Angels and Misfits Part Two

Chapter 5

Nora

Gabe and Katelyn were coming home with Phoenix and Alex made it clear he wanted to be home when they arrived. Nora had a feeling if she wasn’t in the picture, Alex wouldn’t mind a life of solitude with the hound.

She had spent fifty years with Phoenix on her own and loved him, but the bond between those two was something that even the best country western singer could never write a song about.

Alex had the boys outside with him collecting eggs. Kermit the stupid w***e that she was, was shaking her stupid tail feathers at Alex. She knew what he had to offer. She just had to know. It’s why she was the one chicken in existence that seemed to have this unhealthy attraction to a being like Alex. Nora assumed Kermit cooed Alexandriel whenever she laid a damn egg.

Nora tried to befriend her, but the little b***h saw her coming a mile away. She was the opposite of friendly toward Nora.

Someday, Nora was going to chop that head off and give it to Alex to cook for dinner.

Call it the Kermit Special.

Besides, they had Moscato, Green Bean, and Chicken. Clearly, Nora wasn’t in on the stupid names when she went with Chicken. It was Kermit’s fault. She pissed Nora off enough to name her white one Chicken. 

“Alex? Nora?” Gabe called from the front door. “Can I get some help?”

Nora left her place in the kitchen from watching Alex and the boys to go help Gabe with whatever he needed.

“Phoenix!” she squealed. Phoenix ran straight to her. He wasn’t an overly friendly dog and wasn’t one for that licking and panting, tail wagging nonsense. 

Except for Nora and Alex. She didn’t have to bend down to wrap her arms around his neck since he was a giant. “I missed you.” 

Gabe and Katelyn stood in the doorway with their eyes on the car. “What’s going on?”

Gabe grimaced, “I need some help with a…person…”

“You have a prisoner or something?”

“Or something,” he said ominously.

Nora watched the look exchanged between the two. “What the hell did you two do?”

“Katelyn, why don’t you go help Alex and Nora and I will take care of this guy?”

***

Jack had an empty shell of a house on his territory nestled in at the end of a row of modest housing some families lived in. It had the look of a home, but inside was a basement. Well, dungeon might be a more close-fitting term for it. 

It was stained with blood from previous occupants. Since they were asking to use it, Jack decided he needed to be there for the “action.” Nora knew Anya had some exposure into Jack’s war machine side, but she probably wasn’t entirely aware of the fact he had a special liking for some violence. If it was any worse, he might be considered an addict. But he wasn’t. At all. He just needed purpose.

Exacting justice on scum seemed to be his purpose.

Which is why he wanted to be there when Gabe interrogated a fae that—like a certain colorful fae they know—somehow survived losing their wings. Honestly, Gabe was the quiet type. Unsuspecting. Nora wouldn’t have guessed he did something like that to someone, though.

It was a surprise, to say the least. 

Alex joined once he got the boys to bed.

Katelyn was on “make sure the gods don’t cause a natural disaster” watch. Again, Phoenix guarding her. 

Raith was chained to a wall. It wasn’t entirely barbaric. He wasn’t suspended, his arms weren’t above his head.

They weren’t monsters beating the answer out of him. He seemed to be quite cooperative after a couple days in the trunk and Gabe seemed to strike a certain fear in him.

Nora, Alex, Gabe, and Jack stood with their arms crossed. Watching him.

“So, tell me how you know this Scout,” Gabe started. “From what we know, he started all this stuff but no one can find him or his little lady friend Whisper.”

“Scout makes the equivalent of weed. Maybe I would go so far as to related it to some really strong hallucinogenic, but it’s nothing in comparison to what that stuff is.” Raith’s black eyes moved between the four, landing on Nora more than anyone else. “What are you?”

“Not your business,” Alex put his hand on her hip. “You don’t ask the questions. We do.”

Raith’s eyes stayed on her. 

“Who is giving this s**t to humans?” Gabe asked. He held up the vial with the glowing green… “And what is this called?”

Raith’s eyes remained on Nora, but she had no need to feel inferior. No one could do that. “It’s called Angel Breath.”

“Is it from an angel? Is that who made it?” Gabe asked him. 

“Maybe? I don’t know who made it. We get to stay in hiding in that shithole so long as we hand this stuff out to the humans.”

Raith explained earlier their little neighborhood was a sectioned-off part of the city that was hidden from everyone. Well, it was intended to remain hidden from Samael and Lucifer. The only other factor in the middle of that three-way would have been Bernard. Bernard liked to play all sides, it seemed. Where Samael hated the fae creatures, and Lucifer was practically decimating them to feed whatever his asset was in Hell, it meant Bernard was keeping himself a little insurance policy.

And fae like Raith were desperate enough to make a deal with that devil. 

It, at least, gave them a longer life—however desolate it was there.

Because it was Bernard who owned them, he controlled their movements under the guise as a “guardian.” He had other “scientists” like Scout that were manufacturing things like Angel Breath to give to other species. Not humans. Raith didn’t know who made it originally, but somehow Bernard got his greedy fingers on the stuff. A large shipment was dropped off one day, and already this stuff was widespread on the street.

Since none of the other fae were willing to comply, Raith stepped in like some sort of hero to them.

Since Bernard was a bit occupied with Samael and then trying to get Jack’s nephews, he had been neglecting the fae. Another player stepped in, which linked Nora and Alex’s little issue with Gabe and Katelyn’s.

Azrael.

“Raith, how old are you?” Gabe asked. “Seventeen, maybe eighteen-hundred years old?”

Raith glared. “Your point?”

“You agreed to distribute this mad magic poison on the streets to humans and whoever else happened to offend Bernard f*****g Grayson just by breathing? Are you stupid or are you just dumb?”

“Gabe,” Nora started. “I think you’re missing the big picture, here.”

Gabe’s crazy eyes moved from Raith to Nora. “Sorry, what?”

“They’re dying off. The fae are. Other than Juliet, when was the last time we saw fae out and about? Samael killed Juliet’s family. Lucifer was feeding them to his pet. Honestly, it was something they had to do to—”

“Don’t you say that—” Gabe pointed at her. “Don’t you justify this. This s**t killed Kate’s mom. They used it on her, Nora. They used it and killed her like some guinea pig and now she has nobody!”

“That’s not even remotely true, Gabriel, and you know it.” She knew he didn’t like his full name, but he was being too emotional about this. No, Nora didn’t like what they were doing, but she could see why they were doing it.

Alex stepped in between them. “Raith, if Azrael is part of it now, do you have a way to contact him?”

Right. Always with his mind on the kids. It was good. Alex was keeping things together while Nora tried to not justify Raith’s means for survival and Gabe foamed at the mouth.

The proverbial honeymoon period was over, as it were. Though, Nora and Alex never got one since, well, demigod children.

“We don’t deal with the guys at the top. They send their little minions to bring the stuff in,” Raith answered. 

“Is it Manic?” Nora asked. “Does he ever come?”

Raith nodded. “Sometimes. You know him?”

“Can we please get back to the first priority I have and then you three can beat the crap out of him after?” Gabe asked. He pulled out his phone with a picture of Katelyn’s mom on it. “You ever give anything to her?”

Raith studied the image. “I’ve seen her before, but I didn’t give it to her.”

“You’re sure you’ve seen her?” Gabe clarified. “This woman?”

Raith nodded. “She used to hang out at this bar in the city.” He looked down. “P-something.”

“Poserz?” Nora asked. She still hated that stupid name. She looked it up later. A ‘z’ could be used stylistically, but was not actually proper. If there was any indication the owners were criminals, it was the ‘z’ that gave them away. Oh, and the hot demon hangout spot that was used to conduct business.

“Yeah, that’s the name.”

“What was she doing there?” Gabe asked.

“Listen, I only saw her the one time. She was looking for someone to help her forget her husband or something. She seemed to know the owners, some old f***s, and they told her to get out. Next thing I know, Manic is giving her a baggy and she was gone.”

The three gave each other a look. “Manic started her on it?”

“Manic is the demon, right?” Jack asked.

“Yes,” Nora answered. “He was in that house with us. He saw Katelyn and knew what he did to her mom. He knew and he knew what Azrael was doing to the kids. He just took Raze and left and went into hiding.” 

When Nora and Alex found Manic, he was dead. As of now, he was as good as dead. He may be a demon, probably an already dead soul, but now he would be dead-dead. The fact that Alex intertwined their fingers together, told Nora he was thinking the exact same thing.

Gabe got his answer. Manic started her mother on it, that’s who he needed to find. Who they all needed to find, apparently. Then, once Gabe got his revenge for Katelyn, Nora hoped he would just as soon make his damn move and get on with life. She was about to shove them both in front of Eden just so she would bless their union or whatever the hell she was planning to do with them.

Eden said they weren’t ready but…it’s been a few years. They give each other those eyes with the hearts in them. They constantly let their fingers brush past one another but rarely ever hold hands unless Gabe happens to feel the need.

It was well-past time to get out of whatever limbo they kept putting one another in. Though Nora didn’t have room to talk. 200 years before she and Alex made things official-official. But people had issues with accepting true love during that time. Well, they still do, but still. 

“Manic and Azrael have been sending Bernard’s experiments around drawing attention,” Alex asked. “Why?”

“You’re asking me why demons do demon things like manipulate and wreak havoc? Gee, I don’t know, let’s think about it—”

Gabe back-handed Raith. “Don’t test me, this isn’t the time, Raith.”

Raith glared at him. His hair was hidden under that furry cap on his head, but he had these long, curly black locks of hair. And Nora hated him even more because of their perfect shine. He was pretty and he knew it.

But nothing compared to her Alex. No one was. 

But still. Pretty boy. 

“How do we get ahold of Manic?” Alex asked. “You have a phone number or some way to contact him?”