Beloved Purgatory (Fallen Angels, Book 2) by Katherine Pine

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.
    "I did," he muttered. Then a howl resounded from the
back of the store. Oz frowned. "Princess didn't like me getting up
so early. She's really not too fond of this 'school' business."
    Another howl. Oz