SWNOVELS The One: Chapter 1
“What the heckers do you think you’re doing!?” the angel beside me shouts. I think I might have felt my lips twitch. Which can’t be right.
She reaches for the door handle, but it refuses to open. I made sure of it. If I’m one thing in life, it’s always prepared. I’m sure if you asked others, you would get a long list of what they think I am. Diabolical, a psychopath, or a sociopath. I suppose it could be a mix of those, but I think these days people are calling it anti-social.
I’ve ignored the comments. Who gives a shit what others think, including the line of head doctors I saw when I was a kid? I knew a lot of them were wrong. I could feel emotions. At least I’d been able to at one point. Then I turned it off. It was the only way to survive.
I’m also not quick to anger. Usually. If anything, I’d describe myself as calm, cool and collected… Or I was. I glance over at the angel. Until she came along and flipped a switch that I’d turned off long ago. Now my mind really wasn’t right. So there was only one thing to do about that.
Take her. And I did exactly that.
Angel keeps yanking on the handle, hoping the outcome will change for her. It won’t. Sorry, Angel. Your fate has been sealed by what many would call the devil himself. Except the irony of it is they have been calling me Church for as long as I can remember. When you come to me, I can get you to tell me all your sins. Let’s just say your penance with me isn’t a few Hail Marys. It comes in the form of screams, blood, and death…. if you’re lucky.
“What in the h-e-double hockey sticks is this?” she huffs, still yanking away.
I knew she would try to escape. I can’t blame her. I’m a scary-looking motherfucker. For most of my life, it’s suited me well. People give me a wide berth. Which I have always been thankful for. The less people the better. Now, not so much when the most delicate being I’ve ever laid eyes upon is sitting next to me.
“It won’t open.” Angel whirls around to give me her best glare. Her dark hair falls around her heart-shaped face. Her plump bottom lip is puffed out. She looks adorable. I don’t think I’ve ever thought that about anyone or anything in my entire existence. I have to say that I love her resilience. Men triple her size wouldn’t dare to send a look like that my way, knowing that the consequences they would suffer would be greater for it.
“Are you going to hurt me?” I hate that she asks me that question. Hurting her is the last thing I would ever want to do. Keeping her forever is more of what I had in mind. She is the only one that I think can fix this switch she flipped back on inside me. Only it’s more intense than ever.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
She flinches.
“Well, then don’t?” It comes out sounding like a question. Angel’s got a little more sass in her today. Normally, she can be rather passive. That’s why it would do her good to have me by her side. I had no choice but to take her, really. I mean, it’s for her own good. The rest of the world would eat her up and spit her out. While I only wanted to eat her. Every delicate damn inch of her.
“I’ll try not to.” That’s the best I can give.
I have no intention of harming her, but pain can extend beyond mere physical discomfort. I have a strong feeling that I’ll be playing with her twin brother before the night is over. All of his sins will bleed out on my warehouse floor.
“Is this about my father? Has something happened? How did you get past the gate? Who was screaming? Was that Riley?” Angel starts to fire off one question after another. Her cheeks are getting redder by the second. It gives her a pretty blush. I shake my head. Pretty? The word is foreign to me in my world. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever thought that about a woman before. I don’t think about them period. She really has done a number on me. “It’s about my father, right?!” She throws her hands up. I grunt.
“I knew it! Is he in danger? Are you taking me to him?” Angel clasps her hands together in front of her.
“Would you worry if he was in danger?”
Her pert, button nose scrunches up at my question.
“What?” Angel shakes her head. “Are you taking me to him?”
“No.”
She opens and closes her mouth. “Because that would put me in danger?”
“Yes,” I answer truthfully. Not that I always do. I just don’t think we are thinking of the same kind of danger. I believe her father to be a threat to anyone near him.
He’s a dangerous man. Far more dangerous than me, honestly. He moves through life along with everyone else, fooling them to believe he is an honorable man. So much so he even got himself elevated to the Senate. A wolf in sheep’s clothing. The worst sort of human.
At least with me you can see what is coming. I don’t try to fool anyone. Quite the opposite. Her father can’t be trusted. No one can when it comes to her safety. Not even me. But like I’ve said before, I don’t want to hurt her physically, I just never want to let her go.
“Oh.” Angel places her hands neatly in her lap. Today her nails are painted a soft purple. I noticed she changes color every few days. I made sure to be prepared. She has a variety of colors waiting for her back at my place. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere safe.”
I want to tell her that we are going home, but even I know that sounds crazy.