Speak Thy Name (The Nephilim Book 3)

by Dana Marie Bell

  She stared at him, gauging his sincerity. “Why? I mean, why was I the biggest fuck-up?” She felt like an idiot asking that question. Her cheeks heated and she turned her gaze back to her plate. She fiddled with the napkin in her lap, pleating it with shaking hands.

  Damien voice was soft when he replied, “Other than the fact that I had, and still have, a lingering affection for someone with blonde hair and soft blue eyes, in spite of the fact that I thought said blue eyes belonged to a thief? I have no idea.”

  “What?” Her eyes snapped back up to his. There was no way he was talking about… He couldn’t mean…

  He nodded, his gaze softening. “So. Want to go on another date?”

  “Yes!” She covered her mouth, hoping nothing disgusting had just flown out. “I mean, yes, please.”

  Damien smiled, looking satisfied, the blush slowly fading away. “Tomorrow night, then. I’ll pick you up at six thirty.”

  “I’d like that.” She was probably blushing so hard her ears were red, but she didn’t care. She had a date, a for-real date with Damien Wyatt. Even better, he’d trusted her enough to tell her about a lead on a bad guy.

  If things went the way she hoped they did, this might turn out to be one of the best days of her life.

  Chapter 8

  Damien dropped Sam off, standing in her doorway while she fidgeted with her keys. “I had a good time.” That was the truth. Watching her expressions change, the blushes, the sighs, was better than any movie he’d ever seen. Hell, it just made him wonder even more what she’d be like once he got her into bed.

  “Me, too.” She pushed her hair behind her ear and looked up at him, her shyness once more peeking through. God, she was adorable. He wanted to eat her right up. She’d be so sweet on his tongue. “Tomorrow night, right?”

  “I can’t wait.” Damien leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. He wouldn’t push things, not yet. Beth was right. Sam was both shy and a romantic, so he’d woo her slowly to his side before pouncing. He could be patient.

  He’d be dead from blue balls, but patiently dead.

  “Bye, Sam.” He took a step down, barely able to take his eyes off of her.

  “Bye.” Sam opened her door, gave him one sweet glance over her shoulder, and disappeared inside her tiny home. He could hear the dogs greeting her, making him smile. She had protectors he hadn’t even been aware of. He’d have to make sure her dogs accepted him, too. Anyone who loved their pets would want their partner to love them as much as they did.

  Damien finally turned away and headed home. Lunch had been less awkward than he’d thought it would be after his blow-up with Marcy. He couldn’t understand why Marcy had broken down on him. They’d been over for so long he couldn’t imagine why she’d thought they’d ever get back together. At least he could honestly say he’d never once lied to her.

  He didn’t think he’d ever see her again. No doubt she’d send someone else to speak to him when they had to do business together, and if she didn’t, he’d appoint an employee to work with her. He hated that there would be awkwardness between them, because he’d truly enjoyed her company. Perhaps, in time, they’d become true friends, but until that time came he’d do his best to avoid her.

  But Sam… Oh, Sam. She’d been a delight despite the blow-up with Marcy. She’d even confronted him about the fact that he’d fired her. That had taken courage for the quiet woman.

  While he’d believed her to be a thief, he couldn’t bring himself to act on his interest in her, but now that he knew the truth, he could be with her. He only wished he’d found out sooner who the real thief was. Sam had gone through hell because of Larry’s lies.

  That, too, had caused her to suffer. He’d seen the meager check from the temp agency on her side table, the grocery coupons piled up next to it. There was a rejected application for food stamps almost hidden by a magazine. Sam was struggling, had been struggling, ever since he’d fired her. He’d find some way to make it up to her, but first he had to win back her trust. Maybe he’d call his parents and ask for advice.

  Then again, maybe not. He was their only son, their youngest, and his dad especially tended to be a bit overprotective of him. His father was a Seris like Dante and would fry anyone who threatened his babies. If he told them the story they’d either want to grill Sam like a cheeseburger or french fry Larry.

  Probably both.

  He’d have to wait until he knew for sure that Sam was his. Then he’d call them and introduce her. They were going to love the sweet, innocent Sam he was coming to know. And that small, kittenish bite she’d had when she stood up to him would appeal to his mother even more than Sam’s romantic heart and loyal nature.

  Thank God they lived in Florida or they’d be on Sam’s doorstep already, demanding to meet their grand puppies. He was due to call them soon and update them on the search for Rafe. But not now. All he wanted to do now was sleep.

  He pulled into his driveway and hit the button to open his garage. He had a nice home in a very nice neighborhood, one he’d worked hard for. He’d hoped someday to start a family, training the next generation of Nephilim to fight alongside Gabriel. It was one of the reasons he’d bought this house. Almost five thousand square feet, it featured an open floor plan, five bedrooms, and a kitchen Dante had threatened to move into more than once.

  To Damien, it was simply home.

  He parked the car and got out, closing the garage door behind him as he made his way into his house. God, he was so tired he could barely walk. How he’d managed to hold a conversation with Sam, let alone drive, was a mystery. Dante would have hauled his ass to jail for being so irresponsible.

  Ugh. He didn’t even want to grab a drink. He took off his Aviator jacket and tossed it over the couch before heading upstairs to the master bedroom. He got undressed down to his underwear and flopped onto the bed, eager to get some sleep. He’d go into the office tomorrow. Salvatore would keep things running today. If he didn’t get any sleep he wouldn’t be of use to anyone, let alone his company.

  But as much as he tried, Damien found it impossible to go to sleep. The memory of Sam’s sad eyes kept him awake long after evening fell. Eventually he got out of bed, threw on a pair of workout shorts and headed for the basement. He kept a treadmill, a punching bag, a set of weights, and a yoga mat down there for days like this. Sometimes he’d have an idea, something that just wouldn’t let him sleep. He’d found working out followed by a hot shower would relax him enough to let the idea go. And if that didn’t work, he’d write it down until his brain shut up.

  But this wasn’t something he could write out, and punching the bag didn’t seem to help. He got on the treadmill and began running, trying to tire himself out, but still, all he could think about was Sam. About the way she’d smoothed her hair away from her cheek, the soft blond strands clinging to her porcelain skin. The way she’d smiled, her full, pink lips quirking upward shyly. She’d had a hard time meeting his eyes, her cheeks pink more often than not from embarrassment. She’d worn a soft blue sweater that matched her eyes, and blue jeans tucked into calf-high boots. She’d looked beautiful yet fragile, and the urge to protect her, to keep her safe, had been pretty damn strong. She’d just been so soft and innocent. Her gaze, when it did land on him, was filled with hope as well as pain.

  That hope, that willingness to look for a place to trust again, had made him damn near giddy with relief. Now all he had to worry about was whether or not she’d be afraid of his Nephilim side. Hearing about it and seeing it were two different things. He’d wanted to be the one to tell his lover about his other life, but Beth and Abby had beaten him to it. Now he’d have to show it to her and pray she didn’t run from him.

  Had the girls told Sam what kind of Neph he was? His powers weren’t as flashy as Seth’s or as dangerous as Dante’s. From what his friends said, his eyes turned an eerie pale blue when his powers were active, and of course, there was the strobe of blue light he emanated when searching for other angel
-born. Other than that, there was no sign he was anything other than a normal human. He couldn’t become a being made of pure flame, or grab a glowing sword from thin air.

  Maybe because of that he stood a better chance with her. He had the feeling she wasn’t the flashy type. He bet she loved sitting in a quiet corner reading a book, or sitting at her computer, either playing a game or working. Both Abby and Beth were more outgoing than his quiet, shy Sam. He smiled just thinking about her.

  He began to laugh at himself. This whole not-thinking thing wasn’t working out the way he’d hoped. He couldn’t get her out of his head. She’d haunted him since the first moment he saw her, back when she worked for him. He hadn’t hired her personally, but he’d caught sight of her around the office, her voice soft and friendly with everyone she met. Why he hadn’t seen that Larry was the liar and Sam the innocent one he’d question until his dying day. That she’d forgiven him was a miracle he wasn’t worthy of.

  He’d have to make their next date spectacular.

  He’d also arrange for someone to take his place on the hunt that night with Seth and Dante. He didn’t want that part of his life impacting her or their night together, but he couldn’t leave them hanging, either. With Rafe missing, they couldn’t afford to be down one man.

  Damien doubted taking Sam hunting for Shem could be considered romantic.

  His phone rang, distracting him from his thoughts. Since it was Gabriel’s ring tone, he had to answer. He got off the treadmill and raced for his phone. “Hello?”

  “Couldn’t sleep?”

  “No, sorry. Too busy thinking.” And not about what he should have been thinking about.

  “I wanted you to know, the Shem is awake and talking.” Gabriel spoke to someone in the background, probably one of their other brothers. “Sasha and Gio are here with me. They’re hoping the Shem will tell them whether or not Rafe is hurt.”

  Sasha Ilyovich and Giovanni Zucco were Rafe’s partners and the closest to the missing Neph. Both had been going nearly insane with the need to find Rafe and bring him home. “I’m not surprised. I’d do the same if Dante or Seth were missing.”

  Sasha, Gio, Rafe, Micah, and Zeke all lived with Gabriel. They’d known about the Shem, but had been forced to go to their day jobs, leaving Dante, Damien, and Seth with Gabriel. They’d been off patrol duty since Rafe disappeared, focusing instead on finding their missing brother. No doubt they were eager to question the Shem themselves.

  Micah worked with Gabriel as his second, the position taking up most of his time. He filled in when no one else was available, like the time he’d guarded Abby, Seth’s wife, from a stalker. Zeke and Piotr were partners, still waiting for their third. Perhaps it would be Eli, Seth’s brother. Perhaps not.

  “Let me grab a shower and I’ll be right there.” Damien turned off the treadmill and the lights, making sure none of the machines were powered before he began heading upstairs. He took a cool shower, trying to keep himself from crashing. Now that he wasn’t moving he was getting more and more sleepy. He’d have to keep himself from the very thing he’d been striving for not long ago: falling asleep.

  Out of the shower, he dried his hair, threw on a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and his warmest pair of boots. Grabbing his keys, wallet, and cell phone, he snagged his jacket off the back of the sofa and made his way to the garage.

  The drive to Gabriel’s would take him between fifteen and twenty minutes on the back roads. It was a cold night, making him shiver. He didn’t have time to let the car run long enough for the heater to kick in, so he had to suffer. Hopefully the cold would keep him awake. He’d have to sleep at Gabriel’s, because there was no way he’d be able to make the drive home.

  He put the car in gear and backed out of the driveway. Part of him was terrified over what the Shem would tell them. Would they find out that Rafael had been dead this whole time? No, that couldn’t be. Gabriel would have sensed the loss and wouldn’t have let them continue to search fruitlessly for him. Rafe was alive, and Damien had to believe he was too strong to turn Shem.

  Halfway to Gabriel’s, his phone rang. He pulled over and glanced at the caller ID. Seeing who it was, he immediately answered. “Hello? Sam?”

  By the time he hung up, he was racing off, terrified Sam would die before he could get to her.

  Chapter 9

  Sam cracked her knuckles and stared at her computer. She’d taken a nap after lunch, and she was raring to go. She was going to look up Armitage Computing and find out what was behind the facade of the spotless company.

  If Damien believed there was a rat, she’d dig it out, hold it up by its tail, examine its DNA, and make damn sure she was indeed holding a rat before she reported back to him. This wasn’t just her reputation on the line, but Damien’s faith in her. If she failed, he’d never believe in her again.

  He’d given her a chance to help, and she was going to do her best.

  “No distractions, guys.” She pointed at Precious and Donny.

  Precious gave a quiet snore. The pitty was close to the desk, fast asleep. Donny lay on top of her, sprawled out on her side. If Precious rolled over, Donny would be Chihuahua paste, but Precious hadn’t done so yet. She almost envied the bond they had, but she had the same one with her friends.

  Sam nodded at the dogs and turned back to her computer with the nervous jitters of a girl on prom night. She always got jittery right before doing this kind of work, and tonight it would be the kind that really bothered her. She was going in the illegal route, looking for back doors through their firewalls and trying not to get caught by their security measures.

  It was going to be a long, fun-filled night.

  Twenty minutes later, she pumped her fist in the air. “Yes!” She was through the firewall and so far she hadn’t been detected by security. But this was only the first layer. To peel back the next, she’d have to navigate the system and see who was doing what, all without triggering any alarms or leaving a trace of her presence behind.

  There was no magic box that would help her with this part, no switch she could flip to keep herself safe. It was her skill against an entire company’s, and while she was excellent at what she did, there was always someone out there who was better.

  Hopefully they weren’t at Armitage Computing.

  Sam rooted around in the system as delicately as she could. There were piles and piles of files there, most innocuous enough, some business deals that seemed on the shady end of the spectrum. None of them screamed “I’m a Shem!” at her, so she bypassed most of them, merely downloading them for later perusal.

  But there was one folder that caught her eye, one that had an odd file name along with an encryption she didn’t have the time to decode. She had to get out of the system soon. Every second she was there increased the risk of discovery and jail time. She grabbed the file and added it to the thumb drive she was planning on giving Damien. She’d decrypt it later, adding the decrypted file along with the original on the drive.

  Out of the corner of her eye she saw Donny, his ears perking up, staring at the front door. Precious was waking up, her gaze going for the front door as well. Something about their posture sent chills down her spine.

  The doorbell rang.

  Sam nearly screeched. She put her hand over her heart, hoping to calm its racing. Don’t panic. It’s probably someone trying to sell new siding for the house. She ignored it, figuring she could pretend she wasn’t home. There weren’t many lights on, since she’d started hacking while it was still light out.

  The doorbell rang again, and Donny let out a low, savage growl.

  More files were added to the thumb drive, but she was beginning to sweat. She was cutting it close, far closer than she would have liked, but she’d gotten into the CEO’s emails and private files. She was filling the thumb drive with everything she could get her cyber hands on, looting his data indiscriminately. A sense of dread was filling her.

  The doorbell rang a third time, the sound shri
ll and insistent. Precious stood, the hackles at her neck rising as she crowded up against Sam.

  Fuck. She needed to get out now, while she still could.

  She pulled out of the system as carefully as she’d entered, making sure to leave no traces behind. She’d bounced off of several routers, using her skills to make sure her own IP address wasn’t traceable, but the feeling of dread remained. In fact, it was worse now as she powered down her computer. Something was seriously wrong, and the sensation didn’t just come from her computer.

  It was coming from the front door.

  Now both dogs were standing, Precious near the front door, Donny by Sam. Donny was pulling on her pants leg, trying to move her from her seat. Precious was growling, the sound low and threatening, but with a thread of terror. They were afraid of something.

  Someone pounded on the front door, rocking it on its hinges.

  Suddenly suspecting who it might be, Sam grabbed her cell phone and slid her feet into her sneakers. Whoever was making her dogs go nuts was not someone she wanted to meet in a dark alley. She stood and headed for a window near the back of her house, gesturing for Precious and Donny to follow her. “Come,” she whispered, hoping not to be heard above the pounding at her door.

  If she lived through this, Beth was going to kill her. Her friend had always told her that her hacking ways would come back to bite her in the ass.

  Both dogs obeyed, but Donny once again pulled on her pant leg when she would have opened the window, whining anxiously. Precious was looking toward the front door, then back at her, then toward the front door again.

  She followed her dogs. It was said that animals had a keen sense for the things humans didn’t understand. Ghosts, goblins, call them what you will, but her dogs were responding and Sam wasn’t as much of a dreamer as her friends thought. She followed them, using their instincts to guide her.