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I glanced at the clock on the dashboard and her hand on the crook of my arm before refocusing on the road ahead of me. My mind still reeled from Michael’s revelation and I couldn’t bring myself to look at him, never mind speak. For thousands of years, he played me for a fool and I wondered if this was just another part of his twisted game.
The steering wheel creaked and I dropped my gaze to my hands. My knuckles were white from squeezing the metal and I inhaled, forcing my muscles to relax and the grip on the wheel to loosen. I chanced a glance at Naomi and the tear slowly tracking down her cheek shot straight to my heart.
I sent a glare at Michael and focused back on the road.
“Why now?” I asked once I was sure I could speak without lashing out.
Michael didn’t answer and when I glanced in his direction, he was busy studying the landscape.
“Well?”
When his gaze slid to mine, I clenched my teeth, expecting another ultimatum, but his sigh and the shift of his gaze told me all I needed.
“So, if Naomi hadn’t played the ‘he cares about you’ card, I would still be left in the dark?”
“Pretty much.”
“What kind of family were we born into?” I muttered and glanced at Naomi.
“A colossally dysfunctional one,” she answered. “At least mine is buffered by umpteen generations. You’re the only firstborn angel offspring, so you are totally fucked.”
Her answer was just as unexpected as Michael’s and I started laughing. Leave it to my lovely wife to say it like it is. I bumped her with my shoulder and she bumped me back.
The humor faded as I turned over the facts and I pulled off the highway onto a deserted country road, putting the car in park.
“So, the only reason I survived that pit is because I’m half angel?” I slid my gaze from out the windshield to Michael. He didn’t acknowledge the question. “And Naomi didn’t freak the fuck out like some of my earlier disasters for the same reason?”
Michael leveled a glare in my direction, one meant to silence my oncoming tirade, but I was already too far gone into the land of fury to let it go. I wanted a piece of this asshole and there wasn’t anything on this earth that could stop me. Not even Naomi.
“Get out,” I snarled and received identical dropped jaws from both Naomi and Michael.
“Damian,” she started and I dropped my glare to her.
“Don’t give me that Damian crap, it’s high time I kick my uncle’s ass.”
Michael’s face morphed into a mask of anger and his door opened. I don’t think his feet even touched the ground before I was on the other side of the cab. Naomi started to speak and I slammed the passenger door on her, shutting off her ability to divert my attention.
Michael backed onto the field, his features hard and unreadable, his hands clenched in tight fists by his sides. I considered shifting into shadow form, but I really wanted to see just how good a fighter he was without his angelic powers. I had the advantage with speed and strength, even without my shadow form and we circled like a couple of prize fighters.
With each step, a low growl emitted from my chest, matching the roaring fury filling my muscles. There were just too many events where I nearly shit my pants in his presence, thinking I was walking a thin line between life and death any time he showed up. I didn’t give a damn about respecting my elders at this moment. All I wanted was a few solid hits and from the expression on his face, he wanted the same.
We both stepped in at the same time but Michael sidestepped, using my inertia to his advantage and delivered a fist to my ribs as I passed. It wasn’t like a normal human swat; this was full of the same power residing in my veins. I stumbled and caught myself, turning back in his direction and this time, I was more cautious with my approach.
My ribs throbbed where his punch landed and I silently cursed my sloppy attack. I’m sure if any one of the multitude of sensei I’ve had over the years saw my last attempt, I’d be doing a thousand push-ups while being lectured on the virtue of patience. This time, I took a deep breath and concentrated, focusing on Michael’s movement and when an opportunity presented itself, I stepped in, throwing my right fist from my waist instead of the wild swing I tried to deliver the first time.
He parried but his block wasn’t fast enough to deflect the blow aimed at his chest, instead it knocked my aim to the right, connecting with his shoulder. He spun from the power of it. Unfortunately, he used the natural flow to his advantage, circling around and swinging a shot to my ribs. I think he actually lifted me off the ground with it and the breath shot from my lungs in a groan.
Naomi’s yell for us to stop broke through and I sent a glare her way. I should have known better. When I turned back toward Michael, his fist slammed into my cheek. The shock of it sent me flailing backwards and I fell on my ass. Before the pain flared, I was up and charging, this time, I hit him like a linebacker, driving him to the earth.
Somehow, I ended face down in the dirt with his knee pressing into my lower back and my arm twisted painfully behind me.
“Gabriel never knew how to fight either,” Michael mumbled under his breath, but I caught it. “Are you done with your little temper tantrum?” Michael asked.
Just his tone bit my nerves and I bellowed, bucking and rolling, but not before the sickening crack filled the air and pain spread like wild fire from my wrist to my shoulder. I cried out as I rolled onto my broken arm, but that didn’t stop me from slamming my good elbow into his chest and sending him onto his ass.
“You broke my fucking arm,” I snapped as I got to my feet, cradling the throbbing appendage to my chest.
“You’ll heal by nightfall,” Michael shot back at me. He dusted himself off and stood, waiting for me to make another move.
I thought twice about taking another swing, especially with the throb in my arm. I didn’t dare look at what the actual condition was right now, not with the anger still so embedded in my flesh.
Instead, I turned and headed back toward the truck, passing Naomi only a few paces away with her hand over her mouth and her eyes wide with concern.
“I’ll be fine,” I said and passed by her, leaving them both in the field while I worked my way back to the van. I leaned against the side and waited for them to follow, the anger still present, but now only at a dull throb that matched the flare in my cheek and ribs.
I took time to assess my arm and attempted to set it myself. My teeth clamped together with the pain and before I could get it right, Michael stepped in and took my arm in his hands, twisting it back into the right alignment before gently setting it against my chest.
I closed my eyes at the wave of dizziness that accompanied the pain and took a few deep breaths to get my bearings. When I opened my eyes, I glanced at the sky before bringing my gaze to his.
“Why did you lie to me?”
“Watch your tone,” Michael warned.
“Just answer the fucking question!” I slammed my teeth together, resisting the urge to go into shadow form and tear into him, but as I learned, he was better at predicting my moves than I was and I’d probably end up with another broken bone if I went on the attack.
“I was protecting you,” he said, his voice soft and calm, telling me the fight in him had already burned out.
“From what?”
Michael raised his eyebrows. “Lu...” He stopped himself and pressed his lips together in the all too familiar way I’ve seen in the mirror a thousand times. It was the same expression I got when I catch myself from screwing up.
“Lilith, Eve, my brother, all of hell’s demons, you name it,” he said.
I lost some of the fire as I digested his answer and I stared at him before glancing up at the sky again, gauging the amount of time I had before the sun hit the horizon. The stars weren’t as bright and I dropped my gaze back to Michael’s. “If you were trying to keep me out of the line of fire, why in god’s name did you put me in charge of your bloodline?”
He smiled. “That’s the safest place for you. Considering the sheer number of descendants and the fact that my brother has only found a handful of them in over two thousand years, I’d say that was a good call.” He glanced at Naomi. “Until you crossed paths with her.”
I glanced at her and pain flared in her eyes before she dropped her gaze.
“Baby, don’t blame yourself,” I said and reached my good hand to her. I traced her cheek with my fingertips, and my skin burned with pain, but I didn’t pull away until I tilted her chin to look at me. I curled my blistered fingers away from her. “I’d be dead by now if it wasn’t for you,” I added.
“You would never have been in danger if it wasn’t for me,” she said and glanced at the sky, just as aware of the time as I was. “You need to get in back.” Then her gaze slid from me to Michael. “I suggest you join him. I’m not in the mood for company right now, especially since you decided that breaking his arm was a lesson in humility.”
The underlying hostility was clear and I sighed, not sure how Michael was going to react. He sent a barely suppressed smirk my way and headed toward the back of the van without an argument.
“It might be better if Michael is in the cab with you,” I said.
“You want me to break your other arm?” she asked with a flare of venom in her voice that made me shake my head. “Good,” she added and crossed to the back of the truck, undoing the latch and sliding the door open to the six foot container.
I followed and hopped into the barren space filled with only our duffel bags and a queen mattress that spanned most of the space. She raised an eyebrow.
“I figured I’d at least have something soft to land on while you throw me all over the back with your erratic driving.”
Michael snorted a small laugh and hopped up into the truck and she sent a clear warning at us. The one I knew meant to behave. I nodded and the door slid down. The only sound above the idling engine was the sound of the lock clicking into place.