Page 3 of Hazel’s Choice (A Monstrous World: Next Gen)

Chapter Two

Hazel

L oneliness wasn’t something I experienced as a child. Growing up in a big family, there was always someone around. Even now, I could siphon home and check on my family or visit friends in Haven, but I feel like I have the plague.

In reality, I’m contaminated by an overzealous angel. Still, I don’t want to put those I care about in the line of sight of one of those judgmental assholes. That’s why I avoid popping into Haven, even when I head out to feed after work.

Annex doesn’t show up by the time I have to leave to head to work the next day, but I leave a note on my door, pointing out which room is mine.

There are six bedrooms total.

One is still unusable since it was Greer’s grandmother’s room. It still has some of her stuff, but he can pick from any of the others. Although the rent might be different for the ones that have an attached bathroom. I’m sure he discussed that with Greer directly, though.

I’m bent over, polishing a shelf that holds some rare type of crystal, when the bell above the door jingles. If I were better at pretending to be a witch, I wouldn’t have to read the name and info cards Lisette made as a cheat sheet just to know which is which.

I don’t even have to turn around to know it’s Lance.

If his soul vibration wasn’t familiar, his scent would give him away.

He always smells like patchouli and something fruity, which isn’t the most natural combination, but he has good energy.

He’s not appealing to my monster in the least, meaning he doesn’t have many sins weighing him down, at least not any of the serious ones.

“Oh, Hazel, nice to see you,” he says as I turn to face him. His expression is at odds with his words, but I’m used to that. Even in human form, I make some beings uncomfortable, no matter how hard I try to put them at ease. “I believe you might have something for me?”

“Hey, Lance, yeah, let me check the back. I know I saw your package. I thought you were coming in yesterday, for some reason.” I drop the cleaning cloth and spin around to head to the storeroom.

Lance is handsome enough in humanoid form, but I can imagine that he’s truly stunning when he’s shifted.

He’s a merman, which must be hard on him.

The ocean is a bit of a hike from Black Cove, although there are hot springs that bubble up under the mountains.

There’s also a pretty large river that feeds a small inlet, which must be where the town got its name.

If I were an aquatic monster, I think I’d want to be right on the beach.

Maybe that’s just me.

He does seem very happy here, even if he has to come in weekly for an ointment that Lisette concocted to help with his skin irritation.

I locate his package and head back to the front of the store.

Lance makes awkward small talk as I check him out, leaving a note for the same order next week. I’m just shoving the receipt into the register when the bell above the door jingles. At first, I assume it’s the merman leaving, but the energy changes.

Lance and the man exchange pleasantries, and I breathe through the panic that claws at my chest.

I could siphon, but with the angel this close, there’s every possibility that he would be able to follow me. Tracking someone’s siphon isn’t a skill I possess, but his power level tells me he’s ancient—like maybe even as old as my dads.

The only thing keeping me from blowing my cover is the knowledge he can’t sense me when I’m in human form. If he could, he would have cornered me when he and his lackeys converged on Haven. They spent weeks just waiting for me to mess up.

It’s like they can sense the vibration pattern of my monster when I feed, but not me as I am now.

It’s bizarre.

And lucky.

I’m pretty sure this guy is an archangel because my knees won’t stop wobbling. His power levels are staggeringly stronger than his wanna-be-rapist angel friend.

All angels are attractive on an otherworldly level.

This one has sharp cheekbones, whitish-blond straight hair that falls past his shoulders, and he has to have a foot in height on me.

If this interaction comes down to a physical battle… I’m fucked.

His muscular shoulders flex as he turns to appraise the room, and I find myself taking a step back as his icy, light-gray eyes lock on mine.

Those broad shoulders of his taper to a slender waist and hips, and all I can focus on is how weird it is to see an angel in dark jeans and a plain white T-shirt.

If I had wings, I would never put them away. Not even to blend in with the humans.

Speaking of humans, they must be so uncomfortable to come face-to-face with this guy, even if they don’t understand why.

Maybe they attribute the discomfort to being in the presence of an almost painfully attractive man.

In reality, it’s some part of their hindbrain warning them they’re in the line of sight of something primordial.

He strides closer, and I try not to gawk at how tall he is. This angel looks a little like an almost seven-foot-tall soccer player. His slender, athletic build isn’t beefy at all. I still don’t have any delusions that I could take him in a physical battle.

He gets closer, and I file through my options.

Run.

Siphon.

Stay put and see how this plays out.

Holy shit.

I’ve never frozen a day in my life. I’m used to having the biggest, baddest, scariest monster in the room, so there’s never a reason for fear.

Perhaps the universe is humbling me?

I’ve never been in such close proximity to a being with more power than I have…and I killed one of his cluster.

Okay, I don’t technically know if angels call their group or pack a cluster, but that’s what demons call it.

Two of my fathers have a very close familial bond with a nightmare demon they spent centuries with in Hell. When they finally decided to come to the human realm, they did it together.

There isn’t much my fathers wouldn’t do to avenge Malice if something were to happen to him, and the thought sends a shiver down my spine.

With how determined this angel and his two sentinel friends have been to find me, it’s clear they cared a lot about the angel I devoured. Although they really shouldn’t have. He was the lowest form of trash there is.

“Hello,” he says in a low, raspy tone as he comes to a stop on the other side of the glass case where customers check out. “Are you able to perform scrying or divination spells?”

Um…what?