Page 1 of Far From Center
Chapter 1
Gabriel satramrod straight in his chair, trying not to notice the fish sandwich and hand-cut fries on the plate in front of him. He wasn’t going to eat them, but it seemed rude not to order something when he was occupying one of this waitress’ tables. Perhaps the angel he was meeting would eat them in his stead.
Correction,Fallenangel. Eirnilius had been a part of Gabriel’s choir before the angel had been caught trying to negotiate a breeding contract with a demon in violation of the two-and-a-half million-year-old treaty that outlined a complete separation between the beings of Aaru and those of Hel. It seemed rather minor now, after all that had happened in the last year, but Gabriel had delivered the punishment, and he was going to stick by his decision.
Although reinstatement after proper penance was always an option. He wasn’t so cruel as to not allow an angel, even a Fallen one, the chance for redemption. That was what Eirnilius was hoping for, and it was that hope Gabriel was leveraging for information.
See? He wasn’t as rigid as his siblings always accused him of being. Forgiveness was in his heart. Not forgiveness of the demons or the rebels who had caused this mess so long ago, though. They didn’t deserve forgiveness. Although, if he were completely honest with himself — which he always was — lately he’d begun to believe even those vile infernal beings might have a chance at redemption in their future. Maybe. When the porcine sprouted wings, maybe.
The Fallen angel slid into the seat across from Gabriel and eyed the plate of food longingly.
“Eirnilius.”
“Please call me Nils, Exalted One. I am no longer worthy of the name Eirnilius.”
The Fallen cast another forlorn glance at the food. As a Fallen, Nils was now a member of the Fifth Choir, and thus came under the rule of the Iblis, the Ha-Satan. Gabriel was fairly certain the imp fed her minions, so Nils’ starving act was an exaggeration. Well, hethoughtshe fed her minions. Given how stingy she’d been with that pizza last week, he had cause to doubt.
“Go ahead and eat the food, Nils,” Gabriel told the Fallen. “I have no need of such things.”
It was the sort of dig that should have been beneath an archangel, but Nils’ flagrant disregard of the treaty terms warranted such cattiness. Besides, what good was eventual reinstatement if the Fallen didn’t suffer during his repentance?
Nils dug in, looking up only when the waitress approached.
“Can I get you and your friend something to drink?” she asked Gabriel, barely sparing the Fallen a glance. “Another sandwich? He seems to have stolen yours.”
Nils remained silent, as befitting his status, glancing over at the bar area to indicate his desire for a beverage.
Food. Alcohol. Would the Fallen want sex with a human next? Would he steal something? Resort to physical violence? Had his vibration pattern descended so low?
“Please bring us two beers. No additional food is necessary.” Might as well order a second one. Nils would most likely want two, anyway.
“What kind of beer would you like?” She beamed at him, doing some odd motion with her hips and scrunching her arms across her chest.
“You can select for us. I’m unfamiliar with the various styles of that beverage and trust your judgement on which one is the better.”
“We’ve got an awesome Saison made on the island here. It’s my favorite.”
She did that jiggling motion with her hips again. It made various parts of her anatomy bounce. What was that about? “That sounds wonderful. Thank you, Marissa. I appreciate your attentive service to my needs.”
Pink rushed from her neck up to her cheeks, and her eyes sparkled. When she turned around and walked off, she twisted her hips, swinging her lower section to and fro in a manner that looked like it might be causing discomfort to her back muscles. When she reached the bar, both the waitress and the female bartender huddled together, whispering and giggling.
“You know, you could totally hit that,” Nils observed in between bites of the sandwich.
“I would never strike a human.” Where in all of creation had this Fallen’s sense of morals gone? Did he really condone violence against a helpful human waitress? For shame.
“Mmm.” The Fallen ignored Gabriel and looked in admiration over at the waitress. “That’s going to be the hardest to give up if I’m ever reinstated to Aaru. There are so many temptations down here, but none so seductive as that. I hate myself every time I do it, but by all that’s holy, it sure does feel good.”
What waswrongwith this angel? Violence seductive? Nils had a long road to travel toward reinstatement if those were the things he found tempting.
“Well, you’ll not lay a hand on that waitress, or any other human, while I’m within a hundred miles. Got it?”
Nils nodded ruefully. “I’ll try. Thing has a mind of its own, though. It’s a slippery slope, Ancient Revered One. A slippery slope.”
This topic of conversation was over. Gabriel didn’t want to continue hearing about how Nils couldn’t resist such impulses. The Fallen was closer to a demon then Gabriel had ever imagined.
“So…information? You said you have something for me? You possess information that warranted me coming to this tiny island in the Caribbean?”
Nils nodded. “He’s here. Or he will be shortly. Tura has a stolen artifact and is brokering a deal through a Gormand intermediary.”
