Kenneth slammed into him, his wings flaring out and beating the air violently as he fought to push the angel back. They stayed there, locked into place, both of their wings unfurled and pushing against each other. And as low and smooth as an ocean undercurrent, I heard Shamshiel’s voice.“Son of Baraqel, why do you stand against me?” He asked, his face passive. Kenneth grunted.“I am no son of his” he spat out. “You and your children need to leave us alone!” Shamshiel laughed.“Is that what you think? Do you truly think all of us are after you?” One dark brow raised up in question.“Don’t try to trick us” Liam said, striding forward, katana drawn. His eyes were narrowed and sharp, scanning the angel.

That annoying angel. Grumbling, I kicked my boots off and sat down on the side of the bed. Chunks of dirt fell from the soles of them, littering the carpet with brown spots. I laid back, annoyed at how comfortable the bed was, and closed my eyes. Taking a few deep breaths, I tried to center and calm myself as best I could. I was ok, it would be ok; I was alive, and the rest of the team had to be as well. They had known that as soon as Shamshiel had me they were powerless, even Kenneth as a half-breed. I placed my hands on my lower stomach and inhaled deeply, a calming mechanism I had learned in training. Taking slow, deep breaths, inhaling for four and exhaling for four, I allowed myself to feel.The bed was soft beneath me, my clothes tight and constricting, keeping me grounded. I wiggled my toes, feeling the sensation of my socks slipping over them. Pulling my knees to my chest I gave myself a hug and si

My gaze immediately traveled upwards as I took in the room. The ceiling was domed, easily curving above us, and painted in a swirl of colors, pastels and metallics mostly. There were several groups of people gathered in various areas, and I noticed while there were tables and chairs akin to office furniture; no one was occupying them. Gesturing to the nearest table he pulled out a plush chair for me, and then sat down in the one opposite. He met my eyes, and the shock of his shining blue irises never got old. “So, feeling a bit more comfortable?” His voice was even, but there was a new undercurrent to it. “Define comfortable?” I asked and folded my arms across my chest. He gave me a one-sided smile.

Usel returned me to Shamshiel, who was at this point with Castor. The two men were bending over a table full of books and various bottles and vials of materials and liquids. His bright blue eyes met mine for a moment before flicking back down to his task. Unsure of what to do I seated myself on a nearby stool and watched the two men. Castor was hunched over a book, pencil in hand and scribbling furiously on a piece of paper, Shamshiel was studying the contents of a vial so hard his gaze may as well have bored a hole through it. I stifled a yawn; I had a lot to think about and had, what I considered, better things to do than watch these two pour over science stuff. Not that it wasn’t interesting, I just was not interested in it at the moment. I was tired, and beyond exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally. While I had been glad to see Devon, to know about him and everyone else, it was not the reunion I had expected. Yes, he had reason to

Cain had been a fantastic sparring partner, as well as a breath of fresh air from feeling so damn pigeonholed all the time. Shamshiel and his crew weren’t exactly a barrel of laughs, and Devon was currently not into speaking with me; so, a friendly face went a long way. Growing up we had learned all the lore of the Bible and had also been educated about other religions. Religion classes were a necessity in our society as while many believed the situation was Bible related, we couldn’t discount other religions, and knowing about them had proven to be helpful more than once. Cain had given me a fair amount to chew on, he was nothing like he was portrayed, and it left me with more questions than anything else. We had always been taught how evil Cain was, and that he held evil in his heart before he murdered Abel, but this Cain was not evil. This Cain had been conflicted and confused and had asked a question and not gotten a clear answer; and