Angelic Sight (9 page)

Axis trotted over to them and got into line beside them. “Okay, on  my signal!” Levi shouted excitedly. He pointed his hand to the red  warning sticker down one wall. “Whoever passes the sticker first  wins.”

“Winner gets a blow job from me and Levi,” Erik added for extra  incentive. Marius would’ve laughed had he possessed the same vocal  capabilities he was used to.

“On your mark, get ready, go!” Levi cried. Adrenaline shot  through Marius’s blood as they took off like jockeys at a race. Marius  leaned into his animal, relying on him to carry him into unfamiliar  movement and speed.
 
The steeds of heroes
. Marius could see how  people thought about Pegasus. He felt like he could carry anything,  run away, win everything.

Brax shot ahead of the pack of them almost as soon as they started  thundering to their goal. There were only fifty yards in the arena, so  they couldn’t really stretch out, but the space allowed for a brief sprint  before they had to slow. Marius pushed his muscles, wanting to win.  However, the smaller Pegasus pulled ahead easily and Brax crossed  the invisible line. He made a noise of happiness as they slowed after  passing the goal line.

As they rubbed along one another, a congratulations and a  welcome all in one, Marius realized something about his lovers. Not  only did they feel like his, as strange as it was to say, but he could  also see thin golden threads that connected all their auras together.
 
A  blessing from the Creator, the ability to see one’s mates
. It was  something beautiful and unique, and Marius couldn’t help but be  grateful for it. He no longer was afraid that he was forcing a  relationship into being that didn’t belong. He knew without a shadow  of a doubt that their union was fated.

“Well done,” Axis complimented as he shifted back to his human  state. “Move about a bit and stretch your legs. When you’re ready to  go, switch back.” Marius nodded.
 
Yeah. This is pretty cool
. Levi  hopped off the bench and ran toward them, startling Marius as he  flung his arms around Marius’s neck.

“You’re beautiful,” Levi whispered, kissing Marius’s equine  cheek. “You’re exactly as you were always meant to be.” The echoing  of his earlier thoughts was a bit unnerving, but the pleasure of the  compliment stole away any discomfort he might’ve been feeling. Life  was good. So very very good.

Chapter Five

Levi was sweating by the time they pulled onto their street. Erik exchanged concerned glances with his men as Levi continued to stare out the window as Axis pulled the car into their cul-de-sac.

Levi had been fine when they’d been at the facility. He’d enjoyed their animal forms and had even talked Axis into letting him and Erik ride them around for a little bit before Axis had announced that they should get going and herded them all back to their clothes. When they’d stepped out of the facility and into the nearly empty employee parking lot, Levi had taken one look at the sky and had turned ghostly white before climbing into the car and refusing to speak for the rest of the ride.

Axis’s cell phone started ringing. “Hello?” he answered. “Yeah.  Hold on a second, let me put you on speakerphone.” He hit a button.  “Hey. Scepta, what do you have to tell us?” Everyone held their breath as they waited for Scepta to speak. They’d been waiting since yesterday to hear back.

Scepta’s voice sounded a split second after. “I’ve spoken with my father, and he says that Levi might be the Oracle we were looking for.”

“You were looking for an Oracle?” Axis wondered aloud. Erik

looked at Keer beside him.

“What’s an Oracle?” Erik mouthed.

“A being that can exist on all planes,” Scepta answered. “It is a  being that goes between and fixes periods of time. In essence, they are  the architects of the universe given larger plans by the Creator.  They’re only born once every five thousand years and only under a

very specific set of circumstances. One of them is an early  awakening.”

Erik watched as Levi curled into himself, making his body as  small as possible against the seat. He reached out and drew the  smaller man into his body before kissing the top of his head. Levi was  perfect and special and a million loveable things. Erik wished he  could make Levi not ashamed of his existence anymore.

“It would also explain why he is having visions,” Scepta  continued. “Time isn’t something that Oracles deal with in a linear  fashion. Everything he sees has already happened in time, but he has  the ability to manipulate it. Most seers can only see what is inevitable,  not what they can change. Your Levi is different. Beyond that, you  now have the reason the hunters couldn’t kill him. He is an Oracle

and as such is one of the most holy objects in existence. Any angel  that tried to kill him would inevitably go mad.”

Levi shuddered, and Erik held him tighter. He hid his face in  Erik’s jacket.

“So because he’s an Oracle, Levi was spared?” Axis asked,  frowning. He didn’t look any happier about the news than Levi did.

“Not exactly. Whatever hunters had a hand in his torture probably  went insane after he left, though. Angels are used to following orders.  If Azrael commanded angels to kill him, then they would try and  follow the directive. They just wouldn’t be able to get through it,”  Scepta said.

Erik interrupted whatever Axis had been planning to say. “So how  do we ease the intensity of his visions?”

There was a brief pause on the other end of the phone. “The  visions won’t leave. If there is anything he connects to, any event that  he’s meant to see, then he will have them. He will be the intermediary  between things that should be changed and the rest of the world.  People will come from all over the world to ask him questions. It’s  not something that can be kept under wraps. The only thing you can  do is keep him comfortable during and give him good aftercare.”

“If they’re meant to happen to him, then why are the effects so

intense?” Keer asked.

“A body that is half-human strains against an immortal and  infinite vision. They usually have angels that are called Keepers to  watch over them, much like guardians but more than that,” Scepta  said. “You all would actually qualify as Keepers at this point. You’ve  married him as is dictated. Hmmm…Anyway, my fathers want to  have a meeting with you next week. I’ll have their secretary call you  back and schedule a meeting time.”

“Good deal. Thanks for the information, Scepta. How much do we  owe you?” Axis asked. Erik knew there wasn’t much left in their  budget, so it made him nervous when Scepta didn’t say anything for a  minute. Sometimes he really hated that they had such limited funds to  work with. If Erik could contribute in some way it would be different,  but he felt like he was constantly burdening his men.

“I will ask you a favor in the future and you’ll be there when I  need it. Other than that, we’re even,” Scepta said after the long pause.  “I’ll need information just like you did. Sound good?”

Axis was visibly relieved. “Sounds fine.”

They said their good-byes, and Axis hung up the phone. Erik  stroked Levi’s back. “Are you okay, Levi?”

“I can’t see it. It’s just a shadow. I can’t see it, but I
 
know
 
it’s  coming,” Levi murmured, trembling. Erik was pretty sure he wasn’t  even talking to him.

“What’s coming, Levi?” Erik asked in confusion. It dawned on  him then.

He’s having one of the visions that everyone was talking about
. It was weird to think that Levi was seeing the world in a completely different way than Erik could see it. His visions had always been more “feelings” about things, like he had to go somewhere or be at a certain place at a certain time. The few times he’d had vivid visions, for example when he saw Marius, Levi, and himself joining with the  Elites, it had come in dreams. He imagined that being awake while

being completely unaware of yourself was infinitely more frightening  than dreaming.

Levi just shook harder. “He hurts, burns whatever he touches.  He’ll burn the world to cinders.”

All the Elites growled in unison. “Azrael is coming?” Erik asked, ignoring them. Their aggression was just going to make Levi nervous.  He stroked down his lover’s back, soothing him.

“Yes,” Levi murmured. “He’s coming. Not here, though. He’s avoiding here. Another. He’s sending another here.” He whimpered.  “The burner.”

Erik frowned. When they’d talked before, Levi had always put the blame of his scars and the experience with the hunters on Azrael’s shoulders. He had never identified anyone else as his tormentor.

Levi tilted up his head and met Erik’s eyes. “He kept me. He should’ve let me die, but he didn’t. I don’t want to be an Oracle.”

“Levi, we’re not going to let anyone hurt you, angel,” Marius  promised. “We won’t.”

“Let’s get him into the house,” Axis said. He looked worried,  more worried than Erik had ever seen him before.

Protectiveness swelled up inside him. There was no way in hell that he was going to let anyone hurt any of his lovers. He didn’t care if he exploded from overexerting his angelic powers, he would not stand by and watch people hurt his angels.

“Erik, I don’t want to see this,” Levi said, clinging tighter to  Erik’s jacket. “I don’t want to see him coming. He saw me when I was looking into the world yesterday. He saw me, and now he’s coming.” His deep green eyes were wide and fearful, wild like an animal’s. “I saw him make up his mind. I saw Azrael order him to come into sanctuary. Erik, help me.”

“I will. I’m not letting anyone touch a hair on your head, sweet angel. No worries. Look at our lovers.” Erik pointed to the huge men who crowded around them as they got out of the car. “Look at how

big and strong they are. They’re Elites. They would get rid of any  hunter who dared to come near you. You see, Levi, you’re safe.”

Slowly, it seemed like his words penetrated Levi’s vision, and the  smaller nephilim nodded. “Yes. I’m safe. Even if he comes, I’ll be  safe.” He sighed, annoyance and regret lacing his expression. “I didn’t  want to cause you trouble. I wanted to make things easier for you,  wanted you all to be spoiled by me.” His frown deepened. “I’m just a  burden. I should go.” He pulled out of Erik’s arms and started toward  the end of the driveway. Almost immediately Keer took two strides  and swung the nephilim into his arms before delivering a stinging  swat to Levi’s exposed jean-clad backside.

“Enough of that. What did I tell you the other night, Levi?” Keer  rumbled. Erik growled as he swatted Levi’s butt again. He was  fragile. Didn’t he know that? Keer’s violet eyes pinned him. “Don’t  you start, Erik. All of you need to stop treating him like he’s  porcelain. He was strong when he escaped the hunters, he survived,  he fought to get to us, and you all make light of that accomplishment.  He’s allowed to need us because he trusts us, and we’re allowed to

take care of him because we need to nurture. He’s not weak because

he needs someone else to be in control.”

“A Keeper,” Axis muttered, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. “I  wonder…hmmm, Brax, let’s get our nephilim inside and start your  research. I want to know everything about Oracles, Keepers, and  visions. Got it?”

“Yes, sir,” Brax said, saluting a mite sarcastically before heading

into the house.

“I’ll join him and keep him on task,” Jade said, turning to head  inside as well. He paused at the bottom step and looked at them. “I  don’t think he’s weak. I just like to wrap him in something soft and  keep him safe.”

Keer nodded. “I feel the same way, but he needs more than our  protection. He needs our encouragement to seize his own destiny.” He  tucked Levi’s head in the crook of his neck. “That won’t always jive

with our urge to keep him safe from everything. If we do that, he  won’t be able to handle anything.” His long legs carried him past Jade  and into the house. Axis sighed as he watched them disappear into  their dream house.

Erik echoed his sigh. “We had a good day.”

“Yeah. We did,” Axis agreed.

“We’ll protect him and help him with his powers. Being an Oracle doesn’t change that,” Erik said firmly. He was ninety percent sure that the purpose of their mission was still the same. They would still be protecting Levi from whatever threats came their way and providing him comfort whenever he needed it.

He looked up at Axis only to find the Elite staring at him with a strange look on his face. “What?” Erik asked.

Axis continued to stare at him. “You talk like you’re one of my  Elites already, like you’re just one training day away from joining us.”