Luke glided into the kitchen with a bag full of personal items. Her gaze dropped to her empty bag and she sighed. He popped open the fridge, pulling out a bottle of beer.
Shaking her head, she watched him unscrew the cap. She had no idea why Luke insisted on drinking beer. It was rather pointless.
She strode off to Michael’s bedroom to gather up as much clothing as possible. Not sure what he preferred, she started throwing everything she could get her hands on into the garbage bag. Opening one drawer, she wondered how one man could have so many pairs of socks that didn’t match.
Turning on a bedside lamp, she spied a little crystal dish that had been shoved to the back of the table. Inside the dish were two crucifixes. Lily scooped up the necklaces and slipped them into her pocket with the frame.
Seeing a small shoe box on top of the dresser, she dropped the bag of Michael’s possessions and stepped over to it. She quickly slid off the lid, rifling through the documents. Inside were a couple more pictures of his mom and him, a few newspaper clippings announcing his graduation, and several personal-identification documents. One of the pictures caught her eye. She pulled it out, holding it gently between her fingers. His mother was a beautiful woman; her smile simply radiated. Lily couldn’t help but think this woman didn’t look like someone mourning the loss of a fallen angel.
No. She’d appeared happy to be alive and with her son. Not someone intending to take her own life as a way to escape the painful wound that a Fallen always left in his wake.
Chapter Thirteen
Lily trailed behind Luke and Micah, only half listening to their argument. They had been at it since the moment they had climbed into the Escalade. All she gathered was that Micah was upset about Luke pulling him off an assignment. He had been hunting longer than Lily but nowhere near the amount of time Luke had been at it. She recognized how dangerous Asmodeus was, and why Luke was better suited, but she also understood how butt-sore Micah was. She was feeling quite the same way after learning about Michael and the Book of Names. It never felt good to be doubted…or left out.
Clutching the little shoe box in her hands, she let out a weary sigh. I came back here for this? She wished she knew where they had stashed Michael so she didn’t have to listen to the bitchfest that would never end. The ride had been bad enough, but the awkwardness in the elevator was something she never wanted to repeat.
They stopped on level seven, which surprised her. Only Nathaniel and the circle had rooms on this level. Michael was just superspecial since he was “thou shall not be named” in the Book.
Micah hauled the bag of goods she had packed to his shoulder. He was tall, like all male Nephilim were, with red hair and a pale complexion. There was even a splattering of freckles over his nose. He was probably one of the few men who could rock red hair well, and he also had the temper to match it.
“This is bullshit, man. If you guys think I can’t handle the Fallen, then why in the hell do you allow me to hunt alone?” he said, turning to her. “Lily, you haven’t said a thing. Did you know about this?”
There went staying out of the argument. She focused on the tall redhead, forcing a casual shrug. “Not really.”
“Don’t bring her into this.” Luke shifted the bag he had gathered from Michael’s apartment. “An order is an order. So deal with it.”
Ah, Luke had such a way with people. Micah straightened, coming to his full height. “Excuse me?” he uttered dangerously.
There was no doubt they would come to blows if given the opportunity. “Micah, I’m not allowed to approach Baal or Asmodeus, either,” she said, stepping between the two. “It’s nothing personal. Chill out, okay?”
Micah glanced at the bandage around her arm. “I can understand why you aren’t allowed. You’ve been tagged twice, Lily. He’s gunning for your ass. Not to mention you can’t go anywhere without the freak, Julian, showing up.”
Stopping midstep, she stared up at him. Her very fingers itched to dig into him. “Do you want to rethink what you just said, buddy?”
Luke stepped away, looking rather amused with the sudden turn of events. A few Nephilim who were on their way out to hunt skirted around them with curious glances.
Micah sighed. “Lily, I didn’t mean anything by that.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Do you want to know how I got tagged? I fought him. Which is more than I can say you have ever done, and that freak? I trust him to save my ass more than I trust you.”
“Lily,” Luke warned, immediately at her side.
She turned to him, ready to lay into him, too, when she realized what she had done. She’d defended Julian in front of not just two Nephilim but two of Nathaniel’s most trusted. Defending a Fallen was a rather unseemly thing.
And it went over like a ton of bricks. Micah pressed his lips together, taking a step back. His lip curled in disgust as he turned and headed for Michael’s room without another word.
She squeezed her eyes shut, heart pounding. Shit! That was just perfect. She shrugged off Luke’s hand and started after Micah.
Luke swore, picking up the bags. “Lily,” he hissed under his breath. “You promised me earlier.”
She swung toward him. “I did. Just drop it, okay? Please?”
He stared at her hard and then grunted his disapproval.
They caught up with Micah, and as the trio slowed, she could hear the sounds of childish giggles mingled with the deep rumble of Michael’s voice.
“Do you really get to shoot the bad guys?” asked one of the younger Nephilim.
“I try not to,” Michael responded.
“But they are bad, and bad things deserve to die,” stated another child.
Lily cringed at that statement, but Michael laughed softly. “Not all bad things deserve to die. Sometimes bad people are just confused and need someone to talk to or help them. I would try that before I would…”