Fallen Angel Reclaimed: The Complete Series by Lacey Carter Andersen
8
Daniel squaredoff with the farmer, his fists clenched in rage. “You’re going to do what we say or—“
“I won’t do a damned thing without my wife and children!” Clarence shouted, advancing on him.
Fuck this. As much as I want to punch him, there’s an easier way.
His fists unclenched. “They’re safe,” he whispered. Demon magic flowed through the words, and the effect of them was almost instant.
The anger drained from the farmer’s face. “Where?”
That’s right. Believe me. Do as I ask.
“Surcy has gone back for them. She’ll put them somewhere no one can hurt them.”
It took everything inside of Daniel to use his natural demon-ability to convince the farmer, because the truth was he was on the verge of something terrible. Surcy had dropped them on this fucking building and gone back to face unimaginable danger. And why? For a couple kids they didn’t know.
In his mind, he pictured the little boy and girl, and his stomach clenched. The angels would have no use for them as anything but pawns in their games. If no one came back for them…
He shuddered, imagining them lying bloodied and dead on the ground.
But still… either they all should have gone back or none of them. Tristan and Surcy might value the Immortals more than themselves, but if they lost Surcy, did he even care about Caine?
Maybe. A little.
“I want to see them,” the farmer said, and a little anger returned to his eyes.
Tristan took a step closer. “There is no more time for this. Clarence, did you see those creatures? Those angels who attacked us?”
The farmer nodded.
“Those creatures were disguising themselves as your farmhands to be close to you. They were waiting for a signal from a being known as Caine, The Judge of all living beings. And once they were given the signal, they were instructed to kill you and your family.”
His eyes widened. “Why?”
Tristan titled his head, in a very gargoyle-like way. “Because you are one of only ten beings powerful enough to stop Caine and his angels.”
Clarence began to shake his head. “I’m not—“
“You are. And if we don’t move quickly enough, Caine will win this war, and you and your family will never be safe again.”
The farmer studied him. “Do I have your word that my family is safe?”
Fuck. The damn gargoyle won’t lie.
“Yes,” Daniel rushed out. “They’re safe. We just need to hurry and find the rest of your kind, so we can stop that murderous bastard.”
The man exhaled loudly, and his hand shook as he ran fingers through his hair. “If I wasn’t just attacked by fucking angels… if I wasn’t here talking to a gargoyle and whatever the hell you are… I’d think you were both nuts. But, if my family is safe, and this stops them from being hurt again, I’ll go with you.”
Daniel hadn’t realized how worried he’d been that the guy would just keep refusing to help them until that moment. And while the farmer’s acceptance eased some of his fears, nothing would calm him until he saw Surcy again.
“So,” he turned to Tristan, “who are we looking for next?”
The gargoyle opened the paper and stared, frowning. “I thought we’d agreed to find the God of Sin next, but this place isn’t right.” He stared for a minute longer. “She brought us to the other Immortal first. The Goddess of Life.”
Daniel shrugged. “I guess she made a mistake.”
Tristan frowned down at the paper. “Perhaps.”
“Tick tock.”
Tristan looked at him and raised a brow. “Helpful.”
As they found the roof exit and climbed down the stairs, Daniel almost smiled. It wasn’t often the gargoyle was sarcastic. Hopefully that meant he wasn’t too worried about Surcy. The idea immediately calmed him. If Tristan, Mr. Natural Protector himself, was feeling confident, that meant Daniel should be too.
A weight lifted from his shoulders.
They moved through the town and continued walking, occasionally checking the address. Tristan could fly them there, but without knowing the area, travel by ground was easier.
To Daniel’s annoyance, the farmer peppered him with questions. Every. Single. Step of the way.
“What am I?”
“The God of Earth.”
“What does that mean?”
“You have powers.”
“How come I haven’t seen any before? Now my kids have some special abilities, but I've never noticed anything.”
“Caine wiped your memories.”
And on and on. When they reached the quiet suburban neighborhood, Daniel was ready to punch the shit out of the human. Normally, he didn't care, but they had things to do, bigger things than answering questions.
Maybe they should have dropped him at the sanctuary.
They reached the house, but it looked empty.
“So what now?” Daniel asked, not bothering to hide his annoyance.
Tristan opened his mouth, but a woman spoke instead.
“If you’re looking for the Carters, they won’t be home for a little while.”
Daniel spun around to see woman sitting on the porch next door. She was perhaps in her mind-forties and lovely in a quiet way. Her hair was in a messy bun on her head, she wore pajamas that said, “best mom ever,” and she didn’t have a drop of makeup on.
In other words, she was the kind of woman that any smart man would love.
“Hi,” Daniel greeted her, turning on his most charming smile and moving closer.
A blush darkened her cheeks. “Hi… uh, are you friends of the Carters?”
“College friends of her hubs,” he lied, hoping he’d made a good guess.
She set her coffee on her knee. “Oh, are you guys doctors too?”
He nodded. “The best in L.A. But we haven’t seen him in a while. We thought we’d drop in and surprise him.”
She stared down at her drink. “I’m sure Richard would love that, but he’s at a conference this weekend. It’s just Nichole.”
Well, that will make this lie easier.
“Oh, that’s too bad. Well, I guess at least we can visit with her. We’ve never actually met her.”
Her gaze swung back up to them. “Oh, you’ll love Nichole. She’s beautiful and smart and funny.” She sipped her drink and mumbled. “Not that Richard notices.”
Daniel’s ears perked up. “Would it be okay if we hung out with you just a few minutes? If she doesn’t come home, I guess we can try another time. We were just stopping by between flights, so we really hoped to see them and see their house. You know? Catch up.”
She patted her hair, looking flustered. “Uh, sure.”
Moving closer, he sat down on the porch steps next to her and leaned back, stretching his legs out. “So, tell us about Nichole. What does she do?”
“Well, uh, nothing right now. She stopped teaching when they decided to start having kids.”
He smiled. “Well, having kids is like having three jobs, so it makes sense.”
She laughed, shyly. “Yeah, if only they didn’t have infertility issues, I think it would’ve been wonderful.”
Oops.
“Richard mentioned something about that.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure he did. And I’m sure he just happened to mention that the issues are her fault. And he just happened to mention that she’s done IVF unsuccessfully ten times now, and how hard that’s been on him.”
Daniel’s heartbeat sped up. “You don’t sound like you like him much.”
She immediately hid her anger behind a mask. “I didn’t say that.”
Sighing, he rolled his neck. Demon-abilities, take two. “You can be honest with us. We know what an ass he can be sometimes.”
Instantly, she relaxed, but the effect was deeper on her than it had been on the farmer. Her eyes grew a little glassy, like she’d had one too many drinks. “Richard is the biggest dick in the world. We’ve been trying to convince her to leave him for years. I mean, he’s a fucking doctor. They aren’t hurting for money, but he gives her a god-damn allowance, like a child. I don’t mean a budget. I mean her name isn’t on any of the accounts. He gives her money and tells her that’s all she gets for food and gas. The woman hasn’t bought new clothes in years. She can never go out because she doesn’t have any money to do it.”
Daniel raised a brow. “Wow.”
“It’s fucking financial abuse!” She glared at all the men. “And then he tells her who she can and cannot speak to, who she can and cannot be friends with. She can’t talk to her family anymore, or most of her friends. He doesn’t even like me talking to her, but he can’t stop me, the asshole.”
“That’s… controlling.”
She nodded, looking like she wanted to shout yes! “But if all of that wasn’t bad enough, there’s the infertility stuff. He makes her feel like garbage just because she can’t have kids. I mean, she’s broken-hearted over it. She volunteers at a hospital, helping to take care of the babies in the NICU. She lavishes them with care, and they get so big and healthy. She’s… like a miracle worker. But then, she can’t have her own kids. Can you imagine the torture she must experience every day?”
The Goddess of Life can’t have kids. Caine, you’re a fucking monster.
“It would be pure torture.” Daniel looked up and met Tristan’s gaze, and he knew they were both thinking the same thing.
He watched as a car slowed and pulled into the Carter’s driveway.
Daniel turned to the woman and smiled. “It looks like she’s home. Thanks for talking with us.”
The woman nodded, her mouth twisting in disappointment. “No problem.”
Unable to walk away leaving the woman unhappy, he leaned closer. “I know this isn’t appropriate, but if I was single, well, you’re just my type.”
It was like sunshine blossomed behind her face. “Yeah, you into women who are complete disasters?”
“Nah, I’m into women who are naturally stunning.” He winked and rose.
Was he attracted to her? No, Surcy was it for him. She was the sun and the moon, and the only person he could ever want like that. But he’d known a lot of heartache and loneliness in his life, and this woman screamed of loneliness. She practically vibrated with a sense of worthlessness, and it broke his heart. No one should ever feel that way about themselves.
He looked back one last time at her star-struck expression and glanced at the stoic gargoyle and the farmer. Clarence looked confused as hell, but Tristan gave a sharp nod. His friend knew exactly what he was doing, and even though Tristan didn’t hit on women to brighten their days, he didn’t disapprove of what Daniel did either. Tristan knew Daniel's weakness for lost souls.
