6 Chapter 6: Sweet Turmoil

Chapter 6: Sweet Turmoil

Kell

Mikhail jumps on me as soon as I walk through the door. “Hey little bro, it’s about time you show up.”

I push him away with a lighthearted smile as he tried to continue his assault. “Hey man, it’s good to see you.”

Mikhail chuckles in amusement and ushers me into the living room. “Come on, bro, everyone is here.”

Alex, Carrick, and Azazel lift their heads up in unison as soon as we step into the room. Azazel smirks. “About time, mate. We’ve been waiting for you. Where the bloody hell have you been?”

I shake my head and lay my bag down on a nearby chair. “Didn’t Carrick tell you?”

They all gaze at Carrick, who shrugs his shoulders. “I just told them you had something to do.”

Slumping down on the couch, I slide next to Carrick and rest my feet on the table. Alex is sitting in a nearby leather recliner and Azazel in another. We live in a typical bachelor pad. No pretty decorations or fripperies. Our living room is large with black and brown leather sectionals and a large flat-screen TV with at least four game consoles.

Our coffee table is used to hold game cartridges, sports magazines, or to hold our game remotes. Nevaeh, Khail’s girl, always gives us crap for living like this.

Pizza boxes, cokes, and beer cans lie open on the coffee table, and the television is tuned to a sports channel. Reaching into one of the pizza boxes, I take a slice. “Well, I’m here now. So what brings you two here, and where’s Nevaeh?” I ask Mikhail.

He shakes his head and takes a seat reaching for his own slice of pizza. “Nevaeh is with Mathias and Cassia doing some catch-up. While she’s with them, I figured I’d come and visit Alex and my little brothers. As for Azazel…well, he tagged along because he’s a mooch and has nothing else to do.”

We all look at Azazel, who is in the middle of shoving a slice of Bianca pizza into his mouth. It’s almost comical how he narrows his eyes at us and continues to chew. “Screw you, wankers. I have things to do.” He says mid-chew while dipping his pizza in marinara sauce. We all laugh boisterously.

Mikhail slaps my back, pushing me forward. “How about you, little brother? What have you been up to?”

I shake my head and take a bite of my pepperoni pizza. “Nothing, man. Just doing my thing in school and at home. Speaking of brothers. Where’s Rowan?” I say, trying to change the subject.

Mikhail stiffens and shrugs. “I don’t know, man. I thought maybe one of you heard from him.” Everyone gazes around in confirmation, but no one responds in the positive.

Alex sits forward in his seat and places his elbows on his knees. “Where the hell is he? I thought he was in school.”

Mikhail exhales deeply. “I don’t know. He was cool after he moved into his studio apartment. Then a few days ago he tells me that he has shit to do and that he’ll call me. I haven’t heard from him for days.”

Alex’s brow furrows with concern. “Well, he better get his ass back here if he doesn’t want to have any problems.”

Everyone’s face becomes grim. Rowan is not usually this secretive or flaky. There’s obviously something going on that we don’t know about.

Carrick interjects. “Maybe he just needs some time off. I’m sure it’s not easy for him to be around so many humans. We’re not like angels. Werewolves and vampires have compulsions that are hard to control. Give him a few days, and if he doesn’t show up, we can ask Mathias to get a few Council enforcers on his tail.”

We all nod our heads in agreement, but somehow things don’t quite feel settled.

Reaching for a coke, I take a sip. “Sounds like a plan.”

We continue to eat pizza, but I can see that Alex is still concerned. His mouth is tight, and his eyes are looking off into the distance thoughtfully. After a moment, he snaps out of his mood and responds with a resolute tone. “Fine, we can give him some time. But I want you boys to keep me updated if this persists. I just wish he would have talked to me before he ran off.”

We all nod in understanding and continue to eat.

Alex takes a sip of his beer then sets it down. Alex is a Dhampir. Which means he’s a half-human and half-vampire. Alex is very similar in looks to Rowan. I guess it’s a vampire thing. He is tall and pale with hazel eyes. Being that he’s a vampire, he doesn’t age. He doesn’t look much older than us, which makes it hard to explain to people that he’s our foster father.

Alex is the one who brought us all together. He’s the big brother we never had. Being part of the Supernatural world can be a burden, especially if you’re an orphan. But Alex never made us feel unwelcome, which makes the burden easier to bear.

I flex my back, feeling my wings strain against my shirt. I’m one of the few Nephilim who has wings. It’s rare for half-human, half-angel hybrids to develop wings. Some Nephilim are unaware of what they are, like Nevaeh. Up until she met Mikhail, she didn’t know that supernatural being existed. She finds out soon after that that her real father is an angel. Yet, she’s never grown wings or any of the things that make us Nephilim. If it wasn’t for a spell that Azazel cast to find her family, she would have never been the wiser.

Mikhail notices my movements and nudges his chin at my back. “Feeling restless little brother?”

I frown at his comment. “It’s just my wings, bro. You know how it is when you keep them restrained for too long.”

His eyes focus on me with a penetrating expression. “Are you sure about that bro?”

I shrug my shoulders and roll my eyes. “What other reason would I have?”

Mikhail snickers in reply; his lip curled with mischief. “Maybe it’s a girl or something.”

I shake my head in denial. “Nah, man. It’s nothing like that.”

Carrick snorts with an impish expression. “What about Amara?

Everyone stops what they’re doing and gaze at me with interest.

Giving Carrick my most withering glare, I bite my lip tightly. Damn Carrick and his big mouth. “It’s not like that. Amara is my tutor.”

Carrick nearly chokes on his slice and looks at me with amazement. “She’s your tutor?”

Mikhail and Azazel snicker while Alex looks on with interest. “Yeah. She’s helping me with a few of my classes. Mr. Moody set it up.”

Mikhail tilts his head to the side as if remembering something, then snaps his fingers. “Wait! Are you talking about Amara Vega? The beauty queen?”

Azazel moves forward, looking interested. “Your love is a beauty queen? As in pageants?” He wolf-whistles. “You have big bollocks, mate. Those birds are high maintenance.”

Everyone laughs except for me. “It isn’t like that,” I mutter in protest. Mikhail clucks his tongue and gives me a commiserative smile. “Just be careful, dude. Amara Vega is big time. I remember people would call her the golden girl of Arcata. Nevaeh said that she was a snooty bitch with a lot of money.”

I grit my teeth and look ahead, not giving away any emotion. “Thanks, man, but as I said, it’s not like that.”

Azazel and Mikhail smirk and point their index fingers in front of my face. “Then why are your eyes glowing, mate?”

Azazel’s words give me pause. There’s no way that my eyes are glowing. It isn’t like that between Amara and me. Feeling nervous, I raise my hand up and cover my eyes.

Thankfully, Alex saves me from further embarrassment when he rises from his chair and begins to collect the boxes and paper plates from the table. “Okay, guys, stop teasing Kell. I need this table cleared up now.”

Everyone groans in unison as they reluctantly rise from their seats. Alex and Carrick pick up the bottles and cans, and Mikhail and Azazel put away the leftover pizza.

Glad that the interrogation is over, I pick up the garbage bags and carry them outside. Our yard is large with a fire pit and a gazebo in the corner. Close my eyes, I inhale the scents of the night. The smell of leaves and flowers permeates my senses, and the sound of a cicada’s song rings in the air. It’s a beautiful night.

That’s what I like about living in Arcata. They have beautiful weather. I look up at the starry sky and take a few deep breaths as I make my way across the sidewalk and deposit the garbage bags into the bin. A scuffling sound warns me of a presence. Turning, I come face to face with a Mikhail. He gives me a cursory glance and closes the garbage lid for me.

For a moment, he opens and closes his mouth as if he has something he really wants to ask.

“What’s up, Khail?” I ask stiffly.

Mikhail drags his feet across the sidewalk for a moment reminding me of a chastised boy. “Look, Kell, I didn’t mean to sound harsh back there. I just worry about you, bro. I know how you feel. It was really hard for me when I met Nevaeh. I would see her in that big fancy house, and I’d feel that I couldn’t measure up. But now we’re happy together. Maybe it will happen for you too. All I ask is that you tread lightly, okay?”

I nod my head. “Sure, man. I mean…I think she’s hot and all, but it’s not like that. And even if it was, I know it wouldn’t work out between us.”

My body tightens with tension at the truth of my own words. But I choose not to dwell on the pang of pain that hits me when I think of not being part of Amara’s life. Lifting my hand, I rub the back of my neck. Looking grim, Mikhail simply stands there and waits patiently.

Mikhail is the only dark one among us. He has dark hair and eyes, but we’re about the same height. His mate, Nevaeh, calls him her dark angel. She’s always giving him shit for wearing so much black, but it’s all bluster because everyone knows that they’re crazy in love. She found out he was her mate in their senior year. And even though they’ve had their ups and downs, their love shines through.

Mikhail sniffs as he rubs his index finger and thumb against his forehead. “Well, if you decide to go for it, I’m here for you.”

We smile in commiseration and bump fists. “Thanks, man.”

Just then, the back door opens. Azazel steps out with his phone in his hand. “Hey Khail, Nevaeh, just called. Looks like Mathias needs us for something.” Khail rolls his eyes. “Damn, I don’t even get one night. They’ve been driving me nuts since they got those files from Traeger.” Azazel shrugs his shoulders. Azazel is a demon. Apparently, he and Mikhail’s dad were really good friends for years. Now he’s really good friends with Mikhail. It’s pretty cool when you think about it.

A couple of months ago, Mathias was called by an alpha werewolf named, Traeger. Traeger is this badass trained assassin from a place called the Institute. When Traeger found out that the scientists at the Institute were planning to use him and his pack to overtake the Council, he contacted Mathias. Traeger met his mate Jelena during that time. She and Traeger are crazy in love too.

Anyway, with the help of the Council, Traeger was able to overtake the Institute and give the Council some much needed Intel.

Apparently, there’s some kind of conspiracy involving Lukan, the psycho who tried to kill Mikhail a while back. The bastard has caused a lot of problems for us until Mathias put him down. Long story short, Lukan and a few other Supernatural beings have been conspiring to bring down the Council.

The Council is our supernatural judicial and law enforcement system. They’re the ones that keep all Supernatural beings in line. They’re like our supernatural police. There are many Supernatural beings, and someone needs to keep a close eye on them.

According to Angel history, the Creator wanted us to learn free will. Therefore, after Lucifer’s fall, the Creator gave all the angels a one-way ticket to earth. The Creator took a vacation and let us deal with all the havoc Lucifer wrought upon humans. We are now considered part of the Supernatural world, which is made up of all kinds of creatures. There are angels, werewolves, vampires, demons, and so on. One thing we’re all required to do is live by a set of special rules. Never hurt humans, never tell a human about us, and live under the radar.

If we break one of those rules, the council will come after us. That’s why secrecy is so important.

Azazel takes his keys out of his jean’s pocket and twirls the ring around his finger as he waits for Mikhail. Azazel is tall with blonde hair and built like a shit brick house. I mean, we’re all pretty built and hot, but Azazel has that otherworldly demon aura. For a while, I thought he was in love with Nevaeh. But now I think it’s more of a friendship.

There’s just something about Nevaeh that makes us want to protect her. Most of us would kill for her─ no joke.

Azazel stands there with his arms crossed in front of his chest and narrows his eyes. Tonight, he’s wearing a gray button-down shirt, blue jeans, and boots.

Mikhail waves his hand around in exasperation. “I just don’t get why we have to do this now.”

Azazel shrugs his shoulders and widens his eyes. “Well, whatever they’re bloody doing doesn’t matter because they need us. So, let’s go.” Mikhail rolls his eyes as he places his arm around my shoulder. “Fine, then let’s go and say goodbye to everyone.”

Once Mikhail and Azazel take their leave, Carrick, and Alex, both head to bed. I will never tell Mikhail this, but I miss having him and Rowan around. We used to have so much fun when we all lived together. Oh, the things we used to get away with.

Unfortunately, I’m too wired to sleep. Instead, I head to my car and take a drive to my favorite spot.

The place is surrounded by trees and stands high above the city. I move towards the edge of the cliff and look down at the sparkling lights of the city. It’s a beautiful night. The stars are shining brightly, and there are no clouds in the sky. Taking a deep breath, I inhale the fresh scents of the night. The scent of incoming rain and musk permeates my lungs. It’s a perfect night to fly. As if sensing my thoughts, my wings strain against my back.

It isn’t very often that I take the time to fly. It’s just not a good idea to make it a routine. The last thing I want is for the Council to find out that a Nephilim angel is flying around. Which doesn’t mean that I still don’t sneak out in the middle of the night for a last-minute flight? I just make sure that I do it very late into the night when no one is around.

Flexing my shoulders, I step out of the car and look around, making sure that no one is looking. Once I see that the coast is clear, I slip my shirt over my head, retract my wings and look on into the night sky. A great wave of relief rushes through me with every flutter.

The breeze feels incredible against my feathers. Taking a few steps back, I prep my wings and jump off the hill. I close my eyes as the wind rushes through me, and glide effortlessly until I’m rising high above the clouds. The haze of the moonlight creates an eerie beauty, forming shadows and softening areas that would unnerve an innocent person. I do this for a while, letting my thoughts drift with the shadows and simply feeling the incredible rush I only get when I’m flying.

The house is solemn and quiet by the time I get home. Feeling a little less stressed, I head to my room and remove all of my clothing. My body feels too warm for clothing right now. Eyes wide, I stretch my body out on the mattress, My wings strain again against my back, but I don’t let them out. I don’t know why, but lately, my body has been feeling very sensitive.

My chest and neck ache from the exertion of exercising my wings, and my heart is beating wildly. Resting my hand over my chest, I rub the area near my heart. The beat is steady and true. As I close my eyes, the only image that I see is her, Amara.

As soon as I do, my body hardens. I groan under my breath at the thought of touching her. All I can think about is her beautiful silky hair and skin. I wonder what she’s doing right now. Is she thinking of me?

Mikhail’s warning replays in my mind at that moment. Maybe it is better if I don’t get involved. Amara and I are just too different for anything to work between us. Even if she wasn’t human. She’s too rich and too exposed. My people do better in anonymity.