Broken Angel

Chapter 7: Reminiscing

GABRIELLE

There was a fine thread holding together my self-control. Every time I was in Alexi’s presence it was slowly unraveling. Little by little my resolve was crumbling.

I could feel him. I wasn’t a complete moron. Alexi wanted me. But I had lasted this long and I had never craved for more.

It was off putting that for the first time in millennia I wanted more, when I had always been content with little to nothing.

I wanted Alexi’s lips on mine. The heat of his skin when he was near. The deep rasp he made when he was on the verge of losing control. I wanted him to snap.

But I was also scared. I didn’t know what had me backing away in fear. It was everything and nothing. I felt so much for him that it was terrifying. There was never a time when I wanted to give myself to someone. It wasn’t for lack of trying from the male species.

So now I turned to the only person that I could talk to, my little sister, Jophiel.

I was embarrassed that I needed her advice for something as trivial as intimate relationships. My siblings would always come to me. It was unnerving having to seek out help.

“What am I supposed to do?” I asked her after I recanted what happened. We were outside on the patio watching the twins play in the backyard. They had been running around for hours and never seemed to get tired. Poochie had long given up and was laying down under a shady tree keeping a watchful eye over Aurora.

Jo sat back in her chair to sunbathe. I didn’t understand why she did it since we couldn’t change our appearance with things like tanning. Our Father had created us to be perfect, and therefore didn’t allow change. It was the one thing he refused to give us. “I can’t tell you. This is supposed to be your decision. You’ve never had the urge to climb anyone like a tree, but I think your soulmate is a good start. If that’s what you choose,” she spoke in a low tone so the twins wouldn’t hear.

She made it sound so simple. “You’re not making this easier for me.”

I wasn’t making this easy for me. It could have been so simple. I could just give in to my desires. Luci did it all the time, and he seemed happy, more than happy. My brother was living his best life.

There was a part of me buried deep, deep, down that wanted to be free. I wanted to live unafraid of consequences.

Jo sat up in her chair with a disgruntled sound. “Gabi, if you want to have s*x with Alexi, then do it. If not, then no one will hold it against you, least of all him. He has no right to that part of you, it’s an added bonus if you’re willing to give yourself to him.”

She was right. I owed no one anything, but I wanted to do this. For myself. “So, do I just take his pants off and jump him or…” I had no clue what I was supposed to do. This wasn’t something I did on the regular. Now that we were okay again, Alexi and I had been spending more time together. It somehow always ended up in us watching the twins for my brother.

“I think you should start off small. But if he’s anything like Adonis there’s nothing small about those boys,” she said with the biggest grin. I was well aware how well-endowed Alexi was. He would walk around the house in nothing but grey sweatpants hanging low on his waist like the little man w***e he was. You could see everything outlined in those pants. It was like he was doing it on purpose just to rile me up.

And it worked every damn time.

“Christ, JoJo you have zero filter,” I reprimanded her. I looked over at the twins who gave me a happy wave before proceeding to run around. I watched as Alec chased Aurora and wondered if I’d ever have that level of happiness and pure freedom.

“You asked!”

Taking a deep breath I sat back. It would be fine. I could do this. I wanted to do this. I did want to climb Alexi like a tree and I was damn sure going to do it. “Okay, start off small. I can do that,” I encouraged myself.

Jo jumped up from her seat radiating excitement. “Yeah, you can!”

“I’m doing this for myself,” I continued.

“Because you’re a freaking badass!” She shouted with a triumphant pump of her fist.

I shot up alongside her ready to take on the world, because I was freaking awesome and I knew it. “I am a badass!”

“Nothing can take you down! Woo!” She cheered me on and then jumped up bumping my chest with hers. She was smaller than I was and nearly toppled over before I caught her.

“What the Hell,” I laughed at her show of support.

“Sorry. I got caught up in the moment,” my sister giggled with a hint of embarrassment.

Adonis strode out of the house walking towards Jo. He leaned down and pressed a sweet kiss to her temple. “Hello mi cielo. What are you two talking about?” he asked us.

Before either of us could answer, Alec and Aurora came bounding up the steps with giant smiles on their faces and Poochie trailing behind. “Aunt Gabi, what’s seggs?” Alec asked me.

Adonis burst out in laughter, and I was sure my face must have been a red inferno at Alec’s question. I had never felt the need to tuck tail and run, but I was seriously contemplating it right now.

******

After avoiding a very uncomfortable interrogation held by none other than my five-year-old nephew, I decided to find my brother.

Zach had to know something. I could force him to tell me, but I never liked doing that to my siblings no matter the circumstance. They should willingly come to the conclusion that sometimes I can be right, and I could admit when I was wrong.

Right now, wasn’t one of those times.

Alexi was free from his work duties at the company and was able to accompany in search of Zach. It didn’t take us long to find him.

We walked into a senior living center. There were elderly people enjoying each other’s company. I easily spotted Zach at a table with two other people. He was wearing sunglasses to cover up his lack of eyes, there was only so much he could do with his image.

Walking to the table, we saw him playing dominoes with the two other people. “Gabrielle... and that one. Which one of the three is this one?” He spoke before we even came near him.

“This one can kick your ass,” Alexi growled lowly.

Zach motioned for us to come closer with a sway of his hand. The two other seniors seemed unaffected by the conversation happening in front of them. “I don’t doubt that. I’m not much of a fighter, I prefer to take a more diplomatic approach. You can speak freely; Dolores and Jack lost their hearing ages ago.”

“What are you doing here? I happen to know you don’t have an assignment,” I asked him.

They all continued laying down pieces while Zach spoke to us. “This place brings me peace; it helps me appreciate my gift.”

“Most of these people don’t even remember their names,” Alexi argued.

“And they’re thankful for their memories even more. It’s a gift to be able to remember even the bad times,” my brother responded. I somewhat understood where he was coming from. Some of these people would reminisce about a time that once was. That was Zach’s doing.

I admired him for this. For every loss of a memory a person would lose a little bit more of themselves. He tried to keep those memories alive for as long as he could, but he could only do so much.

Remembering why we were really here, I ignored the two other bodies and turned to my brother. “You know where Penelope is. Just tell us. She’s a danger to herself and others,” I explained. After the incident in the lupin field, she was a loose cannon and I had to keep her from blowing up.

Dolores placed her last piece down, effectively ending the game. With a shake of Zach’s hand and a motherly hold of his cheek, she and Jack stood up and walked away. “The only danger is that little girl. She is pure chaos,” Zach turned to us and said.

“Watch yourself, you may be Gabi’s brother but I will put you down if you speak about Aurora like that again,” Alexi threatened. Aurora wasn’t a danger to anyone. She was sweet and innocent and she would never hurt anyone on purpose no matter what Zach thought of her.

I had a feeling the only reason he said that was because of how he felt about Raz. However, his feeling for our brother shouldn’t affect how he felt about Rory. “Explain yourself.”

Alexi already seemed angry with Zach and I couldn’t prolong this encounter. I needed to get information and go before one of them did something.

Zach stood up from his seat and began walking towards the doors, leaving us to follow behind him. “I went through all of the memories from that day. I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out yet. Baby number one is born and Penelope is fine. Baby number two is born, the one that happened to inherit our brother’s gift.”

It took me a second to process Zach’s words. I had no idea where he was trying to go with this.

And then it hit me.

Once we were finally outside, he faced Alexi and I with a tightlipped smile at his lips. “Penelope may have been an empath, but she was still human. She didn’t have invulnerability, or immortality. That cat wasn’t Aurora’s first victim.”

“You’re lying!” Alexi was furious. The fact that Zach was accusing Aurora for causing Penelope’s death was beyond absurd in his mind. But it made sense. As much as I hated to think it true, it was a possibility.

“Am I? It all makes sense. And if I give Penelope her memories back she’ll put two and two together. She’ll resent that little girl, then she’ll blow up. Then that little girl will go on a rampage. Or at least, that’s what I think they’ll do. I work with the past, not the future.”

So many pieces were coming together. Everything was beginning to click into place. Aurora was born with the gift of Death. She was a Reaper before we even realized it.

Our Father didn’t turn Penelope into one of us to punish Raz. It was his way of allowing him to keep her.