Lucca (13 page)

She knew how to read between the lines. He
wanted to know how she knew about the Fallen. The answer proved a
bit tricky. How much should she reveal without putting her and Owen
at risk? The less people who knew about them the better.

She chanced a look at Lucca, wondering how
he was taking this conversation. Surely, he knew about his friends…
Uh…his colleagues weren’t human. His eyes pinned her down.

She placed a hand on his again, the heat of
him racing up her arm. “I’m sorry. Please tell me you knew about
your friends being… Nephilim.”

Lucca’s stared at her, but he didn’t pull
his hand away thinking she was all kinds of crazy. That was a good
sign. His gaze wavered to the others seated at the table. If she
didn’t know better, she’d think they communicated some sort of code
to each other before Lucca met her gaze directly.

“I knew they were Watchers. How did
you?”

“Auras, of course.”

This statement seemed to confuse everyone
further.

“I can see Angels and half Angels’
auras.”

Gideon let out a low whistle. “Didn’t know I
had one.”

“Everyone has one,” she explained. “Angels
and half Angels have a brighter glow because of the glamour.” Why
was she revealing so much information? Her gaze riveted to Eli, her
hand went to her pendent she wore, King Solomon’s seal warmed to
the touch. The link between Eli and her broke, releasing her from
his ability to manipulate the situation and making her feel safe,
relaxed, and willing to reveal secrets.

She’d entered a den of dangerous predators,
and Eli was the worst with his subtle way of influencing her way of
thinking. Thank God for the pendent Raziel had fashioned for
her.

The waiter, with light hair and an easy
smile, arrived with two more waters and fresh baked bread. “I see
we added a couple more to the party,” he said. “I’ll be back in a
moment to take everyone’s order.” He headed to another table where
an elderly couple had been seated moments before.

Juliet couldn’t stay. She was out of her
element here. She let down her guard, revealing too much already.
She pushed back the chair and turned toward Lucca. “I need to go
home. I forgot, I work the early shift tomorrow and I’m wiped out.”
She hoped Lucca would take the hint. She didn’t want to leave him
here, even if he knew what these men were. He obviously didn’t like
them all that well, or at the very least didn’t trust them.

She breathed a sigh of relief when Lucca
pushed back his chair and stood.

“I’ll walk you back to your car,” he told
her. His dark angry gaze rested on Eli as if he realized what the
Watcher had done to her.

“Thank you.” She turned toward the others
and hoped her lips curved into a smile and not a grimace. “It was
nice meeting everyone.” She caught a sympathetic look from Ryden,
but it didn’t make up for what Eli did to make her talk. There was
a reason why she stayed clear of the Nephilim, and it had nothing
to do with Leroy’s warning she’d strike up a relationship with one
of them.

Her gaze landed on Zaiden whose eyes turned
brighter. Zaiden claimed he wanted to find out who killed Leroy.
She didn’t trust him, but maybe the feeling was mutual.

“Are you okay?” Lucca’s hand gripped her
shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze. The warmth of him swept
into her bones, making her want to lean against him, let him take
her into his arms. She turned, not realizing he stood so close. One
tiny step closer and she’d feel all of him. Her gaze wavered to
his. His brows furrowed. His hand touched her shoulder with a
gentle caress, so light it was as if he thought she’d suddenly
turned to glass and he needed to handle her with extreme care.

“I’m fine, really.” The clean male scent of
him filled her nostrils in a wave of wind, earth, and something so
exotic it made her weave toward him to breathe him in. She
swallowed hard and took a step back before she made a fool of
herself. “Let’s go.”

Lucca looked over her shoulder to the others
still seated, but he didn’t say a word in farewell. He led her out
of the restaurant, his large hand resting lightly at the small of
her back in a protective nature. She owned weapons, knew how to use
them, but having Lucca at her back made her feel safer than any
weapon she could wield.

Chapter Seventeen

As soon as the waiter took their order and
headed for the back, Ryden turned her attention on Eli. “Do you
mind explaining what you were doing?”

Eli widened his eyes, feigning innocence. “I
didn’t do anything.”

Her glare told him she wasn’t buying it.
“You were using glamour on Juliet. Don’t deny it.”

His shoulders lifted in a nonchalant shrug
without bothering to apologize. “I had to. She knows about us.
We’re shielding our true selves and she still sensed what we
are.”

“She can’t sense Lucca.” Zaiden’s deep voice
drew their attention.

“I caught that too,” Gideon agreed. “Maybe
it’s because his glamour’s bound.”

Zaiden’s gaze narrowed in on Gideon. “How
did dear Lucca end up with her? Last I heard he abhorred humans,
but he looked rather cozy with this one.”

Gideon hesitated, glancing at Eli and Ryden
before looking at Zaiden again. “I told you. He met her at the
Laundromat.”

“Hmm… I see.” Zaiden lifted a brow. “Again I
ask: what’s he doing with her?”

“How should I know? Ask Lucca if you’re so
curious.”

Ryden rolled her eyes. “Lucca made a friend.
What of it? You banished him to the human realm to learn to mingle
with humans on their level. He’s doing what’s been ordered for him
to do. Yet here you all sit with your suspicions, worried that he
has some devious plan in the works.” She waved her hands in the
air, sarcasm motivating her action.

Eli placed his arm on the back of her chair.
“With Lucca, there is always a motive. Why are you standing up for
him anyway? You know what he tried to do to us.” His voice had
deepened, roughened around the edges as he thought back to how
Lucca tried to ruin their chances to be together.

Ryden sensed his distress and her hand went
to his cheek in a gentle caress, her features softening. He leaned
against her smooth palm, her warmth a calming agent to ease the
tension. “I know what he did, but the way Lucca…” she shook her
head. “Never mind.” Her hand fell away to only be captured by
Eli’s.

“What? Finish what you were going to
say.”

She met his gaze. “Lucca cares for
Juliet.”

“The human?” This came from Zaiden with
harrumph of disbelief. “Trust me, Lucca doesn’t care for the
female.”

“Then why the ruse?” Ryden threw up her
hand. ”Even if you’re too blind to see past your differences with
Lucca, I’m not. He stood ready to fight the lot of you if it would
keep her safe, and he wouldn’t care if his wings were bound, he
would take you on anyway.” She glanced at Gideon who squirmed under
her scrutiny. “Gideon, you’re close to Lucca. What do you think? Am
I right?”

He cursed under his breath and grabbed for
his water glass. He took a generous gulp, wiping his mouth with the
back of his hand. He looked at Ryden. “Lucca went after her,” he
blurted. When Zaiden looked like he was about to jump out of his
seat and go after Lucca and beat the crap out of him, Gideon raised
his hand. “Not like he was going to harm her. More like…” He
cleared his throat and pulled at his T-shirt. “It seemed more
primitive. Like he wanted to… you know, have her.”

The other three stared at him, for once at a
loss for words.

Eli ran his hand through his dark strands.
“If it were anyone else but Lucca I might believe it, but he’s been
adamant about his dislike for the human race. He’s up to
something.” He pinned Gideon down. “Make sure you keep an eye on
him and find out what.”

Zaiden took a piece of bread, slathering it
with butter. “You’re worried about Lucca and so am I, but we have
other matters that concern me more. Leroy was taken out by an
Archangel. They usually don’t come to Earth’s realm unless
something big has gone down, threatening their authority.”

“Damn, egotistic bastards, too,” Gideon
swore. “The Archangel at Leroy’s was royally pissed when he went
all kinds of crazy on Leroy’s arse. I kind of think the Archangel
lost control and killed Leroy before he found out what he wanted to
know.”

Zaiden tapped his knife on his plate
thoughtfully. “Lucca’s been to Leroy’s.” His gaze leveled in on
Gideon.

“What are you looking at me for?” Gideon
voice rose with annoyance.

“You’re Lucca’s friend.” Zaiden wouldn’t let
up. When the Guard of Judgment demanded answers, you better come up
with one quick.

Gideon narrowed his eyes. “Don’t threaten me
with your dour looks of
I’ll-kick-your-arse-from-here-to-never
. If you want to know
why Lucca decided to pop in for a visit, why don’t you ask
him?”

“I’m asking you, but if you don’t know the
answer…” His broad shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I’ll have a little
talk with Lucca—privately of course, and find out what he knows.
Eli, care to join me?”

Ryden sat forward in her chair. “Privately?
What exactly does that mean?”

Zaiden turned his attention on her, giving
her an insulting once over. “It’s none of your concern.”

Her eyes flamed as if she had the power to
vaporize Zaiden where he sat. Eli placed a hand on her shoulder,
but the gesture only inflamed her more. She shrugged him away,
sitting forward in her seat. “Is that so? If you’re including my
mate, it is my concern.” How easily she slipped into calling him
her mate without a second’s hesitation.

Zaiden looked to Eli, waving his hand at
him. “Can you not keep your
mate
under control?”

When Zaiden said mate, it sounded like a
dirty word.

Ryden slammed her fist on the table, causing
the Watchers to eye her with caution. A few of the patrons in the
restaurant looked their way and Ryden lowered her voice, but it
didn’t lesson the meaning behind her words. “Don’t act like I’m not
here. No one controls me, Zaiden LeGard. Get that through your
thick Nephilim skull.”

Eli’s hand covered hers with a gentle
squeeze, but it did nothing to soothe her ruffled feathers, but at
least she didn’t push him away this time.

Zaiden eyed her for a long moment, his
chilly blues frosting over like an iced lake, but Ryden didn’t turn
away, didn’t even flinch. Eli lifted a brow in surprised admiration
for her steely conviction not to back down.

Finally, Zaiden gave her a curt nod. “I
apologize. I spoke out of turn.”

Eli’s gaze riveted to Zaiden, thinking his
ears deceived him. Zaiden cowed down to a human? He never thought
it possible.

Zaiden glanced at him with annoyance,
obviously reading his thoughts as though he’d spoken them aloud. “I
do say your mate doesn’t need a broadsword when her words can lash
right through you.”

Ryden sat back now. Eli felt the tension
leave her body as she realized Zaiden’s words were meant as a
compliment. “Why are you concerned about Lucca being at Leroy’s
house when you know it was an Archangel who killed him?” she
asked.

Eli’s lips curved, impressed how easily
Ryden fell into the Watcher’s world as if she’d been born into it.
He took her for his mate and it couldn’t have been easy for her to
step into an immortals’ way of thinking when her world dealt
strictly with humans.

Eli spoke up. “Most likely Lucca has nothing
to do with Leroy’s death, but I would be remiss if we didn’t at
least question him. He might have noticed something we
overlooked.”

Ryden’s lips curved ever so slightly.
“Question him? We both know your form of questioning wouldn’t be a
sit down for tea. Lucca’s suffered enough, don’t you think?”

Eli chuckled only to realize his lovely mate
was serious. “Don’t try to defend him, Ryden. He is not worthy of
your sympathy.”

“Maybe not,” she sighed with a shake of her
head. “But I saw how he looked at Juliet. He cares for her and, if
what you say is true about Lucca hating humans, this is a big step
for him. Don’t blow it by throwing your weight around and scaring
him off.”

Chapter Eighteen

Lucca and Juliet stood in front of their
apartment building, just outside the wrought iron gate. Juliet wore
heels, giving her a few extra inches. For a human female she was
tall, standing maybe five-nine or ten without the fancy shoes.
She’d fit well to him without him feeling as if he’d crush her. His
brows furrowed, wondering when the sensation of tender concern for
her well being slipped into his subconscious.

After the uncomfortable introduction at
Doug’s Downtown Grill, she hadn’t said much. Not that he blamed
her. He should have stopped her from going over to the table in the
first place.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice broke the
silence.

His gaze riveted to hers, her apology
confusing him when he should be the one apologizing, but before he
could comment on it, she spoke again.

“You didn’t want to go over to the table and
I insisted. They aren’t your friends, are they?”

“We’ve had a disagreement of sorts.” He
chose his words carefully. She felt sorry for him, but in truth he
was the cause for the rift and the mistrust, not the other way
around.

“You know…your friends,” she used the word
lightly, “they’re dangerous.”

Dangerous? Well, they were Nephilim, but so
was he. Only Juliet didn’t seem to realize it. He wondered why, but
he didn’t want to delve into reasons. Let her think he was human
for now. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’ve known them a long
time.” Centuries, but he kept the information to himself.

Her gaze swept over him with concern as if
she worried for his safety. If she knew what he’d done to earn
banishment, her tender regard would slip away.