Supernatural Lies: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Romance (An Angel and Her Demons Book 1) by Lacey Andersen (self help books to read txt) 📕

felt the Sight moving through him, whispering to him. The ancient magic came to him, more powerful than anything he’d felt before. It showed him a woman preyed upon by the angels. She couldn't see them, yet they tortured her all the same.

He recognized her as the Goddess of Love, one of The Immortal Ten and the first god they intended to help.

They had learned that Caine had devised a special cruelty for The Immortal Ten. Each time they were reborn, he erased their memories and sent his most faithful angels to make their existence pure misery.

And to guard them. Just in case.

As the four of them came closer to the house, the shadows shivered and deepened. Chimes hung from the broken-down porch, their tune sad as the slight breeze pulled music from them. Large trees crowded the front yard, their branches hanging and twisted in an eerie way that reminded him of a graveyard. What a wretched place.

As they continued down the sidewalk, he realized that the house had once been a light blue. The peeling paint whispered of a time of happiness, of hope.

Caine destroys beauty and goodness everywhere he goes.

Without thinking, Mark's gaze swept to Surcy and something twisted in his chest. Caine hadn’t destroyed her. He might think he had, but he was wrong. They would help her. Even if she never remembered who she was, they would do it to remember what true goodness could be.

“Angels,” Daniel hissed the warning.

They paused on the sidewalk. Sure enough, two angels fluttered lightly onto the fence on either side of the house. Perching like sinister gargoyles.

Guards.

“What do we do?” Mark shifted, tucking the ancient and one-of-a-kind necklace beneath his white shirt.

“Keep walking, but don’t look at them. They’re invisible. If we act like we see them, they’ll know we aren’t human.” Daniel started forward, and they followed.

That’s the thing about demons, we can never tell them from humans unless they slip up and use their magic.

She stiffened. How do I know that?

Surcy squeezed between him and Tristan. “Why are angels guarding a house? Is the person inside in danger?”

Daniel laughed behind her, his deep voice cheerless. Angry. “They’re keeping her prisoner.”

Her shoulders tensed. “I don’t believe that.”

And you won’t, not unless you see it with your own eyes.

“What’s the plan?” Tristan asked. “We can’t help her if we can’t get close. And there’s probably more of them inside.”

Everything was quiet for a moment, and then Daniel spoke up. “I’ve got a plan. Follow me.”

Uh oh. This doesn’t sound good.

Mark hurried after his brother, his anxiety rising. Daniel liked to act without thinking, but if they tipped Caine and his minions off to their plan, they might not be able to save the other immortals. They needed to do this smartly, and he wasn’t sure Daniel should be the one leading them.

But you don’t have a better idea.

He swallowed the bitterness rising in the back of his throat. The stone path leading up to the house was overrun with weeds. As they drew closer, misery and despair tightened around them.

What would the locals do if they realized this woman, this house, and these angels were the reason their entire city had gone to hell? The angles were a curse staining their lands.

He felt a rush of air and heard the flutter of wings. His hands twitched. He had five weapons hidden on his person, but he wanted more than anything to call his soul-blade to him. The deadly weapon was like a part of his body, and he welded it with certainty. Unfortunately, if he used it, every angel in the area would come straight to them. Instead, he clutched his hands into fists, and pretended not to notice the angels that now shadowed their step.

If we look at them, all is lost.

As they climbed the porch stairs, the wood creaked beneath them. The worn, warped wood sagged with each step.

When Daniel rapped on the door, Mark jumped, startled. The angels were close enough behind him that he could feel their breath on his neck.

Please let this be a good plan.

A minute passed. Daniel knocked again.

A woman’s voice came from the other side of the door. “What do you want?”

Her voice sounds tired, like she's in pain. Mark felt a calmness settle about him. His life had not always been easy either, and once he even contemplated ending it. His soul recognized this woman’s suffering.

“We’re from the church.” Daniel lied. “We’re here to meet the people of the neighborhood and offer our help.”

“Help?” the woman sounded suspicious. “What kind of help?”

“Well, once we know what you need—food, clothes, money, any--“

Locks clicked and the door slid open a crack. Dark brown eyes peered out at them. “Do I have to listen to your religious crap?”

Daniel chuckled. “No, ma’am. And that’s a promise.”

Her door opened all the way and Mark saw a flash of shock on Daniels' face before he hid it behind a mask of pleasant indifference. Mark's chest ached. The woman looked like a great beauty destroyed by drugs and a rough life. Her dark brown hair was a tangled mass behind her head, as if it had been put up weeks ago and forgotten. From the smell, that was probably when she’d bathed last.

Her face was thin, and yet her cheeks were swollen as if from a medication destroying her body inside and out. Dark lines wove beneath her eyes, and a massive bruise darkened her throat. More bruises littered her arms like a virus.

She eyed the group up and down, judging Daniel's smart suit. Mark could tell that she liked what she saw. “Well, come in and tell me more about this money you’re hoping to give me.”

She let them in and closed the door.

Inside, his gaze slid past two angels who lingered in the doorways. Even though he didn’t meet their eyes, the hatred rolled off of them in waves. Their hatred suffocated the room.

Empaths.

He shivered. It made sense, and yet, it was such a cruel