Page 20 of Protected by the Fallen
“Ten minutes.”
“Oh, thank you, Nate.” Vera touches his arm as she passes. I can’t help but notice she drops his title, and there is a certain familiarity in her tone. “We appreciate your kindness.” Behind her back, Vera motions me to follow. I comply, making a point to avoid eye contact as I pass the podium. I feel Master Nate’s gaze pressing against my skin. I exhale, relieved, once Vera leads me out of his view and behind a bookcase.
This section is deeper than I thought. Each aisle is wide—wider than the one’s in the main section. We walk several feet, and only once I feel confident we are out of earshot, I whisper to Vera, “Who was that?”
“Master Nate? No one. Well,” she pauses, “not no one. He is a powerful Fallen, but his notoriety comes from his intelligence. He is the embassy’s resident scholar.”
“What does that mean?”
“He keeps records of many things. Human events... angelic history. Instances where the two collide. He pretty much knows every historical event, even the ones not of great significance.”
I debate whether or not to voice the question in my head. The need for information trumps my desire for discretion. “Does his knowledge include genealogy?”
“Of Fallen? Of course. Master Nate knows every one of our people. At least, he knows the families.”
I suppress a groan. Well… isn’t that just great.
Eight
Vera continueson her path towards The Book of Enoch, unaware she’s left me reeling behind her. I’d just told a Fallen angel my last name, and it is part of his job to know the names of all Fallen and their offspring. I’m screwed. Royally screwed.
I need to figure a way out of this mess. If I’m lucky, Master Nate might think he’s simply forgotten a Fallen’s last name. There have to be hundreds of them. He can’t possibly always remember all of them. Can he?
God, I’m an idiot.
I never should have left my safe section of the library. The guys are going to be so mad. Rightfully so.
Stop it, Veronica.I can fix this. If I’m not lucky and Master Nate has realized my name is unusual. If he realizes Messenger isn’t the name of any Fallen, he may investigate. And since he knows nothing about me except for the fact I know Vera, she will be the first person he asks about me. I need to get her on my side. A plan forms in my mind.
“Are you and Master Nate friends?” I remember how she’d dropped the title when she thanked him for letting us into the section of the library. It seems like a friendly thing to do.
Vera glances over her shoulder, but I can’t read her expression. “He was one of the first Fallen I ever met.”
“Before Jude?”
“Yes.” She continues walking but slows down. She scans the shelves to her left and right. “My father was… protective. Prior to my visit to the embassy, he rarely allowed Fallen to visit us in our home.”
“But Master Nate was one of them?”
“Yes. My father valued his intellect. Master Nate frequently dined with my family.” She stops walking, and I almost stumble into her back. “Here we are.” She is in front of a normal looking shelf of books. Some look old, but other than that, I don’t see anything special about any of the volumes.
Vera lifts her arms. Holding her breath, she reaches out and gently pulls the spine on a particularly ratty book.
“That’s what we’re looking for?”
“Yes.” Her voice is almost reverent.
I guess when Vera said “under lock and key” she meant guarded by Master Nate. From where I stand, I don’t know what makes this ancient book more important than the thousands of others placed throughout the library. I remind myself to not be deceived by looks alone.
“What’s in it?” I lean forward, trying to get a closer look over Vera’s shoulder. She places the book on a short table beside the aisle, gently opening the cover. “The Book of Enoch contains one of the known recounts of the Fall.”
“Are there more than one?” I know humans have different versions of the Fall of Angels, but I would assume the Fallen would be privy to the truth since, you know, they are the ones who actually experienced the event.
“Many stories regarding the Fall exist. None know which is true.”
“How is that possible?”
It’s hard not to. My lips are pinched in a tight line. Clearly, she doesn’t understand my reaction.
