Stuck With You

Part 32

Chapter 32

Aidirian pulled to a stop outside the abandoned movie theater.  He had lied.  There was no way that he was letting Celeste enter that building without him.  Well, if he really thought about it, he hadn’t lied.  Not once did he say that he would be standing outside while she went in.  He had said that the most powerful should go with her, and that was him.  The others may not realize it, but Jinn had more power than they let on.  It didn’t do well for everyone to know just how powerful he was.

“Let’s go,” he mumbled as he jumped from the car.  Running around the front, he opened Celeste’s door.

She stared at him, her expression confused.  “You’re staying out here.”

“No, I’m not,” he said with a smile.  “I’m going in with you.”

“No,” she said in a hard tone while shaking her head.  “I told you I didn’t want to intimidate them, didn’t want them to think I came looking for a fight.”

“So you bring Innocence?” he said with a chuckle.  “Come on Celeste.  We both know that I’m going in there with you whether you want me to or not.”

“Fine,” she huffed while letting him pull her from the car.  “Under one condition.”

With a smile, he watched Innocence jump from the back of Daryn’s car.  “What?”

Celeste’s free hand brushed across his forehead.  “Don’t let them know you can see them. The last time you came, you couldn’t.  They’ll expect the same from you now.”

“How am I supposed to hide something like that?”

“Don’t look up,” she said with a laugh before starting towards the theater.

Shaking his head at her, he followed along, hoping that she wasn’t leading them into a war.  A couple of Nephilim, he could handle, but a nest of them… They would need more than an angel, a Jinni, and a fae to defeat them.  He would need an army of his own.

Celeste pulled on his arm, bring his attention back to reality.  “What?”

“They’re expecting us,” she whispered.

Aidirian opened his mouth to ask her how she knew, but as the large door creaked open, he had his answers.  As it opened fully, exposing the creature on the other side, Aidirian had to force himself to keep his eyes eye level.  He wanted so much to glance up, to see what the Nephilim really looked like.  He couldn’t though.  Not only did he make a promise to Celeste, but he also agreed with her.  The less people who knew about him being able to see true forms, the better. 

“We’ve been expecting you,” the man said in the doorway.  His voice boomed from the theater, making the Nephilim seem like a show on his own.

With a nod, Celeste bowed her head slightly.  “I wish your family no harm.”

The Nephilim grunted.  “You wish us no harm, yet you bring a fae and jinni along with you?  I do not think that is a very good peace gesture.”

“They’re my friends,” Celeste mumbled.  “I couldn’t force them to stay home if I wanted them too.”

“But you didn’t want them too?”

Celeste let out a laugh.  “Are you kidding?  You scare the hell out of me.  If they told me they were staying behind, I never would have had the courage to come here.”

“You tell the truth,” the Nephilim mumbled in confusion.  “You stand there, admitting to fear that is true.  You are an odd creature of your own.”

“Back at you,” Celeste said with a smile.  “Now, can I speak to your leader?”

Turning his back on them, the Nephilim walked further into the theater.  “Come.”

With the Nephilim’s back turned, Aidirian allowed himself to look up.  The Nephilim was exactly the height Celeste had said, a good eight feet.  Other than that, he looked normal, if you didn’t count the large tattoo of angel wings on his back.

“It’s not a tattoo,” the Nephilim said.  “It’s the only way we can hide our wings.  Unlike the angels, ours do not disappear from view when we wish to hide them.”

“How did you?”

“You have true sight,” the Nephilim interrupted.  “It is natural to be curious when you see things you’ve never seen before.”

Celeste tightened her grip on his hand, and he could feel a spark of worry fly from her.  “How did you know he has the true sight?”

The Nephilim laughed.  “I didn’t, but I do now.  What should I call you?”

“Celeste, Aidirian, and Innocence,” Celeste answered.

The Nephilim, with his back still to them, nodded.  “You may call me Mike.”

“Mike?  That’s not exactly the name I was thinking of.”

Mike stopped in front of a large door.  Turning towards them, he smiled.  “I was named after my father.”  Pushing the door open, he motioned them inside.  “Head on in.  He’s been expecting you, Celeste.”

At that moment, Aidirian wanted to pull her away from the door, wanted to force her to return to the car.  Instead, he stepped forward with her.  When Mike threw his hand out, Aidirian stopped.  “What?”

“Only Celeste.”

“No,” Aidirian snapped as Celeste said, “Okay.”

He turned narrowed eyes on her.  “You are not going in there alone.”

Celeste let out a sigh, before looking towards Mike.  “I want your oath that your race will not cause harm to me or my people while we are in this theater.”

Mike bowed his head.  “You have my oath.”

Aidirian shook his head.  “I don’t like it.”

“I know,” she whispered while pulling her hand away from his.  “If I’m not out in ten minutes, break the door down.”

With those words, she entered the room, leaving him on the outside, not knowing what was on the other side.