Speak Thy Name (The Nephilim Book 3)

by Dana Marie Bell

  “Come on, brother. I’ve got you.” Gio lifted Damien into his arms.

  Damien continued to whisper, to give to his brothers. He had to keep them alive until Gio got them to Gabriel. Gabriel would save them.

  They hadn’t saved those on the tables. Those poor bastards had died in the explosion. The whole mission had been botched. None of them had considered that a bomb would have been planted there, but in hindsight it made a twisted sort of sense. It was the best way to get rid of evidence, by burning the place down. When the bodies were found the police might consider them squatters living in the abandoned factory.

  Might. If not, rumors would spread of body snatchers, organ thieves, and vampires. None of them needed the shit storm that would develop in the wake of such rumors. The area would be flooded with goth “vampires”, ghost hunters, and conspiracy theorists.

  Damien closed his eyes, no longer able to speak. The brightness still glowed behind his eyelids, lighting his way into the dark as a tortured slumber took him.

  Chapter 30

  “Will he be all right?” Sam sat in front of the door to Damien’s bedroom, where Gabriel was working on saving Damien’s life.

  “I hope so.” Rafael, who had also been injured in the explosion, was leaning against the wall. He’d been healing the others all day, but had finally come to check on Damien. The fact that Gabriel had healed Rafael and then immediately taken Damien and sequestered him in his bedroom scared the hell out of Sam. They’d been in Damien’s room ever since, the door locked as the angel struggled to keep Damien alive. “He saved us all.”

  She’d been hearing versions of that ever since Gio drove the van up to the front door of Gabriel’s mansion. Somehow, Gabriel had known the mission had not gone well, but he’d kept the details from her. Hell, she had no idea if Gabriel had enough of a connection with the men to perceive the details, but he’d been well aware that all of the Nephilim had been injured during the raid. “He’s a hero.”

  “He’d better be a goddamn living hero,” Rafael muttered.

  “Do you think any of the Shem got out alive?” Because if they had, Sam was tempted to hunt them down herself.

  “I don’t know. It was a cluster fuck in there, bricks and dust and smoke, plus the fire. If any were still in there I think Damien or Gio would have finished them off.” Rafe sighed and pushed away from the wall. “Why don’t you come downstairs and get something to eat? Damien would be pissed if he knew you weren’t taking care of yourself. Sasha’s making brownies.”

  Aw crap. Damien had promised her brownies. It seemed like a lifetime ago. If she could cry she would, but she battled that back, refusing to be anything but positive for the man behind the door. He’d come through even if she had to hack into the afterlife to pull his soul back. “I’ll come downstairs once I know he’ll live.” Sam wasn’t budging, not one tiny inch. She’d been keeping vigil outside his room since he’d been brought home. Sometimes Precious curled up next to her, sometimes Donny crawled into her lap, but both of them were always somewhere nearby. Her pets weren’t going anywhere, either. Rafe was the first of the brothers to come upstairs and check on her, but she doubted that he’d be the last. All of them, every single one of his brothers, was downstairs, talking quietly. When Damien’s name was spoken the love they held for him was there. They, too, kept vigil over her man. “Go on down. Rest, you’ve earned it. I’ll stay up here with them.”

  Rafe nodded slowly. “All right, Sam.” He bent and scratched Precious between the ears. “Just be aware that none of us are sleeping until we’re told he’s okay.”

  “Thanks, but you don’t need to do that.” It was already late, nearly four in the morning, and their mission had ended almost twelve hours ago. “Get some sleep. You’ll need it, whether he’s out of the woods or not.”

  Rafe left quietly, but he was muttering about hell freezing over before he’d sleep. They were all worried about Damien, but none of them could truly understand how destroyed she felt. She’d gone through hell to earn his trust. Nothing could happen to him now, not when their life was just about to start.

  “He’ll live. He’s too stubborn to die.”

  Sam almost laughed, but Beth’s tone told her the tough-as-nails PI was shaken by Damien’s injuries. “Bringing back bad memories?”

  Dante had been shot in the line of duty in the early days of his relationship with Beth. This had to be hard on her.

  Huh. Maybe someone did understand what she was going through after all.

  “Yeah.” Beth slid down the wall next to her, pausing only long enough to pick up Don Pablo and plop the Chihuahua in her lap. “It won’t get any easier, you know.”

  Sam nodded. Being married to a cop who was also a Neph had to tear at Beth some days. “One day he’ll retire and train the next generation. So will Dante.”

  Beth made a disgusted noise. “And my ass will stay the same size forever. No. Dante will never give this up, so neither will I.”

  At that moment, Sam understood exactly what Beth was going through. Damien would never give up, not when his voice could heal or save others out there who’d been taken by the Shem. “We’ll make him retire.”

  “Make who retire?” Abby sat next to them, three mugs held precariously in her hands. “Here. This one’s yours.” She leaned over Sam to hand Beth her mug. “And this one is yours.” Abby gave her a mug. From the smell, she’d fixed it just the way Sam liked it.

  “You need to go rest, little mama.” Sam put her head on Abby’s shoulder. Her friends were awesome to be worried about her, but they needed to let her focus on Damien. Happy thoughts, Sammie. That’s what will pull him through this.

  “You aren’t the only one worried about Damien. He’s one of Seth’s best friends, remember?” Abby stared at the bedroom door. “Any word from Gabriel?”

  “No, so I’m thinking happy thoughts.” Sam shrugged when Beth rolled her eyes. “We’re dealing with the descendants of angels here. You think positive thoughts couldn’t help heal him?”

  “We could all clap our hands and declare we do believe in angels,” Abby added with a weary grin. The bags under her eyes had bags.

  “You two are crazy.” Beth put her head back against the wall with a thud. “But the good kind of crazy.” She pushed herself to her feet. “I’m going to tell the others that they need to start thinking positive thoughts. Maybe we’ll start trading stories of Damien, good ones that will make us laugh.”

  “Good idea. I’ll sit with Sam, keep her positive. You work on the others.” Abby’s eyes narrowed. “And no fighting with Dante, no matter how much the sex rocks when you make up.”

  Sam giggled, laughing for the first time since Damien had left on this god-forsaken mission.

  “But Ma!” Beth whined, laughing as she headed down the stairs.

  “Happy thoughts, happy thoughts. Hmm. I know!” Abby’s face lit up. “Wanna come over for dinner Saturday? Just you, me, Damien, Seth, Rose, Trish, Bill…”

  “Just a little get-together?” Sam was smiling, thinking of Abby’s brother and sister-in-law. She’d only met them once, at the wedding of Seth and Abby, but they’d been a lot of fun.

  “Yup. Maybe we’ll invite Beth and Dante, if they’re good.”

  “Then you won’t be inviting them anytime this century,” Sam replied, her smile growing wider. She had the best friends in the world, and that included the men downstairs.

  “You know, I didn’t meet Damien for the longest time,” Abby muttered quietly as she stared at the door leading to him. “I’d heard all about him from Seth, though. Seth called him Dante’s best friend.”

  “He is.” The bond Dante and Damien had was strong. She smiled, thinking of the two. The best of happy thoughts to her were family, and the two men were definitely that. “Brothers from another mother.”

  “Exactly. I think that’s why they call each other brother, even if it’s not by blood.” Abby shifted and sipped her coffee. “Brothers in arms, shortened to brothers.�
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  “That, too.” Sam took a drink of her own coffee, moaning at the taste. “Mm, mocha.”

  “Like I would forget.” Abby looked up, smiling. “Seth.”

  “Hey, baby.” Seth gently kissed his wife. “Go to bed. Rose will need you soon.”

  Abby sighed and stood. “You’re right. Keep Sam company? She shouldn’t be alone.”

  “I will. I’ll tell her every horrible story of Damien I know.” Seth took Abby’s place. “Gimme dat coffee, woman.”

  Abby shook her head but handed over the mug. “Good night, guys.” She blew Seth a kiss and sauntered off, Seth’s gaze glued to her until she disappeared around a corner. “So. Wanna hear some stories?” He waggled his brows and, in a sing-song voice, taunted, “I’ve got some good ones.”

  “Yes, please.” Sam gave him her best, Don Pablo-inspired puppy eyes. Anything to keep her mind on Damien being healthy, happy, and whole again.

  Seth’s grin was wicked. “Damien sometimes films us as we fight. Says he likes to see what went wrong, what went right, that sort of thing. Truth is, I think he likes to film us looking like asses.”

  “What do you mean?” Sam could just imagine the shenanigans the three had gotten into over the years.

  “One time we were fighting a Shem Seris, a fire user like Dante. Usually, Dante can go toe to toe with those guys without breaking a sweat, but this time the Shem landed a really good shot. See, he managed to set Dante’s crotch on fire.”

  Sam’s eyes went wide. “Oh.”

  “Yeah, oh. Dante started dancing around because his balls were literally on fire..”

  Sam could just picture it, Dante jerking around, patting at his crotch and trying to keep his balls from becoming deep fried hush puppies.

  “He couldn’t concentrate enough to douse it,” Seth continued. “Luckily, there was a puddle nearby…” Seth’s voice trailed off, and he looked at her expectantly.

  Sam’s eyes went wide as the image popped into her head. “He looked like he was fucking the street, didn’t he?”

  “Big time. Porno quality. We were so stunned that the Shem got away from us.”

  “Oops.”

  “Yeah, we got reamed for that once Gabriel saw the video.”

  She nearly choked on her tongue. “Uh-oh.”

  “There was popcorn and M&Ms and lots of soda, and we sat and watched the video on Gabriel’s huge sectional sofa in the family room. Dante didn’t speak to him for a week.” His voice was full of fond reminiscence. “Man, I love that seventy-two-inch TV.”

  “He loves you guys.” It was obvious in everything Damien did, even when he videotaped their screw-ups. The only people you could truly screw with was family, and Damien’s was among the best. If his parents were even half as awesome as these men she was going to adopt them.

  “Yeah, he does, and we love him. He’s one of the best men I know, even if he can be a stubborn bastard.” He glanced at Sam out of the corner of his eye. “But you know that better than any of us, don’t you?”

  “I think I do.” She turned back toward the door, wishing with all her might that Gabriel would come out and tell her that Damien was going to be just fine.

  “He was really sorry, you know.” Seth leaned his head against her shoulder, startling her. “But he wuvs you.”

  Sam chuckled wearily. “Yeah. He’s apologized a million times and made it clear he trusts me now.” She patted Seth’s leg. “So don’t you worry that I’m going to hurt him, okay?”

  “I was more worried that he’d hurt you.” Seth lifted his head and stared at her. “But he hasn’t, has he?”

  She shook her head. “No, he’s been a good boy.”

  Precious lifted her head and stared at Donny as if wondering what the Chihuahua had done that Precious hadn’t.

  Sam laughed. “Silly pup.” She petted Precious’s head and scratched her ears. “Maybe not Don Pablo good, but yeah, Damien has proven himself to me.” She turned her gaze back to the door, all her worries about Damien’s health roaring to the front of her mind once more. “I’m worried he’s going to have permanent damage, Seth.”

  “So am I, but whatever he gets, however he winds up, we’ll be there for him.” Seth wiggled a bit. “This floor is hard.”

  “My butt fell asleep hours ago.” Sam was going to hurt when she stood. It would be nothing compared to what Damien was going through.

  “Want to hear—” Seth broke off when the door to Damien’s room abruptly opened.

  An exhausted looking Gabriel stepped out. Sam could make out some sort of light surrounding Damien, a light that had a distinctive, now familiar, blue tinge. “He’s asking for you, Sam.”

  Sam almost fell right back on her ass when she struggled to stand. She pushed past Gabriel and into the bedroom, crawling onto the bed where Damien lay still and pale, surrounded by that blue light. “Hey, sleeping beauty.”

  He smiled at her and opened his mouth.

  “No, Damien. No speaking for at least twenty-four hours.” Gabriel’s tone was weary but firm. “You need to allow your voice to recover.”

  Damien looked at his leader and nodded, then returned his attention once more to Sam. He lifted a shaking hand to her cheek, stroking her skin with shaking fingers. His gaze was filled with…

  Oh. Now she could say it back, show him that no matter what she would be by his side. Sam kissed his cheek. “Shh. I love you, too, Damien Wyatt, and nothing will change that. So rest, get better, and then I can kick your ass for getting hurt.”

  When he started to laugh a vicious cough overtook him. His whole body curled in on itself as he turned on his side, facing Sam. Ow, he mouthed.

  She stroked his hair, the blue light warm to the touch as she penetrated it. It enveloped them both, reaching for her as if it was Damien’s own light. “Wait. Is this you?”

  He nodded and shrugged at the same time.

  “Part him, part me.” Gabriel smiled at them. “Sleep, children. There will be time enough tomorrow to celebrate.” He left the room, closing the door softly behind him. Through the door came the sound of the angel speaking to Seth, and Seth’s loud whoop of joy.

  “They love you, you know.”

  He nodded and made the symbol of a heart with his hands just as Donny leapt on the bed. The Chihuahua jumped at the sight of the blue light, his nose quivering as he sniffed at it. Deciding it wasn’t a threat, Donny hop-jumped his way across the bed and Sam before lying down in front of Damien, his head toward the door, his ears perked up. He sighed and immediately went to sleep.

  “Get used to that,” Sam chuckled. “He loves to sleep on the bed with me.” She glanced down the bed and, sure enough, Precious was sleeping near the door. Her head, too, was facing it, as if prepared to ward off any threat to her humans. “It seems we all love you.”

  He smiled and pointed to one of the end tables, the one closest to her.

  “You need something from in there?”

  He nodded, looking relieved.

  “Okay.” She crawled off the bed, much to Donny’s disgust. He grunted and wiggled right into the spot she’d left.

  Damien frowned and moved the Chihuahua back to where he’d been. Donny shot him a betrayed look but settled down, watching them both through big brown eyes.

  Sam sat on the edge of the bed and opened the end table drawer. There wasn’t much in there, just some condoms, lube, a TV remote and…

  And…

  She held up the jewelry box, just the right size for a ring. “Damien?” She turned to him and held it up. “What is this?”

  He gestured for her to come closer.

  Sam closed the drawer and took her place back at his side.

  Damien took the box, opened it, and slipped out a diamond engagement ring. He slid it on her finger before she could get a good look at it. He looked supremely happy with himself as he kissed her fingers, right below the ring.

  “Are you asking me to marry you?”

  He nodded, still looking happy.
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  “What if I said no?”

  He looked shocked, then hurt beyond words.

  “I’m not, though. I mean, damn. I’m messing this up.” Sam lifted her hand, heavier now with a rock the size of Gibraltar on it, to his face. “I love it, I love you, and I’d love to be your wife, Damien.” She frowned. “But I’m still working at Romanov, so don’t even think about arguing me out of it.”

  He almost laughed again, but stopped before he could hurt himself. Instead he nodded, kissed her hand again, and tugged her close, careful not to squish Donny. He kissed her, the gentle warmth and sweet passion showing her far more than any ring could.

  Damien certainly had a way with more than just words.

  Epilogue

  Damien sat with his arm around Sam and stared at the rest of his brothers. “So now what?” His voice was still hoarse and raspy, but Gabriel assured him that it would soon return to normal. It would take about two to three weeks, and until then he was off-duty.

  He’d burned his vocal cords by speaking the angelic tongue for so long, and nearly burned out his retinas by using his sight for even longer. Worse, there’d been some scratching to his corneas that Gabriel had been forced to repair lest there be permanent blind spots in his vision. Add in the smoke and brick dust inhalation, and Gabriel had warned him that he was lucky to be alive. Damien would be completely back to normal in about a month, leaving Dante and Seth short a man but grateful Damien was still around.

  He hugged Sam tighter, admiring the diamond ring he’d placed on her finger the night he’d been injured.

  Hell, he could hardly believe she’d said yes to his fumbling attempt to be suave. He should have waited, given her the words she’d needed, but she’d understood what he wasn’t capable of saying out loud. She’d seen his heart. What more could he ask for? His Sammie was one in a million, and even her name was precious to him. Hell, he’d had the inside of his wedding ring engraved with her name over and over again, the letters swirling around each other. He couldn’t wait to show it to her on their wedding day.