Page 74 of Wings of Strife
A man and woman sweep across the floor to meet us. Or rather, she sweeps, moving like she’s the epitome of importance. He moves like he’s being pulled here by the ear trapped in his grandmother’s grip.
“I’m so glad you both finally made it. A little late, though, isn’t it?” the woman says, causing my hackles to rise.
Raphael’s smile looks pained. “Nice to see you too, mother. Is Raduriel here yet?”
“No. Your brother is far too busy with work. We can’t expect him to be everywhere at once, can we?” Her eyes travel from Raphael to me, taking in my windswept hair and the way I’m holding on to Raphael. “And who are you again, dear?”
I want to tell her that Raphael is just as busy but since I’m trying to make a good first impression, I keep a lid on that topic.
Raph replies for me, his tone implying just how proud he is to call me his. “This is Hayliel Gracelin, my girlfriend. Hayliel, this is my mother, Karena and behind her is my father, Andras.”
“Gracelin, hmm?” Karena says, contemplating. “I don’t think I’ve heard that name before.”
“Likely not. We don’t have too many Pure angels among our ancestors.”
“Pity.”
This damn woman is getting under my skin, and we haven’t even left the front of the house.
“Oh, I don’t think so.” My voice comes out tight, but I try to calm the rage bubbling inside me. “But it’s quite nice to put a face to a name, and a pleasure to meet you as well,” I add the last bit for Raphael’s dad, who’s kept silent through this entire exchange.
“What do you mean, a face to a name? Raphael, I do hope you aren’t boring this poor young lady by talking about your mother at every given opportunity.”
I grit my teeth and can almost hear Raphael’s grinding to dust. “Oh, no. It’s nothing like that. I was simply referring to the time we spoke on a call not too long ago. It was a brief conversation, so I won’t blame you if you don’t remember.”
She stands straighter. “Of course I remember. Since the meal isn’t ready yet, there’s still ample time to change, dear.” Her last dig is directed at Raphael, but she doesn’t stay to make sure it hit its target before she’s whipping around and leaving us, taking Andras with her.
Raphael doesn’t waste a second pulling me through the house, pointing out little things as we pass by, but never linger. I can’t believe this is the house he grew up in. There’s far more space here than any family of four needs.
He said his parents were always throwing parties, which might be fun if his parents weren’t as they are, but overall it just sounds lonely.
We finally make it to his room and it takes almost no time at all to realize this was never a place of peace for him. There are no photos or knickknacks, nothing of substance but the necessities. It hurts my heart.
An outfit is laid out on top of his bed, and it seems to bother Raphael. “If I don’t change into that, she’ll only berate me about it while we eat.”
It really shouldn’t surprise me how awful this woman is, but it does. How could anyone treat others, least of all their child, like that? “Has she always been that way?”
“Since I can remember, yea. Though it’s always to me and never to Raduriel, which just makes me want to say no even more.” Raphael only stands there, staring out the window. Something about his stance makes me think this isn’t the first time he’s been like this.
“And your dad?”
His jaw clenches. “He married into wealth, so he keeps his mouth shut instead of pissing off his cash cow.”
Hearing that explains a lot about the man I just met. “I’m sorry. That’s not the home life anyone should have to endure.” I walk to his side and wrap my arm around his torso as we bothstare into the field beyond the house. “Has Theo spent much time here?”
“He has. Actually, Mom would even make little jabs comparing me to him too, but for some reason, they didn’t sting as much as the ones about Raduriel. Which sucks because there was a time in our lives when we were close. I even looked up to him. Why my parents had to ruin that is beyond me.”
A heavy fist squeezes my heart, tempting me to march right back to Karena and Andras to give them a piece of my mind. But even I know better than to assume someone like me can change things for Raph. Unfortunately, what he has to endure at home is more than likely never going to change, but what I can help with is how he views himself.
I pull him down onto his bed and just hold him, running my hands through his hair and down his back. A contented sigh leaves his lips, but neither of us speaks.
Whatever happens tonight, I want him to know that he’s not alone anymore. Not now, and hopefully not ever.
I don’t know how much time passes before there’s a knock on the door and a voice calls out to Master Raphael, requesting our presence in the dining room. I feel Raph’s sigh all the way to the marrow of my bones. He’s trying to fortify his walls.
I grab his hand, squeezing once before we head downstairs.
Raduriel is already there, along with his friend Briathos from the guild. Raphael told me on the flight over that he and Zeke are old friends, which I find fascinating, but keep it to myself.
