Page 15 of Commanding Flame and Shield
I was taller. Inches taller. Not only taller, but my muscles seemed larger, more defined. My eyes raked over the reflection there, as I turned my limbs this way and that, attempting to reconcile the longer, stronger looking frame to the body that I knew. The extra depth to my previously flat abs. My perpetually tanned skin seemed pallid in comparison to what it had been, only days ago. Not as pale as my new companions’, but certainly not the sun-soaked bronze I’d grown used to, living all my spare time outside as I did.
Part angel. Part human…We are the closest living relatives—the remnants—of the Nephilim…Angels are too immense to hold a human form for long, so they send pieces of themselves to earth in chosen souls…
Our conversation was ringing in my head, which had grown light. I set the coffee down on the sink and retreated to the edge of the bed to sit. To try to breathe through the dizziness.Nephilim. Were we some kind of demons? The Nephilim were depicted as evil—the result of sin. And while I had certainly grown ambitious in James’ and my mission to change our family tree, I had never fallen into a pattern of…of evil. I couldn’t be…evil. Flawed, lustful, and too quick to anger, perhaps.
Alvara had said that the devil was after our power. But she made it sound as though we weren’t his for the taking. Questions, so many questions ran through my mind, and I had to work to keep my heart from racing as the blood roared in my ears.
Slowly, I got dressed in the clothes Aren had set out for me on the bed, their simplicity feeling alien after years in a suit and tie, or athletic wear, without time for much else. Everything feeling terrifyingly foreign, I picked up my mug, and headed for the door.
SEVEN
A BEAUTIFUL ASCENSION
ALVARA
August’s ascension was impressive, even having seen more than a handful in my lifetime here. His body had gone from recreational athlete to fierce predator. His eyes had grown so much clearer, and I could imagine his vision was sharper through those emerald windows to his soul. The veil, quite literally, had lifted. The energy emanating from him seemed to only grow stronger as I waited outside his door, although maybe that was my own excitement.
No. It wasn’t in my head. Couldn’t be. His power was palpable. Just as palpable as the arrival of a ghost in your room, or a mountain lion in the woods. Every instinct in my body poised to react to whatever this man had in his arsenal. But I didn’t feel threatened. There wasn’t an inkling of darkness in his growing vibrations. He was light, embodied. Strength personified.
Good.
I knew that much. And my concern that Lucifer would sink his claws into him faded quickly. It would take a great deal of agony to dim that soul. I shivered and shook that fear out of my body. August would be guarded from that now. I was certain the hierarchy would hold up their walls for him, as they always did for those being trained.
His energy shifted as I heard his footsteps come to the door. He hesitated, and then stepped out into the hallway, head held high. He swallowed his nerves, and met my gaze, quick to return my tentative smile.
“Let’s get you something to eat.”
He nodded, obediently.
* * *
The creasebetween his brows never disappeared as he compliantly sat in the hall to eat, eyes occasionally surveying our surroundings. I did my best to shield his thoughts and focus on the plates full of hash and biscuits, as he served himself his third helping. Ascension was exhausting. And even watching his post-rise meal, I chuckled, remembering the gnawing hole in my stomach when I woke, and shared a very similar silent meal with Aren. When he was finally satisfied, August slid his plate forward, chugged the water by his hand, setting it down with a heavy thud.
His eyes were immediately piercing into mine.
“What now?”
“Now, you get all of your questions answered.”
Aren arrived then, three glasses of orange juice in his enormous hands. With a curt nod to August, he said, “Hello friend. Shall we start from the top?”
The very concept that angels took human form long enough to love or seduce human women is hard to wrap your mind around, and August stayed quiet as Aren and I took turns sharing our favorite pieces of our history. The debate between angels who fell being the predecessors of our existence, versus divine angels somehow staying blessed. Aren shared his belief that while our ancestors may have fallen from Heaven, that didn’t make them evil to their core—that he believed their lust simply got the best of them.
“The tricky part is that from all we’ve learned, and what we know here in Grayshell, is that time passes differently for us than it does for mortals. The theory, in fact, is that time does not exist for angels. Within an instant of creation, they are blessed with the divinity of Heaven or cast down to hell or purgatory, depending on their loyalty to God at that precise moment.” He ran a hand over his sandy hair before continuing. “And if time doesn’t exist as we know it, they don’t have a chance for redemption. But here’s the kicker. We’re notfullangels. And while we can manipulate pieces of time to an extent, while Grayshell exists in its own time, we still existwithintime. Which means our minds and souls change, and we learn. When Christ came to sacrifice himself for humankind...that includes the human pieces inus. But since we carry the lineage of the fallen ones...we cannot fully ascend to Heaven. But as we are not evil, and we serve His will, we cannot be sentenced to an eternity in the lake of fire, either.”
Aren laced his fingers, leaning forward conspiratorially. “We obviously have no way to confirm or contradict our theory. But it’s the only thing that makes sense. We are stuck here. In purgatory. In the in-between. And as we are loyal subjects, they use us for the bidding of the light. Strong enough to vanquish veritable demons. Human enough to relate to human impulses and damnation.” Aren chuckled at the end of his lengthy explanation. “I’ve known enough mortal women to not judge our forefathers too harshly.”
August looked at us, eyes bewildered, brow furrowed.
“The Nephilim are supposed to be giants?” He finally asked.
Both Aren and I nodded. I took that question.
“We’re not exactlysmallpeople. Aphaea is the smallest in our coven, and she is tall for a human woman. We believe as they bred us into humanity, we may have gotten smaller each generation. Or perhaps as we reincarnate, we come in a form that will better allow us to accomplish our missions unnoticed.”
August was quiet for a long while, taking a sip of the coffee. Aphaea had brought us each cups when the orange juice was dry.
“If…Nephilim are real. As demons clearly are…What about the rest of the supernatural world? Vampires? Witches?” He was hesitant, tiptoeing on eggshells.
