Celestial Beginnings (Nephilim Series) (17 page)

He was fiddling with his fork way more than normal.
“I don’t know Trinity…”

“I just thought…”
She took a deep breath then waved the air in front of her as to wipe away their conversation before giving a very large, fake smile. “Never mind, it’s okay. Forget I said anything.” She pointed to his plate with her fork. “How’s your enchiladas; they smell delicious?”

She went along, eating her food and looking at her plate, trying to pretend that he wasn’t staring at her.

“Finish what you were going to say.”
His voice brought her head up. He sounded too serious, so firm that it made a shiver run up her spine.

“What do you mean?”

“You said, “You thought…” What did you think?” His gaze never wavered from her face.

Trinity didn’t really want to get into this.
It was embarrassing more than anything. She sighed and tried to sound light-hearted. “It doesn’t matter.”

When she was about to take another bite of her food, he placed his hand over hers to stop the process which brought her gaze back to him.
“It matters to me.”

Putting her fork carefully down gave her a few moments to choose the right words.
She brought her thumb nail to her mouth, but quickly took it down when she remembered that he knew her other nervous habit. Taking a deep breath, she dove right in. “I just thought it would be nice to get to know more about each other, maybe even meet the people that occupy the rest of our time. I guess I wanted to take whatever we have a little further. At least, that’s what
I
want.” 

She managed to keep eye contact the whole time with him.
She didn’t want to look meek and desperate but she was struggling not to look away under his intense stare.

“You might not like what you find.”

Boy, was that an understatement; except it should have been her that said it to him. “Everyone’s got skeletons in their closet, Malachi. I’m no different.”

After a minute, he nodded.
“You’re right. We need to move forward.” He smiled. “Maybe I can get some stuff to use against you later on. What about it Trinity, any embarrassing stories in that past of yours?”

This made her giggle.
“No more than any other average teenage girl.”

“I have an idea.”
Malachi sat forward in his chair, really getting into this plan. “What about a barbeque? We could have it at my house.”

“That sounds great.”

“Any day in particular that you want this?”

Trinity thought for a moment.
“A weekend might be easier for Joe and Renée. They’ll probably bring Stuart and Ray, the kids they have now. Actually, it might be best if you choose. Your schedule is so sporadic, so find out what day works best for you and whoever else you invite.”

As if on cue, his cell phone chimed in.
After reading the text, he looked at her and she could tell that their lunch date had come to an end.

“I know this happens way too much, but…I gotta go.”
He looked worried, as if wondering what her reaction would be.

She just smiled and laughed.
“And hence, why I think you should pick the date.”

He stood up, bent over, and gave her a kiss.
“Will do. I’ll call you.”

When he stood back up, he reached back for his wallet.
“I hate to leave you while you’re still eating.”

“Don’t worry about it.
I’m enjoying this burrito so much that I might not even miss you.” She gave him a small wink. When he put money on the table, she reached for it. “Hey, I can get this one. You didn’t even get to finish.”

He stopped her hand before she could touch the money.
“Not going to happen. Call me old-fashioned.” Leaning down he gave her a small kiss good-bye. “Till next time m’lady.

Even after he left, she couldn’t quit smiling.
The lunch went very well. She just hoped that the barbeque actually happens.

She finished up her food and made sure the bill was paid before she left.
She took her time getting back to her car. Having an open period after lunch always allowed her to linger a little longer.

It was a beautiful day, and she couldn’t help but be in a good mood.
Trinity was walking back to her car, looking everywhere but where she was going.

When she finally got to her car, she stood by it and was digging through the bottomless pit she called a purse for her keys.
She had just found them when both her upper arms were grabbed from behind. Freezing on contact, she stiffened up. “Malachi?” Something made her ask, but she knew it wasn’t him.

She was jerked roughly backward into a body that was definitely not Malachi.
The impact made her drop the keys. All she heard was the sound they made hitting the pavement. That was until the unknown person behind her spoke. “Does this feel like that jackass, bitch?”

Oh Crap!
Seth? She couldn’t prevent the trembling that started. His voice brought back so many painful memories with him, but she tried to stay strong. “What do you want?”

The grip on her arms was tightening and quickly becoming painful.
“What do I want? I want to know why you thought it was okay to let another man touch you…kiss you. You’re mine!” He was whispering, but she could tell it was through clenched teeth.

“I’m not yours!
I haven’t been yours for a while and this is none of your business.” There was that courage she had spent months trying to build.

The words were no sooner out of her mouth than she was spun around and slammed against her car.
His volume was getting louder. “It fucking is my business! You need to stay away from him or it’s going to get ugly.”

“Let me go!
Now!” She raised her voice in the hopes that someone might hear her.

Seth’s body suddenly relaxed and he let go of her arms.
He was still too close for comfort and it was a little unnerving.

“Step back!”
Raising her voice worked a moment ago, so she hoped it would work now. No such luck.

Instead, he stepped closer and put a hand on the side of her head.
“I’m sorry, beautiful. Did I hurt you? I didn’t mean to.” He then started to stroke her face and her nerves were firing, telling her that this wasn’t good. “I never mean to hurt you; you just frustrate me so much some times. It’s okay though, because I love you. You’ve been getting my roses, haven’t you?”

He then kissed her cheek, which made her skin crawl.
“No!” Trinity then started pushing against him, but he wasn’t budging. “Don’t Seth! Get off of me!”

The coldness was back in his eyes.
“How can you say that? Your little boy toy needs to be out of the picture; he’s clouding your judgment. We’ll be together forever, one way or another.”

His mouth came down on hers and she thought she was going to be sick.
She pushed at him to no avail. Her heart started to pick up speed at the same time a warmth started to spread over her. She felt…stronger.

Gathering up all the energy she could, she pushed…hard.
This time, he was moved back close to four feet. When he started coming toward her again, she brought her knee up between his legs and he immediately fell to the ground.

“You Bitch!”
He was bent over, but managed to choke out.

She was awarded an extra minute and took the opportunity to grab her keys from the ground and hit the button to unlock her car door.
Jumping in, she saw that Seth was struggling to get up. After starting her car, she quickly peeled out of the parking lot and didn’t look back.

What the hell was she going to do now?

******

He was leaning over as he watched her drive away.
Breathing hard, he was seeing red. How dare she strike out at him!

When he finally stood up all the way, another man was beside him.

“I take it that it didn’t go so well.”

Seth turned to glare at his companion, which, in turn, made the man laugh.

He didn’t understand how nothing fazed this man. Together, they had a plan, and the first part didn’t work. He wasn’t mad, the man was laughing for God’s sake.

Instantaneously, he was slammed into the ground with a hand gripping his throat.
The man was snarling down at him.

“Don’t you ever use the Lord’s name in vane again!
Don’t even think it or I’ll rip out your brain through your ears and make you eat it. And don’t make the mistake thinking I won’t; many have died that way by my hand.”

Terror raced through his veins and all Seth could do was nod.

After the acknowledgement, the man helped Seth up and dusted him off.
“Besides, the first part didn’t fail. She now knows you’re around and will be more distracted. If she’s distracted, he will be too, and I need him distracted. She’s not the priority here…he is. He has been on my tail for far too long, and it’s getting annoying. I hate being annoyed!”

The man had started talking distractedly to himself because Seth didn’t know what he meant.
It happened sometimes with him, but he lived with it.

Seth remembered sitting at a diner being filled with remorse over hitting Trinity again.
She was for sure going to leave him this time. Who would blame her though? He had tried to stop but was starting to enjoy the feeling when she cowered down in front of him.

This man had found him and promised to help.
Shortly after, the remorse went away and Trinity was back, promising to never leave again. He felt stronger…mentally and physically and knew he owed it all to his new friend.

“And you can start by making sure the location is prepared for Stage Two.”
Mind reading seemed to be a talent of his nameless companion.

A grin spread over Seth’s face.
He was looking forward to Stage Two.

“I’m going to enjoy it as well.”
The man just started to laugh.

Watching him, Seth saw as the man’s face contorted into that of the demon he suspected him to be then back to normal.
It wasn’t the first time he had seen it and already knew the man was pure evil.

This thought made the man laugh again, only harder this time.
“What little you know…”

He wondered if he would ever understand the man in front of him.
He didn’t care, he thought. If this is what he had to do to get Trinity back, then this is what he would do.

Chapter
11

A barbeque?
Malachi couldn’t believe he had come up with the idea. It sounded like the most normal thing, but nothing is ever normal when you throw in five hard-headed, centuries old nephilims.

As he was walking into the command center, he wondered how this would go over with his team.
What was going on with Trinity has always been complicated. At first he told everyone it was just for information. That wasn’t a lie; he did want to find out why they entered each other’s dreams. That was not the only reason though. There had been something about her from the beginning that fascinated him. The more times they were together, the more intriguing she became.

He’s never felt this way about anyone before.
His team members and he have always been close, but he’s only been able to confide in Gemariah. Trinity makes him feel almost normal, and after over 300 years of being different, it was a good feeling. It was also not something he was willing to give up yet. He knew it couldn’t last forever, but for a little while longer at least would be nice.

His team didn’t like it.
They didn’t have anything against a casual fling, but none had ever contemplated a relationship. It was too risky and not only for him. To be found out by a commoner would be like signing your own death certificate.

When Malachi entered the room, everyone went silent and just watched as he made his way to the front.
He just chose to ignore the stares and get strait down to business. “What do we got?”

When no one talked; he looked up.

Gideon was the first one to speak up, but in a sarcastic tone.
“…and where has our fearless leader been?”

Malachi’s gaze snapped to Gideon.
The glare could have cracked a diamond.

“That’s what I thought.”
Looking around the room, Gideon addressed everyone else. “See! You all know I’m right. It has to happen!”

“Please, do fill me in.
What needs to happen?” Malachi tried to appear bored but was seething inside.

Gemariah stepped forward first.
“Gideon believes there needs to be a change in leadership.”

“What about you Gemariah?
What do you believe?”

His friend shook his head.
“I don’t know man. This whole situation is messed up. It’s not like you to be this irresponsible.”

“Irresponsible in what way?”
Malachi’s resolve was starting to crack.

“If you keep seeing her, the truth will eventually come out.
We are not in a position where that is an option. Humans can’t be trusted; you know that just as much as anyone else. We will all be up on the chopping block in no time.” Gemariah’s voice started to rise. “Plus, what the hell are you going to do man? Date her, fall in love, get married, and watch her grow old and die while you stay the same as you are now?”

Malachi had asked himself the same thing many times and still had no answer.
He knew it could never last, but for now, he wanted to be selfish for the first time since adulthood. This fact getting thrown in his face didn’t sit well.

Malachi turned toward the women.
“What about you two?”

“This is fucked up Mal.
You’re putting us all in jeopardy.” Tori had no problem voicing her opinion, but Terah stayed silent.

“Terah?
You have to have some information on all of this.” She was one of his biggest supporters; he didn’t believe she would turn on him now.

She slowly turned her gaze toward to him.
“No Malachi. I can’t see anything about this. For some reason, the powers that be think she’s dead and I can’t see her. That still hasn’t changed.” She took a deep breath and continued. “I do believe she is something you need right now, for some reason.”

Gideon gave a snort.
“Give me a break; we all know the reason. She must kick ass in bed. The problem is that he’s thinking with the wrong head when it comes to her.”

That was it!
Malachi had had enough of Gideon to last another lifetime. Instinct kicked in and he launched himself across the table with his hand headed straight for the jugular.

Gideon must have been expecting it, because he moved out of the way before getting rammed.
When moving aside, Gideon threw a punch downward and connected with Malachi’s face. The impact was jarring and made him fight even harder. The speed the two of them were exerting would make the fight hard to follow with human eyes.

They were rolling around, blood was flying.
Punches were thrown, as well as chairs. It was an all-out brawl between the two, and no one was surprised. There has been so much animosity between the two lately, everyone had been waiting for the big blow-out.

When they started to slow down enough to step in, the others tore them apart.
They were both breathing hard and standing as blood dripped on the floor from their many wounds.

Gideon pointed a finger and gave Malachi an ultimatum.
“Alright! You heard what everyone had to say. It’s obvious how they all feel. I think you need to choose. You lead us or you stick with your human! Not both!”

“Fine!”
Everyone visibly relaxed, glad it was all over. “I’m guessing you will be taking my position?”

Malachi ignored the commotion and watched Gideon shrug.
“I am the other exalted one. It’s only natural.”

“What are you doing Mal?
You can’t seriously be throwing away your position…” Apparently Gemariah didn’t expect this turn of events.

Malachi paused for a minute.
Was he really giving up everything he had worked for? “Yes I am.”

There was a connection between Trinity and him that he couldn’t explain.
All he knew was that it made him feel hollow when he thought of letting her go. He didn’t want to go back to how things were before she came into his life. He vowed to be with her for as long as she would have him.

Shaking off the unfamiliar feeling, Malachi addressed the team.
“Now, was there a work related reason I was called in, or was it just for this little intervention?”

No one spoke and he had his answer.
He zeroed in on Gideon. “Okay, well if I’m not needed, I’m outta here. Have at it.” 

“Whoa!
I think everyone is forgetting something here.” When all the attention was turned to Gemariah, he continued. “For there to be a leadership change, there has to be a unanimous vote amongst the team.”

“You all said that you didn’t like the way he was leading, that should be enough.”
Gideon sounded upset, clearly not liking the idea of a vote.

Looking around, Gemariah spoke up.
“All in favor of the change raise your hand.”

Gideon raised his hand in the air.
“This is childish and stupid. I hope you know that.”

Tori’s hand slowly crept in the air.
“I’m sorry Mal. I like you, but you haven’t been with us lately.”

After a few more seconds of waiting, no one else raised their hand.
Malachi was still pissed off that all of this happened to begin with. He knew Terah would never turn against him. For a moment, he figured Gemariah would but was proven wrong.

“There you have it.
Malachi stays as leader.”

Malachi didn’t know exactly how he felt about this.
He should feel elated that his title wasn’t stripped from him. Instead, he felt…indifference. He understood all the good his team and he did, but for once, it wasn’t the most important thing to him.

Even though Malachi had other things in his life, he did acknowledge that it wasn’t safe to be as inattentive as he had been lately.
He needed to learn how to prioritize better, because his team still needed him as well.

Still mad as hell that everything went down the way it did, he decided to retreat and finish up things in his office.

“If you’ll excuse me; I got work to do.” As he was walking out the door, he turned at the last moment. “Oh…if anyone has any questions or concerns, come to me and maybe we can
talk
about them this time.” Malachi put an emphasis on the word talk to make sure they understood before exiting the room. He didn’t make it very far before he heard Gemariah running after him.

“Malachi stop!
What is this? This isn’t you.”

Malachi clinched his teeth; more aggravated than ever, especially at the one person he always thought would come to him first.

Gemariah didn’t let the silence deter him as he tried to reason with Malachi again.
“You know me. I’m all about lovin’ the ladies, but you have to say “good-bye” when you’re done. Some people have the option not to, we don’t. We don’t do relationships! You cannot trust humans with our secret Mal, and that’s what will happen with you spending so much time with her.”

Malachi was already shaking her head.
“She’s different. I don’t know how, she just is. I can’t leave her yet.” His gaze bore into Gemariah’s. “I would trust her with my life.”

“Yeah, but would you trust her with all of ours?
Because that is what you are doing.”

Malachi decided enough was enough, for now, and tried to walk around him, but was stopped again when Gemariah stepped back in front of him.
“You trust her? Did she tell you how she was moved around to different foster homes for years until she got settled? All those cases labeled her as a problem child. Did she mention that she has a locked pending police case on file? So this is the person you are trusting with everything we are?”

Malachi just stood there, jaw slack.
“You…you investigated her?”

“Yeah, and it’s a good thing I did.
Obviously she’s not being completely honest with you.” Gemariah was obviously proud of himself.

Malachi gave a halfhearted chuckle, still shocked that his friend would go behind his back like that.
“We haven’t gotten that deep in our conversations yet. We just talked about taking the next step at lunch today and getting to know each other better. She actually said she wanted to meet the people that were important to me. Now, I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

He took a step away from his longtime friend, but stopped before getting too far.
“Listen, I’m only telling you this right now because I made a promise. I’m having a barbeque, and all of you guys are invited, as long as you can be nice. Yes, Trinity will be there, as well as her friend and family.” He lifted his shoulder in a shrug. “You guys are all I have in the way of family, so it would be nice to have someone there from my side. You can tell them about it if you want.” He nodded his head in the direction of the room he just left. “I’ve got work to do.”

Gemariah looked thoughtful.
“She matters that much to you, huh?”

Malachi didn’t hesitate in giving an affirmative answer.

“Let me think about it.” Gemariah’s voice was hardly louder than a whisper. “When is it?”

“I don’t know yet.
Trinity left the date up to me to choose. She knows how busy we all are and wanted me to plan it around my schedule. I’ll have to get back to you.” Malachi was starting to wonder if this was such a good idea. If his team couldn’t get their attitudes in check, it would be a disaster.

Gemariah gave a small nod before Malachi walked away.

******

Later that day, Malachi was gathering his stuff to leave for the day when the alarm sounded throughout the entire office.
This wasn’t good. On minor things where his team was only needed, Malachi just received a phone call and a file. When the alarm sounded, it meant that everyone at the department had to be on point.

When his phone rang, he wasted no time in answering it.

He was finishing his conversation and getting last minute details when the team came into his office.
Looking each of them over, he saw that they were all packed and ready to head out. There’s something to be said about doing this for so long; you get a routine down and precious time isn’t wasted.

After ending the call, Malachi started to gather what he needed while informing the group of the mission.
“There’s a hostage situation at an office building downtown. The building is not big, but does have four floors and seven different companies inside, one of which is a daycare.” Their strategy was always different when children were involved.

“Where do we come in?”
Terah asked what everyone was thinking. It basically meant,
“what makes this one so different that the police alone can’t handle it?”

“Our informant inside said the men were acting strange…stranger than normal in a situation like this.”
Malachi was loading himself down with daggers and his gun when he clarified. “They were talking to thin air; not just one of them, all of them. Apparently one yelled something about “The Dragon” right before showing the bomb strapped on him.”

“Puppets!”
Gideon said with a sneer.