Inception (The Reaping Chronicles, 1) by Teal Haviland Page A

waited.
    Mara took several sips.
    “I don’t know that much. She was with that guy that I was messing with a couple of months ago. I decided to see if I could mess with him some more. I’m bored. That’s the only reason I go to that place … to screw with humans.”
    The look he gave her didn’t inspire more needless information.
    “I didn’t notice she was an angel at first,” Mara continued, “because … well, at first, I didn’t give a damn. But when Lucas gave me the cold shoulder and I finally looked at her, there was no mistaking she was a Yahuwah lover.”
    “Why couldn’t you tell right away?”
    “I don’t know. Some kind of veil. I bet if she didn’t have it, though, she’d be glowing like a Christmas tree. That human body of hers might hide the Divine light from a human, but I could see its shimmer. It wasn’t constant, more like a faint pulse under her skin and in her eyes.”
    “That would be a pretty powerful veil, and a very powerful angel. Why would an angel pose as a high school student?”
    “You got me, but that’s all I know. I thought it was odd, too. So … here I am.”
    “Hmm …”
    “I do know one more thing.”
    “I’m waiting.”
    “Where she lives . I followed her.”
    “You’re telling me this angel actually has a place she stays in on Earth?”
    “Yep. Curious, huh?”
    “Yeah.”
    Javan sipped his drink as he considered the possibilities. How was he going to deal with an angel taking up residence so close to him? It might not pose a problem, but he couldn’t be sure.
    “So,” Mara said, “what do you want me to do?”
    Javan finished his drink and placed the glass on the counter, then made his way around to her. He touched her face, but this time, he caressed it. He wanted to take care of other things at that moment. The alcohol hadn’t numbed his feelings enough.
    “Eventually, I want you to show me where this angel lives.” He took her hand and started walking her to his room. “Right now, I want you in my bed.”

Chapter Nine

    Gabrielle ~ Second Impressions
    Gabrielle woke to rays of sunlight barely beginning to sneak through her bedroom window to prod her awake and welcome her into the day. She tried to remember what she’d been dreaming of, but all she could recall was that Lucas was in it and whatever had happened left her feeling distressed. She couldn’t revive the memory any more than that. It felt prophetic, though. Like one of her Knowings. But they happened when she was awake.
    She wondered if there wasn’t more to how deeply she was sleeping, if maybe Amaziah had been doing something to cause it. She knew he wanted her to rest, as did she, but she didn’t like being unable to recall the images her mind created while she slept. It worried her that there was information she may need, knowledge she now wouldn’t have.
    Gabrielle looked at the glowing numbers of her digital clock—five forty-five.
    Time for another day as a seventeen-year-old.
    She found herself looking forward to her day, especially the parts that would have Lucas woven into them. After taking a shower, Gabrielle dressed and ran downstairs. She still hadn’t branched out much when it came to food, so she made a piece of toast and topped it with peanut butter and honey—heavy on the honey. She took a bite of her breakfast and then chased it with chocolate milk, managing to somehow miss her mouth.
    She laughed at her clumsiness and went back upstairs to change clothes. While she did, she pondered how much she’d already fretted that morning over what she should wear, laughing at herself for all the time she had spent considering whether or not Lucas would like her better in the blue or red shirt. She ended up choosing the blue one because she thought it would bring out the indigo that circled the green in her eyes. She pulled on the red shirt now—hoping that she could learn to eat more gracefully and not have to change again—checked her face and hair, and descended