I gazed up hazily when Jase scooted in the booth across from me, smirking slyly like he was already planning all dates with me years ahead.
“Sorry about that,” he said then, sighing as he set his cheeks in his hands. “Had to go wash up.”
“Didn’t know you were a germaphobe,” I stated then. “You don’t look like a… cleanly person to me.”
“Oh, I can’t get sick,” he stated boldly, making me blink. “I just had uhm… grime on my hands.”
I watched him nervously.
Blood…? Death…? Gasoline from burning someone’s house down?
He chuckled and gazed back down at the menu on the table. “Calm down. You’re tensing again.”
I just looked down at the table, rubbing my hands together nervously as I looked down at my menu again.
After scanning the prices, I gazed up. “It’s expensive.”
“My treat,” he told me. “Pick something. Anything.”
I gazed down, continuing to look before I picked my meal and slid my menu away.
He glanced over at me in amusement. “Ready?”
I nodded.
He closed his eyes and smiled before closing his own menu as well. “So am I.”
I just watched him fully.
“You won,” he stated then, threading his fingers together and setting his chin on them. “What do you want to ask me?”
“Depends on how many questions I’m allowed to ask,” I stated, purposely wording it so it wasn’t a question.
“How about…” he paused, “three?”
“Three,” I repeated more to myself. “Uhm… okay. Let me think about it.”
I had so many things to ask him, I couldn’t decide which ones to prioritize.
“Wanna play a little game in the meantime?” he asked me as if he knew I needed to think them through.
“Depends…” I gazed up in suspicion, “define game.”
His smile tilted. “Relax. It’s just a little pastime.”
I narrowed my eyes.
He just went out and started. “Easy. The game is… if you were to define a person in this room by a song,” he told me, “which song would it be?”
Before I could even process, he pointed to a guy standing at the other end of the bar, staring into his glass solemnly as he swished his drink around.
“Uhm…” I said then, thinking this through, “Let You Down by NF.”
“Interesting,” Jase said then, nodding in response. “Them?”
I glanced over to a couple who were staring at each other intently, almost shyly… if that made sense. But the girl reminded me of that one actress in that show Game of Thrones, so I had to think this through clearly.
“Burning Heart,” I told him, “by SVRCINA.”
“Mmmm,” was his response. “Them?”
He pointed to two other people who were headbanging to the music blasting through the speakers next to them.
“Timber,” I said then, naming the song that was playing, “by Kesha.”
“And me?” he suggested.
I looked to him then, scanning his form carefully as I tried to think clearly.
“Godsmack,” I stated then, naming the band.
His lips curled then. “Why?”
“Because you are scary,” I said, “and you look like you’re talented and capable enough to go up to heaven and smack god across the face. Maybe even kill him.”
“Interesting,” he said, watching me with a titled smile.
I felt a bead of sweat slide down my cheek and just looked away to take a sip of my water.
After a cold chill passed through me, I closed my hands around my arms and lightly rubbed them, trying to warm myself up.
“Cold?” he inquired.
I shook my head.
He just stood. “Liar.”
Jase sighed, stepping over to me. “You’re wearing a sucky tank top. In winter. I don’t care that you have a jacket. Take my shirt, okay?”
I glanced back at him suspiciously.
He just turned slightly away and pulled off his sweatshirt, making my eyes widen when the bottom of his undershirt lifted off his back…
Revealing a massive, V-shaped scar on his back that consisted of two diagonal lines.
My brows drew together when I saw them as a darker skin tone… like his skin was a bright tan and the scars were unsaturated… made of grey skin.
As if he sensed me looking, he immediately turned and tugged his T-shirt down, making my brows draw together when he stepped back over to me.
“Here, sit up,” he said, catching my arm.
I struggled to sit up, mainly because of the shock washing through me.
Whip scars? No… no they were too… perfect.
He then pulled the collar of his sweatshirt over my head, making me close my eyes tightly when my face popped through, but he then guided my arms through the sleeves.
I then settled back down.
But I watched him fully, and he smiled down at me, poking my nose. “You must be hungry.”
His scars kept flashing through my sight, distracting me. “Uh…” I hesitated, “I guess.”
He smirked. “I’ll go get a waitress and tell her our meals. Any preferences?”
Not laced with cyanide, I thought, but I said nothing.
His brows arched. “Sorry?”
“Uhm… soup. Chicken noodle.”
“Aight,” he said then, smile widening. “I shall be back.”
And he left.
I immediately glanced back at the table, thinking to myself.
This was getting too familiar. A V-shaped scar? Tattoos shaped like they were…? Where have I seen them before?
But I suddenly shot up and pulled out my phone, dialing Lizzy.
“Yeppers?” she said on the other line.
“Do you remember that story mom told us when we were little? About the beings with scars and tattoos?”
“Uh… partly.”
I hesitated for a moment. “Something about Jase is bothering me.”
She arched a brow. “Where have I heard this before?” She paused. “Eh, well I do admit he gives me the heebejeebies.”
I hesitated for a moment. “Do you… remember the part about the… the scars?”
“Huh?”
“The people with the scars,” I told her. “On their backs. They looked slanted… like a V. And the person with the scars also had tattoos covering their upper-body. Line-like tattoos with dots.”
Everything Jase had… everything that covered his body and explained his imperfections.
His large scars, his V-shaped scar… the ink-like tattoos covering his shoulders looking like swirls and dots.
They were line-like.
“I think mom said they were runes or something,” Lizzy responded.
Runes… runes for what?
I hesitated for a moment. “What powers did the creatures have?”
“Uh… I think mom said they could make you see your greatest fears and dreams… or that they could talk and control people through their minds or something.”
I immediately froze, brows drawing together. “Wait… the tattoos… there’s a rhyme for them.”
“Oh, yes, right.” She thought for a moment. “Gold and circles for the fighters of heaven, rhombus-like red for the creatures that need haven, and dark black lines for the ones who were cursed, falling back down to Earth, the worst of the worst.”
“Fallen angels,” I realized quietly.
She blinked. “Huh.”
“Nothing,” I said quietly, though despite the comment, I felt something dark swell inside me.
Jase. Mysterious and dark, secretive. He can speak to my mind! Mind powers! Large two scars on his back shaped like a V. Wing scars! Black runes on his shoulders, line-shaped and only covering the spots and angel would have.
Fallen angel.
He was a fallen angel.
No matter how stupid and crazy that sounded… it made complete sense. Everything that had been happening, his secrets, his menacing demeanor, his dark eyes like obsidian. How I could hear him in my mind.
It made total sense.
My breaths shortened.
But what did he want from me? What was he planning? How could he do these things?
What did a fallen angel… want from a human girl like me?
Was he planning something?
I tried to catch my breath.
My eyes widened in horror.
“You good, girl?” Lizzy said. “You’ve been quiet and randomly gasping as if you realized something.”
Footsteps echoed from in front of me, and I gazed over in horror as Jase came toward me.
“Lizzy, I gotta go,” I said quickly.
“Wha—”
But I ended the call, shooting my gaze over at him immediately.
Jase stepped over to me and scooted into the booth in front of me.
His eyes immediately locked on mine.
A dark smile crossed his face, and he winked at me.
I watched him uneasily.
“So,” he said then, lips curling, “did you come up with questions yet?”
I can’t wait forever, my love.
I watched him numbly, not liking his presence in my mind. “You’re a monster.”
His brows arched.
I just looked away, catching my drink.
I could feel him smiling. “What are the questions?”
I immediately shot up, feeling my face heat as I grew frantic. “Who are you? Where are you from? How old are you?” I then paused before glaring. “I know what you are.”
He just smiled. “Oh?”
“You’re an angel,” I stated then, glare sharpening. “A fallen angel. I know you are. Don’t gaslight me.”
His smile suddenly grew dangerous.
And that’s when I knew… I was right.
He truly was an angel that fell from heaven. But what did he do so wrong that got god to exile him? Was he fallen? Or was he Lucifer? Was he LUCIFER?
But I forced my thoughts to silence. “What do you want from me?”
He set his cheek in his hand, spinning his finger around the rim of his glass. “Many things.”
“Do you want to hurt me?” I demanded.
He looked slightly annoyed. “No.”
I felt the familiar flutter fill my stomach. “I’m asking you more questions than three, and you have to answer them.”
His eyes glowed in amusement as if my comment was hilarious.
“You can speak to my mind,” I stated then, “you… you can read my thoughts.”
“I can,” he responded, still running his finger along the rim of his glass.
“Can you control my thoughts?” I demanded.
“I can,” he stated then, smirking, “I haven’t.”
I just watched him cautiously. “Why me? Why did you single me out? Am I not human?”
“No, you are human,” he said then, lashes lowering with his smirk. “I just find you interesting.”
“Why have you decided to scare me?” I questioned then. “Why couldn’t you tell me?”
“I liked playing with you,” he stated then, making my lips thin. “You made it fun.”
Wait… why did he say that in past tense?
“And as for the reason I didn’t tell you,” he continued, “well… you wouldn’t understand until you figured it out yourself.”
“How do you know?!” I hissed.
He chuckled and set his hand on the table, dancing his fingers along the tabletop. “Tell me. The very first time we met, and I came up to you and you asked me who I was. If I said… ‘I’m a fallen angel who came to seek you out. I can read minds and control them.’ Would you believe me?”
He had a point whether or not I’d like to admit it.
“Why did you tell me before?” I asked him. “When I started suspecting something was off about you, when you started speaking to my thoughts?”
“I wanted to see if you could figure it out,” he stated with a smirk. “You did.”
“Liar. You just like playing with me.”
“That, too, yes.”
I just thinned my lips. “Is your last name really Deriek?”
“Nope.”
I glanced over at him, pushing some hair behind my ear. “Is you name really Jase?”
He smirked. “Nope.”
“So everything you told me… was all a lie?”
“Partly.”
I just stared.
“I am really into you,” he said then, setting his cheek on his hand. “You’re a fascinating subject. Enough about me, I want to talk about you.”
“Stop. Wait a second.” I breathed uneasily. “There’s someone who’s….” I trailed off.
“Who’s what?” he pressed, clearly interested.
“You already know, don’t you?” I said then, lightly touching my forehead.
“That you lied about the mugger?” he asked me. “That Twilight’s a murderer? That someone’s trying to kill you, and you don’t know who it is? That you originally assumed it was me and now think it’s Twilight? Yes, I know.”
I just set my hands in my lap, defeated.
“I can assure you that whoever attacked you wasn’t me,” Jase stated then, pointing to his eye. “It’s not injured. And neither is Twilight’s.”
Then who…?
“Yes,” I whispered, “but don’t you have… healing powers?”
“Healing meds, but they would make me entirely drowsy. So it wouldn’t make sense that I was able to take you to the hospital. As for Twilight… I don’t know yet.”
I quieted then, lips sealing.
“Now, enough about me,” he said then. “Tell me about you.”
I just gazed up. “You… already know everything, though. Not only have you been watching me, but… you can read my mind.”
He just smiled. “Well… tell me more. Tell me everything.”
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