Angel's Blade (4 page)

He was dressed casually in jeans
and a sweater, but Nathaniel sensed something electric about him, too. Oddly,
all the angels here in the castle seemed to have some sort of extra zing to
their presence. Nathaniel wondered what his father had got them into. The big
angel, Zeke, was watching him again. Why? What was so interesting about him?
Nathaniel shifted under the weight of Zeke’s gaze. He wondered what the angel
looked for. Could he tell that Nathaniel’s heritage made him less than angelic?
That he had no other form but that of a human? Nathaniel snorted under his
breath.
Of course he knows. You came here in a car,
he told himself.

“I don’t know everything,” Ariel
said to the newcomer, rolling her eyes.

“Oh yes, you do. You make it a
point to know everything, which is only reasonable, given your duties,” the new
angel said, frowning. His black hair and grey eyes made it easy for him to look
forbidding. Ariel gave him a look. The angel’s face broke into a grin. “And you
know I like that about you.”

She huffed. “Well, it’s a good
thing, since you’re my mate. You’d
better
like that about me, or you’re
in for a long and very frustrating life.” She shook her head at him, smiling,
and then she turned back to Nathaniel’s father. “This is Suriel, our sorcerer.”

Nathaniel sucked in a breath. The
angels had a sorcerer? He glanced at his father. Orifiel didn’t seem especially
surprised. Hmm. Just like his dad to keep some things to himself.

“I am honored to meet you,
especially in these uneasy times,” Orifiel said, bowing his head briefly.

Suriel nodded. “Truth. It is indeed
a difficult era for our People. Welcome to our home.”

“Where is the Alpha?” Raguel said
suddenly, pushing forward rudely. “I thought he’d be here to meet us.”

Ariel stared at him, clearly
surprised by his brusqueness. “He and his mate will be back soon. They’re out
visiting my mother. It’s taking them a little longer than anticipated to
return, but don’t worry. He’ll be back soon.” She held out her hand. “Why don’t
you join us for some warm drinks in the kitchen? Zeke, would you mind taking
their bags upstairs?”

Nathaniel eyed her, surprised. He
hadn’t got the sense that Zeke was any kind of servant.

He nodded. “I’d be happy to,
cousin.”

Ah. It’s a family thing,
Nathaniel thought.

Ariel smiled at Zeke. “Thank you.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled as
he returned her smile. “It’s the least I can do.”

“Stop that,” she muttered. “This is
your home.”

Zeke outright laughed, to Nathaniel’s
delight. He didn’t think Zeke was prone to lighthearted banter. He was happy to
be proven wrong.

****

Zeke gathered the visitor’s bags,
trying very hard not to stare at Nathaniel. The man was beautiful: skin the
color of tea, light grey eyes, curly brown hair that had golden highlights. He
didn’t understand his fascination with the man. He’d been all over the world
and seen a thousand different faces in a hundred different cultures, but for
some reason, this man intrigued him. He knew Nathaniel was half-angel,
half-human, and lacked the ability to shift, but it didn’t seem to have made
him bitter. Instead, Nathaniel’s face spoke of years of smiling. Of joy. His
light eyes twinkled as he looked around with honest curiosity. He moved as
though he knew who he was and what his body could do.

In stark contrast, the one called
Raguel carried bitterness around him like a cloak, huddling into his anger. And
Maion was hiding something, Zeke was sure of it.

“Thank you,” Nathaniel murmured
when Zeke took his backpack. His hands were very warm.

“Is this all you brought?” he
asked, surprised.

Nathaniel shrugged. “I don’t need
much.”

Zeke nodded slowly. He approved. “I
arrived here with only a single pack as well.”

“Really?” Nathaniel asked.

“Not three weeks ago, I showed up
at my cousins’ doorstep with a bag of worn clothes and a sword.” Zeke snapped
his mouth shut. Why was he telling Nathaniel these things? It wasn’t like him
to open up to a stranger.

Nathaniel was smiling, though, as
if Zeke had said nothing shocking. “That’s good you had somewhere to go. Family
is important.” He glanced at his father with affection. Orifiel was talking to
Ariel near the door to the kitchen.

Zeke recognized the same urge for
connection in Nathaniel as he himself craved. “Yes. I was very lucky that Ariel
and Gabriel remembered me.”

“And why ever would we forget you,
Zeke? You’re our cousin, come home at long last.” Ariel came over and before
Zeke could duck away, she slipped her arm around his waist, hugging him.

He felt his face go hot and hoped
to God he wasn’t actually blushing like some young boy. “The day I came home
was the best day of my adult life,” he said quietly.

Suriel clapped a hand on his
shoulder. “We are all happy you came home.”

Zeke glanced up to see Nathaniel
watching the little scene. The look on his face spoke of heartache and
understanding. Suddenly, Zeke’s embarrassment overcame his gratitude, and he
gently pulled away from Ariel. He didn’t need this stranger looking at him with
pity. “I’ll take the bags up to the guest suite. There are enough rooms for all
of you.”

Ariel sighed, very quietly, but she
let him go. “Thanks.”

Zeke nodded and fled up the stairs.
The weight of the bags hardly registered.

Chapter Three

Nathaniel followed his father into
the kitchen, wishing he could have followed Zeke instead. He kept looking
behind him, as if he could see a last glimpse, but the handsome angel had
already gone up the stairs. When the kitchen door swung shut, he stared at it
for a moment, confused.

“What are you looking for?” Maion
asked, poking him in the arm.

Nathaniel startled, then shook his
head. “Nothing. I’m just tired.”

“I’m making hot chocolate. Would
you like some?” Ariel asked him, opening and closing cabinet doors.

“Sure,” Nathaniel said, making
himself smile. He didn’t want to appear unfriendly. He sat down at the table,
next to his father.
If this fascination with the sexy stranger doesn’t fade,
I’m going to have to do something drastic,
he mused, running a finger along
the smooth surface of the table.
Maybe I can persuade him into a date.
He made a face. Talking straight guys into bi-curious experimentation never
ended well.
And maybe I should just resign myself to a lot of cold showers
while I’m here.

“Gabriel will be back soon,” Ariel
said, pouring milk into a saucepan. She flicked on the gas stove and set it to
warm up.

Nathaniel watched her, mind still
fixed on Zeke. Was he coming back down? He didn’t seem to mind carrying their
bags—clearly he wasn’t hung up on status. He also called Ariel cousin and she
looked at him with affection. Nathaniel didn’t know why he was so intrigued by
him, but he had long ago stopped questioning his instincts, human though they
were. Zeke interested him. Everything the angel did spoke of hard-won
composure. Nathaniel wanted to run his hands all over him and find out what
made Zeke tick.

“Are any other clans coming?”
Orifiel asked.

Ariel paused, hand on the hot
chocolate mix. “No. No others answered our invitations. At least not yet.”

Nathaniel’s father frowned. “This
isn’t a good time for us to be so divided.”

Nathaniel agreed.

“We will fight if we need to,
regardless of what happens. We will keep this world safe,” Suriel said, leaning
on the counter near his mate. Ariel touched his arm briefly and he smiled at
her.

Their devotion to each other was
obvious. More than anything, Nathaniel wished he had someone to care for like
that. Zeke’s face floated into him mind and he pushed the image away
impatiently.
No. No getting your hopes up.
Except… sometimes, if
Nathaniel let himself wallow, his lack of angelic power could make him
melancholy. Angels had mates. Humans merely fell in love.

But that was enough for my father
and mother,
he told himself firmly.
It will be enough for me, too.

“There are no more demons in the
world. There haven’t been in years,” Raguel suddenly said. He’d wandered around
the kitchen, staring at the polished cabinets until he stopped at the windows. “You’re
fooling yourself if you think they exist.”

Ariel and Suriel exchanged a
complicated look.

“That is not true,” she said
quietly.

Raguel turned, his face set in that
arrogant mask Nathaniel knew meant trouble. He stood up, trying to distract
him, but Maion beat him to it.

“You are always so sure of
yourself, aren’t you Raguel?” Maion’s voice dripped contempt. “You always think
you know everything, but really, you don’t know jack shit.”

Maion wasn’t even looking at Raguel
as he spoke. For a moment Nathaniel thought his friend’s brown eyes flashed
red, but then Maion turned his head more fully toward him.
Must have been a
trick of the light,
Nathaniel mused, confused by what he thought he’d seen.
Unsettled by Maion’s angry retort. His friend had never been particularly
hot-headed and yet here he was, goading Raguel.
What the hell is going on?
he wondered, frowning hard at Maion.

Maion ignored him, but he also
continued to ignore Raguel, who would take that kind of indifference as an
insult.
Which is probably why Maion does it. He’s been really picking at
Raguel for the past few months.
Nathaniel didn’t understand why his father
was allowing this, but Orifiel sat at the table, face composed and hands
clasped. Nathaniel waited for Raguel’s outburst. He didn’t have to wait long.

Raguel sneered, his voice rising. “You
think you know so much, but you’re nothing. I am at least descended from an
honorable line. My forbears were masters of the blade. Yours were mere
craftsmen.”

“None of that means anything now.
We have never been the kind of people who placed much importance on rank. Our
society functions on merit,” Nathaniel said quickly, glancing at Ariel and
Suriel. That last thing they needed was for this to escalate between Maion and
Raguel.

“In that case, your place will be
at the bottom, since you are not even a true angel,” Raguel said cuttingly.

Nathaniel ground his teeth, reining
back his temper. Not for the first time he questioned his father’s wisdom in
bringing along Raguel. Nathaniel had kept his tone mild, but he was angry. He
should have expected this. Raguel was an asshole, and not even being in the presence
of the Alpha’s second, in the heart of Castle Archangel, was enough to quell
the angel’s sense of entitlement.

“None of that sort of thing will
mean anything as our People head into the future,” a new voice said, clear and
confident. “We must nurture all the skills we can if we’re to defeat our
enemies. And you may be surprised at how much of what we had thought lost to us
was only in hiding. God is still with us.”

Nathaniel twisted in his seat. Two
angels stood just inside the kitchen door. He hadn’t heard them come in, but
they must have been standing there long enough to hear the gist of the
argument. The taller angel had brown hair, light brown eyes and an unmistakable
aura of authority. The smaller angel was softer somehow, but also compelling in
a way that Nathaniel didn’t understand. His dark hair lay messily across his
forehead and he stood quietly behind the other angel, but his blue eyes were
friendly.

“It took you long enough to get
home, dear brother,” Ariel said, her words cutting, but her tone light.

Whoa. This was the Alpha? Nathaniel
sighed regretfully as he realized the man had heard every word of Raguel’s
bitter complaints. He looked away. Outside, fat snowflakes had begun to drift
down across the back courtyard. He could barely make them out through the thick
glass of the windows.

“I knew you were here, Ariel,” the
Alpha said, walking forward. “I trust you to hold the fort.”

Nathaniel’s father stood up. “I am
pleased to meet you, Alpha,” Orifiel said.

The Alpha inclined his head. “Please,
call me Gabriel. I’m very happy you made the trip.” His gaze flicked to
Nathaniel and Orifiel introduced them.

“My son, Nathaniel.”

“Hello,” Nathaniel said. Behind
them, the kitchen door quietly opened and Zeke slipped into the room. Nathaniel
couldn’t help glancing at him, as if his body couldn’t help itself. There was
just something about Zeke that made him lose his sense. He watched Zeke lean
back against the counter, arms folded over his chest. Nathaniel tore his gaze
away and forced himself to pay attention to the introductions. He didn’t want
to offend the Alpha.

Gabriel smiled as if he hadn’t
noticed Nathaniel’s distraction, gesturing to the smaller angel standing beside
him. “This is my mate, our Omega, Raphael.”

Nathaniel blinked, not sure he’d
heard correctly. The Alpha’s mate was a man? He hadn’t expected that. Not at
all. He watched his father shake hands with the Omega and then he looked again
at Zeke. The angel didn’t seem in the least bothered by his leader’s choice of
a mate. Unfortunately, behind him, Nathaniel sensed Raguel’s growing anger.