Angelic Sight (8 page)

great to be surrounded by overprotective lovers.

They made it to the front of the shop ten minutes later, and Levi  laughed as his friends came into view. Madigan was running back and  forth from the kitchen, Cross was manning the register, and Michel  and Bren were taking orders from customers over the glass case  display of goodies that were already made. The smell of coffee and  chocolate hit him like a wall of all things fantastic, and Levi decided  that if he ever had to leave home he would happily live the rest of his  life stashed in a cupboard somewhere in this shop.

Michel grinned as he saw them. “Hey, guys. How’s it going?” he  asked, handing off the small bag of bear claws to one of the women in  line.

“We’re great,” Marius answered, crowding in behind Jade. Levi  smiled and nodded. Things were looking pretty awesome today. This  morning they put up decorations and now they were getting sweets.  What more could a guy ask for? “We thought we’d pop in and see  how your first day of business was going.”

Michel motioned to the rest of the shop. “As you can see, people  have been coming in all day. Madigan’s cakes and creations has been  a hit with everyone so far. The macadamia-nut cookies seem to be the  most popular ready-made item.”

“Then we’ll take a dozen of them to go, my friend,” Marius said,  smiling. He and Michel had gotten a lot closer since their flight into

sanctuary a few months ago. They’d apparently had some kind of  manly bonding experience or something. Whatever had happened,  they were pretty good friends now. Levi had been trying for weeks to  get Marius to go out and have some fun and maybe take Michel. The  guardians needed some chill time, but they were resistant to the idea.

Michel nodded and grabbed a white cardboard box with the name
 
Angel Treats
 
emblazoned in gold on the cover. “I’ll get those for you.  But don’t go anywhere. Madigan and the others will want to see you.”  He pointed to the small unoccupied table nearest the employees’  entrance. “Wait over there and I’ll have him bring them out.”

Levi practically skipped over to the table and plopped down in  one of the seats. He loved Halloween, and he loved cookies. Life was

awesome right then. A split second later Madigan came out of the  employees’ entrance with the box Michel had made up. Levi shot up  and gave him a hug before taking a step back and looking at him. He  had some kind of red-colored icing on one cheek and flour all over the  front of his jeans. Though tired, he looked happy as well. The  redheaded son of the Archangel Raphael was his best friend, his only  friend really, and Levi was happy to see him look so content.

“Thanks for coming out,” Madigan said, looking at each of the  angels in turn. It was a bit crowded with all seven of them standing  there, but they somehow managed to not get in the way of the other  customers that were trying to get in through the door.

“We wouldn’t miss it,” Levi said, smiling.

“How much do we owe you for the cookies?” Jade asked, fishing  out his wallet.

Madigan waved his hand in dismissal. “Nothing. You guys are family friends. I wouldn’t charge you for cookies.” He winked at  Levi. “Especially given the fact that you most likely won’t get any.”  He knew Levi had a penchant for sweets, and he was probably correct. If those cookies made it home, it would be by sheer miracle.

Keer’s hand rested on Levi’s lower back. “You can have two

before we get home. I don’t want you getting sick.”

Levi bristled a bit at the “can” bit, but he shrugged it off. It was sound advice. The last time he’d indulged to that degree, he’d gotten sick as a dog. “Yeah, yeah,” he quipped. He’d have
 
three
 
cookies. He returned his attention to Madigan. “Are your friends in town yet?” He knew that Madigan was really nervous about his friends meeting his lovers for the first time.

Madigan shook his head. “They get in tonight. Christian had to work, I think. I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know how everything goes.”

“Sounds good.” Levi nodded. “If you need me, you have my number. Try to relax.”

Madigan laughed, the sound joyous. “Honestly, I’ve been too busy to worry today. I expected to get a little traffic, but this has been insane. We had a good breakfast crowd, and then we got slammed at lunch. That’s not even including the online and telephone orders we’ve received. If business keeps up like this, I’m going to have to buy the building next door to expand the bakery.”

“Right on,” Levi said. “Well, good luck with the rest of your day.  Call me tomorrow.”

“Will do. By the way, you look adorable today. I’ll see you  around.” He waved at Levi’s lovers. “It was nice seeing you all  again.”

As Madigan ducked back into the kitchens, Levi turned toward his  lovers, gripping his prize. “Ready to go? I now have a snack to enjoy  while we watch you guys turn all beastly.” He waggled his eyebrows  at his Elites. They laughed at him and tugged him to the exit.

* * * *

Marius was pleased with the exhibition arena. The domed attachment to the main facility building had turned out much better than Marius had thought it would when he’d seen the plans for the place. He’d been worried that the seats were going to put the students

in a dangerous position should any of the action going on in the  ground level get out of hand. However, the thin sigil of protection at  the center of the room shielded all areas but the ground floor. Angelic  contractors were the way to go.

“Levi, Erik, go ahead and go sit over on the ground benches while  we get ready. Once we’ve shifted, you can come out onto the main  floor, but until then, stay there. Okay?” Axis asked as the other Elites  started stripping off their clothing and piling it on the benches he was  motioning toward.

“Sure, Axis,” Erik said, watching their lovers bare themselves  with barely contained hunger. If this outing didn’t turn into an orgy,  Marius would eat his sandals.

“Marius, I need your mind on the task at hand. Go strip with the  others. Erik, when we’re done, I’m going to teach you some shielding  techniques,” Axis said.

Marius did as he was bid and jogged over to the benches. Brax  offered a grin. “Excited?”

Marius shrugged. “Nervous actually. I feel like something big is  going to happen.”

“In a way it’s a lot like getting your wings. It marks the passage  between guardian and Elite,” Jade said. “Plus it’s the moment when  you and your animal will become one being with a mutual purpose.  The instincts will be somewhat lessened by your combination, and it  won’t feel so foreign. You’ll be just fine.” The red-eyed Elite tucked  his shoes under the bench before he straightened, gloriously naked.  The nephilim whistled over by Axis, walking toward them with mirth  and lust swimming in their eyes. Was it kosher to pop a hard-on in  this situation?

“It’s like a strip show,” Levi all but purred as he slid onto the

wooden bench and looked at the assembled Elites. Marius finished

stripping and stood back with the other men for Levi’s and Erik’s

blatant inspection.

“Yum,” Erik growled, eying them up and down. “It’s like being  the king of a stud farm, isn’t it, Levi?”

Levi sighed and licked his lips. “Yes, sir, it is.”

Axis laughed. “Enough, you two.” He walked farther out into the  arena and waved the rest of the Elites over. “Come on. It’s time.”

Marius swallowed and followed after the mass of men. “Give

about three or four feet between us,” Jade cautioned as Marius

bumped shoulders with him. “The shift makes us bigger, and it can  get cramped if you stay too close.”

The former fallen looked to his nephilim, and they nodded their  encouragement. He took a deep breath. “Okay. How do I do it?”

“Close your eyes and just face what’s inside you. You examined it  the first night of redemption, and you’ve felt him in the intervening  time as a soft presence. Embrace him now. He’ll show you the path,”  Axis said. Marius’s lips twitched.
 
Show you the path. Sounds like  something off one of Brax’s nerd shows
. “
The unicorn will lead you  down a path of certain destruction. Mwhahahaha
.”

“I don’t think he’s thinking about his animal,” Brax whispered,  which of course only made Marius laugh aloud instead of in his head.

“Try concentrating a little harder than that, Marius,” Axis said, his  voice laced with amusement.

Marius tried really hard to smother the chuckle that made its way out of his throat. “I’m trying. Just stop being all Yoda for a second. I can’t concentrate when I feel like there are going to be enchanted whatnots jumping out in my hero’s journey.”

All the Elites started laughing then. “All right, hero. Go for it,”  Axis said when he finally managed to stop cackling.

Marius’s eyes slid shut, and he took another deep breath, trying to push everything else in his head away. It was hard to understand exactly what Axis wanted him to do. The part of him that was foreign rushed up to greet him.

It’s time
. The same sentiment repeated itself in his mind, and  Marius couldn’t help but be a little unnerved by it. What would it feel

like? He couldn’t imagine being anything but what he was. His  muscles trembled as if he had the urge to run. What was that?

“Keep your eyes closed, Marius. Concentrate on the animal,” Axis  said, his voice an anchor against his swirling thoughts. Marius  breathed through his confusion, reaching past what his logical mind  could comprehend to a place that was just him and the thing they put  in him. The “thing” was not happy about being classified as an it, and  Marius felt his displeasure. When Axis had said “animal,” he’d  assumed an animal intelligence, but the animal was a reflection of  him, just as smart as Marius was.

He suddenly found himself standing in a pitch-black room. He  knew logically that he was inside his mind, the outside blocked out by  the darkness outside the light Marius stood in. The darkness wasn’t  frightening though, more like a room of quiet reflection instead of  fear. The sound of hooves against the marbled black surface of the  floor signaled him to the animal’s approach. From out of the darkness,  an ebony figure came into the lighted space toward Marius. Then the  darkness seemed to melt away and a horse the same white-rose color  as Marius’s hair stood there. The wings on the creature didn’t even  register until he bent and bowed to Marius. There was an intelligence  in his eyes that Marius had felt on other occasions.

“Together?” Marius asked, suddenly knowing what he had to do.  The majestic head nodded, and the creature bowed once again. Marius  gripped its mane and pulled himself onto the animal’s back. A white  light blinded him, and then everything went fuzzy.

He blinked open his eyes, and his head swam. Everything looked  funny, warped somehow.

“Holy shit!” Erik yelped from his seat.

“Wow! They’re beautiful,” Levi echoed his sentiments. Marius  turned his head in their direction only to thump his head against  Axis’s torso and nearly sent the man tumbling.
 
What in the world
?

“Easy, Mar. Your body is bigger in this form. Be easy,” Axis said,  a little breathlessly from being knocked in the stomach with Marius’s

much larger head. It dawned on the formerly fallen that he wasn’t in  his human form anymore.
 
Christ.
 
The panic that should’ve  accompanied the realization that he was no longer in his familiar body  didn’t register. He felt calm, powerful, more at peace for whatever

reason.
 
I am what I was always meant to be
.

He looked at the rest of his lovers. They were all in their animal  forms with the exception of Axis. They were beautiful, powerful  stallions, with wings the same shades and patterns as their Elite  bodies. Keer and Jade made quite a striking pair side by side, peacock  feathers and bright yellow-and-orange wings molded to create  something out of an excellent acid trip.

The urge to run welled up inside him. He wanted to test his limbs,  to explore his body. The animal part of him fully approved the idea. It  would be good to run with his lovers, his family. He walked slowly to  the edge of the arena and watched as his lovers followed.

“Race!” Levi shouted. “Come on, Axis, you, too!”

Axis laughed. “Fine. But you both better stay where you’re at.  We’re large, and I won’t risk you guys getting trampled.”

“Whatever! I want to ride one of you,” Erik said in protest.

“Maybe later. Let Marius enjoy this,” Axis said. Marius watched  in fascination as Axis closed his eyes and a split second later a  Pegasus stood in his place. There was nothing dramatic about the  shift. One second he was there and the next he was gone. He couldn’t  even wrap his mind around the idea that his lover was the same being  even though he knew it was. Marius had lived a long time and had  seen many strange things, but this was by far the strangest.