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A blast of brittle wind hit him in the face as he exited onto Pacific Ave. He had to let the angels know. But who should he tell first? He should tell Theo, obviously, but something about ruining the angel’s good spirits with the bad news didn’t feel right.
A muted shout to his right and a flurry of metal hitting metal had Daniel pulling up short and staring into the window of a dojo. He looked up and chuckled under his breath. His feet had led him right to Tribunal Academy, the same place he’d watched March turn into a crazy chimeric demon wolf-thing. The exact location he’d seen white-robed, sword-wielding angels attack and defeat the monster a year ago. He’d stood inthisspot and watched the angel he knew as Theo strike the evil creature down.
“Theo’s not here.”
“I know.” Daniel opened his eyes and stared at Ari. He took in the leather jacket, the black jeans, the spiked hair, and multiple ear piercings. “He’s at my place, resting.”
“Good. We’ll see you both tonight, right? Judah and his brothers are such hams this time of year. Rabbi Cohen loves putting them on the bema.” Ari rolled his eyes.
Daniel didn’t get the reference, but since it involved a rabbi, Judah, and the Maccabee brothers, he assumed it had something to do with going to the temple later that evening.
“So, if Theo’s back at your place, why are you here?”
“I… uh… needed to talk to somebody.” Daniel glanced around, his nerves getting the best of him. He dropped his voice to a whisper. “About Troy.”
Ari’s slow, careful smile gave away nothing. “Well then, let’s head in. Even with the sun shining, it’s too cold to have this conversation outside.” He held open the door for Daniel and followed him in. He pointed out who was who.
Inside the dojo, the warm air surrounded him like a stifling hug. He shed his outerwear as he watched Jay and Leo duel in the center of the room. Locke, Judah’s partner, perched on a chair with a notebook on his lap. A compact computer, its screen dark, took up space on another chair.
“Hey,” he greeted them, tossing his notebook aside and rising to meet them. “Thank God, you’re here. I’m so done with this class. Only one more week to go, then I can say goodbye to these ridiculous general education classes and focus on my major.”
“What are you majoring in?” Daniel asked to make conversation while the two combatants finished with respectful bows to each other.
“Social work, so I can work with Gabriel and Ari. Gabe runs Young Heroes.”
Daniel snapped to attention, turning from where he’d been watching Jay and Leo. “I know that place.” Fuck, did he know it. March had tasked him with watching the place for a week, and then he’d been told to lay off. That was right before everything went tits up.
“They do good work there.”
Daniel nodded and forced a closed-mouth smile for the young man. Judah was so much older than Locke. Why had God chosen those two to be together? They were so different.
“Good match,” Locke said as Jay slipped an arm around him, offering Daniel a nod of greeting.
Jay kissed Locke’s hair. “Thank you, babe. Daniel, while it’s good to see you, I didn’t think we’d see you until later tonight. How’s Theo doing? Sy said it was a tough fight.”
“Yes…” Daniel paused, “about that.”
Thelial
Daniel’s insistence Theo stay behind, while warranted, still felt like a punch in his gut. It also left him way too much time to think.
Has he come to care about me yet? Does he love me? Or is he pushing me away? If he is, how do I get him to change his mind?One by one, Theo worked through his myriad of thoughts.He likes me, he’s protecting me…but changing Daniel’s emotional connection to him from like to love?
He paced around the apartment, eventually throwing his hands into the air in frustration when Daniel hadn’t returned within the hour like he’d promised. Father had given him the gift of time to spend wooing his chosen half, but how could he woo when his mate was missing?
Locating his phone, he called Daniel but received no answer. He tried Ari next, and again, his call went unanswered. Exasperated, he dressed, intent on finding someone. Theo hit the street, looked both ways, and grinned. Nothing was really far in Atlantic City.
Within ten minutes, he stood outside the doors of Young Heroes. Gabriel spotted him through the glass and waved for him to enter. He took one look at Theo, though, and pointed him toward the office.
Theo sat in a comfy armchair in a little nook inside the office space. He admired the antique desk and medieval paintings as he waited. It wasn’t long before Gabriel entered, shutting the door behind him.
“Sorry, but you look awful. I was afraid you might scare some of the kids.”
“I know.” Theo gently touched his nose and right eye. “Not sure how anyone could fall in love with me, looking like this.”
Gabriel tilted his head as he sat in the chair opposite Theo. “Beauty is only skin deep?”
Theo huffed. “Hopefully, he sees below the surface.”
