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Unexpected Angels 2

Angelic Sight

Settling into sanctuary with their new Elite lovers is easier than
any of the angels thought possible. Erik is learning his new

powers, Levi has acquired some new skills of his own, and Marius
is growing as an Elite warrior. Everything seems to be just as it
should be. That is until Levi's powers spiral out of control and an

old nightmare from Levi's past disrupts their moment of
happiness.

As old and new enemies interfere, the men will have to decide to
stand and fight or run from the past and the hunters that have

come with it. It will take every man in the family to pull through
the time of turmoil and come out the other side unscathed. They

will all have to learn new skills and make compromises in order to
become strong enough for the upcoming conflict. Will they
succeed or fail in their quest for peace?

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Fantasy, Ménage a Trois/Quatre
Length: 35,697 words

ANGELIC SIGHT

Unexpected Angels 2

Jana Downs

LOVEXTREME FOREVER

MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: LoveXtreme Forever ManLove

ANGELIC SIGHT
Copyright © 2012 by Jana Downs
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62242-031-5

First E-book Publication: December 2012

Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be
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express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance
to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

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Regarding E-book Piracy

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ANGELIC SIGHT

Unexpected Angels 2

JANA DOWNS

Chapter One

Levi woke in the middle of the night from a nightmare that was

more from his memories than unfounded fears of zombies and giant
spiders. His eyes popped open and his heart pounded so hard in his
chest cavity that he thought it might explode. Carefully, he extricated
himself from the middle of the pile of men who were cuddled in his
bed. He didn’t want to wake them and answer any of their inevitable
questions. Erik and Marius might’ve let his shaking and fear slide, but
the rest of the Elites weren’t used to his avoidance issues.

He managed to get halfway across the room before Axis sat up in

bed. “Levi?”

Levi swallowed several times before he could reply. “I need some

water, Axis. Go on back to sleep.”

The night light Levi had insisted was a mood light showed Axis’s

reluctant nod. “You okay? Want me to come with?”

“It’s okay. I’ll be back in just a second.” Hopefully by the time he

was supposed to be back Axis would be asleep again. Axis settled
back against Marius, and the formerly fallen angel wrapped his arm
around Axis’s waist in sleep. His men were beautiful together. The
affection was honest between them. Everything was honest between
them. Except him. He was a big fat liar.

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He swallowed hard, and the scars that decorated his back began to

itch as if they were reminding him of his unclean state. They might
have viewed him as an innocent, but Levi knew better. He was dirty,
and nothing anyone could say would make him better. The best he
could hope for was to keep himself invisible enough to not ruin all of
their lives.

He made his way downstairs and into the foyer. The alarm system

was engaged and he couldn’t leave the house without alerting the
guys that a door had been opened, but he certainly wished he could
just fling it open and run down the street, run far away until he could
escape his memories. The itching on his back got worse as if the scars
were telling him of that impossibility. Levi couldn’t escape this.

He wasn’t normally so contemplative. Typically he just

concentrated on making his relationship with his lovers work and
keeping everything in the nice, neat box. Some people might’ve seen
it as manipulative. He viewed it as a survival tactic. I don’t deserve
them. Not any of them.

He’d gone into the bar back when it had been just him and Erik

specifically because Erik had “seen” Marius and what he would come
to mean to them. He’d seen the fluctuation in the cords of their
destiny and had encouraged Erik to act on it. Just a month ago he’d
pushed Marius into accepting this relationship with the Elites,
knowing he had reservations on the subject. It didn’t matter that Erik
had a vision about the same subject and Marius’s archangel had
personally stopped in to tell him to seize the opportunity. He still felt
like he’d stacked the deck. Levi really didn’t know if it was right to
push his reality in the directions of his visions, but he’d been doing it
to stay alive since he’d hit his angelic puberty. He didn’t know how
else to live.

The red of his favorite armchair caught his eye as he walked the

bottom of the house in a never-ending circle going down the hallway,
through the kitchen, and back through the living room. He just had to
move. His mind went to his dream.

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* * * *

The sound of the hunters’ laughter drowned out everything but the

pounding of his heart. He didn’t understand. It had been days. Why
wouldn’t they end his torment like the other boys? They’d killed them
within hours of catching them. The nephilim had banded together to
run together a few weeks previously. They hadn’t been friends, but
they’d been the same. So why wasn’t he dead?

“Judah, if Azrael finds out you kept that one alive, you’re a dead

man,” the one with the deep-blue wings said. He looked like a parrot.
Azrael had ordered him killed. Levi had heard it. Why wouldn’t they
listen? He’d gone now, but still his men tortured him.

“Look at his face. You can’t end him until he knows his sin. His

eyes are too innocent,” his tormenter murmured, running the flaming
knife he’d been slicing and frying Levi’s skin with for days down his
rib cage.

“Water,” Levi begged between chapped lips, too tired even to

scream anymore.

“I’ll give you something to drink in just a moment, sweet.”
Levi whimpered. “Please, no…”

* * * *

Arms wrapped around his waist from behind. He screamed,

kicking out at his assailant. The memory wouldn’t let him go. He
knew logically that he was safe in his home, but he couldn’t shake the
feeling of being hunted.

He managed to land a blow to something soft, eliciting a soft

umph! from his captor. “No! Let me go!”

“Levi, easy!” a familiar voice said.
“No! Please! I’ll be good!” Levi shouted, sheer terror blinding

him to everything around him. Gentle arms held him still as Levi

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continued to lash out. He was dragged backward to his favorite arm
chair.

“Levi, baby, it’s Keer. Axis asked me to check on you. Levi!”
Keer. He knew Keer. He didn’t hurt him in a bad way. The image

of the hunter who’d tortured him faded and was replaced with the
violet-eyed angel with dark hair and exotic peacock wings. He was
the tallest out of his lovers and the vainest. He was also the most
insecure. It was painted over the edges of his aura every time he
preened.

“Keer,” he whispered the name like a prayer.
“Thank God. Levi, baby, are you all right?” The relief was sharp

in Keer’s voice. “What happened? Did you have a bad dream?”

Levi nodded, shuddering. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you

worry.” He was a burden again. He hated being a burden. The last
tension went out of his limbs, and Levi relaxed into the Elite’s
embrace.

“It’s okay. I shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that.” Keer

actually sound contrite. It just made him feel guiltier.

Levi sighed. “I dream sometimes. I wander. Usually I just walk

around the house until I don’t feel like screaming anymore. Seriously.
It’s nothing. You should go back to bed.”

“No way. You need someone with you. You shouldn’t have to

deal with this on your own. You want to tell me about your dream?”
Keer asked gently.

Levi laid his head back against Keer’s shoulder. “No. I don’t. I

just want to go to sleep.” Now that the fight had gone out of him, he
could feel the heaviness of his limbs and the tiredness in his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. He was apologizing for more than Keer’s
interrupted sleep even if the Elite didn’t know it.

Keer kissed his cheek. “Hey, none of that. You’ll learn to trust us

eventually. We have time to gain that trust.”

Levi was unconvinced. He’d been with Marius and Erik for a

while now, and he just couldn’t seem to let his walls down all the

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way. He trusted them implicitly with his body, even his heart, but his
past and his powers were something he kept strictly to himself.

“Take me to bed, Keer,” Levi said, snuggling in his lover’s arms.

He wanted to feel the warmth of his lovers around him and know that,
at least in the bedroom, he belonged. Keer obliged him, scooping him
up and carrying him bridal style up the massive staircase that led to
the second floor. The sprawling house was his dream home, and he
wanted desperately to be happy in it.

The angel laid him between himself and Axis, and both of them

surrounded him with warmth. Levi breathed deep, loving them for
their unwitting kindnesses. They were selfless where he was selfish.
He played it off a lot, but he’d been trying to claw his way up to
security for so long that it came naturally. He needed to start thinking
of them more and himself less. Maybe if he focused on making them
happy for a while, Levi could find a measure of peace in this world.

They hadn’t been in sanctuary long. It was a city protected from

hunters, those who hunted the nephilim, so it was a safe haven for
men like he and Erik. Prior to the wedding and the joining with the
Elites, Levi had been so focused on keeping their family together and
getting what he needed out of the relationship he hadn’t given a
thought to giving back. He made up his mind then to try and give
them more of himself.

“Sleep, little one. You’re thinking so loud that I can practically

hear your gears turning,” Axis rumbled, squeezing his hip. “Hush
now. We all need some sleep.”

Levi snuggled closer, inhaling Axis’s scent and luxuriating in it.

The Elite commander was right. They all needed sleep, and he was
safe right where he was. He let his eyes slide shut and let the thoughts
of his loved ones carry him to more pleasant dreams that involved
tangled sheets and panting kisses.

* * * *

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“Do you always let him wander around after a nightmare?” Axis

asked, leaning his hip against the countertop as Marius drank a swig
of milk right out of the carton. The rest of the men had just finished
breakfast and had gone out to the small greenhouse that Levi was
tending to help the nephilim in his daily watering routine. Axis
figured they were probably just worried about their lover and
rightfully so.

Axis had woken up to the rancid smell of terror and sweat, a nasty

combination even in appropriate circumstances. Seeing Levi sneaking
out of bed smelling like that hadn’t set well with the Elite. Not one
bit.

“Levi is a private person. He’s half in his mind and half in his

past. We’re lucky to get the pieces of him we do. Haven’t you noticed
how Levi always seems a bit”—he seemed to search for the right
word—“distant? He’s a beautiful scarred doll, Axis. He won’t let
people handle his pain. He turns inward if someone tries. He needs
space.”

Axis shook his head. “I think that may be part of the problem,

Marius. He’s most secure when he is kept close. It makes him feel
safe.”

Marius slammed the milk down on the counter. “Do not lecture

me about how to make Levi feel safe. Look, we’ve been running so
long that the distance he’s maintained is smart. When he’s ready to
talk to us, he will. Why are you attacking me?” The formerly fallen
angel was far from subtle when it came to confronting something that
was bothering him. Axis had known better than to criticize the way
Marius had been taking care of Levi. Not only was it unfair
considering how they’d been living on the run, it was a good way to
break down the fragile trust that Marius had given the Elites when
they’d become angel bound.

“I’m worried, and I’m taking it out on you. I apologize,” Axis

said, reaching for the blond-haired angel. He always wondered why
Marius had chosen not to honor his archangel by reflecting his

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coloring. It was the trend in the heavens to mimic the appearance of
the archangel one owed their allegiance to. Since a change of subject
was in order, he went ahead and asked. “Why blond and green?”

Marius came into his arms and wrapped his arms around Axis’s

waist. “I changed it when I fell. At first it was just a way to defy my
archangel. Then I kind of liked being different. Levi loves it. He
thinks it looks like a white rose petal.”

“Hmm.” Axis agreed with that assessment. “Do you think he

would be open to going to see a counselor? I had IT look some up,
and there are a couple who specialize in trauma due to hunter-
nephilim encounters.”

Marius shrugged. “Oh, he’d probably go, but I doubt he’d get

much out of it. He’d do it to please us, not because he thinks he needs
help.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Axis allowed. “Maybe I’m being

impatient.”

“You’re not the only one that wants to heal him, Axis,” Marius

said softly.

Whatever Axis would’ve replied was interrupted when a very

sweaty Jade walked into the room. Axis was immediately enamored
by his bare chest, blond hair, and pretty red eyes. “What are you guys
talking about?”

“Our little mate’s episode last night. Is Levi doing all right?” Axis

asked, not letting go of Marius for a second. The former fallen still
wasn’t used to the constant affection, but he was getting there.

Jade nodded. “He’s trying to nurse that orchid we bought at the

Cosco, and I don’t think it’s going to make it. IT is dangerously
fascinated with the Venus flytrap for whatever reason. He keeps
trying to stick his finger in the buds, and Levi keeps snipping at him
about it. Why did we have to make the minihothouse?”

Marius looked thoughtful as he answered. “Levi always loved

plants. He wanted to keep one forever, but we were always moving.
The one time we got one he had to leave it behind. So I bought him

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Miss Kitty.” The tiny white kitten ran the house and the men in it. It
had taken a shine to Keer and Jade in particular and tended to curl up
on them in the bed. However, Miss Kitty’s true favorite was Levi. The
cat had good taste.

“You are a good mate,” Jade said. “It is admirable that you would

seek to give him everything he was denied outside the sanctuary.”

Axis was proud of the way Marius had handled his lovers as well.

He had provided for the two nephilim with everything within his
power. Axis had seen the lengths he’d gone to secure their world, the
odd jobs he’d held, the things he’d sacrificed. He felt guilty for
questioning Marius’s dedication earlier.

Jade continued. “With the exception of last night, he seems to be

getting stronger. Erik does as well. Their powers are heading in two
separate directions, though. Erik will be able to summon heaven’s fire
and create a weapon. His visions aren’t as sharp anymore.”

This was news to him. “And Levi?” Axis asked.
Jade hesitated. “I can’t tell. I know his mental powers are

expanding, but he’s not letting it manifest. IT suggested the repression
of his power is causing the nightmares, and I’m inclined to agree with
him. Levi isn’t letting himself reveal anything. Whether it’s ingrained
fear of the hunters or some deep self-hatred, I’m not sure. But I know
he’s reluctant to let us see it.”

Marius shrugged, giving Axis a final squeeze before pulling out of

his grip. “When we open up the training center he may start to loosen
up. The online sign-up board Daisis set up has us booked for almost
all sections of the classes we are going to teach for the first two
weeks.”

Axis was glad the rest of the Elites were around to help. It was

going to be a pretty massive undertaking considering majority of the
nephilim in town were untrained. “Two more days,” he said. It was
two more days until they began the classes and their official fresh
start. Axis was looking forward to their new life that involved all of
them. Plus the training facility they were renting out, courtesy of

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Daisis and his town council, would be a great place to train Marius to
use his new Elite powers. There was an outdoor section that would
make a great paddock.

“Do you need a shower, Jade?” Marius asked, his eyes raking the

other Elite. Axis resisted the urge to grin. Marius was asking for their
attention more and more readily, relying on them to watch the
nephilim to look after his own pleasure. It was good.

“I could be convinced,” Jade replied, heat filling his eyes. It

looked like his second and the former fallen were in for a very hot
shower.

“I’ll go check on the others while you two wash up,” Axis said,

excusing himself.

He went round the island and into the mudroom that led to the

side yard. The sunshine was warm on his face, but the air itself was a
bit nippy. It made him wonder what the boys were getting up to in the
hothouse in order to get Jade sweating like that. He circled around the
back and the small square building he’d helped build came into view.
It was a little bigger than a storage shed, and the small heating unit
attached to the back was powered by an extension cord that ran to the
connected garage. The sprinkling system had been particularly
annoying to hook up. But the look on Levi’s face when he’d walked
into the building and seen what they’d done together had been worth
every stress. He’d practically dragged them down to the plant nursery
on Baggin Street the next day in order to fill the place to capacity.
He’d recently added the orchids and the bitey plants.

He pushed open the wood-and-plastic door and was immediately

ensconced in unreasonable wet heat. It was like stepping into a
rainforest. The walls and ceiling were fogged with it, and the
sprinkling system was going at the far end. His lovers, all shirtless,
were moving about, tending plants and chatting softly. Levi stood
beside Brax chatting excitedly as he sprayed something on the Venus
flytraps. His blond hair and slight build made him look small next to
Brax’s larger warrior’s body. IT had a smile on his face the entire

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time Levi talked, nodding in all the right places. The contrast was
striking and beautiful. Keer stood hip to hip with Erik, bending down
to nibble at the other nephilim’s neck in regular intervals.

Erik was the first one to turn toward him, and Axis’s heart lurched

at his warm look of welcome. The other nephilim was beautiful,
strong, a smaller version of his warriors but not by much. His tanned
skin and dark eyes made him look exotic, and Axis could easily
imagine his lover with wings behind him.

“About time you came out and got your hands dirty, Axis,” Erik

teased. “You are Marius must be the most fastidious angels this side
of heaven.”

Axis snorted. “I am not afraid to get my hands dirty, Erik,

depending on what they’re getting dirty for.”

Erik pointed to the wall with the hooks on it. “Get some pruning

scissors and cut off the dead stalks. That tray there”—he pointed to
the one next to the set he and Keer were working on—“is yours.” The
entire house shuddered as IT picked up Levi and pushed him against
the wall in the space between two of the tables.

Erik laughed. “Or not. Apparently we’re going to be treated to a

floor show instead of finishing up the gardening.” The smell of Levi’s
need spiked his lust. It seemed Erik was gaining more control over his
body since they became angel bound, but Levi seemed to have less.

“Need,” Levi groaned, nails raking down Brax’s sigil-marked

back.

Erik looked over his shoulder. “Join us, Axis. Keer and I could

use another hand or something.” The sound of a belt being undone
rang out like a cattle call.

“Hmmm, a bit early in the morning, gents,” Axis said as Brax

wrapped Levi’s bare legs back around his waist.

“Is it ever too early to fuck?” Erik asked, running a hand down

Axis’s T-shirt-clad chest. The nephilim had a point. “Join us, Axis.
I’m hungry, and last night’s debauchery was over twelve hours ago.”
He had a very good point.

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“You have me convinced,” Axis rumbled. He met Keer’s violet

eyes over Erik’s head and got a wry grin of approval. They had been
around and unable to touch their lovers over a year, and now that they
could touch them freely, it was paradise. Axis forgot about all the
problems in their relationship and just allowed his mind to slide into
the territory of pure unadulterated lust. They’re mine. He was happy
the rest of the Elites had waited to join together. It made learning
them and their bodies that much sweeter.

Axis glanced over in time to see Brax slam up into Levi’s

writhing body as Levi’s nails made angry red marks on Brax’s thick
shoulders. Levi liked just a bit of roughness in his loving, as was
evident by the new tradition of a bedtime spanking that had developed
between them. Axis’s cock hardened almost instantly. What would it
be like to bend Erik over his knee? The nephilim had a chip on his
shoulder and tended to buck at anything that would make him seem
less than equal in their eyes. It was odd because Axis knew for a fact
that none of them thought Levi was weaker than them because he
wanted his sweet ass spanked.

“You’re thinking something wicked,” Erik said, popping the

button on his pants and slowly letting those jeans slide down his lean
hips. The smell of nephilim lust was a perfume in the already thick
air. If they weren’t careful they’d spontaneously combust in this heat.
Erik visibly swallowed as Axis assessed him. “What are you
thinking?”

“I’m thinking how beautiful your ass would look with my

handprints on it.” The honest answer seemed to excite the nephilim if
his flared nostrils were any indication. Axis wasn’t used to expressing
his desires so blatantly, but his nephilim seemed to enjoy it.

Erik swallowed. “You want me to be your bitch, Axis?” he asked.
“Of course not,” Axis said, mildly shocked by the very real

annoyance in Erik’s voice. “I do want you to be vulnerable to me,
though. I want you to let go and be mine.”

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“So why not let me spank your butt, then?” Erik countered. “How

about I redden your ass?” Axis watched as Erik’s hard cock twitched
at the idea. He considered it. Would he let his lover spank him?

He grinned. “You think you’re man enough to beat my ass? Make

me come against your thighs while you do it?” His lover was
significantly less strong than he was. He would need help.

“Hmm, I could get behind that mission, Commander,” Keer

rumbled. At some point in their debate he’d gotten deliciously naked.
As the biggest out of the bunch, Keer was probably strong enough to
hold him down. It would just tickle his vanity to do it, too. Axis’s
body thrummed with anticipation.

“Come on, then. Take me, if you can,” Axis challenged a little

breathlessly. Who would’ve thought he would get this turned on by
the idea of getting his lover’s handprints on his ass?

Erik launched himself at Axis, tackling him to the floor of the

hothouse in one leap. He growled and rolled, pinning the nephilim
beneath him. Erik bucked his hips and usurped his position. Axis
didn’t make it easy for him. He fought against Erik’s nephilim
strength. He didn’t use his full angelic powers, but he pitted his
body’s strength against Erik’s.

The smaller man was getting tired as the seconds stretched on to a

minute. Their hard dicks probably had something to do with how
effectively they were fighting, or weren’t in this case. Keer wrapped
his arms around Axis’s waist and hauled him backward.
Unfortunately, he was a bit overenthusiastic and sent them careening
into one of the tables that was stacked with plants.

“Careful, guys!” Levi gasped as Brax bit into his shoulder. The

smaller nephilim was watching them with hungry eyes, and Axis was
turned on by the audience.

“Bring him to me,” Erik commanded, growling the words out.

There was nothing better than sex and aggression between men. Keer
forced him down over Erik’s thighs. The nephilim was resting his
back against the wall of the hothouse and, in that position, Axis’s

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cock was trapped against Erik’s legs. He groaned as Keer ripped his
jeans off, the sound of rending fabric only adding to the lusty
atmosphere. He was now covered in a fine sheen of sweat and dirt
from the combination of heat and wrestling on the floor.

“Do it,” Axis rumbled. He wanted to prove to Erik that bottoming

could be strong and sexy either way. Everything they did together was
wonderful, and there was no reason that Erik couldn’t appreciate
everything their relationship had to offer.

He wasn’t quite expecting the sting of the smack that landed

squarely on his right ass cheek. The hard pop was finished with a
gentle caress to the suddenly hot flesh. Axis didn’t stop the groan that
escaped his mouth at the action. The thick smell of flowers only
added to the air of exoticness in the air.

“I learned a lot when Levi finally confessed to wanting this, Axis.

Big angel that you are”—the nephilim sounded like he was
smirking—“you don’t understand that I can make your bad ass beg
for it.” Oh, Erik sounded hot when he talked like that. Axis found
himself squirming for more. Erik’s hand came down against on the
firm swell of his ass.

“More,” Axis panted.
“Keer, please gag the commander,” Erik said sweetly to the other

angel that knelt by his side, jerking his cock in time with Axis’s
bucking hips.

Keer looked confused for a split second. “With what?”
“Your dick, Keer,” Erik instructed, grinning. Axis looked up at

the warrior under his command. Would he dare? The idea that Keer
might sent a shiver of pleasure through him. The hunger in Keer’s
violet eyes said he was seriously considering it. Axis licked his lips.
Come on, Keer. I’m your mate, not just your commander. Take me.
Whatever Keer saw in his expression must’ve clued him into the fact
that Axis was into it because in the next second Keer fisted his hair
and guided his prick into Axis’s waiting mouth. Erik smacked his ass

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again, and Axis moaned around the hot length in his mouth. He
sucked obediently, enjoying giving up control just this once.

No wonder Levi likes this, he thought, lapping at Keer’s plum

head to gather some of the pre-cum he was leaking on his tongue.
Keer groaned, his fists tightening in Axis’s hair. Erik’s hands
continued to rain down on his ass, and their cocks were smashed
against Erik’s thigh as they humped against one another with each
strike.

“World above, Axis, your mouth,” Keer said in a strangled voice.

Axis hollowed out his cheeks. Use my mouth, Keer. Take your
pleasure. His eyes popped open as the door to shed slammed open to
admit two of their very concerned-looking lovers. Marius and Jade
looked on for a split second before they, too, started stripping off their
clothes. They were both still flushed and damp from their shower.

“We got worried,” Jade rumbled, unbuckling his clean jeans

before pushing them off his hips. “We didn’t see you guys when we
looked out the side window.”

“Didn’t know you were having fun on the ground,” Marius said,

his eyes burning into Brax’s backside across the hothouse. “So much
for the shower.”

“Is there slick in here?” Jade asked.
Brax nodded to his jeans. “Small tube in the front pocket.”
Axis lost train of their conversation as Jade crowded behind Keer

and spread his cheeks. The angelic commander looked up in time to
see Jade whisper something in Keer’s ear that was much too low for
him to hear before biting onto his earlobe.

“God!” Keer moaned, shuddering. His cock jerked in Axis’s

mouth. He was close. Erik’s hand cracked as it came down on Axis’s
red backside. It was Axis’s turn to groan then as his eyes rolled from
the impact. He was playing on the edge between pain and pleasure,
and damn if he wasn’t enjoying it.

“If I don’t fuck you, I’m pretty sure I’m going to die. Can I,

Axis?” Erik asked.

Angelic Sight

Axis pulled back for a second off Keer’s body. “Yes, Erik.

Whatever I have is yours, my nephilim.”

Erik shimmied out from under Axis, leaving his straining erection

dripping onto the floor of the hothouse. Without the warm body to
grind against, Axis trembled with the dueling sensations going on
inside him. His ass was warm, a little sore, one of the angels under his
command was fucking his mouth vigorously, taking what he wanted,
and his ward was about to screw him. His notions of what was proper
just flipped upside down.

Keer passed the tube of lube over to Erik as Jade sank into Keer’s

opening. The vain angel panted, his thrusts into Axis’s throat coming
faster as Jade fucked him. Axis’s hands balled into fists, wanting to
touch. He needed something, needed his men to touch him.

Finally, Erik pressed a finger to Axis’s hole, massaging slick into

the opening. Axis whimpered his pleasure. More. More. Come on,
Erik. Give it to me. Two fingers pressed inside and scissored open.
Axis rocked back, wanting a firmer and deeper penetration. He’d only
allowed one other person to sink into his heat before. He was glad that
Erik would be one of the only who had the privilege.

Erik seemed to lose his patience then, because in the next second

he pulled his fingers free, gripped Axis’s hips, and pressed the head of
his dick against Axis’s prepared rosette. Axis’s balls tightened
impossibly. Yes. Right there. Without preamble, Erik pushed forward,
fucking himself deep into Axis’s passage. Axis gasped, unable to
think or breathe as the feelings inside him overwhelmed all intelligent
thought. Keer sank into his throat and cried out in release. Axis
swallowed his pleasure compulsively, squeezing his mouth around his
lover to milk him of every last drop. It all seemed instinctual as he
spun out of control.

The nephilim pulled back before sinking all the way to the hilt

once again. Axis pushed back as he lunged forward, and the nearly
violent strength of their joining only served to excite him more. They
set a brutal pace. Erik’s power washed over them like electrical

Jana Downs

pulses, and the entire space seemed to be filled with the energy of his
lover, carried by the steam in the air. Axis loved that his nephilim lost
control of his powers a bit whenever they made love. They’d actually
scorched the sheets one night when Erik had been feeling particularly
out of control.

“Gonna come, Axis,” Erik warned, his hips slamming against him.

Axis just tilted up his hips to take him deeper. Keer pulled from
Axis’s mouth as Jade dragged him backward a bit to push him down
on all fours in front of Axis. It put Keer and Axis face-to-face with
their lovers behind them, fucking them in sync. Keer kissed Axis’s
lips, plunging his tongue into Axis’s mouth.

“Thank you, Commander,” Keer panted as he pulled back.
Axis couldn’t think of the proper words to reply so he just nodded,

his eyes sliding shut as Erik changed his angle slightly to rub against
the pleasure spot inside him.

“Fill me,” Axis managed as his cock swelled and his balls drew up

even harder, signaling his impending orgasm. Erik thrust twice more
before stilling and flooding Axis’s passage with his cream. The
nephilim smacked Axis’s ass again, and it was all it took to send Axis
hurtling headlong into pleasure. He came so hard he might’ve blacked
out for a second, he wasn’t sure. All he knew was that when he came
back to Earth, his head was spinning and Erik was stroking his back
in slow circles and murmuring his praises over and over again.

He watched as the speed of Jade’s fucking grew frantic and he

shot his load inside Keer’s body. He and Erik must’ve put on a hell of
a show, because it wasn’t long before the rest of their lovers followed
suit. Levi screamed as he went over the edge for the third time since
the beginning of their tangle, and Brax and Marius came in unison
just a split second after as Marius fucked Brax into Levi to complete
them.

“Fuck,” Brax said against Levi’s neck. “No more group gardening

for us.”

Jana Downs

Chapter Two

Jade couldn’t remember seeing his commander this relaxed. He

looked like he was floating on a cloud of does-not-give-a-fuck and
thoroughly enjoying the ride. Jade was pretty sure he’d never
expected Axis to want to have his ass spanked and fucked like that. It
had been beautiful, though. Erik looked like he was the cat that ate the
canary, the little minx. Their new mates were certainly teaching them
a thing or two about pleasure.

Erik was perched on the counter of the kitchen with Axis standing

in front of him, leaning against him. After they’d showered off from
the shed’s round of lovemaking they’d all decided to grab a snack in
the kitchen. There hadn’t really been all that many options to be had
there, but a loaf of bread and a variety of jellies had provided an
adequate solution. They’d used most of their remaining groceries on
the massive breakfast they’d eaten only a couple of hours previously.
The seven of them could definitely clean out a kitchen in no time flat.

A glance at the clock told him it was only noon. They had the rest

of the day to relax, though at some point they were going to have to
venture out to the grocery store. None of them were inclined to rise
early most days, and today had been an exception for some reason.
They’d dragged out of bed at nine and greeted the day.

He glanced at Levi, who sat at the bar sipping a glass of milk and

eating a peanut butter sandwich while Marius petted his hair and
talked about what kind of laptops to get for work with Brax. They
called the angel IT for a reason. He was the smartest out of the bunch
when it came to anything technological. Keer added his two cents to
the conversation and started an argument with Brax. It was something

Angelic Sight

that happened frequently enough that no one even blinked at his
interjection. A spirited debate ensued.

Jade added a few more items to his to-do list. He might’ve been

only second-in-command to Axis, but he was the most detail oriented
of the Elites. “I’m going to go ahead and head out to town to take care
of our chores,” he said. As usual, no one heard him.

He knew he was quiet and his personality tended to get lost when

it came to conversations with the six other personalities in the room.
He mentally shrugged. He could probably leave and get back without
anyone noticing.

He took out his PDA and opened up his list. He needed to go the

automotive store as well and pick up some things for Dex. He was
supposed to be coming by and looking at the car that Axis had bought
on consignment last week. Jade was hoping that Dex would show him
a few things while he was there, like how to change the oil and such.
He liked being handy, and it was one of the ways that they could save
a little money.

Things were going to be better when they got the training facility

up and running and started getting regular paychecks from the city
and their clients for the service. But until then they were living off the
small stipend that the seraphim had given the Elites before they had
left heaven and the last of Marius’s dwindling bank account. The
formerly fallen had planned on getting a job at the corrections facility
on the other end of the city before he’d become an Elite. Now he also
got a small stipend from the higher ups, but it wasn’t the unlimited
budget that Madigan and his guardians got from Madigan’s archangel
father. They were required to live off the stipends they got every
quarter. They were working men, not aristocrats.

Levi caught his eyes and hopped off the stool. “I’ll come with

you,” he said. Huh. So someone had heard him. “I need some air, and
I think you’d like some company.”

Jade really didn’t mind going on his own, but it warmed him to

know that someone wanted to go with him. “Let’s grab our coats and

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we’ll go. It should be fine for just the two of us since we’re in
sanctuary.”

Levi nodded and went over to Axis and Erik and leaned up to

whisper in Axis’s ear. When the commander looked over at Jade for
confirmation, Jade nodded. Axis winked and went back to nuzzling
Erik. Levi disappeared down one of the side halls and returned a
second later with both their coats.

“You know, you’re very beautiful when you’re thinking about

your duties. There is satisfaction there for completing a job. You like
being part of a group, of having a function,” Levi said as he put his
arms in his sleeves. Jade could’ve sworn he wasn’t looking at him but
at the edges of his aura in that second. The moment passed however,
and Jade wasn’t sure if he was imagining it or not.

“I do enjoy being part of the Elites. There is a certain satisfaction

to be had in being a part of something larger than myself,” Jade
agreed, putting on his own jacket. It was more of a windbreaker than
anything else. The flaps in the back were Velcro and could be pulled
off so he could let his wings out if he wanted to. The jackets were
ideal for flying. “I love our family, and I love feeling like I contribute
to it.”

Levi put a yellow scarf around his throat before lacing their

fingers and practically dragging Jade toward the door. “It’s funny how
you don’t feel overlooked despite the fact that people tend to take for
granted that you are there.”

Jade blinked. “What?”
Levi looked up at him as they came into the garage. “I mean, you

do a lot of things and never point out that you do them. For example, I
know it’s you who keeps the closet color coordinated and hangs up all
the laundry. You label the hangers so no one has to worry about
getting their shirts mixed up. All the guys just seem to take it in stride
and don’t even question who keeps their clothes in order. You don’t
ever get a thank-you. If Keer did something like that, he’d put up a

Angelic Sight

banner or something.” The image was funny, and Jade and Levi
shared a small laugh over it before Jade answered.

He hit the unlock button on the car keys, and Levi climbed into

the passenger side of the black Range Rover before Jade ducked in
the car after him. “I know they appreciate me, Levi. I don’t need them
to tell me so every time I do something small.”

Levi pressed the button that would raise the garage door. “They

never thank you for anything, Jade. I know you’re used to it, but
maybe you should take credit every once and a while. There is
nothing wrong with being recognized.”

Levi didn’t get it. Jade didn’t like making fusses over anything,

and he was used to taking care of others. It was his job and something
that drew him to taking up a position as a guardian to begin with. He
thought of Melody with her pink-and-purple beaded hair. He smiled at
the thought of his last human ward. She always loved when he put the
crayons back in the rainbow. It was how Jade got the idea to color
code the closet. She loved to color best and liked to know where all
her crayons were. He missed the little booger. How old would she be
now? Fourteen? Fifteen? Wow. Time had passed.

“Who are you thinking about?” Levi asked. Jade blinked, coming

back to the present. He put the car in gear.

“My last ward actually. I had her until she was seven.” As sad as

it had been to lose her, he didn’t regret what he’d done for her. “Her
father got involved with some bad people, and they came into his
house when he was at work and tried to kill his family. Her mother
died and so did her older brother. I stepped in between them and
Melody when they took aim at her and used my powers to shield her
from them.” He still recalled in excoriating detail the way the bullets
had felt as they’d been pumped into his chest. To take on a mortal
form made an angel mortal, able to be killed, and he’d followed that
thought to its conclusion. He’d projected the image of the little girl
onto himself so they would shoot him instead. By angelic law he was

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forbidden to kill humans, even bad ones, but he could protect his
wards with his life if necessary. It had been necessary in his mind.

“She was like a daughter to you,” Levi observed as they pulled

onto the main road that led through their subdivision.

Jade nodded. “Yep. I love kids. Most guardians won’t watch over

kids because it’s so stressful and we tend to get too attached, but I
really enjoyed it.”

“So you’d get assigned babies and then watch them grow up?”

Levi asked.

“Sort of. I had my wards until they were around thirteen or so.

Once the scale tips between child and adult and they start reaching
teenage territories, other angels are assigned. When a human is a
child, they only have a single guardian. Around teen years they get
two and continue to have two in the various stages of life until their
death. The thought behind it is that the guardians of their parents are
there as well to lend a hand if necessary. Humans can go through a
half dozen guardians before they die. Archangel Gabriel’s guardians
usually take the final shift since they’re angels of death,” Jade
explained. He did love the way Levi was curious about angels and
their duties. It was endearing, and Jade didn’t mind playing teacher.

Levi nodded like what he said made sense. “So why did you like

watching over kids so much?”

Jade considered his question. Why had he liked it so much? When

the answer came to him, he couldn’t help but grin. “There is a stage in
every child’s life before their parents teach them how to ‘see’ the
world. In that in-between stage they’re able to see most readily into
our world. I think I liked watching over children best because, for a
brief moment in time, I was able to speak with them, interact with
them, be a real and active part of their lives. I think that’s also why a
lot of guardians who watch over children have difficulty letting go.
The humans become like family to us.”

“That’s nice,” Levi said softly. “So when a child says they have

an imaginary friend…”

Angelic Sight

“Then they’re talking to their guardian more often than not,” Jade

finished.

Levi looked out the window as the world passed. They turned

onto Main Street. The grocery store was less than a minute away. “I
had an imaginary friend named Peter. I didn’t remember what he
looked like, but he smelled like the ocean.” He looked over at Jade.
“Do you think he knew I was a nephilim?”

Jade shrugged, pain winding around his chest. There was such a

need to be loved in Levi’s voice. “From personal experience, even if
he did, it probably wouldn’t have mattered.” It wouldn’t have
mattered to Jade one iota if the child he’d watched had been half-
angel or half-demon for that matter.

They fell silent after that, and Jade was grateful when he pulled

the car into the shopping plaza. He wanted to distract Levi from
anything that caused the nephilim distress. He wanted to build a life
for their family that was full of nothing but happy memories. “How
about you and I grab some Halloween candy to hand out?” The
holiday was only a few days away. “And maybe some decorations?”
A lot of their neighbors already had decorations out. Madigan’s
wedding was at the end of November, so they’d have plenty of time to
recoup the loss by the time it came around.

Levi looked excited for a second before he shoved that excitement

behind a mask of indifference. “Is it in the budget?”

Jade nodded. “We can splurge a little bit. Since we open the

facility on Monday, we’ll have another paycheck within the week. So
it’ll be okay.” Plus he could rearrange his shopping list a bit. He
didn’t need to get some of the stuff on the list. He could substitute
with some off-brand stuff for the rest. He could apportion a hundred
bucks to make Levi happy.

“Okay. That sounds like fun.” Levi all but skipped over to the

shopping carts to grab one. “First groceries then one of the big box
stores to get decorations?”

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“Yep. We’ll swing by the auto place on the way home and grab

some parts I need for when Dex comes over. It will be great.” Jade
fished his PDA out of his pocket and pulled up the list. He motioned
to the vegetable section. “Lead the way, angel.”

* * * *

Erik felt like a king. Ever since Axis had let him take control he’d

felt like he’d finally been able to assume a more aggressive role in
their relationship. Marius wasn’t someone who let control go easily,
so the only one he’d ever been able to top was Levi before the Elites
had come into their lives. Maybe since Axis had shown by example
that Erik was just as much of a man as any of them, the others would
let him take what he needed when he needed it. It wasn’t that he
minded bottoming. He didn’t. It was just that sometimes he felt that
his men looked at him as some kind of helpless damsel, and he
wasn’t. He was just as much of a man as any of them.

He couldn’t wait to get his full powers. Then he could finally stop

being a burden and start being an active participant in this group of
theirs. He could run patrols with them and help them with their duties
or whatever.

“Hey, Erik, you want to come work out with me?” Keer asked as

he grabbed his iPod off the island.

Erik nodded. “Yep. Will you show me how to do the angel fire

thing after?” The Elites shared a mutual look of “oh shit.” Erik glared.
“Oh, come on! You really think it’s better for me to do it on accident
again? I’d rather know how to control it.”

“I don’t doubt your enthusiasm to learn, Erik,” Axis said, going

over to the fridge and grabbing a water out of it. “I doubt our
insurance will cover arson is all.”

Erik rolled his eyes. “You’re seriously going to make me wait

until after we start classes at the facility on Monday? Seriously? I’m

Angelic Sight

part owner and I can’t teach any of the classes. I’m a glorified
receptionist.”

He knew he was probably being a little dramatic, but it was

infuriating always being relegated to the position of junior know-
nothing. In his old life he’d always been everyone’s go-to guy, the
guy with all the answers or at least the means to get the answers.
Working as team leader at the Coca-Cola plant had given him the
confidence he hadn’t had growing up as a poor kid who lived with his
mother living in the center of a neighborhood that divided two gang
territories. Ever since he’d become nephilim, he’d felt robbed of his
manhood.

“This is really important to you?” Axis asked, the teasing note

gone from his voice.

Erik nodded. “Yes.”
Axis nodded. “All right. After you finish your workout, we’ll go

into the backyard and see what you’ve got. All of us will help.” The
last seemed to be directed at the other Elites, who nodded their assent
almost instantly, even Marius.

“Really?” Erik asked, daring to hope.
“Absolutely, man. You have to learn how to use it, and you’re

right, you should know how. It’s part of our duty to teach you.” Axis
motioned toward Keer. “Go on and get your sweat on. We’ll be in the
living room watching a movie when you guys are done.”

Erik grinned. Finally. He’d been after Marius for months to teach

him something, anything. But it had been really hard given all the
running they’d been doing.

Keer draped his arm around Erik’s shoulder and guided him to

their workout room. “You are going to be a kick-ass warrior, Erik.”

He looked up at his lover and grinned. “Yeah?”
Keer winked. “Oh yeah. You already have the attitude for it.

When I first got my wings, I had the same frame of mind. I wanted to
know everything. Nephilim get wings when they master their full
power, but I guarantee when you get yours you are going to be a force

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to be reckoned with.” Keer didn’t give compliments lightly, so it
meant a lot that he said that.

“Thanks. Spot me?” Erik asked.
“Always.”
He pushed open the door to the workout room. It originally had

only a treadmill and a set of free weights, but Keer was a workout
fiend. Their meager room had been transformed into something out of
a fitness guru’s wet dream.

A full set of free weights were on their own rack on one of the

mirrored walls. There were workout bungees and balls in the closet
along with a minifridge stocked with water. There was also an
elliptical machine, two treadmills, and a bicycle machine in the back
of the room. The leg press machine and butterfly press also had other
functions as well that Erik had never used. The nephilim considered
the place considerably well stocked.

Keer hit the gym twice a day, after breakfast and before bed. He

was pretty religious about it. The only time Erik had seen him skip
was if they had a vigorous lovemaking session instead and he was too
exhausted to move. The other Elites worked out, too, with the
exception of Marius, who claimed to be allergic to exercise. But none
of them were quite as dedicated to the task as Keer was.

Erik followed the Elite over to the mats by the mirror and went

through their preworkout stretches and the crunches that Keer insisted
made his stomach look like it was cut from marble. Erik had light
definition on his stomach but not the deep cuts Keer did. He was
convinced Keer used some kind of angel magic to make them look
like that. It just wasn’t possible to get that cut without some form of
celestial help.

By crunch one hundred Erik’s stomach was protesting the

movement. By crunch two hundred he was pretty sure he was never
going to be able to sit up again.

Angelic Sight

“You need to drink more water, Erik,” Keer said, making a perfect

crunch before switching to his side and starting side crunches. “Your
muscles need hydrating.”

“Okay.” My muscles need a break. He didn’t say that, though. He

didn’t want Keer to think he was in bad shape.

Keer frowned as he watched Erik struggle to get onto his side.

“Stop. Take a break. Drink some water. You can’t dive into working
out like that, Erik. It’s about building your tolerance and doing what
your body can handle. You keep trying to keep up with me and you’re
going to hurt yourself. If you do a little every day, you’ll build up to
this.”

“I can do it,” Erik said, taking his first painful side crunch.
Keer stopped his motion and rolled to his feet. “Come on,

stubborn. Let’s get some water and finish after.”

Gratefully, Erik reached up and let Keer pull him to his feet. They

went over to the closet, and he waited patiently for Keer to pull out
two water bottles. The coolness of the bottle felt good in Erik’s hands,
and he twisted off the cap before guzzling half the bottle in one long
drink.

Keer’s violet eyes widened. “Easy. Don’t drink too much too fast.

Who taught you to work out?”

“Um, my high school gym teacher,” Erik said. He didn’t

understand what the big deal was. He didn’t mind getting helpful
suggestions, but jeez, Keer was correcting him left and right.

“Well, that person was an idiot. Let me tell you a few helpful hints

to make sure that you can keep working out and get the results you
want,” Keer began. Erik looked at him expectantly. “I was the
guardian of an Olympic athlete once upon a time. He always said that
the key to beginning any workout routine is to start simple. The
problem with diving into a hardcore workout is that your body shuts
down. You’re going to be too sore to work out tomorrow, and you’ll
waste a day or three in bed getting over one day of working out. But if
you do only what your body can handle and gradually build your

Jana Downs

tolerance, you’ll be in great shape in no time. I couldn’t do the
workout I do when I first started.”

“So moral of the lesson is do what I can handle and up the reps

later?” Erik asked.

Keer nodded. “You got it. It’s the same way with your powers.

When you start to learn them you’re going to want to do everything at
once, but it takes energy the same way working out does. You’ve
gotta know your limits, babe.”

“All right. I can handle that. Thank, Keer.” He bumped Keer’s

hips with his own.

Keer kissed his cheek. He really did tower over everyone, Erik

included. “Cool. Now take it easy while I finish my reps and we’ll
start on the treadmills for the cardio bit. Okay?”

“Sounds good. I’ll take pleasure in watching your sexy ass sweat,”

Erik said with a grin.

The Elite put an extra sashay in his hips for Erik’s amusement.

Erik couldn’t help but laugh. Keer was such a goofball.

* * * *

Brax calculated the probability that the cops were going to be

called on his cell phone. The odds of someone getting annoyed and
calling someone was too high to contemplate given the factors that
they were dealing with. Erik’s whole body had developed a soft glow
as the commander talked him through the meditative techniques that
all of them had learned in school growing up. Axis was a good
teacher, kind and patient. He’d walked Brax through his first shift
from his humanlike form to his Pegasus body. However, Brax was
unconvinced it was a good idea to teach a nephilim to create angel fire
without first giving them mastery on shielding. It just seemed to be
asking for trouble.

Angelic Sight

The other Elites were boxing the two of them in, making sure no

spare power escaped and hit their house or one of their neighbors’
properties.

“All right, Erik, the power is inside you. It feels warm when you

touch it, but it shouldn’t burn. There is a well of it. Reach into the
well and concentrate on holding it in your hands,” Axis said, his voice
a low murmur of encouragement.

“I think I feel it,” Erik said, sweat creasing his brow. Whether it

was from the two-hour workout or the fact that his angelic powers
were incredibly draining on his human body since it wasn’t used to
manifesting it, Brax wasn’t sure. Either way, Brax was pretty sure
Erik was going to be bone tired after they got done.

“Good. Then focus on putting it in your hands, and hold it like

you’d hold any other solid object. We’ll work on getting it into a
shape if you can manage this bit,” Axis said, sounding satisfied. That
made one of them.

Brax shot a prayer up to the Creator. He really really didn’t want

to get burned by a nephilim’s angel fire under any circumstance. He
comforted himself with the knowledge that if that happened he could
at least count on nursing from his lovers. And he was going to milk it,
too. He would moan and groan for weeks if he got even so much as
singed.

His lips twitched at the thought. Well, he could mentally threaten

them with that, even if it didn’t actually happen.

Erik’s hands erupted in blue-white flames, and they crept to his

arm to the bend of his elbow. Brax checked his aura. It was stable. He
wasn’t losing control of it yet.

“Good job, Erik. Focus on keeping it in your hands, though. Push

it back down until you can cup it in your hands,” Axis murmured,
stepping back before he got burnt. Erik was doing really well for his
first time using angel fire. Brax had burnt his own flight feathers to
cinders the first time he’d used it. It had been insanely embarrassing
considering one’s own angel fire wasn’t supposed to burn oneself.

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Brax wondered when Jade and Levi were getting back. They

hadn’t been gone long enough to be worrisome but still…He opened
his phone and shot Levi a text. How you doing, cutey?

The reply was almost instant.  Fine. Jade and I got prezzies for

everyone. Miss us?

You know it. Levi always made him feel like he was special. Brax

wasn’t as insanely good-looking as Keer, or as reliable as Jade, or a
leader like Axis. He wasn’t a badass like Marius, either. He was just a
little technophile with an awkward love of all things geeky.

Cool. We’ll be back home in about fifteen. We’re at the hardware

store.

“If it isn’t too much to ask, Brax, will you put up your damn

phone?” Axis’s voice didn’t even register in Brax’s mind. He checked
his e-mail. He got a new message from Alexandra. She wanted to
come down for a visit. He’d have to clear it with—

“I swear to God if you don’t put that damn phone down I’m going

to insert it into your ass with the damn thing turned on vibrate and
watch you squirm as I call over and over,” Keer threatened from his
place beside him.

Brax looked up. “Well, that’s not very nice.”
“Pay attention, IT,” Axis said, amusement lacing his voice. Brax

looked at his feet, embarrassed. Crap. Axis’s attention returned to
Erik. “That’s great, Erik. How about you picture a weapon? Think of
all your video games. Any handheld one will do. Imagine it in your
fist.”

That had been really hard for Brax, too. He’d been more easily

distracted then than he was now, and that was saying something.
Something started forming in the fire, growing rapidly, morphing into
a big blue-white fireball of potential. Come on, Erik. Come on. You
can do it. The silent cheering seemed to bring fruition. Slowly the
blue flame hardened into a semblance of a geometric shape.

Erik’s aura fluctuated dangerously. “Axis,” Brax warned an

instant before the world exploded. Brax threw up his shield but still

Angelic Sight

felt the heat come off the ignition. The sod they’d just gotten in the
backyard was so toast. Levi was going to kill them.

“Erik! Put it out!” Axis shouted. Brax couldn’t see. He was

blinded by a blaze of white heat. Spots danced in his vision.

“I don’t know how!” Erik yelled, panic thick in his voice.
“Think about blowing out a candle!” Brax bellowed. It had

worked well for him. The fire got brighter. Shit. Well, that had been
the opposite of helpful.

Marius’s voice cut in. “Erik!” The formerly fallen was about to

break formation. If he did that, there was no way they could contain
the fire.

“Stay in place, Marius,” Brax begged. The heat suddenly

vanished. Brax still couldn’t see, though. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” Keer rumbled. “Can anyone see?”
“I’m okay,” Erik said weakly from somewhere to Brax’s left. “I

blew out the candle. Can’t move.”

Axis groaned. “At least the fire is out. He spent the rest of his

power.”

Finally Brax was able to see, though the colored spots still danced

through his vision. “How did everyone else fare?” he asked, looking
around the circle.

The first thing he noticed was Marius’s thunderous expression. He

turned on Axis, who was kneeling beside Erik in the center of a black
scorch mark. “Never again. Do you hear me, Axis? Never fucking
again. He learns at the facility in a safe room with safeguards in place
or not at all. Nephilim power is too unpredictable, and we were ill
prepared for it. Axis, this was half-assed and—Axis?”

Brax’s eyes widened as he noticed what Marius had. The right

side of his shoulder and some of his neck was burnt from an ugly
bright red to a scorched black. “In this one instance, Marius, I’ll agree
with you on waiting for a facility,” Axis said through gritted teeth. He
looked like he was in pain but was trying to hide it. No doubt he
didn’t want their nephilim to know how bad he was hurt.

Jana Downs

Erik’s whole body trembled. “That was crazy,” he said in a hoarse

voice. “I thought it was good for a minute, but I lost it.”

“It happens,” Axis said. His voice was calm, but Brax could hear

the strain in his voice. “I should’ve made you practice stabilizing your
powers first before I had you manifest. I pushed too far. Let’s get you
up and in the house.”

Keer stepped forward and scooped Erik up off the ground and

carried him into the house with his long strides. Brax and Marius
immediately went to their leader’s side. Brax hissed as he looked at
the burns. His shirt was burned right into the skin of his shoulder.

Axis panted as the door shut. “Help me to the garage. We’ll cut

off this shirt and try to clean it up a bit. I don’t want to destroy Erik’s
confidence in his abilities.”

“Axis, you need a healer,” Brax said. He should’ve been paying

more attention. Maybe if he had, Axis wouldn’t have gotten hurt.

The Elite draped his good arm around Marius’s shoulders. “I’ll

see what we can patch up, and then I’ll shift. It should heal most of
the damage.”

Brax shook his head and followed after them. “That’s angel fire,

Axis. You won’t heal enough. You need one of Raphael’s healers. Or
let me call Scepta.”

“We don’t have the capital for a healer, Brax. Scepta is expensive,

and I won’t risk calling one of Raphael’s here. I’d have to file a
report, and we still don’t have enough excuses to be able to keep our
location from the hunters. If they know a bunch of Elites are shacked
up with nephilim, they’re going to ask why. I do not want to draw
their attention to Erik and Levi.” Axis gasped as Brax accidently
brushed his arm. Through gritted teeth he continued. “All right, let’s
get me into the garage and get this taken care of.”

“This isn’t how I wanted to see you shift,” Marius said sadly.

They’d been saving the shifting for the facility. They were planning
on going Sunday and giving Marius a show and a tutorial on shifting
before they started work Monday.

Angelic Sight

“It’s all right, beautiful fallen,” Axis soothed. “It won’t compare

to the display we’ll give you this weekend. All of us together are
something else. I promise.” Axis looked over at Brax. “Thanks for the
warning about Erik’s aura. I wasn’t focused on his mind, only on his
power. If you hadn’t shouted, I would’ve taken that fireball to the
face.”

Brax sighed. “Wish I would’ve been quicker.”
They stumbled into the door that led into the garage, and Brax

went over and manually flipped on the lights. The garage was pretty
empty for the most part. The bench they’d set up had a few tools on it,
but that was about it. Thankfully, the bench did have a decent pair of
scissors on it. Brax snatched those up and returned to Marius and
Axis. Axis had sat down on the lawn chair they’d stashed in here
during the rainstorm a few nights ago.

“Let’s get the shirt off you,” Brax said. He gently started cutting.

Marius looked a little sick over the whole thing. “It’s going to be all
right, Marius. Seriously. These kinds of things are expected. We’ve
been injured much more severely when fighting demons. Trust me,
hell fire is a lot harder to heal.”

Marius nodded but still looked queasy. “Just brings back a lot of

bad memories. It’s the smell, I think.” He shook his head as if to clear
it. “So demons, huh? I’ve ran across a few when I became fallen.
They’re like biker daddies on steroids. All attitude.”

“The ones on Earth actually aren’t too bad. For the most part

they’re solitary, or at least not interested in causing too much trouble.
It’s the ones that have descended to hell that crop up as bands of
rebellion that are the worst to deal with,” Axis said. It was good that
he was talking. It probably distracted him from the fact that Brax was
peeling off pieces of shirt and skin. “When they start taking over
human populations and enslaving them, that’s when the Elites are
called in. We’re resistant to hell fire, but it still is a bitch to heal.”

The garage door opened suddenly, the metal grate sliding up.

Crap. Levi and Jade were back. The Range Rover pulled inside, and

Jana Downs

Jade cut the engine. The frown on his face said that he knew
something was up.

The two unbuckled their seat belts and climbed out from the car.

“What happened?” Jade asked automatically. “Hunters?”

Levi paled, beginning to shake. “Do we have to run again?”
Axis shook his head and schooled his expression to something

softer. “Not at all, angel. We were teaching Erik to use some of his
power, and we got a little slack about it.”

Jade opened his mouth and started lecturing. “You know better,

Axis. You can’t just halfway teach a new angel their powers. He has
hours of meditation practice before he’s ready for the harder stuff.”
He looked at Axis’s arm. “Angel fire? Seriously? Angelic weaponry
isn’t a beginning skill, Axis.”

“I know that, Jade,” Axis snapped. “His training hasn’t even

begun yet, and he’s well past the age he should’ve started learning.”

“That’s my fault,” Marius said softly, his voice a stark contrast to

theirs.

Brax shook his head. “No, Marius. You did the best you could

given the circumstances. He already has pretty good control thanks to
you. He’ll learn to be better.”

“He poked a hole in his aura,” Levi murmured, staring at Axis. “I

see it. Burnt you bad.” He shuffled forward and raised his hand as if
to touch the scorched skin. “Erik didn’t mean to. He pulled it back.
Blew out the light like a candle.” Brax shivered as Levi repeated what
he’d said before but couldn’t possibly know.

“Levi?” Jade asked. “Do you see it, angel?”
Levi nodded, seemingly still lost in his own thoughts. “It hurts

when they poke through that layer of aura and peel it back like that.
But Erik wasn’t being cruel. Angelic power is just like that. It wants
you bare.” He looked into Axis’s eyes. “It’s not the last time you’ll be
burnt like this. The next time it’ll hurt more.” His eyes went to
Marius. “Mar, can you get me some water please?”

Angelic Sight

The sink attached to the workbench was only a step away, and

Marius wasted no time in running some water into one of the extra
coffee cups they kept on a shelf for him. Instead of drinking it though,
Levi dipped his fingers into the water. The water turned from clear to
silver and shimmering almost instantly. It looked like the stars had
been stirred into the liquid.

“You have to wash away the bad futures. If you keep this scar,

others will join it. I don’t want you to be hurt, Axis,” Levi murmured,
pouring his water over the side of Axis’s neck and shoulder.
Everywhere the burns were was drenched in Levi’s shimmering
concoction. The glow brightened to blinding for an instant before it
faded, revealing bare skin without a blemish on it. Levi smiled.
“There. The future is good again.” He turned to Jade. “Bring in the
groceries and decorations for me?”

Jade nodded, looking stunned.
“Good.” With that, the little nephilim turned and walked out of the

garage and into the house.

“Holy shit,” Brax whispered, touching Axis’s bare skin.
“Holy shit,” Marius echoed.
“I’ve never seen healing like that,” Jade muttered, looking

thoroughly confused. “There was no ripple, no reformation.”

“He didn’t heal me,” Axis said. “He undid the event. He made it

so it didn’t happen.”

Marius shook his head. “I don’t understand.” Brax didn’t, either.

He’d seen some extraordinary things, but this was something else.

Axis stood. “It’s like he ripped time apart and rearranged it to not

include the burning. I don’t know how to explain it. I felt it undo, like
my body was taken out of the moment and put back seconds after so
that it didn’t happen. I’ve heard of legends that spoke of such things,
but I’d have to consult someone of Uriel’s line. The scholars would
know.”

Brax considered the situation. “Maybe it was because he was

awakened before he came of age. I know the hunters that caught him

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woke up his angelic powers so that he went through early
transformation. It’s not technically against their laws, though it is
frowned upon. Maybe that changed something about his power. I
mean, we’ve met his father. There is no way he got that power from
him.”

“Agreed,” Jade said. “Our lover is hiding much more than I

thought he was if he can do that.”

“Don’t mention anything to him for now. Brax, e-mail Daisis in

the morning and ask what it could be. The archseraphim should know
what direction to point us in,” Axis said. He walked over to the
Rover. “Unlock the back so we can get the groceries into the house.
IT, see what you can get from the online sources just in case Daisis
isn’t sure.”

Brax nodded. “No problem, Commander.” He followed Axis over

to the back of the car and was surprised at the number of black and
orange bags displaying the logo of the Halloween store that had set up
shop in the plaza. “We’re decorating?”

“Levi wanted to. Since next Friday is Halloween, I figured it

would be okay,” Jade said. “I made room for it in the budget.”

“It’s fine. He needs a little normalcy,” Marius said before anyone

else could comment. “It’s our first holiday that we actually get to
celebrate, so bring it on.”

“Couldn’t have phrased it better myself,” Axis said, gathering up

bags. “Everyone take a few.”

Angelic Sight

Chapter Three

Marius would never get used to the absolute knowing that took

place inside him every time he looked at his new lovers. There was a
deeply animal part of him that said without a shadow of a doubt that
they were his mates, and his other side, the part that was all angel,
should just hush with the doubts and get with the program. That part
of him was growing stronger with each passing day. It seemed to be
driving him toward something, but he wasn’t sure of what.

Erik was passed out on the couch, his head in Keer’s lap as the

angel watched some modeling show on Bravo. Marius watched the
two of them from his place in the doorway, and the protectiveness he
normally felt toward his two nephilim extended to Keer as well. In the
kitchen, he could hear the others putting away the groceries and
taking the decorations out of the wrappings so that they could plan
where to put it all. Levi was upstairs doing Creator knew what.

After checking up on Erik, he’d disappeared up the stairs. It

wasn’t like him to want to be alone under any circumstances, but he
hadn’t been gone long and Marius tried to tell himself over and over
again that it wasn’t a good idea to fret over him so much. They were
in a safe place, and if anyone needed his attention, it was Erik. Levi’s
powers had been there ever since he’d met the two nephilim and were
a contemplation for another day.

“How’s he doing?” Marius asked Keer as Keer’s program went on

commercial.

Keer turned his head and met Marius’s gaze. “Exhausted. He

worked himself hard today. I’m proud of him even if he did overdo it.
How’s Axis’s arm?”

Jana Downs

“Healed.” He didn’t want to explain all about Levi’s strange

contribution to the healing. He figured they’d discuss it when they
had a house meeting tonight. Marius had never been part of a group
quite like this before. Being an Elite was a definite experience.
Hunters had worked in units, but they’d all just been taking orders
from the designated leader, who took orders from Azrael. The Elites
had genuine debates and discussions, compromises. It was nice. His
thoughts returned to Levi. Why didn’t he tell me?

“What are you thinking about?” Keer asked, studying him.
“Nephilim, life, love. All the good and bad of it all,” Marius

answered vaguely. What else was there to say?

Maybe Levi didn’t feel comfortable telling a former hunter about

his powers. Erik knew the whole story, but neither nephilim had given
Marius anything but sparse details about the event that had changed
Levi from seemingly normal eighteen-year-old male to fully
awakened nephilim before his time. He knew the hunters had gotten
ahold of him and given him the horrific scars on his back but none of
the details that accompanied the story.

“When dealing with nephilim, it’s never black and white, Marius.

Don’t worry so much over them. They’re slow to trust, and they all
deal with the trauma of their existence a little differently,” Keer said,
stroking Erik’s head with a look of absolute affection on his face.
“Some of them have to reclaim independence before they feel secure
again.” He was obviously talking about Erik. “Others turn their
attentions inward and keep secrets to feel in control. It’s just a
different way to cope. It’ll be all right.”

Marius saw the wisdom in Keer’s words. Others had said as much

to him before, but his natural state with his two lovers was worried.
However, it was good that he had the other men in his life to help him
carry the burden of worry. They cared as much as he did, and that
alone made it all right for Marius to breathe for the first time since
becoming theirs.

Angelic Sight

Keer inclined his head toward the other end of the sectional.

“Why don’t you come chill out with us while we wait on Levi?”

Marius nodded and took his seat. Keer was right. Time would heal

all wounds. He had enough faith in that at least. The fact that he was
redeemed settled into his pores then, making him aware of the angel
binding that decorated his body. These men were his no matter what
they had to deal with.

“Pass the remote, Keer. I’m not watching your runway shows,”

Marius demanded, extending his hand for the remote.

Keer snorted. “Like hell. You are not interrupting my good taste

for whatever bad crime drama you want to watch.”

“You can always walk the catwalk down the hallway upstairs.

You don’t need to watch other people do it on TV. I can only act out
my shows if I murder one of you, and the longer you make me wait
for the remote, the more likely that possibility becomes,” Marius
threatened in his best growling voice. Keer laughed and tossed the
remote. Considerably lighter, Marius started channel surfing.

* * * *

Levi clutched the sheets as his world swam. The colors were

blinding, and he couldn’t sift through it all as the “knowing”
demanded his attention. He’d been putting it off since he’d washed
away Axis’s pain and, with it, brought about a new future. Shit. Shit.
Shit. He wanted to get off this roller-coaster ride. His stomach rolled
as the twisting colors spun faster. Past, present, and future blurred and
twisted until he didn’t know what was up and down.

He’d gone upstairs to get into his pajamas and to grab his Kindle

because he’d figured he’d be getting sick from the shifting colors, but
this was much more than he’d seen before. He felt like he was being
torn apart and reordered. He opened his mouth to cry out, to beg his
lovers to touch him. When his powers started fluxing, their touch
usually grounded him. His hungers were always sharper after the pain

Jana Downs

had passed, like he could somehow drink down their energy as he
joined with them.

His vision blurred, and he saw himself standing on a hilltop

looking out over a field he was pretty sure he’d never seen before.
Someone spoke to him in a language he’d never heard, and he
watched the landscape as the colors and energies morphed into
something else. Times were changing, becoming volatile. He didn’t
know how he knew it, he just did.

“Special,” someone said. “This one is special.” He didn’t know if

they were talking aloud or in his head, and he wasn’t sure if it was
one person or many.

A hand clamped down on his shoulder. “Where do we put him,

Lord?”

“Hide him. The hunters will come. Hide him,” the first voice

ordered. Hide me where? Was he even seeing through his eyes
anymore?

“Where?”
“Nephilim. The nephilim will hide his vision. They will also

enhance it.”

“In plain sight. You’re right. The perfect place.”
Levi turned his head but saw no one, though he could feel them

readily enough. He reached out and ran his fingers through coarse
grass. Where was he?

“Yes. The worst they could do is kill him, but they won’t. Angels

cannot harm the holy any more than they can harm the innocent.”

“He will be safe.”
“Perhaps.”
Levi blinked and was back in their bedroom, writhing on the

sheets. How long he’d been there, he wasn’t sure. He reached up as
the pulse of the house throbbed hard enough to rock its foundation.
He heard his lovers’ shouts of confusion from below as it rolled like
the deck of a ship. Their footsteps pounded on the stairs.

Angelic Sight

Across the world, he saw the hunter who had hurt him turn his

head as if listening to something far away. The hunter stretched his
wings, turning his head. He seemed to look right at Levi, who shrank
back in sheer terror.

It’s not real. It’s not real. The internal chant did nothing to stop

his trembling or the house’s rocking. The hunter faded away to
nothing.

Then his aura stretched out and connected with the house. It

immediately stilled as if it were holding its breath. Down his aura
stretched, through every crevice, connecting with the earth below it.
Levi screamed as he became instantly aware of every life in Urun. He
could feel all of them, the good, the bad, the hurting, the joyous. He
couldn’t take it, couldn’t think anymore. He was going to shake apart.

“Levi!” Marius’s voice thundered. Was it real? He couldn’t tell

anymore. “Levi!” Such a burden. I’m such a burden. It weighs so
heavily on them. They worry so much. He screamed again as he
encountered the golden cord that connected all seven of them. It was
so beautiful, and he was so ugly. Without thinking, he grabbed ahold
of it like a buoy in a rolling ocean. He had to break it, had to make it
so they could be happy, happier without him, happier without his
madness…He could drift, then, away, far away where nothing was
alive and everything was peaceful.

Arms wrapped around him, a dozen of them, all connected to him,

holding him tight. “Little one, come back to us,” Axis rumbled. “We
need you. Stay with us.”

Levi listened to that voice, following the energy back to its source.

He saw Axis’s past, his present, his future, in rapid succession. He
knew where he had begun and where he would end. Calm filled him.
Levi was there. Levi was there until his end. He was their beloved
until they chose to leave this world for the next, until he returned to
the source and gave up his visions to another.

“He’s not seizing anymore,” Jade said, his voice shaking.
“Levi?” Marius sounded broken.

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He leaned further into Marius’s arms, tucking his head under his

chin. “Here I am,” he whispered hoarsely. “I’m sorry.”

“Shh, it’s all right. You didn’t do anything,” Marius soothed, his

shoulders quaking as silent sobs racked him. “I thought I lost you.
Don’t do that to me again.”

“I didn’t want to see it all. I waited too long,” Levi explained,

knowing it wouldn’t make any sense. He was so tired, so very tired of
being. He wanted to sleep. Someone kissed his neck. He felt the
energy. Brax, his sweet and awkward Brax. He was always the odd
one. They related on that level. A vision flickered, another gentle
reminder. “They’re coming.”

The entire room froze. “Who are coming?”
“The five horsemen and the ones who gave me my scars.” Did

that make sense? He wasn’t sure.

“The four horsemen?” Keer asked.
“Yes. Plus one.”
“Impossible,” Keer said, fear lacing every syllable.
Levi’s eyes slid shut. “Not against us. They’re running, running

from the ones who gave me my scars. Old nephilim. So very old. The
first. The oldest. They lived somewhere safe, but now they have to
run. Azrael’s hunters drove them out. They felt me when I felt the
world.”

“The four horsemen are supposed to be angels,” Brax whispered.

It was an old legend that was pretty commonly told in angelic circles,
at least that was what Marius had said when he’d spoken of them.

“Not the end. The beginning of battle,” Axis said. “No one said

they were angels or demons for that matter. Victory, War, Famine,
and Death were just harbingers of great change in our ancient texts.
They rode whenever great injustices ravaged the world. They
cleansed it.”

“Angels,” Keer said stubbornly.
“And Hope,” Levi whispered, beginning the descent into

unconsciousness. “The fifth is Hope.” He stopped fighting the

Angelic Sight

darkness then. He’d told them what he needed to say. He had to sleep.
With that he descended into dreamland.

* * * *

Marius had not wanted to leave Levi while he slept, not even to

call Scepta for answers. Axis had thought it was understandable given
the circumstances. He’d tucked Levi and Erik on either side of the
former fallen and had gone downstairs to make a phone call. Jade and
Brax had followed him, but Keer had lingered near their lovers’
bedside, so Axis had ordered him to watch over the three while they
slept.

“So what can you tell us about the four or five horsemen, man?”

Axis asked. Scepta was on speakerphone in the study. It had taken
forever to track down the guy since he was making his rounds in
town, but Axis had finally gotten his cell phone number after twenty
minutes of hunting.

“One was forgotten because he didn’t bring pain. They’re so old

they don’t have names, so the seraphim gave them names based on
their accomplishments or powers. According to the text I’m looking
at, they’re the sons of the five Thrones, our Elders, raised in Eden
after the sons of man left. Their mothers gave them to their fathers,
and they were schooled in our ways before our ways were even
passed to the first angelic child.

“Victory took back all the cities from nephilim and angels alike

who enslaved man. Another translation of his name is ‘Conquest.’
War acted as a great leader of armies. He strategized battles like no
other before him. The ‘art of war’ was named after him. Famine was
so named because his power lies in the withering of life. He can
literally cause or cure any disease. Death can drain the life out of any
living person with a touch, or imbue a weapon with the ability to kill
with a touch. Hope could bring back the dead, heal the mortally

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wounded, and retrieve souls from the afterlife. They were all pretty
badass beings from what I’ve read,” Scepta said.

“Is it possible they’re coming to Urun?” Axis asked.
Scepta sighed into the phone. “I suppose it’s possible. Who told

you this?”

Axis looked at his lovers. Brax was sitting in one chair, Miss Kitty

in his lap, while Jade wore a hole in the carpet pacing in front of the
desk. Did he tell Scepta? Well, we wanted answers. The slight nod
from Jade reaffirmed his decision. “Levi. He had some kind of
seizure, and his powers made the whole house shake. I have no idea
how the heck he is so strong, but he is. He seems to be getting some
kind of visions.”

Scepta sucked in a breath. “That was at your house? My fathers

weren’t sure where the epicenter was. The only being in the universe
that can connect to life like that is a being that can exist on all the
planes at once. My father, Daisis, came down because he felt the
tremor in the world.”

“Well, what is it?” Brax asked anxiously. The cat in his lap raised

her head and mewed so he would keep petting her.

“I’m not sure. I’ll have to call you back with that. My dad might

want to see you guys. He might just be a super powerful prophet, but
the gift of sight is usually inherited. I knew that Erik had a touch of it,
but I didn’t know about the other one. I haven’t seen anything, but
that doesn’t mean much considering how clogged my head gets from
touching people all day. My best advice is to keep him at your house
and try not to excite him too much. If he is getting visions, the quiet
and relaxation will help,” Scepta suggested.

“What if it’s more than visions? I’ve never seen someone see the

future like that,” Axis said. It had been disconcerting, like Levi was
blinking in and out of reality.

“Hmmm, got me. I’ll call you back as soon as I have answers,”

Scepta promised. “Tell him not to suppress them though. It’ll back up
and build pressure behind the block. That’s probably why he seized.

Angelic Sight

Tell him to just let it out.” It sounded like he adjusted the phone on
his shoulder. “Okay, I’m at my next appointment. I’ll call you guys
when I get back to the tower tonight.”

The phone disconnected, leaving the three of them to their

contemplations. Axis was pretty sure he was going to have a heart
attack before he got their nephilim lovers settled into a semblance of
normalcy.

“Levi is going to be all right, isn’t he?” Brax asked, worrying his

bottom lip.

Jade answered before Axis could. “Of course he is. We’re going

to take care of our little one, our hellcat, and our new Elite. It’s what
we do. If Levi has special sight, it’s a gift, and he will learn to manage
it like the rest of do.”

“Jade’s right. We will help him in any way we can.” Axis would

just have to figure out the best way. “Brax, why don’t you ask around
on the Net and see if you can find any angels who can help us out on
the vision thing. It’s probably something most prevalent in Archangel
Gabriel’s or Archangel Uriel’s choirs.”

“I’ve got some friends I can e-mail,” Brax assured. He worked

best when he was being useful, and if he could be on the computer to
do it, he was all game.

Axis looked up as the study opened to admit a very sleepy-looking

Levi with a worried Keer behind him. “What is it, baby? I thought
you were asleep.” It hadn’t been long since he’d left them upstairs, an
hour at most.

“Coffee,” Levi grumbled. Their little mate was addicted to the

stuff, and damn if they didn’t cater to his wants on the subject. Axis
figured if the most selfish thing his Levi wanted was to be babied
occasionally and be brought coffee, then it was all right. Marius had
spoiled both nephilim, but that was okay. Spoiling the ones he loved
was just fine. Besides, Levi wasn’t incredibly demanding about it. He
was more cute than anything.

Jana Downs

“I’ll go,” Keer said, disappearing from the doorway. Keer

might’ve been the one who gave Levi his hardest loving, but he was
also one of the most attentive. Levi shuffled into the room and took
up the chair that Jade had refused to sit in.

“I’m not normal,” Levi said, leaning his head back against the

chair. “I know I’m spoiled and bratty sometimes. I’m sorry. But I
can’t just be your spoiled nephilim. I’m weird. I keep seeing things,
knowing things.”

It seemed their boy was finally confessing what he’d been hiding

from them in the weeks since they’d all joined. He really didn’t need
to apologize, though. They enjoyed when he was a little queen and
were far from judgmental of his “weirdness.”

Levi sighed and let his eyes close. “I used to think that Marius

would only worry if he knew, and then I just wanted something that
was all mine, you know?”

Axis nodded.
“Lately, it’s been worse. I’m not just seeing auras and stuff. I

can…” He paused, obviously searching for a word. “I can fix stuff.
Not heal per se but reach inside it and fix it.”

“We’re having Scepta look into it,” Axis assured, feeling for his

smaller mate. He looked so small sitting there in his Twilight Zone
pajama pants and a white tank top. “We’ll get an answer, little one,
and we’ll help you through it no matter what is going to happen.”

“So you don’t hate me for this?”
“Not at all,” Axis reassured. “We’re all going to support one

another and love one another and take care of our family.”

“I like this plan,” Levi murmured. Keer came through the door a

second later with a cup of coffee, which he deposited into Levi’s
hands. “I’ll start taking care of you guys, too,” he promised. “I won’t
always need you guys so much.”

Keer chuckled. “I hope that’s not the case, beautiful. I love that

you need us. I love that you want us around and need us to take care
of you.”

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“Agreed,” Axis said. They watched Levi as the smaller man

finished his coffee and looked up at them.

Levi’s eyes hit the floor. “I know it sounds dumb, but I feel like I

need to be punished.” He pushed the coffee cup onto the desk and
looked up at Axis with lowered lashes. “I feel so guilty…”

Axis watched the change come over Keer as Levi asked, in his

way, for what he needed. It was strange to watch Keer go from his
normal self to his Dom persona, but the transformation was pretty
extraordinary. He gave Levi exactly what he needed. Axis shivered.
He wouldn’t mind getting a spanking from him if Keer was so
inclined when he looked like that.

All the worry started to drain out of the room as the need to come

together and find a bit of happiness in the uncertainty of the situation
took precedent. Everything seemed better when they were making
love.

“You can ask to be spanked because you like it or because you

need it, not because you feel guilty about something that isn’t your
fault,” Keer said sternly. Levi whimpered at the tone. God, how sexy
was that?

Levi squirmed. “I want it.”
Keer pointed. “Over the desk, little one. I’m going to turn that

pretty ass pink and then fuck it full of my cum.” Axis’s cock jerked.
“In fact, you’re going to be filled with all of us. How about that,
pretty boy?”

“Yes, please.” Please was the magic word, and it let everyone

know that what Keer was saying was exactly what Levi needed.

“Get naked and over the table, Levi,” Keer commanded. His violet

eyes went to Axis. “Hold his arms, Axis, and give him something to
suck on.”

Axis stood and unbuttoned his fly as Levi stripped off his clothes.

The nephilim’s movements were slow, but he managed to get off his
pants and shirt in less than a minute. He draped himself over the table
with care, extending his arms toward Axis like Keer had instructed.

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Axis’s cock was practically resting on Levi’s bottom lip as the young
nephilim positioned himself for their pleasure. Axis gripped his
wrists, anchoring Levi’s torso. The nephilim stuck his tongue out,
lapping at Axis’s tip.

Keer’s hand fell on Levi’s backside with a resounding crack. Axis

groaned as Levi immediately made a noise of need and sucked half of
his length down his throat. He strained against Axis’s grip. The action
just seemed hotter because of the control Axis had over the motion.

“I didn’t say suck yet,” Keer teased in a voice more sinful than

dark chocolate. His hand fell again. “My naughty nephilim, you like
to be spanked, don’t you?”

Levi whimpered and sucked on Axis’s body with the single-

minded concentration of a man almost over the edge of pleasure. Axis
used his grip as a counterweight, pulling Levi forward slightly as he
pulled back.

“Hmm, like his mouth, Axis?” Keer rumbled. Axis nodded, his

eyes rolling at the sensations assaulting his hot length.

“Feels fantastic,” Axis managed to say through his teeth.
“See the pleasure you give us, Levi? You are not our burden but

our blessing. The rough loving you desire is just yours for the asking,
angel,” Keer continued, laying into Levi’s backside with another three
rapid strikes. Levi’s ass was cherry red where Keer’s hand fell, and it
would be worrisome had Levi not clearly enjoyed it so much.

Axis pushed his hips forward, providing opposite stimulation for

Levi as Keer spanked him until Levi was writhing in need. The Elite
commander growled his approval every time Levi met his gaze.
Everything about Levi brought out his dominance. It was as if the
nephilim begged for the wilder side of the angels and their instincts
commanded that they provide him with his desire.

“Mine!” Axis snarled as he fucked his mouth.
“Fill up his pretty mouth, Commander. Mark our angel’s insides.”

Keer’s voice was a deep, rumbled purr. He wasn’t sure whether it was
the command, the fact that Levi started hollowing out his cheeks and

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sucking harder on his turgid length, or a combination of both, but
Axis was suddenly on the edge of orgasm, and the urge to spill his
pleasure in Levi was undeniable. He growled through his cock being
wrung out of every atom of seed by Levi’s deep draws. “Perfect,”
Keer whispered, his hand landing on Levi’s backside with a final
crack. The nephilim writhed, his eyes wild. “Jade, take the
commander’s place while I fill up Levi’s tight ass. Axis, think you
can get it up again before I finish?”

Axis panted, nodded. His body was already twitching, threatening

to swell as Jade walked over and let out his hard body and Keer undid
his own pants. Levi groaned and opened his mouth, trying to cram
both Axis and Jade into his mouth at the same time. His mouth wasn’t
quite big enough, but Axis definitely gave him props for the effort. He
pulled back and watched as Jade settled into the space he had
occupied, gripping Levi’s arms and hammering his body into Levi’s
throat. Axis looked up in time to see Keer slide into Levi’s ass at the
same time.

What a beautiful sight. Axis shuddered and reached for his now-

hard dick and jerked it in time to Keer’s thrusts. Despite the fact that
he’d just come hard enough to cross his eyes, Axis was sure it
wouldn’t be long until he was falling off the edge once again. Keer
rumbled something complimentary as he fucked Levi hard enough
that the desk shuddered. The nephilim’s eyes had closed once again,
but the look of pain and bliss on his face was enough to tell Axis that
right there was exactly where he wanted to be.

Jade transferred his grip to Levi’s hair. The anchor was much

easier to control than Levi’s arms were, and his second-in-command
groaned his pleasure to the ceiling. More. That’s it, Jade, use our little
nephilim good. Keer slapped Levi’s ass and looked at Jade, who
seemed to feel the same way Axis did about how sexy Keer looked
when he was being all dominant.

“Come,” Keer growled. Both Jade and Levi made a sound of

surprise before shuddering through orgasms so intense they both cried

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out in unison. Keer joined them a split second later, emptying himself
into Levi’s pert backside. By then Axis was ready to go again.

Keer stroked Levi’s back and the cherry globes he’d spanked the

moment before with a look of wonder on his face. He looked so
enamored with their nephilim, and Axis was pretty sure that he
understood the feeling. Levi was so precious to them, but then again,
so were the rest of the Elites.

Axis reached for the lube and slicked his fingers. Without asking

permission or giving warning, he walked behind Keer and spread his
cheeks. He traced the shell of Keer’s ear with his tongue as he pushed
one finger into his still-clenching hole. “Your turn, Keer.”

The Elite groaned.
Axis chuckled and added another finger. “I’m going to fuck you

until you’re hard enough to fill our Levi up again. I don’t want him to
doubt for a second that we can be everything he desires.”

Levi gasped softly as Keer shuddered. “Yes, please!” the nephilim

begged. Axis slicked his prick again and pressed it inside Keer. The
Elite pushed back, welcoming the invasion. He slammed forward and
growled his possession to the heavens. These men were his.

Angelic Sight

Chapter Four

Friday dawned with all the enthusiasm of a hangover. The clouds

had rolled in at some point during the night and chilled the air to a
nearly frigid thirty-five degrees. It was supposed to be
uncharacteristically warm this weekend, but if today was any
indication, the weathermen were going to be wrong.

Marius hung the last plastic ghost from the porch as Jade applied

the bat decals to the upper windows where Axis had already put in
spooky orange, red, and lime-green lights on the sills and around the
porch. He had to admit, the house looked fantastically festive, and it
looked just like one of the houses Levi had sighed over when they
were still living out of suitcases in hotel rooms.

Since Levi had claimed the Halloween decorations, Erik had

demanded input on the Christmas ones. He didn’t care what everyone
put inside, but the outside décor was going to be his brainchild. It was
a bit early considering Halloween hadn’t even passed yet, but
whatever made Erik happy. The Elites had shrugged and agreed, not
understanding why decorating was really a necessary thing for the
two other nephilim. For all their experience as guardians and whatnot,
they seemed oblivious to the significance of home. Then again, most
angels were until they came and lived on Earth. Marius hadn’t
understood in the beginning, either.

“He seems better today,” Keer commented as he joined Marius on

the porch, looking out toward the street.

“He does,” Marius agreed. Thanks in large part to Keer’s

management. After Levi had returned from his downstairs tryst with
their other lovers, he had returned calmer. Marius had made love to

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him until morning broke, until sheer exhaustion forced them all into
slumber.

He glanced over at Keer. “Has Scepta called?”
Keer shook his head. “Not yet. Axis expects he’ll call after he

finishes work tonight. He was supposed to call after he consulted his
fathers last night, but it may be more complicated than he had
planned. The commander feels like we should give them time to
figure it out.”

“If that is what the commander feels is best,” Marius said. It was

only a few short months ago that he would’ve pitched a fit over
Axis’s decree to leave the leaders of Urun alone when it came to the
potential answers concerning his nephilim. Now he trusted Axis
implicitly. If he wanted to wait, he would have damn good reason to
do so.

“Aren’t Madigan’s friends getting into town tonight?” Keer asked.
Marius nodded. “I think so. Levi mentioned something about it

when he was talking to Madigan the other night. That reminds me, it
was their first day of business at their new bakery. It might be a good
idea to show our support. I could go for some of Madigan’s baking.
You should taste his stuff. It’s heaven in a sweet treat.”

“I think everyone will like getting out of the house for a bit. We’ll

be tied down from Monday on, and Levi will probably be happiest if
we keep his mind off what is going on with him until we know
something definitive. Ask Jade if we have the budget left for some
cakes or something, and I’ll try to round up the rest of the gents,”
Keer said. He turned around and headed back toward the door.

Marius stepped off the porch, heading to the front of the drive so

that he could look up at the second floor where Jade was clinging to
the roof. “How much money do we have to play with?”

Jade raised his staple gun and put the last giant plastic spider on

the windowsill and slicked another bat decal to the window. The
spiders were a new touch. Marius hadn’t known they were doing that.
Brax was handing them out an open window next to him.

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“Depends,” Jade said, not looking up. “Big purchase or small one?

I used a lot of our play money on decorations.”

Marius watched in fascination as Jade used his yellow-and-orange

wings to balance on the edge of the roof. “I figured we could get the
nephilim some cookies or something. Madigan and his lovers just
opened a bakery in town. Keer and I thought it would be good to get
everyone out of the house for a bit.”

“Yep. We’ve got the capital for that. A dozen cookies shouldn’t

run more than ten bucks, right?” Jade used one wing to push off the
roof and swing onto the other side of the sill. He muttered something
uncomplimentary under his breath about cheaply made spiders and
was forced to restaple one.

“Should be. Finish up and get your shoes on. How long do you

need?” Marius asked.

Jade shrugged. “I don’t know. Five minutes maybe.”
Marius nodded and went back up the porch and into the house.

Axis met him in the foyer. He met the green eyes of his commander
and felt nothing but happiness. How had he ever looked on Axis in
resentment? He gave him redemption, love, a second chance at a life
he’d lost.

Axis smiled at him like he was reading Marius’s mind. “I hear

we’re going to get snacks.” He pointed to the grandfather clock in the
entryway. It was three in the afternoon, and they had only been up
three hours at most. “I think it’s a great idea. I would also like to stop
by the facility and teach you to shift. It’s well past time, and I want
you completely ready for the opening on Monday.”

A sudden nervousness filled Marius along with that strange

feeling like he wasn’t alone in his own head anymore. That feeling
grew as a separate consciousness joined his own. It felt noble, ancient,
far older than Marius was, at any rate. It’s time. Marius jumped as the
thought echoed through his mind. It wasn’t words exactly, more of an
impression of a desire, a knowing that their time for true unity was at
hand.

Jana Downs

Marius nodded, swallowing hard. “You think it’s time?”
Axis winked. “I know it is. Your animal calls to mine. We’re part

of the same group, the same family. He wants to run with us. Trust
me. It’s nerve wracking now, but soon you’ll resent keeping your
human form. We might want to look into some farmland in the
future.”

“We just moved here,” Marius said. “I don’t want to move the

nephilim so soon.”

Axis turned to the entryway closet, opened the door, and started

rooting inside. “The facility will be more than adequate right now, but
I’m saying that in a few years it might appeal.” He remerged a second
later with a spare pair of Nikes. He tossed them to Marius. “You need
to put proper shoes on. Sandals in thirty-degree weather is
ridiculous.”

Marius’s eyes went down to his toes. With jeans on, the only thing

visible was his bare toes. The sandals were fine. He’d been wearing
the same pair for months. He reconsidered. No, not months. Almost a
year now. They were comfortable. He never wore his tennis shoes if
he could help it. They confined his feet and made him sweat.

“I like my sandals.” He eyed the shoes Axis extended to him.

Yeah. Those so weren’t happening.

Axis looked at him strangely. “You’re rebellious about the oddest

things. You yield on some tasks I give you and I think that you’re
tamed, but then something will spark, set you off, and then I see the
fallen angel you were before. It’s a sexy and exasperating mix.” He
waved his hand in dismissal. “Fine. Wear your sandals and get
frostbite.”

Marius couldn’t suppress his grin. “Don’t mind if I do, Axis. Are

the rest of boys getting ready, then?”

“We’re ready!” Levi called from the top of the staircase. He

beamed down at them in a black jacket, his name emblazoned on the
breast in orange lettering with an orange undershirt with a black cat

Angelic Sight

sitting on a pumpkin. He was certainly in a festive mood. Even his
black Converses were laced with orange shoelaces.

“Anyone tell you that Halloween isn’t ’til next Friday?” Marius

teased, winking at his nephilim lover.

Levi shrugged. “I’m celebrating all week.”
Marius really loved when Levi was carefree like this. When he

was relaxed and cheerful, his eyes sparkled like twin emeralds and his
easy grin was full of mirth and mischief. Marius imagined that the
look was a leftover from more innocent days. He sometimes forgot
how young Levi was. Most nephilim hit maturity at twenty-eight and
their human maturity was past the youthful indiscretions stage. Levi
had been tortured into awakening at eighteen, had been dealing with
his angelic powers for five years now. He was the youngest nephilim
Marius had ever encountered. He was most likely the youngest
nephilim in existence.

“I look forward to your display, angel,” Marius said. Keer and

Brax crowded in behind the nephilim and peered down at him. Erik
came running down the hall behind them and nearly rolled them all
down the stairs. Marius’s heart tripped over itself as the cluster
righted itself and they all started laughing hysterically. Yes, it is
hilarious to nearly give me a heart attack. Marius glared.

Axis clapped him on the shoulder with one hand. “Easy, Marius.

They’re in a playful mood. Don’t ruin what we’ve started.” He looked
up at the others and smiled. “Load up the cars, boys.”

Marius imagined Erik was grumbling about not flying into town

yet again. He’d been trying to get them to carry him there for a few
days now. His overeagerness to stretch his powers was making him
restless and reckless. It was a dangerous combination given what he
was. Marius sighed and decided not to think about it. Soon Erik
would be learning everything the Elites had to teach him and coming
fully into his powers. Until then, he would do as he’d always done,
watch, wait, and protect.

Jana Downs

* * * *

“Beautiful boy,” Jade murmured, wrapping his arms around

Levi’s shoulders. Levi leaned back into the embrace as they waited in
the line that snaked all the way outside Madigan’s shop. It seemed
every local in the vicinity had turned out to buy something from
Madigan’s shop. Levi wondered if it had been like this all day. His
breath clouded around him in a steamy expression of life and he
huddled further into Jade’s embrace. Keer stood in front of them,
hands shoved in the black pockets of his slacks. He looked as
handsome as always, almost statuesque. Like a beautiful, ethereal
painting, Keer was desirable and untouchable to everyone. Well, Levi
amended, everyone but them. I have the most gorgeous men in all of
Urun. Each one of them was like a unique and precious jewel.

He lifted his face for a kiss, and Jade gave him the touch he

sought. A snort sounded from in front of them, and he looked up to
see a tall, broad, light-haired angel standing there with a scowl on his
face. Anger was written into the frown lines in his countenance. What
was he mad about? Levi looked at his aura and saw the black mark of
rage as he stared daggers in Levi’s direction.

He automatically shrank back. Was this a hunter or a

sympathizer? Sweat started to form on his skin. Were they in danger?
Jade’s arms tightened around him as if he sensed his discomfort.

The angel that was glaring at him spat on the ground. “Would you

two faggots knock off the PDA? There are children around.”

Levi blinked, and he nearly sagged in relief. Oh good. It’s just a

run-of-the-mill homophobe, not a nephilim-hating hunter. It was sad
that the distinction gave him a measure of comfort.

Keer moved before Levi could laugh in the guy’s face. He held

the angel up effortlessly, his hands curled in the man’s jacket as he
pulled him the extra nine inches off the ground to make him eye level
with Keer. “You best turn around and look elsewhere, friend.
Children shouldn’t hear your vile hatemongering.”

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Axis’s voice cut in before the man could respond. “Keer, put the

asshole down. He’s no threat to any of us.”

“But, Commander—”
“No ‘buts,’ Keer,” Axis interrupted. “You’re not going to brawl at

the workplace of a family friend, and you’re certainly not going to get
your clothes mussed on account of a no-name bigot.”

Keer nodded as if the words made perfectly logical sense. “So

noted, Commander. Mind your manners, asshole.” He dropped the
guy, who turned resolutely forward and didn’t turn around again. Levi
felt the last of the tension drain from his shoulders. Sometimes it was
great to be surrounded by overprotective lovers.

They made it to the front of the shop ten minutes later, and Levi

laughed as his friends came into view. Madigan was running back and
forth from the kitchen, Cross was manning the register, and Michel
and Bren were taking orders from customers over the glass case
display of goodies that were already made. The smell of coffee and
chocolate hit him like a wall of all things fantastic, and Levi decided
that if he ever had to leave home he would happily live the rest of his
life stashed in a cupboard somewhere in this shop.

Michel grinned as he saw them. “Hey, guys. How’s it going?” he

asked, handing off the small bag of bear claws to one of the women in
line.

“We’re great,” Marius answered, crowding in behind Jade. Levi

smiled and nodded. Things were looking pretty awesome today. This
morning they put up decorations and now they were getting sweets.
What more could a guy ask for? “We thought we’d pop in and see
how your first day of business was going.”

Michel motioned to the rest of the shop. “As you can see, people

have been coming in all day. Madigan’s cakes and creations has been
a hit with everyone so far. The macadamia-nut cookies seem to be the
most popular ready-made item.”

“Then we’ll take a dozen of them to go, my friend,” Marius said,

smiling. He and Michel had gotten a lot closer since their flight into

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sanctuary a few months ago. They’d apparently had some kind of
manly bonding experience or something. Whatever had happened,
they were pretty good friends now. Levi had been trying for weeks to
get Marius to go out and have some fun and maybe take Michel. The
guardians needed some chill time, but they were resistant to the idea.

Michel nodded and grabbed a white cardboard box with the name

Angel Treats emblazoned in gold on the cover. “I’ll get those for you.
But don’t go anywhere. Madigan and the others will want to see you.”
He pointed to the small unoccupied table nearest the employees’
entrance. “Wait over there and I’ll have him bring them out.”

Levi practically skipped over to the table and plopped down in

one of the seats. He loved Halloween, and he loved cookies. Life was
awesome right then. A split second later Madigan came out of the
employees’ entrance with the box Michel had made up. Levi shot up
and gave him a hug before taking a step back and looking at him. He
had some kind of red-colored icing on one cheek and flour all over the
front of his jeans. Though tired, he looked happy as well. The
redheaded son of the Archangel Raphael was his best friend, his only
friend really, and Levi was happy to see him look so content.

“Thanks for coming out,” Madigan said, looking at each of the

angels in turn. It was a bit crowded with all seven of them standing
there, but they somehow managed to not get in the way of the other
customers that were trying to get in through the door.

“We wouldn’t miss it,” Levi said, smiling.
“How much do we owe you for the cookies?” Jade asked, fishing

out his wallet.

Madigan waved his hand in dismissal. “Nothing. You guys are

family friends. I wouldn’t charge you for cookies.” He winked at
Levi. “Especially given the fact that you most likely won’t get any.”
He knew Levi had a penchant for sweets, and he was probably
correct. If those cookies made it home, it would be by sheer miracle.

Keer’s hand rested on Levi’s lower back. “You can have two

before we get home. I don’t want you getting sick.”

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Levi bristled a bit at the “can” bit, but he shrugged it off. It was

sound advice. The last time he’d indulged to that degree, he’d gotten
sick as a dog. “Yeah, yeah,” he quipped. He’d have three cookies. He
returned his attention to Madigan. “Are your friends in town yet?” He
knew that Madigan was really nervous about his friends meeting his
lovers for the first time.

Madigan shook his head. “They get in tonight. Christian had to

work, I think. I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know how
everything goes.”

“Sounds good.” Levi nodded. “If you need me, you have my

number. Try to relax.”

Madigan laughed, the sound joyous. “Honestly, I’ve been too

busy to worry today. I expected to get a little traffic, but this has been
insane. We had a good breakfast crowd, and then we got slammed at
lunch. That’s not even including the online and telephone orders
we’ve received. If business keeps up like this, I’m going to have to
buy the building next door to expand the bakery.”

“Right on,” Levi said. “Well, good luck with the rest of your day.

Call me tomorrow.”

“Will do. By the way, you look adorable today. I’ll see you

around.” He waved at Levi’s lovers. “It was nice seeing you all
again.”

As Madigan ducked back into the kitchens, Levi turned toward his

lovers, gripping his prize. “Ready to go? I now have a snack to enjoy
while we watch you guys turn all beastly.” He waggled his eyebrows
at his Elites. They laughed at him and tugged him to the exit.

* * * *

Marius was pleased with the exhibition arena. The domed

attachment to the main facility building had turned out much better
than Marius had thought it would when he’d seen the plans for the
place. He’d been worried that the seats were going to put the students

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in a dangerous position should any of the action going on in the
ground level get out of hand. However, the thin sigil of protection at
the center of the room shielded all areas but the ground floor. Angelic
contractors were the way to go.

“Levi, Erik, go ahead and go sit over on the ground benches while

we get ready. Once we’ve shifted, you can come out onto the main
floor, but until then, stay there. Okay?” Axis asked as the other Elites
started stripping off their clothing and piling it on the benches he was
motioning toward.

“Sure, Axis,” Erik said, watching their lovers bare themselves

with barely contained hunger. If this outing didn’t turn into an orgy,
Marius would eat his sandals.

“Marius, I need your mind on the task at hand. Go strip with the

others. Erik, when we’re done, I’m going to teach you some shielding
techniques,” Axis said.

Marius did as he was bid and jogged over to the benches. Brax

offered a grin. “Excited?”

Marius shrugged. “Nervous actually. I feel like something big is

going to happen.”

“In a way it’s a lot like getting your wings. It marks the passage

between guardian and Elite,” Jade said. “Plus it’s the moment when
you and your animal will become one being with a mutual purpose.
The instincts will be somewhat lessened by your combination, and it
won’t feel so foreign. You’ll be just fine.” The red-eyed Elite tucked
his shoes under the bench before he straightened, gloriously naked.
The nephilim whistled over by Axis, walking toward them with mirth
and lust swimming in their eyes. Was it kosher to pop a hard-on in
this situation?

“It’s like a strip show,” Levi all but purred as he slid onto the

wooden bench and looked at the assembled Elites. Marius finished
stripping and stood back with the other men for Levi’s and Erik’s
blatant inspection.

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“Yum,” Erik growled, eying them up and down. “It’s like being

the king of a stud farm, isn’t it, Levi?”

Levi sighed and licked his lips. “Yes, sir, it is.”
Axis laughed. “Enough, you two.” He walked farther out into the

arena and waved the rest of the Elites over. “Come on. It’s time.”

Marius swallowed and followed after the mass of men. “Give

about three or four feet between us,” Jade cautioned as Marius
bumped shoulders with him. “The shift makes us bigger, and it can
get cramped if you stay too close.”

The former fallen looked to his nephilim, and they nodded their

encouragement. He took a deep breath. “Okay. How do I do it?”

“Close your eyes and just face what’s inside you. You examined it

the first night of redemption, and you’ve felt him in the intervening
time as a soft presence. Embrace him now. He’ll show you the path,”
Axis said. Marius’s lips twitched. Show you the path. Sounds like
something off one of Brax’s nerd shows. “The unicorn will lead you
down a path of certain destruction. Mwhahahaha.”

“I don’t think he’s thinking about his animal,” Brax whispered,

which of course only made Marius laugh aloud instead of in his head.

“Try concentrating a little harder than that, Marius,” Axis said, his

voice laced with amusement.

Marius tried really hard to smother the chuckle that made its way

out of his throat. “I’m trying. Just stop being all Yoda for a second. I
can’t concentrate when I feel like there are going to be enchanted
whatnots jumping out in my hero’s journey.”

All the Elites started laughing then. “All right, hero. Go for it,”

Axis said when he finally managed to stop cackling.

Marius’s eyes slid shut, and he took another deep breath, trying to

push everything else in his head away. It was hard to understand
exactly what Axis wanted him to do. The part of him that was foreign
rushed up to greet him.

It’s time. The same sentiment repeated itself in his mind, and

Marius couldn’t help but be a little unnerved by it. What would it feel

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like? He couldn’t imagine being anything but what he was. His
muscles trembled as if he had the urge to run. What was that?

“Keep your eyes closed, Marius. Concentrate on the animal,” Axis

said, his voice an anchor against his swirling thoughts. Marius
breathed through his confusion, reaching past what his logical mind
could comprehend to a place that was just him and the thing they put
in him. The “thing” was not happy about being classified as an it, and
Marius felt his displeasure. When Axis had said “animal,” he’d
assumed an animal intelligence, but the animal was a reflection of
him, just as smart as Marius was.

He suddenly found himself standing in a pitch-black room. He

knew logically that he was inside his mind, the outside blocked out by
the darkness outside the light Marius stood in. The darkness wasn’t
frightening though, more like a room of quiet reflection instead of
fear. The sound of hooves against the marbled black surface of the
floor signaled him to the animal’s approach. From out of the darkness,
an ebony figure came into the lighted space toward Marius. Then the
darkness seemed to melt away and a horse the same white-rose color
as Marius’s hair stood there. The wings on the creature didn’t even
register until he bent and bowed to Marius. There was an intelligence
in his eyes that Marius had felt on other occasions.

“Together?” Marius asked, suddenly knowing what he had to do.

The majestic head nodded, and the creature bowed once again. Marius
gripped its mane and pulled himself onto the animal’s back. A white
light blinded him, and then everything went fuzzy.

He blinked open his eyes, and his head swam. Everything looked

funny, warped somehow.

“Holy shit!” Erik yelped from his seat.
“Wow! They’re beautiful,” Levi echoed his sentiments. Marius

turned his head in their direction only to thump his head against
Axis’s torso and nearly sent the man tumbling. What in the world?

“Easy, Mar. Your body is bigger in this form. Be easy,” Axis said,

a little breathlessly from being knocked in the stomach with Marius’s

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much larger head. It dawned on the formerly fallen that he wasn’t in
his human form anymore. Christ. The panic that should’ve
accompanied the realization that he was no longer in his familiar body
didn’t register. He felt calm, powerful, more at peace for whatever
reason. I am what I was always meant to be.

He looked at the rest of his lovers. They were all in their animal

forms with the exception of Axis. They were beautiful, powerful
stallions, with wings the same shades and patterns as their Elite
bodies. Keer and Jade made quite a striking pair side by side, peacock
feathers and bright yellow-and-orange wings molded to create
something out of an excellent acid trip.

The urge to run welled up inside him. He wanted to test his limbs,

to explore his body. The animal part of him fully approved the idea. It
would be good to run with his lovers, his family. He walked slowly to
the edge of the arena and watched as his lovers followed.

“Race!” Levi shouted. “Come on, Axis, you, too!”
Axis laughed. “Fine. But you both better stay where you’re at.

We’re large, and I won’t risk you guys getting trampled.”

“Whatever! I want to ride one of you,” Erik said in protest.
“Maybe later. Let Marius enjoy this,” Axis said. Marius watched

in fascination as Axis closed his eyes and a split second later a
Pegasus stood in his place. There was nothing dramatic about the
shift. One second he was there and the next he was gone. He couldn’t
even wrap his mind around the idea that his lover was the same being
even though he knew it was. Marius had lived a long time and had
seen many strange things, but this was by far the strangest.

Axis trotted over to them and got into line beside them. “Okay, on

my signal!” Levi shouted excitedly. He pointed his hand to the red
warning sticker down one wall. “Whoever passes the sticker first
wins.”

“Winner gets a blow job from me and Levi,” Erik added for extra

incentive. Marius would’ve laughed had he possessed the same vocal
capabilities he was used to.

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“On your mark, get ready, go!” Levi cried. Adrenaline shot

through Marius’s blood as they took off like jockeys at a race. Marius
leaned into his animal, relying on him to carry him into unfamiliar
movement and speed. The steeds of heroes. Marius could see how
people thought about Pegasus. He felt like he could carry anything,
run away, win everything.

Brax shot ahead of the pack of them almost as soon as they started

thundering to their goal. There were only fifty yards in the arena, so
they couldn’t really stretch out, but the space allowed for a brief sprint
before they had to slow. Marius pushed his muscles, wanting to win.
However, the smaller Pegasus pulled ahead easily and Brax crossed
the invisible line. He made a noise of happiness as they slowed after
passing the goal line.

As they rubbed along one another, a congratulations and a

welcome all in one, Marius realized something about his lovers. Not
only did they feel like his, as strange as it was to say, but he could
also see thin golden threads that connected all their auras together. A
blessing from the Creator, the ability to see one’s mates. It was
something beautiful and unique, and Marius couldn’t help but be
grateful for it. He no longer was afraid that he was forcing a
relationship into being that didn’t belong. He knew without a shadow
of a doubt that their union was fated.

“Well done,” Axis complimented as he shifted back to his human

state. “Move about a bit and stretch your legs. When you’re ready to
go, switch back.” Marius nodded. Yeah. This is pretty cool. Levi
hopped off the bench and ran toward them, startling Marius as he
flung his arms around Marius’s neck.

“You’re beautiful,” Levi whispered, kissing Marius’s equine

cheek. “You’re exactly as you were always meant to be.” The echoing
of his earlier thoughts was a bit unnerving, but the pleasure of the
compliment stole away any discomfort he might’ve been feeling. Life
was good. So very very good.

Angelic Sight

Chapter Five

Levi was sweating by the time they pulled onto their street. Erik

exchanged concerned glances with his men as Levi continued to stare
out the window as Axis pulled the car into their cul-de-sac.

Levi had been fine when they’d been at the facility. He’d enjoyed

their animal forms and had even talked Axis into letting him and Erik
ride them around for a little bit before Axis had announced that they
should get going and herded them all back to their clothes. When
they’d stepped out of the facility and into the nearly empty employee
parking lot, Levi had taken one look at the sky and had turned ghostly
white before climbing into the car and refusing to speak for the rest of
the ride.

Axis’s cell phone started ringing. “Hello?” he answered. “Yeah.

Hold on a second, let me put you on speakerphone.” He hit a button.
“Hey. Scepta, what do you have to tell us?” Everyone held their
breath as they waited for Scepta to speak. They’d been waiting since
yesterday to hear back.

Scepta’s voice sounded a split second after. “I’ve spoken with my

father, and he says that Levi might be the Oracle we were looking
for.”

“You were looking for an Oracle?” Axis wondered aloud. Erik

looked at Keer beside him.

“What’s an Oracle?” Erik mouthed.
“A being that can exist on all planes,” Scepta answered. “It is a

being that goes between and fixes periods of time. In essence, they are
the architects of the universe given larger plans by the Creator.
They’re only born once every five thousand years and only under a

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very specific set of circumstances. One of them is an early
awakening.”

Erik watched as Levi curled into himself, making his body as

small as possible against the seat. He reached out and drew the
smaller man into his body before kissing the top of his head. Levi was
perfect and special and a million loveable things. Erik wished he
could make Levi not ashamed of his existence anymore.

“It would also explain why he is having visions,” Scepta

continued. “Time isn’t something that Oracles deal with in a linear
fashion. Everything he sees has already happened in time, but he has
the ability to manipulate it. Most seers can only see what is inevitable,
not what they can change. Your Levi is different. Beyond that, you
now have the reason the hunters couldn’t kill him. He is an Oracle
and as such is one of the most holy objects in existence. Any angel
that tried to kill him would inevitably go mad.”

Levi shuddered, and Erik held him tighter. He hid his face in

Erik’s jacket.

“So because he’s an Oracle, Levi was spared?” Axis asked,

frowning. He didn’t look any happier about the news than Levi did.

“Not exactly. Whatever hunters had a hand in his torture probably

went insane after he left, though. Angels are used to following orders.
If Azrael commanded angels to kill him, then they would try and
follow the directive. They just wouldn’t be able to get through it,”
Scepta said.

Erik interrupted whatever Axis had been planning to say. “So how

do we ease the intensity of his visions?”

There was a brief pause on the other end of the phone. “The

visions won’t leave. If there is anything he connects to, any event that
he’s meant to see, then he will have them. He will be the intermediary
between things that should be changed and the rest of the world.
People will come from all over the world to ask him questions. It’s
not something that can be kept under wraps. The only thing you can
do is keep him comfortable during and give him good aftercare.”

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“If they’re meant to happen to him, then why are the effects so

intense?” Keer asked.

“A body that is half-human strains against an immortal and

infinite vision. They usually have angels that are called Keepers to
watch over them, much like guardians but more than that,” Scepta
said. “You all would actually qualify as Keepers at this point. You’ve
married him as is dictated. Hmmm…Anyway, my fathers want to
have a meeting with you next week. I’ll have their secretary call you
back and schedule a meeting time.”

“Good deal. Thanks for the information, Scepta. How much do we

owe you?” Axis asked. Erik knew there wasn’t much left in their
budget, so it made him nervous when Scepta didn’t say anything for a
minute. Sometimes he really hated that they had such limited funds to
work with. If Erik could contribute in some way it would be different,
but he felt like he was constantly burdening his men.

“I will ask you a favor in the future and you’ll be there when I

need it. Other than that, we’re even,” Scepta said after the long pause.
“I’ll need information just like you did. Sound good?”

Axis was visibly relieved. “Sounds fine.”
They said their good-byes, and Axis hung up the phone. Erik

stroked Levi’s back. “Are you okay, Levi?”

“I can’t see it. It’s just a shadow. I can’t see it, but I know it’s

coming,” Levi murmured, trembling. Erik was pretty sure he wasn’t
even talking to him.

“What’s coming, Levi?” Erik asked in confusion. It dawned on

him then.

He’s having one of the visions that everyone was talking about. It

was weird to think that Levi was seeing the world in a completely
different way than Erik could see it. His visions had always been
more “feelings” about things, like he had to go somewhere or be at a
certain place at a certain time. The few times he’d had vivid visions,
for example when he saw Marius, Levi, and himself joining with the
Elites, it had come in dreams. He imagined that being awake while

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being completely unaware of yourself was infinitely more frightening
than dreaming.

Levi just shook harder. “He hurts, burns whatever he touches.

He’ll burn the world to cinders.”

All the Elites growled in unison. “Azrael is coming?” Erik asked,

ignoring them. Their aggression was just going to make Levi nervous.
He stroked down his lover’s back, soothing him.

“Yes,” Levi murmured. “He’s coming. Not here, though. He’s

avoiding here. Another. He’s sending another here.” He whimpered.
“The burner.”

Erik frowned. When they’d talked before, Levi had always put the

blame of his scars and the experience with the hunters on Azrael’s
shoulders. He had never identified anyone else as his tormentor.

Levi tilted up his head and met Erik’s eyes. “He kept me. He

should’ve let me die, but he didn’t. I don’t want to be an Oracle.”

“Levi, we’re not going to let anyone hurt you, angel,” Marius

promised. “We won’t.”

“Let’s get him into the house,” Axis said. He looked worried,

more worried than Erik had ever seen him before.

Protectiveness swelled up inside him. There was no way in hell

that he was going to let anyone hurt any of his lovers. He didn’t care
if he exploded from overexerting his angelic powers, he would not
stand by and watch people hurt his angels.

“Erik, I don’t want to see this,” Levi said, clinging tighter to

Erik’s jacket. “I don’t want to see him coming. He saw me when I
was looking into the world yesterday. He saw me, and now he’s
coming.” His deep green eyes were wide and fearful, wild like an
animal’s. “I saw him make up his mind. I saw Azrael order him to
come into sanctuary. Erik, help me.”

“I will. I’m not letting anyone touch a hair on your head, sweet

angel. No worries. Look at our lovers.” Erik pointed to the huge men
who crowded around them as they got out of the car. “Look at how

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big and strong they are. They’re Elites. They would get rid of any
hunter who dared to come near you. You see, Levi, you’re safe.”

Slowly, it seemed like his words penetrated Levi’s vision, and the

smaller nephilim nodded. “Yes. I’m safe. Even if he comes, I’ll be
safe.” He sighed, annoyance and regret lacing his expression. “I didn’t
want to cause you trouble. I wanted to make things easier for you,
wanted you all to be spoiled by me.” His frown deepened. “I’m just a
burden. I should go.” He pulled out of Erik’s arms and started toward
the end of the driveway. Almost immediately Keer took two strides
and swung the nephilim into his arms before delivering a stinging
swat to Levi’s exposed jean-clad backside.

“Enough of that. What did I tell you the other night, Levi?” Keer

rumbled. Erik growled as he swatted Levi’s butt again. He was
fragile. Didn’t he know that? Keer’s violet eyes pinned him. “Don’t
you start, Erik. All of you need to stop treating him like he’s
porcelain. He was strong when he escaped the hunters, he survived,
he fought to get to us, and you all make light of that accomplishment.
He’s allowed to need us because he trusts us, and we’re allowed to
take care of him because we need to nurture. He’s not weak because
he needs someone else to be in control.”

“A Keeper,” Axis muttered, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. “I

wonder…hmmm, Brax, let’s get our nephilim inside and start your
research. I want to know everything about Oracles, Keepers, and
visions. Got it?”

“Yes, sir,” Brax said, saluting a mite sarcastically before heading

into the house.

“I’ll join him and keep him on task,” Jade said, turning to head

inside as well. He paused at the bottom step and looked at them. “I
don’t think he’s weak. I just like to wrap him in something soft and
keep him safe.”

Keer nodded. “I feel the same way, but he needs more than our

protection. He needs our encouragement to seize his own destiny.” He
tucked Levi’s head in the crook of his neck. “That won’t always jive

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with our urge to keep him safe from everything. If we do that, he
won’t be able to handle anything.” His long legs carried him past Jade
and into the house. Axis sighed as he watched them disappear into
their dream house.

Erik echoed his sigh. “We had a good day.”
“Yeah. We did,” Axis agreed.
“We’ll protect him and help him with his powers. Being an Oracle

doesn’t change that,” Erik said firmly. He was ninety percent sure that
the purpose of their mission was still the same. They would still be
protecting Levi from whatever threats came their way and providing
him comfort whenever he needed it.

He looked up at Axis only to find the Elite staring at him with a

strange look on his face. “What?” Erik asked.

Axis continued to stare at him. “You talk like you’re one of my

Elites already, like you’re just one training day away from joining
us.”

A thought, a “feeling” tickled the edges of his consciousness. “I’ll

be a guardian one day,” Erik said.

Axis nodded. “Yes, I believe you’re right, Erik. You’re definitely

displaying the right drive to be one. You will guard over our Levi just
as we do.”

Pride swelled Erik’s chest at the thought. He would be one of the

Keepers that Scepta talked about. Marius’s hand squeezed his
shoulder in support.

“We need to get inside and see what Levi saw exactly,” Marius

murmured. “These visions of his tormentors make me nervous.”

Erik nodded. Yeah. They really shouldn’t stand out in the open

gabbing when there was potential danger on the way.

* * * *

The visions made it impossible to think about even the simplest of

things, and Levi found himself lying on the couch and watching the

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world spin through different scenes and bits of future. It’s all in the
open now. They probably think I’m a colossal freak. He groaned as an
image of Judah ghosted up inside him. He was ordering a coffee from
one of the little coffee shops that Levi loved. It was just outside their
housing district. His heart started to pound. Was this happening now?
Was it going to happen? Useless. What is the point of “seeing” things
when I don’t know how to interpret them?

Keer’s voice cut into his melancholy. “Levi, angel, you want to

come take a bath with me? You look like you’re uncomfortable.”

That’s because I am. He was sweaty, hot, and miserable. The

never-ending rollercoaster needed to derail so he could think about
something other than the images in his head. It was only after Keer
continued to stare at him did Levi realize he hadn’t spoken aloud.

“Thirsty,” he croaked, struggling to stay in the moment as the

claws of his powers sought to drag him back into the realm of
possibilities and visions.

Keer nodded, his beautiful face filled with concern. He worries so

much. I worry them. Levi wanted to scream his frustrations to the
heavens. He didn’t want to be a burden anymore! “Sweet angel,
you’re going to stop thinking whatever you’re thinking right now and
just accept that we are going to take care of you forever. You have to
stop being so critical of yourself. This is a power, like any other.
Oracle or not, you’ll learn to cope with it.”

“It’s never going to stop,” Levi said, his voice choked with

emotion. “I’m going to be useless forever.”

“No, Levi,” Keer said. There was a finality to his tone that had

Levi struggling to open his eyes and pay attention. “We are going to
find a way to make everything right.” By the time Levi managed to
open his eyes, Keer had disappeared.

Suddenly he wasn’t in the living room anymore. He wasn’t in any

room anymore. He was floating, falling through the air until he landed
on his ass with a soft thump on a sandy beach. This is different. The
world wasn’t spinning anymore, but what the hell was going on? Levi

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pushed himself to his feet and walked toward the darkening steps that
led up to the pier and the boardwalk beyond. He looked up and saw
the sun as it dipped below the horizon as the waves crashed against
the beach.

Someone can tell me what is going on. He climbed up the first

steps. He made his way onto the empty pier and toward the
streetlights that lined the pavement beyond. The air didn’t feel like he
was home. He was just in his T-shirt, and it should’ve chilled him, but
it didn’t. It was humid and had to be in the midseventies. He looked at
the décor. It looked tropical or something. Where am I?

A war cry that shook the windows of the closed shops rent the air

and made Levi jump. The world exploded in a fiery display as
buildings lit up with angel fire. Screams filled the night, and Levi
watched in horror as the green pulse of the city, a barrier of some
kind, slowly withered away before disappearing. Dread filled him,
and auras filled with menace flickered into existence in the skies
above the streets. They were here.

Levi took off in the direction of more lights. He had to get

someone, tell someone what was going on. “Help!” he shouted as he
came to a crowded section of street.

The people weren’t paying him any attention. Their eyes were

glued to the skies, and a mutual cry of horror circulated among them.
They needed to run. The figures were already descending…

“Levi!” a voice shouted, demanding his attention. No. I have to

help them. Levi pulled against the voice that tugged him backward.
He had to tell them. The screams intensified, and black smoke
blocked out the last rays of light and the awakening stars.

“Levi, come back to me!” Erik. It was Erik’s voice. He demanded

Levi’s attention, dragging him away from the horror scene in front of
him.

He blinked and was back in their living room again. Someone had

pressed a wet washcloth to his forehead, and Keer towered above
them, the glass of water in his fist shaking. Erik was on his knees

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beside the couch, gripping Levi’s arms painfully. He opened his
mouth to tell him to ease the grip, but the space was so dry he felt like
his tongue had become a raisin.

“He’s back,” Erik said, relief sharp in his tone. Keer immediately

handed the other nephilim the water glass, and it was pressed to
Levi’s eager lips. He slurped it down as he tried to make sense of
what he’d seen. The auras of destruction had definitely been hunters.
Another knowing hit him like an unstoppable train.

“Someone is at the door,” Levi whispered. Fear starting rolling in

his gut. It didn’t feel good. The doorbell sounded a split second later,
confirming what he knew.

“Jesus. That is eerie,” Jade murmured, pacing like he usually did

when he was nervous. Levi made a noise of protest as Axis turned and
walked to the front door as the doorbell rang again.

“What is it, angel?” Axis asked, fear etched into his face. I’m

scaring them. He wanted everything to stop for five minutes. He
couldn’t breathe.

“Don’t open the door,” Levi begged, his eyes closing of their own

accord. Of course, Axis ignored him. Though he did approach the
door cautiously. It didn’t matter what Levi said, this part was
unavoidable. If it didn’t happen now, it would happen worse later. He
struggled to sit up. He wouldn’t face this on his back.

“Easy, lover,” Brax said. He must’ve come when he heard Erik

shouting. All his men were here just like he knew they would be.

Axis opened the door with a flaming dagger clenched in his fist.

The others formed a barrier between the couch and the door, but Levi
could “see” exactly what was on the front steps.

“Judah,” he whispered. The name of his torturer, his nightmare,

played over his lips and burned like acid. Fanatical hate had been
twisted into madness so calm and warped at the same time.

“Hello, gents,” the hunter greeted. He was just as handsome as

Levi remembered. His wickedness was only further emphasized by
the contrast. The hunter peeked his head around Axis’s broad

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shoulders. “Ah, there is my sweet treasure.” A demented smile
formed on his face. “I missed you.”

Levi was going to vomit. If he touches me, I’ll rip this whole

house down. He let his aura sink into the foundation of the house and
out into the surrounding city. He could bury all of it if he wanted. The
ground bucked under his control, eager to do as he asked. Unmake the
city. I can unmake it. He could reach back and rip the town from
existence.

“No, Levi,” Erik whispered, kissing the shell of his ear. “Don’t.

You’re not bad. You don’t make people suffer. You have to be our
angel, remember?”

There was just so much to deal with. First his visions getting

worse, then finding out he was an Oracle, and now this. He didn’t
know how much more he could handle mentally. I’m going to break.
It would be easy to let himself descend into the world of visions and
be nothing but a vision-producing automaton.

“Levi, stay,” Erik said. Was he reading his mind? “You’re talking

out loud.”

“Oh.” It should’ve frightened him that he couldn’t tell what was in

his head and what was outside of it anymore.

“I have come for my property,” Judah said from the doorway,

completely unconcerned about the dagger clenched tightly in Axis’s
fist. He pointed to Levi and nearly lost his hand for his trouble.

“Don’t you even look at him. It’s you, isn’t it? The one that

scarred him?” Axis asked, his voice a low rumble of menace. Levi
would’ve been afraid if he hadn’t known that Axis would never hurt
him. His guardians, his Elites, would never hurt him.

Judah actually looked flattered. “He’s spoken of me?” It made

Levi sick that he sounded so thrilled about the fact. “Some old friends
told me that the city wouldn’t be here much longer. I came to collect
Levi and take him somewhere safe.”

“No!” Levi yelped, the image burning itself into his mind. He

couldn’t let that happen.

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“Azrael will not leave anyone alive, pet. I can’t let you stand here

and burn. I was going to be good and let you live with your
protectors, but they won’t be able to stop this. Come away with me,
now, pet,” Judah said, his voice a low whine.

“He’s not fallen,” Keer said, a confused look on his face. “But

he’s not an angel, either.”

“Damned. I was damned.” Judah giggled. “I’m unforgivable. It’s

the madness, you see? There is no rehab for insanity from torturing a
little nephilim in the heavenly realm.” He pointed his finger at Levi.
“That’s mine. If I protect it, they might forgive me one day.” Their
eyes met, and Levi shrank back. He’d seen that adoring look a few
times right before the angel burned his skin, slicing away the flesh to
create patterns of his own imaginings.

“G–get out!” Levi shouted at him. The hunter took a step forward

only to be shoved violently backward and out of sight by Axis. A low
growl of warning rumbled out of Axis’s chest. Levi caught an
impression of intention. “Don’t,” he whispered. “You can’t. They’ll
take you away.” He saw it. If Axis did what he wanted to do, he’d be
taken from them.

“The desire to murder doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to do

it, Levi. It’s just a possibility,” a voice said.

“Who are you?” he asked, looking around the room. He was so

confused about what was and wasn’t reality.

“A friend. You know Azrael has come to deliver an ultimatum?”
Levi nodded. He saw that. He also saw war coming. It was funny.

He shouldn’t have been able to stand the presence of this creature
who was speaking to him. It was too pure, too powerful.

“It is because you are an Oracle and exist in all realms. You can

stand the highest and lowest creatures in the universe from heaven to
hell and back again. You know that the heavens will soon be at war
once more?”

Again, Levi nodded. He hadn’t seen it, but he felt the truth in the

question.

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“In two days’ time, you will deliver a prophecy that will alter the

fate of the war and the tragedy that would ensue if it is allowed to
complete its course. For this you will be given the ability to summon
the Powers.”

“Your name, angel?” Levi asked. He felt like he should do what

he was asked. It was important, a mission handed down from a higher
authority.

There was a brief pause. “My name is Seraphiel. Don’t tell your

lovers my name nor the task you are given. When the time is right,
you will know whom to deliver your message to.” Levi felt warmth as
if he was being given an invisible hug. “And don’t be afraid of the
madness of the one who seeks you. Pity him. Unlike others who may
be redeemed in this conflict, he will never find redemption. Your
Keepers are stronger than his will.”

“Okay,” Levi said. A calm settled over his nerves. He knew what

the being said was absolutely true. Finally he pinpointed the aura of
the person he was talking to. He gasped. It was blinding in its
intensity and stood just past Axis on the other side of the room. He
wondered why none of his lovers could see it.

“Because I don’t wish it to be so. Take care, Levi. You are needed

more than you realize.” With that the being vanished.

“Levi?” Erik asked, fear in his voice.
Fire exploded from the front doorway, throwing Axis into the

entryway wall. The sickly green flame licked up his side, eliciting a
scream. Levi was on his feet before he knew what he was doing, and
his Elite lover immediately went into action. Erik kept putting himself
between the door and Levi, but Levi had to get to Axis.

“Shoulda seen that coming,” Axis groaned as Jade and Keer

ducked out the front door in pursuit of the demon who had thrown the
fire, swords flashing into existence.

Erik shouted as Keer bellowed outside. “Brax, call the cops!”
“Gotta go help, Commander!” Brax said, ducking out the door.

Angelic Sight

“Erik,” Axis rumbled. “Use your cell.” He was struggling to sit up

against the wall, the strain written all over his expression.

Levi watched as his lover fished out his cell with surprisingly

steady hands and dialed the emergency number. As Erik began to chat
with the dispatcher, Levi rolled to his feet and padded over to Axis.
Seraphiel had said not to be afraid, and he knew he had to help Axis.
Axis was his mate, his bonded. He was one of the men who meant
everything.

“No. Get back,” Axis wheezed as Levi knelt beside him. “Levi,

don’t.”

“Shh,” Levi said. He was moving on pure instinct. He followed

the path of fire as it seeped into Axis’s muscles. It would take months
to heal and would probably be painful. Levi wasn’t a healer, not in the
least bit. He examined the energy attached to it. He couldn’t unmake
this event. It was too important in the grand scheme of things.
However, he could do something else. “This may hurt.” Translation: it
would definitely hurt. He put his fingers on the edges of the wound
where the burns were the shallowest. He closed his eyes and
shortened the time, pushing past treatment and recovery. Axis
screamed, and Levi winced at the sound. He hated hurting people. It
was over in five seconds though, and when Axis sagged back against
the wall, relief washed over Levi. He imagined healing six months
worth of damage in five seconds was pretty painful.

“Police are coming,” Erik announced, hurrying over and kneeling

beside he and Axis.

“Good,” Axis panted, staring at Levi. “Do I want to know how

you did that?”

Levi shrugged. “I really don’t know how I did that.” He’d just sort

of felt what needed to be done and went with it. This new power of
his was frightening.

The sound of fighting from outside gave him no comfort as the

minutes stretched on. The police were taking too damn long.

Jana Downs

Chapter Six

“I can’t believe he got away,” Jade rumbled for the fiftieth time as

they sat in the living room in the aftermath. The grass had been
scorched out front and there was some damage to their decorations,
but for the most part the house was unharmed by the fire. Thankfully
no one else had been hurt in the altercation.

Night had fully fallen by then, and it was nearly nine. The police

and the report filing hadn’t taken nearly as long as Jade had thought it
should’ve, and he ached to leave out the back door and track the
psycho down himself. Crazy or not, there was a cruelty in the former
angel that made Jade sick to his stomach. Levi had been surprisingly
calm as they’d taken his statement and his relationship to the psycho.
He wasn’t crumbling into a trembling pile of nephilim as Jade had
expected him to do. There was fear in him, but there was also a sort of
determination that Jade hadn’t seen in his nephilim before.

Brax clenched his fists at his side rhythmically as they listened to

Axis reinstate the guard schedule and talk about the new routine they
were going to enact in an effort to keep Levi as out of the public eye
as possible. Erik had declared himself safe because the former hunter
had only wanted Levi, and Axis had allowed it for the moment. That
made Jade nervous, but he wasn’t the commander of the band of
Elites.

He glanced over at Keer, who had said little during Axis’s lecture.

Miss Kitty, the tiny white cat that Levi claimed, sat curled in his lap,
kneading his thigh as she slept. Jade envied the kitten. She lived a
carefree life.

Angelic Sight

Levi looked up suddenly and tilted his head to the side as if

listening to something. “Madigan is calling with news.” Almost on
cue, Axis’s cell rang. “Bad news,” Levi said with a sigh.

“You are scary, angel,” Jade murmured as Axis answered the

phone.

Levi looked at him and frowned. “I’m sorry?”
“Don’t be. It’s hot.” Jade winked. “I’m turned on by the badass

thing.” Levi’s face broke into a grin, and Jade felt something in his
chest relax. He liked Levi happy.

“If you haven’t called Scepta yet, you should. He will want to

know what happened,” Erik said as Axis walked toward the hallway
talking in a low voice. He must’ve wanted some privacy for whatever
the conversation was.

Jade nodded. “That is sound advice. We’ll let him know in the

morning.” He looked over at Levi. “Are you okay, angel?”

Levi shrugged. “I don’t know really. I’m scared, but I think I’m

all right. This is just a lot to deal with. You know?” He walked up to
Jade where he was sitting on the sectional and crawled into his lap.

Jade stroked his back in slow circles. “I know.” Levi wasn’t the

only one going through an adjustment period. To find out his lover
was some kind of mystical divining rod for the heavens, facing the
man who’d tortured said lover, and then being questioned by the cops
about how the fight had started was insanity. Jade still wasn’t a
hundred percent sure what was going on. At least we know why the
seraphim sent us to these nephilim. They hadn’t really questioned
their good fortune when it came to the pursuit of their mates, but now
it seemed like fate had arranged things rather artfully.

Axis walked back into the room. The expression on his face was

pinched, and Jade immediately tensed. “Azrael is going to attack the
city in one week. The hunters are taking sanctuaries down all over the
country.”

Jade’s eyes widened. “The rules—”

Jana Downs

“Are no longer being obeyed,” Axis said. “Azrael has declared

open war on all earthbound nephilim and any who oppose their
slaughter. The only rule they’re upholding is the age limitation on
kills, but they’re sterilizing the children.”

Jade gasped. “No.”
“I’m afraid so.” Axis raked a hand through his hair. “Madigan’s

guardians just called to let us know in case we wanted to run.”

“Are we?” Erik asked. Jade’s grip tightened on Levi. Running

would be so problematic. They were supposed to be safe here.

“No,” Levi said softly. “We can’t run. There is nowhere to go. We

stand here.”

Everything in Jade rebelled at the thought. There was no way he

would let his lovers stay on a potential battlefield. It was better to run
and hide than face the possibility of one of his lovers being harmed.

“We have a part to play,” Levi continued. “We have to teach them

to fight.”

“You knew this was coming,” Jade said, impressed. Their little

nephilim’s powers were growing exponentially as the hours passed.
How it was possible, Jade wasn’t sure, but he knew that he was seeing
something historically significant in the making.

Levi turned so that he could cup Jade’s face. He seemed so frail

with his paled skin, weary eyes, and tired expression. “I saw the first
sanctuary fall. We can’t run, Jade. I know you want to, but we can’t.”

“Do we live to see the end of it?” Jade asked. He had to know. If

Levi had seen their deaths, then there was no way he was going to let
any of them stay. As much as his angelic nature encouraged him to
assist the citizens of Urun and contribute to the war effort, another
more selfish part of him would always put the needs of his family
first. He wouldn’t risk the lives of his men if there was no possibility
of victory. It wouldn’t be something he would forgive himself for, but
it was the reality of the situation they faced.

Levi hesitated. “I can’t see the end. Only the first few moves of

the players involved. There is too much that is undecided yet.”

Angelic Sight

“Free will blows,” Brax muttered. Jade understood the sentiment

exactly. The predictability of free will had always been the thing that
limited seers, but wasn’t Levi different?

“You could take Azrael out of the picture,” Jade suggested. If he

was an Oracle that could literally tear time from the world so that it
never happened, the easiest thing to do would be for him to “fix” what
needed to be fixed.

Levi shook his head. “I can’t. There are too many things that

would be affected, too much damage. Not all time can be removed
without consequences, Jade.”

“How do you know that?” Jade demanded. “You haven’t known

you were an Oracle but for a few hours now!”

“Be that as it may, I’ve had this power since I was eighteen. I just

didn’t know what it was, and it hasn’t been this strong before. I know
what I can and can’t do with it. It’s like I have this part of me that just
understands things. I can’t do what you ask,” Levi said, shrinking
against the adamant way Jade was speaking.

Frustration worked its way down his spine. Maybe Levi just didn’t

know what he was talking about. Maybe—

“Jade, you look crazy right now. Calm the hell down. Let’s do our

research about Levi’s powers before we jump right ahead to making
him use them to make our lives easier,” Axis interrupted, drawing his
attention away from his rapidly panicking thoughts.

“Axis is right,” Keer said. “Take a deep breath, lover. You look

like you’re about to hyperventilate.”

Jade made a concentrated effort to do as his lovers asked. “I’m

sorry, angel,” he apologized to Levi, squeezing him tight. “I just don’t
want any of us to get hurt. The hunters have more numbers than we
can fight off, and after the demon showing up…”

“I get it, Jade. No worries,” Levi said, holding him close. “It’s

scary, but we have to hold on to one another and take our strength
from that.” He looked up at Brax and smiled. “Would you mind to put
on a pot of coffee on?”

Jana Downs

Keer snorted. “Not this late. Nope. No caffeine after nine, Levi.”
“I’m not a child,” Levi grumbled. “We’ve all had a rough night,

and I could really use a cup right about now.” Jade could see the
rebellion brewing on his face, and the others must’ve seen it, too,
because Brax just got up and went toward the kitchen.

“I’m going to spank you for that,” Keer all but purred.
Levi winked. “Sounds good, sir.”
Jade didn’t understand how he was thinking about sex or coffee or

anything else for that matter. The biggest event of their life was
happening and they were being causal about it.

“What good does panicking do, Jade?” Levi asked. Maybe he’s

reading my mind. “Your aura actually. I can see the confusion and the
fear.”

“So many secrets you’ve kept from us,” Jade murmured, tilting

his head up for a kiss. “You’re so calm.”

Levi shrugged. “A friend told me that I had something to do, a

part to play. It doesn’t mean that I’m not afraid. It just means that I
have a purpose, and keeping my eyes on that is easier than dealing
with the what-ifs.”

“That’s smart thinking, angel,” Erik complimented. “So what else

did Madigan say?”

Axis crossed over to the recliner and plopped down before

motioning for Erik to join him. “It was Yuri, actually. They are
having a meeting with ArchSeraphim Daisis in the morning and want
us to babysit their company while they do.”

Erik completely ignored the gesture and instead patted his own lap

like Axis should come climb on his lap instead. Axis gave him a
weird look, but it apparently got the message across. “We can show
them around town or something.”

“We can go to the occult store in town. They’ll probably have

some books on the Oracle and the Keepers,” Brax said, returning with
a steaming cup of coffee, which he passed to Levi despite Keer’s
glare.

Angelic Sight

Axis nodded. “That’s a good idea. We also need to pick up some

extra charms for the boys to wear. Repelling demons is nasty
business, and I’d rather get something potent than risk one of them
getting hit by hell fire.”

“We have no money for that,” Jade said. “There is just no way we

can swing all that. Those books are expensive and the charms are
even more so.”

That seemed to give everyone pause. It was easy to think about all

the stuff they needed, but it was another to be able to afford them.
Jade hated the limitations of their current state, but it couldn’t be
helped. Seven people in one household was a lot, and they didn’t have
innumerable salaries. He sighed.

Axis didn’t miss a beat. “Then we’re not all going to be able to go

out. A few of us can drive the humans around while the rest stay back
here with Levi and Erik. We’ll just make a list of what we need and
pick it up when the first advance from Daisis comes through on
Tuesday.”

“They’ll need us to be ready. We’re going to be much busier than

planned,” Levi murmured.

“You’re not leaving this house. The sigils built into the house will

give you the protection we can’t out there. With the crazy demon on
the loose, I won’t risk your safety,” Axis said.

Levi sipped his cup before answering. “I’m safer at the facility

than here by myself. You’re going to need every man, and dividing
your forces is never a good idea in a situation like this one. We’re
going to have to just risk it Monday.”

Axis was not happy about the idea. It was written into every line

of his body. Every atom of displeasure was clearly displayed. Jade
was completely on board with his unhappiness. He didn’t like their
vulnerability any more than Axis did. He sighed again. Maybe if he
hadn’t pushed the budget with the decorations, they would have
enough to pick up a couple of minor charms in order to keep the
nephilim safe.

Jana Downs

Levi cut into his melancholy thoughts. “Don’t have any regrets,

Jade. We’re all doing the best we can, and I don’t want to live
wondering if the choices that got me here were correct.”

Silence descended over them as they all went into their own

imaginings. Jade’s mind kept coming back to the possibility of an all-
out war on sanctuary grounds. It was so out there that he wasn’t even
sure if he believed it anymore.

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I feel like today was the

longest day of my life,” Keer muttered. Jade agreed. He felt like he’d
been up next to forever.

“Want to call it an early night?” Erik asked.
“I’m thinking about making slow love and then sleeping like I’m

dead,” Keer said.

“Agreed,” Axis seconded.
Jade couldn’t think anymore. He just wanted to feel. “Are you up

to it?” he asked Levi. Out of everyone, Levi probably had more
reasons to be stressed than the rest of them.

“I want to shut down for a while and just feel you guys,” Levi

murmured before pressing a kiss to Jade’s mouth.

Jade leaned into the kiss, his mouth opening to deepen the brief

touch. Their tongues met, tangled.

“I guess we can figure out where Jade falls in the going-to-bed

scenario,” Brax joked, grinning. Jade flipped him off.

He loved being with his men. They were the best kind of

medicine.

* * * *

Brax had never been so angry in his whole life. Anger wasn’t an

emotion he was used to dealing with. As a person, he was relatively
calm, and as a guardian, he had been fairly secluded from violence
with the exception of the day he died.

Angelic Sight

His last ward had been a computer engineer and software

developer at a huge corporation in Germany. Brax had watched as
Benjamin built and tested a program that was designed to increase
interactive learning opportunities for people with severe forms of
autism and speech difficulties. He’d been amazed at how technology
could influence and assist those who would’ve been written off in the
past and had found himself drawn into the internal world of the
scientist he guarded.

The last time he remembered being so upset about something was

the day that three thugs tried to rob Benjamin outside his office as he
was leaving well past working hours. Brax had taken the bullet for
him in human form. He recalled in perfect detail how pissed he’d
been at someone stealing life from another person who was so
determined to help others.

That was pretty much how he felt about someone trying to hurt

Levi. His smallest nephilim lover was a man who valued life and
would give the shirt off his back if someone needed it. He was
consummately sweet. Brax just couldn’t understand how anyone
would want to harm him. He knew logically that it was almost
impossible to reason with a crazy person, but still.

His eyes wandered over to Jade, who still looked like he was in

shock over the whole mess. Levi was comforting him, making sure
everyone knew that he was supporting them. By their definition, the
Elites should’ve been taking care of Levi, not the other way around.

Erik crowded in behind him and kneaded the knots in his

shoulders as they moved into the bedroom. “Brax, you are tense,” the
nephilim murmured.

“For good reason, Erik,” Brax said, leaning into the hard digs in

his flesh. He groaned as Erik hit a particularly sore spot. The others
had already filed into the room and were stripping off their clothes.
Axis went over to the window and peaked out first, though.

Jana Downs

Erik sighed. “All right. All the Elites in the room strip down and

get in bed. Levi, help me give them a rubdown, and then we can sex
them up right to put them to sleep.”

Levi nodded before kissing Jade on the cheek and running over to

Erik and Brax. “I’m at your disposal, Erik.” The nephilim seemed
eager to assist, and that was fine with Brax. The idea of their hands on
him did interesting things to the tension in his body. It twisted the
anger into an eagerness to be touched and a willingness to be
convinced of the value of relaxing.

“You’ll be my first, big boy,” Erik said in a teasing voice. “Take it

off.”

“Maybe one of us should stand guard?” Jade asked.
Axis sighed. “Yes. I’ll take first shift. I’ll wake someone when I

get sleepy.”

“He’s not going to come back tonight,” Levi said. “Stay. We need

this.” Axis hesitated. Before anything else, he was the leader of the
Elites. His responsibility was their protection, always.

“You’ve seen this?” Axis asked.
Levi shrugged. “No. I just know that if we don’t come together

and comfort one another that we’ll regret it. How about you come join
with us and then go walk circles around the house? You can go in
pairs or something.”

Brax’s lips twitched. Look at our little tactician. He’d been paying

more attention to their activities than Brax had thought.

In answer, Axis drew his shirt over his head and kicked off his

shoes. “Fine. I’m too tired to argue.”

Thank God. Brax allowed Erik to grip his wrist and drag him to

the bed where Keer was already naked and waiting. Brax gave a
cursory glance over Keer’s fine form. The man was edible.

“Side by side, guys,” Erik commanded, pushing Brax down beside

the reclining angel. The other angels crawled into bed beside them so
that they were lined up with Brax on the end, then Keer, then Jade,
then Marius, and finally, Axis. Erik walked over to the small box on

Angelic Sight

the dresser that was attached to his iPod and put on some kind of
meditation music that was intermingled with the sound of the wind
and bird calls. Levi dimmed the lights so that the whole atmosphere of
the place as something out of a spa.

“Where’s the body oil?” Levi whispered as Erik slipped out of his

clothes.

“Bathroom. Third shelf down on the rack we put in the closet,”

Erik replied, staring at the men on the bed with open hunger. Brax
understood the sentiment. There was nothing like seeing his lovers
laid side by side like a deliciously decadent banquet.

Levi moaned. “I dunno if I can make it through a massage.” His

hunger had been sharper than Erik’s lately, no doubt a side effect
from being an Oracle and getting a spike in power or something.

“Hmm, just grab the body oil and come back here,” Erik said,

mischief in his eyes. Brax swallowed. His lover was up to something,
and it was wicked.

Levi disappeared into the adjoining bathroom and came back

within seconds holding the red bottle of rosemary, spearmint, and
rowan body oil. He handed it off to Erik, who pulled him close to kiss
the smaller nephilim with all the hunger that he was throwing at the
rest of the Elites earlier. Brax’s cock jerked at the sight.

“Live porn,” Marius muttered, reaching down and adjusting his

swelling length.

“Torture,” Jade sighed as Erik turned Levi around and had him

grab the chest at the foot of their bed.

“Erik?” Levi questioned, looking over his shoulder at Erik.
Erik grinned. “We’re going to take the edge off our hunger so that

all our boys get equal massage treatment.”

“Oh good,” Levi said, returning the smile. “We can just torture

them with a floor show first.”

Erik shrugged unapologetically. “Pretty much.” Without

preamble, the larger nephilim smacked Levi’s upturned buttock.

Jana Downs

“Spread, angel.” Levi whimpered and did as he was told. Brax started
to pant. Damn. It was sexy when Levi fell into the wanting like that.

Erik slicked his fingers with body oil and rubbed it into Levi’s

back and thighs, ignoring the needy buttock that trembled for his
attention. Brax reached down and slowly stroked his hard dick in time
with Erik’s motions. The nephilim continued the slow rub until Brax
and the others were all rock hard and panting like they’d been winded.

Finally, he pushed one finger into Levi’s ass, and they all sighed

in appreciation. Levi pushed his hips back, accepting the invasion
with a silent plea for more as he rocked in counterpoint to Erik’s
presses. It wasn’t long before another finger joined the first and then a
third. Brax could see every expression as it played over Levi’s face.
The pleasure there was unmistakable. The hunger just made Brax
growl with want.

“Stop teasing, Erik. Fuck our angel,” Keer rumbled, his violet

eyes darkened to a deep purple of sunset. He was such an aggressive
lover when it came to the nephilim. Brax shuddered. Usually his
arrogance was frustrating, but in the bedroom, it was just hot. Seeing
him hold down the commander the other day while Erik spanked him
had been both surreal and a major turn-on. He glanced over at the
commander, who was eyeing Erik with undisguised hunger. He
wanted their hellcat tonight, and Brax imagined that Erik’s payback
for the spanking was coming and soon.

Erik pressed the head of his cock against Levi’s entrance and

pushed forward. Brax sighed as Levi trembled against the sensation of
being stretched for their lover’s pleasure. The nephilim worked his
hips, stretching Levi’s ass with slow jabs. He needn’t have been so
careful. Levi was pushing back, practically begging for more.

“Fuck him right, Erik.” Axis’s command surprised him. Brax was

used to Keer growling at them when they were having sex, but Axis’s
voice was usually quieter. Erik nodded, panting and following the
directive with more forceful lunges. “When you finish with him, I get
to put my handprints all over you, hellcat.”

Angelic Sight

Erik gasped. “What about the massage?” His hips snapped

forward, the idea obviously turning him on.

Axis smiled, the look just this side of devilish. He winked. “You

can give me a rubdown after. Keer?”

“Yes, Commander?”
“You are going to gag him while I spank him.”
“Sure thing, Commander,” Keer agreed with a smirk. Erik

groaned and looked toward the ceiling as if assistance would come
from that front.

“More, Erik!” Levi growled, pushing back. He was going to need

more than the other nephilim tonight. Brax could see the hunger was
growing inside him with every thrust instead of lessening.

“Stop tightening like that, Levi. I’m goin—” Erik’s sentence

ended in a shout of surprise as Levi arched his back. Erik gripped
Levi’s hips and started pounding inside him almost violently. That’s
how our angel likes it. Brax jerked his own cock, loving the sight of
his two nephilim joining together. “Can’t ever last with you. Can’t
savor. Shit! Levi!” He jerked once more before they groaned in
unison and Levi’s dick spilled his pleasure against the top of the
trunk.

Axis moved first, rolling to his feet before padding behind Erik,

who was still recovering. The rest of them followed. Levi’s spent
length twitched and began to refill. He looked up at Brax and licked
his lips. Oh, yeah. I can get behind this idea.

Brax scooted to the bottom of the bed and petted Levi’s head,

asking permission for what he wanted. Levi nodded and opened his
mouth. As Brax wound his hands in Levi’s hair, a hand caressed his
hip. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Jade, his red eyes pulsing
with need. Without a word spoken, he knew what his lover wanted.
He nodded and shifted up to his knees. It strained Levi, made him
work for the pleasure of sucking Brax off, but it allowed Jade access
to Brax’s unguarded ass.

Jana Downs

Axis grabbed Erik by the shoulders and hauled him backward and

out of Levi, who winced at the sudden emptiness of the action. It was
only momentary, though. Marius stepped behind him and slicked his
rod with the oil that Erik had used before tossing the bottle to Jade.
Brax tensed as Jade circled his hole with a finger before pushing it
inside. Levi chose that moment to suck harder on the tip of his cock,
and Brax gasped at the combined sensations. The three hundred sixty
degrees of feeling was always the best part of being mated.

“I love you, angel,” Marius said, shoving his body inside Levi’s.

The nephilim screamed around Brax’s dick, and the Elite groaned in
answering pleasure. There was nothing like Levi’s cries of pleasure.
The little nephilim was a screamer, and he was hot as hell.

Jade removed his fingers and pressed the head of his erection into

Brax. Brax let his head fall back and his mind be carried away as he
was sucked and fucked in unison. It was worth bypassing the massage
that Erik had planned. At the rate they were going, they were going to
have to give the nephilim rubdowns after the hard use they were
getting.

Levi was bouncing on Marius’s cock, and the movement forced

his head down on Brax farther than normal. The sensation made
Brax’s eyes roll. Hell yes. “Levi, good.” It was the most articulate
thing that Brax could manage to say. Words of love were poised on
his tongue, but he wasn’t sure if it was too soon to speak them yet.
They seemed so heavy in the moment of levity.

The nephilim’s big green eyes met his, and Brax saw

understanding there. Even if he didn’t say it for another hundred
years, Levi knew. He reached out and cupped the other man’s cheek
in thanks. The nephilim accepted everything they were, and Brax
couldn’t ask for more.

His mind blanked as Jade’s fucking grew in intensity, stealing his

thoughts and replacing it with baser urges. He twisted his head and
was rewarded with Jade’s kiss. He savored the taste. When they’d
been guarding over their mates from afar, it had been the most intense

Angelic Sight

bit of suffering he’d ever experienced. Axis had decided that they
should wait to join, but the urges, the need to be with his mates, had
overwhelmed everything else. The animal inside him made a satisfied
sound. He was happier now that he could touch his men freely.

“Jade,” he rumbled, “love…”
“Yeah, love you, too, Brax. So much,” the other angel groaned.

Brax came undone at the guttural words. He couldn’t help it. He
shouted as he came apart, emptying his pleasure into Levi’s willing
mouth as his ass milked Jade.

He panted in the aftermath, unable to catch his breath as Jade

raced toward his own pinnacle. Apparently, “I love you” is the most
erotic thing I’ve ever heard, Brax thought a little sheepishly. He
looked down at Levi, who winked as he continued sucking his
softening cock. It wasn’t unbearably sensitive just yet, but it was
getting there. A sudden sense of urgency forced Brax’s mouth open.

“Love you, angel,” Brax whispered. “I love you, Marius.” Levi’s

eyes widened, and he made a little cry of surprise as he came. Brax
grinned. It’s the most erotic thing he’s ever heard, too.

* * * *

Erik gasped as Axis dragged him over to the sitting chair near

their bed and pulled him down on his lap with his front facing Keer
and his legs tucked on either side of Axis’s hips.

“Was I a bitch when I let you spank me, Erik?” Axis asked,

popping Erik’s ass hard enough that the sound and heat of the strike
made Erik groan.

“No,” Erik murmured. He wanted this so badly that he was

shaking. Axis had made his point when he’d bent over and let Erik
slap his ass before ramming his cock inside it. He’d grown up
thinking men who yielded to another man were somehow weak.
Being with his lovers had definitely taught him otherwise.

Jana Downs

“Whatever we do together is perfect. Say it.” Axis growled,

smacking him again. Erik wasn’t sure if he wanted to say it, or if he
wanted to get another one of those hard caresses. Axis’s hand fell
again, and Erik yelped. God, yes! “Stubborn.” Then the blows fell in a
steady succession until Erik wasn’t sure what sensation was stronger,
pain or pleasure. Axis’s hands kneaded the flesh he’d just smacked.

The nephilim hissed. “Axis.”
“Say it, hellcat. Say it and I’ll fuck you,” Axis said. The

temptation was too much with that incentive.

“Whatever we do together is perfect,” Erik admitted. He turned

his head and looked into Axis’s eyes. “Can you spank me while you
fuck me?”

Axis’s emerald eyes flared for a brief second before deep

satisfaction filled them. “Done.” He looked past Erik to Keer. “Gag
him, Keer.”

“No problem, Commander,” Keer rumbled. Erik eyed the firm

swell of Keer’s dick. Delicious “gag.” He opened his mouth as Keer
offered him the thick plum head, and he sucked it into the back of his
throat. The nephilim moaned at the taste of hot-blooded male on his
tongue. Behind him, Axis positioned his cock and slowly pressed it
inside Erik’s willing body.

Erik let his eyes slide shut in absolute bliss. Yielding to his lovers,

not always fighting the delicious submission he loved, was turning out
to be much more fulfilling than he’d imagined it to be. They show me
things about myself I’d never experience otherwise. He couldn’t bring
himself to regret a single second of his existence. Running from the
hunters and all the rest that followed was all right, because at the end
of the day, he’d gotten the one thing he’d really wanted, men who
understood his needs and let him be independent at the same time.

Axis’s thick length shuttled in and out of his passageway, forcing

Erik’s mind higher into the cloud of desire. “More,” he begged as
Axis popped his ass in time with his thrusts. He never wanted it to
end, never wanted anything but the feel of Axis hammering away

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inside of him and the sounds of his bonded experiencing the same
level of pleasure as he was.

“On my command,” Axis said. A low growl built in the back of

Erik’s throat as he was thrown onto another precipice of pleasure.
“Now!”

Erik groaned as he came undone. Every nerve in his body fired at

once, and he was pretty sure his brain exploded as his ass and mouth
were filled with the sticky proof of his lovers’ pleasure. Keer growled
out something indiscernible, and Axis mumbled his agreement. Erik,
for his part, couldn’t move an inch.

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Chapter Seven

Keer was up first for once. He padded around the house, getting

things in order and brewing a very large pot of coffee for when Levi
woke up. His mind was a million miles away, already going through
tactical procedures and planning the day with the accommodations
necessary to keep everyone safe. Axis had taken the longest shift last
night, so Keer thought letting him sleep and working through the
details would ease their commander’s mind.

“Morning,” Erik rumbled as he came into the kitchen in nothing

but a pair of pumpkin pajama pants. No doubt they were a gift from
Levi.

Keer motioned to the coffeemaker. “Grab a cup. What woke

you?”

“The phone. Madigan is dropping off his friends in about an hour,

so I figured it was time to get everyone going. After the first cup of
joe of course,” Erik said, getting a mug out of the cabinet.

Keer nodded and opened the fridge. There was some fruit left in

the vegetable drawers that he could cut up for a breakfast platter. It
wasn’t the huge meal that everyone would want, but it would sustain
them until they ate lunch later.

“You want me to make some toast?” Erik asked.
“That would be helpful,” Keer said. He admired his lover as he

finished making his cup and took his first sip of the day. “Are you all
right from last night? We weren’t too rough?”

Erik laughed, the sound joyous. “You both were perfect. Besides,

it’s only proper payback considering I spanked and fucked the
commander of the Elites.”

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101

Keer couldn’t help but be amused by that, too. “Yes. You’re right.

That was terribly naughty of you. I completely approve.”

Erik snorted. “Only because you benefit from either scenario.”
Keer just grinned. He got out the cutting board and proceeded to

slice and arrange a fruit tray for the rest of their lovers. He left enough
room on the platter for the buttered toast they would be making, but
three-fourths of the platter was piled high with strawberries, kiwis,
cantaloupe, apple slices, and pears. Levi would love it. His favorite
breakfast was fruit, toast, and yogurt. Keer tapped his chin
thoughtfully. I wonder if we still have yogurt.

“I thought we’d be able to go the library and check out some

books on the Oracle and the Keepers. Since this is a sanctuary state,
there should be a special section, right?” Erik asked.

Keer put the last bit of kiwis on the platter. “That’s a great idea.

We’ll run it by the rest of the guys when they wake. Maybe we can
scrounge up enough money to get a small charm for Levi to wear.”

Erik looked surprised. “What? You’re not going to insist on me

having one as well?” He looked consummately amused by the
thought.

“I believe in your ability to take care or at least stay out of the

way, love. I would be happier if you could get a charm to protect
against demons as well, but I think if I have to choose one or the
other, Levi’s need for the charm is greater,” Keer said.

Erik smiled. “That actually makes me feel better. When I’m

trained up, some of y’all might actually let me contribute.”

“There will come a day when you contribute greatly, Erik. You’ll

be a warrior yet.” Keer had no problem telling Erik that. The nephilim
was already displaying the attributes, and he needed the
encouragement so he wouldn’t feel like he wasn’t going to be on
equal playing fields with the rest of the Elites one day.

A thump from upstairs signaled Marius’s usual shuffle toward the

restrooms. Keer made a mental note to move the dresser farther over
so that he wouldn’t trip over it every morning for the rest of their

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lives. He swallowed realizing what was to come. There would be war
soon. Life might be shorter than he’d originally planned on. The
possibility left him chilled.

“Hurry and put the toast on, Erik. The boys are getting up,” Keer

said, dragging himself out of his morbid contemplations. “I’ll make
Levi’s coffee and set the table.” The one thing they enjoyed was their
morning breakfast ritual. They weren’t big on meals and tended to
snack more than dine, but breakfast was the only time they all sat
down together for the most part.

“Will do, Keer,” Erik said, circling the island to get to the

breadbox. Of course the nephilim couldn’t resist running his fingers
down Keer’s wings on the way past. He shuddered. Erik had a fetish
for their wings and touched them at any given opportunity.

“Brat,” Keer groaned as the nephilim caressed the joint where

they were most sensitive. “Make the toast.”

Erik laughed.

* * * *

“So this is Becka, Daniella, and Christian,” Madigan said,

pointing to each of his friends in turn. They’d just finished breakfast
and dressed when the large group of angels and their nephilim had
rang the doorbell. The three humans that accompanied them looked
downright exhausted and more than a little unnerved by the situation.
With the exception of one of the girls. She seemed to be both
exhausted but cocky at the same time.

“Hi,” Becka said, tossing her shoulder-length hair over her

shoulder. Keer imagined that she was the toughest cookie out of the
bunch given her firm handshake and saucy wink. “So all you lovelies
are going to be running us around town today?”

Keer actually took a step back at her flirtation, unsure how to take

it. Levi and Erik just laughed, and Axis looked a bit amused.

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103

“Afraid not, Becks,” Madigan said, looking embarrassed.

“They’re going to be showing you around, but they’re all taken.” He
waved at the lot of them. “They’re all together.”

“Oh for heaven’s sake,” Becka said with an exaggerated sigh. “Is

everyone in this town involved in a relationship with boatload of
men? Where can I get my set?”

“Rebecka!” Christian hissed, looking appalled. “That isn’t polite.”
“I was just wondering. Jeez, Chris, calm down. They know I’m

teasing.”

Axis interrupted. “We’ll take care of them, Madigan. We’ll be

going to the occult shop and to the library. Nothing tremendously
invigorating, but we’ll get to see the sights a bit in the meantime.”

Keer wondered why the commander had yet to mention the

demon that had come for Levi. It was probably because he didn’t
want to alarm the humans or heap more troubles on the nephilim but
still…They were their allies, and it only made sense to Keer that they
should share the information.

Jade twined their fingers and squeezed his hand, causing Keer to

look over at their second-in-command. “All in good time,” Jade
whispered. Ah, Axis probably has a plan, then.

“That’s great, Axis. We appreciate you and the others doing this

for us,” Cross said, shaking their commander’s hand. As the leader of
Madigan’s guardians, they were equivalent in rank. Keer didn’t think
they did it on purpose, but whenever leaders met, they tended to
address only people of their own rank. Keer even supported the habit
if this was some kind of official meeting or mission, but they were
basically just babysitting some humans as a favor.

“No problem, Cross. We’ll see you in a few hours,” Marius cut in.

Keer resisted the urge to snicker. He wasn’t the only one who felt like
the atmosphere was far too formal for the situation.

“See you guys later,” Madigan said, hugging his friends good-bye.

The little nephilim looked worried, and Keer didn’t blame him. Their

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world was about to change in a permanent way, and it was
frightening.

“Go have fun, honey,” Daniella said. “We’ll be just fine.”
Keer and the others would make sure they would be.

* * * *

Levi’s eyes widened as the shop bell rang. When they’d parked

out front of the small, unassuming building near the outskirts of town,
he’d assumed they would be walking into a smelly used bookstore or
something, but the occult shop was actually nothing like he’d
imagined. There was a bar along one wall with a black-winged
bartender in a black muscle shirt washing down the counter with a
dirty rag and several black tables filled with occupants drinking
various mugs with the emblem of a skull and crossbones on them.

“Are we at a pirate bar?” Levi asked as an employee in a black T-

shirt with the same emblem and a name tag walked up to them.

“Of course not,” Axis said, looking at him like he was crazy.
Brax draped his arm around Levi’s shoulders. “All occult shops

offer brews to the patrons. They can’t just leave invaluable items on
shelves like a retail shop. You sit at the tables and order what you
need. See the menus?” He motioned to the thick books at the center of
every table. “Everything that you can buy is there.”

“Cool,” Levi whispered. The shop wasn’t too crowded, but there

was still a mixed bag of humans, angels, nephilim, fallen, and—
“Judah.”

The demon looked up from the menu, and a grin stretched his lips

as he lifted his cup in salute. Levi’s stomach dropped to his toes, and
raw fear wrestled inside him for supremacy over logical thought.
Flight or fight were hellishly strong instincts when confronted with
the most terrifying thing he’d ever met.

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105

“Fuck!” Brax cursed, shoving Levi roughly behind him. Flaming

swords burst to life, illuminating the space better than the dim lamps
the shop used.

“Hey! No weapons in here. Put those out!” the bartender shouted,

bringing a bat out from behind the counter.

Axis pointed to Judah. “That demon attacked me and mine the

other night. The police have him on file. Please, call them.”

“This is a place of safety and no judgment. I’m not calling the

cops. Squash it or get out,” the bartender growled.

“Fuck that,” Erik rumbled, pushing through the crowd. “I’m going

to hit that fucker so hard he eats his own Goddamn teeth.”

Judah calmly sipped his drink. Levi could barely see him behind

the wall of his men. “Your lovers are certainly different from you, pet.
They’re violent, at least as violent as I am.”

“You’re wrong,” Levi whispered. His lovers would never hurt

him. They would protect him always.

The demon snorted. “I think not. We have the same devotion. I

fell into damnation for you.”

Keer snarled. “You fell into damnation because you broke the law

of heaven and willingly fell into madness.”

The demon laughed. “True. So very true. No matter. I hadn’t

planned on running into you all today.” All amusement drained from
his face. “Not after what you did to my sword arm. I needed a few
more days of healing than I anticipated.”

“Are we going to have a problem here?” the bartender asked,

walking around the bar and coming to stand between them.

“Oh hush, pretender,” Judah snapped. “This doesn’t concern you.”
“I beg to differ. You’re in my shop, asshole,” the bartender

rumbled. Levi’s power pulsed, and he took a step back at what was
revealed. The bartender was a demon, a strong one, someone so
saturated in magick that it was seeping from his pores.

Judah hissed. “Move. Now.”

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“I can’t do that. I think it’s time you need to leave. Finish drinking

your Aurora and get the fuck out of my shop,” the bartender
commanded, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Levi felt the gathering power. The smell was like acrid ozone in

his nose, and the entire shop shook as the bartender let that power
free. Like Levi’s power the other night, it sank down into the
foundations of the structure and connected to the living things around
it, but unlike Levi’s power it went deeper, connecting to a place that
Levi had only heard about.

“Y–you’re one of them!” Judah said in a strangled voice.
“Get out,” the bartender said calmly. Judah grabbed his drink and

chugged it quickly, his eyes never leaving the bartender and the Elites
that stood guarding over Levi. Levi felt some of his fear draining at
the terror he saw in the demon’s eyes. This wasn’t his boogeyman.
The words that Seraphiel said came back to him. “Don’t be afraid of
the madness of the one who seeks you. Pity him. Unlike others who
may be redeemed in this conflict, he will never find redemption. Your
Keepers are stronger than his will.” The angel had been right. This
demon didn’t deserve his fear.

The bartender’s golden eyes met Levi’s. “Hmm, you aren’t

something I’ve seen in a while,” he said.

Judah lunged at him, and Levi gasped. He opened his mouth to

warn the bartender, but he needn’t have worried. The bartender turned
his head as a wall of hellfire erupted between them, scorching the
demon. Judah screamed and shrank back before falling into the table
he’d been sitting at.

“The cops are on their way,” one of the other patrons said, holding

up a cell phone. He looked a lot like the bartender, same dark hair,
same golden eyes, and same thick build.

The demon groaned and rolled to his feet. “Stupid boy, I’ll deal

with your lovers first. Don’t worry, pet. I’ll get you away from them.”

Levi stepped out from behind his lover and looked at the demon.

“You will not touch any of them.” The former hunter snarled, and

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107

Levi looked at him with complete neutrality. “And you’re still on
fire.”

Judah cursed and patted his arm to squelch the fire. “Enough,” the

bartender said before walking over to the former hunter and dragging
him up by one arm. “You are barred from the occult shop and all its
subsidiaries.”

The former hunter cursed as he was dragged toward the door and

shoved outside. The bartender didn’t look like he was the least bit
concerned by the threats that were issuing with regularity from the
demon. Brax turned around and gripped Levi’s forearms.

“You okay?” he asked.
Levi nodded. “I’m fine. Let’s get the charm thing.” He looked

around Brax to the humans. “Are they okay?”

“They look a little shaken up, but they seem to be doing okay,”

Brax said. The other Elites looked so tense that Levi was pretty sure
that any sudden movement would make them snap.

The bartender returned the second after he threw the other man

out and drew some kind of sigil on the doorframe. “Sorry about that,
gentlemen and ladies,” he rumbled. “I don’t mind tension in the shop.
I’m used to it, in fact. But I won’t tolerate violence.”

Axis breathed out slowly. “That’s understandable, I suppose.

Sanctuary states are a mixed bag of creatures.”

“Agreed,” the bartender said. He extended his hand for a

handshake. “My brother and I own the occult shop. I’m Rayl.”

“Good to meet you, Rayl,” Axis greeted. They shook. “This is my

family. My Elite unit, Jade, my second, Keer, Brax, Marius, and our
nephilim bonded, Levi and Erik. Also, these are some human friends
of ours, Daniella, Becka, and Daniel.”

Rayl seemed particularly interested in the last. “Humans? They

usually don’t come in the shop. Interesting. It’s good to meet you.
What can I do for you guys?”

“I need a charm to repel the asshole you just threw out the door,”

Axis said. “And information if you’ve got it.”

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The bartender nodded. “Drag a few tables together and I’ll see

what charms we have that might be strong enough.”

The Elites moved instantly, grabbing several tables and chairs.

Brax stayed by Levi’s side, his eyes trained on the door. Axis
continued to chat with the bartender as the rest of them did their part.
Levi only half paid attention as Brax drew him into conversation.

“I can’t believe he was here. Was he waiting on us or something?”

Brax asked.

Levi shook his head. “I imagine he was doing what we are,

preparing for the next step.”

Brax was shaking with unspent energy, the anger obviously not

dispersed. “I’m sick of people trying to harm you and Erik for no
reason. It’s not fair. I don’t care what the hunters say. There is no
reason why they should hunt you.”

“Brax, it’s okay,” Levi reassured. “He’s gone now.”
“He’ll be back,” Brax said. “The hunters always come back for

nephilim.”

Levi turned his attention to the three tables the others had put

together. “It doesn’t matter. We have bigger issues than one insane
hunter. Judah will find his own fate when the time is right. We’ll face
him together.”

“It’s about more than the man who hurt you,” Brax murmured. He

sighed. “I just hate that you’re so used to being treated poorly.”

Levi shook his head. “Brax, I’m treated like a precious treasure.

I’m golden in my home. I don’t care how everyone else perceives me
so long as my lovers think I’m all right.”

“But you are golden, boy. You’re an Oracle, right?” Rayl asked,

interrupting their conversation.

Levi was shocked. No one had said anything about him being an

Oracle. He nodded

The bartender grinned. “I thought so. The shit is about the hit the

fan, huh? That’s usually when Oracles show up in the world. I
remember the last one that showed up in Babylon. He was a trip.”

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109

“How did you know?” Brax asked, clenching a flaming dagger in

his grip.

“He’s one of the nine demon lords, Brax,” Axis said, beckoning

them over to the tables.

Shock played over Brax’s face. “No way.”
“What’s a demon lord?” Levi asked. He’d read the codex and the

other books that Marius had let them have, and he didn’t remember
anything about demon lords. Were they different than regular
demons?

“I’m a former demon lord, actually. I’m retired. Demon lords are

special kinds of creatures, friend, hand-picked by the Archangel
Lucifer to fall and accept a damned status in order to keep order in the
realms below. As an angel, Lucifer can’t leave the palace, so he has to
have a way to keep peace in hell. That’s where we come in,” Rayl
said, following them over to the tables. “I’ll get you guys some water,
and then we’ll chat about the charm and the books you’ll need.
Keepers need to know more than how to swing a sword.” He looked
at the knife in Brax’s hand. “Hmph, put that away, young blood,
before you get hurt. I swear, you second-generation angels have no
respect for the rules and regulations of your elders.”

“You’re a first gen?” Axis asked, looking a little awed by the fact.
The bartender nodded. “Of course. I was here when they were

putting the current system in place. Let me go in the back and get
some charms that will be strong enough for your demon friend. Zeke,
watch the front.”

“Done,” the guy who had spoken up during the fight said.
Rayl waved to him. “That’s my brother Zeke. When the cops get

here, you’ll have to make a statement. File a report, will you, Zeke?”

“Sure thing, Rayl.”
Levi sat down in the wrought iron chair that was located in

between Keer’s massive body and Jade. It was a little squished, but he
could manage. He was finally starting to relax after the confrontation
with Judah for the second time in so many days. He was optimistic of

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their ability to deal with him. Maybe the cops would catch him sooner
rather than later.

“You okay?” Jade asked as Levi thumbed through the menu. It all

looked like random stuff to him because there were no explanations
for what the items were for. I guess you actually have to know what
you’re looking for when you come in.

The cops came in then, and Zeke went to meet them. Levi

supposed that they would file yet another report. Brax was obviously
relaxing because he fished his phone from his pocket. Levi leaned
into his shoulder as he started playing Angry Birds.

“Here are the three charms that we have ready made. I can get

something custom ordered for the nephilim, but it’s going to take a
few weeks,” Rayl said, returning from the room behind the bar. In his
fist dangled three black cords with a turquoise, orange, and black
stone on each. “The onyx has been dipped in the pit, and it’s going to
have the most repelling kit, might make the nephilim sick though,
forewarning. I’ve had a couple nephilim who just can’t handle hell
stone. The orange is sunstone. It’s a little less powerful than the onyx,
but it will burn the hell out of any enemy who touches him. The blue
is straight from the heavens, dipped in the fountain of knowledge, and
sealed with a demon repellant used by soldiers in Archangel
Michael’s army.”

When Rayl switched into sales mode, it was an interesting flip

from the growling bartender he’d played the moment before. It made
Levi wonder exactly which person was real and which was the mask.
He tilted his head and examined the vibrant green aura that was
freckled with gold. Neither face was exactly right.

“What are the prices?” Jade asked. “We have two nephilim, but if

we can’t afford to outfit both of them, we will settle for one.”

Rayl shrugged. “A vision from an Oracle would act as adequate

payment to outfit both your nephilim with charms as well as the
books you seek regarding your Oracle and the role of his Keepers.”

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111

Levi shifted uneasily. What did a vision entail? He didn’t have

any control over what he was seeing, and he had yet to make any real
predictions that would mean much to a former demon lord. He looked
at his lovers. They looked just as perplexed as he did.

“It doesn’t entail much from your Oracle. We’d have to hold

hands, but that would be the extent of it.” Still they stared at the
bartender blankly. Rayl frowned. “You all know next to nothing about
him. I suppose that’s a good reason to want those books. He can call
up visions if he touches someone. That’s why he gets overwhelmed if
he is around too many people. Oracles are delicate things, too fragile
for the outside world for the most part. The last Oracle I met in
Babylon was confined exclusively to the harem of his lover, a big
angel named Marcellus. He worked by appointment only. You’d do
well to follow the example and move him somewhere that the
energies of your neighbors won’t saturate his space and send him into
dreams that could last months. It’ll do him good to do minor
predictions to hone his mental fortitude, though. Anyway, the way it
works it pretty simple. He’ll take my hand and draw my life energy
toward him. If he concentrates on the ends of it, he should be able to
see an event or a choice that, if made correctly, will bring me fortune.
That will be ample payment enough.”

Axis made a noise of displeasure and crossed his arms over his

massive chest. He wouldn’t be happy with anything that he felt
exploited Levi or his powers. Jade didn’t say anything either, but he
did send Rayl a calculating look. He was probably trying to figure out
his motivation.

“A fortune from an Oracle is worth more than two charms,” Levi

said before he could stop himself. He wasn’t sure why he was saying
the words, but he knew that he had to say them. Being driven by
forces beyond his control was becoming almost normal for him. The
thought was wry. It would’ve been comical had it not been so
absolutely true.

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Rayl’s eyes flared, respect simmering in their depths. “Ah, so it is.

I will also have some charms made custom to be delivered in a few
weeks’ time. How is that, Oracle?”

A calm filled the nephilim as he saw the correct path. “Call me

Levi. This won’t be the first time you ask us for a favor.”

The demon grinned. “Then it must be so, Levi. Are my terms

acceptable?”

“Fetch the four books we need and get the purple charm you’ve

got in back that you didn’t bring out and give it to my lovers. Give the
sun charm to Erik.” Levi pointed to his fellow nephilim. Rayl fingered
the orange charm in his fist and considered him. “Take it or leave it,
Rayl. Anything else is unfair and you know it.”

Finally he tossed the charm to a still-stunned Erik. “Sorry, Oracle.

You can’t blame a demon for trying.”

Levi smiled. “I don’t, but if you ever try to screw with my lovers

again, I will take your future and twist it into something most
unpleasant.”

The demon nodded and stood. “I’ll be right back.”
“Are you sure, Levi?” Erik asked.
“Levi, I don’t know if it is best. We know very little of your

visions, and trusting a demon is never something you want to do,”
Axis added before Levi could say anything.

“The commander is right, angel. Demons are”—Brax wrinkled his

nose—“unsavory beings.”

“He’s different, not without a sense of honor,” Levi said. “He

deals with all creatures equally, which is more than I can say about
most angels we’ve encountered.” He paused, feeling the situation. “I
wasn’t sure of what was right before. I see what we’re supposed to do.
I can use it.” I can use it to help us. He finally found a way to take
care of his lovers, so he was going to learn everything he could in
order to achieve that goal. They had risked their lives in order to
protect him. He was going to do everything in his power to repay that

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113

debt. He looked around the tables at his lovers and the humans who
had accompanied them.

“I love you all very much,” he said to the table. The Elites and

Erik gave him their undivided attention. “I never knew what it was
like to love like this. It’s only been a few weeks for some of you”—he
nodded to his new lovers—“and some a few years. But all of you
have become infinitely precious to me. I hope that in the future I can
give you all the joy you give me.”

A quietness settled over the table as Levi finished speaking. He

hoped he hadn’t spoken out of turn. He knew that it was really soon to
exchange the I-love-yous, but they were mates. There wasn’t a time
limit on love.

“And we love you, Levi,” Keer said, his voice firm and steady

despite being filled with emotion.

“I second that sentiment,” Jade murmured, his eyes blazing.
Brax shifted, his eyes glued to his game. “You know I love you.

Everyone ought to know I love them.” The mutter made Levi smile.
IT was so sweet.

“And I love our family and all its members as well,” Axis said.
“Oh my God,” Becka interjected, rolling her eyes. “You guys are

so sweet you make my teeth hurt. We get it, everyone loves everyone
else. Is there a place where a girl can get a harem of her own in this
town? Seriously. There is an overabundance of gorgeous, love-struck
males around here, and I want in on it.”

“Becka!” Christian said, looking scandalized. “I’m so sorry,

guys.”

Levi just laughed, winking at his loved ones. “We’ll continue this

later.”

“Damn straight we will,” Erik rumbled. Levi turned his attention

to Rayl as he came back into the room.

“I think this is just what you had in mind, Levi,” the bartender

said. Levi watched as Rayl handed the things they needed to Axis
before turning his attention back to Levi.

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“Let’s do this,” Levi said, offering his hand. Today was the

beginning of a new age for Levi and the rest of his lovers. He
considered his thought. No. It was a new age for the whole world. The
time for the nephilim was rising, and change was in the air. Levi drew
the energy from Rayl’s hand and pitched his mind toward the future.
It looked bright.

End of Book 2: Angelic Sight

To be continued in

Book 3: Angel Awakening

WWW.JANADOWNS.BLOGSPOT.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jana Downs lives in the beautiful mountains of western North

Carolina with three cats, one dog, several dozen fish, and a very
understanding partner in crime who hates to read but makes
exceptions for her stories.

You can usually find her either watching bad reality TV, buying

way too many books on Amazon, or dreaming up another man or two
to occupy her time, because life is good, but several drop-dead
gorgeous, nonexistent men is just better.

For all titles by Jana Downs, please visit