The fond smile on his lips proves his admiration for his family. It’s twice now that his mood has brightened up while talking about his people.
My attention from his smile is only broken when two people walk into the room behind Hazel, with excitement radiating off of them. The smaller woman that I haven’t met yet offers me a small wave paired with a shy smile before ducking behind Hazel’s tall frame.
“Nevaeh, you’ve already met Seiji Nakaya, Prince of Famine.” Angel points to the man I met yesterday.
Like last night, he has a welcoming aura around him. The way he is so effortlessly comfortable with himself makes me instantly relax too.
“Pleasure to be in your electric presence, sunshine. I’m Seiji, like the sage witches use for their abracadabra, with an‘I’.”
Judging by how he takes his time to make sure I know the proper pronunciation, tells me he doesn’t take kindly to people mispronouncing his name, so I make sure to get it right.
“Oh, don’t you look otherworldly in that hoodie. But wait, I think—no, I’m sure Anxo has something similar, right Anxo?” On cue, my face heats up.
“Behave,” Angel warns, but it’s blatantly ignored. “What? I’m simply admiring raw beauty.”
While they bicker, I admire Seiji’s bright amber monolid eyes that exhibit innocence. Tan beige skin with dark locks styled to perfection. His warm semi-east Asian features are similar to Hazel’s, but not quite.
Even with his large build, Seiji doesn’t come off as threatening in the least. Mostly thanks to the boyish features and a mouth that immediately lets everyone know he is a child stuffed inside a 6-foot man’s body.
Now that I know him a little, his dressing style makes more sense. A royal blue boxy shirt with green leaves and red flowers printed on it. The black undershirt is visible since almost every button on his shirt is open. I especially like the chain looped around the right pocket of his beige pants.Everything about him is bright and colorful.
The woman I haven’t had the pleasure of talking to nervously sits on the couch opposite me. When no one pushes her to talk, I also take the hint and stay quiet.
Her soft caramel eyes, like fireflies, are warm and soft.So dainty and fragile.For a woman who is roughly 5 ‘3, her braids seem heavier than her entire body weight, and I want to ask if they hurt her scalp.
She’s tugging on the sleeve of her pastel pink loose sweater, rubbing her hands on her smooth bronze thighs, playing with the hem of her cute black mini skirt.
Overall, she is sweating her weight in worry, and I don’t know why.
Maybe I’m intimidating her somehow, because this is the fifth time she tugs on her braids. Should I promise her I mean no harm? Will that make her relax and not squirm like a chicken waiting to get its head cut off? Maybe if I smile at her, she will relax.
A timid voice gains my attention before I can conclude whether a smile is necessary.
“Hello, I’m Grace… uh,Blackburn.”
Wait… That’smylast name.
“Blackburn?” she grimaces when I look at her suspiciously. “Do I know you?” and she stops talking.Again. “Please don’t tell me Papa found his mate, and I missed it—but no, wait, that can’t be right because then you should be like ten and not anadult.”
I wait for an explanation, but my questions have her frozen. Now, I have no choice but to continue forming irrational theories miserably.
“I’m not trying to be rude, but you don’t look anything like him and—”
“For Lucifer’s sake, maybe if you stop rambling and give her a chance, she will explain,” Hazel thankfully interrupts me, but I don’t thank her.
I’m stumped for a second, hearing Lucifer from her mouth before remembering she’s a siren, one of Lucifer’s creations, so it’s only reasonable for her to pray to him.
“You are kind of snappy, you know.”
“Nooo, that hurt.” The way her face remains Monotone should scare me, but I’m in awe. This woman has solid control over herself, and I want to learn how.
Thankfully, with time and a whole lot of awkward silence, Grace finally grants me some answers.
“Dean found me when I was thirteen. I was on a camping trip my orphanage had arranged and got lost and stumbled upon a portal. Instead of trying to find my classmates, I crossed the portal in a moment of bravery and landed in your territory. He knew what I was at first glance and took me in.”
Personally, I don’t agree with crossing portals when you don’t know where it’ll lead, but I have to admire her courage, nonetheless.
Trying to figure out who and what these new people are without my Divine is becoming tedious. I wish I could control my stubborn Divine better so I didn’t have to wait for them to tell me what they were.
