“Remi? The Remi of REMI Entertainment. The Remi of…” I fished out my keycard and tossed it on the table. The bright yellow and aquamarine coloring the script and logo stood out against the white tablecloth. “REMI Cruise Lines? Remi is Tristan’s grandfather? No way. It doesn’t make sense.”
Jo and Gus stared down at the table, not saying a word. Hali peered at Hunter, her head tilted to the side, studying him. Javi and Neto, oblivious to the conversation, continued to dig into their breakfast.
“Yeppers, the same Remi. Remiel, Ancient of the House of Remiel, to be exact,” Hunter drawled.
“But there’s no way…” Images of how Remi had acted toward Tristan at the camp in Vegas filtered through my mind…Tristan’s rage when Remi had called him selfish, and the venom in Tristan’s voice when he’d lashed back. Was it true?
Then I remembered what Tristan had said about his father destroying one of the angelic houses and the pieces of the puzzle slowly came together. “Remi doesn’t trust Tristan because of his father, but how is Remi his grandfather?”
“Remi has a daughter named Diniel.”
“The angel who protects infants,” Hali murmured.
“That’s right. You know your angel names,” Hunter said, arching an eyebrow. “It’s well known in most Gibbor circles that Diniel bound herself to Phanuel. Don’t know why. All we know was Remi got madder than a mule chewin’ on bumblebees when he heard and disowned her.”
“Tristan’s mother married the enemy.” Poor Tristan. No wonder he could barely talk about his parents.
“And…” Hunter leaned forward, lowering his voice. “The year Tristan was to graduate from the angelic academy, Phanuel accused Remi of sending angels to Earth to join Belial. There was a trial and everything. It was said Diniel wanted Tristan to take over Remi’s house, and it was her idea to get Remi kicked out. Her own father! Can you believe it?”
“No,” I gasped. That explained the heartache on Tristan’s face whenever he mentioned his mother.
“I always thought something was fishy about Tristan. Didn’t I tell you, Josette?” Dorian said, waving his fork. “And I’m not sure about this Remi either. What if what Phanuel said is true? Remi could be sending us into a trap.”
I gritted my teeth. I was about to tell Dorian off when Hunter suddenly placed his hand over mine. I sucked in a breath at his firm touch. Then I realized my hand gripped a butter knife. For a split second, I wished Hunter had gotten me steak and eggs for breakfast.
“I don’t think so,” he said, slowly lifting his hand from mine. “Remi’s been good to us Gibbor. For an Ancient, he trusts us. And if you know anything about angels and the Nephilim, that’s really sayin’ something.”
I narrowed my eyes at Dorian. “That’s right. Why would Remi and the other angels bother going through the motions of saying they’re taking us to safety when they could’ve kept us on land when Ari and his army attacked? And what does any of this have to do with Tristan?
“You said Remi doesn’t trust him. That would make them enemies. What enemy would financially back a Las Vegas show and make you the star of it, and then invite you and your friends on a cruise and wait for you to arrive before setting sail?”
Take that, moron!
I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest. When I thought about Ari and how he and his army wiped out Vegas and every city they passed through, it was clear who the enemy was, and it wasn’t Tristan.
“Karenna makes a good point. I worked at the senior center where Tristan and his friends volunteered,” Hali said. “They were always kind to the seniors and the staff.”
Scowling, Dorian put down his knife and fork and dabbed the corners of his mouth. “Well, I can see how Tristan’s, how should I put it, seductive prowess can impede a woman’s mind from thinking rationally. I hear he’s very skilled at it.”
“Excuse me?” I blinked, stunned by what he was insinuating.
“That’s not fair, Dorian. I think…” Jo paused when Dorian jerked his head toward her, surprised by the strength in her voice. “I think we’ve had enough speculation for today.”
“This is important, love. Here, you can have my chocolate croissant. One sweet won’t hurt that beautiful figure. Go ahead, Hunter. Tell them what you told me.”
I balked. My eyes darted around the table. Somehow all the knives, including Dorian’s, had disappeared from the table.
“Uh, well, before I tell you, there’s a couple of things you should know. I heard Tristan’s mother was good friends with Lofiel from the House of Raguel. Somehow, they got themselves caught up in using the Dark Ways. Now, using some of the Dark Ways here can be pardoned, but up there…I may be a no-good Nephilim to angel folk, but damn, even I wouldn’t do something like that.
“Rumor has it that, uh…” Hunter paused, darting a glance at the boys. “I think the little ones should cover their ears.”
“Javi, Neto, vamonos. We’ll get some more pancakes.” Gus stood, holding out his hands to the boys as he glared at Hunter.
When they were gone, Hunter took off his cowboy hat and ran his fingers through his hair before continuing. “Tristan’s mother was having an affair, and Lofiel was helping her hide it.”
“Shocking,” Dorian said, shaking his head. “The woman had no loyalty.”
“One of Phanuel’s servants had been on an errand in one of the underground passages that are reserved for angelic royalty and…” He paused, appearing uncertain if he should continue.
I held my breath, tensing. From under the table, Hali’s hand reached for mine. I held onto it tightly.
“He caught her with Belial. You know…with Belial in a biblical sense…and I don’t mean they were prayin’. The servant caught them in an embrace with Lofiel’s body at their feet.”
“No,” Hali gasped, pressing a hand against her mouth.
“I don’t understand. I thought Lofiel was her friend,” I said.
“Apparently not good enough for Diniel. Belial and Tristan’s mother escaped before the servant could call for the Powers. The strange thing is that they couldn’t find Lofiel’s body, only her bloodied robe. Well, all hell broke loose. Phanuel demanded justice and called for war with Belial. The Ancient Raguel was the first one to join with Phanuel.”
I shook my head, overwhelmed by the angelic drama Tristan’s family seemed to revolve around. I gazed at the half-open swinging door, searching for the silhouette. He had to know that no rumor would ever pull me away from caring for him.
“I still don’t see what this has to do with Tristan,” I argued. “He can’t control what his mother did.”
Dorian sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. “Isn’t it obvious? Tristan is a spy for Belial.”