Gabriel looked at Megan. She was lying on her stomach reading on her phone with her feet kicked up. Her hair was in disarray all around her and she was completely nude. She was getting comfortable just being herself around him.
However, they were not okay. She was towing the line. She was even doing the things he had specifically asked for like sleeping nude. Beyond that, Megan was avoiding him.
Gabriel lay there, in his boxers staring at her, and she was keeping her distance. There were no kisses. No pushing to see if they could stretch the boundaries of their limitations. He was being cut off by being ignored.
Two more days had passed, and they were no closer to working through these obstacles than they had been. They were no closer to being together or the claim. Gabriel knew what Eleazar had said. He didn't trust the Limon at all.
Gabriel slid closer to his wife. Megan glanced at him briefly before returning to the book on her phone. He wanted her. He would give anything to show her, but he was so damn fearful of the consequences.
He traced his fingers over her back then across one perfect round cheek. Before moving his fingers along her hip enjoy the feel of her smooth soft skin. Gabriel noticed something like a shadow on her hip.
He traced the outline of it with a finger and it seemed to become more visible. Was it a birthmark in the shape of an angel blade?
"Megan, what is this?" He traced the outline again. It definitely became darker.
Megan looked at him and saw what he was looking at. "It's my birthmark."
"Have you had this your whole life?" Gabriel asked concerned.
"It's a birthmark Gabriel." Megan sighed and started to turn back to her book. Then she decided to tell the story.
"My mom told me that I went to her when I was four with the birthmark. Apparently, I told her an Angel had given it to me because I would need and angel sword one day." Megan laughed at the preposterous story.
"Did you know the name of the angel that gave you the mark?" Gabriel tried to act like the question was a joke.
"It was Enmon, not sure if I'm saying that right." Megan said and turned back to her book finally. For whatever reason the name had always stuck in her head.
Gabriel had hopped off the bed and patted Megan on the butt. "Get dressed. Wear something you can show Afton that mark in. Now Megan, this is serious." She rolled her eyes at him.
What could be serious about a four-year-olds daydream where an angel gave her sword on her hip for the future? That was nonsense for a little girl to explain a large, weird birthmark.
Megan got dressed in a tank top dress and bikini bottoms. That would make it easiest for Afton to inspect her. Though she ought to tell Gabriel to buzz off.
Something told Megan he would carry her to Afton if she refused. Which wouldn't work as she needed to keep her distance from him. It was working well so far.
She was less frustrated due to the lack of him touching or kissing her intimately. She never outright refused just kept her distance as much as possible.
Gabriel pulled Megan along behind him downstairs and to the study. He hoped that Afton hadn't left for Plymouth yet. When they got to the study he peaked in first. When he saw Afton sitting behind the desk typing on the computer he pulled Megan into the room with him. Afton snapped the laptop shut with a soft click.
"Show him." Gabriel urged. Megan scowled at her husband then walked over to Afton hiking her dress up to show him the birthmark. Afton's eyebrows shot into his hairline.
"Touch the mark, Afton." The man reached out gingerly with one finger and touched the mark. He watched the outline glow in response to his touch.
"Interactive." Afton said letting Megan know that he had seen enough. Megan put her dress down and stepped away.
"Megan tell him who gave you the mark" Gabriel said with authority.
"It was just a story my four-year-old brain concocted." Megan crossed her arms over her chest sure they were making fun of her.
"Tell him, this is important," Gabriel urged his wife.
Megan sighed before she dropped her arms and faced Afton fully. "An angel gave me the birthmark when I was four. He said I would need a warrior's sword when I was older, his name was Enmon."
"What!?" Afton yelled. "How does he end up in the midst of our lives here?"
"Are you two saying this angel is real?" This brought both men up short. They were not sure what to say to Megan about this.
"Don't even try lying to me now," Megan demanded tired of being kept in the dark about her own life.
Afton opened and closed his mouth several times. Finally, it was Gabriel who answered. "Enmon is real and yes he is an angel, but I don't want you to get this twisted sweetheart…"
Gabriel walked over to stand beside Afton, he still had his shirt clutched in his hand since he hadn't put it on yet. His chest was bare.
"Show her the angel Afton." Gabriel said looking at his friend.
Afton's eyes went white and glowed like headlights. Then he grinned widely. His teeth were as pointed and sharp as Gabriel's had been the night she ran.
Megan looked to Gabriel and his eyes were as black and empty as a tar pit. His grin looked malicious full of sharp pointed teeth. The scar across Gabriel's chest glowed with a line of faint white light.
Megan startled slightly taking half a step back when suddenly the two men were normal again.
Gabriel considered for a moment about how to proceed. "Whether angel or demon they are the same species, the same monster. Angel's work toward the greater good and demons toward the greater dark, but these are long-term prospects."
"An angel might genocide a whole town if it works toward the long-term greater good and a demon might save a bus load of children if one child might help the long term greater dark." Gabriel paused for a breath.
"Neither are fully good or evil. They just are working toward a specific goal." Gabriel explained his voice hollow.
"So, you're a demon?" Megan asked her husband with her face scrunched as she considered this.
Gabriel sighed, "Not exactly. Afton is Nephilim which means he is half angel and half human."
He swallowed uncomfortably. "I am one of a kind. I am equal parts angel and demon with a little human thrown in. Just enough that it keeps me from being more angel or demon."
"That man at the Carnival was my biological father he is about seventy-five percent demon and twenty-five percent human. My mother is an angel. The demon part of me manifested physically while the angel part had more sway internally."
"So, you look like a demon but act like an angel?" Megan asked smirking. How cliché was that?
Afton snorted chuckling. Gabriel released the breath he had been holding. "Something like that."
"How old are you? I want a real answer this time." Megan looked at the two men.
Afton shrugged, "I'm still pretty young for my kind. I'm around 1120 years old. Keeping track at those times was hard."
Gabriel watched Megan intently. "I am 758 years old, sweetheart."
Megan's mouth fell open unable to comprehend that much time. Then something occurred to her.
"If you're immortal, roughly." Her hands fluttered around gesturing, "then what can make those kinds of scars on you?"
Afton stepped in, "A blade like the one represented in your birthmark, or like this one." He pulled a blade from seemingly nowhere and handed it to her. None of them were expecting what happened next.
"Be careful it's sharp…" Megan took the blade from him flipping it twice over her hand before holding it to look at it.
"It's a little heavy in the hilt. "Megan stopped as she realized she had no idea how she had just done that with the sword or what she was talking about.
Startled, she dropped the sword. Afton moved like lightning. He barely managed to catch it before the sword hit the ground.
"How did I…" Megan started then shook herself. "What is it?"
Afton stowed his sword away before he explained. "It's an angel blade. Only angel or demon blades can leave marks on us like those on Gabriel. The scars on his back are from a demon blade. Important lesson there. An angel will stab you in the front, but a demon will stab you in the back."
"Megan how did you do that?" Afton asked the pertinent question.
"I have no idea." Megan shrugged looking perplexed. Both men were staring at her with awe and no small amount of alarm.
"I can answer that, but your house is warded. Mim won't let me in" A voice called over what seemed like a speaker phone.
Afton cursed loudly looking at Gabriel. "It's him."
"Yes, it's me. Now bring the girl to see me. Else, I'll be forced to break your house and come in. You must know that Mim looks decidedly unfriendly." The speaker announced.
Afton headed out the door and down the hallway. After a beat Gabriel took Megan's hand. He kissed it then pulled her along behind him.