Page 14 of Commanding Flame and Shield
She choked on a laugh before saying, “Our ancestors were the Rephaim,August. Some of us are braids—although most of them choose life on Earth. All part angels. Part human. Angels are too immense to hold a human form for long, so they send pieces of themselves to earth, embedded in chosen souls, called braids. We assumed you were a braid—fragmented angel spirit within a human vessel. But I…” quickly, she looked over her shoulder to Aren before she finished her sentence, “…saw that you’remore. I don’t know for sure, but Ibelieveyou are trulyourequal.” She pointed to Aren, and then tapped her own chest, eyes glittering with anticipation.
“A true half-breed, incarnated in this time for a specific purpose,” Aren boomed from the doorway. He strode forward to stand by her side.
Images of giants, of demons, crept into my mind and I felt myself recoiling.
“Like…like the Nephilim?”
Her eyes grew serious, and her voice was softer as she said, “At one point. Yes. We are the closest living relatives—the remnants—of the Nephilim. The Rephaim. Men of Renown.” She wrinkled her nose as she said the last phrase. Then watched me as though she expected I was about to break.
Nephilim.This tall, inhumanly beautiful creature believes I am half-angel. I’m so far from an angel, it’s nauseating.
I felt that way too. And thank you.Her lips didn’t move, except to smirk, but that clear, mesmerizing voice rang through my head.
I felt my eyes widen in shock, and I stared at her, unblinking. Nearly missing the tiny flush in her cheeks. And then the memory of the internal chaos at the office came flooding back into me, muscles immediately shaky with adrenaline. She had led me. Led me to her—from inside my mind.
“We are connected, August. All our kind are connected to their hierarchy—their soul groups and mates—after our ascension. Trust me when I say there are no secrets in Grayshell. It’s handy at times—like when I needed help to save you.”
“Save.”
“Yes.” She nodded gravely. “Save. Those crawlers—demons—were doing all they could to sink their teeth into you. Literally, I’m afraid. Crawlers work for Lucifer. And he wants you on his side, too.”
“Lucifer.”
“Yes.TheLucifer. Did I stutter?” She chuckled with a playful grin, snapping her fingers at me. “Dotryto keep up August. Satan, the enemy, pick his name, it’s all the same. And he wants anyone with power to align with him.”
“Like me.”
“Like you.”
I ran a hand through my hair, forced a breath, grateful my stomach was empty, as my heart had just fallen through it.
“How long was I asleep?”
“Nearly four days in human time.”
“Four days?!”
“Yes.”
“Layla. Layla must be—”
“Anxious. Yes. I am sorry about that. We will make sure you can get word to her.”
“Word to her?! I have to go home!” I was abruptly standing, sloshing coffee down my front, suddenly very aware of my bare chest and lack of pants. Only my briefs remained. And everything seemed...different. The ground was wrong—am I taller?!
“I understand your panic, August. But you cannot go home. Not quite yet. And yes, you’re taller.” She didn’t bother to hide her smile now. She looked quite pleased with whatever changes she could see on me.
Anger flared in my chest. “Like hell I can’t.”
“You are free to do as you please. But—listen to me—it’s not safe. Not yet. You’re much too strong, and simultaneously much too weak, to leave Grayshell. You don’t understand your angelic powers—and let me tell you, they are here.” She pointed at my chest, as though she could see something emanating there that I could not. “You could hurt her without meaning to. Blow a hole in your apartment, reveal yourself to a stranger. There are too many things that could go horribly wrong. And if the crawlers feel your energy, they will come for youboth.”
“Hold up,” Aren cut in. “Now. You already have too much to process, and a lot more to come. Give the man a break, Ally.”Aren revealed a folded pair of jeans and a simple t-shirt, setting them on the bed behind me.
Alvara—Ally—bit her bottom lip before sighing and asking, “Let me warm that for you?” She nodded at my cup, and I held it out, not in the mood to eat or drink anything anyways. She held her slender fingers above my coffee and swirled them around. The dark liquid mirrored her motion, sloshing around the rim of my mug, and then it subtly started to steam.
“Take a moment. Breathe. Drink your coffee and get dressed. I’ll be waiting for you in the hallway. Whenever you’re ready.”
With the room to myself, I took a moment to get my wits about me. Everything in the room was dazzlingly bright. The floor, while solid beneath my feet, seemed iridescent. A compact mist, that had gained enough mass to hold me upright. I took a desperate sip of coffee, mind clamoring for anything with a sense of normalcy to it, and was relieved that it was a hearty dark roast. The taste and feel both familiar in my mouth, just as was the slight sting of the burn to my tongue. With a steadying breath, I stepped over towards the vanity, pausing in front of a floor length mirror, framed in gold curves.
