Page 103 of Bellamy
Alastair shook his head. “I spoke to Baxter last night. He would’ve told me if anyone from his unit had left. I’ll—”
A man stepped out from the trees. Black wings curved behind him, and he had medium-length brown hair. I didn’t recognize him, but he was definitely one of the Fallen. They gave off a different kind of aura than Nephilim.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Phoenix said from beside me.
“You know who he is?” Alastair asked.
“I do.” Phoenix met my eyes. “You asked me about him once. That’s Penemuel.”
Chapter Seventeen
Phoenix
“You can lower your swords,” Penemuel calmly said, hands up. The Nephilim brothers had surrounded him on all sides. “I’m not here to fight.”
We stood just outside the property line of Ravenwood Mansion. Clara didn’t have the same type of protective barrier as the brothers’ mansion once had, but she’d added warding to prevent enemies from stepping a foot onto her land.
“Why have you been following us?” Alastair aimed his sword at the fallen angel’s throat.
“To observe. At first anyway.” Penemuel studied the keeper of Pride. “I’d rather stay out of this war, but I can’t, in good conscience, stay in the shadows any longer.” His honey eyes moved to me. “Phoenix. I admit my surprise in seeing you abandon your king’s side. You were his most loyal companion.”
“Asa isn’t my king anymore,” I said. “As for my loyalty, it belongs only to my mate.”
Bellamy’s fingers touched mine. He hadn’t given me an answer about where we stood in our relationship… but my soul soared in that instant. Had he decided to give me another chance?
“Your mate. Ah, yes. That certainly explains things.” Penemuel turned his attention to Bellamy. “You greatly resemble your father.”
“I get that a lot.” Bellamy’s jaw tightened.
Was he thinking about all the times his mother had said the same?
I leaned more against him, hoping it gave him a bit of comfort. He softly exhaled and welcomed my touch, our fingers linking. His sword remained in his other hand.
“Is there somewhere we can talk?” Penemuel asked, flicking a distasteful gaze around our surroundings. “Perhaps inside where I can rest. Tea would also be nice.”
“Are you really in a position to be demandin’ things?” Raiden asked. Pretty sure I heard his stomach grumbling. The poor guy still hadn’t been able to eat breakfast. The Pop-Tart had only been a light snack.
“It was a request, not a demand,” Penemuel said. “If you feel I can’t be trusted and turn me away, I’ll leave, and you won’t hear from me again. However, I believe you’ll be interested in what I have to say.”
“Let’s hear him out.” Bellamy sheathed his sword. “We can always kill him later if he wastes our time.”
“Lovely.” Penemuel’s wings withdrew back into his shoulder blades. He then pulled a shirt from the bag at his feet and slipped it on, buttoning it but leaving the top one open. “Speaking of time… we have very little of it. Lift the warding, and allow us to begin.”
Alastair glanced at the mansion behind us. “I can’t allow you inside. The owner is a dear friend, and I won’t put her in harm’s way.”
The front door opened, and Clara stepped out. She showed no fear as she approached us. Given that every male present, apart from Gray, stood at over six foot, some closer to seven foot, most people would’ve been intimidated. But not her.
“Looks like she’s putting herself in harm’s way,” Castor said with a sigh.
“That’s our girl.” Raiden grinned.
“Speak for yourself, Cas. I can more than take care of myself,” Clara responded, patting the bag she’d slung over her shoulder. Probably filled with herwitch bombs. She scrutinized the fallen angel. “Wow. You look like a college professor.”
I bit back a laugh. She wasn’t wrong. Penemuel reminded me of a scholarly type. He had a classically handsome set to his face, and his wardrobe mostly consisted of casual suits, nice button-ups, and the occasional cardigan. He wore glasses, even though his eyesight was perfect and he didn’t need them. He liked the style.
“Pleased to meet you.” Penemuel tipped his head to her. “I know of your family. You come from a very powerful line of witches.”
Clara looked him up and down. “Yeah, and don’t you forget it either. I guess I need to adjust the warding to let you in?”
