Angelic Ties, page 6
part #2 of His Guardian Angels Series
“It never hurts to have an extra pair of eyes look at your work, Bren,” Cross said, coming in right behind him. “I was just worried.”
“You always worry,” Bren grumbled, folding his wings back against his spine. Madigan watched in fascination as they disappeared Angelic Ties
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into his flesh. He knew there would be a tattoo in their place when Bren turned around. “Seriously, asshole, lay off.”
“Oh bite me,” Cross growled.
“Why aren’t you two dressed yet?” Madigan demanded, interrupting before they got into another tiff. They glanced at one another sheepishly. Madigan sighed. “Please, go get some shirts on.
We were supposed to leave fifteen minutes ago.” They each pressed cold kisses to each side of his face and took off up the stairs. “And grab Yuri while you’re up there!” Ten minutes later, and twenty-five minutes late, they were finally pulling out of the driveway. It was not easy to fit that many grown men into his car. Madigan was beginning to feel like a clown in one of those little circus cars. Michel had sat in the passenger seat, Cross had sat behind him in the backseat with Yuri perched in his lap, Bren had sat in the middle, and Dex had sat behind Madigan since he was the shortest and could have his seat farther up than Michel.
“I’m going to invest in a SUV,” Madigan muttered as he turned onto Twenty-First Street. The commute was only about fifteen minutes, but still, his angels were cramped.
“They’re a lot safer,” Dex piped up from the backseat.
“And roomier,” Yuri seconded as Madigan hit a pothole in the road and Yuri smacked his head into the cloth-covered roof. Madigan winced for him. Poor guy.
“I’ll have to wait a couple months to get a down payment together,” Madigan said apologetically. “The shop never really makes enough for big purchases, and since I haven’t been working, it’ll be a little while.”
“Nonsense.” Cross snorted. “I’ll speak to your father right away.”
“He’s an angel. You guys don’t have human currency, do you?”
Madigan wondered.
“We’re guardians, Madi.” Michel reached over and petted his thigh. “Our resources are pretty unlimited so long as it falls within the perimeter of our missions. We have earthbound angels all over the 56
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world who own businesses, work jobs, and are strategically placed to keep us all as prepared as we can be so that we can better protect our charges.”
Madigan was so engrossed with the idea that angels were literally just walking among humanity as everyday joes that he nearly missed the red light that had just turned. His foot punched down on the break, throwing them all forward as the tires squealed to a stop.
“Crap!” Madigan yelped. “I’m sorry, guys. God.”
“It’s okay,” Yuri said, cringing. “Cross’s knee only went partway up my ass instead of all the way.”
Dex smacked his arm behind Bren’s back. “Please, just pay attention, baby,” he said to Madigan.
They arrived shortly thereafter at the shop. The sun was rising steadily on the horizon and painting the world in pleasing shades of pink and orange. It was bitterly cold, but the day held a promise of sunshine.
“Huh,” Madigan murmured, checking out the cloudless sky.
“Looks like the devil was wrong about the weather.” The others didn’t offer comment but instead concentrated on maneuvering to get out of the car. Madigan’s gaze went from the sky to the pavement as he parked in his familiar parking space. He looked up at the rusty steps and the busted window of his darkened apartment. He’d forgotten about the broken window. His angels had gotten all of his things that were recoverable from the wreckage days after he’d arrived at his mother’s house. He’d sort of been in shock at the time, so now that he was seeing the destruction first hand, it hit him all over again.
A warm arm fell around his shoulders, Bren’s. “It’ll be all right, bright eyes,” he murmured. “We’ll make a new home together.”
“We can’t live at my mother’s house forever,” Madigan said in a sad voice. “Where will we go?”
“We’ll figure it out. Let’s just get through a workday. Okay?”
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Madigan nodded. He didn’t know what he’d do without his men.
They centered him. He could deal with anything so long as they were there with him. The apartment was painful to think about, but the things he’d traded it in for were worth it. Bren was right. He didn’t need to worry about the future. He just needed to worry about making food, taking orders, and having a good day at work.
* * * *
The entire shop smelled fantastic, like sugar and chocolate. It made Michel’s stomach rumble just standing there and he’d been here for what seemed like hours.
“Are they done yet?” he whined in impatience.
“Not quite,” Madigan said as he moved through the kitchen with the ease of a king commanding his court. He was in his element in this shop. It was a new side of Madigan that was really interesting to see.
“You said they’d be done by eight, bright eyes,” Bren complained.
Michel chuckled. Poor Madigan. He had five warrior angels to feed.
“Give them two more minutes and then take them out. Trust me, Bren,” Madigan quipped. He’s already started placing other items in the display case out in the front of the store and had showed Michel and Yuri how to use the cash register and card machine. Dex was going to be helping him in the kitchen while Bren and Cross took turns doing perimeter checks and answering the phones. Michel gave it to lunch before they were snarling at the people who were calling to place orders. While Madigan’s filing system seemed idiot proof, Bren and Cross did not strike Michel as people well equipped to deal with the inevitable glitches that came with learning a new organizational system. Give them an enemy to fight any day over paperwork and order forms. It was going to be hilarious to watch.
The timer dinged on the stove top, and it was like Pavlov’s dogs all over again. Michel’s mouth started salivating.
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“Perfect,” Madigan purred, using his oven mitts to take out the three trays of hot pastries and put them on the heat-resistant counter.
Bren reached for one and got smacked on the hand for his effort.
“Nope. Wait for them to cool a little bit.”
They all groaned in unison. This was going to take forever…
* * * *
“Can I help you?” Bren asked as a couple came through the doorway, arms linked and coats securely fashioned. They weren’t inexpensive coats, either, probably something that needed to be dry cleaned. The hunk of a diamond on the smaller man’s finger probably added to the image of wealth that the two were sporting. Bren had seen these types of displays over and over again throughout the ages.
It was good to see that a couple of the same sex felt secure enough to sport them.
“Yes, please. We’re looking to talk someone about making a wedding cake. It’s a little short notice, but our other baker ended having a family emergency and couldn’t do it. She recommended this shop. Can you help us?” The smaller blond man was sweet. Bren could tell by his aura. He was exactly what he purported himself to be, a young, desperate groom with a deep wallet.
“What’s the time line and how many guests?” Bren asked, drawing the little order pad Madigan had instructed they use from under the counter. They were lucky they’d arrived when they did. The morning rush had just settled down. The commuters had grabbed almost all of their pastries and bagels. He was extraordinarily happy that Madigan had thought to make the guardians a batch of their own beforehand.
The smaller man gave him a soft smile. “It’s in two weeks, and it’s for a hundred and fifty guests.” Bren nodded and jotted it down.
“Let me hop in back and check with Madigan about the time frame and whatever, and I’ll be right back.” Bren ripped out the order Angelic Ties
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sheet and ducked into the back. It was then he realized he hadn’t seen the guardians for the two humans that had come into the shop. All morning the shop had been overrun with humans, their guardian angels, and even a few earthbound demons who were either tagging along with humans they’d bonded with or on their own, living human lives. Every human who had entered the shop had had a guardian in tow.
“Madigan?” he called, not wanting to alert the two “customers”
that he realized they were guardian-less. He didn’t even know if they knew, but he felt like it was suspicious nonetheless. Madigan was just coming out of the huge walk-in freezer wheeling a cart of cakes as he entered the back part of the kitchen. Dex was scrubbing the stainless-steel countertops on the island workstation of the remnants of some sort of icing. That had to mean that Cross and Michel were on patrol.
Yuri was probably still in the office sorting through the paperwork and organizing it for Madigan’s convenience.
“What’s up?” Madigan asked, taking one of the cakes off the rack and sliding it onto his workstation. His attention flicked to Dex. “Hey, babe, can you grab me a batch of fondant and color it for me? I need it to be hot pink for the Sweet Sixteen cake we’re doing.”
Dex smiled and winked. “Will do, Madi.” Gabriel’s guardian was really taking to this whole bakery thing.
“You might want to hold off on that,” Bren said, grabbing Dex’s shoulder to stop him from walking away.
Dex frowned. “What’s wrong, Bren?”
“I’ve got two people out here who want a wedding cake made,”
Bren began. “They don’t have guardians, angelic or demonic. I thought it was weird.”
“That is strange.” Dex’s frown deepened. “Do they seem hostile?”
Bren shrugged. “Their auras are really evened out. They feel pretty human.”
“Earthbound angels in disguise? Maybe they’re Cherubims.” The messengers weren’t unheard of but were usually only sent by the 60
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higher ups in times of great emergency. It wouldn’t make sense for them to be in Madigan’s bakery.
Yuri chose that moment to pop out of the office. “Could be nephilim. They have humanlike auras and aren’t granted guardian angels until maturity if the hunters don’t find them first.”
“What’s the chance of two nephilim wandering in here by coincidence? I just don’t know. Any known nephilim would scatter, especially given the high numbers of hunters in the area,” Dex said.
“Where’s Cross?” Bren asked. He didn’t like this, and he especially didn’t like the fact that they were divided. They’d expected an attack from outside. No one had thought that anyone would be arrogant enough to walk through the front door.
“Calling him now.” Dex started muttering to himself, invoking his powers to communicate with Cross.
Madigan, who’d been quiet the entire time, spoke up. “Excuse me but if they are nephilim, why would they try and hurt me?” He looked like he was getting scared, and Bren didn’t like that one little bit. He hated to see Madigan afraid of anything. He was theirs. Nothing and no one would be able to get to him.
“Sometimes other nephilim sell out others so that the hunters will let them live for a bit longer. They pay for their own lives by turning in someone else. It’s almost like a bounty. Some nephilim are ‘worth’
more than others. As a son of Raphael, you’d be worth quite a bit,”
Yuri supplied. He didn’t look happy about it and drew Madigan into his arms, cradling the smaller man into his chest.
“I’m beginning to hate being Raphael’s son,” Madigan grumbled into the material of Yuri’s shirt. Bren’s heart constricted. He’d do almost anything to take away the obstacles in Madigan’s life.
Selfishly, he couldn’t feel bad about Madigan being Raphael’s son, though. If he wasn’t, they most likely would’ve never met.
They all jumped as the back door slammed open to admit Cross and Michel. Bren couldn’t help but to appreciate the two shirtless men Angelic Ties
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for a moment. They really were beautiful specimens of manhood.
Their wings disappeared in a small flash of light.
“Report,” Cross barked as he came around the counter and took Madigan from Yuri’s arms. He seemed to be checking to make sure everything was all right with him before turning his attention to something else. Bren gave a basic rundown of what had happened since he’d left shop.
“They’re still waiting out there?” Michel asked. Bren nodded.
“Then someone needs to go keep them occupied while we figure out what to do.” He grabbed the shirt he’d stripped off for patrol in the office and pulled it on. “I’ll go take their order or whatever and feel them out. Figure it out.”
“I’ll go with you to man the counter,” Yuri volunteered, following after Michel.
Madigan worried his bottom lip. “I need to take out some more cookies and stuff in about ten minutes,” he said.
“We’ll figure it out, bright eyes,” Bren assured. “No worries. The shop won’t suffer.” Madigan seemed content with that and gave Cross a hug before pulling out of his grasp.
“I need to knead my fondant,” he griped as Cross’s arms tightened around him. Bren smiled at the sight. His lovers were so adorable.
Dex cleared his throat. “The situation at hand, gentlemen,” he reminded.
“Right. Well, we’ll keep an eye on them, and if they try anything, we kill them.” Cross made the statement without batting an eyelash.
Bren’s stomach turned over. He knew Madigan was going to go off the deep end at his phrasing.
“You’re not killing anyone in my shop!” the nephilim hissed, right on cue.
“Madigan, it may become necessary. What if they attack?” Cross asked in a reasonable tone.
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“You. Are. Not. Killing. Anyone. In. My. Shop,” Madigan repeated, glaring daggers in his direction. He wiped his hands on his apron. “I need to go talk to them if they want a cake.”
“No!” Bren and Cross shouted in unison. On that they were in perfect agreement. Madigan’s safety was their number-one priority.
“Michel can handle it,” Bren said in a calmer voice. Madigan was already getting agitated. It wouldn’t do to needlessly upset him.
Dex spoke up. “What if they need help?” Bren turned toward him.
He’d lost his damn mind. That was the last thing they needed Madigan to worry about.
“What if they just want a damn wedding cake? Jesus. Can you guys relax for a minute?” Madigan snapped. “They didn’t even do anything.”
“Bren, go with him to talk to the two of them. If anything seems off, just let me know.” Cross’s unexpected words had Bren chewing on his lip ring. Huh. What was their fearless leader up to? Then he looked back at Madigan. Ah, that explains it. Madigan was fixing to flip his shit if they didn’t bend a little. Their youngest mate had them all wrapped around his fingers. “I trust you,” Cross added. Bren looked at him and felt his heart swell. Christ, I’m falling in love with him. The realization felt sort of like being stabbed in the chest with a flaming sword.
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Chapter Six
The sound of breaking glass sounded as the door crashed open and shattered from the impact.
“Christ!” Michel shouted, pushing back from the table by the counter where he was sitting with the two humans, taking their order for a wedding cake. He drew his flaming sword as one pissed-off angel with pale green wings and matching hair stormed in with his own sword drawn.
“Levi, Erik, come here,” he snapped at the pair of them. He glared at Michel. “How did you hide your wings, monster?” He bared his teeth. “If you hurt my lovers, I’ll kill you.”
“What is going on?” Madigan asked, coming through the door.
Michel’s gaze shot to Madigan and Bren, who was trailing in behind him.
“Get Madi away!” Michel snapped. Bren wrapped an arm around Madigan’s waist and tried to haul him back toward the swinging metal doors of the kitchen. Michel turned his attention to the other angel and the two humans who had run behind him. The angel they were with sniffed the air, his eyes widening. Michel took a battle stance. If he was here to try and harm Madigan, Michel was going to take him apart piece by burning piece.
“You’re angel bound to a nephilim?” the angel asked, lowering his weapon by small degrees.
Michel tilted his head to the side, studying him. “Yes.” Dex and Bren came back out the door, their own swords of light drawn.
“Be of ease, brothers. I am not one of the hunters,” the angel spoke, looking between the group gathered. “And I’m assuming by 64
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the fact that you have your nephilim’s scent on your skin that you aren’t, either.”
“Who are you?” Michel asked, tightening his grip on his weapon.
He was one of Archangel Michael’s, so fighting was in his nature. For upsetting Madigan and hurting his shop, Michel wanted to smash the other angel to bits. His men didn’t need this sort of added stress.
“My name is Marius.” The greenish-blond haired angel tilted his head back and motioned to his lovers. “They are my nephilim, Levi and Erik. We just moved here about a week ago.”
“Riiiiigght,” Bren rumbled sarcastically. “The fact that hunters have been saturating the area didn’t deter you?”
Marius frowned. “We’ve seen no hunters in the area around town.
I wouldn’t have stayed here if there were. Erik and Levi are everything to me.”
“You’re not of the Heavens anymore, are you?” Dex spoke. It didn’t sound like much of a question. The answer seemed fairly obvious to Michel.
