Chapter 8 Orion
Orion
After the first two surges, we experienced three more overnight. It was all over the news. The FBI, the military, the state and local police, as well as scientists from the University of Minnesota were all investigating. The arrival of so many new people altered our tactics dramatically.
Zeke’s idea to set up sensors was still the go-to plan, but we had to evade the swarm of humans to reach the desired locations.
I cancelled morning training because the five hours allotted for deployment was increased to ten.
The hope was to do it in less, but Zeke had to recalibrate the devices to avoid all the other entities searching for the source.
I didn’t understand the science, but Zeke said the location had to be included in the calculations.
The amount of research was impressive. He left no detail unexamined. Yet despite all his preparation, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Zeke was holding something back. It wasn’t an accusation, just an observation. We all kept secrets, even from those closest to us.
With incredibly long lives spanning centuries and millennia, it was simply impractical to bare every aspect of our existence.
I had secrets of my own, dark corners of my past I preferred to leave unilluminated.
I didn’t press Zeke on whatever he might be concealing because he deserved his privacy as much as I did.
As we drove from one remote location to another, I studied him from the corner of my eye.
His handsome face was a mask of concentration.
His brown eyes—Ruth’s eyes—narrowed slightly in thought.
Every time I looked at Zeke, I saw echoes of the woman who had been like a second mother to me.
His strength, courage, and kindness—he embodied all the qualities she’d tried to instill in me over the years.
Zeke also had an intensity Ruth never possessed.
A simmering determination that reminded me of Ares.
Combining the best of both parents made him an enigma I struggled to understand.
I felt a strange sense of pride watching Zeke work, carefully setting up each sensor to ensure optimal coverage and still avoid being found.
He was becoming the angel Michael hoped he’d be, capable and unflappable even in the face of such an ominous threat.
“That’s the last one,” Zeke said. He straightened and brushed his hands together. “Assuming our long-range intel is correct, the source should be inside the coverage area.”
Our timeline had been conservative, and we finished in six hours and fifteen minutes. We’d gotten lucky and didn’t encounter a lot of people around our designated locations. “What now?”
“We wait and hope we get lucky.”
I didn’t believe in battle plans that relied on luck. It could just as easily go against you as for you. “I thought you said the sensors would work.”
“Sorry, I misspoke. It will work. I just meant maybe we’ll get our hit sooner than later. Unfortunately, I don’t think that will happen. Whoever is doing this will probably need time to adjust for all the new people searching the area.”
I didn’t fully understand how he could adapt so quickly, yet he didn’t think our adversary could do it as fast. At that moment, however, I didn’t need to know all the details. “Since we’re finished with this task, how would you feel about changing up our practice routine?”
“At the risk of coming off as a smart-ass, we’ve had one session. That’s hardly a routine.”
It wasn’t a no, so I took it as a win. “Total smart-ass answer. If you find yourself in a fight, it won’t be in a flat, controlled setting. I’d like to have our session today outside.”
“Outside?” He looked around. “As in right here?”
He still didn’t object. “Not here. I don’t want to draw attention to any place where we hid a sensor. There are plenty of places between here and the house we can use that will be free of distractions.”
“And you just happened to bring the equipment with you.” He raised an eyebrow. “What about workout clothes?”
Zeke didn’t love the idea, but he was keeping his word to let me handle the training.
“I brought shinai sticks to use. As for a change of clothes, you can’t tell your opponent to wait while you change into a comfortable outfit for a fight.
Part of the exercise is to fight in what you’re wearing when the conflict finds you. ”
He looked at his clothes and shook his head. “I really liked this shirt.”
I laughed because it was a blue Henley, and I could buy him a dozen more if he ruined this one. “Win and it won’t get ruined.”
“Blow it out your ass, Orion. If I was good enough to win, we wouldn’t be having this, ‘let’s see how I can throw Zeke for a loop’ exercises.”
I laughed at his description of things. It was accurate, but I loved his grumpy attitude. “Fine, if it gets ruined, I’ll buy you a new one.”
“Make it two, and you have a deal.”
I held out my hand so we could shake. “Deal.”
“Marvelous,” he said as he got in the car. “Clearly I should’ve held out for one shirt in each of the twelve available colors.”
Despite his protests, he knew this was the right move. “Do you really think you’re getting even one shirt?”
“You couldn’t let me dream for even a little bit, could you?”
I liked his playful side. The world might be crashing around us at any time, and he still had fun trading comebacks. “Where would be the fun in that for me?”
“Wow. You really know how to woo someone.” He rolled his eyes. “Some date this turned out to be.” He stiffened in his seat. “I’m just playing, Orion. I know this isn’t a date.”
It felt like a slipup. “Don’t get weird on me. I got it.”
The sad part was I would have gladly called it a date if he seemed more receptive.
I drove us to a secluded area that had a large copse of trees we could use to keep prying eyes away.
We retrieved the shinai from the trunk of the car and trudged up a grassy hill. I checked to see if we were alone, and as far as I could tell we were.
I tossed him the practice weapon. He surprised me by attacking without warning.
Zeke lunged forward, whipping his shinai through the air.
Sneaky child. He got high marks for trying, but his execution sucked.
I deflected the strike easily and countered with a flurry of blows, putting him instantly on the defensive.
Unlike our first sparring session, I didn’t hold back.
Michael and Gabriel were taking a massive risk putting an angel as inexperienced as Zeke in a situation with stakes this high.
I needed to see how he responded under the harshest conditions.
He needed a taste of the relentless onslaught he might face from the Drevlin.
I pressed the attack, not letting up for an instant. My sword became a blur, raining down strike after strike while Zeke struggled to keep his guard up. When he left an opening, I surged through, sweeping his legs and sending him crashing to the ground.
This continued through dozens of rounds. Over and over, Zeke picked himself up off the grass, battered and filthy, only for me to put him back down again just as quickly. After a particularly vicious series of blows that left him doubled over and wheezing, I called an end to the exercise.
Zeke tossed his shinai aside and gulped in air by the lungful. “I hope you worked out whatever was bugging you. I’d rather not be your punching bag again.”
I opened my mouth to apologize, but he cut me off with a raised hand, his chest still heaving. “No, save it. This. . . .” He gestured at the practice swords. “This is what I can expect from someone who really wants to kill me. At least this time, I only thought you wanted to.”
Tossing my words back at me didn’t make me feel better. “Zeke. I’m sorry. I pushed too hard.”
He fixed me with a look, utterly unintimidated despite the clear evidence of my physical dominance over him. “Let’s not do it again, okay?”
With that, he turned and started walking toward the car.
I stood there, appalled at what had just happened.
Zeke hadn’t said it out loud, but he let me know he saw through me.
My intensity hadn’t only been about preparing him.
It was about trying to reassert control, to reestablish the boundaries that had allowed me to retreat into isolation for the better part of a century.
Abruptly, I felt disgusted. What a terrific job I was doing looking after Ares’s son.
Beating him to a pulp because I couldn’t deal with my own past. This was exactly why everyone thought I needed this mission.
To snap me out of this spiral of solitude and self-loathing.
Squaring my shoulders, I collected the shinai and headed for the car.
It was time to get my head out of my ass.
By the time we made it back to the house, Zeke didn’t seem the worse for wear. We talked about his satisfaction with the placements, his confidence they wouldn’t be found, and what we could expect next. Everything but our training.
He asked if he could shower first and went to his room when I agreed. I watched him go and was sure I saw a hitch in his step. Still angry at myself, I put our gear away and went inside.
I must’ve taken longer than I thought because he’d already showered and dressed by the time I’d finished.
He sat cross-legged on the couch idly plucking at an acoustic guitar.
Soft, upbeat chords filled the air as his fingers danced effortlessly over the strings.
I recognized the peaceful melodies as old folk tunes, even though they had angelic origins.
Zeke looked up as I entered, his expression untroubled despite the mottled bruises purpling his neck and arms. He didn’t seem angry or resentful. If anything, there was a sort of contented ease about him, like he had finally found his center.
“Go shower,” he said, wrinkling his nose. “I’ll get dinner started.”
I wanted to apologize again, but the words stuck in my throat. The fact he moved past what I’d done so easily was yet another echo of Ruth I saw in him. Like her, he had a boundless capacity for forgiveness and optimism, no matter the circumstances.
Instead of speaking, I just nodded silently and headed for the bathroom.
As I undressed and stepped under the hot spray, the gentle melodies continued to drift in from the living room.
Music had healing properties for me, a way to attain a sense of tranquility no matter how tumultuous things became.
Clearly, Zeke had discovered that for himself as well. In his own quiet way, he had provided me a pathway back from the darkness before I descended again. My jaw tightened as a fresh pang of self-recrimination washed over me.
I needed to get my shit together because Zeke wasn’t the only one who needed training.
He’d given me a lesson in humility and grace, things I’d neglected in my long decades of withdrawal.
The problem was timing. After seventy years, falling for someone at the start of a mission was a disaster in the making.
The fact it was Ares’s son made it worse.
As I washed away the grime and sweat from our aborted sparring session, I tried to let go of my anger and insecurities. I realized I couldn’t have Zeke. Not now or ever. But we could be friends. Perhaps then I could finally begin to heal the scars Lael had left behind.
Stepping out of the bathroom refreshed, I noticed Zeke had stopped playing.
In place of strumming his guitar, I heard the symphony of pots, pans, knives, and chopping.
I followed the sounds to the kitchen, where Zeke wore a black apron and a happy, contented expression. He greeted me with a sincere smile.
“We’re having pasta tonight. I think I need some carbs after all that exercise.”
There was no malice or reproach, which made me feel worse. He should have called me out but instead offered forgiveness. “What can I do?”
“Can you butter bread, shake on garlic salt, and sprinkle cheese?” He gestured toward the ingredients on the counter.
I nodded. “Believe it or not, I’m not helpless in the kitchen. I’ve fed myself for centuries.”
“That would be a yes.” He winked. “The broiler is on. After you prepare the garlic bread, put it in and set a timer for five minutes.”
He was as much a general in his area as any who’d taken to the field. Soldiers followed able commanders to the ends of the earth. On this battlefield, Zeke was the leader, and I gladly obeyed his orders.
There would be time enough later to make amends. For now, I would simply accept the gift of Zeke’s company and friendship.
This was why Michael and Gabriel had sent me on this mission. Not just to protect Zeke but for him to heal me. The only question was if I could keep my emotions in check. For the first time in decades, I’d found someone I could give my heart to again.