Watch Me Burn

by Nikki Drost

  “First of all, that would never happen. Jamie is nothing like the man you’ve just described and he never will be. And second if his father was as awful as you say then why didn’t you or anyone else stop him sooner?”

  Michael shrugs his muscular shoulders. “Angels are not obligated to fight any species other than demons, which is why shifters were chosen to become the Four Horsemen. The truth is if James doesn’t hand over the prophet, I am well within my rights to make sure his worst nightmares come to light.”

  He wouldn’t do something like that, would he? I thought angels were supposed to be ambassadors of goodness and love, but what Michael is suggesting is just pure evil.

  “I could just end his life, but that would be too easy. No, I believe turning James into the very things that haunts him would be much more satisfying. Everything good about him would disappear in the blink of an eye, including his love for you and his fellow Enforcers. He would become the enemy, leaving Micah no other choice but to kill his only brother.”

  “That would destroy Micah and you know it, not to mention what it would do to Cass, Lincoln, and Adam. Why would you do something like this to him?”

  “Because the life of the prophet is more important than one werewolf and despite what you might think, I love, James. However, the better question would be how far are you willing to go to save your family? What if I were to tell you that you are expecting? And despite his love for you, James will make you choose between him or your unborn child. You will be in the same predicament as I am at the moment. We both are facing a monumental decision with dire consequences.”

  I’m expecting! I know I couldn’t have possibly heard Michael correctly, I mean, I’ve only been with Jamie for a few weeks! Sure, we’ve had tons of sex, but I’m on birth control for crying out loud! There is no way this can be true. Michael has to be mistaken or he is just messing with me so I’ll take his side in the whole prophet vs. Horsemen fiasco. Yes, that has to be it.

  Dear God, please tell me the angel is lying, because if he’s telling the truth then I am going to lose Jamie Trudeau, forever.

  “I apologize, Kelsey. I realize the news of your pregnancy was unexpected, but angels are incapable of lying.” Michael reaches forward but stops himself just short of my hand. “This is why I have come to you for help. If you can persuade Jamie to see reason, I promise to intervene when he learns of his impending fatherhood. It would be a win, win as he would say.”

  “But it would be a lie,” I mumble softly. “I appreciate what you are offering me, but I couldn’t live with myself if I forced Jamie into a life that he truly doesn’t want. I’m sorry, but you are on your own.”

  Michael sighs heavily as he makes it to his feet. “Take some time to think things over, Miss Collins. If you change your mind, do what you can to convince him that I am right and I will make sure you get that family you long for, if not, then be prepared to lose him.”

  I bolt upright, gasping for air. “It was just a dream,” I pant wildly. Or was it?

  Granted, if it was then it was the most disturbing dream I have ever had, but if it wasn’t then I am actually pregnant with Jamie’s child. I place my hand against my flat stomach, oh, god I feel nauseous.

  With a couple deep breathes I toss back the blankets and head toward my bathroom. I’m sure a shower will help clear my head and ease my stomach.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I spot something on the floor at the end of my bed. I lean over to see what it is only to lose my breath all over again. Dropping to my knees, I pick up the object and stare at it with wide eyes. It’s a crimson feather. There is only one explanation for it being here, Michael must have left it behind as proof of his presence.

  That means everything he said must be true. God, I don’t know what to do. I need my best friend, but it would break Andy’s heart if I told her I was pregnant. She has been trying for weeks to conceive, and how in the hell am I going to hide this from Jamie? As selfish as it might seem, I’m not ready to lose him yet, but won’t it hurt more if I wait to tell him about the baby?

  Ugh, this is so messed up.

  My phone chimes alerting me to a text message. I scramble off the floor to see who it’s from.

  “Home safe, gonna be a busy tonight. I miss you, XO J.”

  Thank goodness, he’s safe. I quickly type a reply.

  “I miss you too. Call me later. XO K.”

  With Jamie busy tonight it looks like I’ll have some time to sort this mess out. It’s a good thing too, because I have no idea what I am going to do. In less than twenty-four hours, I have learned that I am in love with Jamie Trudeau and that I am going to become a mother, a single mother at that. I said I would do anything for Jamie, but I had no idea that meant I’d have to let him go. Damn that angel for bursting my bubble of blissful ignorance, damn him straight to hell.

  Chapter 14

  Jamie

  “Can I talk to you for a second, Mike?” I close the door to my brother’s office and take a seat in front of his desk.

  For the last two weeks, I have been concerned about Kelsey’s emotional well being. Ever since the full moon, she has been acting odd. At first, I had assumed I had done something wrong, but for the life of me, I can’t think of one single thing that might have pissed her off. I can’t begin to fix the problem if I have no idea what it even is.

  “Please tell me this is about Alaric’s new addiction to Xbox.” My brother leans back in his chair with a weary expression on his face. He looks tired.

  “Not even close.” I snort, “Although, he does seem to have a knack for killing zombies.”

  My brother needs to cut Alaric some slack. Other than being a seriously powerful being, he is after all only a fourteen-year-old boy. I’m just happy he hasn’t discovered the wonders of internet porn yet.

  “Let me guess,” he sighs, “this is about your relationship with, Kelsey.”

  I nod my head while lighting up a smoke. “I’m seriously freaking out, Micah.”

  For the next several minutes, I give him a play by play of her behavior. If the girl isn’t keeping her distance from me, she is quiet as all hell, that alone should indicate that something is off with her.

  “How’s the sex?” Micah asks point blank, as he lights up a smoke filling the room with the sweet aroma of cloves.

  “It’s still mind blowing, thank you very fucking much,” I reply smugly. “But the second it’s over she is either pulling away from me or crying her eyes out while clinging to me like she’s afraid I’m going to up and disappear. Something is going on, brother, and she refuses to talk to me about it.”

  “James I—” Micah sighs, his head tips back and rests against the plush office chair. “I’m not exactly an expert on women or relationships. The last time I was in anything that resembled one I wasn’t much older than Alaric and well, you know how it turned out.”

  Yeah, deadly, thanks to our father.

  “Please, Micah. The fact that I am even asking for help should prove to you how worried I am. I love Kelsey too much to lose her now, not when we’re so close to having it all.”

  Silence envelops the room as both of us sit across from each other with our own thoughts.

  “The only advice I can give you is try talking to the girl, tell her what you just told me, that you are in love with her, and reassure her that you aren’t going anywhere.”

  I’ve been doing that for days and if anything, it only seems to make things worse.

  “Fuck, I can’t believe I’m about to suggest this, but do you think she might be considering taking Dallas up on his offer?” I nearly choke on the words as they pass my lips.

  Fucking Dallas, I swear to god if she leaves me for that piece of shit cowboy their relationship will be short lived. I’ll tear him limb from limb, and then I’ll set his ass on fire. That’ll teach him to fuck with other people’s mates.

  “James, get serious,” Micah scoffs. “Dallas might be a decent male, but he isn’t you. Kelsey has wanted yo
u since the first night she saw you at The Boondocks. Besides, you know damn well Dallas only offered that to piss you off, and apparently it’s working.”

  “Damn right it’s working! How the hell would you feel if he did that to you?”

  “I’d—”

  “I’ll tell you how you’d feel. You would be pissed as all get out and you’d most definitely kick his ass all the way from here to the Lone Star state and back.”

  Micah shakes his head in amusement. “Honestly, if a woman picked Dallas or any other male over me then she isn’t worth my time. Speaking of Dallas, do you plan on apologizing to him anytime soon? ‘Cause quite honestly, I don’t have the time nor the patience to deal with the two of you.”

  Man, I just knew that this was coming. “What exactly do I need to apologize for? He had every chance to make his move with Talia, but he didn’t. It’s not like she was his mate and truth be told, he didn’t miss much. Other than her impressive oral skills she sucked in bed.”

  I have nothing against fucking inexperienced women, but goddamn she was too close to virginal for my taste. Give me a woman who knows how to appreciate sex in unusual places and has a mouth like a sailor on shore leave. Thank god, Kelsey is that type of woman.

  He cocks one of his dark eyebrows. “Did she pull that shy girl act when you headed south?”

  “Yeah, how did you—holy shit! No frigging way, you slept with her too?”

  Micah flashes me a mischievous smile. “Of course, who do you think taught her how to do that thing with her tongue.”

  “Jesus, Micah! I really didn’t need to know that.” I laugh until I have tears in my eyes.

  God, it feels good to joke around with my big brother. We don’t get to do it nearly enough.

  As I wipe away the wetness from my eyes, I debate whether or not to bring up something else that has been on my mind for a while now.

  “What else is bothering you? Come on, out with it.”

  How does he do that?

  “Alaric thinks Michael was behind my latest brush with death.”

  At first, I thought the kid was nuts, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Michael warned me that there would be consequences for defying him. I just never thought he would go as far as to have me killed. Now that his plan has failed my only concern is what he plans to do next.

  “And what do you think?”

  “I think if it’s true you better start shopping for caskets.”

  If an Archangel wants me dead then there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it. I can only pray the next time he sends someone after me I’m alone so nobody else gets hurt.

  “Michael is ruthless there is no doubt about it, but if he wanted you dead, I believe he would do it himself. Even if he did put a hit out on you, it would be because of your refusal to hand over, Alaric. I know you’re fond of him, James, but I think it’s time you come to terms with the fact that the boy doesn’t belong here.”

  “The hell he doesn’t,” I growl angrily, “he’s a good kid who just wants a chance at a normal life. The angels treat him like he is their personal death machine. They take him out when they need him then place him back on a shelf until the next crisis. If he stays with us then at least he has a say in his future.”

  “Technically speaking Alaric doesn’t even exist because he hasn’t been born yet. The angels aren’t keeping him against his will, James, and even if they were, there are worse prison cells than heaven.” Micah shakes his head. “You’re growing too attached to the boy. He is not your brother or your son so you do not get a say in what happens to him.”

  This is such bullshit, out of everybody in this house, I thought Micah would understand. Our father used to keep us within the confines of our home and even then, we were on a short leash. The only time we were ever allowed to venture outside the castle walls was when we were changing locations. None of us had any say in what we ate, when we slept, we weren’t even allowed to talk unless given permission first.

  “You know what? I may not be his father and for whatever reason I feel obligated to protect him, but that doesn’t mean I’m not right about this. None of us had a say in our futures and I’m going to make damn sure Alaric gets one.”

  “Can you honestly tell me that you would choose to be something other than an Enforcer?”

  I’ve asked myself this very question more times than I’d like to admit and every damn time I come back with a different answer. Sometimes I try to picture owning my own garage, fixing cars and bikes is the only thing I enjoy doing in my spare time. Mechanics make a decent living and at least my mate wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not I’ll be killed at work.

  “It doesn’t matter because it’s too late for me, but he still has a chance.”

  Micah scrubs his hand over his face in a show of frustration, he’s obviously annoyed with my stubbornness, but I’m not about to give in on this. For the first time in a long while, I feel like I’m fighting for something meaningful.

  “It’s obvious I’m not going to be able to change your mind, but before you valiantly ride off into battle try to remember that the young man you are risking your life for isn’t the one who is currently baking cookies with Grace, that one is going to have to go back no matter what you decide. If you have to save him, then find a way for his parent’s to raise him.”

  ***

  A few hours later, I find myself sitting outside in front of our fire pit with a cooler full of beers. My earlier discussion with Micah has been weighing on my mind all day so I came out here to clear my head. Just as I’m about to crack open my third beer I feel a set of eyes on me.

  “Didn’t anyone tell you that you can’t sneak up on a shifter?”

  “No, but I’ll try to remember that,” Alaric says as steps out of the shadows.

  I point toward the bench next to mine. “We need to talk, kid.”

  “You’re sending me back, aren’t you?” He slumps down into his seat, a look of defeat is written all over his face.

  “I told you I wouldn’t and I meant it, but I think it’s time you tell me why you are really here?”

  Everyone assumed Alaric would be searching for his birth parents, but he hasn’t so much as mentioned them.

  “Michael didn’t tell you?”

  I snort in amusement. “You have met him before, right?”

  Maybe he is different with his fellow angels, but the Michael that I know has never been very forthcoming with information.

  “It figures he would withhold that part.” He rolls his eyes while crossing his arms over his chest. “What did Michael tell you about me?”

  “Only that you found a way to time travel and that you were heading this way. How did you manage to pull that off?”

  I highly doubt the angels have a Delorean stashed somewhere. But then again, what the fuck do I know? Until a few weeks ago, I didn’t believe time travel existed.

  “It’s kind of a long story.”

  “The good ones usually are,” I say with a smile.

  Alaric gives me a small smile of his own. “I was hunting a lavation in the south of France last year. This particular creature likes to hunt at night so while I was waiting for the sun to go down I took a walk and found myself in a public park. I ended up sitting on a bench for hours watching happy families while they ate picnic lunches and played games with their children and the whole time I was thinking, why didn’t my parents love me enough to keep me?”

  Damn, that has to be one hell of a burden for a kid to carry.

  “I couldn’t stop thinking about my birth parents and why they gave me up, so I finally mustered up enough courage and asked Michael about them. He told me that my father left my mother when he found out she was pregnant. Even though my mom wasn’t a shifter like my dad she planned on raising me, but then she found out about the prophecy and decided I’d be more trouble than I was worth so she gave me to, Michael.”

  “Hold up a sec,” I lean forward so I can look the boy in his
eyes, “I can sense your powers, but I’m not getting any shifter vibes from you.”

  Alaric tilts his head of blonde curls toward the darkening sky, “You can’t sense it because Sariel stripped that part of me away when Michael brought me to my new home.”

  Goddamn mother fucking piece of shit angels. I could strangle the lot of them with my bare hands. If I wasn’t pissed at Michael before this I sure as shit am now. Not only did he steal Alaric from his family, but he also allowed a fellow angel to steal this kid’s birthright. I can’t imagine someone doing that to me, my wolf is just as much a part of me as my human half.

  “Well, I think it’s safe to say you aren’t a werebear,” I joke trying to lighten the mood, “but it’s kind of hard to tell based on your build since you’re still growing. If I had to take a guess I’d say you’re either a cougar or a wolf.”

  Normally shifter males tend to be on the scrawny side until they reach adulthood. The kid is already six feet in height, but he has a ways to go before he can start adding on the extra muscle. In another couple of years, he’ll grow a few inches taller and gain around fifty pounds or so.

  “You’d be right. I was born a wolf shifter.” He sighs, “Anyways, as to how I got here it was simple really. All I had to do was portal jump into different realms and prove to a few gods that I was worthy, once I had completed their challenges a seer showed me the past and allowed me to travel through her bottomless pond.”

  My head begins to pound from his explanation. I just had to ask didn’t I? I’m not touching any of that with a fucking ten-foot pole.

  “Look, I’m sorry this happened to you, but maybe we can find your parents and try to convince them to change their minds.”

  Alaric jumps out of his seat and begins to pace back and forth across the deck. He conjures a fireball and begins to toss it back and forth like a baseball.