Page 78 of Unleashing Chaos

“I know what you’re saying. And I agree with you to an extent. You can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped. But I know he’s in there. I’ve seen it—who he is on the inside. And it’s even more beautiful than he is on the outside, which, I know, is hard to believe.” I offer Meredith a weak smile, and she reaches over and takes my hand.

“Okay, fair enough. But you don’t have much time left to bring someone back to your parents, right?” I shake my head and she continues. “Then I think you need to consider the other option in front of you.”

“Cannon.”

“Yes. He’s talked to me about it, and he cares for you. A lot. And I don’t need to point out all his great attributes. You already know them. I think it’s time that you seriously consider Cannon and quit getting hung up on Jace. Not when you and I both know it’s not going to happen. I’m not trying to be—”

I hold up my hand. “I know, I know. You’re right. But it’s not like that with me and Cannon, Mer. He’s . . . it’s just different than it is with me and Jace. Cannon and I don’t have that chemistry. He would tell you the same thing if you asked. We already tried.”

“Something’s so wrong with both of you,” she says, biting into a strawberry.

The front door opens, followed by the sound of two bickering children. Meredith finishes her wine in one gulp, and my eyebrows lift.

“Don’t judge. It’s a little stress relief and makes me a better mom,” she says, plastering on a wide smile as the kids rush into the kitchen. “How was school?”

“It was great until the end. Macy told everyone on the bus that I sleep with a teddy bear. They all laughed.” Meredith’s son, Marcus, drops his backpack on the floor and glares at his sister.

The beads at the end of Macy’s braids clack together as she places a hand on her hip and says, “Well, you do sleep with a teddy bear. Bubba the Bear.”

Before Marcus can rip into his twin sister, Meredith interjects, saying, “Are either of you going to say hello to Miss Desi, or is she going to think I spent six years raising rude kids?”

The twins turn to me with bright smiles and rush me, saying, “Hello, Miss Desi.”

I laugh as they wrap their arms around me, fighting to get my attention. The twins are sweet, but competitive. They battle it out to get the best hugging position, pulling and shoving while I sit in the middle.

“Miss Desi. Miss Desi,” Macy yells over her brother, pulling on the front of my shirt. The low V–neck stretches almost to my navel, giving everyone a view of my pink bra. I rush to pull up my shirt, but it’s too late.

“Out!” Meredith says, her voice breaking through the chaos and bringing her kids to a standstill. “Grab a snack from the pantry and go have some ‘you’ time, please.”

Marcus and Macy grumble apologies and follow their mother’s directions. As soon as they’re out of the kitchen, Meredith’s astonished gaze falls on me.

“Well, well. This all makes sense now. The weird marriage customs, your lack of knowledge about dating human men. Your ability to resist my persuasion. You’re a demon,” Meredith says in awe.

I clench my jaw and nod, not even bothering to deny it. There’s no use. I’d suspected as much about Meredith a long time ago. “Yep. That’s me. Wait! You tried to persuade me? Please tell me that you didn’t mess with my emotions.”

“No! That’s not my gift. I’m not a peace-bringer or a humbler. I’m a counselor. My job is to give certainty with sound advice. And you’ve resisted my advice about Jace left and right. But did I try?” She tilts her head side to side with a guilty expression. “Yes.”

Taking a deep breath, I decide to just go ahead and spill it all. Why not since we’re sharing secrets. “Not only am I a demon, but I’m one of the seven children of Chaos. I’m the future queen of Sloth.”

Meredith’s jaw drops, and I lean over to push her chin up playfully, closing her mouth. “Sorry,” she breathes, moving over to the chair next to me. “I’ve only heard of Chaos. I’ve never known anyone who’s actually met him.”

I finally process her words regarding her job and realize she’s not at all what I thought she was. “I can’t believe you’re not a demon. This whole time, I thought for sure I had you figured out.”

“Nope. I’m an angel.” Lifting her shirt and lowering the waist of her pants, she shows me the sun with its pointed rays on the back of her hip.

“So Snoop and Martha aren’t a fluke?”

“No.” She tilts her head back and laughs, her curls bouncing with the movement. “Your daddy doesn’t let you out much, does he?”

I flop against the back of the chair and cross my arms over my stomach with a huff. “What was your first clue? The fact that I brought up marriage before a first date even started or that I didn’t even know angels and demons could be friends?”

“A little of both.” She sobers, resting her elbow on the table and her chin in her palm. “I don’t get why your father is hung up on you finding a partner. Angelo rules Pax alone. There is no handbook that says you have to be married. If that was the case Angelo would be in a world of hurt. Rumor has it that the king of Angels can’t keep it in his pants. Everyone is shocked that he doesn’t have more kids than the one he keeps under lock and key.”

I unpack the reasons why my father thinks it’s important for us to have someone to rule with. When I talk about my brothers and their partners, Meredith hits me with a barrage of questions. She seems fascinated by my life in Infernis, and it’s nice to talk to someone who isn’t from this realm about these things.

Meredith dusts a crumb off the table and says, “It sounds like a good existence, just the kind of nerdy stuff Jace would eat up. I’m surprised he doesn’t want to be your partner. Then again, I’m not.”

“What do you mean?”

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