Demonic Angel (A Touch Of Magic) Read online

  “She will get over it Cal. She's six. She is too young to hold a grudge.” Oh how I wish that were true.

  ***

  The three of us are sat in the garden with some music playing lightly in the background, painting our nails and listening to Ana tell us how much she enjoys playing with Jamie while Aeron plays with his toy cars and race tracks merely six feet in front of me. The sun is shining brightly for nine fifteen in the morning and for English weather, it is really warm for this time of the morning. It's nice to be able to wear my yellow bikini (and denim shorts) this early of the day. Tessa borrowed one of my black and white bikinis with a white skirt. She may be curvier than I am but we can still fit into the same clothes. It may be a squeeze for Tessa in the chest department though it doesn't look like she cares right now. Even my tomboy sister has girlied it up this morning by wearing a pretty pink and white floral top and pink denim shorts and has her white flowery sandals on. Mum would be so proud; I know I am.

  “Ana,” Tessa sings. “You totally fancy Jamie.”

  “I do not fancy Jamie. That is gross!” Ana moans with a face that looks utterly disgusted. I stifle a laugh. “He has freckles!”

  “Hey! Nothing wrong with freckles missy.” Tessa calls out pointing to her own freckles and causing Ana to turn bright red. I am trying so hard not to laugh right now.

  “I- I didn't mean you. Just him. You look pretty with them he looks like a dalmatian. He is just my friend. I don't like boys. I swear.” That's it... I laugh. “Don't know why you are laughing Cally. Haven't seen a boy ask you to come out and play.” I stop laughing and gape at her while she crosses her arms across her chest and squints her eyes at me.

  “Hey now! Don't bring me into this, love. I only laughed.”

  “Actually, she has a point Cal. When was the last time you went out on a date?” A date? I don't think I have ever been on a date before. That sounds really depressing considering I am nineteen and going to be starting university in two months. Not even in college did I even look at a guy twice. That is depressing. Maybe I am gay. I look at Tessa wearing my revealing bikini and think again. Nope, definitely not gay.

  “Um. I haven't.” I look down at my electric blue nails and avoid any eye contact from the two girls in front of me. Tessa gasps.

  “I am not having that. I am going to set you up with one of Mike's friends. I know just the one as well. Rob! He is attractive and has a smile to make any girl weak at the knees. Yeah, I am going to ring Mike right now.” She picks up her phone from the grass and taps the screen a few times.

  “Tessa, no. Please don't. I am not interested in Rob. I don't need a man in my life. When one comes along that I like, then I will handle it my own way. Not yours.” Tessa pouts at me and I bite my lip to stop from smiling at her. “Besides, the only boys I need in my life are my dad and this beautiful boy right here.” I motion to Aeron and he looks over at me and gives me a toothy grin; I smile back.

  “No Cal. You need a man. Not a boy. One that will kiss you and make your knees cave in. One that looks at you and gives you butterflies every single time. One that all he has to do is say your name and you feel like putty in his hands.” I frown at her and then look over at Ana who appears utterly repulsed by that image. I snort. Oh to be six again.

  “Do you feel like that with Mike?” I ask my best friend, raising an eyebrow. Tessa looks away from my accusing eye and starts looking off into the distance.

  “Yes. No. I don't know. It's confusing. When I met him, yeah, sure, he made me feel like I was the most special girl in the world. Then we finished college and he became distant and then all this stuff with my dad happened and we barely spend any time together anymore.” I watch as she closes her eyes and sighs.

  I feel so bad for her. Tessa had it all. Perfect family. Perfect boyfriend. Perfect grades at school. She passed her first year at college with flying colours but her second year? Yeah, not so great. She just barely got the grades for her to start Uni in September. Her 'perfect' family drama ended up disrupting her from her work. Tessa has always wanted to be a social worker. I think that dream still stands. If anything, I think she wants to do it even more considering what she has been through herself.

  Aeron ends the conversation by running over to me and jumping onto my lap. I am mentally grateful that my nails are dry now because otherwise they would be a mess.

  “Cally. Juice.” He chimes in his overly adorable voice. I look down at my phone for the time and see it is nearly ten am. Where the hell is Jaxon? He was supposed to be here an hour ago. Hiding my disdain, I lead Aeron into the house and make him up some juice in his Dinosaur Train cup and pass it to him. We head back into the garden and I pull my phone out again and dial up Jaxon's number. It rings three times before his deep voice booms through the earpiece.

  “Yeah?”

  “Hi Jaxon, it's Calissa.” I think I hear him groan. “You were meant to pick up Aeron?” Why the hell am I so nervous?? I look over at Tessa who looks intrigued by the fact I am on the phone to my sworn enemy. Okay not exactly an enemy but he might as well be considering the amount of dirty looks we pass each other.

  “Oh yeah. Forgot about that. Yeah be there in a bit.”

  “How long is a bit? Because I have to-” He hung up on me? I look at the phone and gape at Tessa who looks confused. “He hung up on me.” I say bluntly.

  “Hahaha! He so wants you.” I scrunch up my nose and my lips twist down in disgust. “Aeron? Do you think Jaxon and Cally should get married?” She coos to the toddler who simply looks at her and blinks.

  “Doggy.” He says.

  “See Tess, he is only interested in doggy's.”

  “Yeah well, he is only two. Give it a year or so and he will sooo take my side.” I shake my head and lean back onto my elbows in the grass. Tessa follows suit.

  “Doggy. Cally. Doggy.”

  “Yes darling. Doggy.” I close my eyes, soaking in the sun and casually play with Aeron's hair. A shadow hovers over my face blocking out the sun. “Ana. You are blocking my sun babe.” Wetness drips down my forehead and slithers down into my hairline. I hear a quiet squeak from somewhere and assume it is Ana messing around.

  “Ew! Ana what the hell was that?” I open my eyes and squint to make out the figure that is clearly not my sister. “OH MY GOD!” I scream. I push the creature away from me and feel a slight burn on my palms but instead of dwelling on it, I grab Aeron and jump up. “Tessa!! Get Ana!” I yell to my friend who is already carrying my little sister into the house. I run towards the house and feel the creature fresh on my heels.

  “Woof woof!” Aeron squeals in laughter. I get into the house and slam the back door shut behind me and causing the thing to smash into it. I squeak as I jump back; clutching onto Aeron for dear life. My heart is beating so hard I am sure it will explode right out of my chest. Aeron seems completely not bothered by the entire situation. He is laughing and I study him. His usually blue eyes are a misty grey and his entire face looks creepy. Almost demonic. My eyes widen in horror and it takes everything I have not to drop him.

  I wait out in the kitchen for the thing to leave and when I am sure it does. I walk into the living room and place Aeron on the sofa next to a shaken up Ana and Tessa. I pull out my phone and redial Jaxon's number. It rings slightly longer than it did before and then he answers.

  “What Calissa?” He snaps. I bite my tongue to stop myself from giving him a piece of my mind.

  “Get here now!” I snarl down the phone.

  “I said I am on my way. Don't rush me woman.” He growls back.

  “Don't you woman me! You never said you were on your way. You said you will be here in a bit!” I leave the room so Aeron isn't freaked out by my shouting. “Some creature just attacked us! It is unsafe for your brother to be here.”

  “Oh don't worry I am sure he will be fine- wait what creature?” He sounds genuinely curious.

  “I don't know. I think it was a dog but it didn't really look like one. It was snarlin
g and drooling and I am almost certain it had red eyes.” I am shaking at the thought. “I – I think it had horns. It could have been a boar.” I mumble the last bit mainly to myself. A boar though? In this little village? Never been heard of before. Come to think of it. Boars aren't like that.

  “A boar Cally?” Cally? He has never called me Cally before. Always Calissa.

  “I don't know okay! It scared the crap out of me! Your little brother was sat right next to me when this thing appeared in my garden! Anything could have happened!” I am shouting again but I don't care.

  “Okay. Calm down. I will be there in two minutes.” I sigh with relief. “Oh and Calissa? Make sure you stay inside and keep Aeron away from the garden.” Oh like I am going to go back out there any time soon. Idiot. He hangs up and I shove my phone in my shorts pocket. I walk back into the living room and Tessa, Ana and Aeron are all staring up with me with curious glances on their faces. “You guys okay?” I ask.

  “Yeah. What the hell was that thing?” Tessa asks while hugging a teary eyed Ana close to her.

  “I have no idea. I just told Jaxon to come over immediatley. Ana? You okay baby?” I open my arms for her and she leaves Tessa and runs into them.

  “I want daddy.” My heart cracks in my chest.

  “I know baby.” Not that dad would be much help he is such a wimp. Mum was the muscle in our family. She can make someone crap their pants with one look. Oh to have that power.

  “Doggy.” Aeron says, causing us all to look over at his angelic face. “Doggy come back.” My eyebrows raise on their own account and Tessa looks back at me in confusion.

  “I don't think that was a doggy sweetie. I don't know what that was.” I tell him.

  “No! DOGGY!” He shouts making me jump. He has never had a tantrum before. I hope he isn't about to start having them or I might have to tell Caroline to find someone else to look after him. “Aero doggy! Aero doggy! Aero doggy!” He screams this over and over the sound makes me flinch. Tessa, Ana and I stare at Aeron in shock when the doorbell ringing catches my attention. I am more than happy to leave this child right now. I pass Ana on to Tessa and then I go to answer the door. I open it and see Jaxon leaning against the door frame as if nothing is wrong.

  “I have never been so happy to see you. Get in here!” I grab his arm and yank him into the house before slamming the door and locking it.

  “Damn Calissa. If I knew you were going to be dressed like that and man handling me, I would have come over sooner. Don't you know that I like it rough?.” He smirks and I drop my hand as if he was burning me. “I am joking. Calm down Titch.” Titch? That is a new one.

  “I will not calm down! Don't think I won't smack that smirk off your face you overgrown ape!” He opens his mouth to retaliate but Aeron's shouting stops him.

  “Crap! How long has he been doing that?” He gestures to the living room door.

  “Um... five minutes? Although he seemed extremely happy to see the creature. In fact he called it a 'doggy' and demanded it come back.” I reply coolly. Jaxon tenses up and sighs.

  “Great.” He mutters and then he walks off into the living room. Obviously I follow. I am not gonna stand in my entrance hall like a loser now am I? We enter the living room and Aeron looks over at us and the frown he has going on, instantly changes into a devilish grin. If I didn't love this boy so much, I would totally be freaked out. Hell, I am freaked out.

  “Daxon!” The toddler yells and wriggles off the sofa and runs over to his big brother who welcomes him with open arms.

  “Hey little guy. Think it is time we headed home. Don't you?” Aeron nods his head quickly and then looks over at me.

  “Bye Cally!” He shouts. I give him a nimble wave and fake a smile. Jaxon goes to walk out of the room but I grab his arm. He stares down at my hand and then his eyes slowly make their way up to my face.

  “Yes?” He asks.

  “Can you, uh, check in the garden to see if that thing is still out there?” I hate asking for favours from people, especially ones I hate. He frowns but nods anyway before passing over his brother and walking towards the kitchen. I follow. He opens the back door and walks straight out. He isn't even scared. Or maybe he is and just hides it well?' He walks around the garden for a bit and then comes back. “Nothing out there Calissa. Can I go now?” He asks, sounding bored.

  “Um, okay.” I am hesitant to let him leave. Don't ask me why because it baffles me too. He walks over to me and takes Aeron from me again and then walks back into the kitchen.

  “You might want to put something on those hands of yours. That burn looks pretty nasty by the way.” He calls over his shoulder. Burn? I hold my hands up and look at my palms. Oh my gosh! They are red raw and blistered. When did I- the creature thing! I pushed it off me and it burnt me! Oh God! I feel the pain now. I absent-mindedly cry out and Jaxon spins around to look at me. I squeeze my eyes shut briefly before opening them and masking the pain. I give him a forced smile and if he sees right through it, he doesn't make it obvious.

  “Go on you two. Get home.” I flash him a toothy smile that even I know must look stupid considering my teeth are clenched together. He doesn't say anything to me, just turns back around and then I hear him leave the house. I wait until I know he is out of hearing distance before I released the pent up pain. I scream and fall to my knees, not caring that I have probably just bruised them on the hard tiles.

  My hands feel like they are on fire. I look at them are they are actually bubbling like something you would see in a horror film. Oh my God, I am going to be sick. I make my way to the sink just in time before I spew my guts. I feel hands stroking my back and I know it is Tessa. I ignore her as I turn on the tap and rinse out the sink. I have never felt so rough in my life. What the hell is wrong with me? I fill a glass up from the draining board and rinse my mouth out before turning to my friend.

  “Ice.” I croak. She immediately runs to the freezer and grabs the bag of ice and pours it into a plastic bowl. She adds some ice cold water and then just as she is finished adding it, I dunk my hands straight in. Aaaahhhhhh!!!!!! So much relief!

  “Cal?” Tessa strokes my back as silent tears drip down my face. I never cry. This is a first for me and obviously for Tessa too. She looks like she would rather be anywhere but here right now.

  “That thing burnt me.” I whisper so that Ana doesn't hear me. Oh crap! Ana. “Is Ana okay? She didn't see this did she?”

  “No, she went to Jamie's house when Jaxon gave the all clear. She missed the entire thing so don't worry.” I nod but it feels like my head is now too heavy for my neck. I sway and Tessa catches me. “Oh Cally. Should I ring your dad?” I manage to shake my head to say no. He will be home later tonight anyway, no point in rushing him. Tessa picks up the bowl of ice with one hand and guides me up to my room with other. When we get in there, she lays me down on the bed and places my hands back into the bowl. “I am going to make a run to the pharmacy to grab you some painkillers. I won't be long Cal. I promise.” She kisses my forehead and leaves the room but not before grabbing a black vest top. It isn't long before darkness takes over my body.

  THREE

  I am woken up to angry voices just outside of my room. I open my eyes and see that it is dark in the room yet tiny rays of sunlight are trying to emerge from behind my thick purple curtains. I blink several times to get my eyes to adjust to the dim light but it doesn't work, my brain is too muffled right now. Instead I try to make out the voices and I think Jaxon is out there.

  “Why did you call me?” He snaps.

  “Because her dad called and said the conference has been extended until tomorrow, her mum is in Paris and my parents are dicks. Her grandparents are in Australia, aunt in Mexico, Caroline didn't answer her phone and so you were my last hope.” Tessa's voice argues back. My dad isn't coming home today? My stomach sinks.

  “Ugh! Why am I such a nice guy?” He mutters. “Where is she?” Before I know it, light floods the room and I close my eyes to pretend to
be asleep. I don't want them to know I was eavesdropping. I feel a hand touch my forehead and then just as quickly as it does, it flies off again. “Jeez! She is burning up! How long has she been like this?” Concern drips off his voice.

  “I'm not sure exactly. She seemed to have some kind of breakdown seconds after you left and she was sick and there was blood-”

  “Blood?”

  “Yeah, from her hands.” The thin blanket I have covering my body, gently pulls down and then I feel a large, rough hand take my wrist and lift it up. I hear a faint hiss and then my hand is slowly placed back into something cool.

  “I noticed that before I left. In fact I heard her cry out in pain. Why did I leave her?!” He bellows and I tense up. I wasn't expecting him to shout. I might have just blown the fact that I am awake. “Do you know how she did it?”

  “No. She was fine earlier on today but then that thing showed up...” She trails off and I hear a grunt before a sigh. I am so tempted to open my eyes but I have gotten this far. “She did mention something about it burning her though.”

  “I need some more ice. Some gauze and bandages.” He pauses. “Now Tessa.” I hear light footsteps leave the room with a bunch of cursing being muttered. I clench my jaw to stop myself from smiling.

  “I know you are awake. I felt you tense up when I yelled.” He whispers close to my ear and I hate to admit it, but it gives me goosebumps. “Be honest, it's all make-up on your hands isn't it? You just wanted to lure me into your bedroom, didn't you? You don't need to fake an injury Titch, if you want me in your room, just ask.” Sleaze-ball. I don't need to have my eyes open to know that he is smirking. I roll my eyes behind my eyelids and force myself not to snarl at his comment. “Oh, maybe you are still sleeping then. If that is so, then you won't mind me doing this.” Doing what? The bed dips slightly and then I feel the fabric of his top brush my shoulder before something wet trails up my cheek to my eyebrow. My eyes shoot open and I gape at him.