Ex Nihilo Academy (17 page)

“Please, Zander, we only wanted to serve you. We give this gift to you in your name.” One of the witches bows his head reverently.

“I didn’t ask for your gifts.” Zander responds tonelessly.

The Council members exchange glances and both Alan and Zander give Mohan a nod. Then all at once we are surrounded by dozens of soldiers dressed from head to toe in black. From the looks of them they are all human.
They storm the rooftops and fill up the town square. Mohan utters a quiet “now” and a barrage of gun shots ring out, sending the supernatural’s simultaneously to the ground. And just as quickly the soldiers start removing bodies and cleaning up debris around the town.

“Are they…dead?”

“Wooden bullets and good old fashioned lead.” Alan ignores my question and saunters back to the SUV. How can he possibly be so cold? They were his people. We file back into the vehicle in silence and it is not until
we are almost at the airport that I finally turn to Zaros.

“What was with the military?”

“It’s an elite group on loan from the humans that supports our enforcement efforts. Governments around the world have a vested interest in
having us remain discreet so they supply us with a number of resources. It’s a fine line we walk to keep the peace, which is another one of the reasons your presence is so important.” He explains.

“But we killed them. We killed our own kind.” I say the words out loud and they send a shudder right through me.

“Sometimes we have to sacrifice the few for the many. It’s an uncomfortable reality but often necessary, princess. Imagine if what you saw
today was happening all over the world and not just in one remote Balkan village. What if it was happening right outside your front door? It would certainly mean war and our possible extinction. It is true that we have
advantages: powers, longevity, strength, experience, but humans have the numbers, the resources and an almost reckless commitment to self-preservation. We can’t risk pitting ourselves against them.”

I exhale the breath I’d been holding in. “Zaros, I couldn’t
agree with you more.”

* *

The Council drops me off at the airport in Skopje. The rest of them are flying back on the private jet but they are saving time by sending me on a commercial flight straight to Belfast. I don’t call Luca back until I’m
inside the terminal after I’ve had a chance to listen to all of the voice messages. They range from pleading to furious to downright scared. I dial and he answers on the first ring.

“Where are you?” Luca growls and I have to hold the phone away from my ear. “Macedonia.” I say and the response is silence. I stand there with my phone pressed against my ear willing him to say something.

“Could you repeat that?” When he finally speaks his voice is
clipped and angry.

“It was Council business and I didn’t have a choice.” I reply, a little more defensively than I intended.

“You always have a choice, Lily. Why didn’t you call me
back? I’ve been going crazy here.”

“Why didn’t I call you back? Maybe because I was busy lighting fires, altering the fabric of time and watching people and supernatural’s get killed. Maybe that’s why!” I raise my voice, not caring who around me can
hear since they are all speaking in Slavic tongues anyway.

“It has been almost eight hours since we last spoke and I was expecting you back in Belfast this morning. If something had happened to
you… ” His voice is low and husky. “Nothing happened to me, I’m fine. The town we were in was out in the middle of nowhere and there was no reception. I promise that I will fill you in later.”

“Why does it feel like you are brushing me off?”

“Look, Luca, I’m not used to answering to anyone. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time and even my parents gave me a lot of leeway.”

“But I want to take care of you.” The way his voice glides
through the phone sends shivers down my spine and makes me instantly regret making him worry.

“We can take care of each other. I’m learning a lot about myself and I’m stronger than I thought I was, but I still need your help. I
still need you.”

“Say it again.” I can hear a hint of a smile in his voice.

“I need you.” I whisper and he chuckles, then sighs.

“I’m sorry, Lily. You must think I’m psychotic. I had no
idea where you were and with someone out there trying to kill you I’ve been imaging a thousand different scenarios. I let my imagination get away from me and I know that’s not right but you have to keep me in the loop. I want you to trust me.”

“I do trust you, Luca. More than you know.” Neither of us speaks for a moment and the boarding announcement for my flights chimes over the loudspeakers. “I’d better not miss this plane or I’ll be stuck in Eastern Europe for who knows how long.”

“If you spend another minute there then I’m coming to you.” He doesn’t sound like he’s kidding.

“Why don’t you just fly yourself here?” I tease.

“I’m not a 747. Believe me when I say that I would if I
could.”

“I miss you. I promise I’ll be home soon.”

“You’d better be. I’ll come and see you later tonight. There’s something I have to take care of first.” His tone is light but I can
hear the relief present in his voice. I must have really scared him and it warms me to know that he cares that much.

“Luca?”

“Yes?” He says curiously but my voice catches in my throat. I know what I want to tell him. I realized it when he slid into the chair
across from me in that lobby in London. It’s a new feeling for me and not something I’ve ever told a guy before.

“Forget it. I’ll see you soon.” I chicken out and mumble a goodbye into the phone instead.

“Not soon enough.”

The line on his end goes dead and I quietly curse myself for not saying it. I worry that maybe it is too much too soon and I don’t want to scare him off. As I flash my boarding pass at the gate attendant and make my
way down the ramp I promise myself that I’ll tell him next time and brace myself for whatever reaction he has to give.

It is after eleven when I pull into the driveway of the
manor so I’m surprised to see the comforting yellow glow of candlelight flickering from inside the windows. The house is usually so dark this time of night after Niall and Rowan have retreated to their wing. I walk around to the back door and I poke my head in. Rowan is at the island fiddling with a bottle
of wine while Niall looks on with his hands braced on his hips.

“You’re doing it wrong, son.”

“I’ve opened a bottle of wine before Niall, just not usually
with a Swiss army knife.” “Well don’t blame me for how this kitchen is stocked. I’m a scotch man myself.”

I’m fascinated by their exchange and I don’t want to interrupt but my elbow bumps into a glass dish on the counter and they both
jump.

“Your home!” Rowan exclaims, the wine all but forgotten.

“You were supposed to come in the front door!” Niall huffs but I can tell that he is happy to see me home safely.

“I’m sorry. I saw all the lights on and I was curious.” I
say sheepishly.

“It’s no bother. Come, we have a surprise for you.”

Niall takes me by the shoulders and leads me through to the dining room. The long table is crammed with mismatched dishes that are
overflowing with food. A turkey and a small roast sit in the centre and stubby candles in jars of different sizes are scattered around them. There are also yams, vegetables, stuffing and cranberry sauce — the real cranberry sauce
I like not that gross gelatinous blob.

“Happy Thanksgiving!” They say in unison. “That’s a big holiday for you yanks, right?” Rowan winks and I have no words. I’m genuinely touched.

“We know it’s not officially until next week but your trip
gave us some time to prepare. Your delayed flight was a stroke of luck for us too.” Niall says proudly and I’m relieved I called to give him the heads up. Of course I left out the part where I stopped over in Eastern Europe to prevent a
village from being massacred.

“You stayed up until now for me?” I feel my eyes starting to water from the warmth and kindness radiating from them both. “Are those brussels sprouts?” I eye the plate excitedly.

“They are. Though why anyone would want to eat them I’m at a loss.” Rowan teases as he pulls out my chair for me.

“Hey, watch what you say! They’re my favorite.” I clap my hands together excitedly before taking a big scoop and loading it on to my
plate.

“And you can eat the roast in the middle. It’s something called a tofurkey that Rowan had to special order from Belfast. Hell of a thing that.” Niall beams at his son proudly. “Thank you, Rowan.” I can’t contain my
goofy grin as I cut a slice of the vegetarian roast and add it to my plate. They take their seats and start passing around dishes.

“So how was London? Was it everything you expected?” Rowan
asks, handing me a bowl of green beans and I feel a surge of guilt. He’s done all of this for me but how would he feel if he knew that I lied about why I went, and worse yet that Luca was there with me?

“It was everything I expected and more.” I say quickly,
hoping to change the subject. “Oh! That reminds me… I have a present for you!”

“Can it wait until after dinner?” Niall pipes up.

“It can but I really want to give it to Rowan now. It’s in
the trunk of my car so I’ll just run out and grab it. It’ll only take a minute I promise.” Rowan laughs at my enthusiasm and shakes his head.

“I take it patience is not one of your many virtues.” He is teasing but I can tell that he’s curious to see what his present is, so I toss
my napkin down on the table and run out to the car.

I’m closing the trunk with the t-shirt in hand when a wall of searing heat hits me and throws me backwards into the air. I end up on the
lawn ten feet from where I was standing and I land on my leg at an awkward angle. I look up to see a ball of fire mushroom through the lower half of the house, sending out plumes of black smoke in its wake. Yellow and orange flames
lick up the sides of the house to the second floor.

“Rowan! Niall!” I scream while scrambling to my feet. My left leg immediately buckles so I have to put all my weight on my right and drag the other behind me. I scream their names and try to fight through the
debris of wood and stone but the blaze is too hot and I can’t get close to the house. “No!” I croak as the tears stream down my face. I wipe at my cheeks and my hand comes away black from all of the soot and ash. I turn back to my car
just in time to see all the windows shatter outward as it explodes and is engulfed in flames. Only the front bumper is still visible beneath the fire and my ears fill with the awful all-too-familiar sound of crumpling metal. I hobble back to the lawn and collapse, resting my head in my shaking hands. Niall.
Rowan. The house, the car bomb, these things were clearly meant for me and now they are dead because of it. The thought is crushing and squeezes all of the remaining air from my lungs. I sit paralyzed for what feels like an eternity.
Eventually the car fire subsides revealing the charred skeleton of the Jetta beneath. The fire at the house still rages and half of the manor has already been eaten away by the inferno. I hear sirens wailing in the distance and I
decide that I don’t want to be here when they arrive because I don’t know how I’m going to explain any of this. I feel responsible. No, scratch that, I am responsible. I limp into the forested area just beyond the lawn and rest against a tree before checking my leg. I roll up my pants to reveal the raw,
ugly pink skin beneath that confirms that my calf is badly burned. Luckily nothing seems to be broken though my ankle must be sprained from twisting it. I slip off my sweater and the t-shirt beneath, then slide the sweater back over
my head. I tear the shirt into strips with shaking hands and fasten a tourniquet around my lower leg. I figure that it will do for now. I can manage the pain. I deserve the pain for bringing two innocent people into this mess
without their knowledge. I shift some of my weight back on to the injured leg and it’s tender but I can walk on it. I limp through the trees, making my way to the main road and head toward town mostly because I don’t know where else to go. I have no way of summoning a boat to the school because, oh that’s right,
my driver is also dead thanks to me. I can’t call Luca or Nissa or Cai because my phone is in my purse and my purse was in the house. A fire truck and two police cars pass me on the road but I am well hidden by the trees. I limp along
at a steady pace, unsure of where to go next. I have no family and my best friend and his father have just been killed. I have no car, no ID, no money and no way to reach Ex Nihilo. I have no idea how long I’ve been walking but I know
I’ve reached the outskirts of Strangford when I see the old chapel. It is tucked away on the side of the road, moss-covered and obscured by the knee-high grass that has grown around it. Last time we drove by Rowan said it was built in the
1600s and no longer open for worship but that the town still kept it maintained. Rowan. Just thinking about him makes me double over and I dry heave into the grass while letting the sobs rack my body. The light rain turns into a downpour that soaks right through my clothing as I crouch there in the middle
of the street. Eventually I get back up and limp my way past the gravestones and along the path to the big wooden door of the chapel. I try the handle and say a silent thank you when the door opens. The inside is dark but by another
stroke of luck I find matches and waiting candles on the altar which provide a dim glow and illuminate the weathered wooden pews. The space is small and low ceilinged but more importantly it’s dry. I wish I could take off my clothes to
ring them out but I don’t have the energy. I’m too exhausted so I just collapse on the first bench I see and wrap my arms around myself to try and stop the shivering. I let it all out then, thinking back on all of the people I’ve lost.
I cry and cry until I am numb and until I have nothing in me left.

* *

When I wake I don’t hear the rain anymore. I only hear the sound of birds chirping. I only feel the warmth of the sun on my skin reaching me through the arched stained-glass windows. My head is resting in a warm, dry
lap and a calloused hand gently strokes my hair. I sit up quickly which sends pain lancing through my body and I wince. When I turn I find myself nose to nose with Rowan, who is wearing charred clothing covered in soot, but otherwise
looks perfectly fine.

“Rowan?” I blink, confused, then throw my arms around his neck. “Are you real or am I dreaming?” My lips are pressed against his skin so my voice comes out muffled. He chuckles and wraps his arms around me in
response.

“I promise you that I’m very real and that you’re awake.”

“But you were in the house. I saw it go up in flames. It’s not possible.” I pull back and search his face and his eyes meet mine.

“It’s complicated.”

“You’ve said that before but I’m freaking out here. I need more information.” He leans back into the pew with one arm slung around my shoulders and pulls me against his side. “I’ll tell you but you can’t freak
out.”

“I think it’s a little late for that, Rowan. Start talking.” My voice is shaky.

“I was in the house and I did get burned and it hurt like bloody hell but I’m fine now. I’m fine because I’m immortal.” He says it with a hint of pride in his voice.

“You’re immortal.” I repeat. “Since when?”

“Since I was born. I may look human but I’m not entirely.
I’m Nephilim, which means I’m half-angel. My mother was, to put it politely, seduced by an angel and I am the result of that union. There are not many of us left but we are powerful; we heal quickly and we live forever.”

“So Niall was… ” My voice trails off and his face pinches
with pain.

“Niall was my father in all of the ways that were important. He was a good man.”

“I’m so sorry. This is my fault.” A tear slides down my cheek and he wipes it away with his thumb, then presses his forehead against
mine.

“It’s not your fault.”

“How old are you then, or did you lie about that too?” My voice trembles.

“I really am eighteen. And I didn’t lie to you, Lily, I just
didn’t tell you the whole truth because it’s not something I’m allowed to talk about.”

“You’re an angel.” I say, stunned.

“Half-angel.” He corrects me. “And my duty as a half-angel
is to protect humankind from dark forces. I’ve been trained to fight since I could walk. It’s what all of my tattoos are about.” He pulls up his scorched sleeve revealing the 6:4 on his shoulder. “Genesis 6:4. ‘The Nephilim were on the earth in these days and also afterward, when the sons of God came to the
daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.’
Nephilim literally translates to the fallen ones.”

“And your job is to protect humans?”

“Yes it is and it’s also to keep humans blissfully unaware of everything that is going on around them. Without the numbers we once had we have to focus on our strength and immortality to protect the human race. We
work in small groups and Charles, Danny, Tom and I cover all of Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales.”

“Your band ‘The Fallen Ones’ are all Nephilim too?” I say and Rowan looks more than a little sheepish.

“I know the names a little obvious but we couldn’t resist. They’ve all been around a lot longer than I have. Charles has to be at least a few hundred years old.”

“And that’s why you said they are half-brothers.”

“In a way we all are. They’re the only family I have left.”

“So how do you know when you are like, needed for a mission or something?”

“Let’s call it ‘Divine Providence’. We take our orders from
above.”

“Okay, so let’s say I believe that you are a ‘Solider of God’ here to protect us frail immortals - the big question is from what?”

“I think you know more about that then you let on. We protect the human race from dark forces. Dark forces that were around long
before you came into our lives.”

“What forces? I don’t understand what you are talking about!”

“Shh, please don’t get excited. You need to rest. Let me
take care of you.” His lips hover just over mine as his hands come up to cradle my face. “It’s impossible not to feel something for you. From the moment I saw you in the window that first day. Lily, you must know how I feel.”

“Rowan.” I try to struggle away but his hold is strong.

“Just let me get this out. I want to explain.” His lips graze the corner of my mouth and I jump, startled.

“I think you’ve explained enough, Savage. Get away from
her.” Luca is standing in the doorway of the chapel with his hands fisted at his sides. He looks back and forth between Rowan and I and he looks ready to tear Rowan apart.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you Lily. Come, I need to
get you back to the school.” Luca motions for me to follow him but Rowan stands and places himself in front of me.

“She doesn’t need to go anywhere with you vampire.”

“Wait, you know that he’s a vampire?” I stand and then
stumble on my injured leg, letting out a pained moan and Luca’s jaw clenches in anger.

“You’re hurt. Nice job, Savage. Maybe if you’d spent less time trying to grope her and more time tending to her wounds she’d be in better
shape.”

“I just got here bloodsucker and I can take care of her a hell of a lot better than you can. You can’t even come in here can you?”

“No, I can’t. It’s very old sacred ground and you know that.
But that’s not relevant. Lily is my girlfriend and I am in love with her and I will always protect her. Now step out of the way before I kill you.”

He loves me? My heart skips beat.

“We both know it would even the score or did you not mention
to Lily that you killed my sister?”