Half an Hourglass - Branded Angel Novels book 2 - Chapter 1

Read Lipgloss on your Wings - Branded Angel Novels book 1

　

(Anna)

   When you’re looking to wish on a star, but the only ones you can see are the ones your angel boyfriend put there for you, the universe feels cruel. Especially seeing as you’re wishing to save his life, and you’ll be the one to cause his death.

   I’d been looking forward to my eighteenth birthday since I’d had my first taste of alcohol and realised you had to be eighteen to drink it legally. Now the day was actually here the last thing I wanted was to be wearing too much makeup, too little clothing and preparing for my first night out on the town. Boiye came into his room where I was sat melodically brushing my hair in front of his mirror, I couldn’t have looked more pathetic if I tried.

   The past couple of months had been a blur, I spent my time routinely attending sixth form, then dividing my free time between Boiye and Jarryd. I hadn’t had anymore life changing visions since that fateful day in the park, where my brothers best friend threatened to kill me.

   It’s the sort of thing you try and forget, although the odd images decided to crash into my skull from time to time. The two coinciding events just happened to be the worst of my life and a flashback from one would bring the other back to haunt.

   What I’d witnessed had no doubt scarred my personality and I was continuing life in a zombified state. Boiye had been worrying about me because he had no idea my boyfriend is an angel or that I’ve been having heaven sent visions to help me break a curse that will eventually kill one or both of us. Not to mention that Liam is a secret angel assassin determined to kill my guardian angel himself before the curse has a chance to take effect.

   Because of course, the curse is triggered by my feelings for Jarryd, feelings I have no control over and every minute I spend with him makes them grow stronger and I’m petrified.

   For a couple of weeks I’d fought the urge to see him, taking time off from school and spending every minute I could with my best friend. Boiye had a way of making everything feel like it was going to be ok even though he had no idea I was in such a mortal mess.

   It didn’t last long, we’d find ourselves seeking each other out, for things like home work even though we shared only two classes both with other people who could have caught us up. Then the pretend excuses stopped and we were back to square one.

   The night started with an eventful taxi ride with a driver who treated us like annoying drunks, which we were, whilst we plagued him with stupid questions about his shift patterns. Considering we’d already drunk half a brewery, somehow Boiye managed to give the driver semi coherent directions to his ‘Secret destination.’

   I stumbled out of the car on my borrowed pole dancer style stilettos courtesy of Alaster’s sister, Eliza.

   “Um, Boiye are you sure this is the right place?” I asked once I‘d regained some sort of balance and my eyes refocused. We were outside a rough looking building. The open doorway had a chipped paint wooden frame and was so dark inside I was afraid of what I’d be stepping (or falling) into. The black and chrome calligraphic sign saying Basement wasn’t reassuring in any way, along with the people with extremely questionable fashion sense walking in.

   “No, it’s completely the wrong place, I‘m improvising.” He rolled his eyes.

   “Well I thought we were going to a night club or something?”

   "It’s like eight o’clock Anna, the clubs don’t even open until around ten thirty. This is what we like to call pre-drinks.” I didn’t argue with him but if this was ‘pre drinks’ what had we been doing since four o’clock this afternoon?