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Distracting myself from the problem was easy enough with people like Noah Brown, who lived to butter up the ladies. He even had Esther blushing and laughing as we worked together to set up bleachers on the great lawn. It was hard work though, and I was glad by the time the afternoon came and my aunt called it quits.
“That’s enough for the day.” She brushed off the grass stains on her knees and adjusted her large brimmed hat. Her cheeks shone pink from the lingering heat of the day. “We can finish these tomorrow.”
Noah stretched his hands together, cracking his knuckles. “This Aussie’s ready to kick some tail. It’s about time we had an Aussie vs. Yank battle. I’ve been itching for a little competition for the past decade.”
I squinted at him, once again amazed at the lifespan of the Nephilim. From what I’d gathered, he was about three hundred years old and unattached. Some of the girls had already noticed his boyish good looks and charming talk. I had no doubt he’d be swarmed at the dinner table. He had no idea how competitive the girls around here could be when it came to an eligible bachelor. Especially, one with a hot Australian accent. He was in for a big surprise.
Just then, a large black SUV pulled into the gravel drive of the manor. My heart skipped a beat when I spotted it. With a little shout, I ran to meet it in front of the gigantic garage that housed the many Nephilim utility vehicles. My legs shook as I waited for the people inside to shuffle out. Anxiously looking them over, I assessed each through the windows.
“Did it go okay? Are you alright? Did anyone get hurt?” The questions poured from my lips. “Was it a demon? Was there a fight? Is it dead?”
“Easy, woman.” Adam was the first to exit. He rolled his blue eyes at me. “We’re fine. It was boring, really.”
“If you count getting thrown down a busy freeway boring,” Raquel grumbled as she stepped out. She had a bandaged hand, but seemed all in one piece. “This guy was a giant,” she said, turning toward me with big green eyes. “Built like a silverback gorilla. It took three of us to subdue him.”
“And the help of a semi-truck going eighty-five,” Ashley chimed in.
If she had recently been in a battle, I couldn’t tell. She breezed out of the SUV with the ease of someone who had just spent the weekend at the spa.
“When we couldn’t get him to cooperate, I threw him in the path of the truck,” she responded to my concerned expression. “It didn’t kill him, but it helped us get him under control long enough to do the ritual. Your sweetheart had to calm down the trucker afterwards. I’m pretty sure we gave him a minor heart attack.”
I looked back into the depths of the SUV to see Gabe behind the wheel. He unbuckled and smiled up at me. “It was fine. Nothing we couldn’t handle. You didn’t miss much.”
With a sigh, I threw myself into his arms, silently checking him over to be sure he came back in one piece. Satisfied with my search, I found his lips with mine and pressed against him. He responded in kind, his breath hot on my cheek. We kissed for a desperate few seconds until a sound of disgust behind me tore us apart.
“Do they always have to do that?” Adam was asking Ashley. His nose wrinkled as if he’d caught a whiff of something rotten.
“I think it’s cute.” She crossed her arms and tossed her head. “When I find a partner, I hope we’ll be half as devoted to each other as Gabe and Lizzy.”
Adam snorted and stormed off toward the manor. I turned to look at Gabe, raising one of my eyebrows.
“Don’t ask,” he warned with a shake of his head. Long strands of brown hair fell into his eyes. “There was a huge blowup between them last night. I found Adam sleeping in the SUV this morning.”
I clicked my tongue and rubbed his back. Poor Gabe. He wasn’t a fan of relationship drama, and his brother seemed to attract the worst of it. Hopefully, he and Ashley were finally through. I couldn’t think of a couple less suited. They seemed to bring out the worst in each other and for the past two summers neither of them had found their Nephilim partners. That fact had only seemed to further complicate the situation.
“What’s going on?” Gabe asked, eyeing the stands we’d just set up on the lawn. “Is that the arena from the training facility?”
I laughed nervously. “Yeah, you’ve been volunteered to take part in an epic competition of brawn. A battle royale.”
He tilted his head and stared quizzically at me. “What do you mean?”
“A few of the Nephilim wanted a distraction, so we set up the arena. The competition starts tomorrow. Noah Brown is here. He specifically wants to fight with you.”
Boyish excitement crossed his face and his eyes lit up. “Noah? That old beach bum? What’s he doing here?”
“He’s one of Luke’s researchers.”
He sucked in his cheeks and grinned. “Makes sense. He always was a nerd. I’ve got to go say hi to the guy. And hit the gym tonight. Being on the road has made me soft.”
Clenching my teeth, I drew in a hesitant breath. I wished I didn’t have to break the news to him like this. “That might have to wait.”
He gave me a quizzical look.
“We have dinner plans.” I licked my dry lips. “With your parents.”
The blood drained from his face as he shot out of the car, nearly depositing me on the ground. I managed to right myself at the last second and stand semi-gracefully.
“They’re here?” he asked, oblivious to my plight but still holding onto my hand. “But I thought they weren’t coming until winter. I specifically called them last week.”
