Chapter 17 Zeke
Zeke
Ilooked around my home, happy to be back in Alexandria after nearly three weeks in Italy.
Five days turned into seven, and then we took advantage of Michael’s offer to stay in his villa and relax for a few days.
Michael owned properties throughout Italy, and he gave us permission to use them as we traveled the country.
Italy had changed a lot since I first visited, but Ori made our visit feel like I’d gone back in time.
He pointed out things from the time of the crusades and the Holy Roman Empire.
We explored cities that in the Middle Ages were the size of tiny villages today.
We visited small towns, and he showed me secret pieces of art Michelangelo had hidden from the world.
The highlight was when we visited Cremona, a small town south of Milan.
Ori took me to a small house he’d owned for centuries.
It was currently rented to a human family who maintained the property.
The father was a luthier who worked in one of the violin shops that had made Cremona famous.
Ori had commissioned the man to make him a violin, and we stopped by to pick it up.
Ori was rusty, but it wasn’t the notes that made me proud of him. We added it to the music room, and we agreed we’d play together often. It was a small step, but it gave him a purpose and something we could share when we were alone.
The noise from out back snapped me out of my memories.
My home, usually a quiet, understated mansion, was being transformed into a lively celebratory hub thanks to the efforts of my brothers and Orion.
I could hear them arguing over who messed up the plans for the outdoor bar.
I planned to have Dad go whip them into shape when he arrived.
I was finishing up the sweet tea Mom liked when Brenda came marching into the kitchen.
She’d left her current boyfriend of the month, Grayson, or Graydon, or some other pompous, made-up name, with our brothers.
It must be near the end if she left him to fend for himself with Hector and Perseus.
Grayman was a human, which meant she’d have fun with him for a while and then move on.
I didn’t agree with her approach, but who was I to judge.
“That ‘mixologist’ Orion hired isn’t even worthy of being called a bartender.” She held out a tumbler with something brown in it. “His New York sour was awful and he’s trying to tell me this is a boulevardier. Fat chance of that.”
There were times I wondered if Brenda lived in our world. “You think insulting Ori is going to do what exactly?”
“Oh, Zeke, you’re so cute when you defend him. I’m not insulting your beau, I’m saying that other man lied. I might need to toss him in the pool and make the drinks myself if he can’t do better.”
I took the drink from her hand, took a sip, and gave it back. “It tastes pretty spot-on, B. What’s really got you so daggone ornery today?”
“Oh.” Her eyes glinted with mischief and faint annoyance. Pinching her lips, she looked down her nose at me. “Been working a case involving rednecks, have we?”
And it was official. Something was bugging her. “Out with it, or I’m going to tell Graymatter you’re deeply in love with him, and he should put a ring on it as soon as possible.”
“You are an evil twerp of a baby brother, Nugget. Perhaps I should share that ‘nugget’ with Orion?”
I laughed at her silly attempt to shame me.
Ori and I didn’t keep secrets. We might not tell each other everything that happened in our past—who could keep track of everything—but we never lied or refused to answer questions.
“You’d need to get in line. Jax told him weeks ago, and Hector gave me a grin before he tried to embarrass me only for Ori to tell him he already knew. ”
“Pfft. You’re not as much fun as you used to be.”
“Actually, I’m good with that. So what bugs crawled into your granny panties?”
Her smile turned into a death glare. “I swear, Ezekiel Constantine Masterson, if you use that word to describe my delicates in public again, I will hurt you.”
She used the word “delicates” to describe her underwear. How angry could she be? “Spill, sis, or I just might announce it to the entire fam.”
“Listen, No Fun. Don’t fuck with me. Even your hottie of a boyfriend won’t be able to save you if you make me mad.
” She took a long sip of her drink and didn’t seem to hate it as much as she said.
“You couldn’t have waited a little longer to lock things down with Orion?
It’s bad enough I’m the only sister. Now, I let my baby brother, who’s two hundred and fifty years younger than me, beat me to the steady partner parade. ”
I snorted, deftly sidestepping her attempt at making me feel guilty.
“Sorry, not sorry, Habibti. You go through men like I go through clients. Jax, Perseus, Hector haven’t settled down yet, either, and you don’t hear them whining.
Besides, it’s not a competition. Although . . . if it were, I guess I won.”
She flicked the back of my head playfully. “Don’t gloat. It makes you look petty.”
Chuckling, I set down the pitcher of tea and turned to face my sister properly. “I recall a certain big sister telling me to go with it in the moment and hope for the best after the mission. Seems like she gives world-famous advice. Maybe you should talk to her.”
Brenda scowled theatrically. “Don’t make me regret helping you out when you were in crisis. Besides, I’ve got some news that’s going to put everything else into perspective.”
I lifted my eyebrows, intrigued despite myself. Brenda was rarely serious unless she had good reason to be. Inclining my head, I indicated she should continue.
“You know about my current assignment? The one where I’ve had to play mid-level manager at an insurance company for the last three-plus years?”
I might have laughed my ass off when she told me. “I’m not sure how you’ve managed to be a mere ‘mid-level’ manager for all this time.”
“Right? Or work at something so boring as insurance. The things we do for the cause. Well things are getting more interesting. I’ve been watching over one of Michael’s special projects. He’s an angel born to human parents.”
I waited for the punch line, but she didn’t elaborate. “You mean he has angel DNA in him from an unreported birth?”
“No, I mean he’s a full-on angel born to human parents with no angel DNA.”
My jaw dropped. By everything I’d been taught, that was impossible. “You’re shitting me.”
Brenda shook her head, suddenly sober. “Deadly serious, Habibi. His name is Nicholas Fenton. Uriel had been keeping an eye on him for years. Esrom Grant’s grandson Trevor has been ‘guarding’ Nick since college.
Three years ago, Uriel finally told Michael because young Nick got a new job working at—”
Everything clicked. Brenda had scored herself a dream assignment. I tapped my fingers on my chin. “Some boring insurance company?”
“Such a good detective.” She tapped my nose like she had when I was a kid—a hundred and forty years ago. I growled at her, but she ignored me. “I invited him to the party so he can get comfortable with our family.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised. The whole, “you’ve got to have a party, Habibi,” bit had seemed a bit strong. But when Mom joined in, I didn’t think to look beyond my sister being herself. “So, my party is part of your assignment?”
“Our assignment,” she said, getting a glass from my cabinet. “Which is why I can finally give you the details. Now that you and Orion are living here, you’re the perfect duo to help keep him safe. Super hunk and the boy blunder.”
I tried so hard not to smile, but that made it harder, and I added a laugh because I sucked that bad at keeping a straight face. “I hate you. I so fucking hate you.”
“Language!” Mom slapped my shoulder. “And at your sister, no less.”
Naturally, that was the moment Mom and Dad picked to arrive. “But Mom, she called me a bad name.”
I put just enough whine into my voice that Brenda cringed. She glared at me, but I gave her my best “gotcha” face.
“Brenda. How many centuries will it take for you to stop picking on Ezekiel?” She swept past me and gave Brenda a big hug. “You look wonderful, dear. Other than an annoying baby brother, the current assignment agrees with you.”
Dad snuck up behind me and scooped me off my feet and tossed me over his shoulder like he had when I was a child.
“Dad? I think we stopped doing this about a century and a half ago.”
“I thought you also gave up running to your mother and whining around that time, too. I got confused.” He set me down and I gave him a hug.
I couldn’t argue. Dad always told me, “Act like a child, I’ll treat you like one.” Rather than try, I returned the fierce embrace. No matter how old we got, Dad continued to hug his kids. It was part of who he was, and I didn’t think I’d ever outgrow them.
Mom spun around, cocked her head to the right, and had that face that said I was about to be overly mothered.
“Ezekiel, you look radiant!” She engulfed me in her arms. For someone so petite, she had surprising strength.
“All grown up and with a love of your own. Who saw that coming? Not me. And with Orion.”
That might have irked her more than she was letting on. “He’s pretty amazing, but you knew that.”
“I’m going outside to warn the boys to hide before I puke in Zeke’s bushes.”
Like always, my mother caused a minor family rumble with her entrance. Sadly, Brenda didn’t make good on her promise to leave.
“Well, yes. And when your father told me about your talk, I knew he was the one for my baby.”
I snuck a glance at Dad, and he suddenly began searching my cabinets. Coward. “Glasses are to your right.”
“Thanks,” he said without a hint of shame. He found the right cabinet and pulled out a tall glass.
“I knew, too,” Brenda said. “You were so in lurve when you called. It was adorable.”