I held him tighter while he stroked my hair as best he could underwater.
Nate didn’t let me go. He didn’t threaten to murder Hayden. He just offered me his silent support and comfort, and surprisingly it helped. It was the most okay I’d felt all week.
THIRTY-ONE
Danielle
The next morning,we all gathered in Sam’s living room.
Micah stood in front of the fireplace while everyone else sat on the semicircle of sofas and armchairs around him. The kids were playing in the corner where their parents could see them, but they weren’t really a part of the meeting.
Piper handed out mugs of coffee and tea before taking her seat beside Sam, who placed a hand on her thigh in a possessive gesture that made my chest ache.
Being there hurt more than I’d expected. Despite the tense atmosphere, there was a certainty between the couples in the room that I envied. They had a kind of peace that existed no matter what else was going on in their lives.
Scott had his arm around Maggie’s shoulders, his thumb stroking her upper arm. And Nate had pulledSierra onto his lap, his chin resting on top of her head and his arms around her waist.
For several minutes, we all just sat there in a silence it seemed no one wanted to break.
Finally Micah spoke. “Maggie, while we’re waiting for Allison to get here, why don’t you catch everyone up on your side of the story.”
“Okay.” Maggie let out a heavy breath. “Just keep in mind I don’t know very much. Mom never told me a lot about my real father. I knew he existed and that he came from a dangerous family. When I got older and started questioning the things I could do, she told me the truth about him being one of the angels who’d followed Lucifer,fallenfrom Heaven, and came to rule over Hell, but that he’d changed his mind and regretted his choices.” She shrugged. “I don’t really know anything else. She didn’t even have a picture of him.”
“And what exactly can you do?” Micah asked.
Maggie glanced at Sam. “The basic half-demon stuff apparently. I was always fast and strong compared to the other kids in my class. Things like languages and debate came easy to me. Supposedly I can sense demonic power, but I’ve never actually met a demon.”
“You’re not missing out, trust me,” Sierra said, prompting Nate to pull her tighter against him.
“Anything else?” Micah asked. “Any gifts you got specifically from your father?”
“Yes. I can see the seal of God on a person’s heart.”
Utter silence followed her words. I’d never heard of anyone having that ability, and glancing around at my family, I didn’t think any of them had either.
“You can see if a person’s soul is claimed by God?” Micah said slowly.
Maggie nodded.
Before anyone could say anything more, a knock sounded from the front door. Piper started to stand, but Sam pulled her back down and stood himself. “Stay here,” he murmured. “I’ll be right back.”
He returned with Allison a second later.
“I can’t find him,” she said. “I’ve tried every contact I have, everything I can think of. I’m almost positive he’s not on Earth at the moment. I don’t think there’s anything we can do but wait for him to get back.”
For the next several hours, we talked about Allison’s relationship with Beelzebub, whom she referred to as Zeb, and how, when she’d gotten pregnant, they’d split up to keep the baby safe. According to Allison, Zeb didn’t trust HeavenorHell when it came to his daughter.
It made sense, and I could tell my brothers understood where he’d been coming from. Nate and Sam had both been there at one point. There was no easy way to fall in love with a human. I should know.
I glanced down at my phone, checking my messages. Still nothing from Hayden.
My fingers itched to text him even though it didn’t take a genius to figure out he didn’t want to hear from me.
Our last conversation played in my head again. He’d looked so hurt, so betrayed. I would give anything to take that away from him. Being the source of Hayden’s pain was the last thing I wanted.
“Danielle?” The sound of someone saying my name yanked my attention away from my phone.
“What?”
