Heart of a Demon (The Dark Angel Wars 1)

But something about him had struck me to my very core. I couldn't just leave him, knowing that he might die in that shack alone. I knew, without a doubt, that I would see this through to the end. Even if I had to risk my own life.

Chapter Five

My shift at the Pump N' Go the next day dragged on like Ruth Baker's Sunday sermons. All I could do was bounce from foot to foot as Granny made me man the cash register, counting out change to the hikers who stopped to refuel on their way to hike the nearby Spearfish Canyon. Even Granny noticed my behavior, pausing as she went out to inspect the air pump.

"Stand still, girl," Granny growled. She had a red bandana tied up in her gray hair, and a grease smudge on her cheek. "If you keep bouncing like that, you'll bounce right through the roof."

I gave her a helpless smile and forced my legs to quit moving. Sometimes, Granny made me feel like I was still a child. Even though I was of legal age and old enough to be considered a woman in this town, she still treated me like an unruly girl who needed to be straightened out.

She looked me over, suspicion in her eyes. I busied myself with counting the till and organizing the bills into neat little stacks. Eye contact would only reveal my secrets faster.

Granny was probably a police officer in another life. Receiving her glare was like sitting under the hot yellow light of an interrogation room. She could squeeze a confession from the most hardened criminal by just looking at them.

"I know you're excited about college, but you've got a whole summer to go before then," Granny said, drawing my eyes to her face.

A blast of relief hit me when I realized that Granny thought my nervous energy was just about college. It was silly to think she would even suspect that I had hidden an insanely sexy demon in the woods. I just had to play it cool.

"Sure thing, Granny," I said in a rush. "Don't want to lose my head."

She frowned and shook her head. "Silly girl. Acting just like your mother. You know where that got her."

I winced at the comparison. My mother had never told anyone where she went after she ran away, but Granny didn't need to know. She'd left the fold and let a man take advantage of her, even after all of Granny’s preaching. That was all that mattered.

"I know, I'm sorry Granny." I bowed my head until she seemed satisfied, and left to complete her inspection of the air pump.

Granny had been hard on me my entire life. She was determined to work the curse out of me, as if that were possible. Even though I was dying to ask, I never got the whole story about Granny and how she came to Hanna with my mother.

One time, I overheard Sarah, a town elder, talking about Granny. She said that Granny had pulled into town in an old station wagon with a black eye and a dirty little toddler. They were hungry and out of money. Granny was offered a part-time job waitressing at the Calico Diner to make a few bucks, and she settled in. Eventually, she decided to stay in Hanna and bought the gas station.

I'd tried to ask Granny about my grandfather once. All that bought me was a week doing dishes and a month without desert. Family was a topic that didn't sit well with Granny. I had come to assume that she, like most of the women in this town, left an abusive husband behind. If that was the case, then we were better off without him anyway.

"Good afternoon, child," Queenie McKoy called to me as she strolled through the door, her jewelry clanking together.

Queenie was Granny's only other emp

loyee. She had moved into town five years ago with her sister. They were both in their fifties and had been looking for a simpler life away from the crime and smog of the big cities.

In most every way, she was Granny's opposite. Queenie loved color. She wore bright flowing clothes and big clunky jewelry. Her fake nails were long and painted a different shade each week. She was warm and caring and always up on the latest town gossip.

"So, I hear you're leaving us for the big time," Queenie said, joining me behind the counter and pulling out her Pump N' Go apron.

"Not until the fall," I said with a smile. "But yes, I'm going."

"Woohee...girl. How'd you get your Granny to finally agree to that?"

I shrugged and grinned. I kept asking myself that same question.

"Well, we're all proud of you." Queenie pulled me into a hug and rubbed my back with her talons. "The goddess has blessed you with this wonderful opportunity. I know you'll do great."

"Thanks, Queenie."

I threw my apron in a bin under the counter and backed away. With Queenie here, I was free to leave. I didn't want to stick around and feel guiltier than I already was. What would people like Queenie think if they knew I had a demon tied up out in the woods? Would they understand? My guess was, probably not.

"Oh baby girl," Queenie called before I had the chance to slip out the back door. "Your Granny wants you to check on the bathrooms before you leave. Make sure they're in proper order."

Of course she does. Granny knew I hated cleaning the bathrooms more than anything. I'd rather skin a deer than touch those germ infested toilets. But, I’d better do what she asked if I wanted to keep her happy.

"I'm on it," I said with a salute.