Page 3 of Scrooged for the Holidays
“Good?” a cheerful female voice asks.
“Brilliant as always,” I reply, looking up at the owner, Holly, who’s smiling warmly, her face weathered and wrinkled. Her short ringlet hair is a dark blonde, though I can see silver peaking out at the roots. She’s a sweet soul, someone who radiates kindness and light. It’s the exact kind of soul a being like me is drawn to, one of the reasons I found Holly’s Restaurant in the first place many years ago.
Holly not only serves up lovely food, but her place is also a perfect respite for me when I need time away from Elysian Pines and my Nephilim brothers in arms—when I need a moment to think and be around people that aren’t…well, like us. It keeps me grounded, reminds me that while my angel side often dominates my actions more than my human side, I am half human, too.
And while I hadn’t planned on leaving Elysian Pines’s borders or coming to Garland today, I found I couldn’t sit still. I’m restless, like the evening air was last night.
Holly pats my shoulder before walking off, and my skin prickles again at the memory of yesterday evening. Malachi, Samael, and I had finished our nightly rounds, checking the town borders for anyone in need, when the air got tight…heavy, even. Everything became heightened—sight, sound, touch.
We ended up in bed together like we do most nights, but even the sex felt different. Insatiable need came over us, as if we were seeking more than the completion of our desire for one another.
Kai and Sam fell asleep shortly after. Not only had I worn them out with my cock, but prior to our evening duty, we’d spent the afternoon chopping wood and preparing for the storm that was coming. While we don’t require much sleep and have magical abilities that would allow us to bypass these kinds of tasks, all of us enjoy the physical work our human side demands of us.
While they slept, I remained awake, my brain unable to shut off. I know what the restless energy means—all who reside in Elysian Pines know. Someone who needs what we and the magical town provide is coming, and soon. The question is why does it feel different this time?
The energy felt like a devouring hunger that demanded to be satisfied and, dare I say, even had a slightly wild edge to it as well, almost like a wolf hunting its prey and getting ready to pounce.
I nearly woke Sam and Kai up to ask them if they felt the difference, too. But I let them rest, finding myself getting dressed and walking through town in hopes of expelling some of the uneasiness. When that didn’t succeed, I left and came to Garland, desiring the familiarity of Holly’s food and kindness.
I’d hoped the energy I felt in Elysian Pines wouldn’t follow me here; it usually doesn’t. I’d also hoped a proper meal would ease the hunger in my gut. Yet none of that happened. I still feel hungry and restless, like I could eat this plate and ask for more then chase down Sam, Kai, or both in the woods and fuck them senseless until we all passed out.
It’s…a peculiar feeling.
My phone pings in my pocket, and I know who it is before I even look. Kai’s name is on the screen, and I tap open the message.
KAI:
Have you died?
Despite the weird feelings in my body, I chuckle. Nephilim are always born of an angel father and a human mother with lifespans that can extend to over a thousand years. The angelic grace we possess keeps us young and gives us abilities like enhanced sight and hearing among other things unique to each of us. I’m centuries old but appear to be in my late thirties, and I’m also physically fit. Death isn’t something I’m concerned about any time soon.
While Sam has never met his angel father—none of us have—we know who he comes from: Azrael, better known as the Angel of Death. If I’d suddenly keeled over, Sam would know, and he would’ve told Kai. At the very least, the two of them would understand I was no longer on this plane of existence, so they wouldn’t be texting me that question.
ME:
You know the answer to that.
KAI:
Sam tried to reach you, then I did. You didn’t answer, so I had a feeling you went out ofbounds?
I puff out a breath. I should have told them I was leaving, but I’d been lost in my private thoughts and forgot to let them know. When we are within the borders of Elysian Pines, we can speak to each other telepathically through the guardian bond we share. But if one of us goes out, we message by phone like non-Nephilim.
I glance down at the device in my hand and type a message back to him.
ME:
I was restless, so I came to Garland for a bit.
KAI:
Sam and I were talking; something is off. We’re restless, too. It’s wigging him out, and I want you here with us until it’s resolved. Sam won’t say it, but he does, too.
My shoulders tense, and I hate that I didn’t stay and talk to them about what I felt. What I’m feeling. Because of course they feel it, too.
Being the guardians of Elysian Pines, the three of us are more connected to it than any Nephilim or rare angel that resides there. We’re a living and breathing part of it. I was selfish to go, yet I still can’t shake the feeling that I needed to be in Garland.
ME:
