Chapter Sixteen

 

THEA

 

Cam filled Thea’s head almost all the time. His mouth, the taste of him, the feeling of him filling her up—it was all she thought about. Being around him made her feel alive—whether they were training, making love or just talking while cuddling each other. She had tried her hardest not to allow her mood to rely on his presence, tried to remind herself that relationships were no good, but when Cam wasn’t around, she was irritable and restless. And when he was with her, all doubts went out of her head; he had a profound effect on her body and mind. She carried around the sweet sensation between her legs of being thoroughly fucked, content in the knowledge that another round was always only a few hours away. She loved that he both dominated her during sex and encouraged her to demand what she wanted from him as though they were equals, even though they clearly weren’t in size, strength, ability or beauty—he was superior in every way.

Since they’d begun a sexual relationship, he had opened up more, began to smile and laugh with her. That smile made Thea’s heart ache. She was falling for him in a big way. She slowly realized she had been doing so since the beginning, even when he had closed himself off to her. Something about Cam charged every room he was in. His passion and his power were so intense, such a big part of him. And Thea was floating in his glow at all times, hardly able to separate herself from the euphoria that surrounded her when she was with him.

She was a little apprehensive to know that their training was pretty much over. They worked well together and had a strange way of being in complete harmony when they trained.

She thought back to the time they fought the demons in the alley on one of their walks, how good it had been, and how much she had improved since. Every day she was getting stronger and had more control over the powers flowing in her body. Forming the weapons from angelic energy was almost second nature to her now and physical fighting was a thrill. Holding her shield while producing spikes and balls proved to be the biggest challenge for her, but she had practiced it until it came easily to her in the moment she needed it. Thea only hoped that her newfound sense of control over her powers would translate in battle. She had to believe she would do well. Cam believed she could do it and he wouldn’t steer her wrong. She was confident enough to start demon-hunting, even if it meant being away from Cam for a few hours.

She enjoyed several coffee catch-ups with Amber, who seemed to be in a better space with Leo. She talked about possibly starting a family, which Thea had mixed feelings about. Did Amber truly think her relationship with Leo was healthy enough to bring children into it? Maybe it would soften Leo but that was a big maybe. But then who was she to judge? She barely spent any time with the one remaining biological family member she had.

She wasn’t close to her dad. He had a terrible habit of forgetting everything—her birthday, their arranged calls, dinners, meetings—and had been mostly distant and neglectful while she was growing up. She’d spent a lot of time by herself until she found Amber, and had learned about the world without his help or guidance. Doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with him, so she had to put his behavior down to lack of interest in her and nursed a bitter resentment toward him most of the time. Yet he was all she had.

Her relationship with Cam, and his mention of angels not having family had made her think about her father; learning that she was a Nephilim had changed things. She had always wondered about her mother’s death but knowing that she must have been an angel had made Thea even more curious, and the curiosity burned brighter the longer she went without answers. After seeing Amber one afternoon, she decided to visit her father.

Thea pulled up to her dad’s house and got out of the car, scrutinizing the place, which was in severe disrepair. It still looked like the house she had grown up in but was in worse condition—the wood in the windows was clearly rotting and there were patches on the roof where the shingles had fallen. The weeds in front were way overgrown and her dad’s car had a thick layer of dirt on it.

Thea used the key she still had to let herself in. It was dim, lit by only a lamp in the corner of the living room and the light flickering from the TV. The smell of burned popcorn hovered in the air. Her dad sat on the couch, flipping through the channels, and didn’t notice Thea come in. He didn’t look much like her; salt and pepper hair, stocky build and soft brown eyes, but she had his nose and chin.

“Hi, Dad.”

He turned to look at her, his face breaking into a smile. The unfamiliar sight made her ache with longing. She used to crave a better relationship with him, used to hope he would act like the father she’d always needed. It was hopeless, though. Wanting had never gotten her anywhere when it came to her dad.

“Hi, princess.” He gestured for her to sit next to him on the couch. “What are you doing here?”

“Just visiting.” She sat down next to him, perched on the edge of the couch and stared unseeingly at the talk show he was watching. Her body refused to relax no matter how hard she wished it would. “How are you doing?”

“Good,” he said with a grin. “It’s a good thing you came now, I’m busy today.”

“Oh yeah? What are you up to, maybe I can help?”

He went to answer but stopped, sinking into deep thought. Thea sighed. That’s what happened all the time. He never remembered.

“It’s okay, I’m not stopping long,” she said.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here.” He got up. “Do you want some water?”

“Sure.” While he was gone, she looked around the living room. Nothing had been cleaned for a solid week, at least. There were plates on the coffee table and trash all over the floor. She sighed, trying to remember the name of the last cleaner she had hired. They kept quitting when her dad insisted he didn’t need help, but she had told the cleaning company to just send someone else on rotation whenever anyone left. It kept her from worrying that he was alone. She made a mental note to call the cleaning company when she left—her father had enough money to maintain a cleaner, though she suspected he really needed a nurse.

He came back with water for both of them and handed her a glass, then sat back down next to her.

She took the remote from his armchair and turn off the TV.

“Dad,” she said, watching for his reaction to her next words. “I wanted to talk to you about the angels.”

He peered at her for a moment, seeming to think about what to say next. “Which ones?”

Thea’s heart jumped. He knew. “All of them.”

“Have you seen one before?”

Thea nodded slowly. “I can see the angels and the demons.”

Her father wrung his hands in his lap, his eyes clouding over. “Your mother… she was one of them.”

Thea watched him carefully, every sense alert. “I know. I want to know more about her.”

He shifted uncomfortably on the couch, shaking his head hard as if freeing himself from thought. When he looked at her, his face was blank and dumb, his eyes glazed. “Know more about your mother?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know much about her.” His voice wavering as though he was floating on a cloud. “I don’t remember.”

“But you knew she was an angel?”

He rolled his head around, stretching his neck. “An angel, yeah. Your mom was perfect. She was something else, had beautiful wings.”

“Did you know that when you met her?”

“Of course. She wasn’t supposed to let me see her but she did. She helped me, helped guide me when I was lost…” his voice drifted off.

Thea leaned closer to him. “What kind was she?”

He went quiet for a minute. “Kind to who?”

“Mom.”

A flicker of concern passed over his face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, sweetie,” A sudden tiredness entered his demeanor. “Your mother is dead.”

“What happened to her before she died? How did you meet her?” Thea pressed him. She was losing him. He was shutting down. Whether it was purposeful or accidental, Thea didn’t know. But his face was quickly losing any sense of expression and he seemed to be getting more and more confused.

“I met her… around,” he said adamantly, growing a little irritated. “Now, you know I don’t like talking about her so drop it.”

“Dad,” said Thea, but he shot her a look that warned her he would say no more.

She exhaled harshly and stood up. She forgot she had inherited her stubbornness and temper from him too. “I’ll go. It was good to see you.”

He smiled a dull grin that barely reached his eyes. It was as if he were in a trance, completely out of his head. “It was good to see you too, Thea. Come back soon.”

Thea shook her head and walked past him, making her way to the front door. He had no answers for her; her mother would remain a mystery that couldn’t be solved. Thea’s existence as a Nephilim was to go unexplained, it seemed, which bothered her deeper than she realized. Cam could only tell her so much.

Out in the hallway, she called the cleaning company and arranged a new person for the next day, then called the local nursing home to see what her options were. If there was one thing she would use Cam’s money for, it would be care for her dad.

She left and headed home, her thoughts filled with her father’s strange behavior. She wondered if she should ask Cam about it. Was it normal for a human to lose their mind like that? Did all humans lose their minds if they had relationships with angels? Would she as a Nephilim? Sometimes she felt out of control when she was around Cam—it wasn’t a far stretch that people could go of their minds.

Thea shook the thoughts from her head. She may not know right now, but she would find out.