Lucca (22 page)

“Really Zaiden, and I thought I was the
hothead. Keep up this,
I’m-the-big strong-protector
malarkey
and I might think you’re in love with the Darklin.” Lucca’s eyes
widened as Zaiden threw himself at him with a hiss, baring his
fangs. The sudden impact sent their bodies catapulting against the
sofa, pushing it across the hardwood floor like a sled sliding over
a slippery snow covered ground. It slammed into the wall unit with
a crash, knocking over the vase with a crash of shattered pottery
and dirt. Lucca defended Zaiden’s blows with a few of his own.

“Stop it!” The shrill voice of a small child
froze them both, their gazes riveting to the front door where Owen
stood in the doorway, his eyes wide with worry. “Don’t hurt my
friend,” he demanded of Zaiden. Lucca had to give the boy credit.
With the wild look Zaiden wore with his dark hair sticking up on
end, his blue eyes blazing and his fangs exposed, he looked like a
vampire from a horror flick, but Owen stood his ground.

Zaiden looked at Lucca as if expecting he
had plummeted someone else by mistake. “Him?” His voice shook with
disbelief. “He’s your friend?”

Lucca pushed the warrior off him, sitting up
and rubbing his mouth with the back of his hand. He rested his
elbow on his raised knee, leaning back on his other hand for
support. “Didn’t the hum—boy, say so?”

Tiger Lilly sauntered through the open door,
her green eyes assessing the damage: broken vase, turned over
coffee table, a skewed sofa slammed against the television. Not to
mention what he must look like. His gaze wavered over to Zaiden. He
would have smiled if he didn’t sport a fat lip. The Watcher stood,
swiping at his nose, blood oozing with annoying consistency.

“Meoooow.”

Yeah, kitty-cat, my sentiments
exactly.
The cat may have a ridiculous name, but it didn’t
hamper the feline’s intelligence to recognize the asinine scene
before them: two grown warriors wrestling on the floor as if they
hadn’t gained their wings yet.

A second later, Juliet appeared at the door,
holding a plate wrapped in tinfoil.

Lucca frowned. When had his home become an
open arena for humans and Nephilim alike? “Do come in.” Sarcasm
dripped from his words but no one seemed to notice.

With a sigh, he forced himself to stand. He
headed for the bathroom for two washcloths, not that Zaiden
deserved one, but he didn’t want him bleeding all over his living
room floor. Returning, he threw the washcloth at Zaiden, who caught
it and held it to his nose. Lucca took great satisfaction in the
fact that the Watcher couldn’t just glamour his way out of here.
Juliet may know about Watchers, but he’d bet Owen didn’t. Add a
disappearing act and Owen would surely think he’d seen a demon.

“What’s going on?” Juliet stood behind Owen,
her free hand on his shoulder. “You were fighting in front of my
nephew?”

“It wasn’t like we invited him to watch,”
Lucca said, and wished he kept his mouth shut.

Juliet’s gaze riveted to his. Her eyes
locked onto him with such fierceness, he had the urge to take a
step back. She was a feisty human with a larger than life warrior
attitude. No wonder he fell so hard for her.

“I thought better of you.” Disappointed
dripped from her words, slicing him as if she stabbed him with a
dagger.

Zaiden snorted with a harrumph as if he
could care less what she thought.

“And you,” she pointed her finger at Zaiden.
His eyes widened in surprise. Very few spoke to Zaiden in anger if
they knew what was good for them. Obviously, Juliet didn’t receive
the memo on proper etiquette when dealing with one of the Guards of
Judgment. “You should know better. Why don’t you pick on someone
suited to your strength?”

Lucca’s brows furrowed. What did she mean by
that? He was no weakling.

“My dear,” Zaiden began, barely keeping his
fangs hidden. “Your tongue lashing only serves to tell me how
ignorant you are. Lucca is no saint and he is more than ample to
take my blows.” He removed the washcloth revealing his bloodied
nose. “And give a few of his own. Be warned, you should stay clear
of him. Friendship with him could prove lethal, isn’t that right,
Lucca?”

Before Lucca knew what he was about to do,
he hauled off with a left hook, catching the Watcher off guard.
Zaiden staggered back, hitting the bookcase, but he kept his feet
planted on the ground. He looked like he would march forward to
retaliate, but Juliet moved with speed Lucca didn’t think possible
for a human. She stood in front of him as if she could protect him
if Zaiden chose to rip his head off.

Lucca’s hands went to his hips. A harrumph
spewed out of his lips in exasperated disbelief as he rolled his
eyes.

Zaiden stood stalk still. He glanced at
Juliet then at Lucca as if reading into Juliet’s protective mode
and coming up with his own assumptions. “I’ll be damned.”

Lucca curved his lips in a snarl. “Isn’t
that the point for us?”

Juliet whipped around to face him, her brows
furrowing as if she were seeing him for the first time.

“What?” He lifted his shoulders in a shrug.
Her mouth opened to say something then she pressed her lips
together again with a shake of her head. His instincts told him to
take her into his arms, but he fought the urge. Distance, he told
himself. He couldn’t keep her safe if he gave into his desires. Not
being able to have her would be his punishment for all his past
transgressions. He deserved this. Banishment was nothing compared
to losing her.

“We’ll talk later,” Zaiden announced as he
headed for the door.

“Don’t hold your breath,” Lucca murmured
under his breath. If he could avoid it, he would. He looked at
Juliet then, who still hadn’t taken her eyes off him, but now
something else lingered in her depths. Her strange expression
worried him. “What’s wrong?” But she put up a wall.

“Here, these are for you,” Juliet shoved the
plate at him. “Come on, Owen, I need to get you to school.”

“I wanted to eat breakfast with Lucca,” Owen
whined as his aunt ushered him out the door as quickly as they
appeared.

Lucca ran a hand over his face confused over
Juliet’s sudden departure. Tiger Lilly jumped up to sit on the back
of the sofa he had yet to straighten, but it didn’t seem to matter
to the feline that the sofa sat at an angle.

“What just happened?”

Tiger Lilly tilted her head, staring at him
in that unnerving way cat’s do.

He glanced at the plate Juliet shoved into
his hands and lifted the end of the tinfoil. Juliet had made him
chocolate chip cookies. He grabbed one before taking the plate into
the kitchen. Tiger Lilly followed, jumping up on the table. He
munched on the cookie as he rubbed the feline behind her ears. She
seemed to like the attention if the motor-like purr proved an
indication. “Juliet looked like…” His frown deepened as he realized
the shadows darkening her features had been fear. She feared him,
but why? Even her scent changed, heightened, became more
potent.

He ran his fingers down Tiger Lilly’s back
as the feline arched and made soft mewling sounds of pleasure. He
finally realized what he was doing and pulled his hand back as if
scorched. “Oh no, I’m not doing this.” He backed away. “How did my
life become so off track? I’m coercing Darklins to do my bidding.
I’m out of the loop with the Watchers. I’m starting to live my life
like the humans I’ve always avoided like the plague. I don’t even
care for cats.” He scooped up Tiger Lilly, who complained all the
way to the door with squawks of protest and squirming limbs. He
opened the door and tossed the cat out. “I am not human,” he
announced to no one in particular. He slammed the door shut again.
He might have felt relieved to take back control of his life, but
he only felt a sense of loss. “I don’t care.” But the fact of the
matter was he did care. He wanted to know why Juliet left in a
rush. “I don’t want to lose her.” But he already had.

Once again you win the pansy award of the
year. I always knew you were weak.
His father’s words taunted
him.

“I rather be weak than the miserable prick
you turned out to be.” He rubbed his eyes, knowing his irrational
thoughts were brought on by sleep deprivation. Sleep, he needed to
lie down and rest before he hunted Juliet down to confess his sins.
He’d make her come clean, too. She ran out of the apartment for a
reason and he wanted to know why.

The knock at the door startled him. He
looked through the peephole. “Now my day’s complete,” he murmured
before he threw open the door. “You missed the party, Eli.”

The Watcher frowned but didn’t say anything
as he entered the apartment and shut the door behind him. “I
thought we’d have—” He stopped in midsentence as he took in the
overturned furniture and broken pottery. He looked at Lucca who
gave him a shrug.

“Zaiden was helping me redecorate.” He
headed for the kitchen. “Do you want a cup of coffee?” he threw
over his shoulder.

“Sure.” Eli followed him. “You said you
wanted to talk the other day. I thought now might work.”

Lucca emptied the old coffee filter and put
in a new one. “I have a hunch you have a few questions yourself.
Why don’t you get what’s eating you off your chest first.” He
didn’t believe for one moment Eli came over out of friendship’s
sake. He had an agenda. He might as well find out what it was
first. He flipped the switch to the coffeemaker and turned to face
Eli. He leaned against the counter, resting his palms on the tile
behind him.

Eli pulled out a chair to sit. “I want to
trust you.”

Lucca snorted, but Eli ignored him.

“But maybe you can see why I’m having
difficulty doing so.”

Eli was throwing him a rope. Damn, he hated
the cliché. He could either pull himself to safety or have enough
rope to hang himself. He wasn’t sure which prospect sounded better.
“I suppose I can.” The coffeepot gurgled behind him and the aroma
of fresh brewed coffee tickled his senses. He already had his fair
share of caffeine, but another cup sounded too tempting to ignore.
“Is there a chance I can earn your trust?” He met Eli’s eyes.

Eli pressed his lips together as he
struggled with the decision.

“Trust Lucca or not. That is the question.
It’s really not a difficult question. Yes or no will suffice.”
Lucca knew his sarcasm wouldn’t win him points, but Eli’s silence
was beginning to tick him off.

The coffeepot had finished gurgling and
Lucca turned to pour two cups of coffee. “Do you want cream or
sugar?”

“Both if you have it,” Eli said with a heavy
sigh. “And I do want to trust you. I wouldn’t be here otherwise. So
yes, you can earn my trust and maybe I can earn yours.”

Lucca was surprised at his generosity, but
then trust did go both ways. He nodded. “Then I need to tell you
something.” He placed a coffee mug in front of Eli. “For a few days
now I’ve sensed my father’s presence.”

“I’m assuming this isn’t a warm and cozy
reunion.”

“Hardly.”

“Go on.” Eli took a sip of the coffee.

“I think he’s been here for a while, I
sensed a presence when I had an altercation with Kordon, but the
first time I suspected it was truly him was at your house. After
the fight, I headed for my truck and felt him.”

“Do you think he had something to do with
the attack?” Eli gripped his cup, the only sign indicating his
anger.

Lucca shrugged. “Maybe, I don’t know. He
hasn’t exactly knocked on my door and told me his plans.” His gaze
caught sight of the plate of cookies Juliet brought over for him.
He pulled off the tinfoil and grabbed a couple before offering the
plate to Eli.

“If you haven’t seen your father what makes
you so sure it’s your father’s presence you sense? Thanks,” he said
as he took two cookies, leaving enough for seconds.

“Let’s just say, my father and I have had an
unusual relationship. I’ve learned to pick up his essence when he
draws near. Call it a safety measure. And I found this at Purcible
Andrews.” He fished into his pants pocket and pulled out the amulet
“This is his. He wore it around his neck, said it made him
powerful. Maybe Purcible yanked it off of my father before he
perished. I just don’t know what he’s after, but since it’s my
father, let me assure you, it can’t be good.”

Eli placed the amulet on the table.
“Gideon’s been to Leroy Fennings’ house. He did a reading and
picked up Angel fire. It’s what took Leroy out, but we still don’t
know why Leroy didn’t turn to dust.”

Lucca rubbed his hand over his face. “I can
tell you why. Leroy and Purcible were both Apparitions. They
possess a human body to exist on Earth’s realm. And before you ask,
I had a one on one with Barachiel.” Lucca showed Eli his artwork on
his arm. “This was courtesy of the Archangel.”

Eli met his gaze. “I’m not following. Why
would the Archangel mark you?”

“He wants me to bring him the
Book of
Magic
. He’s looking for two humans and he claims Raziel is
protecting them. Raziel opened a portal and sent them through.”

Eli picked up his coffee cup and downed the
liquid as if he wished it were a more potent brew. “Why would
Raziel risk so much for the humans?”

“Unfortunately, Barachiel wasn’t
forthcoming.” Lucca strode to the counter and reached for the
coffeepot. He refilled Eli’s cup and brought the sugar bowl and the
cream to the table.

Eli doctored up his coffee before he leveled
his gaze back to Lucca. “What?”

“I haven’t told you the best part yet. Leroy
and Purcible were Time Guardians and my dear old dad has joined
forces with Kasadya, you know one of the Satans. I can only assume
they want to release the other Satans for their party of doom.”
Lucca grabbed another cookie. He took a generous bite, savoring the
flavor before he stared at the remainder of it.