I pause, my body tensing rapidly by the flow of his words. He knows. Damn. I don’t know why I’m surprised, though. I should know that he knows. He isn’t human and he isn’t stupid—Jules warned me of that last night. He is beyond that and I’m dumb enough to try and think of something that we both know won’t outwit him. He raises an eyebrow, waiting for an answer but I look away, unsure of what to say. It’s just like earlier when Jules wanted the truth out of me.
“What’s this?” Liam calls, swinging around to look at me and then Felix. “Is this a date?” he asks, grinning.
“No, Liam,” I mutter.
“Actually, I didn’t think of it that way,” Felix says at the same time. We both eye each other for a brief moment before Liam caps my shoulder, forcing me to tear my gaze away.
“Aww, Alex. A date? You haven’t been on one of these in years!” I frown because Liam is obviously too drunk to know that I am in an uncomfortable situation. “Liam Marshall,” he says, reaching his hand out to Felix. No, Liam! Don’t introduce yourself! “I’m her brother.”
“Felix Wells.” Felix beams but I grimace and grind my teeth with my mouth sealed.
“Wait—Wells as in the owner of Wells and Son Incorporated?” Liam asks, completely shocked. “I’ve heard lots of things about that place!”
Felix nods proudly, lifting his glass to show his appreciation for Liam’s knowing.
“That has to be amazing—I mean to design a bunch of nice homes and buildings and to sell them and stuff. You know?” Liam asks and right now I just want to face-palm myself extremely hard because he’s embarrassing me and making himself look like a complete idiot.
“Well, swing by and I could show you around, maybe even land you a great paying job,” Felix advises. He eyes me sheepishly but I shake my head at him.
“Liam doesn’t know anything about drawing or—”
“Um, Alex, I think I can answer for myself,” Liam intrudes, his words slurring together.
“Yes, Alexandria,” Felix says. “Besides, there are other jobs besides just drawing–as you call it. I run and own a large office and I also manage a few well-known places in New York. Whatever we may come across, I’m sure Liam will find something that suits him.” Oh how I want to smack that cocky grin off of Felix’s face right now.
“I see,” I mutter.
“Dude . . . that would be, like, so great!” Liam agrees, smiling. “See, I like you already. Alex, why don’t you ever tell me anything?”
Because he’s not really anything to me. I shrug carelessly, feeling Felix’s glare on me as I reach for my margarita and take a sip. He isn’t happy with my physical response.
“Liam, if you don’t mind, I’d like to have a word alone with your sister. Is that alright?” Felix asks, standing from his seat. Oh, no.
“Of course, dude. Go right ahead,” Liam offers, sitting in his original seat to my right. Oh. My. Gosh. Why do I have to have the careless drunk brother by my side tonight of all nights when I need him to be overprotective of me? And what makes them think that I can’t make my own decisions? I am not a pet. I can tell that Felix brought up that job conversation purposely to get on Liam’s good side. He sure does know how to get on someone’s good side. But now I’m in trouble.
Felix nods graciously, sits his glass down, and then gently grasps my elbow to usher me through the crowd. And for some reason, by his soft grasp, the music playing from above, and the dim lighting, it is all a huge turn on for me. Being taken somewhere private to speak with Felix Wells—oh, goodness. Why does this have to be so complicating?
Felix continues to lead me along until we reach a set of French doors made of dark wood and opaque windows. A broad man posted by the door with a buzz-cut, a black T-shirt, and jeans on spots Felix and immediately steps aside. “Ben,” Felix acknowledges him.
“Room’s clear, sir,” Ben says with a nod. Felix does the same and before I know it we are stepping into the room and he has locked the door behind us. He pulls the white curtain from above the windows of the door and they fall down quickly. Now no one can see us. The music is still loud but all I can hear from inside of the room is the bass of it.
There isn’t much inside except a bookshelf against the west wall, two brown leather sofas across from each other, and the same material recliner in the corner. And to avoid having to sit beside Felix, I plop down on the single recliner. He finally spins around, his face hard, focused. His hair is slick and pushed back and, oh my, he looks hot. Really hot. Stop it, Lustful Alexandria.
He takes a few steps toward me, glowers down at me in an upset—but intrigued—kind of way, and then pulls me up and into him swiftly. How in the hell does he do that so easily? I know I’m thin but I’m not that thin to just pick up like a feather. “Alexandria,” he murmurs against my lips. The heat of his feels nice. Warm. Satisfying. “Why do you do this to me? Why can’t you just accept what I have to offer?”
I frown a bit. Accept what? The necklace. Geesh, it’s still at home. “What do you mean?” I ask instead.
“You know what I mean. Don’t play dumb. You know what is going on and I want you. Why don’t you want me?”
My shoulders sag and suddenly I’m not in the mood for Felix. “I don’t want anyone,” I sigh.
He steps back but his arm is still wrapped around me. “That guy that came into the coffee shop—Jules, was it?” he asks.
I swallow.
“He wants you, has had you before. But you are putting him off, too? Do you not realize how valuable and vulnerable you are without one of us by your side?” he asks.
My face creases negatively. “How am I valuable?”
Felix steps back again, his arm no longer wrapped around me. “Alexandria, do you know anything?”
I shrug innocently. “Not really.”
He nods, but his hazel eyes are still confused.
“Can I ask you a question?” I ask, sitting down in the recliner chair again.
He sighs as he sits on the sofa nearest to me. “Anything, Alexandria.”
“Are you the same thing as I am?”
He chuckles. “You mean a Guardian Angel?” he asks, almost like I’ve asked the unbelievable. “It’s something like that, but I didn’t come into this world to obey every law so, no. I am not the same exact thing as you.”
“Then what are you exactly?”
He sighs again, sitting forward to rub the thigh of his khakis with his palms. “I guess since you’ve been told what you are by your previous mate,” his teeth clench to the word, “then I might as well tell you what I know.”
Okay . . . go on.
“I am a descendant of a Fallen Angel which makes me a Fallen Angel as well. I haven’t fallen from grace, per se, but our rules and views are a lot different and lenient than the Guardian Angels’. But we do share a common law.” Yeah, a confusing one.
I nod while swallowing the brick in my throat. “And going back to being valuable, how am I valuable?”
Felix’s eyes darken before he tears his gaze from mine to look at the hardwood floor boards. “Alexandria,” he sighs, building my anticipation. I am now literally on the edge of my seat, sweating buckets, and my head is spiraling from what he is about to say. “From what I have heard, you are the last female of all Guardian Angels to be created for a very long time. Female Guardians are rare and are forced to have a mate before their life even starts. Most times they are joined with a Guardian but sometimes, they are joined with a Fallen. A Guardian with a Fallen is rare—but it happens. The Leaders refuse to create any other females for fear of war and destruction. And if you are left alone, without a mate, without a companion, you are posing a threat to yourself and the Leaders and they will have no choice but to get rid of you themselves. The Hellions are seeking to destroy you—along with the few other female Guardians—so that future creation of Angels can be prevented. The fewer Angels that are developed, the better it is for them.”
What. The. Hell.
BRUNCH
<
br /> Is this how I’m supposed to feel? After all of the mess that has been thrown at me about my life, I mean. Because now it just seems unrealistic. Now I feel out of place in this world. But I guess I have to suck it up because I’m having “brunch” with Felix, Braxton and Stacey—or Stace, as Braxton calls her.
And it is my fault that I have to possibly sit through a whole hour with them, talking about my interests and my life because I took the ride from Braxton to work. I always try to steer clear about my memory loss. Most times I just tell people little things that Liam has told me about my past, but that’s it. I never get close enough to anyone to tell them about my parents. After Felix had told me how valuable I was, I had terrible, annoying nightmares and all of them were unexpectedly about Jules and those haunting eyes that glow. I started to think about Jules during that whole week—even on Friday, which was our brunch date.
For some reason, it confuses me to have to choose between him and Felix because I know nothing about either of them. Jules believes that I know him and that I can remember him if I just think about it and try but I have been thinking about it and nothing comes up. Trust me when I say that I’ve meditated on the middle of my bedroom floor and zoned out so much at work that Chris had to send me home early a few times because he “doesn’t condone sadness or emptiness in his coffee shop”.
A knock comes from the front door and I rush to it, right after I check the mirror one last time. Felix said dress nicely so I decided to wear a long-sleeved grey cotton dress that comes down to the center of my thighs along with black stockings and my leather grey Doc Martens. He said to look nice but I never wear anything other than boots during the winter.
I swing the door open and as soon as I do, Felix grins. “Beautiful,” he says, as if that is my name.
“Hi.” I toss him a light wave. He continues to smile as he takes my outfit in—that is until he reaches the sight of my boots.
“That’s casual, huh?” he asks, smirking idly.
“In my book, yeah.”
He chuckles and in my mind I want to run back and switch shoes. He doesn’t like them. But then I think about it and why in the hell do I care whether he likes them or not? Because you like him, you idiot! My conscious screams at me. “Do you have everything?” he asks.
“Yeah.” I reach for my coat, slide into it, and then grab the hand that Felix offers.
****
“Where is that waiter with our drinks?” Braxton groans, frustrated, as he dips and twists his head to see where our waiter has gone. “This is why I don’t like the fancy catering or the fine dining, Felix. These twits feel like they can take their time with everything. We’ve been waiting forever.” He grimaces at Felix and I bite back on a smile as Felix waves him off.
“Stop being a whiner, Braxton,” Stacey hisses at him. Her accent is just as thick as Braxton’s, just airier and more girly. I can tell that they’ve both moved here recently. Stacey is beautiful with her full golden curls and perky breasts that I always catch Braxton staring at. But just like me, she doesn’t like the look nice—almost fancy—kind of thing. She is pretty much dressed the way I am with her long-sleeved, black thigh-length dress, tights, and black boots. And I can’t forget to mention the black beanie that she had on before we’d arrived here. I knew that I was going to love her already—just by her wearing it.
“He will be here momentarily, Braxton. It would be nice if you could be patient. This place is packed,” Felix says while scanning his menu.
Braxton continues to grimace. “If it was my choice and I’d driven, I would have chosen IHOP or Cracker Barrel. Somewhere simple that has a live atmosphere.” Braxton turns to scan the restaurant. “Look at these people. They are a bunch of bloody, stuck-up bores.” Stacy sighs with a roll of her eyes while scanning her menu, too. “I know you agree with me right, Alexandria?” he asks and I almost choke. They all look up to face me and I can feel Felix’s glare on me, waiting for an answer as well.
Oh no. The spotlight is on me. “I um . . .,”
“Don’t be shy. Spit it out,” Braxton insists as I hesitate.
I press my lips together before speaking. “To be honest, this is not my cup of tea—as Braxton would put it.” He beams, his head nodding and his narrowed eyes encouraging me to say more. “But I don’t mind it.”
“Well what do you prefer, Alexandria?” I turn to my right slowly to look up at Felix but he is still glaring at me. It is a hard, cold glare and I know that if I say anything more he’ll most likely scold me for it. Sheesh, he can be really intimidating.
“I prefer the simple things. Where people’s heads aren’t stuck up their asses and their noses aren’t held up in the air.”
Stacy chokes on a laugh, lifting her menu in front of her face while grinning Braxton says, “Exactly!”
Felix nods, his hazel eyes still glaring. He then shuts his menu, reaches for the jacket that completes his black and grey suit, and then stands. He fishes around in his pockets for his keys then pushes his chair in. “Very well. If you want a simple and live atmosphere, we can arrange that,” he says then reaches for my coat and my hand. “Come on.”
Braxton stands while helping Stacy to her feet. “Oh, don’t make it sound like we’ve ruined your day, you big baby,” Braxton teases, reaching for his coat and pushing his chair in. Felix helps me slide into my coat but his eyes are hard on Braxton, his lips pressed tight, and one of his eyebrows raised. Braxton’s smile fades and his eyes become cloudier before he tears his gaze away from Felix’s. Whoa, what was that? Did he just give Braxton a look? “Come on, Stace.” She nods as she reaches for her coat and he leads her towards the glass doors.
I turn to face Felix whose face is now smug with satisfaction. “What was that?” I ask.
“What was what?”
“That look. You were pretty much threatening him with your eyes.”
He shrugs. “Sometimes he talks too much. Stacy and I know it.”
“You find him annoying?”
“Sometimes, yeah. But he knows what I am and what I am capable of so he never puts up a fight. He’s being a bit relentless today and showing off just because you are here.”
My brows lift. “He knows?” I ask. This is news to me. I didn’t think Felix would tell anyone what he is.
“Alexandria, right now isn’t the time to talk about this. Come,” he orders, slipping his fingers through mine. He leads the way out of the restaurant but for some reason, I am still shocked. Braxton knows? So maybe he knows that I am, too? No—I don’t think Felix would tell that much . . . or would he? Braxton is his brother.
We meet up to the car where Braxton and Stacy are already standing with their noses buried in each other’s necks. My stomach churns and rummaging thoughts of Felix burying his nose into my neck and kissing me tenderly suddenly makes my skin buzz and my insides heat up with pleasure. Felix releases my hand with a chuckle. “Love birds,” he mumbles beneath his breath, his lips curling upward.
He unlocks the door of his Cadillac and they slide into the back seat. I hop in the front, buckle up, and Felix immediately pulls out of the parking lot to meet the road.
But it isn’t until ten minutes into the ride that I realize that if Coldplay and One Republic weren’t blaring through the speakers, this would be a really silent ride. No one has said a thing since we’ve left. I peek through the corner of my eye at Felix who doesn’t seem to care about the conversation that we’d just had at that fancy restaurant. In fact, he doesn’t seem to care about the fact that he’d just intimidated Braxton, either.
“Where are we going?” I ask to break the uncomfortable silence.
Felix glances at me before his eyes meet the road again. “Somewhere simple.” I pull my lips in. That is not the response that I was looking for. I hope he isn’t upset with me about what I’d said. We didn’t have to leave. It’s his fault that we did anyway.
He continues to drive for another few minutes until I spot the big blue sign with the four white
letters. “IHOP?” I ask, spinning in my seat to look at Felix.
“Not simple enough?” he asks, smirking.
“It’s fine.” I smile, sinking back against my seat again.
“About bloody time,” Braxton mutters. “I’m starving.”
“Braxton, relax,” Stacy says and I can tell that she has just rolled her eyes. I smile even harder as Felix pulls into the parking lot and parks. He turns the car off and Braxton and Stacy immediately slide out. I reach for my door handle but Felix quickly reaches for my hand to stop me.
“What are you doing?” I ask, his soft hand resting on top of mine.
“Allow me,” he says, grinning.
“Felix, as much as I appreciate your generosity, you don’t have to open my door for me every time. I’m far from handicapped.” His smile transitions into a slant.
“It’s just a habit of mine, Alexandria. Please, allow me.” And without allowing me to get a word in, he hops out of the car and does his sexy walk to get to my side. He swings my door open, offers his hand, and I take it. “See, not so bad right?” he asks.
“I guess not.” He eyes me and I know that he has sensed my annoyance as he shuts the passenger door. I glance towards the entrance of the restaurant just as Braxton and Stacy are stepping inside then turn to face Felix who hasn’t bothered to make a move. “Are we gonna go in? It’s freezing out here,” I tease, smiling. He doesn’t smile back and somehow, under his hard hazel eyes, I shrink to the size of a bug. He sighs and instead of heading for IHOP, he pulls the back door of his car open and tucks me inside, sliding his way in behind me.
He shuts the door but his eyes don’t drift from mine. I stare at him, and if it weren’t for that perfect face, the stubble that has grown in above and below his lips, the dimples that still seem to be there, even when he’s not smiling, I would be scared to death of him because his hazel eyes are narrowed and pinning against me like icy daggers. He slides in closer and now I am afraid to make a move. I want to slide back and open the door that is behind me, but I don’t. I’m not that brave and even if I did, I wouldn’t get far.
OBTAINED (Book One) Page 9