His Guardian Demon

Chapter Twenty Seven

I drew this before I ever had the idea for this book, so I thought I would include it, seeing as it fits the chapter.

"Why did I have to change my clothes?" I ask again as I pulled at my collar. I unbuttoned the top button, only to have Winnie reach up on his tip-toes and button it back. 

"Ash, we've been over this. Besides, you agreed to do it," he said as he rested his hands on my shoulders. He smoothed out the wrinkles on my shirt before looking at the clock. "We have to go now if we want to make it on time."

"Fine. Which way are we going?" I asked as I got in the car.

"I'll direct us," Winnie said as he fastened his seatbelt.

Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot. There were only a few other couples here. Kids were holding their parents' hands as they walked inside. 

Gross. 

As we walked, I leaned down next to Winnie's ear and whispered, "I still don't understand why I had to change."

Winnie glared at me and was about to respond, but we had arrived at the entrance to the church. 

"Hello, Winnie. How are you today?" A man in white robes asked as he shook Winnie's hand.

"I'm doing well, Father. How are you?" Winnie smiled.

"I'm doing great. Who's your friend?" The man asked as he extended his hand to me. I looked at it warily, knowing if I shook it I would be burned and probably exorcized, but if I didn't take his hand, it would look weird and I would probably be exorcized anyway.

Winnie gently pushed the man's hand back. "Um, sorry Father, but Ash has an issue with touching. He may be okay with getting close to someone, but he never touches them."

"Father" nodded his head and gestured for us to go inside. I held my breath as we went in and ignored the sudden weight that fell on my chest. I slowly released my breath and breathed slowly until I got used to the weight on my body. I mouthed 'I'm fine' to Winnie when he looked at me with worry. I inhaled one more time and nodded at Winnie to lead the way.

We walked under a small archway and into a large room. The middle of the room was clear and surrounded by pews on three sides. On the fourth side was a tall table with candles on each side and a large thick book in the middle. The wall behind the table was stained glass, decorating the room with a multi-colored glow.

Winnie sat in a secluded pew farthest away from the table and the entrance. I sat beside him and tilted my head when I saw a green book in a little cubby-like thing in front of us. I reached out my hand to pick it up when Winnie quickly grabbed my hand and placed it on my thigh.

He motioned for me to lean down. When I did, he whispered in my ear. "Don't touch that. It has a bible inside. It's in the green case so it doesn't get torn up."

I nodded and straightened back up. Soon after, Winnie stood up along with everyone else in the church. After Winnie motioned for me to stand up, I did too. 

The rest of the service passed by in a similar fashion. I didn't listen and Winnie told me when to stand up and sit down. Eventually, the same guy from before walked in the middle of the circle and began speaking. Now I really wasn't paying attention. Well, not to the guy yapping away.

Winnie's hair is getting long. I wonder how often he cuts it.

This lighting makes Winnie's eyes turn different colors. It's really pretty.

Winnie's shirt looks good on him. He should wear pink more often.

He needs to lose the pants, though. 

He's still holding my hand. It's nice.

I shook my head and faced the guy again, but my eyes kept drifting back to Winnie.

Is now a good time to finish my plan? I was going to finish it earlier, but now I'm not so sure, especially with Baxter and Natasha here.

What am I thinking? Of course, it's a good time! If I can just make him impure, then no one will want to take him back to hell.

At least he'll be okay.

I frowned as another feeling arose in my chest. 

What is wrong with me? Have I been in this church for too long?

No, this isn't because I'm in church. 

I rolled my eyes as I discovered what was wrong.

Oh for fuck's sake, is this another emotion? Gross.

This emotion I hadn't read about, so I had no idea what it was. I hated it.

I looked back at Winnie. His eyes were trained on the man in the center, watching his every move. My chest started to ache even more. 

I looked at the ground between my feet. 

Why? Why does my chest hurt like this whenever I think of Winnie?

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up. Winnie was looking at me with an expectant look on his face. I looked around and noticed the church was almost completely empty.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" I asked as I focused on him again.

Winnie laughed and pulled me up. Well, more like he tugged on my hand and I stood up. We walked for a bit before he began to speak again. "I asked you what had you frowning so much? You looked deep in thought and I didn't want to disturb you, but you had such a confused look on your face I thought you might want some help figuring it out," he said as we stopped beside my car.

Oh, Winnie. If only you knew. I already have it figured out.

"Have what figured o—"

Before I could stop myself, my hands cupped his face and brought it closer to mine. My lips fell on his quickly, muffling his next word.

 God does he taste good. Better than I imagined.

I felt Winnie tense under my fingers, and only then did I realize what I was doing. I quickly let go of his face and looked at him. His face was flushed and his eyes were wide. I clenched my jaw as I waited for his reaction. 

Saying nothing, he got in the car. I squeezed my eyes shut and sighed. I quickly got in the driver's side of my car and put the key in the ignition, not turning on the car. 

"Look, Winnie, I'm—"

"Take me home."

His voice was barely a whisper, but I heard him just fine. I tensely nodded and started the car. We drove in silence, Winnie looking out the window just like he did not even five hours ago. I pulled up next to the curb by his house. Winnie got out and quietly shut the door, then speed-walked to the front door. I hit my head against the steering wheel a few times before pulling away. I didn't feel like going home.

What have I done?

***

Okay! Chapter 27 and they finally kiss! Please don't hate me for this. Next chapter will be in Winnie's POV, so you have that to look forward to at least!