[Victor]Spencer was in one of the armchairs at the end of the coffee table. His back was to the wall and he was facing the entrance to the living room. This was a wariness I’d seen in many fighters over the years. He didn’t seem tense as he rested his ankle on top of his knee. It was as if he were simply chatting with friends. Whatever he was about to reveal wasn’t something he thought was a threat. I knew Neil could sense it, too. It was also plain that Spencer didn’t see Rhett as a threat, either. The warlock, on the other hand, wasn’t looking as comfortable in his sprawled position as he had been earlier. A very serious expression inhabited his features. “If the glowing eyes are the only thing that showed what she was, I doubt the demon realized what he let get away. If they had sacrificed her to him, he would have gained a lot more power. More than all of the power he’s collected in the area over all these years. “There are descendants of angels roaming the earth. While some have more… alien features… some look almost indistinguishable from humans. One physical feature they all have, though, is eyes that glow gold from time to time. The Templars try to collect orphaned angel descendants. I’m not one, but there were some in my graduating class. “Descendants of angels sometimes have abilities beyond those of a human. Not all of them, though. They are also far more intelligent than most other beings and learn quickly. Their ability to reason, observe, and rationalize is beyond that of any other being. “They are tougher than other beings on this planet. They heal better and faster than most supernaturals. But they need sunlight and are drawn to outdoor jobs. It’s not like going one year without it will kill them, but a few years will definitely do it. I don’t even know if a human could handle that,” Spencer explained. “I thought Nephilim were giants,” I said. “They were in the generations before the flood. They were also murderous and evil. Killing and eating humans and each other, brutalizing those they saw as weaker, and backing strong leaders who went against God and his chosen. As time went on, though, uncorrupted and compassionate children were born. The evil of their forefathers gave way to the purity of what they started as.“Eventually, these descendants erased the evil in their blood. They became forces for good in the world. Whether or not they know what they are, they feel a compulsion to do good. They aren’t very common anymore, but they are out in the world.” “You asked if she claimed me,” Rhett said. “They have been known to claim others. There are stories of humans acting as a ‘guardian angels’. They appeared out of nowhere, saved someone, then left. Or they were a family friend who was around to save someone from something disastrous. The ones who do their work and move on are most common, but some of them claim a person or family as theirs and protect them for as long as they live,” Spencer replied. Rhett nodded. He was pensive as he absorbed this information. Echo squeezed my hand. She was sensitive to a lot and I knew she was worried about this girl now. “The beetle knew what she was,” he muttered. “Most likely. I wouldn’t doubt if it was going to drag her to the demon when it attacked. The stronger the demon is, the more food there is for the beetle. A revenant beetle is a more loyal servant than whoever summons or even worships the demon. That is one of the reasons the demons don’t mind them being around.” I watched as Rhett swung his leg to the front and balled up his gloved fists on his knees. He wasn’t happy and I didn’t blame him. It seemed he had claimed her as much as the girl claimed him. “Of course, it makes sense that she would pick you. I bet she trusted you faster than anyone has ever trusted you since you became a warlock,” Spencer said with a smile. “How did you know that?” “The darkness you made a deal with probably never even considered leaving its home until you found it. And you were likely drawn to where it lived even without realizing it.” Rhett turned his full attention to Spencer. I thought I saw the shadows around the chair moving. If this was going to escalate, I didn’t want Echo there. She was tense. She felt it as well. Neither of them was talking crossly, but they were both wearing similar smiles that didn’t fill their entire faces. Neil also tensed up. “Tell me what you know about me, Templar.” “Before you ever accepted your darkness, supernaturals were drawn to you. Something about you made most humans distrust you and dislike you almost immediately. Your family never bonded with you. If they kept you around, it was only to use you for their purposes,” Spencer replied. It sounded like what Rhett told us the night he had dinner with us. Echo didn’t like what was happening. I was intrigued, though. Was there something that made certain humans more attractive to supernaturals?“I already know that,” Rhett said with a frown. “My family were hunters. They used me to flush supernaturals out, but few humans enjoyed being around me.” “Your human father was likely not your father. Demons that are powerful enough to come to earth without being summoned treat it as their playground. Many would disguise themselves as the husbands of women and get them with child. “The creation of demons varies and their power is directly affected by how they came to be. Some are angels who fell but didn’t make their home on earth. These are among the most powerful and lead demonic armies. Some are the spirits of Nephilim who died their evil finding a home with their forefathers. All of them want to destroy what God created.“Descendants of demons, or cambions, can be attractive to supernaturals, though we don’t know why. They aren’t trusted by humans, but they can entice those who are already walking the line of darkness, those who are weak, or those who are damaged. Descendants of demons often become leaders of evil groups or cult leaders who corrupt humans. “There’s no doubt a demon thought it would be amusing to impregnate a supernatural hunter. They are humans who think they are doing the work of our god, but are actually committing a great evil. They are perfect for corrupting with demon seed.” Spencer let that settle in. Rhett’s face shut down and, for a moment, I thought I saw his eyes flash red. If I hadn’t been watching him so closely, I might have missed it. It was barely a flicker.This meant Rhett’s darkness had likely sensed the darkness already in him when making their arrangement. It didn’t explain why the descendant of an angel would trust him. Demons would be their natural enemies. “What does that mean for me and the girl? Am I going to get the urge to hurt her once she’s recovered? If so, can you help me get her somewhere safe? You said the Templars took them in. Would they take her if she’s part goblin?” Rhett asked quietly. Echo clutched my hand tightly. I patted her hand with my free one. Even I couldn’t miss the emotion in his voice. He was truly afraid of hurting the girl. “If there were no darkness, light would have no purpose. The reverse is the same. The descendants of demons and of angels are often attracted to each other. There are many uncanny friendships and romances in the world because of this,” Spencer answered. “You won’t hurt her. The light in her calls to the dark in you.” Rhett relaxed at that. His relief was palpable. They were already bonding deeply. In that moment, I made a decision. I would back him when we told Queen Maeve about the girl. Vampires were dead bodies inhabited by dark spirits. Warlocks were living beings who were inhabited by dark spirits. It would make sense to the fae that I backed him. We didn’t have to reveal any information about their parentage. I could see how it might make him and the girl a target. “Why didn’t she die without the sun if she’s a descendant of angels, though?” Echo asked. “She’s part goblin. They don’t leave their caves if they can avoid it. Some roam, but once they find a den to nest in, they stay there for generations. Very few goblins ever see the light of day,” I explained. “She must have gained that strength from them.” “I’m keeping her. She claimed me and I claimed her. She’s mine,” Rhett said. “Then I’m sure no one will ever be able to take either of you from the other. When descendants of demons claim someone, it’s very dangerous for anyone other than that person. Be careful of that tendency,” Spencer warned. “Does that mean her mother was a descendant too?” Echo asked, changing the subject back to the girl.“That is most likely. Descendants of angels are rarely attracted to supernaturals. They are more attracted to others like them or descendants of demons. Either way, they don’t have many children, if any,” Spencer replied.“Vampire blood never gets lower than a quarter in our descendants. Is angel blood similar?” I asked. “Yes, but more like half. I don’t know what it means for a descendant of an angel to be part supernatural, though. Deities make decisions that they don’t share with the rest of us. Maybe they fight over them, maybe they both give up on them, or maybe one gives the child to the other.” Rhett stood up and straightened his clothes. He glanced at me and I gave him a brief nod. There was nothing I had to say. I was on his side and would help him protect his relationship with this girl. If he trusted me, then I could ensure he was always doing the right thing for her, even if it was something he didn’t want to do. The child would need someone else to trust and I was more than willing to put myself in that role. “She doesn’t need them. She has me. As I said before, don’t tell anyone about her. Until I’m sure it’s safe, I don’t want anything else finding her, and I don’t want the fae queen trying to take her from me. Now, I must return home. I have to reinforce my defenses,” Rhett said before disappearing in a swarm of shadows. “Should we worry about the two of them together?” I asked Spencer. “No. But I would warn this fae queen he was talking about to not try taking the girl from him. He may not be as powerful as a full demon, but the addition of the dark spirit to his natural abilities, means he’s far more deadly than a normal warlock would be. He will destroy anyone who tries to take the girl away. Have the queen write the girl off. There is no getting her back,” Spencer answered. “I got that feeling too, Victor. He doesn’t understand love. When I first met him, he didn’t have love in him at all. I could feel it. Now… he loves her. This isn’t just something to amuse him. That’s his daughter now,” Echo told me. I nodded. It was good to have Echo and Spencer confirm what I was already thinking. For now, we would leave this where it was. Once it was all over, we’d take care of loose ends like this. A family could be a weakness for powerful people. If they were like Marius, it wasn’t. Rhett wasn’t as feared as Marius was, but he could definitely make people fear him. Grayson arrived home shortly after Rhett left. We’d remained in the living room, talking about precautions to take when preparing for fighting a demon. We also talked about the plan to take Spencer to the corpses after dinner. Dinner with my family and Spencer went very smoothly. Grayson talked about how nice it was to be able to work freely. No permits, no slowing down to seem human, and no holding back with what they could do. It seemed like this project was making Rock’s employees appreciate each other much more than before. They were all able to see the strengths of their coworkers. Grayson was certainly impressed. There were a few people he hadn’t respected much, but he was talking about them in a much better light now. Once dinner was finished, I took Spencer out to the garage. Echo’s ability was nice, but she was my wife and my partner, not my tool. She had been working hard all day to move items for Rock’s project. I wasn’t going to strain her further. We would take my car.Spencer was quiet as we passed through the gates. He wasn’t talkative outside of giving people information. Part of me wished I could tell him the truth about his wife being related to my wife. I knew that wasn’t the best idea. If he didn’t want to stay with his wife’s parents and brothers, then he wouldn’t be interested in staying with a more distant relative.