No surprise Nick had caught my mood change. Uriel had never contacted me. How did he have my number? Since when did Uriel text?
Too many questions and only one source for answers.
I sent a message telling him I was alone and waited.
My stomach squeezed so tightly I wasn’t sure I’d be able to eat tonight. Uriel obviously wanted to talk to me about Nick, but why now?
If he had a problem with my being around Nick, he’d need to speak to Michael. I did not want to get in the middle of a Uriel versus Michael power struggle.
I paced the small backyard, stewing in the unanswered questions. Thankfully, Uriel didn’t make me wait.
“Hello?” I sounded as tentative as I felt.
“Good evening, nephew. Are you having a pleasant trip?”
Was he angry I hadn’t asked his permission to take Nick on a weekend date. His neutral tone gave nothing away. “Hello uncle. So far it’s been good. I bored Nick with my antique shopping, and he made me pay by running me into the ground.”
Uriel barked out a laugh. “That sounds like him.”
Okay, so not mad, but he spoke like he knew Nick very well. “He’s inside showering, but he might come out at any time.”
“Noted.” Uriel drew a deep breath. “I’m sure you want to know why I asked you to call.”
I nearly laughed. He texted me out of the blue, demands I be alone before I call, and acts like this isn’t a huge fucking deal. “I do. Is something wrong?”
“What you really want to know is didyoudo something wrong.”
The hot and cold conversation left me more confused than before he called. “Did I?”
“If you had, I’d have come in person. You are not to tell Nick he’s an angel. I can’t stress this enough. It is imperative he not be told until he’s ready.”
Did he really call just to tell me something Michael had stressed repeatedly? “I was told before I arrived, Uncle. I won’t.”
“I’m sure Michael told you this order came from me, and only I could tell Nick the truth.”
The bulls were fighting for supremacy, and I was stuck between them. “He mentioned I couldn’t tell Nick without your permission.”
“Did he tell you why?”
Now I knew he was mocking me. Michael didn’t tell anyone anything more than he wanted. “Of course not.”
“I share your frustrations with my brother’s methods. Unfortunately, it usually does more harm than good. I’ve had many visions concerning Nick. Every time he learns of his powers too soon, he ends up dead.”
My heart stopped for a second. Dead? I’d never let that happen. “How can telling him the truth kill him?”
“If I told you, you’d try to save him and then you’d both end up dead. Henry, please trust me. I’m not doing this for some power trip or just to piss off Michael. Your uncle doesn’t believe me, he never has, but you must.”
There was enormous pain in the last word. True or not, Uriel was convinced what he’d seen would happen. Unfortunately, his visions were usually true. “I believe you, uncle. I promise not to tell him without your approval.”
“Good. Now, let’s talk about you and Nick.”
How did we go from, don’t tell him or he’ll die, to talking about whatever Nick and I were doing. “What do you want to know?”
“Nephew, I’ve seen the future. You love him. That’s good. You’re the best of your generation. Nick deserves someone like you.”
I thought the conversation was weird before, but this took it to a new level. I’d maybe seen Uriel in person ten times, and he was talking about me like he’d watched me grow up. “Thank you?”
Uriel laughed again, and it broke the tension. “Relax. It’s a good thing. Mostly.”
