Sapphire Flame (Sapphire Wings Book 3)

Part III: Michael

Love is like a small light

Shining through the dark

Bringing hope

To a shattered heart

- Michael Renaldi

*******************

I woke very slowly that morning from my dreams. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time that I’d had such vivid ones, but it was probably to be expected with everything that had been going on recently within our family.

I saw Sara sitting up beside me. She tilted her head as she looked at me, a few strands of her long black hair falling over her shoulder.

“Are you awake, Michael?” she asked, her voice soft.

I couldn’t stop myself from smiling as I saw her.

“Yes, I’m awake now. I’ve just had a hard time opening my eyes this morning.” I confessed.

“I could get that with everything going on. But I noticed that you came to bed pretty late last night too. What in the world were you doing?” Sara inquired.

I sat up and stretched, “I went over to Raphael’s house last night and had a long talk with him about Noah and Noel,” I answered.

I glanced at the nearby digital clock as I spoke. It was only a little after eight. I wondered if Raziel had heard any more about Anna and whether they were going to release her soon.

“Did you get anything out of him? I know Raphael’s been stonewalling a little on all of this, especially now.” Sara continued as the two of us got up and dressed.

“No,” I sighed, “But I expected that. Noel’s always been such a sore spot for him, and now I’m starting to understand a bit more of why.”

I admit that I was pretty miffed after our visit with the Sumarians concerning Noel and her possession of Noah. Lumae had told me some things later that I’d had no idea of, though I admit that I had suspected them before.

But maybe the most disconcerting part of it for me was realizing how much that curse had controlled us all, especially Raphael, and how he hadn’t trusted any of us enough to ever talk about it. That disappointed me. I would have thought that he’d at least trust me enough to know that I’d listen and try to understand.

Sara turned to me as we stood in our room, looking a bit concerned as she wrung her hands in front of her.

“You know, between us Michael, something still doesn’t feel right about all of this. If Noel really wanted revenge on us, then wouldn’t she have let the curse take over and just let it happen?” she asked me.

I knew why she was questioning this. I did too. Up until Lumae’s reading, we’d been certain that Noel had intended to follow this curse’s influence and kill Noah. Yet she hadn’t done that and had even allowed Lumae to seal her without any real fight. Why was that? Were we really reading Noel's intentions wrong?

“I know, and I wonder about it too. Something’s off about all of this.” I agreed.

“I realize that I never got the chance to meet Noel when she was alive, but honestly, I wonder if she’s still fighting too. Maybe she wants to help us as well as help herself.” Sara suggested.

This was just like her. Sara always tried to see the good in others, even when a lot wouldn’t. But for my part, I also felt this way. There was definitely much more to what was going on with Noel than what we were currently understanding.

“I know, and I hope that when we can remove her from Noah that we can also dispel this curse. Maybe then we can finally set her free too.” I told her.

“I hope so. That poor girl’s been suffering for so long. I just wish there was more we could do for that.”

Sara’s words stayed with me as we headed downstairs and got ready for our day, though I was doing my best to push all of it to the back of my mind. Even looking back, all we had ever wanted to do was help Noel, and so had our parents. What kind of chance did we stand now that we were fully awakened and had powerful allies on the other side?

It wasn’t long after the two of us had sat down with some coffee that Raziel came by the house. He had wanted to talk with us, and, of course, we would never turn him away, especially with everything going on with Anna and Noah.

I was also still miffed at Raphael over that stuff too. If he hadn’t feigned such willful ignorance of what was happening with Noah, then maybe we could’ve prevented Anna from almost dying. For his part, I will say that Raphael showed a lot of remorse over that one. Anna was like the daughter he’d never had, and seeing her like that had been incredibly hard on him too. He did admit that one to me the night before, along with saying that he wanted to make sure nothing like that could happen again.

Well, I sure as hell was going to hold him to his word on it. Leader or not, all of this falling solely on me was getting very old.

“Seriously, how long do you think that Lumae’s seal is going to hold?” Raziel was asking me as the two of us sat in the den room together. Sara had gone to the other room to attend a video call about her store.

“It’s hard to tell,” I admitted as I took another sip of my coffee, “Lumae’s supposed to be one of the three most powerful Sumarians, so I’d imagine that it should hold for at least a little while; but I’m still trying to look into the best way to release Noel’s spirit for good, both from the curse and possessing Noah.”

Raziel shook his head as he sat back a little more in the recliner, “Yeah. It’s not like I don’t want to see her freed from all of this too. She didn’t deserve all the bad stuff that happened to her, and then that damned demon tormented her more. It’s horrible to think about.”

“I get it, and we’ve felt that way for a long time, even after what happened. It was never truly Noel, and we knew it. Even our father admitted that before he passed away.” I lamented.

Silence fell over the room again. My mind flashed back to the memory of my father right before he’d died. The two of us had talked at length about the past and everything that had happened, and he’d expressed to me how much he regretted not being able to help Noel or us during those dark times.

“I wish I could’ve awakened like you and your brother and sister,” he’d told me, “Then maybe I could’ve done something about all of that. Maybe I could’ve saved our family from all of this pain.”

That was the time when I finally felt like I understood all of the pain my father had felt throughout his life. We felt it too when he died. It wasn’t fair that he didn’t change like us. He was right. We could’ve used his help through a lot of things if he had been allowed to change. It hadn’t been fair to any of us.

Raziel’s voice brought me back to reality, and what he said was actually a bit more cheerful.

“Oh, yeah. I actually have some good news now. I got a call this morning saying that they’re going to release Anna today.”

“This soon? I’m surprised to hear that, but it is a great thing.” I responded.

I knew that they had moved Anna to the mental ward about two days before. Typically they would have kept her there for at least a week. True, they didn’t know the circumstances that led to what happened to her, but it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. As far as they were concerned, Anna had tried to take her own life and had been a danger to herself.

“I was too,” Raziel admitted, “I guess that she was probably pushing to get out of there. Maybe they’re tired of listening to her complain.”

I laughed with him, “You certainly picked a fiery girl, Raziel. You’re lucky that you’ve come out of half the things you’ve done in one piece once she’s gotten a hold of you.”

“Yeah, but she knows what to expect, and she tells me all the time that she still loves me,” Raziel stated with a sheepish grin. His expression faltered a bit as he continued, “But to be honest about it, I think she more wants to get home because she’s been so worried about Noah.”

“I get that, and she has a right to feel that way, just like you do. He is your son.” I reminded him.

“By the way,” Raziel changed the subject a little, “there’s been something else I’ve been meaning to ask you, and I wanted to do it while it was on my mind. What did Lumae see to make her so upset toward my dad? What else happened back then?”

I knew why he was asking me this. Raziel was still grasping at straws as to why Noel had chosen Noah for her possession. While we could have reasoned that he was Raphael’s grandson, Raziel had been the original child that Noel has so despised being created. Why aim for Noah when she could have gone after Raziel?

But I also hesitated on telling him everything she’d told me. I hadn’t even been able to voice all of it with Raphael the night before. I still couldn’t believe that it may have been true. Or, at least, I had reasoned that to myself. Besides, surely Ryo would’ve said something to us before.

“Your father had apparently allowed Noel to control him more than he should have out of guilt from what I know, and I believe Lumae became angry about it because she saw it as arrogance that he hid certain things back then.” I finally explained.

Raziel looked out of the nearby window as I said this. It seemed like he was considering his words carefully. Perhaps he was thinking of the best way to not be accusing of his father.

“You know, it’s kind of obvious now that the distortions this curse does through Noel are very dangerous. Personally, I’m glad that Lumae was able to seal her. All of that was about to make Noah lose his mind, and it nearly drove Anna to it.” he admitted.

“Well, if you think about it, a demon’s influence can be very powerful, even in the form of a curse left behind. We did partially see that first hand back before you met Anna.” I reminded him.

“Yeah,” Raziel sighed, “But I think that part of Anna’s attack was also because of what happened after we met. She doesn’t like talking about it, but I know it’s always bothered her about what happened to her father and how her mother just left her. She’s always kind of blamed herself, and now her mother’s dead too. Even before all of this, she’s told me here and there that it depresses her at times when she thinks of her father and her mother leaving, and it was happening again when all this stuff started happening to Noah. I feel like I let her down because I promised her that I’d make sure everything would be okay.”

That got me a little bit too, bringing back painful memories of my own previous marriage. I’d never told anyone, but I had always known after Mia was born that Missy was becoming a little more unhinged. She’d had a hard time coping with many things after Mia’s birth, and no matter what I tried, I felt like I couldn’t help her with the depression she’d been fighting. All of this only became worse when I got my wings. That was when Missy’s mind truly began snapping, and she began to fear me for her memories of what Noel had done to her.

Yet I’d still held on with her, believing that we could work through things and be happy. Then, one day when I was out working, she left with Mia and disappeared for the next five years. No, I did not believe that Anna was the same as her, but it appeared that she was still suffering more than any of us had realized from her own traumas of the past.

“You can’t blame yourself, Raziel. You’ve done what you can, and you’ve always supported her. You’re doing your best to support Noah too. Besides, maybe this could turn into a better thing for her too. Everyone has things that are difficult to talk about within their own families, so it may offer her outside support for it.” I suggested.

“I guess you’re right,” Raziel relented, “And I really have been trying to see what I can do to help Noah too. It’s not just Noel that makes me worry about him. You and I both know that he’s not exactly a normal kid, and it’s not only because he’s a Nephilim. There’s something else that’s bugged me a little in the last few years.”

“While I would concur on some points with that, I’m afraid I don’t know exactly what you’re referring to with him,” I admitted.

“I get it, and it’s probably something Anna and I have noticed more than anyone in the last ten years. It’s almost like Noah’s hidden away from the world, at least in a sense. He didn’t like going to school with the other kids since kindergarten because he said they made him feel uncomfortable, and he doesn’t like showing much of an interest in doing things outside of the house, especially if it involves a lot of people. Hell, I don’t think I’ve even seen Noah cry aside from the other night with what happened with Anna.” Raziel explained.

Sara was joining us as he said this, apparently done with her meeting. She looked more than interested in this conversation too.

“If I can give my opinion, I wouldn’t think too much into it. A lot of this might just be Noah’s personality. Some children are very sensitive souls, and they tend to be very quiet and don’t like expressing themselves that openly or around that many people.” she offered as she sat down beside me.

“You think that could be what’s up with him?” Raziel asked her.

Sara nodded, “I do. I’ve seen it before too.”

“You have?” I asked, feeling a bit curious.

While I knew that Sara had traveled around before with Sage and Sean, she really didn’t speak that much about her past. Not that I minded. I had a sense that the past was painful for Sara to remember at times. At least, from what Sean had said to me before.

According to him, his mother had met his father because of other circumstances aside from her being attacked by a Werewolf. However, he never quite said what those circumstances were. He only told me that his mother would speak of them when she was ready and asked me to give her some time, which I respected. After all, everyone had their secrets, including me. One could say that it was an exchange in my mind for keeping the secrets about my family and Noel.

Sara drew in a breath before she continued, like she was collecting herself, “Yes, I have. To be honest about it, there is one thing that Sean and I haven’t told any of you. It was actually more for protection and personal choice, which I hope you can understand. The truth is, Sean is also a twin.”

I think that you could’ve heard a pin drop between Raziel and me in that room. Of all things, I’d never even suspected that one.

“Sean’s a twin?” Raziel repeated, sounding as shocked as he looked.

Sara nodded, “Yes. He has a twin brother named Tico, who chose to remain on the other side of the Veil with Musket after Sage passed on.” she answered.

I was finally pulling myself out of my own dumbstruck state. I didn’t feel angry over not knowing such a thing, only very curious.

“I have to admit that I’d never suspected this one. So, he’s still alive with Musket?” I asked.

“Yes.” Sara confirmed, “He chose to stay there after Sage died because he didn’t feel that comfortable in this world. It’s funny, but there have been a lot of times that Noah has reminded me of Tico in his personality. He’s actually pretty sensitive, just like him. Even though he and Sean act alike most of the time, Tico’s always had a harder time expressing himself and adjusting to changes. That’s why you never see him here. He’s actually a bit nervous about us being with one of the Nephilim clans now, and he’s admitted to Sean before that he worries about them not being accepted.”

“I could get where he’d feel that way. It’s not like he and Sean were ever that normal in the first place. But I’m curious now too. Does he look like him?” Raziel asked her.

“Somewhat. They have the same eyes as me, but where Sean inherited my black hair, Tico has Sage’s silver. He actually looks a little more like Sage for that too, and he doesn’t like wearing a limiter to hide his ears and tail.” Sara explained.

I was trying to envision this boy as she spoke of him. I would’ve imagined that he and Sean probably were a lot alike, even if their coloring was different. I just hoped that one day I would get to meet him too. If anything, I found it extremely interesting that Sean had twins while being one himself. Could that have just been an ironic coincidence, or was it something more?

Before any more could be said, Raziel glanced at his watch.

“Hey, I hate to cut this short, but I’d better get back. I want to take Noah with me to pick Anna up, and they’ll probably be releasing her in another hour,” he stated as he stood up.

“That’s fine. We’ll come by and see you later after the three of you get back.” I responded as Sara and I stood with him.

Raziel smiled, “Sounds good. Thanks for talking with me too.”

“It’s no problem,” I assured him, “Just make sure to take care of what you need to.”

Sara turned to me after he’d left, looking a bit remorseful.

“You know Michael, I did mean it when I said that I was sorry for not telling you about Tico before. But I was worried too. Tico has been hiding with Musket for a while now because of the incidents with the ones like Flint. We wanted to protect both him and Sean after Sage left us, but both of them had different ideas of where they wanted to be, so they chose to split up.” she explained.

“I understand, and I’m not mad. It seems to me like the mixed Foxes have a harder time when it comes to their heritage too. But seriously, is he really that worried about coming around us?” I asked her.

“I’m not sure. I think that a part of him is still nervous, but at the same time, I think he’s wanted to more now, especially knowing that I’m married to you and Sean is married to Mia and has twins. He’s just asked me not to mention him until he makes up his mind on whether he wants to visit or not.” Sara admitted.

“I’ll take it that he stays in contact with you and Sean.”

“Somewhat,” Sara acknowledged, “He does send me letters here and there, but Sean sees him more because he slips over to that side here and there to visit with him. Tico makes it his point to find him whenever he does too, although the last time when you went, he apparently didn’t know about it until much later because it was so sudden. Personally, I wish he would come over here and see me. I haven’t gotten to see him in over ten years now, and it bothers me sometimes. I love being here and with you and our family, but I still wish I could have both of my sons around.”

Her words stuck with me for most of the day after that. Having a child that you barely ever got to see. I couldn’t help but sympathize with that one. After all, I knew how that felt in a way too. Not seeing or hearing from Mia for five years had been torture.

I’d ended up comforting Sara a lot in the next few hours for that, and she’d even shown me the letters that Tico had sent her. He had a very elegant way of wording things that seemed to mirror his handwriting, and as I looked at it, I again tried to picture this boy in my mind. I just hoped that he’d decide to give in and visit with us sometime soon. I wanted him to be part of our family, just as Sean was. He should have no fear of being with us.

It was later that afternoon that Raziel and Noah brought Anna home. Of course, once they did, Sara and I immediately went over to see her. I’d dare say that she seemed perfectly normal, which was a relief for both of us. The only reminder of what had happened was the bandages covering her wrists.

We had a good laugh though when she told us that Raziel had promised to take them out to dinner that night. I think that everyone in our family recalled the story of their first anniversary. I really hadn’t thought that Raziel would have the guts behind him to do what he did. Honestly, I’ll never know what possessed him to take Anna to a fast-food place on their first anniversary.

But perhaps that was part of Raziel’s overall personality. He loved pushing her buttons, and that had really done it. I’m rather glad that Raphael had suggested getting her a nice gift to smooth things over.

But also, I secretly was keeping my eye on Raphael through all of this as well. I’d been curious to see if he’d show any different reaction towards Anna after our talk the night before.

But he didn’t. He only showed her the same nice, yet distant, courtesy that he always did when he came by to check on her. It was at times like this that I loathed the curse that Noel had put on him. It allowed him to keep his shields abnormally high around his emotional states. We’d never know exactly what he was thinking or feeling with her around again, although I had become fairly good at reading him throughout the years.

A few more days passed, and things remained very quiet, almost going back to how they had always been. Our family got together here and there, and I noticed that Noah’s attraction to Seraphina seemed gone now. It appeared that it had all been the curse’s influence through Noel, which relieved me. I confess that I had been worrying about the repeat of the past, even with Noel sealed.

But even with this, I was still doing my best to find answers on what else could be done with all of this. I poured over every book I could find on possession, both from the mortal world and the Veil.

I’d requested for Sean to bring me the latter books, and he’d been quick to do so for me. I wondered if Tico had helped him to find them, but didn’t ask for now. Sara had told Sean that she’d told me about Tico, but I’d decided not to push him into talking about his brother. Like Sara, I was sure that he’d come around in time.

But unfortunately, I wasn’t finding much that was promising, even in all of these books that outlined things so well. I had almost been certain that I would be able to drive Noel out when I spoke to Raphael about it. After all, we had these powers now, and even the blood of an angel running through our veins. There had to be something that we could do, right?

Yet, with everything I read, I was finding that the driving out of the spirit was a very dangerous undertaking for all involved, and from what I’d seen before, Noel had no problem with hurting Noah if she was pushed into anger. Even with all of my power, I may not have been able to prevent her from killing him in the process. How very frustrating that was.

I did consider perhaps getting advice as I realized this. I could turn to Morosa again. The Sumarians were more than willing to work with us now. They had told us that they considered us equals, which was quite an honor within the Veil.

Lying in bed that night, I couldn’t help but think about all of it again. There had to be an answer somewhere in all of this, and it was probably so simple as to be stupid.

Closing my eyes, I willed myself to at least rest. It took me a good hour, but I eventually did fall into a light sleep. But again, I found myself dreaming.

My dreams were very odd, to say the least. It was like looking at flashes of film. I hadn’t had these kinds of dreams in many years. I kept seeing images from my childhood flashing before me.

But then, something odd happened.

I was suddenly standing in a field. A few feet in front of me, there were three figures. They were in shadow, so I couldn’t make out any of their features. However, standing near them was Noah.

I tried to call him, but everything was silent. It was like Noah heard me though. He looked at me, then turned to the figures.

And then, I saw wings.

All three now had wings coming out of their backs. But as they flew away, I suddenly heard another soft voice from behind me, and felt an incredibly comforting warmth.

“All answers will come to you soon.”

I quickly sat up, breathing hard. What had that been about? I was certain that the dream had had a deeper meaning. It was far too vivid.

Beside me, Sara sat up as well.

“Michael? Are you all right?” she asked, clearly concerned. It was unlike me to have such reactions, especially to a dream.

I held my head, “What was that about?” I whispered.

“What happened? Was it a nightmare?” Sara asked.

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

I glanced at the clock. Five A.M. Everyone was probably still asleep. But I quickly got up and dressed.

“Where are you going?” Sara asked.

She was becoming alarmed now. But then, such a reaction was anything but normal for me.

“It’s okay Sara. I just want to check on something real quick.” I reassured her.

The truth was, I was trying to alleviate my own fears as I walked out of that bedroom and flew to Raziel’s house. That dream had meant something. I was certain of it. So I wanted to check on Noah myself.

I was wondering if it was a product of my own fears at that point. After all, Lumae had told me what she thought she saw. But she wasn’t sure, because Noel had tried to keep it blocked from her, and I reasoned that there was no way that Noah could’ve known if she was blocking it from Lumae. Besides, wouldn’t she have boasted about it if it were true?

Seeing the open window to Noah’s room though, I felt the pit form in my stomach. Quickly flying there, I looked in and saw that the bed was empty. I glanced down at his bed sheets as I peeked in. There was a small amount of blood staining them.

I knew instantly that this was no coincidence. Noel had escaped her seal, and Noah had run off because of it. I turned and looked out into the darkness. It was bitter cold outside, and a full moon was shining. But there was no sign of Noah.

“Damn it!” I cursed.

I was sure of it now. Noah had run away to avoid Noel hurting anyone else, and once again, he’d gotten a good head start on us.

Leaving the house, I quickly headed back to my own. By then, Sara was up and dressed. She knew right away that something was very wrong. It must have been written all over my face.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Noah’s gone,” I answered.

“Gone? You mean that he ran away again?”

Sara stared at me in shock. I don’t think that she’d imagined that he’d run off again.

I nodded, then went over and picked up my phone. I was glad that Raphael had a cell phone that he always kept close. I was very angry at this point, and facing him might not be the best thing at that moment.

“Yes?” he answered after a few rings.

“Your grandson is gone. He’s run away again.” I told him.

“What?” I heard him say.

I detected a bit of disbelief in his voice. Good. I had his full attention.

“You heard me. Now get up and meet me outside. We’re going to look for him.” I ordered. Then I hung up.

Sara walked over to me, “Should I wake Raziel and Anna?” she asked.

“Yes. Tell Raziel that Raphael and I are going out now. He needs to wait here with Anna until we get back. We shouldn’t be too long.” I told her.

“But he’ll want to come with you.” Sara reasoned.

“Tell him that I said to stay here with his wife. She’ll need him more.” I reminded her.

I really didn’t want to think of the grim possibilities if Raziel took off to look with us and left Anna behind. Even though Noel’s influence had caused her suicide attempt, I knew that at least a small piece of it was from Anna herself, especially after what Raziel had told us. The feelings had to be there for the curse to amplify. Anna was very worried for her son and had already been through enough with her parents in the last fifteen years. I could imagine what she’d think in waking up to all of this.

It didn’t take Raphael long to join me outside, and both of us took off into the sky and began scanning the area. Noah couldn’t fly, so we did have an advantage there. However, I knew that this whole thing wasn’t going to go well. I spread out my aura quite a bit, yet I couldn’t feel him. Where in the world had he gone this time?

“So tell me, do you know what happened this time?” Raphael asked as we flew over the road.

“Your guess is as good as mine, but judging from the blood on his bed, I would say that Noel has escaped again, and he’s probably scared of her causing harm,” I answered.

“That boy’s too thick-headed for his own good. Does he really believe that running away will change anything? All he’s doing is offering her more power over him.” Raphael complained.

“He wants to save the people he loves. He thinks he’s sparing us.” I argued.

“Running away won’t spare anyone.” Raphael scoffed.

“You would speak from experience, wouldn’t you?”

“Now’s not the time Michael.”

At that, I stopped and floated in the air beside him.

“No, I think now’s a perfect time. You’ve been hiding from the truth for over thirty years now. Why?” I asked.

Raphael stopped and faced me, “I have nothing left to hide now. You know the full truth.” he responded defiantly.

“I’m not that ignorant. None of us have ever been. Gabrielle told me back then about Noel’s feelings for you, and I believe that I knew even then that they were returned to some extent, even if she did have you under her control. You deny any feelings towards her, yet you won’t even raise a hand to save your own grandson from her. I want to know why.” I argued.

“You know I’d do anything to help Noah, so why accuse me of such a thing?” Raphael contended.

“Don’t lie. It’s insulting and you know it, and frankly, I’m very tired of all of this. All I want is the truth. What do you fear more in this, your past or your son knowing the truth?” I countered.

Raphael hovered there for a minute. I had a feeling that he was thinking it all over before answering me.

“Michael, listen to me. There’s nothing now that Raziel and Noah do not know. The same goes for you and everyone else in this family.”

I really wasn’t buying that one. He’d been keeping us in the dark for way too long, and I wasn’t about to let us lose a child to this.

“Then tell me why. Why did you hide such a thing from us? Did you think that we couldn’t handle it, or that we’d judge you for those mistakes?” I asked him.

“There was no reason to speak of such a thing again. The past was the past, and nothing came out of it but sadness for everyone.” Raphael reasoned.

“Then what about the child?”

Raphael actually looked confused then.

“What child? My only child is Raziel, and he was never directly involved with her until now.”

I didn’t believe him, and maybe at that point, I had a right not to.

“Lumae saw what looked like a child in Noel’s memories, so what do you know about it?” I clarified.

“There was none. She would’ve told me herself just to rub it in Maya’s face. You knew how she hated her.” Raphael responded.

“Don’t lie to me!” I yelled.

I didn’t realize it, but I was starting to flex my power over him. I wanted to know the truth, and I wasn’t about to let him lie. I didn’t even know that I was doing it at first, but once I caught myself, I still didn’t let up.

Raphael quickly held his head. I’d learned that when I did this with so much force, it would give them a splitting headache. I could inflict as much pain as needed with this, just so they told me the truth. I wouldn’t use this unless I absolutely had to though.

But at that moment, I felt it was more than justified. I would make sure that he told me the entire truth this time. But to be completely honest about it, I was less than concerned about hurting him at that point. I wanted to save Noah.

“Now, tell me the truth. Did you know if Noel had a child?” I asked evenly.

“No. As far as I’ve ever known, she didn’t.” Raphael answered, a bit of the strain marking in his voice.

He was telling the truth now. I could sense it. So I eased off.

“That’s better. I’d hope that you’ll be a little more honest with me now. I’m the leader here, so stop trying to keep me in the dark about things.” I told him.

Raphael actually laughed a little, still holding his head.

“It’s about time you stepped up and took charge. I’m sick of cleaning up messes that you should’ve handled,” he responded.

I crossed my arms, “Then we’ll call it even. But from now on, we’re equals in this. As the leader in this family, I will take care of Noah this time. But you’re going to handle him and your son after all of this is over, and you’re going to take responsibility for yours and their actions.” I ordered.

“I can agree with that. After all, the last thing I want to do is fight with you. It’s obviously not good for my health.”

We continued on for a few more minutes, then decided to turn back. Noah was obviously long gone. I swear, I didn’t know how he did it. How could one kid disappear so easily?

“He must have managed to find a ride.” I reasoned, “We need to regroup and figure out our next move.”

Raphael agreed, “It wouldn’t surprise me. Noah’s pretty smart when it comes to getting out of things. He really thinks that I haven’t noticed that about him.”

“Really?”

“Let’s just say that your grandson isn’t the only trouble maker in our households.”

Now that was interesting. It seemed Noah had a side that most of us hadn’t seen, and for Raphael to comment on it, there must have been something more to it.

Of course, coming back was my house was a major headache. Things weren’t in as much chaos as I was expecting, but Raziel and Anna were thoroughly upset. I left Raphael to deal with that one while I took Mia and Sean aside to talk to them.

“So, he really took off again.” Sean sighed, shaking his head.

“Yes, he did, and this time it might be harder finding him. I believe that he’s worried about someone being hurt again with Noel breaking free.” I explained.

“So what do you want to do?” Mia asked.

“You’re not thinking of sending Raziel out there to find him, are you? I don’t think that Anna’s in any shape to be left alone.” Sean reasoned.

I shook my head, “No. I agree with that. But we’ll need someone to look for him, at least for the time being. We can’t just let him run out there alone with her inside of him.”

“We’ll go.”

The three of us turned to see Sevee and Lenore standing by the doorway.

“Sevee?” Mia said, clearly surprised by the offer.

“We all know that he probably didn’t run back to the Veil. He’d be too worried about the Sumarians finding him. So our best bet would be to look for information on where he might be thinking of going. With Lenore’s connections, the two of us could do that pretty easily.” Sevee explained.

“Are you sure you’d want to do that? You couldn’t possibly take Sage with you.” I reminded them.

“It’s fine, as long as Mom and Dad are willing to take care of him until we get back,” Sevee responded, looking over at Mia.

“Of course we would. But why offer so suddenly?” Sean asked him.

Sevee just smiled, “Let’s just say he owes me a promise.”

I really didn’t want to know at that time what he meant. With Sevee, it may or may not have been good. But I was willing to take what I could get.

“That’s fine then. You and Lenore see what you can find out, and get back here as soon as you can.” I told them.

“Don’t worry. We’ll go to Ryo. If anyone can tell us just what he has in mind, Ryo can.” Lenore assured me.

But as everyone walked away, I decided to pull her aside.

“Lenore,” I said, keeping our communication through telepathy. I didn’t want any of the others to hear what I was about to say.

“Yes sir?” Lenore responded, looking up at me.

“I need a favor. But you cannot tell anyone else.”

Lenore looked at me for a moment, then nodded.

“Okay. What is it?”

I glanced around one more time to make sure that no one else was around.

“I need you to have Ryo check something. I want to know if Noel Renaldi was ever recorded as giving birth to a child. It would’ve been around three years before Raziel was born.” I requested.

Honestly, I found it hard to believe it had been that long ago. Even though I didn’t look it, I was getting old. What an unsavory thought.

“Hmm, another Nephilim. Why wouldn’t you know yourself?” she asked.

“Come now, Lenore. You’ve seen enough of Noel to know the answer to that one.” I said flatly.

“You have a point,” Lenore conceded, “I’ll check on it while we’re there, and don’t worry. I won’t mention it to Sevee.”

I knew that I could count on Lenore for that. She saw herself as one of my grandchildren as well. It was funny how that girl had situated herself so easily into our family. It was like she’d always been there.

Of course, it helped that her personality tended to mirror Sevee’s. Raphael called it another headache for him. As for me, I called it feeling like home.

However, the ugliness of the situation hadn’t escaped me either. I knew that Raphael hadn’t been lying when I’d forced him to tell me whether or not he knew of any child that Noel may have had. He honestly did not know. But I didn’t trust our father on that one. He very easily could’ve known about it and hid it out of shame.

My big question was, if that was indeed the case, then what had happened to that child, and would Noel try to force Noah to head back to them if indeed they existed and were alive?

For the time being, I would just have to wait and find out.