She didn’t see how, but she wasn’t a cop.
“Until we know what happened, let’s just assume it’s a bit of random bad luck on Dante’s part. Let’s wait and see if we can get any information out of the new detective when he calls.”
“Okay. I’d like to send Dante flowers, let him know we’re thinking of him.”
Seth grinned. “He’d like that.”
“Seth’s right. You sit tight, and I’ll find out who’s on the case now. Worse comes to worst, I’ll take over and they can just kiss my ass.”
Bill hung up with a promise to give Trish a hug from her.
Seth kissed the tip of her nose. “We good?”
“Not yet.” His face fell, and she couldn’t leave it at that. “But we will be.”
* * *
He left her in the shower. He didn’t want Abby to know how shaken he was. Dante, hurt? There had to be more to it than a simple car accident. If the Shem had gotten to his car, Dante was lucky to be alive. He dialed Dante’s number, surprised he picked up on the first ring.
“Hello?”
Well. That wasn’t the voice he expected to hear. “Hey, Damien. Is Dante there?” Dante must really be hurt if Damien was there answering his phone.
“Yeah, hold on a sec.” He heard the fumbling sounds of someone handing over a phone.
“Seth.” His brother sounded tired and in pain.
“Dante.”
“Yes, it really was a car accident.”
Seth pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it. Dante wasn’t known for his psychic powers. He put the phone back to his ear. “Hello to you too.”
Dante chuckled, the sound husky and weak. “You think you’re the first one to call me? Hell, at this point I’m expecting Piotr to call. I wouldn’t even be laid up if Rafael wasn’t missing.”
Shit. He’d forgotten all about Rafael. “I’ll make sure Piotr sends you a care package.”
“Can it include that sexy little PA of his?”
Seth snorted out a laugh. If Dante was joking, he wasn’t as hurt as Seth feared. “You’re on the good drugs if you think Piotr’s going to give up his girl Friday.”
“A man can dream, can’t he?”
“Any news on Rafael?” He’d been missing long enough that Seth was starting to become seriously concerned.
“Not yet. You know Zeke isn’t the chatty type, and he hasn’t been looking for Rafe for very long. If he finds anything, he’ll let us know. Besides, Gabriel’s worried, but he’s not sending for the cavalry yet.”
“Which means he’s still alive, at least.”
“Exactly.” Dante sighed. “Sometimes I wish your brother had stuck around like you did. It would be handy to have an Oracle on tap.”
“Instead of your flaming ass, you mean?”
“If you swing that way, you should ask Damien out.”
Seth heard Damien yell something at Dante that made the Seris laugh out loud. “Ow. Shit, ow.”
“Head hurts, huh? You sure you’re okay?”
“I’ll be fine, nothing I haven’t dealt with after a good, long fight with a Shem.”
“Except Rafe was there to heal you.”
“Rafe had better get home soon. The doctor said I had a concussion and now Damien is up my ass without lube.”
“In your dreams, pretty boy.” Seth could hear Damien’s response loud and clear.
“Studley Do-Right here gave up a playdate with his latest to watch me in case I puke in a bucket.”
Seth snickered. “If that doesn’t say love, I don’t know what does.”
“Shit. Should I start picking out rings?”
God, he loved talking to his brothers. They always managed to make everything so much better. “If he starts pointing out baby furniture, run.”
Dante laughed, then groaned. “Don’t make me laugh. That shit hurts.”
“Get some rest. Tell Damien to let me know what’s going on with Rafael. I’ll find out who the new detective is, check him out and contact him. And you know Bill won’t let this fall down the rabbit hole.”
“Better call Gabriel while you’re at it. He’s going to want to know what’s going on.”
“I’ll call him first thing in the morning. Right now, I have some serious groveling to do.”
“Managed to piss off your lady already, huh?”
Seth winced. “What can I say? I’m talented.”
“I’d better get going. In two seconds, Damien’s going to try and wrestle the phone away from me, and we both know that won’t end pretty.”
“Get some rest. I’ll call you once I know anything.”
“Ditto. I’m going to try and stay on top of this. It was my case first. If you have any problems, let me know and I’ll see what I can do.”
“Stay safe, my brother.”
Dante snorted. “I’m basically a couch jockey for the next week or two. I think I’ll be safe. You stay safe, my brother.”
“Will do. Tell Damien to kiss you good-night for me.”
“Stronzo.”
Seth laughed and hung up the phone. Dante was in good hands. Damien would make sure their brother took care of himself.
He stared at the bathroom door as the shower turned off. Perhaps there was a way he could make things up to Abby. He’d dug into her secrets.
Maybe it was time to reveal his.
Chapter Nine
Thank God Piotr and Andrea left them alone over dinner. Seth wasn’t certain how he was going to tell Abby his secret, but doing so with his brother in the room wasn’t the way he wanted to go about things. He was pretty sure Piotr was going to have something to say, especially if Abby rejected him. It had happened before, a Nephilim falling in love with a human woman only to be turned down. The fallout was never pretty. It was especially difficult if the human woman was declared insane or incompetent and placed in a mental hospital. There would be nothing they could do to prove that the Nephilim wasn’t human. None of the Neph knew why, but all blood and DNA testing on a Nephilim came back as human. No anomalies were ever found.
Only Gabriel, the Nephilim and the Shemyaza could detect another Nephilim, and only Gabriel fully understood why.
“You’re pretty quiet tonight. Is everything all right?”
He smiled ruefully. It was now or never. Either he trusted her, or he didn’t. “I have something I want to tell you, but I’m afraid you’re going to freak out about it.”
Her eyes went wide and her face paled. “Oh, my God, Doug’s not dead.”
“No. God, no. Piotr wouldn’t make that kind of mistake. Trust me, if Doug isn’t dead, Piotr will make sure he is if only because he hates being wrong. Really. He’s dead.”
She bit her lip. “Is it bad that I find that oddly reassuring?”
“Not at all. If I had the power, I would’ve resurrected him just so I could kill him again.” He stabbed viciously at his dessert, picturing her bastard ex.
Abby placed her hand over his, stopping the stabbing motion. “It’s okay, Seth. You can put the spoon down now. The crème brûlée is dead.”
He dropped his spoon, and it clattered against the edge of the ramekin. “There’s so much I need to tell you. So much you don’t know.”
She withdrew her hand, and his skin mourned the loss of her touch. “Now you’re scaring me.”
“Come outside with me, Abby.” He had to show her what he was. She wouldn’t believe it otherwise. He stood and held out his hand. “I know I didn’t trust you, and I’m sorry for that, but I’m hoping you’ll trust me.”
She studied him so long his hand began to tremble. When she finally placed her hand in his, he wanted to believe he’d already won the race. They left Piotr’s servants to clean up the dishes while he took her outside into Piotr’s garden in the moonlight. He led her into the hedge maze, hoping they were far enough away from the house that they wouldn’t be seen, but close enough to call for help. So far he hadn’t caught sight of the ugly green miasma of the Shemyaza any
where on Piotr’s island, but he wasn’t taking any chances.
Okay, any more chances than he absolutely had to take. He couldn’t exactly release his wings inside the house. He wouldn’t feel safe doing that even in the privacy of their bedroom. As far as he knew, none of Piotr’s servants were aware of what they were, not even Andrea. He wasn’t about to out Piotr as well.
Once they were in the center of the maze he turned to face her. “There’s something you need to know about me.” Fuck. He was shaking like a leaf.
“Are you an ax murderer?”
“No.” What the hell?
“Are you married?”
“No.”
“Gay?”
“No.” Geez, where did she come up with this stuff? At least he was no longer as nervous.
“Are you now or have you ever been involved in illegal activity?”
Well. She had him there. Technically, killing Shemyaza was murder, never mind that the bastards deserved it. “Sort of? Maybe?”
“Crap. I was joking.” She took a step away from him, and it was about two steps too far. “What is it you have to tell me, Seth?”
He took off his shirt. “Try not to freak.”
“You’re into outdoor sex? That’s your secret?” Abby licked her lips. “I suppose I can get behind breaking that law.”
He damn near whimpered. A little outdoor loving sounded wonderful. Maybe she’d be willing to indulge after he showed her his wings. “As good as that sounds—and, trust me, it sounds really good—that’s not why I brought you out here.” He folded his shirt and placed it on one of the stone benches that surrounded a statue of the Archangel Michael. Seth had always found it ironic that Piotr had chosen that particular angel to place in his garden. The Guardian of Heaven would probably kill Piotr on sight. It was said Michael wasn’t fond of Cambions, and Gabriel had affirmed it. Seth was inclined to believe him. He’d known Michael, after all. “I need you to watch and do two things for me.”
“Okay.” She was leery again, but at least she wasn’t backing up.
“Don’t run, and don’t scream.” With that, Seth released his wings.
* * *
“Holy shit.” Abby stared at the huge, brilliantly colored wings erupting from Seth’s back. She could barely breathe. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.
But it was. Seth had wings. And they glowed, casting shadows over his body. Turquoise at the base, they erupted from where his shoulder blades met, forming feathers made of light that dimmed toward the tips to a stunning periwinkle.
They looked exactly like living light, like the tattoo on his back had...
...had...
Wow.
All she could think was that the angel statues got it wrong. Their wings were way too small. Seth’s wingspan had to be at least fifteen feet. When he ruffled the feathers and furled them like a bird’s wings, they sat above his head by about three feet. She reached out to touch, pulling her hand back at the last moment.
“It’s okay Abby. You can touch.” He extended one wing toward her, brushing her cheek with the tip.
Abby reached out and brushed the light with her fingertip, startled at how solid they were. Growing bolder when Seth nodded encouragement, she caressed the tip, aware she was shaking.
The only way she could think of to describe the sensation was like cupping the wind. She remembered being a child, her hand out the window as her father drove down the highway, feeling the wind push against her. But if she opened her fingers, the wind would slip through, the sensation still there, yet dulled. Seth’s wings were the same, firm under her palm yet made of nothing but pure blue light. If she spread her fingers, would they slip through? “How... What are you?”
Seth folded his wings back up and stepped toward her. “I’m a Nephilim. A descendant of one of the angels that came to earth to teach mankind.”
“Apparently they taught more than the ABCs.” Abby’s heart was racing. Was she dreaming? Was she passed out face-first in the crème brûlée? Because this could not be real. Seth did not have fucking wings. It was impossible.
“You’re right, they did more than that. They fell in love, had children. Lived almost mortal lives.”
“Except they weren’t.”
“No, they weren’t. At first, all of the children were called the Nephilim. Some believed they were the heroes of old. Others thought that they were evil beings intent on dominating humanity. In a way, both were right. The Nephilim fractured and warred among themselves and were nearly destroyed. One of their forefathers was the Angel Shemhazai, the very first angel to lust after a mortal.”
She stroked his wing again, and he shuddered at her touch.
“Before he was imprisoned by the Archangel Michael, he convinced half of his children that they were better than the sons of Adam and should rule over them. It’s said that God himself looked down and saw the damage being done to humanity, and was angered at the arrogance of the Nephilim. He sent down one of his Archangels to see to it that all of the Nephilim were destroyed.”
“Michael?”
“No, Gabriel.”
Hadn’t she heard him talking to or about a man named Gabriel at some point?
We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
“But when Gabriel saw that not all of the Nephilim were evil, he took those who chose to follow him under his wing. Those that remained true to the Archangel retained the name Nephilim. Those who chose to follow their forefather became known as the Shemyaza in his honor.”
This just couldn’t be real. She was shaking so badly her teeth were chattering, and it wasn’t from the cold. “I bet that the family reunions are a laugh riot.”
“You have no idea.” Seth held out his hand, his expression pleading with her to accept him. To accept them. “Abby?”
“You fight those Shemyaza?”
He nodded, but held his hand steady.
She asked the question she was most afraid of getting an answer to. “Is one of them after me?”
His hand twitched. “Yes.”
She took a deep breath and blew it out. “Fuck a duck.”
He stuttered out a laugh and dropped his hand. “That’s all you have to say?”
“Give me a break here. I think I’m doing pretty well, considering I’m dreaming as I drown to death in crème brûlée.”
He blinked, his head tilted to the side. “Um, what?”
“Never mind.”
“You know I would never hurt you, right?”
She shot him a death glare.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“So, does this mean that the Big Guy—” she pointed skyward, “—is real?”
“According to Gabriel, yes, but maybe not quite the way that—”
“The Gabriel? Archangel Gabriel? I didn’t hear that wrong, then?”
Seth nodded. “Yes. I mean, no, you didn’t hear wrong. I work with Gabriel Viator.”
“The Archangel.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Shit.”
“He’s my boss.”
Abby whimpered. “I am so going to hell.”
Seth started to laugh again.
“This is not funny. Do you have any idea how many sins I’ve committed just this week?” She froze. “Do I have to become Catholic?”
“No.”
“Because I’m agnostic.”
Seth’s brows rose. “Abby, it’s not like that.”
Okay, she was rambling. He’d just have to deal while she worked this all out in her head. “Then what is it like?”
He shrugged. “The Neph are people, with extra bits.” When she shot him another death glare he laughed again. “We’re still mortal, just like you. We live, we die.” His gaze softened. “We fall in love.”
“Is your mom an angel?”
“Hardly, but I’ll tell her you said that. You’ll get major brownie points.”
She growled at him. “Seth.”
“My father is Nephilim, a Knight.” He held up his
hand before she could ask. “A Knight is an angel-born who can make weapons out of nothing and are extremely hard to kill. I’m what’s called an Angelus, an angel-born with wings. There are different types of Nephilim, each with our own names and powers. I’ll introduce you to the members of my cell when we get home.”
“Cell?”
“The Nephilim are divided into cell organizations, each one responsible for a territory and under one man. In my case, Gabriel. At the moment, Gabriel has eight of us in his cell, each with a different ability.”
“Like your father?”
Seth shook his head. “Dad’s retired, but he was part of Gabriel’s cell until a few years ago.”
The shakes were starting to die down, thank...well. She coughed as her cheeks flamed. “How do you hide these?” She cupped those beautiful, impossible wings again. “Someone has to have seen you flying overhead.”
“Like this.”
Seth disappeared.
“Seth!” Abby waved her hands around and encountered something solid, muscled, and covered in denim.
“Ow.” Seth reappeared, rubbing his thigh. “You pack a wallop, woman.”
“So you’re invisible, not intangible.”
“Exactly.”
“So you’re a scout, right? You don’t do the—” She swished her hand again as if holding a sword, narrowly missing his leg. “I mean, you’re pretty and all, but your dad can make weapons out of thin air.”
“Thank you.” He smirked.
“Stop it. You know you’re pretty.”
He shook his head at her. “I’m a warrior, like my father before me.”
“But—”
Seth held up his hand. “I have a sword I strap to my back when I’m hunting Shem, but you’re right. For the most part, I scout out the area and inform my more martially inclined brethren of where the enemy is.”
She blinked as an image of Seth, his wings blazing blue fire and his sword swinging down to smite his enemies, immediately sprang to mind. It was hot as hell. “Oh.”
“You like that thought, don’t you? You like the idea that I smite bad guys.”
That smirk was going to become a permanent part of his face at this rate, so she chose to ignore it. “So you were sent here to capture the Shem that’s hunting me?”
All for You Page 19
