Chapter 2
Chapter two
Remiel
I take a bite of my rare steak, chewing it slowly in my mouth and savoring the flavor of the rich meat. The seasoning is simple—salt and pepper—though I can taste the butter the chef seared it off with. It’s perfect.
“Good?” a cheerful female voice asks.
“Brilliant as always,” I reply, looking up at the owner, Holly, who’s smiling warmly, her face weathered and wrinkled.
Her short ringlet hair is a dark blonde, though I can see silver peaking out at the roots.
She’s a sweet soul, someone who radiates kindness and light.
It’s the exact kind of soul a being like me is drawn to, one of the reasons I found Holly’s Restaurant in the first place many years ago.
Holly not only serves up lovely food, but her place is also a perfect respite for me when I need time away from Elysian Pines and my Nephilim brothers in arms—when I need a moment to think and be around people that aren’t…
well, like us. It keeps me grounded, reminds me that while my angel side often dominates my actions more than my human side, I am half human, too.
And while I hadn’t planned on leaving Elysian Pines’s borders or coming to Garland today, I found I couldn’t sit still. I’m restless, like the evening air was last night.
Holly pats my shoulder before walking off, and my skin prickles again at the memory of yesterday evening. Malachi, Samael, and I had finished our nightly rounds, checking the town borders for anyone in need, when the air got tight…heavy, even. Everything became heightened—sight, sound, touch.
We ended up in bed together like we do most nights, but even the sex felt different. Insatiable need came over us, as if we were seeking more than the completion of our desire for one another.
Kai and Sam fell asleep shortly after. Not only had I worn them out with my cock, but prior to our evening duty, we’d spent the afternoon chopping wood and preparing for the storm that was coming.
While we don’t require much sleep and have magical abilities that would allow us to bypass these kinds of tasks, all of us enjoy the physical work our human side demands of us.
While they slept, I remained awake, my brain unable to shut off. I know what the restless energy means—all who reside in Elysian Pines know. Someone who needs what we and the magical town provide is coming, and soon. The question is why does it feel different this time?
The energy felt like a devouring hunger that demanded to be satisfied and, dare I say, even had a slightly wild edge to it as well, almost like a wolf hunting its prey and getting ready to pounce.
I nearly woke Sam and Kai up to ask them if they felt the difference, too.
But I let them rest, finding myself getting dressed and walking through town in hopes of expelling some of the uneasiness.
When that didn’t succeed, I left and came to Garland, desiring the familiarity of Holly’s food and kindness.
I’d hoped the energy I felt in Elysian Pines wouldn’t follow me here; it usually doesn’t.
I’d also hoped a proper meal would ease the hunger in my gut.
Yet none of that happened. I still feel hungry and restless, like I could eat this plate and ask for more then chase down Sam, Kai, or both in the woods and fuck them senseless until we all passed out.
It’s…a peculiar feeling.
My phone pings in my pocket, and I know who it is before I even look. Kai’s name is on the screen, and I tap open the message.
KAI:
Have you died?
Despite the weird feelings in my body, I chuckle.
Nephilim are always born of an angel father and a human mother with lifespans that can extend to over a thousand years.
The angelic grace we possess keeps us young and gives us abilities like enhanced sight and hearing among other things unique to each of us.
I’m centuries old but appear to be in my late thirties, and I’m also physically fit.
Death isn’t something I’m concerned about any time soon.
While Sam has never met his angel father—none of us have—we know who he comes from: Azrael, better known as the Angel of Death.
If I’d suddenly keeled over, Sam would know, and he would’ve told Kai.
At the very least, the two of them would understand I was no longer on this plane of existence, so they wouldn’t be texting me that question.
ME:
You know the answer to that.
KAI:
Sam tried to reach you, then I did. You didn’t answer, so I had a feeling you went out of bounds?
I puff out a breath. I should have told them I was leaving, but I’d been lost in my private thoughts and forgot to let them know.
When we are within the borders of Elysian Pines, we can speak to each other telepathically through the guardian bond we share.
But if one of us goes out, we message by phone like non-Nephilim.
I glance down at the device in my hand and type a message back to him.
ME:
I was restless, so I came to Garland for a bit.
KAI:
Sam and I were talking; something is off. We’re restless, too. It’s wigging him out, and I want you here with us until it’s resolved. Sam won’t say it, but he does, too.
My shoulders tense, and I hate that I didn’t stay and talk to them about what I felt. What I’m feeling. Because of course they feel it, too.
Being the guardians of Elysian Pines, the three of us are more connected to it than any Nephilim or rare angel that resides there. We’re a living and breathing part of it. I was selfish to go, yet I still can’t shake the feeling that I needed to be in Garland.
ME:
I’ll head back. Give me an hour. In the meantime, take care of Sam, get him out of his head.
KAI:
Our broody boy is already being taken care of *winky face emoji* *eggplant emoji*
A small smile plants itself on my face as I imagine them together. Knowing them, they’re not in the bedroom. They’ll be at the kitchen table or maybe even at the retro bar Kai runs in town when we have guests.
I can see it in my mind’s eye. One of them is on their knees, and I’m going to guess it’s Sam by Kai’s text.
Our broody lover is often a dominant being like me, but when he loses himself, he needs our help to ground him, to bring light into his darkness.
In those times, he lets go and gives one or both of us his submission.
ME:
Good, see you soon.
I put my phone back in my pocket and glance down at my nearly finished meal.
Like sleep, Nephilim don’t need much food to sustain us.
I’ve gone weeks without, but I’ll eat dinner with Kai and Sam.
It’s a routine we like to keep, one that connects us each day and often turns into more than just a meal made of food.
I drink the last of the cheap red wine I got with my steak and move to get my wallet just as the chime above the door rings. The restless itch in my stomach flips like a boulder tumbling down a hill, and my skin prickles. Goosebumps spread over my arms as my hair rises up on its end.
“Excuse me, I’m looking for Holly or Bob Gibson.”
My pulse picks up at the clear sound of the husky feminine tone, and my eyes find the source of it.
The woman is at the old hostess stand not far from me, facing a wide-eyed Holly.
The human is tall and voluptuous, like an hourglass, and her persimmon-colored hair framed by white-blonde highlights hits her mid back and is curled to perfection.
Snowflakes melt on the long tresses and her form-fitting red peacoat. She’s incredibly stunning.
“I’m Holly.”
There aren’t many people here, so her voice is easy to make out even without my enhanced hearing.
I observe the curvy form of the stranger before I bounce my gaze to Holly.
She looks…fearful. I sit up straighter in my seat, wiping my mouth with the napkin that had been on my lap before placing it on the table.
The woman before her looks around. She scrutinizes the restaurant with a near scowl on her round face before meeting Holly’s gaze again and holding out her free hand, the other gripping what looks to be a tablet.
“My name is Greer Mallory. I’m with Northlight Capital, the owners of this building.”
Holly snatches her hand back from the woman I now know as Greer, quicker than a bolt of lightning. Her shoulders pop back, and the fear on her face turns into a sneer. “I know who the owners of this building are. What are you doing here? Nobody said you were coming.”
“I emailed this morning and tried to call, but I didn’t get an answer. I left messages.”
“You need to give more notice than that.”
“I would have, if the timing weren’t so tight.” Greer keeps her tone calm, measured. “With the holidays and end-of-year reviews, we’re trying to get ahead of our site visits.”
Holly crosses her arms. “So you just show up unannounced to what? Kick us out into a snowstorm? We’ve been at this location for over twenty years.”
I itch to go to Holly, to comfort her in some way. But it’s not my place, and Holly’s life isn’t mine to interfere with. If she requires my help, Elysian Pines would draw her to our borders, and I don’t believe that’s going to be the case. I feel that in my gut.
“I understand that, and I’m not here to kick you out—”
“—yet,” Holly interrupts.
“This property is under review. I’m here to evaluate the current condition and discuss the lease moving forward.”
“Must we do this now? It’s nearly Christmas.”
My attention shifts to Greer, who doesn’t look at all phased by Holly’s distress or her words. She looks detached.
“I’m here now, and I drove two hours to get here in this storm,” she responds coolly. “It won’t take long.”
While the women continue to converse, I sit back in my booth, inhaling a quiet breath and tapping into my power, my grace. It runs through my being like an energetic current—it’s what makes us the beings we are. Grace is the angelic part of us bestowed by our angel fathers upon creation.