Page 14 of Far From Center
Chapter 7
Nyalla was thrilledwith how quickly Gabriel learned to work the elevator and how to negotiate the doors and corridors of the hotel. She gave him her extra door key and made sure he’d memorized her room number, just in case something happened and they became separated. They met Snip and Terrelle down in the lobby of the hotel. The two demons took one look at the angel-now-human, and their jaws nearly hit the floor.
“Holy shit on a stick, Nyalla,” Terrelle exclaimed. “Where did you find him? Is he for me? Can I fuck him?”
“No,Iwant to have sex with him.” Snip elbowed Terrelle.
“Me first. Then you can have him. And then I can have him again.” The information demon said.
“No one is having sex with him,” Nyalla stood in front of Gabriel, trying to shield him from the horny pair. “He’s…He’s helping us. So no sex.” Good grief. Even deprived of his angelic powers, she had no doubt that Gabriel could easily turn both of the two demons into hamburger. Snip and Terrelle needed to not pester the angel or they’d find themselves in a whole world of hurt.
“Awww, come on.” Terrelle squeezed around Nyalla and poked Gabe in the chest then squeezed his arms. The angel stared at her in confusion. He seemed more perplexed than angry at being felt up. “He’s jacked. I’m talking ripped. Come feel him, Snip. The dude works out. Them’s some serious guns there, buddy.”
“I’m not carrying human weaponry,” the angel replied with a slight frown.
The demons ignored him. “Daaaaamn,” Snip squeaked. “This has got to be the best looking human male I’ve seen on the island so far. I think he’s the best looking human male I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“Stop pawing him,” Nyalla protested. “No sex. No feeling him up. He’s going to help us, then after we’re done here, he’ll go….home.”
She had no idea what Gabriel would do or where he’d go. Would the non-angel spell wear off in the next three days? If not, should he get a job waiting tables and rent a small apartment? Maybe she should get him a plane ticket back to the States where his siblings could help him. Although he’d made her promise again on the elevator ride down not to tell anyone, and that included his archangel brothers and sister as well as the Iblis.
The whole thing bothered her and made that guilty feeling spread across her like a thick smothering blanket. He had been a powerful archangel, but now he seemed so lost, so helpless. And even before there had been that ache of loneliness, of hollow desperation that she’d felt from him. That hadn’t gone away with his transition from angel to human, and it made her feel even more protective of him.
“What’s your name, sweet cheeks?” Terrelle asked, pinching said sweet cheeks.
Oh Goddess. How to get these two to leave the poor guy alone?
“It’s G-“ Gabriel said.
“It’s G-man,” Nyalla interrupted the angel.
He looked offended. “That isnotmy name. And it’s completely disrespectful for anyone aside from my siblings to address me without my honorary titles.”
Snip looked intrigued. “Then how should we address you? Mister G-man? Duke G-man? Are you a prince?”
“I am–” Gabriel stopped, an odd expression on his face. “No. I’m just a human. G-man is fine, I guess.”
Nyalla felt her heart crash. She’d done this. Yes, it hadn’t really been her fault, but somehow she still felt guilty. An archangel. A really hot, powerful archangel, and now he was standing beside her devoid of grace and wings, a bewildered look on his face.
But he was still hot. Wow, was he hot. Why had Sam not mentioned how smoking this angel was? The Iblis was always drooling over Rafi, but in Nyalla’s opinion, Gabriel was far better looking. Especially when he scowled. There was something about that glare of his that was so sexy.
“We leaving, Nyalla?” Snip asked. “I’m starved. And I could use a shot of tequila.”
“Nyalla is not driving,” Gabriel interjected. His voice was deep with the sort of commanding tone that made her weak in the knees. He might not be an angel right now, but he was clearly far more than just the run-of-the-mill human male. “She had two beers up in the room. I refuse to allow her to drive any motorized vehicle. Although perhaps she can ride a horse.”
“Nooooo,” Terrelle said, eyeing him. “None of us are driving, and none of us are going to ride a horse. Taxi, Mister G-man. Or we can take the party bus.”
“Party bus. Party bus.” Snip chanted.
“Party bus it is,” Nyalla announced. Gabriel still had the deer-in-headlights expression, so she grabbed his hand and dragged him out to the front of the hotel to wait for the bus. It didn’t take long. This time of the evening they seemed to run by the hotel every ten minutes. In no time at all, a double-decker, open-roof bus drove up to the hotel entrance, scantily clad people screaming and cheering from the top deck.
“Upper seats!” Snip announced, climbing the back stairs. Nyalla dragged Gabriel upward, squeezing in beside him as they sat. The brightly colored plastic chairs were sticky, and the two women in front of them turned around and handed them a pint bottle of rum. Then their eyes slid to Gabriel and widened.
“Thank you.” The angel took the bottle and promptly passed it to Nyalla.
“Not a rum man?” One of the women asked, her voice husky. “What’s your poison, babe?”
Gabriel’s eyebrows knitted together and he looked at the bottle before meeting their gaze once more. “In this form, arsenic, nightshade, a significant quantity of poppy derivative, or mercury. This body is particularly fragile and would find many types of substances to be lethal, even in miniscule dosages.”
