"I thought you had already left." I mumble.
"I can't, you're still not well." He says cheekily.
"Of course I am well! It's not like I'm sick or anything, it was just a lot of information all at once. I'm good now" I argue.
"Oh, sure" He says in a sarcastic tone. "Changing the subject, do you want pancakes? Not to flatter myself but they are delicious."
"Why not?" I give in. I'll try again when I'm full.
We sit facing each other on the kitchen island.
I have to admit, these are the best pancakes I've ever tasted. Not that I'll compliment him, his ego is already big enough.
"What's up?" He's amused by my surprised look.
"Nothing, it's just passable!" I lie without blinking.
He just smiles and continues eating.
"Hmm, you told me yesterday that you had been taken by the Seekers, so what you were... Transformed into?" I ask like talking about the time and weather.
"Not exactly like you imagine, I'm a Nephilim." He shrugs.
"And that means what?"
"Well, some say we are evil, freaks, demons, but the truth is that we are descendants of angels."
"Angels, like winged beings that live in heaven? The christian angels?" I ask, half in disbelief and speechless.
"That's the tales that the Old Ones invented to explain things to primitive humans. I'm talking about the original fallen angels, the Renegades."
I just stare at him.
My god, am I hearing wrong?
Angels.
Fallen.
Angels.
He is the son of an angel.
A million images of angels in art and sculptures pass through my mind in a flash and it's like there's white noise in my years. He continues to eat calmly while I just feel the ground shifting beneath my feet again.
"So you are like… the son of an angel? Like, were you born normally?" I blurt out.
He gives me a side eye and I pretend it wasn't a strange thing to ask.
"You can say that." He answers very calmly.
That sounds strange but I can't think of why it sounds strange.
"So you have any gifts?" I resume eating.
"Yes, I can read souls and some other things that maybe you'll discover someday." He winks and I scowl.
I need to go back to my room and sleep until I forget all this.
I get up and head for the stairs, but halfway there my legs wobble and I almost fall again, luckily Lucca is faster and catches me before the crash.
He holds me tightly against his chest and I feel that same sensation as before.
He leads me to the backyard instead of upstairs and I almost don't struggle (which is almost the size of a baseball field and looks like a giant oasis, with a lake-sized pool and flowers I'd never seen before).
"You need air." He says.
"Is the speed of light one of your gifts?" I stammer.
"Almost that." He chuckles.
Lucca continues to press me against his chest, and little by little a feeling of well-being takes over me.
I suspect he's the one doing it.
"I'm better now." I lie and untangle myself from his grasp.
I look deep into his emerald eyes.
"Seriously, I t...."
My words are swallowed back when his lips connect to mine.
My first kiss is gone just like that.
And it's one of the best moments of my life.
A feeling of ecstasy runs through my body.
His body is almost completely glued to mine.
And every part in contact with my skin sends electrical waves as the kiss becomes more intense.
At that moment I give him my heart, my soul and my life.
I belong to him just as he belongs to me.
As soon as he pulls his lips away from mine, I kiss him back.
I hear the moans of pure pleasure that come from deep in his throat as he slides his hands from my waist to the back pockets of my pants, pressing me closer to his body.
If that's even possible.
I smell a musky scent in the air...
Something is wrong. In the midst of the happy emotions cursing through me this single thought makes me freeze.
The noise of the garage opening interrupts us, one minute the door opens and the next Lucca is no longer there.
***
"There you are." Says Laura Hawks, Louise's mother as she enters the front door.
Laura is very beautiful. The curls of her honey hair fall to her waist with half of it in an elegant hair-do.
She's from my mom's generation but looks more like Lou's elder sister.
She rarely wears flashy clothes, and now she's wearing a beige, flared dress that she usually wears to work (she's a prosecutor).
"Yeah, I was just getting some air."
I'm actually out of breath.
"Oh yes, the director called me saying you hadn't come today, and that someone had called saying you hadn't been well, I think he just wanted to confirm the information," Laura says casually.
"Yeah." I say a little awkwardly, my toes wanting to dig on the floor out of embarrassment.
Worst timing ever.
"Uh, Alex, if you want to talk about anything, you can trust me," she says with a tone that suggests she thinks I'm depressed with grief.
Could it be... No, she couldn't have seen Lucca.
What if she saw him in Lou's room? No. It's completely impossible. He said no one was home.
"I actually wanted to say…"
"Yes. Please tell me." She speaks anxiously.
I get a strange feeling.
"I wanted to say that... I'm very grateful that you let my sister and I stay here." I change the subject.
"Oh, sure, stay as long as you want." She says, obviously disappointed.
Laura heads for the stairs and disappears into the hallway.
This is getting really weird, but it's just the beginning.