Hell's Angel: Guardian Angel Book 2

Like Randall and Cassiopeia, my sister Maxine lived in a normal-sized, two-story house. Hers was across town, closer to my parents’ giant mansion, with a fenced in yard in a gated community. White pillars stood sentry on either side of the stairs to her front porch. They’d painted it an awful avocado green since I’d last been there, probably her husband Ethan’s idea.

I rang the doorbell and heard heels clicking on the laminate floor inside and the heavy wooden door swing open a moment later. Maxine Miller was a natural beauty with rich brown hair, hazel eyes that were mostly green, and a lithe figure. She was naturally charismatic, which made her great at her job of being on front of the camera all day. Her eyes widened and her Mary Kay lipstick covered mouth created a shocked ‘oh’. Her arms wrapped me in a fierce hug and she squeezed me tightly. “Lyra! Thank God.”

“You’re welcome,” I quipped.

She pulled back and a sharp smack stung my cheek. I blinked in shock from the slap. It didn’t hurt, but it was a surprise. “That’s not funny!” Uh-oh. When my older sister got rolling on the lectures, she was unstoppable. My new status as a full-fledged goddess didn’t deter her from ripping me a new one. “I’ve been worried sick about you for months! And all I’ve heard about you has come from your damn friend; no offense, Randall.”

“I’m not sure how I’m supposed to not be offended by that,” he muttered.

“Look, I’m sorry. But you know why I had to be gone.”

She sighed and took a step towards me. I countered by taking one back. Her round eyes rolled skyward. “I’m not gonna to hit you again. Why don’t you guys come inside and we can talk.”

I nudged Michael as we moved toward the open door. “Some guardian you are,” I hissed under my breath.

He chuckled and his eyes sparked with mischief. “Your sister was no real threat to you. Besides, princess, I would think that this is where you would want me most out of the way.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “I hate when you call me that.” He just smiled knowingly and I walked into Max’s living room.

The room looked different than it had the last time I’d been here, although that was no surprise considering that last time had been when Vega attacked Maxine and Mackenzie. Then, the entire living room and joint kitchen had been a war zone. Her leather sectional had been in pieces and glass from the many photographs had littered the floor. Now things looked almost back to normal, thanks to Michael who had cleaned up that night. The couch was more beige and the pictures on the walls had been rearranged and her flat screen TV had been upgraded to a sixty inch, but the feel of the home was like I’d remembered: elegant but comfy. I settled into the wicker rocking chair that was a new addition to the house.

“So, tell me everything. How long are you back for?”

I winced. Everything was probably too much for my totally normal sister. “I’m just gonna skip the last six months of training and get to the point. Vega’s threatened you and the rest of the family. I’m home as long as she’s trying to hurt you. I’m going to keep everyone safe.”

She frowned and worry lines appeared in her forehead and around her mouth. For the first time ever she looked old. She was approaching thirty and you could tell. “Lyra, are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“It’s my choice, Max. I’m not letting her hurt any of you.”

She never could argue with me, especially now that I wasn’t just her little sister anymore. She sighed in defeat. “So have you seen Mom and Dad yet?”

I snorted. “God no. I’m not looking forward to a lecture from Mom and I’m going to take a drive down to Salt Lake later today.”

“Dad’s not in Salt Lake anymore. They finalized the divorce last month and things got... messy. I guess that Mom’s been hiding money away in a private account for years. Dad got pissed and said that the reason he left in the first place was to try to keep things civil and because he still loved Mom, but now he says he won’t be run out of town by a woman who cared more for his money than for him.”

My face scrunched up in a look of shock. “That doesn’t sound like him.”

Her eyes darted around the room like she was looking for help and her teeth chewed away at the lipstick on her bottom lip. “Mom may have said something about you being gone and how you won’t embarrass her anymore if you’re writing for a paper in New York. He sort of lost it then.”

Great. I already had one crazy family to deal with, I didn’t need my human one to go berserk, too. My mother had always disapproved of me and my dad had always been the one on my side so this whole debacle didn’t really catch me off guard, but the intensity of the fight did. They’d separated about the time I was coming into my powers, but I never imagined that it would go this far. Now I was going to have to go deal with them. I just hoped I didn’t get caught in the crossfire.

We went to go see my dad first. My mom would have a hissy fit knowing that she hadn’t been my first stop back in Logan, but I had to make sure my dad was okay. While she was fiery and hot tempered, he was cool-headed, but he was the one that I knew would be in pain from this whole mess.

My dad was staying in the penthouse of one of the condo buildings downtown. The elevator chimed open into his living room. I’d never understand these apartments that let the elevator right up into your house. Granted, you needed a special access code to get up to the penthouse floor, but the basic idea was still weird. “Hello?” I called out. Carpet softened the sound of my hesitant steps as I forged a path through the bachelor pad. “Dad? It’s me.” I heard cupboards banging in the kitchen off to the left of the main living room and my dad’s head poked out a minute later. Ben Dawson was a big guy, tall and sturdy from his years playing football. His dark hair was mostly silver now, but it gave him a polished look instead of making him look as old as he actually was. He grinned and his brown eyes lit up. “Lyra-Rose! How nice to see you, honey. Come and give your old man a hug.”

My dad wasn’t as tall as Michael, but he still towered over my curvy five-foot-five frame. Strong arms wrapped around me and squeezed. It was a good thing I didn’t have to depend as much on breathing as I did as a full human. “Hey, daddy.”

He let me down and I staggered on my feet a little bit. Good thing I wore sensible tennis shoes. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming home? How’s New York? How long are you in town?”

“New York’s, um, fantastic,” I hedged. I’d actually only been to the Big Apple once for my graduation from Logan High School. It had been a fun week doing all of the touristy things, like Time Square, the 9/11 museum, and Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, but I didn’t know enough about the city to make it seem like I’d actually been living there for the last six months. “I’ve really been learning a lot while I’ve been gone.”

Dad beamed proudly. “That’s my girl. Come on into the kitchen. I was just making a turkey sandwich. I can whip one up for you in no time.”

My phone buzzed in my jeans pocket then. Michael had given me a few minutes alone with my dad, but he was an overprotective guardian and wasn’t going to leave me alone for long. It was annoying how overbearing he was sometimes, but he cared about me and I wasn’t going to make him worry any more than necessary. “Actually, a friend of mine came with me. He’s downstairs waiting for the all clear.”

“Randall? That’s okay. I’ll make him some lunch, too.”

“No, not Randall. You haven’t met this friend. His name is Michael Page.“.

My dad froze and his dark eyes narrowed at me. “A man, huh? Well might as well get this over with. Buzz him up.”

My father had never approved of the guys I dated, so I wasn’t sure what he’d make of Michael. Okay, yeah, we weren’t technically together, but he and I had undeniable chemistry stored up from lifetimes of being together. I licked at my dry lips. “I will. But first, I wanted to make sure you’re okay. I heard about the divorce and about your fight with Mom. Want to tell me about it?”

His ecstatic smile from my being home wavered. “It’s nothing you need to worry about, Lyra. Your mother and I haven’t been on the same page for quite some time. It was time for us to make this change. And you know how concerned your mother is with appearances. I guess I’ve just had enough of it. But please don’t think that any of this could be because of you.”

I sighed and then gave him my best smile. “I wouldn’t assume to hold that much power over your, uh, relationship.” Actually, I probably did have power to influence my parents, but if my cupid best friend said the marriage was over, it was over. I wasn’t going to mess with that.

He gave me a side hug. “Now why don’t you call your fellow up here?”

I rolled my blue eyes. “Ugh, Dad, just don’t.”

He grinned. If the past was any indication, he was going to try to embarrass the hell out of me.

It only took a minute for Michael’s elevator to reach the penthouse. My dad was in the kitchen finishing up the sandwiches and my heart raced as I took Michael to meet my father. Dad was wielding an unnecessarily huge knife when we walked in. Right then he looked like the tough lineman I’d seen in photos from his glory days: big, imposing, and wouldn’t take anyone’s crap. If Michael was human, I would have been worried. “You must be this new friend I’ve heard of. I’m Lyra’s father,” he said coolly, cutting into the block of cheese. “How exactly do you know my girl?”

“Da-ad,” I groaned.

“Well, sir, I run operations at Arcadia, where Lyra-Rose has been working.”

“Operations? You look more like a bodyguard.”

Michael smiled and his dimple dug into his cheek. “Yes, I am also in charge of security. Ours is a small community, so several tasks for its survival have been bequeathed to me. I assure you, sir, I have been looking out for your daughter.”

Dad’s eyes narrowed. “What else is going on with you two? You’ve traveled a long way for a colleague. Are you two sleeping together?”

My eyes widened in absolute horror. “What? Dad, no! Michael is just a really good friend. We hang out and he’s been helping me adjust. But there’s no sex involved. He just came along to make sure I stay out of trouble. Like you said, he’d make the perfect bodyguard.”

“I care about your daughter, sir, and I promise you that my intentions are nothing but honorable. As she has already stated, I am just here to ensure her safety.”

“You are a polite young man. I like you better than her last few boyfriends.”

I groaned. “And we’re done talking about this. Dad, how’s business been going?”

With that non sequitur, the three of us dissolved into small talk. I was careful not to reveal anything of my true nature, but Michael seemed to have a knack to spinning the truth so that he never really lied. I could see my dad warming up to him, which never happened. It took a year of my sister being engaged before Dad showed any warmth toward Ethan.

“So you two aren’t together at all?”

“No, Dad, we’re not.”

“That’s too bad. This one’s a keeper, Lyra.”

There was absolutely no point in arguing because my dad didn’t change his opinions easily. Michael shot me a smile which was just one side of his full lips turned up. I rolled my eyes yet again. “Aren’t all dads supposed to want their daughters to end up as single spinsters? You’re not supposed to be playing matchmaker.”

“That’s true. But I know you’ll end up with someone some day and I’d rather it was someone I knew was a good man. Remember I’m an excellent judge of character.”

I shook my head and a small smile graced my pink lips. I was saved from Michael’s head growing any bigger by Dad’s cell shrieking with a phone call. His mouth pulled down into a frown when he checked the caller ID and he answered with a cool, “Yes?”

My senses had grown since I’d become a goddess again so I could hear every shrill word coming from the other end of the connection. “Yes? That is not the proper way to answer a phone call.”

“Loral, please, not now. What is it I can help you with?”

“Is Lyra-Rose there?” my mother demanded.

He pulled the phone away and covered the mouthpiece with his hand. “It’s Mom.”

My gift of empathy let me gauge his feelings, and I could tell that he didn’t want to force me into talking with my mother. I wasn’t a mind reader or anything, but I knew from his emotions that he’d lie to her if I wanted him to. But I didn’t want to put him in that position. I held out my hand and he handed the phone over to me. “Hey, Mom.”

“Lyra-Rose Dawson! I raised you better than this. Honestly, you’re just as bad as your father. You know proper phone etiquette. And why is it that I had to hear about you being home from Maxine? You should have called. You should have answered my call. Instead, I have to call your father’s phone and find you there, of all places.”

Anger poured out from her end of the line in waves and I groaned. My reach with empathy was a good mile radius, which could give me a major headache if there were a lot of emotional people nearby, but this was the first time that I was able to pick up on feelings over longer distances like this. I could feel my mom’s annoyance at being the last to know I was in town and her usual disappointment in me in general. Mom could be petty.

“Sorry, Mom. I guess I put my phone on silent. Dad and I were just having some lunch and I’m going to stop by your house afterwards.”

The sound of stilettos cracking against tile reached me. She was pacing. “So what? I’m not a priority in your life. Did you forget who it was that gave birth to you? And this is the thanks I get. Ungrateful, Lyra-Rose, that’s what it is.”

You know, sometimes I think one of the other gods had a hand in sticking me with a pushy mother as demanding as Thesis. Probably the creation goddess’s idea of a joke. Actually, scratch that, I remembered enough about Thesis to know that she didn’t mess around. “I’m sorry, Mother. I’m just making my way to you and Dad’s place is closer to the place I’m staying at. But I’ll stop by at some point today.”

“You have forty-five minutes. I’ll see to it that there’s tea ready when you get here.”

The phone clicked off and I stared at the blank screen for a second. “I’m gonna need something a hell of a lot stronger than tea,” I mumbled.

We said our goodbyes to my father and he walked us to the elevator. Dad pulled me into a tight hug when it was time to go and kissed my cheek. I would’ve stayed longer, but I was in absolutely no mood to deal with my human mother if I pissed her off. I had enough on my plate worrying about when Vega might make her move. When we got down to the car, Michael drove us out toward the mansion I’d grown up in to see the only person other than Vega who made me wish aspirin worked on a god’s migraine.