“Do not allow your worth to be dictated by what others think of you,” he said, the muscles in his jaw twitching. “You are a strong, intelligent woman, an impressive warrior, and my daughter. I couldn’t be more proud of you.”
Tears sprung to the corners of my eyes. He pulled me into a tight hug and we sat there for a moment, enjoying the closeness. With a sigh, he finally released me and took a glance at the watch on his wrist.
“It’s getting late. We should wrap this up. But if you’re serious about this new direction for training, let’s start tomorrow afternoon. You’ve got a lot to learn.”
I nodded my head, trying to remain enthusiastic. In school, I hadn’t exactly been a star pupil. Studying wasn’t something I’d excelled at. Sure, I’d made good grades, but I’d never had to push myself. From the look of Luke’s determined expression, he was going to put me through the ringer with this new course.
“Get some sleep.” He kissed me on the top of my head and pulled me out of the chair. “You’ve got a big day tomorrow.”
I moaned, once again reminded of the events to come. How was a girl supposed to get some sleep when her partner was out there fighting dangerous demons and his parents were here, scrutinizing her every move? It didn’t seem fair.
And I thought having a demon inside my head would be the most of my worries this summer.
Chapter Seven
The next morning, I found myself torn in two completely different directions. Laying in my empty bed, I wanted nothing more than to feel Gabe’s warm body next to mine. To lay my head upon his chest and feel his heart beat in time with mine. To trace his lips gently with my fingertips and taste his mouth against mine. But Gabe being home meant one thing: dinner with his parents. And I wanted to avoid that with all my being.
Luke had called me silly last night, telling me that I had nothing to fear from the Caels. They were a respected Nephilim family. Generations old. Built with pure Nephilim blood as far back as their ancient texts could pinpoint.
Despite Luke’s reassuring words, I couldn’t get this giant rock of terror to leave my stomach. The Caels were Nephilim royalty. I was about as far from angelic royalty as you could get. To them, I was a blot on their family’s reputation. A stain. A blight on Gabe’s promising future. Even if Luke thought I hung the moon, Gabe’s parents would never accept me.
Until this demon problem went away, I was doomed.
Rolling over in bed, I suppressed a sigh. I wished Manuel was still here. He’d been the only one to truly understand my inner demon and how to suppress it. Thanks to his training, I’d overcome my anger issues and learned how to listen to the music and rhythm of my own powers. I’d overpowered the demon and shut the Hell Gate completely, effectively ending a war.
But things were changing. The meditation sessions didn’t seem to be enough. The demon was growing stronger and I had stalled. It was like threading water as a great white shark circled, waiting for it to strike. I had to do something. I had to fight back.
But how?
My first session with Luke wasn’t for a few more hours, so I headed toward the training facility. Being out of commission warrior-wise didn’t mean I had to fall out of shape. Besides, my heart was still aching about my recent revelation. As nice as it would be to spend more time with my father and follow in his footsteps, I longed to be out there with Gabe, fighting the bad guys. There was something about being face-to-face with the enemy. Utilizing your strengths to defeat him. Here, the enemy was faceless and abstract. A distant problem that didn’t seem so urgent.
“Hey, Redding!”
I heard my last name called across the lawn of the manor. Looking up from my feet, I spotted a small group of Nephilim gathered in the middle of the field. A pile of mats and a tangle of steel bleachers stood next to them.
“Redding!” someone called again. I spotted Noah Brown in the bunch, waving his lanky arm at me. Gone was the white lab coat and instead today he wore a tight-fitting athletic shirt and baggy shorts. Correcting my course,
I headed in their direction and was surprised to find Esther among them. Her denim overalls, a paisley handkerchief tied in her hair, and the wet grass stains on her knees told me she must’ve spent this morning in her little garden outside her home.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
The next warrior initiation wasn’t for a couple more months. As far as I knew, we didn’t have any major events planned for this week.
“Noah’s had an idea,” Esther explained. She scratched the side of her face, leaving a dirty smear on her cheek. “How about a little competition tomorrow?”
I frowned at her. “What kind of competition?”
Noah bounced on the balls of his feet. His smile was so infectious, I couldn’t help but return it. “Wrestling, archery, knife throwing. Anything we want.”
“I think it’s a great idea,” Esther added. She patted my arm. “Raquel and the rest of the gang will be back by then. You kids have been working nonstop this summer. A little distraction and fun could be great for you.”
She was right, we’d been so focused with work there had hardly been a spare moment for any of the usual kind of Nephilim fun. They’d canceled the annual gala and basically put off planning any special events. It would be nice to get an entire day just devoted to simple competition. No demons, no wars, just fun. I liked it, and I knew Gabe would have a field day.
“Let’s do it,” I replied with a nod.
“Oh, thank you.” Noah draped a heavy arm over my shoulders. “I needed a reason to get out of that stuffy old basement. There’s only so much a man can take. At least back home, we have the beach for a distraction. I didn’t realize I’d miss it so much.”
With the help of a few more friends, we got busy setting up a makeshift arena for the competition. I found myself laughing and enjoying the process much more than I would’ve thought. It’d been so long since I’d felt so carefree. It was as if my demon had disappeared. She was a distant thought, no longer threatening. I knew I’d made the right decision coming back home. This was what I’d needed. Relaxation and redirection.