The Innocent Read online

  Tree. Cracking… falling.

  I tried to concentrate on the vision, but the weather was so bad it was hard to relax and let it take over. I needed to focus all my attention on driving. The rain was coming down faster than my wipers could clear it.

  Blue Car. Michigan plates: MLP 910.

  I wondered how I was supposed to see the color of the car or read the plates through the torrential downpour. Just as the thought crossed my mind, I saw red taillights in front of me. I sped up, trying to get close enough to the car to read the plate number.

  MLP 910. That’s it.

  If I’d only known exactly what was going to happen, not to mention the when and where, I could try to help.

  An image flashed through my mind of a blue car with the same license plate. A large tree lay across the crumpled roof.

  Blood. Crying. Screams for help.

  Okay, I knew the what, but when and where would’ve been helpful, too. The visions never made things easy. I tried to look around at the other images in my vision, a mile marker, a pasture, a sign of any kind that would give me an idea of where the tree was going to fall.

  Nothing. Big surprise. When I actually wanted the visions, they weren’t anywhere to be found… or seen, whatever.

  So I did the only thing I could think of. I sped up and rear-ended the car—so much for not getting in an accident. I wondered how many points I’d get on my driver’s license. Surely, rear-ending someone to save their lives would buy me some leeway. Although, if I told the police officer I hit them because I was a demi-angel and had a vision a tree was going to fall on top of their car, it would probably buy me a stay in a padded cell. I’d just settle for the points on my license and be happy.

  The brake lights flashed and the car ahead of me slowed, pulling to the side of the road.

  Here we go. Please let the person be friendly and understanding.

  An old man climbed out of the car and opened an umbrella. A gust of wind turned it inside out. He gave it a disgusted look, said something I couldn’t hear over the roar of wind and torrent of rain, and flung it into the ditch at the side of the road.

  So much for friendly and understanding.

  I opened my car door to climb out when lightning cracked against a tall oak, making the man and me jump. In the headlights, we saw the tree sway before it toppled over a few yards in front of the man’s car. The branches bounced against the ground before settling across the road.

  Great. It’s blocking the way outta here. It just added an hour, or more, to my drive. Of course, I could be under it right about now so I guess I’ll stop bitching.

  “What happened back there, missy?” the old man asked when I got out of my car.

  Um, gee, I just saved you from getting hit by that gigantic tree. That’s all.

  “Sorry, sir, I just couldn’t see you with the rain and all. I have insurance. Here’s my information.” I held out a soggy insurance card.

  He turned, shining a flashlight on the back of his car. “Doesn’t look like too much damage. Just a broken taillight. Nothing to submit an insurance claim over. Just give me your address. I’ll get it fixed and send you the bill. Save you from getting any points on your license and your insurance rates going sky high.”

  “Thank you.” I smiled. I handed him the information he needed, the paper getting so wet it turned gray.

  “You probably just saved us an accident, you know. That tree would’ve fallen and I probably would’ve hit it. Or worse.” He folded the paper and stuffed it in his wallet before he looked at me.

  “I guess we’re lucky, then.”

  ***

  It was three o’clock in the morning when I got home. I let myself in and quietly walked upstairs, avoiding the areas where the floor creaked.

  I peeked in Ben’s room. He was lying in bed on his stomach. His cheeks puffed out against the pillow, a little stream of drool coming out of his open mouth. He looked peaceful, and I wondered for a minute if I’d blown everything out of proportion.

  No. The vision was about Ben. I’m sure of it.

  Grabbing a pillow and blanket from my room, I laid it out next to Ben’s bed. Once I stretched out, I almost immediately fell asleep. I didn’t wake up until I heard Ben squeal just before he landed on top of me.

  “Milayna!” He giggled.

  “Hey, Ben, how’s it going?”

  “Great! How long are you staying home?”

  “I’m not sure. A few days, maybe a week.”

  “Do Mom and Dad know you’re here? They are going to be so excited.” His blue eyes were bright.

  “No, they don’t know yet.”

  They probably won’t be too excited when I tell them why I’m home. We thought Azazel was out of our lives for good, and now I’m having visions of him again. Nope, they won’t be excited.

  “Let’s go have breakfast. It’ll be a real family breakfast now that you’re home.”

  Our traditional Saturday morning family breakfasts. I missed them while I’d been away at college. Ben ran downstairs before I was even off my makeshift bed on the floor.

  “I have a surprise for you,” I heard him tell my parents.

  I walked around the corner and my mom dropped the spatula she was flipping pancakes with, running to give me a hug. “Milayna, when did you get here?”

  “Early this morning. I didn’t want to wake you.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us you were coming?”

  “It was a last-minute decision, Mom.” I pushed a stray curl out of my face. I had a major case of bedhead going on.

  Glancing at my dad, I saw a knowing look in his eyes. “Hey, Dad.”

  “Hi, sweetie. Glad you’re here for breakfast. It seems like old times.”

  “Yeah. It does.”

  Old times when demons were chasing us, trying to kill us, and send us to Hell for all eternity. Yeah, good times.

  After breakfast, my mom drove Benjamin to his Martial Arts class. I hung around the house to talk with my dad. He knew something, and I intended to find out exactly what it was.

  “So. What’s up?” I doodled with my finger across the granite countertop.

  “Your visions… they’re about Ben, aren’t they?” He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

  “Yes. What’s going on, Dad?”

  “The hobgoblins have been hanging around.”

  I rolled my eyes. “What do they want?”

  “I don’t know. They asked to talk to you the first few times they showed up. Now they want to talk to Benjamin.”

  “They’re the only ones showing up?” I asked my dad. “The demis haven’t been hanging around, have they?”

  He shook his head, looking at his hands. “No. Not that I’ve seen, anyway.”

  “Well, that’s a good sign. Maybe the goblins are just here making a nuisance of themselves.”

  “Maybe.”

  “You don’t think so?”

  He rapped his knuckles on the countertop. “No.”

  ***

  The doorbell pealed through the house. Bounding down the stairs, I pulled the door open. My breath hitched in my throat and my mouth went as dry as the Sahara. He stood on the porch. His hands in his pockets with his arms straight, making his shoulders rise. His black hair was glossy under the large autumn sun. He was gorgeous, as always.

  “Xavier.”

  “Hi, Milayna.”

  I gripped the doorknob tightly. “How’d you know I was home?”

  He pointed to his head with a small smile pulling at his full lips.

  “Ah. A vision. I should have known.”

  “I hope it’s okay I came by.”

  “Sure,” I lied. Xavier and I dated briefly after Chay left. He was a great guy, but I wasn’t ready to give up on Chay so I broke it off.

  “Xavier… I can’t do this. It’s not fair to you. I’m just not ready. I love Chay. I’m sorry.” I brushed a lock of ink-black hair off his forehead.

  “Even after what he’s done?”


  “Yes.”

  “I’ll wait, Milayna. When you’re ready, I’ll be here. I’m not giving up.” He kissed my forehead, his lips lingering a few seconds too long.

  So far, he’d kept his word. According to Muriel, he hadn’t dated anyone, even after my continued encouragement that he move on.

  “I won’t move on,” he’d told me. “I told you, I’m here for you.”

  Xavier was an angel. Not a demi-angel like me, but a full angel. He came to earth to help me fight Abaddon. At least, that was the reason he gave at the time. The real reason, or at least part of it, was because he loved me. And I loved him, but I wasn’t sure how I loved him. I wasn’t sure if it was the same kind of love I had for Chay. Sometimes, I thought it was. When I opened the door and saw him on my porch, my insides swirled out of place and I couldn’t take a normal breath. It felt as if something was pushing on my chest.

  There was definitely something between us.

  “Are you busy?”

  “Oh, no. Come in.” I opened the door wider so he could pass. I groaned silently when I got a whiff of his cologne. He not only looked good, but he smelled divine.

  He ducked his head as he walked by, kissing me lightly. “It’s really good to see you,” he murmured.

  I smiled. “It’s good to see you too.”

  “So. Why are you here?”

  I laughed. “I need a reason?”

  “No, but—”

  “I’m here because of the hobgoblins. Well, actually, because I’ve been having visions.” We walked into the family room and sat down. He sat too close. His thigh brushed mine and sent jolts of warm tingles up and down my leg.

  “What kind of visions?” he asked. He put his hand over mine and threaded our fingers together. Part of my brain reminded me we weren’t together anymore… I loved someone else. But his hand felt warm, strong, and so comfortable… familiar.

  “They’re about Benjamin.”

  He looked down at our hands. “Ah.”

  “What? Do you know something?”

  “Just that the hobgoblins have been asking for Ben.” He didn’t look at me when he answered.

  “I was hoping they’d show up since I was home, but so far nothing.”

  “How long are you staying?”

  “I have to be back at school Monday afternoon for class.”

  “Xavier!” Ben called and burst through the door. “Wanna play?”

  “Sure, but I warn you, I’ve been practicing.”

  “Pssh, you can’t beat me.” Ben waved him off with a flick of his hand.

  Xavier laughed. It was a familiar sound, like his touch, his smell.

  I sat on the couch and watched my brother and the man I should’ve loved—tried to love—play video games, when the room started to spin. Colors zoomed past me, and dizziness slammed into me. I braced myself against the back of the couch and grabbed the armrest, my fingernails bent from the force of my grip. My eyes squeezed shut to block out the images zooming by like jet planes circling my head.

  “Milayna? Are you okay?” Xavier asked.

  I think I said yes, or maybe I nodded. I wasn’t sure. I was concentrating on the vision that was beginning to appear…

  Four men stood behind Azazel. Fire licked the toes of one. One stood in a puddle of water, the wind whipped around another, and the last stood on a small mound of dirt.

  I wrapped my arms around my knees and leaned forward on the couch. Pain stabbed my stomach. It stole my breath.

  We’re coming, Milayna

  I jumped off the couch. It was just a whisper, but it was clear. Azazel’s voice. I looked around, but the room had righted itself. The vision had ended. I rubbed my hands up and down my pant legs and looked at Xavier. His gaze locked on mine. A frown touched the sides of his lips.

  “Okay, Ben. I give up. You are the game master!” Xavier said, smiling at my brother.

  “I know,” Ben said with a giggle.

  Xavier stood and pulled me through the patio door. “What’d you see?”

  “Azazel.”

  “What else. I know there was more.”

  “There were four men with him. And…”

  “What?”

  “He told me they were coming.” I wrapped my arms around myself.

  Xavier’s full lips thinned into a straight line, his eyebrows pulled over his eyes. “Azazel can’t touch you, Milayna—”

  “I know that, but he can have someone else do it. We found that out with Abaddon.”

  ***

  That night, the hobgoblins showed. Muriel and I sat on the deck swing and gossiped about everyone in the neighborhood when the smell of sulfur surrounded us.

  “I think we’re about to have visitors,” Muriel said with a sigh.

  “Yeah.”

  There was a puff of smoke and when it cleared, two little red bodies stood in my backyard.

  “Milayna!” Friendly squealed.

  The same two goblins came every time; they were assigned to me. One goblin was friendly. He looked and acted like a child. The second was moody and temperamental. I, not so affectionately, called him Scarface. He had a deep scar that ran from his left ear to the side of his mouth. He was the antithesis of the friendly goblin. Blunt, sarcastic, and rude, he ignited my bitch switch faster than I could say, well, bitch switch.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “We’re here to play!” Friendly clapped his hands together and squeezed so hard the tips of his fingers bulged. It was his standard answer when they made an appearance. His girly, high-pitched voice screeched through the otherwise peaceful night.

  “I’m not in the mood to play,” I said.

  I sighed and watched as the red roly-poly hobgoblins ran around my yard on their stumpy little legs, their round bellies jiggling.

  Muriel and I settled back in the swing and continued our gossip session. There was no sense trying to talk to the goblins. When they finished running around, they’d tell me why they were there. In the meantime, all I could do was wait. As it turned out, I didn’t have to wait long.

  “Azazel said to tell you he’s coming for him,” Scarface said.

  “Who?”

  “Him. And he’s bringing friends this time.”

  “The four men.” I nodded. “I know about them.”

  Scarface looked surprised for a second before he quickly schooled his expression. “They aren’t men.”

  “Then what are they?”

  “You’ll see. Did you like the game? He did it just for you.” This was from friendly.

  “What game?” I had a suspicion I already knew.

  Friendly smiled wide. “The tree. He did that.”

  “Yeah, but you weren’t supposed to get here. You’re a problem to be dealt with,” Scarface said. “Azazel said this time he won’t fail.”

  “Okay. Well, tell Azazel I’m not scared of him or his four friends.” I folded my hands in my lap so they wouldn’t see them shake. The truth was I was scared of the four men in the vision. They had evil auras.

  “You should be,” Scarface said before he disappeared with a small pop.

  Friendly giggled and disappeared right after his partner in demonic crime.

  ***

  I was in my backyard. It was dark. A misty rain fell and dotted my hair with droplets of cool water. Four men walked toward me. I couldn’t see their faces through the mist, but goose bumps peppered my skin and a shiver slithered up my spine like a snake.

  “Who are you?” I cringed when my voice cracked.

  I lifted my hand to shield my eyes from the mist, and their faces slowly came into view. Their eyes. Their eyes glowed yellow. Only one person had eyes like that… Azazel. That’s when I knew, they were four demons.

  “We’re here for him,” one of them said in a deep voice that rumbled through the silence.

  “Who?” I backed up a step.

  “You know who. Think hard, Milayna.”

  A gray hand reached toward me. I backed up until
I hit the tall, wooden fence around our yard. The hand came closer. Just as it closed around my throat, an arm reached for me from above.

  “Grab my hand, Milayna,” he said. “I’m here for you.”

  I reached out. I knew that voice. It was forever ingrained in my heart.

  He helped me over the fence, away from the four demons. “Chay.”

  I bolted upright in bed with a small scream, pushing away the sweat-drenched hair clinging to the sides of my face.

  Who are they talking about? I know him… who?

  And then it hits me. The realization was like a physical blow, and I flinched. I knew who they were there for.

  Benjamin.

  “It’s Ben,” I told Muriel the next day, driving home from spending everything in our bank accounts at the mall.

  “How do you know?”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “Oh, yeah, visions.” She waved her hand in the air dismissively. “Are you sure?”

  I nodded. “Pretty sure.”

  “Have you told your parents yet?”

  I flicked on my turn signal and turned into my drive. “No.”

  “Are you gonna?”

  I put the car in park and angled toward her. “I have to,” I said. “He was in my dream again.”

  “Ugh, Milayna, it doesn’t mean anything! You want to believe Chay’s coming back. That’s why you dream about him.”

  “If the rest of my visions come true, then why can’t that part?”

  She looked at me and pursed her lips, but it didn’t quite hide her frown. “I don’t know,” she finally answered. “Why don’t you try it out with the guy who’s here and wants to date you? Xavier is a great guy.”

  “Like I don’t know that?” As if on cue, my phone buzzed. I looked at the message.

  Xavier: What are you doing tonight?

  I groaned.

  Me: Spending time with my family.

  Xavier: I don’t suppose you’d want company then?

  Me: No, sorry. We don’t have much time before I have to leave.

  Xavier: ‘Kay. I understand. Next time?

  Me: Sure.

  “Who was that? As if I have to ask.” Muriel looked at me with one perfectly arched brow.

  “Xavier.”

  “Chay isn’t coming back, Milayna. It’s been almost six months. Xavier is here now.”