United

by Maggie Walsh

  “What is the difference?” Raffy asked.

  “The original Nephilim created by the angels and women of man are not evil. Most were brought up to the gods, while others were kept here on Earth to spread peace. They are where the original fae came from. The gods created the fae race using the angel Nephilim. The Nephilim you think of, the ones said to be a race of giants, are the offspring of the fallen. The angels were punished for impregnating the human women. They were banished from heaven and earth, placed in the underworld, and became the first demons. As you know, a few hundred of them escaped. When they came back to earth, they again impregnated human women, but this time with their demon DNA. These Nephilim are the ones the gods worry about. These are the ones we need to worry about,” Phenex explained. “If what Brighton told me is true, then Malachi has these demon Nephilim as his disciples.”

  “Then what these pages say makes sense now,” Raffy said.

  “Why is that, Raf?” Micah asked.

  “These are written in several different languages. Each sentence was a different language actually. I understood all of them except for one. And each of them spoke of the force of giants. How they would descend upon the opposition and crush the gods’ warriors. As I read, I realized that the gods’ warriors that were spoken about were us.”

  “So Malachi has called upon the demon Nephilim to come after us?” Dante asked. “Were they the big creatures from the cave?”

  “Yes,” Ryland answered. “My warriors weren’t sure what they were either, but they informed me that they were part demonic.”

  “My Legion has told me the same,” Phenex added.

  “Were your men able to destroy them?” Micah asked.

  “No,” Ryland answered. “After you all got out, the Nephilim turned back and left.”

  “So they were there waiting for us,” Dante said.

  “Can I ask a question?” Aaron interrupted.

  “Of course, Aaron,” Micah said.

  He turned his attention to Phenex. “When you came in, you asked if Malachi could turn humans into rogues. Why did you ask that?”

  “Something Brighton said about changing everyone into Malachi’s warriors,” Phenex answered.

  “In some of his notes he had markers for human DNA, but I couldn’t quite figure it out because there was another DNA marker there that I had never seen before. I thought maybe it was a fae or demon because I’m not familiar with your DNA. But now I’m thinking it’s maybe one of these demon Nephilim,” Aaron said as he looked out blankly and began to pace.

  “Uh-oh,” Storm said.

  “What?” Ryland asked.

  “He’s in that far-off place he goes when he has an idea. He might go into his office and we won’t see him again for days.”

  “Aaron, is there something you’re thinking?” Micah asked cautiously.

  Aaron stopped and looked at Micah. “Dragon blood, dragon tears. Phoenix blood, phoenix tears.”

  “And…that means…what?” Micah hedged.

  “If phoenix tears mixed with phoenix blood can take a fae’s powers away temporarily, I’m just wondering if dragon blood mixed with dragon tears will do the same to demons. If the fae were created from the original good Nephilim and the demon Nephilim were created from the fallen or first demons, maybe that’s where Malachi was going with this. What if, to control the demon Nephilim, he took their powers away and promised them if they did as he said, they could have their powers back. But, if he took this serum formula that we found and turned them into rogues…” He stopped speaking and began to pace again.

  “If he turned them into rogues what?” Storm asked in frustration.

  Aaron turned and glared at him. “What do we know about these rogues that Malachi has created? One, they have no scent. Two, they are super fast. Three, they are super strong. So, if he uses this same serum on the demon Nephilim and they are already big, strong, and powerful…” he hedged.

  “Then they would be unstoppable. He knows of the Heart’s and the Alpha Prime’s powers. And along with the Guardian he wouldn’t be able to stop us,” Micah finished. “But now that we’ve screwed up his plans, he needs to change it, or use his backup plan. The Nephilim have angelic powers, and the demon Nephilim have angelic and demonic powers, correct?” He looked to Phenex, who nodded. “Jesse has fae powers which stemmed from the original good Nephilim, but he also has angelic powers and demon powers from you, Phen. So he’s trying to create a race of warriors that are equal in power to the Heart.”

  “Bingo,” Aaron said.

  “Oh fuck,” Storm said in exasperation and ran his hands through his hair. “This is too fucking much. Just when we think we get ahead of this bastard, he gets two steps in front of us. A whole fucking army of demonic creatures that have the infinite powers that Jesse has. Shit. How the hell do we stop that?”

  “I would like to get my hands on one of these demonic Nephilim to test a theory,” Aaron said hopefully.

  “What’s that?” Storm asked.

  “Phoenix blood mixed with phoenix tears takes the fae powers away. So will the dragon’s blood―”

  Storm cut him off. “Yeah, yeah, will it stop the demon Nephilim?” he said in frustration.

  “Yes and no,” Aaron said. “I also want to study one of these fuckers and see if my new little weapons will work on them, too,” Aaron said with a big grin.

  Storm’s eyes went wide as he stared at his brother. “You did it? You actually did it?” Aaron nodded as he smiled big and bright. Storm ran to him and embraced him in a big bear hug as he spun him around. “Yes, you are a fucking genius, baby brother. I am so damn proud of you.”

  “Let’s not celebrate yet, Storm. I need to test them out on a live victim first,” he said breathlessly as Storm continued to squeeze him.

  “Oh sorry, baby brother,” Storm said and placed him back on his feet.

  “Plus now I need to change the formula up a little and make a second set for the Nephilim,” Aaron explained.

  “Would you two mind sharing this with the rest of us?” Dare asked.

  “I found a way to stabilize your blood, Dare,” he began to explain and Dare’s brows rose into his hairline. “But not only that, I think I can stabilize your tears as well using the same steps.”

  Aaron went on to explain what he had been working on and the bullets he had created. Everyone sat in awe at what he had done.

  “So you have bullets that can kill a rogue and now maybe you can create bullets that will kill these Nephilim?” Ryland asked in shock.

  “That about sums it up. But I need to do more testing and I need guinea pigs. But I suggest you all start practicing at the shooting range,” Aaron said with a big shit-eating grin.

  “We need everyone to start hunting for the rogues and one of these Nephilim. If Aaron needs their asses as guinea pigs, then we’ll get him guinea pigs. Will my cells downstairs hold them?” Micah asked and looked to Phenex and Ryland.

  “We can place spells on them that can hold them and also place our warriors there to guard them,” Phenex answered.

  “Perfect. Aaron, go do what you need to do and anything you need, just say the word. The rest of us will start shooting practice and put the word out to all of our men to capture a rogue and a demon Nephilim. Phenex, Ryland, your men are probably better suited for that,” Micah said.

  “We’ll take care of it immediately,” Phenex said and stood. His face contorted in pain for a moment before he caught himself.

  Ryland grabbed him around the waist and helped him stand. Phenex gave him a curious look and nodded. “Can we get you patched up first or are you going to continue to be stubborn?” Ryland said with a playful smirk, his face inches from Phenex’s, their eyes locked.

  “I’ll be fine after a few days. I just need some rest,” Phenex said but didn’t move away from Ryland’s hold.

  “You escaped Tartarus. You’re not fine. You’re lucky to be alive,” Ryland said in frustration.

  “Well that�
�s the one good thing about Tartarus. You can’t actually die,” Phenex said with a snicker and then winced.

  “You deserved that,” Ryland said with a flirting smile.

  “You escaped from Tartarus, but wait…you can’t die?” Micah questioned as he looked at his two fathers-in-law in confusion.

  “You can be killed in Tartarus, but you can’t die. The residents of Tartarus are killed almost daily. Yet they come back to fight another day. It’s the one place in all creation you never want to go.” Phenex gave him an intense look.

  “I’ll remember that,” Micah said, his face a mask of worry.

  “Come on, you stubborn ass,” Ryland said and started to pull Phenex out of the room.

  “And where exactly are we going?” Phenex asked amused, his eyes full of mischief.

  Ryland gave him a smirk and leaned in close to whisper in his ear. “Aaron’s clinic down the hall so we can at least clean these wounds.” He pulled back and chuckled.

  “Still a tease, I see,” Phenex growled. The two left the room.

  Micah looked at Dante with a raised brow. “Well that was interesting,” he said in a knowing voice.

  Dante chuckled. “Do I hear a reunion in the near future?” Dante stood up and took Dare’s hand.

  “That would be a great thing,” Dare whispered and squeezed Dante’s hand.

  “And why is that, my love?”

  “The two of them together was beautiful. I had never seen two people more in love than the two of them. Not even my parents and they were head over heels over each other. It was a very sad day when those two walked away from each other,” he explained and then sighed heavily.

  “Maybe there’s something we can all do to make a reunion happen,” Micah said with an evil glint in his eye.

  “Oh no, Micah’s gonna play matchmaker.” Dante chuckled. Micah wiggled his eyebrows and they all laughed.

  * * * *

  “Why must you always be so stubborn?” Ryland asked with a hint of anger as he wrapped gauze around Phenex’s torso to bind his broken ribs.

  “I thought you liked when I was stubborn?” Phenex asked with a smirk as he stared at Ryland’s face. Ryland’s eyes snapped to his and his hands stopped what they were doing. He stared at Phenex for a moment and then sighed and looked down, continuing his task.

  “No, I don’t like when you are stubborn. Where the hell would you get an idea like that from?” Ryland asked with a smile in his voice.

  “I remember someone telling me how they loved my stubbornness,” Phenex said, lifting his chin and raising his head proudly.

  “Yes, I did, but that was when the stubbornness wasn’t being used against me,” he said happily and flicked his eyes up to Phenex’s quick, then looked down. “And that was a long time ago.” Phenex grunted his acknowledgement at what Ryland said. Ryland finished what he was doing and straightened, his eyes again locking with Phenex’s. They stood locked in each other’s gazes until Jesse walked into the room.

  “You went to the deepest pits of hell and didn’t tell me? What the hell?” Jesse said in frustration. Phenex gave him a smirk and raised a brow in question. “Yeah, yeah, I know, bad choice of words…anyway, are you all right?” he asked as he reached a hand out to lightly brush the shiner on Phen’s left eye.

  “Yes, Jesse. I am fine. No need to worry,” he answered softly. Ryland stepped away and began to clean up the small mess he had created.

  “Noah can heal. Isn’t there any way you can heal him, Ryland?” Jesse asked the fae king, but never took his eyes off Phenex.

  Ryland threw the papers away in the trash and turned toward Jesse. “I wish I could, but no. My powers are not strong enough to heal injuries given by those creatures,” he explained.

  “I don’t understand,” Jesse said and met Ryland’s gaze, then quickly looked away.

  Phenex cupped Jesse’s cheek and drew his attention to him. “It is part of the punishment in Tartarus. The wounds inflicted there must heal on their own. Lengthens the pain and suffering,” Phenex explained with a small smile.

  “But you are not part of Tartarus. Shouldn’t that count for something?” Jesse asked.

  “It does count for something, Jesse. But not in Tartarus. Exceptions cannot be made or the whole structure could break down and that wouldn’t be good for anyone.”

  “Still sucks,” he huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

  Phenex chuckled. “Yes, it does. But I’ll be fine in a few days, Jesse. I promise.”

  “You wouldn’t lie to me, would you?” Jesse questioned him as he narrowed his eyes at his father.

  “No,” Phenex said with a playful smile. “Cross my heart and hope to…” Jesse covered Phenex’s mouth with his hand, cutting him off.

  “Don’t even joke about that,” he admonished. He pulled his hand from Phenex’s mouth and hugged him. “I just wish there was something we could do to heal you so you didn’t have to suffer.” As the words came from his mouth, a bright light glowed between them and Phenex hissed in pain. Jesse released him and stepped back and the light faded. He stared at Phenex with wide eyes. “What was that?”

  “I don’t know, but I feel…better. Much better actually,” Phenex said in awe as he looked down at his body. The three watched as Phenex’s injures disappeared before their eyes.

  “Holy shit,” Jesse whispered and then looked to Ryland. “I thought you said these injuries couldn’t be healed like that?” Jesse asked with a growl of frustration.

  “He wasn’t lying, Jesse. There is nothing that should be able to heal injuries from Tartarus, except for time,” Phenex explained.

  “Then how?” Jesse asked.

  “I believe your powers of the Heart are stronger than we know,” Ryland said as he tentatively touched Phenex’s ribs where he had just bandaged. “I guess you won’t need this after all.” He began to pull the gauze from Phen’s body. Once his torso was revealed Ryland ran his hands over Phenex’s skin to check his ribs. Phenex’s heart began to pick up speed as his breath quickened. Ryland pulled back quickly as if his hands had touched fire. He straightened and stepped back. He cleared his throat and moved toward the door. “I’ll go inform my warriors about the Nephilim,” he said tightly and exited the room.

  Jesse stared at Phenex. “Something I should know?” he asked with a raised brow.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” Phenex answered but avoided eye contact with Jesse.

  “Uh-huh,” Jesse answered, totally unconvinced.

  * * * *

  Bailey prepared his customer’s order and then turned to the man at the counter. He handed him his bag and cup as he smiled at him. “Here you go. Is the anything else I can get you?”

  The man smiled back at him as he handed Bailey a ten-dollar bill. “No, this will be it, thanks. You can keep the change,” he said and turned away.

  “Thank you, and have a nice day,” Bailey called after him. The man stopped and turned back around and stepped up to the counter again.

  “Was there something else?” Bailey asked.

  “Actually, yes, there is,” the man said and looked around the café to see if anyone was listening to their conversation. Happy that no one seemed to be taking an interest in them, he turned back to face Bailey. “Have you ever heard of big large animals around these parts?”

  Bailey didn’t know why the man was asking, but he got a gut feeling that something wasn’t right. Bailey shook his head. “No, sir. The only large animals I know of around here are bears, maybe a wolf, but I haven’t seen any,” Bailey offered as nonchalantly as he could, as his gut twisted in knots. “Why do you ask?”

  The man stared at him for a moment then shook his head slightly. “No big deal. A friend of mine said there was good hunting around here and I haven’t seen anything yet,” he said and shrugged.

  “Oh, you’re a hunter?” Bailey asked and the man nodded. “I think your friend may have given you the wrong information. There is no hunting allowed in these parts.”
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  “Oh. Huh,” the guy said with a sigh, and looked like he was thinking. Bailey kept his eyes on the man, remembering every line and curve of his face. Once the man was out of sight, he would need to talk to his Alpha. There was something off about this guy. “That’s strange, isn’t it? A place like this surrounded by thousands of acres of threes and there is no hunting allowed. I also noticed there are no pets here. Usually when you go into a town there are people walking their dogs day and night. Yet I can’t remember seeing any.”

  Bailey gave him a confused look and shrugged his shoulders. “I never gave it much thought. I do know that the guy who owns most of this land loves animals, so maybe that’s why there’s no hunting, and I’m sure I have seen someone with a dog.”

  “Hmmm, oh well,” he said and took a step back. “I guess I’ll go farther on down the road. See if there’re public hunting grounds somewhere. Thanks for your help,” he said and raised his cup at Bailey, then strode from the café.

  Bailey watched him leave and turned away to clean the counters. He kept on eye on the window to see if the man actually did leave. Suddenly he noticed the guy step in front of the café and look at Bailey. Not another crazy loon. That’s all I need. He kept doing what he was doing. He didn’t want the guy getting suspicious and seeing him freak out and grab a phone. Bailey went about making coffee and adding pastries to the glass case. Finally after about twenty minutes, he noticed the man leave. He needed to talk to the Alpha. Something wasn’t right about all of this. “Hey, Gypsey,” he called into the back.

  “Yeah?” the voice from the kitchen came.

  “I need to go talk to the Alpha. Is it okay if I leave a little early?” Bailey asked and walked to the doorway of the kitchen.

  “Yeah, go ahead. Brenda should be in soon.”

  “Thanks, Gypsey, see you tomorrow,” Bailey said and hung up his apron. He grabbed his backpack and headed out the front door.

  As he stepped out onto the sidewalk, someone grabbed him around the waist from behind. Bailey let out a panicked squeal before he heard his mate’s husky laugh in his ear. He slapped Lexi’s hands away. “Damn it, Lexi, you scared the crap out of me,” he admonished and turned to face Lexi.