Returned

The next morning breakfast was served in the dining room downstairs. Megan loved the dining room with its big windows overlooking the flower garden and sky-blue color with white trim. The room was pretty and not like most of the dining rooms she had seen in her life that were stuffy and dark. Megan couldn't help but wonder who the decorator was. When she asked Gabriel, he laughed and told her that he would tell her later.

Her three friends were in a happy mood. Not even slight hangovers could keep their spirits down. Caden had said that their bed was quite comfortable and then checked himself looking at Afton who laughed as told the Caden not to worry over him. Afton said he's seen and done most things in his life at least twice.

Both he and Elijah had laughed telling Afton that they liked his style, exuberantly. Angelina asked Megan what she wanted to talk about, which caused her to blush. Everyone laughed when Megan choked out that she had figured out the answer after all.

When everyone was finished with breakfast, and they all had to go cups of coffee, Angelina reminded Megan about the tour for the tenth time. Megan chuckled and Gabriel joined in. Together they led her three friends on a tour of the house and the grounds, Afton decided to tag along since he thought Megan's friends were wildly entertaining.

The guys gave appropriate responses at the library and Angelina went crazy when she saw Megan's closet. Apparently, there were things in the closet that hadn't been released post fashion show yet. Megan had no idea. Gabriel raised an eyebrow in her direction and Megan shrugged. She had never found fashion as interesting as Angie.

Megan showed her friends the upstairs sitting room where they normally had breakfast before taking them downstairs and out the back door. They strolled the manicured grounds for a while until they reached the maze. Caden and Elijah quickly got lost and Afton had to retrieve the pair. He came back shaking his head. The pair looked decidedly rumpled.

Afton told Gabriel that they weren't trying very hard to be found. They all stopped to look at the wrought iron cage before Gabriel showed them the quick exit from the maze. Megan tried to remember the route, but everything looked the same inside the maze to her.

The group strolled through the flower gardens marveling at some of the exotic types that weren't native to their area. Megan told her friends that they had an excellent gardener when Elijah went on about a certain type of plant that couldn't grow in their climate that was alive and healthy in this garden. He said his father had tried to get it to grow for years since it was his mother's favorite but could never get it to grow. Gabriel said it was a new transplant this year and who knew if it would survive when the weather changed. Elijah seemed mollified at that explanation and let the matter drop.

Finally, they came to the hydrangeas and passed through the large shrubs to find themselves at the rock pool. Angelina fell in love with the area and Megan promised to have the three of them over for a pool party soon. Even the guys thought it was the coolest pool they had ever seen.

They couldn't wait to dive into the deep end and had to be talked out of it by Angelina reminding them it would get water all over Elijah's truck. Megan laughed at their antics. Angelina told Megan to plan the pool party soon because she didn't know how long she could hold the guys back for.

It had been a couple of hours since they had started on their tour when Megan waved goodbye to her friends as they headed down the long driveway back to town. She was about to turn to the men when a car pulled into the driveway that she recognized. It was a sedan used primarily by her mother. The car pulled to a stop in front of her. The driver came around and opened the door.

Megan's mother, Chloe Steele stepped from the backseat with a desperate look on her face. Spotting Megan, her mother rushed over to her.

Absently, from behind her she heard Afton mutter. "Nicole... She has returned."

"Megan, thank the heavens that you are alright. I just found out what that bastard did. To sell my daughter to that murderer." Chloe fumed.

"Mom, I'm okay. No worse than when I left." Megan tried to soothe her mother.

"Well, I have left him. This was the last straw, and I took Nicole and Tyler to my estate in Plymouth. May wouldn't leave the city. I've come to take you back with me, get your things so we can go." Chloe told her daughter.

"Come inside and have a cup of coffee with me." Megan said. "I know how this started wasn't ideal, but I like it here and Gabriel is my husband, regardless of how it happened."

"Megan, he's a murderer. Think about his other wives." Her mother implored her.

"Come sit down with me." Megan urged. The other woman looked up at the towering house like she was afraid it would swallow them up.

"Angelina, Caden, and Elijah just left after spending the night. We had one of our board game nights and it ran long." Megan told her mother hoping it would help ease some of her mother's trepidation, it seemed to help. After another moment, Chloe followed her daughter into the house. A tray of coffee and pastries was waiting on the coffee table when they stepped into the living room.

"When did you even order refreshments?" Chloe turned to face her daughter after she sat down on the loveseat beside Megan.

"The staff here is very efficient. They likely saw us speaking outside and prepared a tray assuming I would need one." Megan told her mother before telling the room thank you for the lovely tray. The women prepared their coffees, and Chloe took a sip telling her daughter that the coffee was excellent. Megan smiled slightly.

"Megan what do you mean that you don't want to leave?" Chloe asked her daughter.

*

Gabriel watched the two women go inside the house and walked over to Afton who looked distraught. "What has happened? Afton, look at me?" Gabriel snapped his fingers in front of his friend's face gaining his attention. "What is going on?"

Afton drew in a shaky breath. "Nicole... Her soul... it's returned."

"Your wife? What do you mean?" Gabriel felt confused.

"Who was that woman?" Afton asked suddenly.

"That is Chloe Steele, Megan's mother." Gabriel answered. "Why?"

"Cloe Steele is Nicole, Nicole is Chloe. Her soul returned for me. I am soul bound to that woman. I can see the bond clearly. We only get one soulmate as you well know. It's not a new bond, it's the same bond I have always had to Nicole. This is so incredibly rare..." Afton had been rambling but cut himself off.

Gabriel stared at Afton his mouth open in shock. "How come you didn't feel the call?"

"I wouldn't know if I had felt it. I have been wrecked over the loss of Nicole for nearly forty-three years. I would have chalked the call up to missing her more than usual. Like I said, a soul rebirth is extremely rare and in a human no less. The grace and dark blood that she carries must have made her strong enough for an angel's soul to be reborn." Afton explained to Gabriel.

"You're sure about this Afton?" Gabriel asked, watching his friend closely.

"Completely..." Afton answered running a hand through his hair.

*

Megan looked up as Gabriel and Afton stepped into the living room. Gabriel sat on the sofa across from them while Afton leaned against the wall beside the fireplace.

"Well, there is The Wife Butcher, himself." Chloe exclaimed seeing Gabriel who scowled at the title.

"Mrs. Steele, I..." Gabriel started.

"Ms. Steele now." Chloe interrupted. "I am divorcing Ryan for having the nerve to think he could sell my child to you, Mr. North. Now that I have withdrawn my support; it is only your money propping him up. He'll blow through it and be bankrupt in three months." Chloe waved a hand in the air like seeing twenty years of investment and work disintegrate was inconsequential to her.

"Megan seems to want to stay here, though I can't imagine why. Know this Mr. North, if anything happens to my daughter... I will skin you alive." Chloe smiled cheerily turning to Afton. "And you are?"

Afton cleared his throat and swallowed audibly." Afton, I work with Gabriel."

"You don't have a last name?" Chloe frowned raising an eyebrow in the man's direction.

Afton sighed; he wasn't about to start lying to the woman now. He was over a millennium year old Nephilim; he didn't have a last name. "No, I don't have a last name." Chloe scowled at Afton then Gabriel shaking her head.

"Mom, Afton is great. You would like him." Megan interjected before her mother could rile herself up.

"Walk me out." Chloe said standing. Megan and her mother walked out to her mother's car. "You know where we are if you change your mind." Chloe told her daughter. Megan kissed her mom on the cheek and gave her a big smile.

"I am fine, mom. I promise." Megan told her without a trace of reluctance which helped put Chloe at ease at least a little. Her mother turned toward Afton and made the I'm watching you hand gesture with squinted eyes making Megan crack up and Afton smirk. Chloe ignored Gabriel completely which made the man scowl when she climbed into the car without acknowledging him. Then the car drove away.