18 Nephilim

The bullet nearly hit me.

“What the hell?” I uttered as a man wearing a balaclava and a black suit shoot the chains tied to my hands and feet. Riley stepped back as Blake and the demons fought against the stranger. I watched them exchange their kicks and punches and gunfire like a fight in the ring while I hurriedly take the broken chains away from me.

“Run!” the man shouted.

Without looking at him, I rushed towards the door and kicked it open. Without thanking whoever it was, I ran away and headed for the apartment. I fished for the key in my pocket and slid it into the doorknob before pushing the door open. My eyes went wide to see the stranger standing in front of me.

“How did you . . .” I uttered in surprise.

“Got in? Simple. I’m an angel,” he answered.

“Angel . . . who?”

“Gabriel. Have you forgotten—”

I threw a fist at his face before he finished talking and pushed him onto the bed behind him. I strangled him with my hands and legs and gagged him. “Who are you?”

“I . . . I . . .” he croaked.

Thinking he was harmless, I took my hands off his neck and got up. Remembering my pistol kept inside the cabinet to my right, I moved towards it and opened the drawer. Without hesitation, I aimed the gun at the man who was making himself comfortable as he sat on the bed. His pistol was hanging on a holster positioned at his right.

“Now speak. Who are you?”

“I told you, I am Angel Gabriel.” He got up and sat on the bed

“Shut up! You don’t have wings. Show me your wings.”

“I can’t just show it whenever I want. My wings show up only at desperate times.”

“Really? So, you were desperate when you killed Butcher?” I moved slowly towards him. “You shouldn’t have intervened my fight. It was my fight!” I screamed. “You used me!”

“Amber, you are a precious vessel. You should be thankful I saved you—”

“I don’t need anyone to save me! You cheated! It should have been me who killed him. Stay away from me! You don’t know what I have been through, and it’s all enough for me to lose my mind. Truth is, I can kill you right now.”

“Go ahead. Pull the trigger. That pistol you’re holding is not an ordinary pistol. It can kill angels and demons and will turn them into ashes.”

“I know. Are there any other reasons why I’m pointing this superpistol at you?”

“You can kill me if you want, but you’ll be missing your whole life if you do.”

I scoffed. “And why is that?”

He took a deep breath and looked into my eyes. “I know who killed your parents and your pet.”

I suddenly froze, and my body felt weak at his words. “What?”

“You heard me. I know who killed your mom, your dad, and your precious Cassie.”

“Who are you?” I snarled.

My hands were shaking as I held the pistol tighter in my palms. I could feel my gut heating up again. His face remained calm while I was seething with anger. Looking at his undisturbed expression made me want to lose control as he stood up and walked a few steps towards the window.

“Like I said, pull the trigger. Heaven knows everything about you, Amber. Your life, your death . . .”

“Why did you save me?”

“I had to save you because heaven wants you.”

“You really need to go now, you’re crazy. Riley the demon wants me to join his master, and now, you . . . an angel wants me to go to with you to heaven. Sounds like crap, Gabriel. No. Either you leave, or I’ll shoot you.”

“Go ahea—”

I pulled the trigger, and the curtains flew as Gabriel disappeared into thin air. My eyes were watchful, waiting for him to show up. Shortly after, he appeared behind me and covered my mouth as he took the gun away from my hand. I tried to release myself from his hold but to no avail. When he had finally taken the pistol from my hand, he forcefully pushed me against the floor and stepped on my back. I tried to get up but he was too strong to fight against, and my strength wasn’t enough.

Suddenly, I felt something sharp cutting through my skin. Though I was screaming in agony, I could feel the cut burning like fire and see smoke literally coming out from the trace he made.

“So this is who you are . . . a demon. The reason why heaven wants you dead,” Gabriel muttered.

“Let me go,” I said through clenched teeth. ‘You wouldn’t want to see what I would look like when my gut starts to feel like fire.”

Gabriel flew against the wall with a loud thud. He was in his angel form, holding his sword stained with my blood. Getting on his feet, his white wings spread out.

“It was you. It was you in my shadow.”

“Yes, it was me.” He nodded. “But you know what the truth is? You killed him. You saw me, but he saw you. That’s who you are, Amber. You are a nephilim. Your body is an open vessel any angel and a demon can possess. Hell wants you an ally, and heaven wants you dead to save your soul. We have to save the ordinary humans in this world from you because you are dangerous. Micca possessed you—”

“Shut up! This is all crap, Gabriel! Leave before I lose control.”

“Go ahead. I won’t stop you. I want to see it in my own eyes. I want to see a nephilim in my own eyes.”

“I said, go!”

My sharp-edged dark wings erupted from my back and spread out as my eyes turned white.

“So this is what a nephilim looks like,” he muttered.

Without warning, my wings stretched out towards him and pulled his body against my chest. For a moment, I could feel his heartbeat racing and see his bewildered eyes. His sword fell from his hand, and his wings began to fall off.

“I thought angels don’t have a heartbeat, Gabriel. What’s gonna happen to you now?” I smirked before flying away through the open window, taking him.