“Darling, that is a telltale sign that you are in over your head.” His lips pressed into a very thin line and he peered over the top of his glasses at me. “Nephilim powers are fierce. The fact that you can tap into them already tells me that you are very strong. But they must also be accompanied with great control. They can kill you if you don’t learn how to work with them.”
I clenched my teeth, fighting back the urge to argue. At least he knew I was strong. And every day, I got a little stronger. The faster, the better. I had to make up for a childhood wasted by living in Hanna and missing out on Nephilim training.
Thanks to Gabe’s fantastic teaching, I was doing just that. Soon enough, they wouldn’t have to worry about me. I’d master the Nephilim powers just like I’d master the job of a gate keeper. It was just a matter of time.
“I’ll be careful.” I threw in a tight squeeze around Luke’s waist. He was a sucker for any affection from the daughter he’d just found out existed only months ago. “I promise.”
If he wanted to pursue the topic any further, he didn’t have the chance. At that moment, three people whom I’d never seen before appeared at the top of the grand staircase. The first was a woman with long jet-black hair that fell to her waist. Her olive skin glistened as if she’d just stepped out of the rain. A glossy black jumpsuit clung to her lithe figure and paired well with the patent leather pumps on her feet. She tossed her head about and placed a hand on her hip, as if she owned the place.
Next to her, two men appeared. The first was a fit blond with very fair features. His pale skin, blond eyebrows, and translucent eyelashes didn’t hide the chiseled feature of his jaw and thick neck. The final man was dark and tanned with short cropped hair and a crooked frown that gave the impression he was displeased with everything he saw. His t-shirt struggled to contain the muscular curve of his arms as he leaned against the stair railing.
Gabe leaned into Luke. “Are those...?”
“The Europeans,” Luke finished. “From Hell Gate Three.”
“They’ve come to assist in our demon problem,” Esther added in a grim tone.
Gabe looked as if he’d swallowed something sour. “Assist? You mean they’ve come to take over. As if we can’t take care of our own problems.”
Neither Luke nor Esther answered, but matching sour expressions settled on their faces.
The demon problem in our surrounding woods was becoming worse each passing month. It used to be that only a couple feral demons would manage to slip through the gate each year. Now, several came through a day. The board had tripled the patrols in an effort to keep the demons from escaping the woods and invading human territory. Once a demon found a human host, their strength multiplied and they could easily disappear into the masses, causing havoc and destruction.
No one knew why the gate was failing. But each member of the Westward Manor board carried the same weary look of concern. Something had to change. But calling in the Europeans wasn’t what they’d had in mind.
I could see why they didn’t like them. The Europeans gave off an air of superiority that settled on us peons like a dense acrid fog. The dozen or so Nephilim who had gathered in the
hall all wore similar expressions of dislike on their faces as they gazed up at the newcomers. Whatever the Europeans were here to do, they were going to have a hard time gaining any approval from us.
Luke sighed and turned to me. “We’ve got to get to a board meeting. The Europeans are bringing some suggested improvements to us that we’ll have to implement. In the meantime, we need to do something about you.”
A groan passed through my lips and Luke raised an eyebrow at me. It seemed like every week we were having the same discussion.
I wasn’t a child anymore.
My mother had disappeared after she fell pregnant with me and somehow ended up back at home with her horrible mother, to give birth. When she died during labour, it’d been up to Granny to raise me, until I finally broke free from her grasp.
But now, I was twenty-one years old. Unfortunately, Luke had missed out on those precious early years. He had to realize I wasn’t a toddler. He didn’t need to do anything about me.
“Until you can learn to better control your powers, I’m instituting a lockdown,” Luke continued.
My mouth fell open. “Wait, no you can’t...”
“I can and I will.” He lifted his chin and set his jaw. “Lizzy Redding, you are hereby grounded. No gate keeping for you. I want you on the manor grounds at all times.”
An irritating little smile of victory flashed across Gabe’s face. “Sounds good to me.”
I threw a withering glare his way and turned back to my father. “That’s not fair. It was one little accident. I can’t get better if I’m not allowed to fight demons.”
“You will get better by training.” He wrapped his arm around me and I fought the urge to shake him off. “I’m only doing this for your own good. These kinds of accidents shouldn’t happen. You could get hurt.”
He wasn’t being fair. If only he could see how amazing we were out there. Even with the increasing number of feral demons roaming our woods, our patrols had been flawless, except for today. It wasn’t fair to hold one accident against me.
My thoughts must’ve shown on my face, because Luke placed a finger over my mouth and shook his head.
“No, no, no. You may think it’s not fair of your father to do this, but I’m also on the board. It’s my responsibility as a board member to keep our Nephilim safe. As of today, you are not to go out into those woods until I say otherwise. Do you understand?”
I looked to Esther for help. If anyone could help me here, it would be my aunt—as fierce a woman as I’d ever met. She didn’t compromise on her thoughts and actions even in a room surrounded by men. She believed in the power of women and raising each other up.