Page 17 of Guarded By Death

It went great! After work, I walked around with Pierce. I know you don't know him, but there's so much you don't know... Another demon tried to steal my soul, but don't worry. Luckily, the Angel of Death saved me, again. He's pretty cute by the way. I would have assumed a large black cloak and a skull face; the myths were way, way off! I laugh at how crazy I sound and feel.

"It was great!" I lie enthusiastically.

"That's wonderful dear. You had me worried last night. Why didn't you pick up the phone? I thought you were coming home?"

I don't know what Liv said we did last night so I keep it simple. "I came to hang out with her and fell asleep watching a movie. I didn't realize my phone was on silent, I'm sorry," I say as innocently as I can.

"That's okay, just try and call me next time. Look, I know this is sudden, but I figured since Liv's parents are in town that you could stay there this weekend?" She sounds hopeful.

"Yeah, of course. Going somewhere?" I ask, and she snickers a little.

There’s a beat of silence. "Brian, he’s taking me away for the weekend," she says. They're moving too quickly for my liking, but Pierce said he's a good man, so I trust that. Still, it stings a little from the loss of my father. He should be the one taking her off for a weekend trip. I quickly swallow those feelings down. She deserves happiness more than anyone I know, and dad would want that for her.

"That sounds like a lot of fun, Mom, I hope you have a blast!" I say, hoping I sound sincere.

I can hear the way she’s nervously tapping her nails on something. "I hope this isn't weird for you, Scarlett. I would have talked to you in person, but you haven't come home." Her voice is laced with sadness but it's obvious she's been enjoying the free time.

I shake my head, although she can’t see me. "I promise it's okay, enjoy your trip! I would like to meet him when he gets back," I request and mean it. I need to see if he's worthy of my amazing mother.

"That would be nice Scarlett, but I want to wait a bit longer before I introduce you to him. It's just so… new. I'll be home on Monday. Call me if you need me, dear, I love you!" she sings.

I hang on to her words, not knowing what my future holds anymore. "I love you too, Mom." I tell her, a single tear falling down my cheek.

I lazily stumble out of bed and hop in the shower. Thoughts of Pierce's words last night run through my head. 'I've been watching you since the first night.' It sends chills down my spine. I slowly reach up to my throat to make sure my neck isn't sore, again.

I haven't once been afraid of the divine being that's been rescuing me before, so why should I be now? I say divine, but I'm not sure if that's the right word.

He looks angelic, but he’s always so serious. The harsh edges he creates when he creases his brows make him tougher looking than the angels I imagined in my head growing up. I try to not think about what he may have done to be what he is now. He said he hasn't had human feelings in a long time, so was he once like me?

The harsh metal from Liv's shower curtain racking across the bar makes my heart drop. "Are we going to that party tonight?" Liv asks excitedly as she barges into the bathroom catching me off guard and halting my endless thoughts. I let out a scream, she has no idea how unwelcome surprises are in my life right now.

"Umm, I'm not sure," I say, lathering shampoo into my long locks.

She laughs at my frightened expression. "Funny, we're leaving at eight," she states, closing the curtains back but staying in the bathroom to dab on some makeup.

After a brief moment of thought, I decide that Zack and his friends are harmless, and it makes me mad that Pierce thinks the weird way he can read people tells me what I need to know about a guy I have known my whole life.

I never go to parties; I've been crammed into books for four years and I need a night off. I barely know him. He can't just barge into my life and tell me what to do. Besides, I need a distraction.

"Okay, yes!” My voice is more excited than I feel. "I have to go run some errands, so I'll meet you back here at eight?" I ask, hoping she doesn't want to ride along. I need some time for myself.

"Sounds good!" She squeals. After a pop of her lips from some gloss, she exits with a little pep in her step. I continue to let the hot water cascade over me until it runs cold.

The day goes by quickly and I think about where Pierce may be multiple times throughout it. I figured he would have come back upstairs at some point. Where did he even go earlier? Truthfully, I don't need him to come around right now. He doesn't trust Zack for some reason, and I don't dare call his name, in fear that he will show up and ruin my night before it's even begun.

The sun has fully set by the time I arrive back at Liv's place. I did a little shopping but mostly I just drove around aimlessly.

I walk into her room to find her sitting cross-legged in front of a mirror, mouth open as she places mascara on her already thick lashes.

She grins when she sees me. "Hey! Get ready!" she cheers.

"On it!" I smile, liking this feeling of normalcy. I head over to her massive closet and dig through her collection. Since I'm already breaking the rules, I feel a bit of rebellion creep up into me as I grab a scarlet red dress that makes me blush as I touch its thin fabric and one too many straps.

I stand in front of a full-length mirror and place the dress front of me, curious if I could pull it off. I hear a squeal and look to my reflection to see Liv making her way to me with a bright smile on her face. "Look at you! You’ve been an adult for two days and you're already wanting to dress sexier!" She claps her hands and looks so happy that I ignore her remark.

I think about putting it back but decide that I want to feel good about myself tonight. I want to feel sexy; I have been in danger lately. My life has been on the edge and I need to escape from my normal routine. Pretend to be someone else.

I turn back at her and smile. "Fix me up?" I ask and she squeals again.

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