squealed with joy, Mark looked to Surcy and his brothers. If they could get out of sight of the angels, they could teleport the mother and child away. They’d have to explain everything later, but it would save their lives.

Unfortunately, without a bit of luck, they wouldn’t be able to shake them all. If that happened, he hoped Surcy was prepared to watch the demons kill her own kind.

17

Surcy tried her best not to look at the angels torturing an innocent woman. Well, she didn’t know if the woman was innocent or had committed some crime by Caine’s standard, but nothing warranted this. Nothing! Angels were not created to hurt humans. It went against everything inside of her.

The more her shock faded, the more her anger built. She ached to call her soul-blade to her, to slaughter her brothers and sisters who preyed upon this woman like cats with a mouse.

Humans were meant to be punished or rewarded in the afterlife for their crimes during life, not while on earth.

We are better than this!

Tristan’s powerful gaze flickered to her for a brief moment, and then away. She realized her fists were clenched and that goose bumps were running up and down her arms.

Releasing her fists, she took a steadying breath. What is wrong with me?

As the woman opened bottle after empty pill bottle on her tiny table, her hands shook more and more with each movement. Surcy tried to focus on the emotions befitting an angel… not emotions, the actions befitting an angel. Her job wasn’t to feel, it was to do.

But only what Caine commands me to.

When she was an angel, her job was to search out demons and destroy them to protect humanity from the dangerous creatures. So what was her responsibility now? What was she supposed to do when the angels appeared to the bad guys, and the demons were the good guys?

When the woman couldn’t find any drugs, she stood, her shoulders hunched over. Her daughter took her hand and helped her into her shoes.

“What are we allowed to get at the store?” the girl said, peeking beneath a messy curtain of brown hair.

“Whatever you want,” Daniel answered, with a smile. As he knelt near the girl,

Surcy couldn’t take her gaze from him. The gentleness in his dark eyes surprised her. "Is there anything you’ve wanted so bad you can taste it?”

The girl hesitated. “Could we get ice cream?”

“All the ice cream you can eat!” Daniel promised.

She laughed and tugged on her mom’s hand. "Let's go, Mom!"

And for the first time, her mother’s hunched shoulders lifted for the briefest moment, as if the weight pressing there had eased. She smiled. “Maybe mint chocolate chip?”

Her daughter squealed. “This is going to be the best day ever!”

Surcy's heart swelled. She touched her chest, a frown tugging at her lips. The feeling warmed her in a way that felt wrong, like she was ice being melted from the inside out.

An angel is meant to be cold. To be unfeeling. It’s how we execute justice without our emotions complicating things.

The words that played in her head. If someone told her them, she couldn’t remember, but she felt they were true deep inside.

Yet, feeling again… felt right.

Mark opened the door, and their small party trickled out. Something tickled the back of her neck. The slightest cold breeze. She stiffened. It was the angel’s breath. They were following them.

Four angels stood on the lawn, all of them massive men with white wings.

White wings meant that they were Caine’s most trusted servants. And most powerful.

How do I know that?

She kept her eyes on the sidewalk as the angels surrounded them.

The little girl began to babble. She was talking about all the things she wanted to buy. Her smile seemed to fill her whole face.

“You can’t go,” an angel with dark eyes whispered behind the mother. “You need your pills. You need your medicine. You know what will happen if you don’t. Think of the pain. Think of your suffering.”

The mother was slowing, her face even paler than before.

Surcy felt something overwhelm her. She strode forward and took the woman’s other hand.

Carys startled, as if she’d been somewhere else. Somewhere far away.

“Your daughter is lovely.” Surcy tugged her forward, keeping her going.

The woman winced. “She’s the only good thing I’ve ever done.”

Surcy pulled her along, faster. The angels were moving closer, whispering amongst themselves. Did they know she was angel? Did they know her men were demons?

“It wasn’t just one good thing you did,” Surcy reassured her, hoping her words weren’t coming out too rushed. Too panicked. “Many right decisions were made to turn her into the smiling, wonderful girl before us.”

“She’s smiling now,” the angel grated out, anger coming from him in waves. “But you’ll ruin her, too. Just like you ruined everything else.”

The woman’s steps faltered. “I’m feeling tired. Maybe we shouldn't go today.”

“Just a little further,” Surcy tugged on her hand. “Look how excited your daughter is!”

Her voice came out soft and weak. “I'll try. If it's just a little further.”

But what’s the plan? We take them to the store, and then what? Return them here to torture the woman some more? And what are the angels’ plans for the child? They want to get to her too, but why?

As they made their way out of the neighborhood, the angels walked behind them in