The Final Countdown [Beyond the Angel Pack 5] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove)

by Maggie Walsh

  “It hurt. It made you think he didn’t love you or care about you like you thought he did,” Dante finished his thoughts.

  Thad nodded as a sob escaped. “I didn’t realize then that what he was doing was exactly what I was doing. I couldn’t ask him to give up his life here for me and risk him resenting me, and he couldn’t ask me to stay and have me end up maybe resenting him. Now that I have found him again, I don’t want to ever let him go. I don’t want that life, Dante. I want him. I love him. I never stopped loving him. I may have been out there in the world, but not a day went by that I didn’t think of him, miss him, or crave to have him by my side. And now he doesn’t believe me. I want you to change me so that he’ll know that I want him. That I am finally ready to be his and be by his side, for always.”

  “You don’t need to be changed for any of that, Thaddeus. Paranormals can mate with humans or any other species. You don’t need to be one of us for Nicco to claim you. But I do think you need to tell him everything you just told me. I can’t promise that it will change anything, but it can’t hurt. And something tells me that even though Nicco had that spell put on him, now that you’re here, he may start having a hard time staying away.”

  Thad ran his hands through his hair. “If only he would talk to me. I tried. I was willing to say all of that to him. To beg if I had to, but he wouldn’t listen. Gods, I just wish he would listen to me. I wish he would forgive me and take me back. I miss him so fucking much that I can’t breathe most of the time. I wish Nikolai wanted me again.”

  A crackling noise sounded from one of the corners and began to get louder. Thad and Dante looked at where it was coming from. Suddenly there was a loud pop, and a man stood there. Dante jumped from his seat and ran around the desk to stand between the stranger and Thad.

  “Who are you and how did you get in here?” Dante demanded in a voice so fierce and deadly, even Thad was scared.

  The man smiled and placed his palms together over his chest, elbows out, and nodded as he replied. “I am Nobin, and I have come for my brother.”

  Thad stood and craned his neck around to look at the man. He was wearing a silky pastel blue, strange-looking dress that went down to his knees, like the kind he had seen men from the Middle East wear with fancy jewels around the neck, down the front, and on the cuffs, with white pants underneath and a white silken scarf draped over his neck hanging down the front. He also wore a lot of golden necklaces around his neck and rings on his fingers, as well as his bare toes. Nobin was about five feet seven, maybe a hundred and sixty pounds, with olive skin, and long chestnut-brown hair. When he looked up and their gazes met, Thaddeus gasped when he saw that Nobin had silver eyes.

  “Who is your brother?” Dante asked.

  Nobin smiled at him as he said, “Eakul.”

  Dante sighed. “And who is Eakul? We have no one here by that name.”

  “No. You call him by a different name. Two actually. But my baby brother stands behind you,” Nobin announced and nodded toward Thad and said, “Eakul.”

  He didn’t see it coming when the room suddenly began to spin and go dark. Thad felt himself falling, then stopped suddenly when he hit something hard, but instantly the lights went out.

  * * * *

  “In world news tonight, distressing images are coming out of Zambia right now where it appears a group of guerrilla insurgents have begun slaughtering the Zambian government officials. So far reports are coming in that there may be over fifty, out of the country’s hundred and fifty members of the National Assembly, that have been dragged from their homes and killed in the streets. We are still waiting on word from the Zambian President confirming these reports.”

  “In other news, Tropical Storm Inago has gained extreme power overnight and in the last fourteen hours has jumped from a tropical storm to a category 5 typhoon, and it is making its way across the northwestern Pacific basin. Meteorologists are keeping a close eye on this storm to track who will be affected and how severe the storm will be when it hits. And a new system of three tropical cyclones have formed over the Pacific Ocean, and each are gaining speed and severity as they travel over the warmer waters toward the Philippines.”

  “More?” Dale asked as he and Adam walked into the kitchen to find Falcon and Harley watching the news.

  “Yeah, the world is falling apart and crumbling at our feet. There is also an outbreak of tornadoes in the middle of the country, and get this, one in Ireland, one in England, and two spotted in France,” Falcon replied.

  “Oh no, is it anywhere near where you come from, Harley?” Adam asked.

  “Aie. It touched down right on the outskirts of Dublin. I’ve been trying to reach me sister for an hour but haven’t connected with her yet. I can’t reach anyone in me old coven either.”

  “Oh no. I’ll go have Dante try to call over there,” Dale said in a panic.

  “Thank you, Dale, but I know Dante has a lot on his plate already. When he gets a free moment maybe?”

  “I’ll ask him right away and see when he can get to it.”

  “Thank you, Dale.”

  “So what’s going on out on the west coast? They were talking about people from California, Oregon, and Washington trying to walk out of those areas into neighboring states. Is there any word yet?” Adam asked.

  “Unfortunately, yes. Most of the people out that way are missing or presumed dead. Not too many have been making it to the other states. The president has sent over National Guard helicopters to search for anyone, but so far, it’s just a lot of bodies. Most people died in the earthquake, the tsunami, or the mudslides,” Falcon answered.

  “Do they have any idea how many may be…dead?” Adam asked.

  “Not an accurate one. They’re guessing in the millions across the country, and the hundred millions around the world with everything going on.”

  “Oh, my gods. I never thought I would see something like this. I don’t know what to do or what to say. What can we do?” Dale asked as tears ran down his face.

  “And what about paranormals? Have Micah and the others been able to reach anyone in the affected areas?” Adam asked.

  “A few so far who have escaped and are making their way inland. Micah was also able to get a hold of Tempest, and he’s getting all his coven members together, and they’ll be showing up here sometime today. Between us, Micah, Storm, Ryland, and the training facility, Micah is planning on getting everyone in,” Falcon replied.

  “What’s going on down there?” Dale asked.

  “Another earthquake rocked Mexico and Venezuela. They each got hit with a 10.0. Which caused another tsunami that rolled through the Gulf, and all the southern states got hit. Lake Pontchartrain is now sitting in New Orleans,” Falcon said.

  “We need to get more rooms ready and cots and stuff. Has anyone called for anything?” Dale asked.

  “Micah said he has a few of the guys running to suppliers right now and will bring things here. Also, Jesse called the large market in the next town over and asked them to ship the whole damn store a few days ago. Then he called some of those suppliers and asked them to make a quick delivery to that store to fill their market again for others,” Harley replied.

  “We need to make a list of things we’ll need. What are you guys doing right now?” Dale asked.

  “Waiting for Dante. He’s in talking to Dax. Once he gives us the word, we may have to run out of here, but you have us at your disposal until then,” Harley said.

  “No, wait here for Dante, and if we need you, we’ll call. Adam and I will call over to Jesse and see what we need and make some lists.”

  “Son of a bitch!” Falcon hissed.

  “What?” Adam and Dale asked.

  “Look,” he said, pointing at the TV. “Two more earthquakes in Europe. Greece is in chaos, and Italy looks like it’s been wiped off the map. All world leaders have just put a stop to all forms of travel. No one is allowed between countries anywhere.”

  “Wait, did that ticker at the bottom
of the screen just say over a million dead from that flu or bug or whatever it is?” Adam asked.

  “Yup. That’s one of the reasons they stopped all international traveling,” Falcon answered.

  “Shit. We need to get moving. Thanks, guys. Let’s go, Adam,” Dale said and grabbed Adam’s arm.

  “Dale, what are you going to do about the babies?” Adam asked as they walked out of the kitchen.

  * * * *

  Damn it, he had really hoped to go out and try to enjoy a night away from all the craziness, but now it appeared he was all dressed up with no place to go. Might as well go change, Nicco thought as he made his way back to his closet.

  A knock on the door changed his direction as he went to open it. Nicco pulled the door open to find Vik standing there, and his best friend’s face looked grim.

  “What is it, Vik? What’s wrong?”

  “It’s Thaddeus. We need you to come down to Dante’s office right away.”

  Nicco sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair as he turned away from the door. “Look, Vik, I understand why you didn’t call me in to handle this celebrity case, and why you wouldn’t even tell me anything about it.” Nicco sat down on the couch and then looked at Vik, who had followed him in. “Let’s keep it that way, okay?”

  Vik sat on the chair across from him and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “Look, Nic, I know what you went through when Thad left. I know how much it hurt when he took off, but he never actually rejected you. He―” Viktor held up his hand, stopping Nicco when it looked like he was going to interrupt him.

  “He never rejected you, Nic. He said he wanted to go out into the world and live a little before he made such a huge commitment. He wanted to experience life first and grow up. Now I know it sucked then and it sucks now that he is here, but he’s not that child anymore, Nicco. He’s now a grown man who knows what he wants, and that’s not that life anymore. He wants a home and a family. He wants you.”

  “So I should just take him back?” Nicco asked angrily as he jumped from his seat and walked away. “Now that he’s decided he wants me, I should just melt at his feet and say, ‘Oh okay. Thank you for remembering me.’ Well, I can’t do that, Vik. And he didn’t actually come back to me now, did he? He is being chased by some stalker asshole and hired ParaSafe to guard him. Because of circumstances he had no control of, no decision over, he ended up back here. He didn’t choose to be here.”

  “That’s partly right,” Vik said as he stood and face Nicco. “One, he didn’t hire ParaSafe—his manager did. Thad had no idea where his guards came from. I told them not to mention they were from ParaSafe. Second, you’re right. He had no control over where they took him, or that the last place he needed to go for safety was the coven. The guys moved him so many times because this crazy bastard kept finding him. But have you stopped to think how that was possible? No one should have been able to find them at any one of our safe houses, so how did this guy do it? I told Harley and Falcon that if they needed to move again, the best place would be the coven house. When the asshole found them again, they grabbed Thad and took off, and this guy chased them, shooting at them from the moment they stepped out of the house. They jumped in the car and ran for their lives. When they got a safe moment to extract him, Harley disseminated from a speeding car with Thad, while Falcon and Colby remained behind to deal with whoever this is. But do you know what happened?”

  Nicco turned to look at Vik, his brows drawn down low and eyes filled with confusion, as he shook his head. “None of this sounds right.”

  “Exactly. When Harley disappeared with Thad and brought him to me, the guy chasing Falcon and Colby in the car suddenly vanished. I told Falcon to drive into an industrial area to lose him, but the second Thad was out of the car, Falcon said the shooting stopped and when he looked back, the car that had been following them was gone. Just poof, gone. So what does that sound like to you?”

  “It’s some kind of paranormal obviously,” Nic stated.

  “Yes, but what kind? Do you know one that could do all of that, because I have been racking my damn brain trying to figure it out. Someone who knew exactly where we were hiding him at all times and could still see him, even though he was in a safe house? This guy could also call him no matter how many times we changed his phone. Then we bring Thad here in a hurry to get away from the island for safety. He has no cell phone now, but this guy calls into the house on the exact line that goes into the room we gave Thad and can still see him? How is that possible? We’ve checked all the cameras, and Evan checked the phones records, and no calls have come into the house for over three days. So how is this happening? And now some strange guy just pops into Dante’s office where he and Thad are talking and claims that Thad is his brother and Thad drops like a lead weight.”

  “What? What do you mean this guy called him here? And who the hell popped into Dante’s office?” Nicco asked angrily. What the hell was going on here? Vik was right. No one should have been able to track them to any of the safe houses, or call him on the burner phones that Falcon and Harley would have given Thad. Now this. Who the hell was this guy? Nic spun around to face Viktor, his heart pounding in his chest with a new panic. “Wait, did you say Thad is out?”

  “Yeah. This guy shows up and announces that Thad is his brother Eakul, and Thad just drops to the floor unconscious. Aaron, Jesse, and Noah are with him now trying to find out what’s wrong with him.”

  “Shit!” Nicco hissed and headed for the door, with Vik on his heels.

  Chapter Six

  Nicco ran into the room and stopped at the foot of the bed. Thad lay motionless, his chest rising and falling softly. Jesse, Noah, and Aaron all surrounded him. Once they noticed him, Jesse turned and gave him a sad smile.

  “As far as we can tell he’s fine, just unconscious,” Jesse said.

  “Has he been injured in any way?” Nic asked, his gaze remaining on Thad.

  “Except for the lump he had on his head from when he hit the floor, nothing,” Jesse replied.

  “Is that what’s keeping him out?” Nic asked.

  “No, Noah healed that right away. We’re not sure why he’s still out. But it’s more like he’s sleeping.”

  “Deep sleepy,” Noah stated.

  Nicco’s brows rose. “What, like a coma?”

  Aaron stood and looked at him. “No, it’s not a coma. He really is just sleeping. It’s a hard sleep like I have never seen before, but he is just sleeping.”

  “I called Cass and asked if Kia could come right away. He’s bringing him now,” Jesse said.

  “Okay, good. Thank you. Maybe he can do his sleepwalking thing and find out what’s going on,” Nic responded.

  “That’s what we were hoping for,” Jesse said.

  “Where are the others? Where is this guy Vik talked about?” Nic asked.

  “Dante and the council are in his office with him. I was just about to head in there to give them an update on Thad’s condition and find out who he is. Why don’t you come with me, and Aaron and Noah will stay with Thad and let us know when Cass, Shay, and Kia get here?” Jesse offered as he approached Nic.

  “Yeah. That’s a good idea. Thank you all,” Nic said absently, his gaze still locked on Thad’s face.

  Jesse grabbed his arm and gently led him from the room. They made their way to Dante’s office, and as they entered, he noticed the whole council there, as well as Lucifer and Viktor. Across the room, sitting on the floor with his legs crossed and his hands over his chest, palms together and eyes closed, was a strange little man with long chestnut hair. Nicco kept his attention on the man as Jesse explained Thad’s condition to them.

  “He will sleep for twenty-four hours. Then when he awakens, he will feel completely refreshed, like he had slept for, well, twenty-four hours,” the little man stated and chuckled at the end.

  “Who are you, and how do you know this?” Nic asked.

  “I was staying connected to Eakul to make sure he was safe until you
arrived,” the little man replied as he opened his eyes, and Nic was taken aback by the beautiful, but freaky, silver eyes.

  “You were staying connected to him? What does that mean?” Ryland asked.

  “He is in his transformation state. It will take twenty-four hours to complete, but when he awakens, Eakul will be fully transformed.”

  “Transformed into what, Nobin?” Dante asked.

  “His right state of being. Now that he is thirty, and he has made his heart’s wish all on his own, without knowledge, his powers will come to him. It is time for him to be who he was meant to be,” Nobin explained.

  “And who is that?” Nicco asked.

  “Eakul. Now that he has come to be, we will need to start his training. There isn’t much time,” Nobin stated.

  “Can you talk straight, genie? All this talking around in riddles is giving me a damn headache,” Lucifer grumbled.

  All the others gasped as some said, “Genie?”

  Nicco couldn’t agree more. Genie? What the fuck?

  “I am Nobin, oldest in my family. Eakul is the youngest. It is my job to watch over him and train him once he transforms and gains his powers. And I take my job very seriously, especially with what is planned for his destiny. I have trained all my brothers and sisters once they became who they were meant to be.”

  “Okay. I’ve had enough genie speak. You’re starting to sound like a Jinn,” Lucifer huffed in annoyance as he stood. “Tell them, in straight language, what the hell you are talking about, or I will drag you home to The Twilight Moon and lock you there.”

  Nobin’s eyes went wide from Lucifer’s threat, and Nicco could see fear in his silver eyes.