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

thing. Empaths were rare creatures capable of sensing the emotions of others and changing them. The fact that Caine was using them for such work sickened him.

Yet another reason for us to overthrow the bastard.

The woman retreated to a futon couch against the back wall of the tiny room and threw herself down on it. Drug paraphernalia littered the top of the box in front of the futon.

Her gaze caught his, and she smiled, although her eyes were wild. “I don’t remember any church with such handsome missionaries before.”

He smiled back at her. “We’re pretty new.”

Since there was nowhere else to sit, Daniel pulled a blanket off the couch and spread it on the floor to protect his clothes from the stained carpet.

“Well, I’m glad,” she said. “Most missionaries tend to stay away from my house. I see them go to the others, but not mine.”

“I’m sorry.” Mark was sorry about her being left alone here, but more than that, he was sorry they hadn’t come sooner.

“Name’s Carys,” she said, after a quiet moment. She touched her hair, her hands shaking.

One of the angels detached himself from the wall and knelt down beside her. He whispered in her ear. “Ask them for money. You need more drugs. You’re nothing without drugs. That’s why your mom took your sister and left you here, because you’re nothing. Not even your own family loved you.”

The angel's hate-filled words filled the air, rolling over them in waves so powerful that Mark had to clench every muscle in his body to stop from growling in anger. His mind and emotions battled. He felt deep inside that this woman was unworthy of help, but his mind asserted that it was the empath’s magic influencing him, not the woman herself.

No wonder this woman turned to drugs.

He dared to glance at Surcy, even knowing she was a distraction. He could see how hard she was trying not to look at the angel, but he could read her shock from several feet away.

Likely she can’t believe an angel would poison a human’s mind like this.

“So,” Carys began. Her eyes lit up and her mouth smacked in an odd caricature of a smile. “About that money.”

“Of course,” Daniel reassured her smoothly. “But first, we’d like to know a bit about you.”

The woman sighed and reached for a half-burnt cigarette off the box in front of her. Lighting it, she stared at the ceiling for a long second. “You want to hear a story that will make you like me or do you want the truth?”

“The truth,” Tristan said, his tone unyielding.

She shrugged. “Suit yourself.” Taking a long draw of her cigarette, she puffed the smoke out in front of her, her gaze distant. “They say my mama was cursed the day I was born. My father died on the way to the hospital and the accident left my sister disabled for life. After that, mama lost her money, her house, her life of privilege."

She flicked the cigarette and ashes floated across the box. "Eventually she lost her mind. She brought man after man home, hoping to find a new daddy for us, but no one ever stayed around long enough. They didn’t mind my sister, but they said there was something wrong with me. They were probably right. People get hurt around me. People die.”

She took another draw of her cigarette, pain darkened the bags beneath her eyes. “One day I got home from school and she and my sister were gone. I've lived here ever since, but I couldn’t finish school. Couldn’t keep a job. In fact, I only did one good thing my whole life. Everything else—everything I touch is poisoned.”

When she stopped talking, Daniel and Mark exchanged a glance with their brother. Was this truly the Goddess of Love?

They heard the sounds of the lock on the front door and a second later, a little girl with a backpack came in. The resemblance to her mother was uncanny, but the little girl was cleaner. Her clothes looked used but far nicer than the rags her mother wore, and there was an unexpected innocence to her face.

Her mother cleared her throat and put out her cigarette. “Mandy, how was your day?”

The little girl dropped her bag on the floor and ran to her mother. When she was in her arms, the strangest thing happened. Mark's necklace heated against his chest, and a light wrapped around the woman and her child. No one else could see it, but goose bumps erupted on his skin.

In the golden light that surrounded them, the mother no longer looked dirty and sick. She looked beautiful: long brunette hair, a heart-shaped face, a healthy glow, and a smile that lit her from the inside out.

This. This was the Goddess of Love.

But just as quickly as the magic revealed her, it faded, leaving behind the sickly woman, a shadow of the goddess.

The angel reached for the child in her mother’s arms. He almost touched her, but then, he hissed and pulled his hand back, as if he’d burned it.

He turned to the other angel. “Her protection is still there. Weak, but still there.” The harsh words were too quiet for the woman to hear, but Mark heard what the angel said, and hatred rushed through the demon even stronger.

The other angel shook her head, tossing her long golden hair behind her back. “Caine wants her dead soon. He’s tired of waiting.”

“We’re breaking her down as quickly as we can!” The male angel shot back.

Mark watched the angels without them knowing, but then his gaze moved to Surcy. Her shoulders trembled, her expression one of disbelief.

The little girl drew back from her mom as if she just realized there were three men and a woman in her house. “Who are they?”

“People from the church come to help us,” the goddess responded, running her fingers through her daughter’s hair.

“Actually,” Surcy said, surprising them all, “We can go to the store now. We could pick up whatever you