Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Like a good girl, I go to my room. A childlike part of me wants to stomp my feet and slam the door, but I keep my steps light as I prowl down the hallway with Dexter scampering at my heels. We slip into my allocated bedroom. The door gently clicks shut, it needs a lock.
Not that a tiny basic lock will keep the angel out. I can only hope he has a modicum of decency left in his body and he leaves me alone.
I need some time to process.
I feel a little heartsick.
“I apologise for grabbing you like that, Story,” I say as I place her gently down on the bed. “He freaked me out.”
“It’s fine. I’m fine.”
I slump down next to her, and Dexter joins us. I gently stroke his fur. “Okay, what can you tell me?”
“Your grandad’s toolbox is in there with all your clothing.” She points to the built-in wardrobes.
I nod with relief. That’s a good start.
“Everything else is in the bedroom next to us. He left all the big stuff in the garage, all the furniture including your bed.”
I wave away her worry. It doesn’t matter as long as my grandad’s stuff is safe… but how safe is it? Nothing will ever be safe again.
“Oh, Tru, I don’t understand that man. When you were unconscious, he carried you like you were made of precious glass. He was so reverent, gentle.” Story shakes her head and bounces across the bed as she waves her hands in the air.
Dexter follows her erratic movement, and his tail twitches.
“Don’t even think about it,” I mouth. I poke him in his squidgy ginger belly with my finger.
The not-fat cat rolls onto his back. All four legs stretch out.
He lifts his chin and closes his eyes when I obediently stroke his spotted ginger tummy.
“For days he watched over you and he used his angel magic to help you. He saved your life. It was so romantic.” She turns and stomps back. “Then you wake up and he turns into a complete dick. I don’t understand it.”
“It’s ’cause he is a dick,” I grumble. “I told you what he did.”
“Nooo,” Story wails. “He was like a prince storming a castle to rescue you.” She dramatically swoons, falling back onto the bed. I watch as her body bounces. Story flips on her side and rests her head in her hand.
“He’s still a dick,” I say.
“He fought for you.”
“Nah, he fought for himself.”
Story groans and flops onto her back. I lie down next to her and turn my head in her direction. A claw pads my hand to keep on stroking.
“Look, he did all that before he knew what I was. I unintentionally made the angel look like an idiot in front of all the councils and the hunter’s guild. Put it this way: I think he would have preferred it if I’d carked it.
“A dead Tru is better than a hybrid Tru in that man’s eyes.
He didn’t like me anyway… Do I have to tell you again how he told me I made him feel sick?
” I huff and rub my chest. Dexter takes that as an invitation and jumps onto the spot I just rubbed.
I can’t breathe for a second. Shit, he’s heavy. He might be a little overweight.
“To top that complete shitshow off, I get bitten by a shifter and outed as a hybrid. A hybrid posing as a human working in his club. He’s trying to save face.”
“Gah, you are so stubborn.” Story kicks her legs in the air. “Okay, I admit defeat. I will not win this as you’ve already made up your mind. What are we gonna do? Cause if you think I’m leaving you to deal with this on your own…,” she growls out. “What’s our plan?”
“Breow,” Dex says as if in agreement as he butts me underneath my chin with his big head.
“The doctor says I’m still sick. According to the vampires, I’m going through a pureblood transition.
So I guess I can’t go anywhere until I get a grip on all this health stuff.
I guess… We’ve got to play this by ear. One thing I know is these people aren’t playing games.
That unicorn shifter chopped Frank’s head off for just taking a chunk out of my finger, a finger that healed in a matter of minutes with the help of a potion. They can do what they want.”
What the hell are they going to do to me if I don’t toe the line?
And how bad will a pissed-off angel be to live with?
It’s been a few weeks, and nothing much has happened. Xander has avoided me, which has made things easier. It looks like he will be an absentee guardian. He at least allowed me to return to work at the café. Which brought me back to some normality.
Well, normal if I ignore my new bodyguards, who as you can imagine, love coming to work with me.
I’ve still not got my head around things. The big revelation about my grandad’s death has caused me so much anguish I suffer from raging guilt. That kind of knowledge changes a person. I guess it’s changing me.
I’m so grateful to have Story and Dexter to talk to. Story has been incredible, and I know Dexter is supposed to be a fae monster cat, but he’s my monster cat.
Heck, cats are so damn sneaky anyway, so much so I do not doubt that they’ll take over the world and we as their slaves will just watch them do it. Helping them out by making encouraging kissy noises. Or is that just me?
My questions about the unicorns have gone unanswered. Everyone believes the propaganda. I don’t know if I’m right about the dark parts of me being connected to my shifter side. I’m not one hundred percent sure… but it feels right.
Wow, when I think about what evil, sneaky creatures unicorn shifters are, it’s a serious public relations coup that they’ve had everybody believing unicorns are true creatures of light.
But then again, I’m learning that everyone has good and evil inside them, and nothing is black-and-white.
I wish in some ways I could wave a magic wand and be forgotten. Become the invisible girl again.
Even if it’s temporary, we have a warm place to stay and a good amount of money accumulating in the bank. The weight of worry on my shoulders has lifted a little from us no longer living in a cold damp garage.
I thought… I thought things were finally working out.
Then bruises reappeared.
And he noticed.