A Beautiful Evil (A Beautiful Book. 1) #Wattys2015

Chapter Thirteen - Hot Heads and Cold Coffee

"Mara, you gotta calm down."

"Adrian, you can't expect me to agree to this," I snapped, pacing around the room, the tipped over chair from earlier totally forgotten. "And you don't think he'd agree to this out of the kindness of his shallow heart, do you?"

"I think she's right, Brother. Last time I checked, I don't have a heart. Or a soul for that matter," snarked an all too familiar voice from behind.

I spun, coming nose to nose with the Horsemen of Famine."God dammit, what's up with you guys sneaking up behind me?"

"It's in our blood?" he suggested, wiggling a dark eyebrow and shrugging.

"Avery, don't antagonize her."

Turning away from me, Avery laughed and snagged the chair that I tipped over, turning it so he sat on it backwards with his forearms resting on the back of the chair.

"How did you get in here?" I questioned, looking to Adrian. "This isn't his realm."

I puzzled look came over Avery's face, and he turned to Adrian as well. "You didn't tell her?"

"I was planning on bringing the idea up over coffee," he lifted the mug up in his hands.

It took me a second, but I caught on. "Wait," I said. "You knew he'd be here? After everything? And you didn't tell me?"

"Mara, please. You don't understand."

Why was it that nobody understood? Even my most trusted friend, Adrian, was somehow swayed by Avery's sick, discommoding charm.

"Oh, come on Princess. You can't tell me that the idea of working with me doesn't intrigue you," pipped Avery, his comment surprisingly dull. Lacking enthusiasm.

"Quite the opposite, really," I sneered.

"Can't you see she doesn't want you here?" There was a silhouette in the doorway, but I recognized the voice immediately.

"Charles," I breathed.

He looked at me, his bright blue eyes fierce. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and he bowed at the waist. "The one and only, luv."

Fillin growled, walking in a small circle and then sitting, curling his white bushy tail around him. His eye's flashed to me, but they were their normal blue. What the hell is going on with him?

"Since when did you care about what she wants?" questioned Avery, his eyebrows drawing together. His dark curls bounced slightly as he cocked his head to the side.

Charles remained quiet as he approached me, ignoring Avery completely, and I couldn't help the feeling of smugness that Avery was a little jealous. "So what's the plan? How do you expect us to protect her if we don't even know who's the Archangel. Hell, we don't even know how this bastard hid himself in our ranks."

"How do we even know if the Archangel is a she?" asked Avery, running his tongue along his teeth.

Charles nodded, then turned to me. "Has anything strange happened lately? Anybody unusual tailing you? Weird sounds, smells maybe?"

"No," I said at first. And then I thought back to the Summoning. "Wait! Yes, there was one thing." The three brothers all looked at me. "When I was summoned... You know, the whole 'Daddy wants you back home,' thing? Well, when I was... sinking... I saw a woman. My age, I think. She had white hair." I stopped, gazing straight at Charles. "Remember that painting? They one outside the Throne Room?"

"The weeping woman with the child?"

"Yeah. Well, she looked... like her. Obviously her face was a little different, but I could see a resemblance."