Revelations: Fire & Brimstone Scroll 1

by Nikole Knight

  Noel stopped mid-snip, his scissors flying around in my peripheral vision. “We are not watching the The Fast and the Furious! You want to watch human females in short skirts, do it on your own time. That’s gross.”

  Jai guffawed, half-humored, half-offended. “It’s human females in short skirts and badass cars. It’s the perfect movie.”

  “Um, ew.”

  “You wouldn’t say that if it was human males in short skirts.” With a cackle, Jai tossed a throw pillow at Noel head.

  “Watch it or I really will cut off Riley’s ear!” Noel kicked the pillow away, his cheeks flushing. “And not that I’m one to kink shame, but femme guys aren’t really my preference. I prefer guys in short shorts over skirts, but that movie is still trash. I won’t allow you to turn Riley’s brain to mush.”

  Jai mocked Noel quietly behind his back before catching my gaze. “Do you want to see girls in short skirts, Riles?”

  “What? No!” I balked at the scandalous proposition.

  “Do you want to see boys in short skirts?” His evil grin communicated jest, but my face sweltered under the insinuation.

  “I don’t want to see anyone in short anything.” I sunk lower in my seat, regretting my decision to sleep over.

  “See? Riley’s a decent boy.” Noel resumed cutting my hair with a proud wink. “He’s not a barbarian like you.”

  Muttering under his breath, Jai scrolled through the movies available on their live streaming program. “Fine. We’re watching Lethal Weapon, and you dicks can’t say shit about it.”

  “Mom! Jai called Riley a dick,” Noel cried loud enough to carry down the hallway to Gideon’s room. I thought I heard Gideon laugh.

  “I did not!” Jai bellowed, glaring at Noel. “I meant you, asswipe.”

  “Kiss my angelic derrière, dickhole.” Noel brandished his scissors like a weapon when Jai lunged at him, and I ducked down to avoid getting impaled.

  “Holy Trinity, would you two stop acting like children?” Gideon appeared and scooped me up from the stool bridal-style, narrowly missing getting stabbed by Noel’s scissors as Jai beat the fair angel on the head with a brush. “You’re supposed to protect our ward, not stab him.”

  Properly chastised, Jai and Noel parted, hanging their heads in shame. As Gideon's hand warmed my lower back under the towel, I blushed red as a lobster. No one had touched me under my clothes before, and that wriggling flutter returned to my stomach with a vengeance.

  “Sorry,” Jai and Noel parroted, and Gideon grumbled indecipherably as he plopped me back on the stool.

  Noel continued cutting my hair as Jai played the movie, both subdued thanks to Gideon’s scolding. After another fifteen minutes, Noel set his scissors aside and inspected his handiwork. Ruffling my curls, he shook the loose hairs free, and they rained over my face, itchy and prickly. I sneezed.

  “All done.”

  Swiping at my neck, he helped me down from the stool and removed the towel. He picked at me, combing my hair one way, then another. Deeming me smart enough, he spun me to face Gideon and Jai, his hands on my shoulders.

  “Looks pretty good, if I do say so myself. What do you guys think?”

  Hot as coals, Jai’s gaze slid from the top of my head to the tips of my toes and back again. His thin lips curved in a dangerous smile, and my tummy trembled.

  Gideon glanced up from his book over the tops of his reading glasses and nodded. “Very nice.”

  “Th-thanks.” I crossed my arms over my chest and squeezed my hands into fists as Noel flitted around my body in circles, picking at my shoulders and gliding his fingertips over my bare skin.

  “You look good, Riles.” Jai leaned back, the muscles of his bare chest flexing. “Not that you didn’t look good before, of course.”

  Itching for something to cover my torso, I mumbled another thank you and reached for my shirt. Noel stopped me.

  “How about you jump in the shower. I’ll get some PJs for you.” He gestured to the hallway, and grateful for any escape I could find, I nodded.

  “Okay.”

  Without looking at any of them, I scurried down the corridor, hugging my bare torso. When I reached the bathroom, I flipped the light on and took refuge inside. Goose bumps pebbled my skin, and I rubbed at my arms. Why I felt like hyperventilating, I didn’t know.

  Thankfully, my curiosity overtook my insecurity, and I turned toward the mirror on the wall. My hair did look nice. It wasn’t too short, but the curls lay less chaotically than they did before. Noel was good at trimming hair.

  “Do you like it?” Noel shifted behind me in the reflection, and I yelped in surprise. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “It’s fine. I’m fine.” I smiled at him in the mirror. “I like it a lot. Thank you.”

  Noel placed a bundle of clothes on the counter and ran a tender hand through my hair. “Anytime.”

  Mustering my bravery, I threw my arms around his waist and hugged him. I hid my face in his shirt, and he oomphed. One hand landed on my head as the other snaked around my back, his skin warming mine.

  It was the first time I had ever initiated touch between us. He seemed just as surprised as I was at my uncharacteristic boldness.

  “Thank you, Noel,” I repeated, and he squeezed me extra tight.

  “You’re welcome, sweetie.” He kissed the top of my head, and I nearly died of happiness. “Get cleaned up, and we’ll finish the movie.”

  I nodded, and after another peck to my head, he left me in the bathroom to shower.

  When I finished, I exited the bathroom dressed in Noel’s sweatpants and a too-big shirt of Jai’s. Like the first time, I swam in their clothes, but I secretly liked being surrounded by their clashing scents. Lilac fought with dokha, but the combination was surprisingly comforting.

  In the living room, Noel was finishing Jai’s hair, buzzing the sides close to his scalp so his fauxhawk stood out. Gideon read a book in a different language—French, I thought—as Jai played a game on his phone. They all smiled at me as I waddled to the couch, trying not to let Noel’s pants fall down my legs.

  Jai showered next, and Noel changed into his own pajamas—gray and white plaid fleece pants and a white T-shirt. He sat on the floor between my legs and handed me a hair tie.

  “Can you braid?” he asked, and I shook my head.

  “Um, I don’t think so.”

  He pursed his lips. “Oh, well, then just play with my hair until Jai comes back. He’ll show you.”

  As Noel predicted, Jai did just that. The movie resumed, and Jai showed me how to braid Noel’s hair the way he liked. Instead of fastening the finished braid, Jai shook it loose once more then angled Noel’s head toward me.

  “You try.”

  With fumbling fingers, I tried and failed to braid Noel’s hair. It took several tries and a few corrections from Jai before I got it right. But Noel didn’t mind. He liked it when we played with his hair, and like a satisfied cat, he wiggled in his seat between my legs, purring happily.

  “Do you always braid his hair for him?” I asked when Noel left to use the toilet, and Jai snorted.

  “He can braid his own damn hair.” Jai lay down on his side and rested his head in my lap. “He just likes it better when I do it.”

  For some reason, Jai’s admission filled me with joy. “So, you do it for him because he likes it?”

  Jai picked at a loose string in Noel’s pants at my knee and shrugged. “I guess.”

  “That’s sweet.”

  Shrugging again, Jai grabbed my hand and dropped it on his head in clear command. “He’s my Other,” he stated, like that explained everything. To him, maybe it did.

  I sifted my fingers through Jai’s shortened hair, scratching at his scalp as he sighed in contentment. Noel wasn’t the only one who enjoyed someone playing with their hair, it would seem.

  The movie passed in a flurry of blurred color and sound. I couldn’t tell what it was about, too distracted by Jai’s head in my lap and
Noel’s warmth at my other side. When Jai’s shirt slipped over one of my shoulders, Noel hooked an arm behind me and traced figure eights on my bare skin. I was burning alive from the inside out, and though my brain ordered me to create distance, I couldn’t bring myself to obey. I wanted to bask in their sunshine.

  Glancing at Gideon, I found him watching the three of us closely. His expression was one of confusion and curiosity, his stare intense and searching as I leaned into Noel’s side, my head on his shoulder. I didn’t know what to do or say in response to Gideon’s furrowed brow, so I gave him a tentative smile.

  He returned the small grin, his dimple ghosting over his cheek, and my concerns abated. As my eyes drifted shut, I succumbed to their overwhelming warmth and slipped into unconsciousness.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The next morning, I woke in Noel’s bed, having been moved sometime in the night as I slept. The too-large pajama pants had abandoned me at some point, and after checking under the blanket, I spotted them toward the foot of the mattress. Scurrying under the blanket, I reached for the pants, and a breeze drifted over my exposed thighs as the bedroom door clicked open.

  Butt in the air, underwear on display, I yelped and scrambled to right myself. Of course, I tangled in the sheets, and in my rush, I lost my balance. I tumbled right off the mattress with an unmanly yelp.

  I prepared for impact, but instead of smashing into the carpet, my body met flesh and bone. Rolling with my momentum, Noel caught me, taking the brunt of the force with his back. He spun until I was on my back, my legs twisted in the sheet as he straddled my waist.

  “And my first Guardian task of the day is complete." He cackled heartily. "Good morning, Riley.”

  “Good morning.” My belly somersaulted as Noel’s weight settled on my hips.

  “And what in the Holy Trinity were you doing with your cute little butt in the air?”

  My face broiled at the mental image, and I hid my red cheeks behind my hands. “My pants fell off.”

  Throwing his head back, he laughed again, his eyes sparkling. “Well, I would apologize, but I didn’t mind the view.”

  He winked then stood, offering a hand to help me up. I took it. His words confused me, but he didn’t elaborate and I was too self-conscious to ask for clarification.

  As I untangled myself from his sheets, Noel continued to chuckle as he retrieved clean clothes from his dresser. Without his pajama pants, my legs were bare from my thighs to my toes, and I tugged at the hem of Jai’s shirt to cover myself as much as possible.

  “We’re going to breakfast,” Noel said, giving my bare legs a passing onceover. His cheeks pinked. “Get dressed.”

  The door shut behind him, and I hurriedly obeyed. I donned my clothes from the previous day and left the borrowed pajamas folded on Noel’s bed. Once I was decent, I stepped into the hallway only to barrel right into Gideon. My face smashed into his chest, my forehead bouncing off one prominent pectoral muscle, and I flailed in an attempt to catch my balance. His thick arm wrapped around my shoulders as my hands grasped at his unbuttoned shirt for purchase. My fingers met warm, solid flesh instead, and we both grunted.

  “Careful.” Gideon circled one of my wrists as my other palm pressed against his sternum. “Are you all right?”

  Speechless, I nodded and did my best not to stare at his bare torso. I failed; it was impossible not to gawk at his bulging muscles. Thick, blond curls covered his chest, the hair darkening as it descended to his navel and further to the band of his slacks. It was soft against my fingertips, and I squelched the terrifying urge to delve my fingers into the thickest patch between his pectorals.

  He was like a stone sculpture, chiseled to perfection. Shame roared through my veins to devour the butterflies fluttering to life in my stomach. Bethany had talked about butterflies—No! This couldn’t be what she meant. It wasn’t butterflies I felt but indigestion. Yeah, just indigestion.

  “Riley?”

  As if he’d burned me, I jerked away from him and hung my head. “I’m s-sorry.”

  “It’s fine—”

  But I was already fleeing, power-walking down the hall, through the living room, and toward the bathroom. I refused to dwell on the odd feelings my Guardians seemed to inspire within me. It probably had something to do with their angel powers. I bet they affected most humans this way. It wasn’t like I… liked them. They were boys, and I didn’t—couldn’t—like boys.

  “Riley, are you almost done?” Noel knocked on the door to the bathroom, and I blinked back to the moment.

  The sink ran cold water over my hands, turning my fingers red, and I hurriedly splashed my face to cool my overheated cheeks. I kept my hands beneath the icy spray until they went numb before finally drying them off and leaving the bathroom.

  “Finally! Thank the Maker.” Jai stood by the door, boots on his feet, leather jacket folded over his arm. “I’m starving. Get your ass moving.”

  “Stop being mean,” Noel chided as he slid a pair of brown ankle boots on his feet. He sent me a smile. “Ready?”

  “Uh-huh.” I fumbled with my sneakers, my fingers too cold to function properly.

  Noel took my tennis shoes from my hand and hissed. “River Styx! Your hands are freezing.”

  “Sorry,” I mumbled.

  Noel helped me put on my shoes as Jai slouched against the wall, grumbling impatiently. I must have slept later than I thought for him to be this ravenous for breakfast.

  “Have a good time,” Gideon called from the kitchen doorway.

  “You’re not coming with us?” I blurted, and Gideon shook his head.

  “I have some paperwork to finish.”

  “Oh.”

  My attempt at nonchalance was pathetic at best, my disappointment shining through, and Noel rounded on Gideon with a scowl. “Stop being a stick in the mud. Come with us.”

  Jai opened the door and ushered me outside, but I caught the rest of Noel and Gideon’s argument.

  “I have paperwork for the Council, and I want to do another sweep of the Archives—”

  Noel interrupted his excuses. “Do it another time. Riley hardly sees you.”

  Their voices faded as Jai led me to Gideon’s silver sedan, opening the front passenger door for me. I didn’t want to cause problems; I didn’t want to push Gideon into accompanying us if he preferred staying behind. But when he appeared, following Noel out of the apartment, my heart leapt into my throat from a mix of guilt and happiness.

  Stealing the keys from Jai, Gideon folded his massive body into the driver’s seat, and Noel and Jai climbed into the back. They bickered over the radio station, leaning forward between the fronts seats to control the radio dial. Unsurprisingly, it broke into an argument, both of them shoving at the other in an attempt to choose the music, but Gideon put a stop to it immediately.

  “Enough, you two! Riley is in charge of the radio. End of discussion.” He smacked at Jai’s hand still reaching for the radio dial, and Noel cackled as Jai settled into his seat, sulking.

  I’d never been in charge of the radio before. The pressure to choose the right genre was enormous, and I peeked at Jai and Noel to ask for assistance. “What—”

  “No asking for their opinions.” Gideon pinched my chin and forced me to face him as we idled a stoplight. “Choose a station you want to listen to. They’ll deal.”

  “O-okay.”

  Gideon smirked, and I caught a glimpse of his dimple as he faced forward and accelerated through the intersection.

  As we drove through town, I flipped through the different radio stations, overwhelmed with the variety. Ms. Janet always listened to sermons on tape when we drove in her car, and I was never allowed to touch the radio dial. I didn’t recognize most of the music, but Jai and Noel knew each one.

  Noel belted out the lyrics as Jai tapped the beat on his legs, then pantomimed a complicated drum rhythm. I had seen evidence of musical instruments in his bedroom, but I had never heard him play. Maybe he’d play for me if I asked
.

  I changed the station, and Noel and Jai moaned in protest. Of course, they knew the next song, too, and the impromptu concert continued. Jai rocked the air guitar this time as Noel sang an eerily good falsetto harmony. I laughed, sitting back in my seat as they finished the rock song, something called Stairway to Heaven. Apparently, it was a classic, and Jai took it as a personal offense that I didn’t know it.

  “We’re going to educate you, Riles,” he said as Gideon parked the car. “Music, cinema, we got you covered.”

  “Oh, he needs to watch Star Wars! He’d love it.” Noel clapped his hands as we exited the car.

  Jai hooked an arm around my neck. “Lords of the Rings, too. And some cult classics. Monty Python, The Shining, Killer Klowns from Outer Space.”

  “The Rocky Horror Picture Show!” Noel said, and Jai laughed.

  “James Bond,” Gideon added as he held the door open for us to enter the diner.

  “What do you think? Ready for a cultural re-education?” Jai led me to a corner booth, sliding inside.

  Noel followed him, and I scooched in next. “Um, sure. I haven’t seen many movies.”

  “Next slumber party, we’re having a Star Wars marathon,” Noel decided, and Jai agreed. They high-fived to seal the deal.

  “I didn’t think it was possible for you two to agree on anything.” Gideon squished himself into the booth, and I swallowed my chuckle as he grimaced at the tight fit.

  Jai and Noel flipped him their middle fingers at exactly the same time, and my laugh escaped.

  “Morning, boys.” A waitress with graying hair handed us menus and poured coffee into the three mugs Jai, Noel, and Gideon had flipped over. “Did you want coffee, too, hon? Or something else?”

  She looked at me expectantly, and I slouched in my seat, tongue-tied. “Um…”

  “Do you have hot chocolate?” Gideon rescued me, and when the waitress—Doris, her name tag read—nodded, he smiled. “A mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream, please.”

  Eating out was a luxury I had very little experience with, and I appreciated Gideon ordering for me. It was a silly thing to be nervous about, but my anxiety always chose the most inopportune times to awaken.