Nephilim Falling (Trenton Investigations)

by Felicia Beasley

I recognized the voice, at least I think I did. Good cop. A lie, not a very good one, popped into my head. “I’m looking for Dougie.”

  “Dougie ain’t here.”

  “Do you know where he is? Please, my boyfriend is missing, and he said he’d help me.”

  “Why would Dougie help a dirty half-breed?”

  Good question. Dougie hadn’t struck me as very tolerant. But then again he had been investigating the suspicious deaths of nephilim teenagers. He had to have had a reason.

  “He was smart enough to see I was useful. We were going to find the one responsible together.”

  Good cop let me go with a sigh. “I told that idiot to let it go. Who cares about a few dead half-breeds?”

  I rubbed my neck. “Why did he care? He never told me.”

  Probably because we hadn’t had much of a conversation.

  Good cop shrugged. “Something about kids not deserving being butchered. I don’t know.”

  “Did he tell you who he thought was behind it?”

  Good cop narrowed his eyes. “Yeah. What did he tell you?”

  It was a test. He didn’t believe me. “An angel but we didn’t know where he was hiding out.”

  “Dougie’s dead.”

  I feigned surprise. “What?”

  “You tellin’ me you didn’t know? Bullshit, girl. You didn’t blink an eye at the mess.”

  I almost said that Dougie hadn’t been the tidiest person before a tornado had torn through his living room, but I was practicing the fine art of knowing when to keep your mouth shut.

  I ignored the accusation in his voice. “Do you think the angel figured out we were close and came after him?”

  I started to pace, chewing my fingernails. They should just give me an Oscar for this performance.

  I felt his eyes watching me, debating his next move. I kept my hand close to my side, Gladys still hidden under my coat. If he tried anything, I’d be prepared.

  “He didn’t tell me much,” Good Cop finally said. “I came over yesterday to see why he hadn’t shown up for work.”

  “And you found the place like this? Where was Dougie?”

  “Nah. Place was fine. Dougie was in the bedroom shot in the head. Last I checked, angels don’t use guns.”

  I needed to distract him from asking more challenging questions. The guy wasn’t the brightest bulb, but he also wasn’t the dimmest. “Then who ransacked the place?”

  “I did, trying to figure out who killed my partner.”

  “Did you find anything?”

  He hesitated and then nodded, moving past me to open the bedroom door.

  I walked in, expecting to see Dougie’s body still on the ground. There was only a dried blood stain.

  “This is where you found him?” I asked in my most innocent voice. Let him think I was dumb as a rock. He’d be less suspicious that way.

  He said nothing as he gestured to the bed. A map of the Twin Cities took up more than half of it. Six X's were marked, five of them clustered in one ten block area.

  It couldn’t be that easy.

  “What’s this?”

  “Where we found the bodies.”

  “We should find out which buildings in this area are vacant. Most likely that’s where he’s hiding out.”

  “Yeah, already did that.”

  He threw down a piece of paper with several names on it. Maybe it wasn’t going to be that easy.

  “We should get started. This might take a while.”

  Going against an angel with only a sentinel as backup was probably suicide. Good thing I intended to text Damian as soon as I knew where the asshole had Lucas. I just needed Good Cop here to drive. I was not getting back on that bus.

  Good cop pressed the tip of his blade against my throat.

  Great. Guess I didn’t have a future on the big screen.

  “Why would you think I’d need you? I’ve got an army behind me. We might not care about a few dozen dead half-breeds, but you don’t fuck with one of us and walk.”

  He should have slit my throat rather than monolog. Other people’s hubris has kept me alive more times than I can count, and I’m still pretty young.

  I elbowed him hard in his side, earning a shallow nick on my neck in the process. He stumbled back giving me a chance to duck down without losing my head.

  I spun behind him as I unsheathed Gladys. One swipe and she left two deep gashes in both of his Achilles' tendons.

  Goliath fell to his knees. He reached behind to grab me, but I danced out of the way.

  He was down but not out.

  He tried to get back to his feet, but he couldn’t do that and keep swinging his sword around like it was a baton.

  I moved around him and grabbed the map off the bed, bundling it under my arm.

  I stopped, looking at the struggling sentinel. I needed to finish this. Damian had always told me never to leave loose ends. Loose ends have a tendency to bite you in the ass later.

  I sheathed Gladys and turned away.

  Damian had taught me many things over the years, but he had never taught me how to kill.

  Chapter 26

  I ended up back on the bus, but the return home went by in a blur. At least the trip hadn’t been a complete waste. Sure, I almost had my head chopped off, and I’d definitely made a new enemy, but at least we could narrow down where Lucas was likely being held.

  Worth it in my opinion. Now, I just had to think of a plausible lie as to how I got the map. I’m pretty sure Damian would not be pleased to know the real way.

  I was so lost in my thoughts as I walked up the driveway that I didn’t see him.

  “Lex,” Lucas bellowed, drawing my attention.

  He limped toward me, a gash over his left eyebrow and bruising on his face. I raced to him, crashing into his open arms, tears streaming down my face. A first. I don’t think I’ve every cried with joy before.

  Smothering my face into his shirt, I took long gulps of the lemony goodness I missed so much.

  “How can you still smell so good?” I asked, breathlessly.

  He snorted. “Must be in my genes.”

  I lifted my head and studied his face, expecting it to fade away. I had fallen asleep on the bus. This wasn’t happening. He wasn’t really home. Just a fleeting dream. I’d wake up among strangers, emptier than I’d been before.

  My fingers brushed his cheek. Still solid. I didn’t wake up. His face didn’t fade. He was here.

  “How did Damian find you?”

  And why hadn’t he called? You’d think the first thing he would have done is let me know so I could stop worrying.

  “He didn’t.” Lucas looked away. “The angel let me go.”

  “What do you mean let you go?” I asked sharply.

  Lucas shrugged. “He unlocked my bindings and let me walk away. I thought it was a trap, but here I am.”

  It didn’t make much sense. Something about this whole situation was off. No wonder I thought I was dreaming. Reality usually makes some sort of sense.

  “Why would he do that?”

  Lucas brushed his lips against mine. “Does it matter now?”

  Well, of course, it mattered. I chalked his nonchalance to shock. If I had been kidnapped and locked up, I probably wouldn’t think much about it if he let me go either. Scratch that. Yes, I would. I would obsess. Equally unhealthy.

  I felt that itch on the back of my neck again, my spidey sense tingling. Glancing around, I saw nothing out of the ordinary. Not that I could trust my eyes. The sun hid behind dark clouds, shrouding places in shade. It wouldn’t take much to find a place to hide. We were exposed.

  “Let’s head inside.” I pulled Lucas after me. “We should clean up your wounds.”

  He shrugged. “I'm all right.”

  I unlocked the door. Wes’ car was gone. It didn’t seem like anyone was home. I stripped out of my jacket.

  Lucas snickered. “My, what a big sword you have.”

  I carefully took off the scabbard. �
�You should see how I use it.”

  I led Lucas to the upstairs bathroom where we kept a rather meager first aid kit, taking Gladys with me. I knew enough about taking care of blades to not leave her around. Plus, I didn’t want Damian to find her and take her away.

  She was mine.

  Lucas hesitated at the doorway of the bathroom. “I said I’m fine. I just want to lay down.”

  I started to argue but thought better of it. He was still in shock. I nodded, and we went into my bedroom. He threw himself onto the bed, sprawling out on his back.

  He gave a long, contented sigh and beckoned me over. There wasn’t a lot of room left, so I cuddled up against him, more on him than the bed. He didn’t seem to mind.

  I listened to the steady beat of his heart, counting each to keep my mind from spinning. I had so many questions.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “I don’t want to talk about it. Not right now.”

  Fair enough. I snuggled further into his warmth. In his arms, I felt safe. Like nothing could touch either of us. I knew it was a false security. He couldn’t protect me any better than I had him. But I knew he would try, and that was enough.

  “I thought you were dead,” he whispered into my hair.

  I lifted my head to smile at him. “I’m hard to kill.”

  He smiled back and pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear. “You’re beautiful. You know that?”

  “Of course I do. I own a mirror, several actually,” I joked.

  He lifted his head and pressed his forehead against mine. “You were all I could think about. I about lost my mind.”

  “I know the feeling.”

  He cupped my chin in one hand, his thumb stroking my cheek. “Lex?”

  “Yeah?”

  I held my breath, anxious to hear his next words. I had gotten used to his aura and no longer noticed it. I noticed it now. It pulsed, calling to mine, two pieces that fit together. It made zero sense. I embraced it anyway.

  I could feel his breath on my lips, his mouth inches from mine.

  “I love you.”

  I wasn’t sure I could speak. The beating of my heart drowned out every other sound. I trembled. I ached. I needed him more than I needed air.

  “Say something, please,” he whispered.

  Words are just words. Anyone can say anything, true or not. I could tell him I loved him, too but it would just be words. How I felt transcended a mere sentence.

  I kissed him, drowned in him, gave everything I had into this moment. What my mouth couldn’t confess, my body did.

  He accepted, proving his statement true in reciprocation.

  We didn’t rush. I savored every caress, every lick, every brush of friction between us. He was all that existed in this crazy world.

  My lips followed as my fingers traced the defined muscles of his bare chest and stomach. Goosebumps rose on his flesh as my mouth traveled past his belly button. Slipping my fingers in the belt loops, I tugged off the offensive clothing, banishing it to my floor.

  I maintained eye contact with him, lost in the half-lidded desire swirling in his eyes. As I brushed my mouth across the still covered bulge in his boxer briefs, his lips parted, his chest rising and falling faster.

  “Lex,” he whispered, voice strained.

  My hands shook as I tried to remove the last barrier between us. He put his hands over mine, stopping me from going any further.

  He tugged me up, crashing his lips into mine in a bruising kiss. He flipped us over, pressing my back against the barely ruffled sheets, taking back control. I wasn’t sure if he simply didn’t like the vulnerability of letting go or if I had been doing something wrong.

  My doubts must have shown on my face because he stopped.

  Smiling, he kissed my cheek. “You’re perfect. Too perfect.”

  Whatever that meant didn’t help squash my insecurities.

  “I don’t know what I’m doing,” I admitted.

  He said nothing as he nuzzled my neck and ran his fingers up my bare sides.

  I tensed, the touch more ticklish than sexy. His hand cupped my breast. As his thumb rubbed against my nipple, my body relaxed, but my mind still wouldn’t shut up.

  I realized I was completely naked. I couldn’t remember when or how my clothes had come off. Magic, I guess.

  He rubbed his upper thigh in rhythmic circles against my exposed lady bits, bumping against my clit. My nails dug into his back as he continued bringing me closer to the top of the roller coaster again.

  His finger replaced his leg, moving from my clit to probe the entrance of my pussy. I tensed.

  “It’s okay,” he breathed in my ear. “I’ll go slow.”

  I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trusting him not to hurt me.

  He kept his word, slowly inching his finger inside me and then withdrawing until my hips moved in rhythm.

  My breath caught in my throat as another finger stroked the sensitive button between my legs. The pressure built to the point I could barely stand it. My moans sounded foreign to my ears.

  I urged him to go faster, all my self-consciousness and insecurities driven from my mind by the overwhelming need to come.

  His mouth found mine, tongue slipping between my parted lips. I cried out as my release crashed like a hurricane across an unsuspecting beach. He moaned into my mouth as if my pleasure was his own.

  He sucked on my bottom lip in time with each lingering pulse of my core.

  My breathing began to return to normal as he gently pressed himself against my opening. I tensed again. A finger is one thing. A dick is a whole lot bigger.

  “This is my first time, too,” he said.

  “Could have fooled me.”

  He grinned. “I aim to please.”

  “I aim to misbehave.”

  He shook his head. “Only you would quote a Whedon during sex.”

  “Just keeping it classy.”

  He eased inside unimpeded, helped along by my slickness. I won’t lie. It stung being stretched further than I’d ever been before. But it was a good kind of hurt and one that quickly morphed into bliss.

  Once his length filled me completely, he stopped. “Are you okay?”

  I loved him for asking, for putting my comfort above his desires.

  I nodded. Kissing him, I wrapped my legs around his waist. I used my ankles to push him deeper inside me than I thought possible.

  He rocked his hips sending thrills of erotic satisfaction up through my stomach and down to my toes. His breathing changed to uneven gasps, and he lost all rhythm in his thrusts.

  I bit down on his earlobe as his cries marked his release.

  “I love you, too,” I whispered as he peppered light kisses on my neck.

  “You better, Miss Trenton. Otherwise, I’m ruined.”

  It was only laying there indulging in the afterglow that I realized we’d forgotten to use a condom.

  Wonderful.

  Chapter 27

  I expected the exertion from our love making to send me off to dream world but instead my mind kept racing. If anything, I felt more energized than I should have considering I was two and a half days past a good night’s sleep.

  Lucas had his eyes closed. His chest rose and fell in even breaths. I watched him for a moment. Peaceful. Untouched by whatever horror he’d experienced.

  Had he experienced any horror?

  I wrinkled my nose at the thought. He didn’t look unscathed, but he also didn’t look like he’d been tortured for almost three days. Hell, he’d looked worse after a half an hour with the sentinels. If this angel was the same one who had killed his parents like I suspected why did he seem so unconcerned?

  “Lucas?” I shook his shoulder until he opened his eyes.

  “Yeah?”

  He sounded half asleep. Figured. Five minutes after sex and he was passed out. It was a stereotype for a reason.

  “What happened while he had you?”

  He sighed, annoyed. “You want
to talk about this now?”

  “He’s still out there. Who knows what he will do while you get your beauty sleep?”

  He narrowed his eyes. “You know, you’re being kind of a bi--”

  “Don’t finish that sentence if you want to live.” I rested my chin on his chest and softened my voice. “I’m sorry. It’s bothering me that it isn’t bothering you. I feel like you’re keeping something from me.”

  “I’m not keeping anything from you. If we keep going after the angel, our luck is going to run out. We aren’t strong enough to stop him.”

  “What about Terrance and the others? The angel didn’t let them just go. Who’s going to avenge them?”

  “Vengeance isn’t for the dead, love. It’s for the living.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means no matter how many times you say this is about righting the injustice the truth is you’re doing this for yourself.”

  His words hit a nerve. Damian had said something similar. It sounded worse coming from Lucas, though. Lucas was supposed to be in my corner, and yet he called me out.

  “What do you think I get out of this?”

  “I don’t know, babe. That’s something only you can answer.”

  His non-answer irritated me more than his original claim. I wouldn’t deny I could be selfish, immature, and short-sighted. We all have our faults.

  But no matter if there was truth in Lucas’ words it didn’t change the fact that something had to be done.

  “What happened to liking me because I don’t let fear keep me from the right thing?”

  He sat up and wouldn’t look me in the eye. My suspicions rose. He did know something he was holding back. I couldn’t figure out if it was because he was trying to protect me or trying to protect someone else.

  There was only one person he would protect other than me, but I didn’t want to go there. I feared voicing my thoughts would destroy the bond between us. He was wrong about me. I did let my fear keep me from doing what’s right.

  “If we do nothing, he’ll keep killing. Can you live with that?”

  “Gods, do you have any idea what losing you would do to me? It would destroy me. I love you. Your safety trumps any guilt I’d feel for doing nothing.”