Free Repent in Love by J. Hali Steele

one who put Yael and
Uri together.”
    It dawned on Sam something was afoot. He leaned forward in
his chair. “Shit, man, he caught me off guard.”
    “Must have been a good game, huh?” Ram grinned. “You’ll give
him some more time, right?”
    “What?” Hell, no need to argue. He’d get the soul soon. “Okay,
okay. I sort of blew it maybe, but my guess is you two have a plan to speed
things up. So stop fucking with me already.”
    Ram became serious. “He has Marcan.”
    “So? Who is he?”
    Michael answered him. “The Nephilim son of Marmaroth.”
    If he hadn’t been sitting, Sam would have fallen over.
    “Shit.”
    * * * * *
    “Don’t be stupid, Marcan. Sit. If you try to leave, I’ll
tear you limb from limb.”
    “Christ, Uri. I only wanted to get something to drink.” A frosted
glass half-full materialized in his hands. They shook, sloshing beverage over
the sides. “Hey, thanks, fly-boy.” He took a huge swallow and his face turned
red. Only a thin line of clear liquid escaped from the corner of his mouth. Uri
had disguised the smell but he had to give the kid credit for not spewing it
out.
    Unlike full angels, Nephilim weren’t impervious to the
effects of alcohol. “Gin’s your beverage of choice, right?” And it would loosen
his tongue.
    “Look, dude, I’m not going back into that hole you locked me
in.”
    “Come now, your rooms have every convenience.”
    “Fuck you.”
    “Be careful, Marcan. You have something I need. If we can
work together, you’ll be able to live.”
    “You can’t kill me; Gramps won’t allow you.”
    “I can make you wish you were dead.” Uri’s glare made
the gangly half-breed sit back. “I meant live outside of the space you
currently occupy below.” Uri let his words sink in.
    The Father wouldn’t allow harm to come to a single Nephilim.
That’s why Uri had been assigned to watch over them with two objectives—keep
them alive and don’t let them harm innocents. The magical giant children of
angels and humans were a serious pain in his ass and a responsibility he could
do without. Their friendliness with Luke crossed the line and he’d have to deal
with that eventually. Uri’s only concern right now was garnering information
from the one in front of him.
    The son of Marmaroth.
    “I get it. What do you need me for?”
    “How well did you know your father?”
    “What?”
    “I won’t ask again.”
    “I don’t know, man. We didn’t fish together if that’s what
you mean.” The shocking blue bolt of light that pierced Marcan’s body carried a
warning. He flinched and pushed deeper into the cushions of the chair. “Damn
it! What do you want from me?” Marcan screamed.
    Marcan had consumed souls of other Nephilim. To do that, he
had to have some of his father’s knowledge. Those he took would also have had
abilities bestowed on them by their angelic fathers. Those powers now belonged
to Marcan.
    “How did you steal the others’ souls?” He twisted the
blazing bolt a little harder.
    “I— Oww, shit, stop, okay. I’ll tell you.”
    “Do not lie. I can make you very sorry.”
    “It was easy. They were weak and stupid like their fathers.”
This Nephilim would be a force to be reckoned with. His lips curved into a
sneer when he should have still been in pain. “They believed too much in
goodness. They weren’t like us.”
    Uri clasped his hands together to keep from wrapping them
around the kid’s neck. “I’m glad you recognize I’m not one of the good guys.
Talk.”
    Time was running out.
    “It’s simple, fly-boy. The blood. I ingest it, and the
feeling of power as their soul joins mine is absolutely delicious.”
    Marcan showed no remorse. He actually licked his lips. If he
didn’t need him so badly, Uri would have put him to sleep for centuries right
then and there. He ran a finger down the jagged line on his face. It reminded
him of the last time he took things into his own hands. It hadn’t worked so
well.
    Uri wasn’t