Chapter 14
I laughed at Reese’s joke during our short break in between sessions when the door opened and I swung my head around to see my very frazzled angel charge through it. His eyes were a little wild, but his steps were determined, like he had thought about being in this location and only this location. The door slammed behind him as he looked around the room and found me. There was always this raging electrified energy whenever I became the focus of Nicholas Cassial’s attention and it made me feel loved and comforted, it made me feel like I could do anything.
It also made me feel something else between my legs, but right now was not the time to consider that, at least not unless he wanted to.
“Where’s your number one fan?” Elise asked.
Nick waved her off. “That doesn’t matter.” He rushed over to me, leaning down to kiss me with the aggression of someone who hasn’t kissed in years.
“Uh…okay. I love the love, really, I do, but did something happen with Morgan?” Reese questioned, causing Nick to break away from me and focus his attention on everyone else.
“It did and while I’ll be getting Ariel’s wrath once we’re back from Purgatory, I’m not really in the mood to care,” Nick explained, laughing more to himself than to us.
“If we make it back…OW!” Elise mumbled, jumping a tiny bit when Beetee ran up and pinched her.
“I swear if you don’t stop saying shit like that I will shift and swallow you whole.” Beetee pinched her again, but then giggled.
Reese laughed along with her. “That’s hilarious because you know, she’s a snake and…they do that.” He sighed, wiping his laughter induced tears.
Elise glared at him. “Yes, we get it. We aren’t fucking idiots.”
“Okay, okay, everyone simmer down. So, I’m just going to assume Ariel doesn’t know you are here, without Morgan? And I’ll also assume he doesn’t know you all are leaving tonight?” Natalia stepped up next to me.
Nick pressed his fingers to his temple. “Yes…on all fronts.”
“I think you’re right, he won’t be happy. Especially not with all the things you’ve told me about him,” Garrett said, nodding his head towards me.
I rolled my eyes, refocusing my attention. “Are we leaving right now? I know we talked about tonight, but are you here to say hey, change of plans, let's head out now , because I am completely and totally for that plan.”
Nick shook his head, twirling one of my curls around his finger. “Um, no. I don’t love Elise’s mindset and I don’t want to alarm anyone with the idea of not coming back, but I think you more than deserve to do something fun.”
“Using my powers and feeling amazing is fun, Nicholas.” I tapped the tip of my finger against his nose.
“I mean something a little more mundane.”
Elise made a gagging noise.
I looked over my shoulder at her, silently telling her to shut up. “What is your version of mundane? Normalcy isn’t our forte if you haven’t noticed.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, that nervous habit making an appearance. “I was thinking before we left that I could…take you out.”
Beetee made a noise that was almost like a squeak. “Isn’t taking someone out, like killing them?”
My eyebrows immediately turned down, my brain a little frazzled. I heard Garrett chuckle. “No, Beetee, I think he means a date.”
“It’s about fucking time,” Reese said his voice muffled.
Nick let out a groan. “Yes, a date. I know we don’t have time for a well-planned, fancy type of thing, but I just want you to have a little bit of fun before…”
“Okay,” I said, pressing my finger to his lips. “Where are we going?”
I looked out one of the windows as Nick waited outside. The sun was going down, so there was this pinkish hue to the sky. I wanted to give him my full attention tonight, but I knew that this was just a small relief from all the work I’d done. This date would be something good that I would keep with me, whether it be a memory I’d have forever for the rest of my days, or it could be the last good thing I’d remember before the end came.
I fiddled with the thick straps of the dress Natalia let me borrow. Her various closets were filled with long flowing garments made of velvets, silks and other fabrics I couldn’t even name. They have jewels that shined off of them and most were longer than I preferred. She had tapped her cheek, but then gave me a tiny smile before sending one of her Enchanters to fetch something more my style.
The dress was black with a small triangular slit at my right thigh. It wasn’t super tight, but shaped my body enough to where you could still confidently make out every curve. She’d given me heels that weren’t too high, but they accented the length of my legs. I pressed my fingers to the glass at the window as I watched Nick playfully shove Reese back as they spoke.
“Can we just pretend that you guys are going on a date when in reality you will find a dark corner to fondle each other in?” Elise said, as I walked by her to make my way outside.
“I mean if that’s what they want to do then I say have the best date possible.” Beetee gave us a thumbs up.
I giggled, locking eyes with the one person who could make me nervous. He let his eyes roam their way down my body and then bit his lower lip which quite literally made me feral. I made my way over to him, leaning my body as close to him as I could. “So where are you taking me, hm?”
He brought his hand up to cup the side of my neck, so that his thumb could graze my jaw. “You’ll see.”
I couldn’t help feeling a tiny bit giddy as he dipped his fingers inside his shirt, pulling out his portal key. I placed my hand over his. “Is where we’re going flying compatible?”
“Most places are flying compatible, but yes.”
I rubbed my lips together. “Could we do that?” I tugged on his arm, feeling like I wasn’t asking too much.
He dropped his key and in a matter of seconds, scooped me up and cradled me in his arms. He pushed out his wings, their mass causing a slight breeze to pass.
“I guess that’s a yes.” I hooked my arms around his neck and he pushed off of the ground. It wasn’t long before the trees were nonexistent, and we were right in the heart of the sunset. I remembered being like this with him when we were less familiar with each other, when he was so much more apprehensive around me. I shamelessly flirted as if my life depended on it, but there was something about Nicholas Cassial that made me want to keep pushing his limits.
This time was different though. He was carrying me the same as before, but now his hands were more comfortable with their placement. He squeezed my body closer to his because he wanted to and because he could. He kissed me mid-flight for the hell of it and I didn’t stop him. There wasn’t a dark ripple in sight, but there was a tiny inkling that the next time it happened, it would be bigger and whatever was behind it angrier and more lethal with each pull against the threshold.
I pulled a piece of my hair away from my face as I shook off my thoughts, feeling Nick make a turn and then dip down every so often. We started to descend lower and lower, until I could see foliage and gravel. He swerved around trees and eventually found a solid landing spot near a building I didn’t recognize. He sat me down, making sure I had my balance before making his wings disappear.
Nick held his hand out waiting for me to take it. Our fingers intertwined as he pulled around the building. Something about his place gave me déjà vu, but then it hit me.
“Are we at the North Village?”
“Mmhmm.”
I chewed on my bottom lip. “Are we going to see your dad?”
His shoulders stiffened for a moment before he turned to look at me. “No, contrary to popular belief there are other things in the North Village besides my father.”
The smell of apple and sugar reached my nostrils and my mouth instantly started to salivate. There were a few people walking around, giving him small nods of acknowledgement, but nothing more. The time of day told me that most were probably at home eating with their families and not out gallivanting like we were.
Nick opened the door of the shop with the delectable smells, pulling me towards the counter. A woman with tight blonde curls came out to greet us, but when her eyes found Nick, her smile grew ten times wider. She clapped her hands together and it was like her whole body vibrated with excitement. “Nicholas?!”
Nick gave her a genuine smile as she came around the counter to give him a hug. I backed up, watching their interaction.
The short joyful woman, reared back to look at him. “You never come by anymore. You broke my poor heart you know. Your father comes around telling me all about your adventures, or as much as he can tell me. Ah, he’s so proud of you.” She held his face, placing both her palms on his cheeks and something inside of me wanted his father to just burst in here. I wanted them to have a big cry fest where they both spoke at the same time, but then laughed and admitted that they still loved each other despite the secrecy and separation.
That wasn’t going to happen. I knew that.
She let him go, placing a hand on her hip. “He doesn’t come around much anymore. I’ve been meaning to stop by your house, but that girl, uh, Alex, she always seems to find herself here. Always gets a handful of things for the family. Are you headed there now?”
I muffled my laughter at the turn this had taken.
“Um, no. I’m actually here with…” He looked over at me and the woman followed his eyes. Her dark blue eyes widened as she took me in. It wasn’t out of fear or nervousness. It was out of embarrassment.
“For the love of all that is ethereal, forgive me! I am just prattling on rudely.” She stuck her hand out for me to shake. “I’m Josie.”
“Dani. It’s nice to meet you. This shop yours?”
She gave me a hearty laugh before she made her way back around the counter, grabbing two rectangular paper sleeves and stuffing cookies in them. “She’s all mine. Nicholas has been coming here since he was a boy.”
I raised my eyebrows at her. “Well, it smells amazing in here.”
“Thank you dear.” She handed Nick the sleeves and he started to reach into his pocket, most likely to pay. Josie waved her hands at him. “No, sir. You keep your money and tell your father I said hello.”
Nick gave her a tight-lipped smile and nodded, thanking her. He handed me one of the sleeves as we walked out the door. I waved goodbye to her before I grabbed the cookie, breaking off a small piece and eating it. It melted on my tongue instantly and there were more flavors than I imagined.
“There has to be some kind of magic in here to make this taste this good.”
Nick chuckled while eating his own and shrugged. “I’ve said the same thing, but she has yet to tell anyone her recipe.”
“She’s close with your dad?”
He stuffed another, larger, piece of the cookie in his mouth. He swallowed before answering me. “She treats everyone like family, so yeah I guess you could say that.”
I kept eating until only small traces of crumbs were left, mulling over what I wanted to say next. “You are fully aware you could run into your dad here, correct?”
“Yes. I knew I wouldn’t though.”
“How would you know that?”
“My dad loves to make dinner and sit around at the table and eat food with his family, having conversations about their day. He wouldn’t be out and about right now. Despite most things, my father is predictable when it comes to things like this.”
I crumbled up my paper sleeve, throwing it in a nearby bin as we walked. I grabbed onto his arm, nuzzling closer to him. “Aha, well, you asked me on this date for my benefit, right?”
He kissed my forehead as we passed more shops and some kids playing. “Absolutely.”
“Good because right now, I’m not asking you to speak to your father, I’m not asking you to tell me how you feel about him or the situation. All I want from you right now is for you to tell me about him, about you growing up, your time with Reese, and anything else that you can share. I’m told dates are about getting to know the other person, so spill it, Mr. Cassial.”
Nick sighed, but it wasn’t from annoyance, I knew that from the way he looked down at me with those brown eyes that told me he wanted to speak about the man that brought him up, but he didn’t want it to be more than just conversation.
For the sake of my time with him, not to mention how in love with him I was, I could do that.
I found myself continuously looking at the sky. I kept thinking I saw something or at this very minute was when we needed to leave. Nick would follow my eyes and remind me that there was nothing there, but there were moments when I felt like that tiny ripples that I saw were for me, just to fuck with me. I kept telling myself that it would all be dealt with.
We had sat down at a small table near the end of the rows of buildings to talk. I let Nick talk about anything and everything. I’d fire my questions and he would ask what he wanted as well. There were things he already knew about me, but some things I surprised him with. He had ended up placing his hand on my knee, drawing tiny circles with his thumb.
He would occasionally move that hand higher up my thigh but then retreat back to my knee. I was no better with how I dragged my foot along his ankle and up his leg. It was nice to see him laughing when his father was brought up, rather than the tension filled moments that always seemed to happen.
“So, your father and Jonah both discovered that little path into the Divine Library?”
He nodded, leaning back in his chair. “Yeah, it was odd since he’d always huffed and puffed about Jonah ever since I started at The Skies. After he told me about the secret passage, I guess he was in a forthcoming mood to keep talking.”
“And?” I pressed, intrigued.
“And he told me Jonah was always fond of the library. He liked going there at night and he’d drag my father with him. I don’t know, I guess it became like a little secret meeting place. I don’t particularly think Jonah’s father was a fan of mine and Jonah himself was always busy with future executive things, that slowly I think they spent less time together but ‘best friends will always find a way to meet up’. Those words are straight from my father.”
“So, the library was Jonah’s favorite place, huh?”
“Yeah, I guess so, the Divine Library is always quiet and it’s a good place to think. I can see why he enjoyed it.”
“Hmm, do you have a favorite place? I mean besides between my legs,” I joked, getting an eye roll from him that made me giggle even more.
“You are so much more than just a very nice body, Dani, so…” His words trailed off while his eyes looked off to the side as if he was deep in thought.
I snapped my fingers at him. “Hello, Nick?”
“Wait, Jonah’s favorite spot was the library.”
I slowly nodded. “Yeah, you’ve said that.”
“My father is probably one of the few people that knew him the best, so that has to be accurate, right?” He started to get up from the table.
“Sure. Nick, what's going on?”
“I’m not sure, but we have to go.” He grabbed my hand, pulling me around a corner. He had his portal key out in seconds and started to create a circle.
“Go where? Context would be nice, you know.”
Once the portal was done, he started to yank me inside the glowing circle. “The Divine Library.”
I clearly wasn’t processing what was happening fast enough, but I’d given up asking any other questions the minute the portal he had created led us into the closet that held the doorway to the secret passage into the Divine Library. Nick started talking as he maneuvered the bookcase out of the way, revealing the door.
Today was just filled with moments of déjà vu as we walked the same path, we had the first time we were down here. Everything from the smells to the darkness sent me back. Nick lit his own path, but his footsteps were faster and more determined. We were meant to leave soon and somehow this man decided to go rogue and tell no one his thought process. I couldn’t say I was surprised.
The minute we got inside, away from the dank air of the tunnel, I took an easy breath inward. I hadn’t been in the library for quite some time, but I’d almost forgotten how beautiful it was. The stained-glass windows collected the last of the sunset and it would be pitch dark soon. The tiny orbs of light started to glow as the inside of this building began to dim. Nick darted for the stairs while I followed behind him, my curiosity slowly morphing into annoyance. “Tell me why you couldn’t just portal us in here?”
He took the stairs two at a time, placing his hands on his hips as he surveyed his surroundings. “The Divine Library is secured so that no one can just pop in with portals, regardless of their stature here. We would have gotten kicked back to the North Village. There are always loopholes, hence the secret passage.”
I pushed my bottom lip out, nodding my head. I widened my arms and spun around. “And we are in here, why?”
Nick turned around. “The library was Jonah’s favorite place.”
“We’ve established this, yes.”
“All this time, Ariel said they’d looked everywhere for it, but maybe they just didn’t know where to look.” Nick scratched his chin and then made his way over to the wall where the tapestries hung. The same wall where I’d found the book about Enchanters.
Something in my mind clicked. “We are here about Jonah’s powers?”
He didn’t answer me. He simply looked at the tapestries, examining them. He touched one of them, letting his fingers feel the golden tassels. He skipped the one of the Enchanter and angel, where I’d found the book and stood in front of the last one. It looked just like a simple picture of an angel etched into the fabric.
“Nick, you are making a big assumption on a conversation we had.”
Nick pulled the tapestry away from the wall and started searching the wall. “I remember that they wanted to redecorate, make new tapestries, a bunch of things at one point, but Jonah had declined that request. He had made such a big deal out of keeping these here.”
“Okay…Nick, when I found the book the last time it was behind the tapestry that made the most sense. This is just a picture of an angel; I don’t get how that would lead you to…”
He pressed his hands to different stones, until one of them went further inward, as if he was pressing a button. When the stone slid back far enough another stone close to it popped out. “This tapestry was designed with the highest executive in mind.”
I came up behind him, noticing that the stone was hollow on the inside. He reached inside to reveal a small book. There was nothing special about it. It was a leather-bound pocket-sized notebook with a plain leather strap that kept it bound. Nick swept his fingers over the front, tapping the bottom right corner. “Look.”
I grabbed the book from his hands and found the impression of initials. “Are these Jonah’s?”
Nick reclaimed the book from my hands and started to unravel the strap. “J. H. Z. Yeah, Jonah Henry Zuriel.” We both waited with bated breath when he opened the book. I had this thought that magic would come zooming out, or words would appear, but neither of those things happened. Nothing at all happened. Nick stared at the blank pages, flipping through over and over again as if he thought something new would happen.
“I don’t understand. I just…I have this feeling like this is it, this is where it is.”
I leaned against one of the tables. “Maybe there is some special way to release it from the book. Jonah didn’t seem like the type to just make it this easy. Or maybe it’s cheeky and knows you aren’t the one it’s meant for so it's hiding.” I poked his side, trying to be funny.
He let out an unamused laugh, closing the book and placing it in his back pocket. “As long as Ariel doesn’t get his hands on it, then I guess we’re good.”
“We can hand this off to Natalia to keep while we’re gone, maybe she can find a way to crack the code. She is the smart one.”
“Yeah…” He seemed distracted and a bit disheartened.
I slid my hands from his stomach to his chest. “Fix your face, Nicholas, you should still be proud that you found it. Now you have something to rub in Ariel’s face when we get back and you figure it all out. Dethrone him from his delusional place at the top.”
He didn’t look the least bit interested. I wanted to bring us back to the happy place we were in, especially since it wasn’t like his detour was a failure. It just didn’t end perfectly like he wanted; the answer required something more than just his good sleuthing skills. I huffed out a breath but chose to move my hands back down his stomach and closer to the button of his pants. “While we’re in here, we could continue our date,” I leaned up and kissed his neck. “You can’t tell me you haven’t considered what it would be like to do very inappropriate things in here.”
His hand covered my own and removed them from the top of his pants. He backed up a few feet. “I haven’t actually.”
I walked back up to him, letting my fingers slip under his shirt. “Oh, come on, you can’t tell me that it hasn’t crossed your mind to bend a very pretty girl over one of these tables?—”
“I think it’s probably best that we just get back to the others.” His voice was monotone and tired. I understood, I did, but I could still be upset all on my own.
I ruffled my curls, taking a few steps back. “ You wanted to take me out. You wanted to give me a sense of happy freedom before I have to focus everything I have to lead all our friends into the literal unknown. You derailed our time to come here, which I will say was for a solid reason, but now since every little piece of the fucking puzzle isn’t just falling into your hands, you’re just done. No thought about me, the girl who is still trying to have a good time with you.” I could have pulled my fucking hair out.
“Dani, it isn’t like…”
I shook my head and smacked my lips. “Oh, no, it’s alright. You’re not interested. You want to leave and just head off to fight, then okay cool. Thank you for making my time before, I could potentially fuck up everything and cause even
more chaos, a fantastic one.” I pointed my thumb over my shoulder. “I’ll just go be horny over there and finish our date by myself.”
I turned around before he could say anything else, making my way over toward a row of bookshelves.