by Alexie Aaron
“I remember,” Victor said.
“When I’m an angel, I can become stardust. When I’m in this form, nothing can hold me. I used it to successfully escape the reapers. I thought that it may serve me with what I had planned. In order to kill a Nephilim, because of their rapid rate of recovery, you have to crush their skull and explode their brain. I had, with Altair’s help, done this with the Nephilim Daskalov. It was dangerous for two, near impossible for one. But I had to try. Quentin saved my life thrice. I had to try.”
“You’re too embroiled with demons,” Victor scoffed. “It makes you stupid.”
Mia ignored him and continued her explanation. “When I had explained it to Quentin and overcame his objections, he agreed. But for this to work, he had to let the beast loose. I’m not going to lie to the three of you and tell you that I was confident of my success. The moment Quentin turned into the beast and he claimed me as his mate, I was frozen. But then, Victor, your voice broke through. You said, ‘Be superhuman.’ I pulled out of my paralysis. I used the memory of your scolding to make me strong. I became a birdman and flew out and up into the sky. The Nephilim caught up to me, and I let him take me into a downward spiral. It was then I became an archangel, embracing stardust, and, at the same time, pulled the human soul of Quentin inside of me just before we hit the ground.
“I killed the beast, but the man was still alive, although very weak. I took him to a place where I knew he would get help, and I returned to fight with Angelo at the bridge. After, I could have told the three of you, but I didn’t. For this I am ashamed and ask you for your forgiveness.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Angelo asked softly.
“I wasn’t sure I hadn’t broken a law of insubordination. I wasn’t strong enough to face a birdman tribunal. I am now. I also didn’t know if Quentin had survived the conversion. He has. He has no Nephilim DNA. He may be superhuman, but he is no longer able to transform.”
“If I recall correctly, you never said you killed Quentin. You said either you killed the beast or the Nephilim Quentin,” Nicholai said. “Not that this excuses your behavior.”
“He claimed you as his mate. Did he succeed?” Victor asked.
“No.”
“I administered to her torn body after. She wasn’t violated,” Angelo vouched.
“Good,” Victor said. “Stand up.”
Mia made a face but did so.
Victor grabbed her bare arms. “Become stardust,” he said as her bones started to feel the stress.
Mia transformed just her arms. Her wedding ring, having no substance to hold it, fell to the carpet. She was overjoyed he hadn’t hugged her, otherwise she’d be standing nude. Victor’s hands could not hold her. He saw her arms, but as he tried to regain his grip on various areas of her extended limbs, his hands found only air. She backed away and her arms became dust again. Mia continued to move away out of his reach, confusing him with Michael, fearing that he would hurt her for her disobedience.
Instead, he turned her around and said huskily, “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t come forward sooner. It wasn’t for lack of respect, I promise you.”
Victor started to leave and turned and looked sideways at her. “I still don’t like you.”
“Good.”
He smiled and walked out the door. Nicholai and Angelo followed him. Mia figured they needed to distance themselves from her to discuss the situation. She didn’t like the vibe she got from Nicholai. She sensed his hurt, and it bothered her more than she was prepared for. She recovered her ring and walked to the window to see who was still out there with Angelo, but the birdmen had moved out of her sightline.
Her confession had exhausted her mentally. She hoped they would return to the living room soon. Although, it did take her months to get back to them, what was a few hours? Mia walked to the cloak closet, reached into her jacket pocket, and pulled out her phone. She sent off a text to Ted that she was too tired to fly and would be spending the night in the city, taking advantage of Ralph’s guestroom. He sent back his approval and told her he would be taking Brian to school in the morning. He also told her that the men’s night was still going on and not to worry. She returned her phone to her jacket, closed the door of the closet, and looked around the room. It was a large room for a large man. The furniture was expensive, and she felt dwarfed by most of it. She curled up in the corner of the couch to wait for the birdmen’s return and promptly fell asleep.
She didn’t feel the big hands lift her from the sofa or the strong wings that moved around her. Her exhaustion from the stress of her confession had worn her out.
Mia woke confused. She felt the rise and fall of the chest of someone sleeping beside her, but she wasn’t home. She ran her hands over herself and found that she was clothed. “Thank God,” she said before she rolled over and looked into the sleepy eyes of Nicholai.
“You don’t have to call me God. Nicholai is fine,” he said groggily. “Go back to sleep. We’ll talk in the morning.”
There were a hundred objections in Mia’s mind, but the comfort she felt being near Nicholai was too much. She curled up, put her head on his chest, and fell back asleep.
Angelo was at odds in regard to everything that had happened that night, enough that sleep evaded him. He knew Mia was holding something back when he was healing her in Alsace, but he didn’t press. He was happy that she was trusting him again and seemed to hold him in such high esteem. He now knew why she couldn’t go to the aerie or have Michael heal her. Each place invaded the patient’s privacy of their memories, sometimes in order to heal them, most times to collect information. He was guilty of this, and he knew Michael was as well.
The surprise came when Victor told her he was sorry.
“I know I should be upset, but we did ask her to do something very difficult,” Victor started.
“It doesn’t excuse her for taking such an impossible task upon herself,” Nicholai said. “Plus, she lied to me about it. Me of all people.”
“How did she lie?” Victor challenged. “You took it for face value when she said she killed the beast that she killed all of him. Who knew these creatures were two-soul beings?”
“It’s how they regenerate so quickly,” Angelo said.
“Gee, where were you when we were dealing with these monsters?” Victor snapped.
“Protecting the target and then the women and children,” Angelo said. “You had a crack team; I wasn’t worried about any of you. And yet, Mia comes back with claw marks so deep I’m surprised she didn’t bleed out. That suit Nyx gave her saved her life.”
“Saved our lives,” Victor said. “Cid showed me the drone footage of her taking out the bridge and then of you saving her.”
“What makes me angry is that she and I have spent a lot of time together after, and she had plenty of time to tell me but didn’t. I would have kept her confidence, but she didn’t trust me. That hurts. It really hurts,” Nicholai confessed.
“Ask her,” Victor said.
Nicholai put his hand on Victor’s shoulder. “I will. Thank you for being calm. I know Mia is a wildcard at times. We have to be extra vigilant when we work with her.”
“I agree,” Victor admitted. “I’m going to leave now. Tonight, I learned that Mia actually listens to my lectures. I will be careful with what words I use from now on.”
“I have a question that is neither here nor there regarding Mia,” Angelo said.
“Go on,” Victor said, unleashing his mighty wings.
“If she had failed and was pregnant with a Nephilim, what would you have done?” Angelo asked.
“Killed her,” Victor said simply and took flight.
“What would you have done?” Angelo asked Nicholai.
“I would have secreted her away and, if she survived the birth, killed the child. You?”
“I would have loved her and took care of both of them. I’m not cut from the same cloth as you and Victor.”
Nicholai no
dded. “It’s the human in you. I’m not saying it hasn’t served you well. It’s time I headed north. I left something inside, excuse me.”
Nicholai didn’t come back out. When Angelo went inside, he found that both Nicholai and Mia were gone. Mia’s coat with her phone inside was still hanging in his closet. Nicholai had taken Mia with him. “You didn’t leave something but someone inside, you old bastard.”
“Mia, wake up.”
Mia opened her eyes to see Nicholai looking down at her. “Good morning. Where am I?”
“You’re in my home. Sorry about sharing the bed, but I only have the one presently. Come on, I have breakfast cooking.”
“You cook?”
“Breakfast, I can cook. The rest, I dine out. Come on, eat and then shower. You smell like Victor.”
“You had to remind me,” Mia said, her eyes flashing. She got up and looked around. “I better call home.”
“I texted your husband. I asked if it would be okay for you to spend a little time alone with me. He called immediately. He seemed to have gotten the idea that I was asking permission to be romantic with you and declined on your behalf.”
“How humiliating,” Mia said.
“I explained that you had come clean with the Quentin thing, and I wanted to make sure you knew how I felt about the whole business.”
“What did he say then?”
“He said for me to be kind because I mean more to you than I may have realized.”
Mia put the pillow over her face and pressed down.
Nicholai took the pillow away, flipped her over, and smacked her backside hard.
“Ouch!”
“Get up.”
“You know that’s not acceptable. I’m not a child, and you shouldn’t be spanking children anyway!”
“Do you want more? You seem to forget I don’t care what’s in vogue right now. I’m a general, not a nursemaid.”
“Please, may I get up?”
Nicholai lifted her to her feet. He grabbed her chin. “Mia, you have a smart mouth. I think it’s from hanging around with warriors. But in my home, I will not put up with it. You’re a child until you reach sixty years, and I’ll treat you as such. I don’t want you to be shy and retiring, but I’ll not put up with disrespect.”
Mia stood there very quietly. She figured out that this was how a disappointed parent who gave a damn acted when they were hurt and let down. She didn’t agree with being spanked, but it did get her attention. She raised her hand.
“You may speak.”
“How did I get here?”
“I brought you.”
“Thank you. Where is the bathroom?”
“Down the hall. I’ll be waiting in the kitchen. Don’t keep me waiting,” Nicholai said seriously.
Mia ran out of the room and into the bathroom. She sat down on her tender backside and peed. She looked at the massive shower and tub in the oversized room and grinned. Everything was Nicholai-size. She got up, flushed, washed her hands with a giant Nicholai-size bar of soap, and dried them on a towel that was so soft she didn’t want to stop. She couldn’t see the mirror - it was up too high - but she grabbed Nicholai’s comb and pulled it through her tangled hair.
Nicholai heard Mia’s small footsteps as she walked through the house towards the kitchen. He heard her exclaim as she saw the view of Lake Michigan for the first time. She walked into the kitchen with a big smile on her face. “You have a beautiful home.”
“Thank you. Now sit down. I made sausages and potatoes,” he said as he dumped a mass of each on her plate.
Mia waited until he had served himself and picked up a fork before she did so. She took a bite of each.
“This is wonderful, so juicy.”
“Thank you.”
They ate in silence, Nicholai stealing glances at the pretty blonde inhaling the large quantity of food. When she was done, she got up and took his plate. She washed the plates and set them in the rack to dry. She walked over to Nicholai and hugged him before she walked into the bathroom and started the shower.
He smiled. Mia wasn’t a bad sort. She just didn’t have anyone who cared enough to say no to her.
Mia rinsed her hair and reached out and found a fresh towel waiting for her. She rubbed her hair dry before wrapping the large towel around her. Her clothes appeared to be missing. “Don’t overthink this. They were pretty wrinkled and smelly,” she told herself. She found, folded on the edge of the bathtub, a very large, clean undershirt. Mia pulled it over her head and giggled as the bottom hem floated around her legs. She walked out and into Nicholai’s bedroom and found a belt that she wound around her several times. She also found a mirror, where she stopped a moment to take in the woman before her. In the white undershirt, she looked pale and her eyes shone.
Nicholai walked in the room.
“May I please borrow your belt? Otherwise, I’m a bit lost in this.”
“You can borrow it. I’m sorry, but you’re a bit tiny. I’m washing your things. I’ll not have you arrive home smelling like Victor.”
“Thank you. I was a bit surprised when he grabbed me.”
“Victor doesn’t trust Angelo when it comes to you. Case in point: if you were found to be pregnant with a Nephilim, Victor would have killed you, I would have taken care of you and then destroyed the monster child, but Angelo said he would love you and care for both you and the child.”
This was a lot for Mia to take in. First of all, she could damn well take care of herself, but she could now see the differences in the three birdmen. Angelo was scoring a lot of points. “I’m glad nothing happened.”
“Mia, why are you spending so much time with Quentin’s keeper?”
“I need help. He’s a trained doctor of the mind and body. I’ve been feeling a bit disconnected lately. He’s helping me get a handle on my life.”
“How?”
“Having me think before I say inappropriate things and do things contrary to social customs. Evidently, most of my problems, I cause. Nicholai, I have found that most males either want to bed me or kill me. Only a few understand me and are happy I’m their friend.”
“What category am I?” Nicholai asked.
“I would say you’re my friend whom I admire.”
“And you would be correct. Does it bother you that I don’t find you desirable?”
“How could you? I smell like Victor.”
This caused Nicholai to laugh.
“Mia, I’ve had the love of my life. My wife was my moon and stars. I don’t think there ever will be room for anyone else in my heart.”
“I’m happy you had that,” Mia said.
“I am fond of you as if you were my daughter. I think it’s why your not telling me about Quentin hurts me.”
“I have a few things to tell you. Could we leave this room?”
“Yes. Come and sit with me on the deck,” he said, holding out his hand.
Mia grabbed it and walked with him.
She pulled her chair over so that she faced him as he gazed out at the water. “I know you know the history of me and my half-uncle Quentin, so I’ll skip to what he and I have in common. We are fractured. He because of the Nephilim thing. Me because I’m a genetic experiment gone wrong. Both of us were nurtured poorly. He was fortunate to have found Baxter to help him make the right decisions. I had Murphy and then Ted to give me humanity. But still, genetics cause us do things contrary to what is acceptable.
“When Beverly had twisted his mind to the point where he was very dangerous, I knew I had to kill him. You see, it wasn’t only me who was in danger if the beast wanted to possess me. My husband, children, and Sabine and her daughters would also be in danger. But I was successful, and then we had all the other battles. I wanted to tell you when you and I were alone, but I selfishly spent the time in your arms where, for probably the first time in a very long time, I felt completely safe. I slept like I did last night. I knew no one could get to me with you there.”
“You could sti
ll have told me. I would have understood.”
“But you would have been compromised.”
“Ah, now that makes sense. It’s not that you considered me a doddering old fool. You were worried about my reputation.”
“Nicholai, I don’t see you as old. Sure, I like to call you Pops, but that’s just to rile you.”
“Mia, this is why males want to spank you.”
“Good to know.”
“What else is Baxter teaching you?”
“How to defend myself without lifting a sword.”
“Good.”
“And how to control the gift Nyx left me with.”
Nicholai pulled Mia into his chair and looked into her eyes. “Is that why I see blue sometimes instead of green?”
“Yes. I bested Roumain and Michael when I was being powered by the blue star.”
“And I was worried about Victor bedding you.”
“Victor doesn’t like me, don’t worry.”
“Mia, Victor is like me. We come from solid birdman stock. Because of this, we have uncontrollable urges. You must be careful around us if you are fertile. We can become primal. Don’t bare your back to us and transform. It sets things in motion. I hope I’m not embarrassing you by telling you these things.”
“No, I need to know these things so I can be safe, and to teach my children. There is no handbook that I know of for being a birdman. As far as fertility, I have made myself sterile for a while.”
“Don’t you want more children?” he asked.
“Yes, but not until I can figure out what this power I have been given is. If it’s transferable to a child, and I don’t know if it is a good power or a bad one, I will have made a grave error.”
“I have done you a disservice. Here I was, thinking you needed some discipline, and you have shown me you are very responsible.”
“I’m not always this way. Between you and I, years ago, I did show my back to Angelo in error, thinking I had to be naked each time to transform. I didn’t know about my faux pas until Orion told me. It took me a month before I could look Angelo in the eye.”
