Still of Night, page 2
“You…you wanted us to see you tonight, didn’t you?” I ask.
The angel’s jaw tenses. “I was ordered not to approach you, but in the event of being seen…I found a loophole.”
“Why?”
“There are things you should know about your new powers, and about the other angels.”
A chill works its way down my spine and Lucas sidesteps over to me. He wraps his arm around me, but his cool skin against mine only makes me shiver more.
“Do you eat?” I ask the angel.
“Do I eat?” he echoes.
“Yeah. Do you eat? I really want a taco and Maria’s doesn’t stay open all night.”
“No,” he says, brows furrowing. “I don’t need to consume human food.”
I look him up and down. He’s a good four inches taller than me—yet still shorter than Lucas—and has dark hair and dark eyes that apparently glow blue. Maybe that’s an angel thing? He’s dressed in a t-shirt, jeans, and biker boots, making him look completely normal. I can feel the divinity coming off of him in waves, and it’s drawing me in, calling to me like an old friend.
“Come with us,” I blurt and Lucas tenses. Michael told me I can trust this guy, and while you could argue I shouldn’t trust Michael, he is my father. My real father. And he saved my life a couple of times, risked his own to save me, and pulled the wool over Heaven’s eyes in order to keep me from being murdered as an infant. “I’m used to being the only one at the table who’s eating anyway. Though people are probably going to assume I’m on a hot date with my two vampire boyfriends, and if either one of you does anything to muddle that reverse-harem image, I’m going to be pissed. Though really…aren’t we related?”
“You are my cousin in a sense,” he says and takes a step forward. Lucas pulls his lips up showing off his fangs.
“Stop it,” I whisper as he protectively steps in front of me.
“I mean her no harm,” the angel assures us. “If I did, she’d be dead already.”
“Reassuring,” I say with a smile.
The angel shrugs. “I’m Julian, and yes, I will escort you to your human restaurant. Though I don’t know what reverse harem is.”
Lucas lets out a snort of laughter. “You can explain that one,” he tells me, and I shake my head.
“Another time.” We all stand there, awkwardly looking at each other for another few seconds. I can feel Binx watching from the shadows, and I hold out my hand, telling him that he can join us. I’ll cast a cloaking spell on him and will let him sit at our table. I might have abused that witch privilege before so I can take my cat with me in pubic.
“Well, let’s go,” I say and inch forward. Lucas takes my hand and starts to walk me to the car. In a rustle of feathers, Julian disappears from view and reappears inside the Jeep, sitting in the middle seat in the back.
“Whoa.” My eyes widen. “Please tell me I can learn how to do that.”
“Perhaps,” he says. “There haven’t been many recorded cases of Nephilim. As you know, surviving a divine pregnancy is a feat, and then once born…”
“You have a tendency to kill us?” I finish.
Julian casts his eyes down. “Yes. And I feel I should be upfront with you, Callie. I started my case supporting you out of curiosity. I wanted to see what a Nephilim could do. What you’d be like.”
Lucas starts down the driveway again, looking up in the rearview mirror at Julian every few seconds.
“And if I’d turn evil,” I only half joke.
“Yes,” he says seriously. “For that is the fear and the reason we are given not to trust Nephilim. Humans are easily swayed to do what pleases them, no matter the cost to others. Their souls are easily tainted. And…and even the devil was once an angel.”
I swallow hard and twist in my seat. “And he was…was…what really happened? Is it like we thought and—holy fucking shit. Am I related to the devil?”
“All of the angels are.”
“Fuck.” I twist in my seat and run my hand over Binx’s head. I stare at the dark road in front of us for a few minutes, mind whirling yet too overwhelmed to think about anything at the same time.
My phone rings, connecting to the Bluetooth in the car and cutting off the music. It’s Kristy, and I almost forgot why she’d be calling me. Right. I sent her a photo of my ring.
Because I’m engaged.
There’s a vampire next to me, a familiar in my lap, and an angel in the backseat. Yet I look at my hand and smile.
“I’ll call her back later,” I say and end the call. “She’ll probably think we’re having sex or something.”
Lucas just nods and grips the steering wheel a little tighter. I let out a breath and reach over, resting my hand on Lucas’s thigh. He relaxes a bit at my touch, and I let my head fall back and close my eyes.
I live on the outskirts of town, and the drive in is feeling much longer than usual. I jerk forward, picking my purse up from the floor. I dig around for the little notebook I keep in there and a pen.
“What are you doing?” Lucas asks me.
“Making a list of questions. I have a million I wanted to ask Michael if I ever saw him again but now my mind is blanking. I’m going to write them down before I forget again.”
I stare at the paper, suddenly unable to remember anything I wanted to ask Michael. I put the pen against the page, thinking for a moment before I start writing.
1.) The fuck?
Okay, not a question, but it sums up how I feel.
2.) Are you an archangel?
3.) Am I immortal?
4.) Can you teach me to fly?
I scratch out that last one, thinking it’s too far-fetched even for me. Feeling a weird tug on my heart, I squint in the dark and start writing again.
5.) How did you meet my mother?
6.) What was she like?
7.) Did she know you were an angel when you met?
8.) Where was she from?
9.) What Coven did she belong to?
I stop, realizing I could quickly get that list to one hundred with questions about her alone.
10.) Do you have a house?
11.) Do you sleep?
12.) Do you live in Heaven?
Figuring a good dozen is enough to start with, I put the pen and notebook back in my purse and shove it back down to the space by my feet, allowing Binx to move back into my lap. Purring, he puts his front paws on my chest and rubs his head against me.
My familiars have a way of comforting me, and Binx and I operate on the same wavelength more times than not. The bond between a witch and her familiar is hard to describe, but I assume it a similar feeling to that of having a child.
A child who’s thousands of years old, who commands a legion of spirits, and can kill you without breaking a sweat.
“It’s busy downtown,” Lucas notes as we pull onto the main street that runs through Thorne Hill. It happens to be right above the Ley line as well, hiding it in plain sight, so to speak.
“Oh, right. The county fair is going on. It’s a big deal here. I usually go but I totally forgot about it this summer.”
“When does it end?”
I shrug. “Honestly I don’t even know what day it is today.”
“Do you want to go tomorrow if it’s still going on?” Lucas asks. He’s so fucking good to me.
“Maybe. I’ll have to see if Kristy is going. We always go together, eat way too much fair food, and have fun using our powers to win all those rigged carnival games.”
Lucas smirks. “I like when you’re a little wicked.”
I smile right back and then stop, remembering Julian’s words. The devil was once an angel. I don’t want to turn evil. I’m not evil, and I’ve never once been worried about crossing over to the dark side before. The fact that I’m half angel doesn’t change that.
Yet…it does.
We park a block away from Marie’s, and Binx gets out, sitting perfectly still along the curb so I can cast a cloaking spell over him. I hold my hands out, thumbs and index fingers touching to make a triangle, and close my eyes.
“Light of the moon, dark of the night, cloak you from all, hide you from sight,” I whisper and feel a pulse of magic go through me. Binx meows and winds around my ankles as we walk. Lucas takes my hand, fingering the giant diamond I’m wearing.
I meant it when I said we’re celebrating tonight. And it just so happens extended family is in town. Maria’s is crowded, as it usually is on a summer night. There aren’t too many places to eat in Thorne Hill, and Maria’s has the best house-made salsa.
We walk up to the host to put our name in. She’s all smiles, eyes going a little glossy when she looks at Lucas. He has that effect on women, and—call me petty—but I purposely take my hand out of his and push my hair back to show off my ring.
Yeah, bitch, I landed that.
“Hi, welcome to Maria’s,” she says cheerfully. “How many?”
“Three,” I tell her.
“Okay…” She looks down at her tablet. “It will be about a half-hour wait, is that all right?”
“Yeah,” I start but then Lucas leans in, catching the host’s eye.
“You will give us the next available table,” he says as he holds her spellbound.
She nods and flicks her eyes down, tapping something on the tablet. With a dreamy smile she looks back up. “You’re next in line. A table should be available shortly. It’s being wiped down right now.”
“Good girl,” Lucas tells her, and she blushes. He blinks and looks away, breaking his hold on her. She tips her head, looking a little perplexed, but then is distracted by the large party that comes in right behind us.
“That wasn’t necessary.”
“You said you were hungry,” Lucas replies.
“I am, but I could have waited. Thanks, though. It was sweet and I do like chips and salsa.” I take his hand again as we move to the side. Binx jumps up on the back of a booth. I should cloak him and take him with me more often.
We step back and out of the way. Julian stands next to me, curiously looking around the restaurant. Only a minute later, we’re taken to our table.
“For what it’s worth,” Julian starts as a waiter brings us chips and salsa. “I do not think you are evil.”
The waiter hesitates, flicking his eyes from Julian to me.
“I’ve seen a great many evil in the world. You are not one of them, nor do I think you are at risk for turning to the dark side and murdering the human race. I’ve been watching you, and not once in your short time on earth did I think you would turn into the Antichrist like my brothers and sisters feared.”
My eyes go wide and I debate on grabbing the waiter’s wrist and removing this memory from his mind.
“Told you,” Lucas says, nudging me with his elbow. The poor waiter quickly pours the salsa in the little black bowl and steps away, mumbling that he’ll be right back to take our drink order.
“Wait a minute,” I say, reaching for a chip. “You’ve been watching me?”
“Yes, as instructed by Michael.”
“For my whole life?”
“For most of it, though until recently I would only stop in from time to time. After the demon Varrador figured out who you were, I’ve been watching more frequently.”
I make a face, feeling more than a little violated. “So, by watch you mean…”
“I stood outside your house in the woods.” He lowers his gaze to my hand. “Which reminds me, congrats on the engagement. It seemed like a touching moment for humans.”
“I’m not human,” Lucas reminds him.
“No, but you were once. You still have the same basic desires as a human, just much more primal.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” I shake my head. “You saw that?”
“I was in the woods.”
I make a face and turn to Lucas. “The fuck?” I’ve already asked question number one. “What else have you seen? Actually, no, I don’t want to know. Wait, yes I do. We…we’ve…”
“We’ve made love many times outside,” Lucas finishes for me. “Did you enjoy a show?”
“No,” Julian says firmly. “I’ve respected your privacy. The only reason I was in the woods tonight, Callie, was because I sensed a disturbance.”
Lucas leans forward. “What kind of disturbance?”
Julian shakes his head. “The Gates of Hell have been opened and something came out. I can’t tell what exactly yet, but whatever it is, it’s old and it’s powerful.” His eyes meet mine. “And more than likely, it’s here for you.”
3
“Of course it is,” I say with a sigh, dipping the chip into salsa and taking a bite before I lose my appetite.
“Where is it?” Lucas asks.
“I don’t know,” Julian answers.
“What kind of fucking angel are you that you can sense a demon crawling out of the bowels of Hell only to lose it?” Lucas draws his fangs right as the waiter comes back over. He jumps back, holding his pen and ordering pad up to his chest.
Don’t worry, buddy. You’re getting a big tip.
“Hi,” I say with a smile, blindly reaching into my purse for my wallet. “Can I get a mango margarita. Large or extra large, whatever the biggest size you got.” I pull out my ID and hand it over to the waiter. “And then the dinner combination number two.”
The waiter glances down at my ID, nodding. “And d-do you, uh, want chicken or beef tacos?”
“Beef, please.” I flash another smile, which I hope shows that I’m friendly and not going to murder him or pull anything out of any sort of bowel, but probably just come off as creepy. “And soft shell. That’ll be all for now, but I would like three plain tacos to go.”
The waiter just nods and hurries off.
“I will alter his memory,” Julian says, planting his hands on the table, ready to get up. “Make him forget what he heard.”
“Wait until he puts my order in?” I ask. “I really want my tacos.”
“Very well.”
“And chances are he doesn’t actual think you’re an angel.”
Julian tips his head, looking at the waiter. “He’s religious and believes in angels. Demons too. He’s scared of vampires but tries to be respectful because they tip well when here with human companions.”
“How do you know all that?” I turn, looking in the direction of the kitchen.
“I’m an angel,” Julian says as if it’s obvious.
“So this demon that just arose,” Lucas starts. “The last time a demon came straight out of Hell, Callie almost died.”
“I know. This time, we’ll be ready.” Julian’s eyes flash blue for a split second.
“Yes,” Lucas agrees. “We will.”
Another shiver runs down my spine, and Binx jumps into my lap, curling up to offer his warmth. I just said yes to marrying the love of my life. I want to be celebrating. Squealing on the phone with Kristy and going through that wedding board I so don’t already have on Pinterest. Picking out dates. Venues. Why type of dress to wear. Who’ll we’ll invite.
Instead, I’m worrying about the Grand Coven, who have forbidden our relationship, and now another powerful demon is on the loose, no doubt searching for the long-lost Nephilim baby, born of light and of night.
Trembling again, Lucas takes notice and puts his arm around me. He’s cold, though, and while my body heat eventually warms him up, it’s not helping. The air conditioning vent is right above us, but the temperature in here isn’t all that cold. No, the chill is coming from knowing that this is my life now.
Hunting demons is one thing. I can handle that. Hell, I’ll go so far as to say killing lower-level demons is fun. But having to hide from angels…I don’t see how I can forever.
“Would you like me to get you a sweater?” Lucas asks. “You have one in the Jeep.”
“Oh, right. I do keep one in the back. Yeah.” I nod. “That would be nice.”
Lucas kisses my forehead and then gets up, walking at normal speed through the restaurant. My margarita comes, and I suck down a big mouthful, getting brain freeze only a few seconds later.
Rubbing my forehead, I squeeze my eyes closed and wait for the pain to pass.
“Did other angels notice?” I ask, eyes still closed.
“Notice what?”
“The gates opened?”
“Yes,” Julian answers. “Michael was able to dispatch me down to earth, giving me more cover as to why I’m here. I will have to go back soon.”
“So, Michael…my father…he’s the Archangel?”
“Yes.”
And here comes another chill. “Wow.”
Julian reaches out and puts his hand on top of mine. “He loves you, Callie. I want you to know that.”
I pet Binx again, and he presses his head against my hand before tipping his head up for me to scratch under his chin. “Are the Archangels different than, uh, regular angels?”
“Much. As half an Archangel, Callie, you have as much power as I do.”
“So I’m basically angel royalty?”
Julian laughs. “You could say that.”
“And my powers…are different now than before? I could already do magic.”
“Throughout my years of doing research, I’ve yet to come across a witch-angel hybrid like yourself. The few other Nephilim that have survived into adulthood weren’t from an Archangel either.”
“What happened to them?” I ask and take another sip of my margarita. Slower this time, of course.
“Two are still alive and living under the protection of monks in Tibet. They’ve been there for years, having committed to a peaceful life.”
“And the others?”
Julian casts his eyes down. “I think you know.”
I nod. “Angels or demons?”
“Both. But you should fear not, Callie. Your powers are great, and you have those around you willing and ready to protect you from evil and prove your worthiness to the others.”
Lucas walks back into the restaurant, carrying my black sweater. He slides back into the booth next to me and drapes the sweater around my shoulders. “Better?”
“Much. Thank you.”
He moves closer and puts his arm around me. I tip my head up, looking at his handsome face, and feel a different sense of peace coming over me. We’re not one of those couples that says love can fix everything. It can’t and it won’t, no matter how hard I wish it could. But when I’m with Lucas, everything seems manageable. We’ll get through whatever is thrown our way because we have each other.
