Beloved Purgatory (Fallen Angels, Book 2) (9 page)

"Who has wanted to retire for years, and now
he'll have the money to do so." The principal gave Forneus a
devotional smile.

My stomach turned.
No. Oh God no. Please don't tell me that frumpy
man had given his soul away so one of his aged co-workers could
retire.

The principal clapped his hands once. "Now,
if you'll excuse me--"

"Forneus is not who you think he is," I
blurted out.

The principal frowned. "What do you
mean?"

Forneus flashed his teeth.
"Yes, Devi, what
do
you mean?"

"He's a devil," I whispered. "You gave him
your soul, didn't you?"

The principal's eyes were so wide they were
being ripped open. Forneus was biting his lips, probably to keep
from laughing. That was the last straw for me--the smug look on his
face, his complete willingness to manipulate someone trying so hard
to do the right thing. "Give him back his soul. Now."

Jasmine stuffed her hand in my mouth and
wrapped her other arm around my chest. "Sorry, we should get
going," she groaned as I elbowed her in the ribs.

"What is going on here?" The principal's
voice sounded as frantic as I felt. "Do we need to call the
police?"

Forneus doubled over and
started laughing.
Manically
. Like a Saturday morning
cartoon villain.

"Forneus," the principal said, worried.

"It's nothing," Forneus whimpered, trying to
keep his tone even. "I think I'm finally starting to see the appeal
of a human companion."

"Human companion?" The principal
repeated.

"It's nothing," Forneus repeated, standing
and giving the portly man a reassuring tap on the shoulder. "Now, I
think it's time for me to go to my new office."

The principal nodded, then retreated behind
the door without another word. He seemed pretty eager to leave.
Maybe he'd regret his decision and fire Forneus.

Jasmine let go of me once he closed the
door. I glared at her. We'd talk later, but I needed to know what
Forneus had done. "You didn't take his soul, did you?"

The devil sighed. "It's none of your
business."

"I don't care! You hurt somebody!"

Forneus raised a brow. "And you
haven't?"

My mind felt cloudy. "What is that supposed
to mean?"

"Forneus, stop," Jasmine interrupted. "She's
been through enough."

Forneus exhaled sharply. "I'd like to talk
to Devi for a moment. Alone, if it's possible."

"It's not possible," the angel replied.

The devil waved his hand. "Then at least
without you, Azazel."

Jasmine's shoulders heaved. "No!"

Forneus sighed again. "Alright. It's
embarrassing to give someone something so personal in front of an
audience, but I suppose I have no choice." He reached into the
interior side pocket of his suit. Jasmine's muscles tensed, and the
angel stepped closer to my side.

"You have such dedicated guardians," Forneus
murmured as he revealed a jewelry box. "You should be
grateful."

My throat was too tight to answer. I didn't
feel anything but fear, which was strange because he was just one
weak, pathetic devil. Jasmine could beat him to a pulp in a matter
of seconds, and the angel could...I don't know, dazzle him by
flapping his glittery wings, I guess, or chuck him into the
lockers.

That second option appealed to me way too
much.

Forneus slipped a manicured finger over the
top of the box and snapped it open.

A silver, heart-shaped locket lay on the
white pillow. The elegant grooves on the sides were tarnished, and
in the center was a symbol I didn't recognize. Part of that could
have been from the shoddy execution--it looked like it'd been
carved into the locket with a paper clip.

I heard a sharp sound to my right. The angel
leaned forward, held his breath. His fingertips began to glow as
they fanned over the locket without touching it. He parted his
lips.

For a moment, I couldn't think. It looked
like he was longing for it, but that made no sense. Angels didn't
long for anything but God.

"Don't touch that," Jasmine hissed.

I shivered. "What do you mean. It's just a
necklace."

She caught my gaze with steely eyes. "No
it's not."

Forneus didn't let me answer. "I take it
you're not impressed, then."

"It's not that," I babbled.
"I just wasn't expecting that kind of thing from you." And really,
I wasn't. I couldn't imagine him picking out such a funky, antique
necklace. It looked like something I would see behind the counter
at
Red Light
next
to the assortment of gigantic, rhinestone-studded sunglasses and
fuzzy, leopard-print belts.

In other words, it was exactly what I would
buy if I had the guts to wear jewelry. And really, Forneus
shouldn't know what my tastes were, especially since I didn't even
own anything that suited them.

Forneus leaned forward, so his lips were
right above my hairline. "I made this for you."

I grinned. "You mean you're the one who
carved that weird symbol into it?"

He sighed and dug one of his fingernails
into the side of the locket. It clicked open, and the air between
us was suddenly cast in a purple hue. "Do you recognize it
now?"

Inside the heart was a speck of black dust
and a writhing, glowing, purple string. My own heart felt tight, as
if there were something inside of it, struggling to free itself. It
was there--that beautiful and somehow sorrowful plant that had
brought me back to life after Onoskelis killed me.

I heard my voice before I'd
realized I'd spoken. "The
Ruka-Hayim
."

"Yes," Forneus replied. "It's a charm that
will give you the appearance of a spirit, so it will be difficult
for my kind to track you, or to even notice you when they see you."
He lowered his voice. "And they will see you. I don't foresee a
moment in your future where you won't be hunted."

His comment should have frightened me, but I
was too entranced by the otherworldly plant.

He closed the locket, draped the silver
chain in his fingers and lifted it. "Never take this off, Devi.
Wear it always."

Jasmine grabbed his arm. "What are you
playing at?"

"This will protect her," Forneus
responded.

"Don't take it." Jasmine looked to me
desperately, as if I had the answer to some question she hadn't
even asked.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" The
devil interjected. "I'm not asking for anything in return, and
without it she will be targeted relentlessly."

The angel tore his gaze from the locket.
"You should take it, Devi."

"See?" Forneus grinned. "The angel doesn't
like it either, but he, at least, recognizes its necessity."

"You don't give gifts," Jasmine replied.

"No, I don't. And this isn't a gift." Slowly
he closed the locket. His purple eyes met mine, almost as luminous
as the stone he'd hid in common silver. "However, it comes without
any expectations or strings, and she needs it. You know she
does."

Forneus threaded the chain between his
fingers and lifted it over my head. I didn't see him put it on. My
eyes were on Jasmine--the way her hands flexed at her sides when he
stepped closer, and the blood she'd drawn from biting her lip
straight through as he fastened it behind my neck.

Forneus inhaled deeply and recovered a
handkerchief from his coat pocket. "Clean yourself," he muttered as
he handed it to Jasmine.

Goosebumps spread over my back. The chain was
cool and small. Still it felt heavy, like stones were piling up on
my shoulders, like I was bound by some invisible chain to
Forneus.

His voice echoed in my
mind:
I don't give gifts
.

The devil smiled. "It looks lovely on you,
Devi."

"It doesn't suit her." Jasmine growled at
the offensive object. That deep, dark sound emanating from her
shocked me more than anything else.

Forneus chuckled, seemingly unaffected. "Oh,
I think it does. I even added Black Cohosh to the charm, because
she's such an annoying bi--."

Jasmine kicked the devil in the shin.

I sucked in a breath.

"It does suit her," the angel whispered from
behind.

It took me a moment for his words to sink
in, and then I really wished they hadn't. "Are you calling me a
'little b' now, too?"

The angel stepped back. "No, never."

My chest heaved. Was he stuttering? Did
angels stutter? What did that mean? Was he lying?

"Look," the angel continued, "that's not
what I meant. It's just--"

"Don't take it too hard, Camael." Forneus
interrupted. "She and the demon aren't capable of appreciating
something that possesses such subtle beauty."

I glanced at the angel. He somehow seemed
whiter--probably because his luminescent skin was in front of a
broken drinking fountain mounted on a 'cream' wall. But somehow
that wasn't it. Had my accusation confused him?

"I don't understand," I said.

Forneus brushed a strand of hair from my
face and tucked it behind my ear. "Of course you don't. You don't
need to understand a thing. Just don't take it off."

I shivered. His waxy fingers seemed to have
left a residue on my skin. I rubbed the spot his fingers had
absently touched, but the itchy, stiff feeling remained.

The angel stared enigmatically at the spot of
skin the devil had just touched. Jasmine snarled at the necklace,
as if she were about to bite it off my neck.

Forneus looked way too happy about all of
this. "I should go get settled into my new office. What time did we
schedule our meeting for tomorrow? Two o'clock? I'll see you then,
Devi, after lunch."

Chapter 5

I decided not to go to school the next day. Instead,
I slept in and took the bus to
Morrison's.

It was 10:30am by the time I got there, and Oz hadn't
opened up the bookstore yet. I banged my fist on the door. No
movement from inside, just black windows.

Camael's fingers dug into his biceps. His face looked
a little green. "Are you sure it's alright if you skip school?"

I raised a brow. "You've seen me skip school before.
Besides, do you want me to meet with Forneus?"

He looked down. "No. I just don't like you going in
there. I can't follow you."

And that is part of this place's charm
, I
thought, though I was starting to feel a tad guilty. "Do you really
think something bad is going to happen to me?"

"No," he replied quietly. "And that is why I'll let
you go. But remember, if you need me for anything, come outside. If
you're on the second floor and need me, just jump through the
window and I'll catch you."

It was a pretty funny image, but that wasn't why my
cheeks flushed. The second floor was where Oz's room was. What did
he think we were going to do? Then I remembered that he'd listened
to me talk to Oz about "you know."

I swallowed. He suddenly seemed pretty lenient for an
angel. But then again he'd been there when my parents...

Do. Not. Think. About. That
. I slammed my fist
into the door. "Oz!"

Still no answer. I fished my cell phone out of my
pocket and dialed
Morrison's.
After five rings I heard a
groan.

"Oz, get down here."

"Devi?" He whispered in a sleepy voice, then sucked
in a breath. "Hey Princess, that hurts!"

I smiled. "The cat giving you trouble?"

"A little, and now that I'm up she thinks I should
pet her for the next four hours."

"I think you mean until she gets hungry."

He laughed. "Right. Until she gets hungry."

"Well let me in and we'll feed her."

There was a long pause. "Does that mean I get you for
the day?"

I leaned on the door. "Kind of. I'm here to help you
out at the store."

"You want to work on your day off?"

I could tell he was laughing. It made me nervous.
"One of us has to. I can't believe you haven't opened the store
yet. Do you even want customers?"

"I've already got the only one I want."

"You're being corny again," I said with a smile. I
couldn't help it. "You should let me in. Making a girl stand out in
the cold while you lounge around in bed looks
really
bad."
Then I hung up on Oz's sleepy protests, slid my cell into my front
pocket, and rested the back of my head on the cold window.

"Are you leaving me?" Camael asked.

I pulled the cuff of my jacket around my neck to ward
off a chill. "Don't say it like that."

"That night I said I wouldn't leave you again, and I
won't." He stepped forward, and for an agonizing second I thought
he'd touch me. Part of me wanted him to. Part of me wanted to stand
here and forget the rest of the world as I gazed at his pale
features. His hair looked almost white in the sunlight--would have
looked white, probably, if his skin wasn't colorless.

But he didn't touch me. Instead, he looked down and
wiped his hands on his jeans, though they weren't dirty. They never
were. "I'll be here, waiting."

It sounded like he wanted to say something more. I
took a step forward without thinking.

We were too close.
If he was a creature that
breathed, I'd feel his breath right now, fanning across my
cheeks
, I thought. The wind picked up. I moved my fidgeting
hand to my face and brushed my bangs behind my ear. He looked down
at me. His eyes were a cool, perfect blue, like a cloudless,
endless sky.

The bell above the door jingled, and Oz leaned
against it. He half smiled as he yawned and scrunched up his
cheeks. "Mornin'."

I jumped away from the angel. "You look like you just
got out of bed," I said, a little breathless.