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“You know I have an open mind, especially with what happened to us in college,” Jennifer said as she sat down next to Steve on the couch. “But this, this is way too out there for me to even comprehend.”
I had been talking for a couple of hours trying to recap my life and our plight. The groceries had long been put away, five large pizza boxes sat on the kitchen table picked over, and the remaining half dozen pieces on a plate set aside for Naomi.
Tom and Raven kept their distance, giving me the greatest berth, because even though the others had warmed up to my being in their home, Raven still couldn’t look at me and when she did her expression was tense, like I was going to self-destruct at any moment and I focused on her for a minute.
“May I ask you a question?” I asked before her gaze flitted away again.
She pointed at her chest and I nodded. “I... I guess,” she answered.
“What are you seeing that everyone else can’t?” I had enough history from Steve to know she saw auras, but she hadn’t been able to look at me more than a cursory glance since she came in.
“You’re too bright for me to look at for any length of time. It’s like looking into the sun,” she said. “And if I squint, I can see a shadow of... of wings mingled with it.” She squinted and then blinked away. “But it’s not like CJ’s father’s wings, not angel wings.”
“When I was a vampire, I was able to change into a hawk at will,” I said and everyone’s gaze jumped back to me. I hadn’t included my ability to transition into a wild bird in my conversation, but I had explained the shadow virus and our near demise at Lucifer’s hands. They also knew his plans if he ever got a hold of Naomi. “Something about the combination of shadow virus and angel blood.”
“I turn into a tiger,” Naomi’s voice broke everyone’s stare and the relief I had at the sight of her rumpled hair and sleepy eyes was more than in my mind. The knot I developed in the middle of my back loosened and I stood. “Naomi, this is Steve’s wife, Jennifer,” I started introductions. “And this is Tom and his wife Raven.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said and received nods in response. Raven’s squint was less pronounced when she viewed Naomi, but it was there.
“She has the same aura?” I asked and Raven glanced in my general direction, but her gaze was averted toward the ground.
“No. It reminds me a little of CJ’s aura.”
I caught Naomi’s gaze. “Michael’s grace,” we both said at the same time. That was the only logical explanation I could conceive. The grace of an archangel must be glaring.
CJ turned and stood. “I’m CJ,” he said, finishing the introductions.
Naomi’s eyes widened, flashing between my doppelganger and me. She let out a nervous laugh. “You two could be twins,” she said.
A moment passed where their eyes locked, and then he offered her his seat. The blatant interest painted on his face sent a burning irritation through my core, landing in my stomach and churning like a time bomb. He glanced at me and raised an eyebrow and for the first time in over a millennium, I tasted the bitter pill of jealousy.
He returned his gaze to Naomi. “Can I get you some pizza?” he asked and Naomi nodded, still staring at him in a way that burned my insides.
Silence blanketed the room and Steve’s brow creased as he glanced at me. A smirk appeared on his face and he slid his glance to his wife, sharing a silent communication that I was not privy to. By the sudden appearance and suppression of a smile, I guessed he was broadcasting my discomfort with their son’s chivalrous behavior.
Naomi’s gaze followed him and I set my drink on the table and stood.
“I need some air,” I said and turned without explaining. The chill slapped at me as I stepped out of the sliding glass doors into the back yard. The cold Atlantic beckoned in the distance and I crossed the expanse of yard to a quaint rock wall that separated the yard from a fifteen-foot drop into the ocean.
I shoved my hands into my pockets and scanned the vastness before me.
A few minutes passed and despite the frigid breeze, I remained in my spot, trying to isolate why I was suddenly feeling so insecure about Naomi. She was bound to me by marriage and blood, and yet, I was afraid that she’d run to the nearest man with an honest and pure heart.
“You really have nothing to worry about,” CJ said, stepping next to me. “Your wife loves you.”
I glanced at him and then back at the water. “I know she does, but I’ve never had any competition before,” I admitted, knowing he was privy to my train of thought.
He chuckled in a way that pulled my attention to him.
“I didn’t think it was a competition,” he said.
“So you’re not interested in Naomi,” I stated, hoping to put my mind at ease. I glanced back at the sunset painting the clouds, turning everything the purple-pink of twilight.
Silence drifted between us and I turned toward him, meeting his gaze.
“No comment?” I asked and he gave me the kind of smile that I always equated with Lucifer; cocky and certain that he held the winning hand. I clenched my teeth, sending a glare at him.
“Look, if this was a competition, you would lose. But it isn’t, so just fucking relax, will ya?”
“I wouldn’t lose.” I crossed my arms and scanned the sea once more before trudging back into the warm house. Naomi looked up from the kitchen table where Jennifer sat with her. She tilted her head, questioning me without words and I shrugged. She didn’t need to know just how unhinged I was right now.
“Where’d everyone go?” I asked, sliding into the seat next to her.
“Steve went to change and Tom and Raven decided to catch a movie in Portsmouth,” Jennifer said and we all glanced as CJ stepped inside and took a seat on the couch. “Are you really as old as Steve says?”
“I’m twenty-five,” I said. “Of course, I’ve been twenty-five for over two thousand years, but, who’s counting”
She glanced at Naomi for confirmation and got a nod in return. When her gaze landed back on me, she asked, “Did you have a chance to meet Jesus?”
I laughed. “I’ve met a lot of people, ma’am, and yes; the messiah was one of them.”
“What was he like?”
“Interesting. He had a lot of good ideas, and an honest heart. Of course, I had already been introduced to Michael and angel bloodlines, so the idea of God’s child wasn’t as farfetched as some people thought.” I glanced at Naomi. “I can tell you this much though, he has got to be livid that so many acts of violence have been perpetrated in his name. He was a peaceful man, but had no tolerance for those who skewed the word of the Lord for their own gain.”
Jennifer looked down at her hands. “And heaven?”
When her gaze returned to mine, I knew where she was going with the questions. Even with the existence of a guardian angel looking over her husband, she still had doubts and worries about where her children’s souls were. I sent her a soft smile and a nod. “Yes. There’s a heaven,” I said, and the relief swept over her face. “And I’m sure your daughters are there.”
Jennifer blinked her tears back and gave me a quick nod.
Naomi watched the exchange, her brow furrowing with questions and I shook my head. She let it go and focused back on the conversation, but I could tell she understood. She blinked, studying the woman at the table with the same admiration as I felt for both Jennifer and Steve.
“What was your favorite era?” Jennifer asked.
My gaze moved to Naomi. “Right now,” I said with no hesitation.
A snort from the couch pulled my attention and CJ sent a glance over his shoulder, his derision snaking over me like a hangman’s noose.
I knew it was poor manners but I shot the question out anyway, “What the hell is your issue?”
CJ stood, turning toward me. “You. You’re my issue,” he pointed at me. “They think you’re something special, but all I see is someone who killed for sport like my father did. But in this case, you did it for centuries, upon centuries.”
“Damian didn’t kill for sport,” Naomi said before I could form a response.
CJ challenged her with an arch of his eyebrow.
“He’s right,” I said, pulling her gaze to mine. “I killed with abandon, but I only killed those worthy of death. So in that way, I differ from your father.”
“Who are you to judge,” CJ said and I stood, crossing the distance, extending my hand.
“Go ahead,” I challenged, knowing he had the same power to siphon memories as Steve.
He looked at my hand and the muscles in his jaw jumped. When his gaze locked on mine, he reached out. The moment skin contacted a rush of memories assaulted me. Sound swirled around me and a power I couldn’t comprehend gripped every muscle. CJ’s memories flooded my mind, just like Steve’s had, but there was something else that came with them that hadn’t been transferred when Steve did his mind meld.
Just before his grip loosened, I felt the power crawling back into its host and the room came into clear view. In my mind’s eye, I reached out, grabbing hold of the last ribbon of magic, feeling a piece tear off and settle inside me.
CJ’s gaze hardened and he yanked his hand from my grip. He stepped back, rubbing his palm, just staring at me. He looked down at his hand and back, like I was still the shadow being, his silence just as unnerving as the flurry of memories.
Whispers, like faint echoes caressed my ears but I kept my gaze on CJ, waiting for his judgment. Instead of speaking, he slowly lowered to the couch.
He licked his lips, formulating broken thoughts before speaking.
“You really are an angel’s descendent.” It wasn’t a question, just a statement that I let hang on the air for a full beat.
“Do you think I’d really spend the last few hours bullshitting you?”
“Actually, that’s exactly what I thought. I couldn’t read much from either of you.” He glanced between Naomi and I. “I just thought you were here to pull one over on us and you somehow snowed Uncle Steve. I couldn’t figure out what your deal was.”
“And now?”
“At least I know you’re not a liar,” he said.