Page 12 of Forever Found

She thought of how St. Paul celebrated the Winter Carnival at the end of January. That was a huge deal for the area. There were legend and folklore behind it, complete with characters and tradition. Perhaps Nocturne Falls had something like that, too. She would have to check it out someday.

Right now, though, she felt very much the outsider. She burned to pick up her camera to snap some candid shots. It was a way to hide and belong at the same time. Remaining near the group, she turned her back to them. She glanced around to see if David was nearby to scold her. Nope. So she eased away from the group, raised her camera, and took shots of the fire and the crowd. She wasn’t looking for anything in particular. It was fun to see what turned up when she examined her memory card. There were usually a few keepers out of the hundreds of photos.

Several people joined Justin and his friends as she stepped away and rotated, capturing a picture of the old building that was kitty-corner across the street from where she stood with the group. The moon was almost full, and the roofline of the three-story building stood out in sharp relief. It had interesting shapes with several winged statues holding hourglasses, fleur-de-lis placed along the edge the roof and at the turret on top. As she photographed it, she brought the camera down to street level. A figure stood on the far corner, staring in her direction. Then another came into the frame a bit behind him.

“Hey, you ready to go home?” Justin asked, startling her.

Her head jerked up as she cradled her camera, curling her wrist inward. “Uh, yeah. Whenever you are.”

“I figured you’d be tired after the drive today,” he said.

“Thanks for thinking of me. I’m doing okay, though, so whenever you’re ready is fine.”

His gaze swept the area. “People are leaving anyway. We can leave.”

She noticed then that Solis and Luna were departing, too.

“Bye,” Solis said. “See you around.”

Lyndsey smiled at the redhead. “Yes. It was nice seeing you again.”

As Justin led the way to his old green truck, she peered over her shoulder to the street corner. Both men were gone. She hadn’t had a chance to zoom in for a closer look.

* * *

From the darkened street beside the burger place, David had allowed his wings to open. Using a glamour to camouflage himself, he flew a roundabout path to the alley beside Beauty & Beast. When he landed, he kept to the shadows. The man leaned against a light post, his back to David. He couldn’t see the stranger’s face or make out who he was any better than he had from across the street.

David moved slightly closer. From behind the guy, he could see Lyndsey holding her camera to her eye. Justin strolled up to her, and her gaze shifted to her cousin.

She had been taking more pictures. Had she at least capture the mystery man?

A growl formed in his throat. The man turned, and their eyes met. David blinked, stunned, witnessing pure evil in the fiend’s yellow gaze. He’d seen this guy before, but it took him a moment to place when and where.Caleb.

The demon sprinted toward the clock tower before David could call out. Caleb disappeared into the trees on the far side. David pursued him, but the demon was crazy fast. At the tower, David halted, resting his hands on his knees, breathing hard. He stared into the darkness. The eyes and face of the guy grew clearer in his mind, and then it hit him.

Those eyes were the last thing he saw before he’d struck David with his truck that fateful night—the night he had died.Caleb. He’d learned the demon’s name from fellow angels. His specialty was snuffing out the lives of children and causing parents the worst agony they could experience.

From the street, there was a burly rev of an engine, then the screech of tires. A truck zoomed out from between parked cars. David glanced to the left, seeing Lyndsey cross the street with her cousin. He shifted his gaze to the vehicle barreling down the road. Caleb stared straight at him, a smirk on his face.

He was going to run her down.

“Lyndsey,” David called.

She didn’t hear him, but she paused in the middle of the street to say something to Justin.

“Don’t bother, Angel. I intend to finish what I meant to do years ago. She’s mine,” the demon announced with fanfare.

David’s chest hurt, and fear stole his breath. No. He took one giant step forward, thrust himself into the air, and expanded his angel wings to their full sixteen-foot span. Then several things happened at once. With a powerful slice through the air, he flew to Lyndsey, grabbing hold and taking flight with her. He clipped Justin, knocking him back.

The truck barreled past, just missing Justin. David winged to the far side of the street where he released Lyndsey by a streetlamp. She fell against him, gasping for air. He looks at her. They are suddenly so close. It would be so easy to move another couple of inches, to kiss her. Her eyes seem to welcome the idea.

He hovered, brushed hair from her lovely face, and touched his fingers to her temple, erasing the last minute or so from her memory.

Caleb stared straight at him as he rolled down the road. Son-of-a-bitch.

Since Lyndsey was okay, David continued onward to the clock tower, then pursued the truck until it came to a sudden stop in front of Misery Inn. He flew down, already running as his feet touched the ground. Coming alongside the truck, he threw open the driver’s door.

Nothing. Caleb was gone.