Chapter 32
Henry
“They asked you for what?” Perseus's voice conveyed his outrage.
“They said I needed a note from a bank before they’d work with me.” Nick wasn’t any happier now than when this happened a few hours ago. “Evidently, no one my age in the history of the world had afforded a Maserati before.”
I’d been angry for Nick, but he handled it without my help.
“Nick asked to speak to the manager, who came out looking ready to toss us out. He pointed out there were no other customers, so they weren’t going to lose any sales working with us, or we could leave and take our business elsewhere.
A younger sales associate volunteered to help us.
An hour later, we worked out a deal, Nick had the bank wire the money, and she’d earned a fat commission. ”
“Bet that shut them up,” Ajax said.
“Not as much as when someone at Maserati called twenty minutes into our visit to rip the manager a new asshole,” Nick said with a satisfied grin.
I shouldn’t have made the call, but I was angry. “The Angelini family owns nearly twenty percent of the company. As a concerned shareholder, I wanted the CEO to know how their sales staff treated me and my partner.”
“Good for you,” Ares said. “No one is too poor to be treated with dignity.”
Zeke and Orion came outside with a tray of food, and everyone got up to help.
Spending time with the Masterson family was perfect for Nick.
Ares and Ruth stressed the importance of being close over appearance.
They were one of the most important angel families, but they didn’t set themselves above others.
There was genuine love between them, and Nick needed to experience what a true family looked like.
“You’re doing great,” Ruth said after we’d brought out the plates and utensils. “He radiates happiness.”
Around friends, Nick held up well, but he wasn’t always upbeat. “Mostly. We’ve had some sad moments as he goes through his mother’s things. Ariel made dozens of videos for him. He smiles and cries at the same time.”
“She was a beautiful soul,” Ruth swallowed hard. “And one of my best friends. We talked for hours while she was pregnant with Abraham.”
It was odd to hear anyone use Nick’s intended name. “It’s hard for him to reconcile everything. She did all these amazing things so he’d have a connection with her, but he struggles with being the reason she’s dead.”
“I’m not surprised.” She wiped a tear from the edge of her eye. “He’s a lot like her. Kind, forgiving, humble, and selfless.”
The universe was cruel to deny Ariel and Nick time together. “He’s working through it. Uriel is a big help. They’ve spent hours talking about her.”
“Uriel is a lot like Gabriel, only less outgoing,” she said. “It makes him appear aloof, but he’s a kind soul. He loved Ariel more than his own life. Everything he poured into protecting Nick, he’s redirecting into caring for his nephew.”
It helped Uriel had spent so much time with Nick when he was pretending to be Alex. I thought that would be an impediment, but it turned into a boon. “It’s working. They’re bonding in a way that’s helping Nick deal with things.”
Nick came out of the house with Zeke and Trevor. They were laughing, and it gave me so much joy to see Nick enjoy himself. Our eyes caught, and I smiled back. This was the life he deserved.
“Who’s hungry?” Orion bellowed. Hector, Perseus, Ajax, Vicky, and Brenda followed him out with trays of food. Ares trailed the food carrying two coolers, one on each shoulder.
Iglanced around the yard, taking in every detail.
Zeke and Orion were relaxed in their chairs, fingers casually intertwined on the tabletop.
Nick and Hector were talking about his car.
Trevor was to Nick’s right, deep in conversation with Perseus.
I wasn’t sure about Perseus’s sexuality, but if I had to make a wager, there was interest from both.
Victoria and Ajax had grabbed beers and stood by the back fence.
I didn’t want to know what that was about, but I’m sure it would reach me eventually.
Ares and Ruth watched the entire group with the quiet vigilance of parents who’d spent millennia guarding their family.
This was what Nick needed—normalcy, belonging to a family who cared more for each other than themselves. The past week had turned his world upside down, and tonight was the first time I'd seen him truly relax.
Unfortunately, it wouldn’t last. He’d start training sooner than I’d like, but it couldn’t be helped. He had powers that rivaled all but the most powerful angels. Once he learned to use it, he might top the list.
“I need to teach you the art of negotiating,” Hector said. “Torturing the con artists who sell cars is half the fun. They need the sale more than you need the car.”
“I think I’ll pass,” Nick said. “It’s just a car. In the time it took to haggle, I made more in interest on the money Mom left me than I saved. I’d rather have had that hour back.”
“Leave it to the accountant to reduce this to a number,” Hector rolled his eyes. “What would you have done with that time?”
Hector was about to learn a lesson about privilege. Nick had spent his life finding things that made him happy that didn’t cost money.
“I’d have gone for a run along the river,” he said. “I ended up not having time.”
Ruth Masterson, seated across from Nick, reached over to pat his hand. “Sweetheart, you can go running any time. You only buy a car once in a while. Even I negotiate when buying a car, and I'm four thousand years old.”
“You’re a bad example, Mom,” Brenda said. “You haggle over the price of bananas at the farmer's market.”
“And I usually get a discount,” Ruth replied, winking at Nick.
“Speaking of negotiations,” Zeke said. “Have you decided where you’re going to live?”
I smiled at him for moving us past a topic where Nick was self-conscious. Zeke wanted us to buy a property in Alexandria, but that was before Nick went through the lengthy list of assets he’d inherited.
Nick became the center of attention, but this was a subject he was more comfortable discussing.
“Thanks for that,” he said, giving Zeke a fake scowl.
“Henry and I want to visit the properties I own before we decide. We’ve ruled out the ones in major cities as a primary home.
Same with those that are too remote. For now, we’re going to live on a horse farm in Barnesville, Maryland.
It’s got a big house, and a smaller guest house in case Trevor wants to come stay with us. ”
“Thanks for thinking of me, bro, but I’m gonna pass,” Trevor said. “Aside from not wanting to be a third wheel, I’m looking forward to traveling. I’ll come visit, of course.”
Nick expected that would be Trevor’s answer. Trevor spent the last six years essentially on guard detail. Nick wanted his best friend to go enjoy his life, but also know he’d always be welcome.
“About that….” Orion exchanged a glance with Ares.
“What?” Trevor looked around the group. “No, no, no! I’ve earned this time off.”
“Michael wants you to train with Nick,” Orion said. “The new class is starting next month.”
“You've got to be kidding me.” Trevor threw his hands up. “This is so not fair.”
He wasn’t wrong. Trevor had been on assignment the longest. He’d also had to go back to college and then take an entry-level job so he could live with Nick. “They’re giving you a month off,” I said. “And you’ll still have a life. Sorta.”
“What does that mean?” Trevor’s gaze swept around the group. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“First, this is necessary,” Ares said. As the oldest, his voice carried the most weight. “The Drevlin are here already. You’re not safe if you can’t use your powers.”
“No,” Nick said. “This isn’t fair. Trevor gave up so much to help me.”
“You’re thinking of this like a punishment, and it’s not,” Perseus said. “Learning how to use your powers is a rite of passage. It’s also vital to your survival.”
“None of us gets to do whatever we want right now,” Victoria said, her tone making it clear she included herself in that group. “There’s a lot happening. Dad is going to send out an update tonight to all angels. The Drevlin are here, so it’s begun.”
The table fell silent as the implications of her words sank in. I felt Nick's tension increase, and instinctively moved closer to him. He was reliving the fight in his dream. The get together was supposed to be a party, not a war council.
Reaching over, I grabbed his hand. “How about we go for a walk?”
Our eyes met and he nodded. “Yeah.”
Before anyone responded, we headed for the back gate that led to an alley. If we followed the passage for a couple of blocks and we’d come to the river. It would probably be busy with people enjoying the weather, but no one would bother us there.
We walked in silence all the way to the pedestrian path along the Potomac River. A few joggers and couples strolled along the path that hugged the riverbank, but no one paid us any attention.
Nick's tension gradually eased as we put distance between ourselves and the party. I could feel his emotions settling through our bond—not disappearing, but becoming more manageable.
“Sorry for pulling you away,” he said finally. “It was just....”
“A lot,” I finished for him. “You don't need to apologize.”
We found an empty bench overlooking the water and sat down. Nick reached over, slid his fingers between mine, and leaned back. We stayed quiet while he worked through his thoughts.
“Does it ever get easier?” he asked. “One minute we’re talking about normal stuff, cars, houses, haggling over the price of bananas, and the next it's all 'the war has begun' and training schedules.”
I understood his whiplash, but none of us had fought the Drevlin—other than Ares. Nick, however, had more new things to learn. “I can’t answer that because this war is a first for me. The only difference is I grew up an angel, so I’ve had more time to figure out how to live in both worlds.”