“Ethon fixed me,” I said softly, pulling Kade along, trying to avoid any more chatter.
“Wait… what?” Malachi snapped. “He’s a healer too?”
“Yep,” I answered quickly.
“That can’t be. All the Nephilim I heard of only have one gift. Look at Alaine. Hers is invisibility and nothing else. Are you sure he’s a Nephilim?”
“Well, he is related to the ruler of the Underworld. That should count for something more, right?” I added.
“I don’t know. Sounds kind of fishy to me. Frankly, I seriously don’t give a damn, unless he crosses me… then things could get ugly.”
“Yeah, that would be a real tragedy,” I acknowledged with an over exaggerated nod of my head.
“Damn right,” Malachi added. “I’ll knock that demon straight back to the depths of hell, in a hand basket.”
“Hand basket?”
“You’ve heard of the saying, ‘to hell in a handbasket’ haven’t you?”
“Yes,” I said, rolling my eyes.
I knew the conversation must have been killing Kade. Ethon could not only fly, fight, and protect me, but he could also heal me. Right now, he had the advantage and Kade knew it.
He looked over to me as we entered the kitchen, his eyes glimmering. “As long as you aren’t in any pain, I’m good with it.” His smile instantly brightened the room and my mood.
“Well, if it isn’t the lovebirds,” Miss Lily welcomed. “And hello, Malachi.”
“Hey, Miss Lily. So what you got cookin’ today?” he asked.
“I’m not really cooking. I’m just throwing together some deli sandwiches, chips, and potato salad.”
“Sounds good to me, and I must say, you’re looking very pretty today,” Kade added.
“Why, Mr. Anders. You really have a way of making this old lady feel nice inside.” Her face lit up with a large toothy grin. “Now, you all head into the dining room, and I’ll bring out the platters in just a bit.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Malachi said, scooting past us.
As soon as we entered, we were greeted with a boisterous voice. “Hey you beautiful people… except for the big, brawny, tanned guy in the front who looks somewhat akin to a pit bull.”
“Keep that mouth moving, Dom,” Malachi threatened.
“It’s early. I’m just getting started,” Dom stated, showing all his teeth in an exaggerated grin. He then turned to me and winked which made me blush.
Malachi walked past him, slapping him on the shoulder extra hard.
“Crap. Now I’ll have your huge paw print on my shoulder for the next few hours,” Dom huffed.
“Yep. I’ve marked you, bitch.”
“Dude, that makes me very uncomfortable. But I always knew deep down inside, you wanted to mark me as yours.”
“Don’t freaking flatter yourself.”
“Oh, but you’re the lucky one, broseph.”
Malachi turned to us, his eyes narrowed, the vein in the middle of his forehead protruding. “I seriously can’t wait until this assignment is done so I can be reassigned with someone normal.”
“Normal is boring. Which explains a lot about your personality.”
Malachi clenched his teeth and switched topics. “I heard Ephraim was ecstatic to see you.”
“Yeah, that guy loves me. He just can’t stand too much awesomeness in one room.”
“No, Dom. He just can’t stand you. Period.”
“Not true. He just doesn’t know how to handle all of this,” he said. His chair screeched back as he stood and started flexing. “I don’t blame him though. Not many do.”
“Sit down before you get a cramp,” Malachi barked.
“You’re the one cramping my style, dude. Chillax.”
“What the hell is chillax?”
“You know… chill out and relax. Dude, it’s a the mortal word that’s been around for ages, so you should obviously know it by now.”
“Hey guys,” Alex greeted, entering the room with Thomas behind him. “Did we miss anything?”
“Nope,” Kade said. “Just the normal blabbering banter between Dom and Malachi.”
“Ah, shucks,” he chuckled.
“Hey Emma,” Thomas chimed. “It seems like forever since I’ve seen you. How have you been?”
“Good,” I answered with a squeak, unsure of my word choice.
“Yeah, right. This chick is damn lucky to be alive. She seriously has like nine lives,” Dom blurted.
Miss Lily came into the room just in time with the first platter of sub sandwiches. I was glad she set the first tray in between the cluster of hungry Guardians. That would keep their minds and mouths occupied for a while.