Nate stared at Gio, trembling in fear. “Gio is a funny name.”
Gio smiled. “It’s short for Giovanni. Is yours short for Nathan?”
Nate shook his head. “Na’taniel.”
Gio held out his hand. “Okay, Nathaniel. Let’s go get the singing man.”
Sasha picked up Elsa. “I’m going to protect you from the scary basement, okay?”
The two took the children, leaving Damien alone on the stairs. He didn’t hear the children cry out, so the two must have hidden the bodies somewhere where the kids wouldn’t see them.
Damien sat on the steps. He’d have to wait here, alone, until they could help him back to the car. He could handle it.
He just hoped Rafael wasn’t too badly hurt.
“Damien.”
He turned. In Gio’s arms was the shape of a man, his light barely there. “Shit. He’s dying, Gio.”
Gio nodded. “Wait here. I’ll bring the car around.”
Of course he would. “Take the kids with you. Sasha, go with him. I’m fine.” He stood, swaying as reality and the shadows superimposed over one another. “I’ll wait on the front porch.”
He made his way down the steps, following the others out of the house. He plopped down on one of the steps and patiently waited, smiling as he heard Sasha answering an endless stream of questions from the two children who would soon become his brand new sister and brother.
Chapter 15
Zeke had been quiet all night, surprising her, but he took his job seriously. His gaze never left the monitors, even when he popped M&Ms in his mouth one by one. She watched with him, occasionally turning some music on to relieve the silence in the room. Zeke didn’t protest, but he did lower the volume whenever something came on the monitors.
So far they’d seen a fox playing in the backyard, Gabriel taking her dogs out for a poop, and an owl swooping onto the top of Gabriel’s gazebo.
“Bored.” She threw a piece of candy in the air, catching it in her mouth. She eyed the only computer in the room with Internet access.
“No.” Zeke’s tone was final.
“But—”
“No.”
She blew out a frustrated breath. Dear God, could anything be more boring than this? She understood the need for security, especially here, but she just wasn’t suited to sitting still with nothing to do. Perhaps she could relieve the boredom with a simple game? “I spy with my little eye—”
“Nopeville.”
She stared at him, but he didn’t take his eyes off the screen. She rolled her eyes and turned her gaze to the computer with outside access. Her fingers twitched, eager to see if she had any work to do. “Can’t I just—”
“Not without Damien’s permission.” He took his gaze off of the monitor long enough to give her a sympathetic glance. “This isn’t the kind of job for everyone, so I’ll make sure you’re not stuck on it again, okay?”
Now that made her feel bad. “I’m sorry, Zeke.”
“Don’t be. I couldn’t have done what you did. All that time searching through the emails, not to mention breaking into Armitage Computing?” He shuddered. “No thanks. I change tapes and monitor the night cams for movement, but that’s it.”
“You’d rather be in the field, doing things.”
He nodded. “Yeah. I understand why Gio and Sasha went with Damien tonight, but I wish I’d gone, too.”
When Zeke reached for the volume button for the fourth time that night, she expected to see something in the backyard once more. But Zeke motioned to the front door monitors. “They’re back.”
She stood, almost knocking over her chair. “Let’s go.”
“Can’t. Go, give me a report later.” Zeke smiled wanly. “Someone has to watch the monitors, and tonight that’s me.”
“Thank you!” She raced out of the room, desperate to see Damien again. From the brief glimpse she’d gotten, Gio and Sasha were both helping grown men up the stairs while two children trailed after them.
She nearly beat Gabriel to the front door. For once, the serene expression on Gabriel’s face was gone. In its place was concern, even a touch of fear. She took a step back, allowing Gabriel to open the door.
Once she saw Damien being held up by Sasha, she raced past Gabriel. “Damien!”
“I’m okay, just woozy.” His eyes widened as he looked at her. “Wow. You’re so bright.”
“Huh?” He was the one with the bright eyes. The deep blue she so loved was now a pale, glowing icy blue, startling her. They were actually glowing, too, matching headlights in his pale face. She helped Sasha carry Damien to the sofa as Gabriel took the man who must be Rafe from Gio. “You saved Rafe?”
“Thanks to you.” Damien closed his eyes and put his head on her shoulder. “I don’t know where or how hurt he is, but I think he’s near death, Sam. His light has dimmed.”
Gabriel quickly carried Rafe off, ignoring everyone else.
“We’re going to take the kids upstairs and get them settled for the night, Damien.” Sasha picked up a small boy who was rubbing his eyes and yawning.
“You want your own room, princess, or do you want to room with your brother?” Gio picked up a little girl who was scowling at everyone while trying to hide her own yawns.
“My brother.” The girl put her head down on Gio’s shoulder.
“You got it.” Gio headed for the stairs. “Night, Damien. Sam, take care of him.”
“Good night, guys.” Damien waved wearily.
“What happened?” Sam kept her voice low. She didn’t want to disturb Damien, but she was dying to find out how they’d rescued Rafe and whether or not Damien needed anything other than a shoulder to lean on.
“I followed the…” He scowled. “I’m not sure how to explain this.”
“I’ll wait while you figure it out.” She started stroking his forehead. The poor man looked exhausted. There were dark circles under his curiously glowing eyes, and his shoulders were slumped. Damien leaned heavily against her, snuggling close.
His power must take a lot out of him, because he’d napped before he left and now he looked like he hadn’t slept in at least three days.
He sighed, the scowl slowly disappearing. “You have forever to stop doing that.”
Sam continued to rub his forehead, patiently waiting for him to speak again. This close to him, the scent of his skin, his hair, and feel his breath on her breasts made her want to hold him even closer, preferably naked. She tried desperately not to react when his hand landed on her thigh, an intimate touch that went nowhere. He didn’t move his hand, just let it sit there, warming her. It was a brand, as if he was setting his claim on her, and she couldn’t find it in her to ask him to move. She didn’t want him to. She wanted to be claimed by him, but she wasn’t sure how to tell him so.
“Shem give off a certain aura, a scent and a fog that’s…” He grunted. “It’s this thick green miasma only other angel-born can see and smell.” Damien grimaced. “We call it their stench, because there’s this odor that accompanies them, like rotten food or spoiled eggs.”
“Ew.” Sam wrinkled her nose.
“The place was saturated with it, so much so I couldn’t see into the building. We had to go in to see who was there. While Gio and Sasha took care of the first floor, I went to the second and found the kids.”
“Are they Shem, too?” She couldn’t imagine such innocent-looking children being hungry little Shem.
“Yes and no. They’re too young to hunt and feed, so they can be saved. But they were born to Shem parents and lived in the stench for so long the little boy’s belly hurt from Shem hunger. I think Gabriel is their best hope for not turning fully Shem. They have the chance to become true Nephilim now.”
“So you not only saved Rafe, you saved two kids.” She’d known he was a superhero, even if he didn’t believe it himself.
He grunted. “There was no hope for their parents. They were lost years ago.”
“But there’s hope for them, and that’s all you
could do.” She started as Micah came thundering down the stairs, racing toward where Gabriel had disappeared with Rafe. “Does Gabriel need our help?”
Damien shook his head wearily. “That’s what Micah’s doing. He’ll help Gabriel, maybe even take on some of the healing himself.”
She bit her lip. “You seem really tired. Are you ready to go to bed?”
He smiled. “Are you propositioning me, Ms. Brody?”
Sam smacked his forehead. They’d only gone on one non-date he insisted was a date. No way she’d ask him to her room so soon.
“Ow.” He sat up, rubbing the faint red mark she’d left behind. “No, not yet. It’s going to take a little bit longer for my vision to return to normal.”
“Okay. Want me to keep you company?”
He leaned his head wearily against the back of the sofa. “Yes, please.” He took hold of her hand. “Anything happen while we were gone?”
“Nothing major, unless you count some foxes playing in the backyard important.” She eyed him sideways. “Zeke only flirted with me twice.”
His grip on her hand tightened. “Oh?”
She blushed furiously. She was going to go to hell with the lies she was telling. “Yup.”
“Did you tell him I’d kick his ass if he kept it up?”
She stared at him in shock. “No. Why would I?”
He started to laugh. “Why would you?” His tone was self-mocking, bittersweet almost. He turned to face her, the pale blue now a deep cornflower blue. He’d said it would be a while before he saw correctly again. His eyes were darkening back to his natural sapphire. “You want to find out why you should?”
She nodded, unable to look away from his strange, hypnotic eyes.
“This.” He leaned forward, taking her mouth in a ruthless, possessive kiss that left her senses reeling. The taste of him overwhelmed her, his scent filling her. His hands cupped her face, his fingers slowly threading through her hair. She whimpered when he started to pull away, throwing her arms around his neck. She pulled him closer, kissing him back, practically begging him to keep going.
He moved his hands from her face to her waist, taking charge once again. The kiss changed from possessive to sensual, drugging her with desire.
The kiss went on and on. She couldn’t tell if it had been hours or minutes since his lips met hers, and she didn’t care. When his lips left hers she could barely catch her breath.
His hands clenched, gathering the back of her shirt in his fists. “I don’t want to go any further than this. I don’t want to scare you off.”
Damien’s eyes were finally back to normal, the beautiful sapphire so dark it was almost navy blue. “There you are.” She smiled and touched just beside his eye. “Can you see again?”
He nodded. “You’re not afraid of what I am?”
“No. Not even a little.” She frowned, thinking about him out in the night, fighting monsters. “I’m afraid for you.”
His expression softened. “I want to learn everything about you. What your favorite color is, what you like to drink in the mornings, what it’s like to wake up next to you.”
Her cheeks heated up. “Gray, coffee with sugar and half and half, and I have no idea other than the dogs like to wake me up. Apparently from the number of times I get licked I taste good.” Oh, now her cheeks were really heating up. “I mean I’m salty.” Damn it, stupid mouth. She hid her face in her hands. “Kill me now.”
He took her hands from her face. “Why gray?”
She glanced up at him through her lashes, only to find him studying her with curiosity rather than… Well, rather than the laughter she’d expected. She lifted her head, hoping he would just let the whole salty thing go. “Don’t laugh.”
He nodded. “I promise.”
She huffed out a breath. “I like that there are so many different shades. I can do a blue-based gray in my office, a green-based one in my kitchen, and a neutral gray in the hallway, and they all fit together.”
Sam could tell by the way his lips trembled that he wanted desperately to laugh. “So you like all fifty shades, huh?”
She whacked him with a pillow, and that was when he lost it. It was good to hear him laugh after the horrors he’d been through.
“Hmph.” She crossed her arms, pretending to be miffed.
Damien kissed the side of her neck, totally ruining her intended vibe. “Thank you for trying to distract me, but it’s not working.” When she turned to apologize, he held up his hand. “No, don’t. It was sweet of you, but between those poor kids and Rafe, I think I’m going to be up for a long time tonight.”
“Want company?” She smiled wanly. “We could play Go Fish.”
He chuckled. “You’re always surprising me.”
“I have to keep you on your toes,” she replied. “But I mean it. I’ll stay up all night if you need me.”
“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” He caressed her cheek, smiling affectionately. “I just want to make sure Rafe is stable before I go up.”
“Then I’ll definitely wait with you.” She patted his thigh before standing. “Come on. Zeke wants an update, and then you and I have a date with a deck of cards.”
“Does this count as our third date?” Damien followed her, his hand landing on the small of her back, warm and reassuring.
“When was our second?”
“Breakfast, remember?” Damien tugged at her shirt.
“Oh. Right.” She ducked her head, aware she was beginning to blush. “Maybe this could be our third.”
“Good.” His soft, predatory purr sent a shiver down her spine.
They entered the office where Zeke was monitoring the video feed. Zeke turned at their entrance, his expression strained. “Well?”
Damien spoke, his arm going around Sam’s waist. “Rafe’s alive, barely. Gabriel and Micah are working on him now.”
Zeke sighed in relief. “Good. That’s really good.” He glanced between the two of them. “And the rugrats?”
“Shem kids.” Damien sat on the chair next to Zeke, pulling Sam into his lap. Sam didn’t resist. If Damien wanted to stake a claim in front of his brothers she wasn’t about to complain. “We hope we can save them. They haven’t fed yet, and they’re still very young, no older than four, I think.”
Zeke nodded. “Then I’m sure we can turn them.” He glanced at Sam. “We’re going to have to find homes for them, too. They may not be able to stay here with Gabriel. I’m not sure he even knows what to do with people under three feet tall.”
Sam’s heart started to pound. “Why are you staring at me?”
“You’re a girl. You know what to do with short people, right?”
Damien started silently laughing, jiggling her unintentionally.
Panicking, she stood. “I’m sorry. I have no idea what to do with kids. I was an only child. Feed them mac and cheese? Hot dogs? Make them take baths? I don’t know. Just don’t let them poop on the floors.”
Zeke shook his head. “You’re thinking of your dogs.”
“They’re short people!” Sam threw up her hands. It was a good thing she was standing, because Damien was now howling with laughter.
“Not helping.” Sam shook her head. “Can we go play cards now?”
She had to wait until Damien was done laughing, but eventually she got him to herself again. They spent a pleasant hour or two playing simple games and chatting quietly. It was the best time she’d had in a long time. The more they talked, the more comfortable she became with him.
This could work. It really could. Not once since they’d talked while going through the emails had she wanted to bring up their past. Oh, she had no doubts it would happen. At some point or another he’d say or do something and she’d get mad and fight with him. He was right about that. But…right now she couldn’t think of a single thing she’d rather be doing than spending time with him. Not even sex.
And man, she was really beginning to want that with him, but the closeness they were
building was far more important to her. She wanted more than just a fling, she wanted forever.
She just hoped Damien was on the same page she was, or things would get really awkward.
It was still dark out when a weary Gabriel came into the living room. “He’s stable. Hopefully he’ll wake in the morning.”
“Thank God.” Damien rose, tossing his cards to the table. “I can sleep now.”
Gabriel put his hand on Damien’s shoulder. “Go rest. I’ll do the same. Micah is watching over him. I’ll wake you when Rafael is ready to talk to us.”
Sam was smiling as she watched Damien. He seemed so relieved, so happy to have Rafael back that she wanted to dance him around the room, just to let that joy out.
“I’ll let Zeke know. The others are sleeping, so I’ll speak with them when they wake.” Gabriel smiled at Sam. “Thank you for taking care of Damien.”
Damien turned his gaze on her. “Yes. Thank you, Sam.”
The low, husky tone made her want to squirm with desire. “You’re welcome.”
Damien’s expression was knowing, but he turned to Gabriel rather than mention Sam’s obvious discomfort. “We’re going to head up now. You’ll get me if anything changes with Rafe, right?”
“I promise.” Gabriel turned Damien and pushed him toward the stairs. “Get some rest, my son. All will be better in the morning.”
Sam followed Damien up, also more than ready to get some sleep. She paused outside her door, peeking inside to see both her dogs curled up at the foot of the bed, snoring away. Thank goodness someone was taking care of them, because she’d been way too distracted to do so. “Good night, Damien.”
Damien cupped her face in his hands and gave her a sweet, toe-curling kiss. “Good night, Sam.”
He was halfway down the hallway before she could do anything more than open her eyes. She touched her lips in wonder as she entered her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
“God, please let this work out,” she whispered quietly. She’d never felt anything close to what she did when Damien touched her, kissed her. Losing him now, when she’d sensed his affection and tasted his passion, would surely kill her.
Speak Thy Name (The Nephilim Book 3) Page 14
