15

It was three days later that I found myself sitting out by the marina and watching the water lapping at the shores. In those three days, I'd been locking myself away in my room. My excuse to my aunt was that I was sick, but that really wasn't the case. Instead, I had been taking more time to immerse myself in the memories of my soul's past that seemed to be coming back. Every time that I slept now, I would dream.

Ever since that close encounter with the familiar voice, the dreams were coming more frequently. I saw a lot of things in them, especially of the one that I was now certain was Jade. There was no doubt in my mind that he was the one who originally made the contract that I was now carrying within my eye.

However, I did not believe that he was the one who was stalking me. Instead, there was now another man that I was seeing in my dreams, and he looked very familiar. He was the same man who had shown up on my doorstep just the week before, asking to use a phone.

Saffron Mulliken.

I had little doubt that it wasn't a coincidence that Saffron had shown up when he did. I checked out the neighbor's house after the dreams started, and learned that it was vacant and for sale. No one had lived there in over a year, nor was anyone buying the house at that time.

But more than anything, I realized that the reflection of the man I'd been seeing was him. He was definitely the one hiding within the shadows.

The thing that bugged me the most about all of this was why he'd appear like he had in the first place. He'd obviously been able to follow me for a long time, and had no problems gaining access to wherever I was. Had he hoped to trigger my memories with that brief visit?

The other thing that I didn't get either was his involvement in all of this. I always saw him in the dreams with Jade. In fact, it felt like they were the same types of creatures. But if I was right, then Saffron may have killed me that first time. Why did he do it? And why was he warning me about dying again now if I looked too long at the contract?

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't hear someone walk up behind me. I only noticed it when the person spoke.

"Is this seat taken?"

I blinked, looking up to see who was beside me. I was shocked to see that it was a guy who looked only a few years older than me. He had pretty sky blue eyes, and white blonde hair. There was a pleasant smile on his face, and he seemed almost radiant there in the afternoon sunlight. For a brief moment, I could have sworn that I was looking at an angel disguised as a human.

I worked hard to find my voice, "No. It's not."

The guy nodded, sitting down with me, "I'm sorry if I startled you. You looked like you were really thinking hard about something." he apologized.

"I was. There's been a lot of heavy stuff lately." I admitted.

"I see. I guess that comes with being young, doesn't it?" the guy mused.

He spoke like he should've been much older than he looked. How weird was that?

"I guess." I hesitantly agreed. I also decided to take my chances then. If he wanted to talk, I'd talk. It would at least be a little bit of distraction from all the stuff that I'd been thinking about, "So, are you new around here? I haven't seen you before."

The guy nodded, "You could say that. Actually, I just came up to visit with some family. Well that, and I was looking into something with them."

"Really? What are you looking into around here? I didn't think Ithaca was that interesting." I noted, looking back at him.

"Not really." The guy agreed, "But sometimes, there are interesting people in places like this. Tell me, you're Mari Hanes, aren't you?"

My eyes widened. What the hell was going on? How did this guy know my name?

But before I could say anything, he answered that question for me, "I'm sorry. I guess I caught you a little off guard, huh? I'm Malakai Renaldi. I' m sure that Noah mentioned to you that he was talking to me about everything."

So this was Malakai. Now that I looked at him, I could see where him and Noah might have been related. But he didn't look that much older than Noah either. How could he have possibly known more about this?

But something else was bugging me too. Namely, his picking my name out right away. We hadn't met before. I was sure of that.

"Hey, how did you know that I was the same Mari Hanes that Noah was talking about?" I had to ask.

"Call it intuition. I guess that's the best fit. But now that I see you, I can definitely see what he's been talking about. You do indeed have a contract in your eye. How interesting." he responded. He put his hand on my forehead and took a better look. But unlike with Noah, I didn't feel the contract react. After a moment, he pulled back again, "I see. It's very well written. No wonder he couldn't catch much of it."

"You can read it?" I asked softly.

My feeling of discomfort was fading quickly, just like it had with Noah. Like him, Malakai felt safe. But I didn't understand it. They couldn't have been human for that, and especially not with what they could do.

"I can read some of it, but I don't want to activate it yet. That could be dangerous. Tell me Mari, you've had some run ins with the one recently, haven't you?" Malakai guessed.

"I guess. I've had something following me ever since I can remember, and now I'm seeing things and dreaming about them." I admitted.

"I can't say that I'm too surprised. If this is what I think it is now, then the time is beginning to run short again." Malakai stated.

"It is?"

Malakai stood up, "Would you mind coming back with me? I believe that there are a few things that we need to speak about, and this wouldn't be the safest place." he said, offering a hand to help me up.

I didn't think twice about trusting him. I just knew that he wouldn't hurt me. So I stood up with him and followed to my car. It was only then that I noticed mine was the only one there.

"Did you drive here?" I asked him.

"No. I don't own a car at this time." Malakai replied.

"Then how did you...?" I started.

But Malakai just put a finger to his lips, "It's a secret for now." he whispered with a knowing smile.

I was coming to the conclusion that the Renaldis were weird. After meeting Noah and Malakai, that was my initial thought about them. But I decided that I wouldn't say anything. Instead, we both climbed into my little car.

"So where are we going?" I asked as I started it.

"I suppose home would be the best option. You know where Noah lives, don't you?" Malakai responded.

"Yeah. I know where it is." I nodded. I remembered Noah telling me once, so I was sure that I could find it.

"That would be the place then. Just take your time. We don't know what might be following." Malakai told me.

I took his words to heart. He was probably right. In fact, I could almost feel the eyes on us. But just as quickly, they were gone again. I didn't miss Malakai looking over his shoulder though. I saw his eyes narrow slightly, and for the briefest moment, that sweet exterior was gone. I could almost liken the expression to him warning someone away. But just as quickly, it was gone, and he was normal again. Well, as normal as he'd seemed.

The ride was uneventful, but pulling up to that large house, I felt a bit intimidated. The house that the Renaldis had bought was one of the nicest in town, and pretty good sized. There were two other cars parked in the driveway as well. One was a pretty green Sebring convertible, and other was a black Shelby Mustang. The thought briefly occurred to me that the Mustang may have belonged to Noah's dad. He had said that they had the same tastes in cars.

But Noah's car wasn't there. It was a Saturday, so I wondered where he'd gone off to. I hadn't really spoken to him since he'd come to the house. I guess that one could say that I was afraid to, especially after my encounter that evening with the familiar voice.

"Well, it seems that at least two of them are still home." Malakai commented as I parked.

"Did Noah go somewhere?" I had to ask.

"He'll be back soon enough. I just sent him on a small errand." Malakai replied, giving me that same sweet smile.

I didn't bother asking anymore. Instead, I got out and followed him to the front door of the house. The house was just as beautiful on the inside as I'd imagined. It was obvious that Noah's family had a lot of money too. Everything in there looked either brand new or antique.

I stayed close to Malakai as we walked through the foyer and into the kitchen. A woman was in there as we entered. She was very pretty, with long strawberry blonde hair and light brown eyes. Dressed in a blue sundress with purple and green blocked on the skirt, she didn't look very old either, maybe in her early twenties, if that. She had been busy putting some dishes away, but stopped when we came in.

"Good afternoon Anna. I'll take it that it's just you right now." Malakai greeted her.

This is Anna Renaldi? I thought.

I almost couldn't believe it. This was supposed to be Noah's mother? She didn't look much older than us.

Anna seemed to recompose herself, "Sorry. You just really surprised me. But you didn't say that you were bringing her back now Malakai." she fussed.

"The situation's changed a little, so you could say that I've made an executive decision." Malakai told her. He looked over at me, "By the way, this is Anna Renaldi. As you may already know, she's Noah's mother."

"So you're Mari Hanes, the girl with the mysterious contract in her eye." Anna mused. She was looking at me almost as if she was studying me.

"You know, you really don't look old enough to have a sixteen year old kid." I informed her.

Anna just smiled, "I'll take that as a compliment."

"Anna, would you mind keeping an eye on Mari for a moment? I did want to speak to Raziel about all of this first." Malakai requested. He was very diplomatic about it, but I sensed that there was no room for argument.

"Okay." Anna agreed without hesitation.

I did feel a little intimidated as I stood there without Malakai. I honestly didn't know the first thing about Anna. Noah hadn't said a whole lot about his parents aside from their names and a little bit about their interests.

But looking at her, I had to wonder what his dad looked like. Malakai had said that Raziel was there in that house too, and that he was going to talk to him. Was Raziel as stunning as him and Noah?

I was pulled out of these thoughts by Anna clearing her throat.

"Well, I guess I'm having company after all. You don't have to just stand there. I promise that I don't bite." she joked.

"Oh. Okay." I managed to reply.

I walked over and sat down at the kitchen bar. I was studying her as I did. Really, out of what I'd gotten to see of this family now, they were almost inhumanly beautiful, not to mention all very young looking.

"I guess you're surprised, huh? We're not quite what you were expecting." Anna continued, sitting across from me.

"Are you a mind reader?" I asked. It should have been a joke, but it felt far too serious.

Anna laughed, "Not really, although I'm good at reading people in general. It's always been a talent of mine. I have to say that I'm pretty surprised though. After everything that I've been hearing, you're definitely not what I was expecting. But then again, I grew up being told never to judge a book by its cover. Guess I should think about that more."

"What were you expecting?" I dared ask.

"I don't know. I can't really put it into words. But this is the first time that I've ever met someone who's fallen under the pursuit of demons their entire life too." Anna responded.

Wow, she put that so bluntly. That was all that I could think.

"It's not like it was my choice. At least, not in this life, according to your son." I reminded her.

"I know." Anna sighed, "And I'll bet that you're wondering about a lot of things right now. Especially us and Noah. As odd as it might seem, I am his mother, and Raziel is his father. Things are just... a little different when you're part of this family, although I'm sure that you understand that now."

"I don't get it. What are you people?" I inquired.

"We can't exactly say yet. That's up to Malakai to tell you when he feels the time is right. But I know that he's worried about you, and Noah has been too. He's actually been talking about this ever since he met you. At first, he even thought that people were saying that you were a witch because they were just jealous of you. I don't think that he ever expected real demons to be involved." Anna admitted.

There was a pensive look in her eyes as she spoke, almost like she was afraid of something. Maybe even of me.

"Are you worried about him being around me?" I asked her. It was a hard question, but I had to know.

Anna shook her head, "It's not really you Mari. You seem like a very nice girl. But in your situation... well... things are a little more difficult." she answered. It sounded like she was really searching for words with all of this. Maybe she feared she'd say the wrong thing.

"You don't have to sugarcoat it, you know." I told her, "I know that I'm cursed, and I know that I'm probably going to die in this. I've already told Noah that I don't want anything to happen to him, but he keeps coming around anyway."

"I could see that. Noah's like that, especially when he likes someone, and I think I could see where he'd like you. You seem like a good person, even though all of these bad things have been following you for so long, and no matter how uninterested Noah acts, he's actually a very caring person too." Anna explained.

I smiled, "He really seems laid back most of the time too. I don't think that I've heard him raise his voice yet."

"That's my emo kid." Anna laughed, "Noah's always had this distance from the world. To be completely honest with you, in all of the places that we've been, I've never seen him truly connect with anyone outside of our family, or even act like he cared much for them. But he actually does seem to like you, and I guess that's what worries me with all of this. I know that Noah can take care of himself, but it might hurt him more to see anything happen to you that he can't prevent."

I knew that she was probably right. Noah was walking into this thinking that somehow he could stop what was happening to me. He more than likely wasn't considering the fact that I could die from it. As for myself, I knew that it was possible. I think I'd known since I started understanding a little bit of those dreams. Saffron was planning on killing me eventually, and when he made his move, Noah may be powerless to stop him.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming towards the kitchen. Malakai had come back, and with him was another man. I was certain that this was Noah's dad. In fact, he did look a lot like him. His hair was a bit more blonde though, and he had darker blue eyes. Like Anna, he looked like he was maybe in his early twenties.

I had the feeling that he was as surprised as Anna had been when he first saw me there. Maybe she had a point when she said they were expecting something a little different in seeing me. I guess I didn't quite fit the demon contract type to them.

"Well, has your opinion changed any now?" Malakai asked him.

I watched Raziel sigh, running a hand through his hair.

"No. She's still who she is now, so there's got to be a way to break it." he answered.

Anna looked at him, "You're still serious about that? You think something like that can be broken?" she asked.

"You've been one of us long enough to know that nothing is really impossible Anna. Don't you agree Malakai?" Raziel responded, looking over at him.

"Of course. But there will be things we need to take into consideration too." Malakai agreed. He came back over to me, "I realize that this may be asking a lot of you, but we'll need you to cooperate with us if there's any hope of maybe reversing what's coming. Would you trust us to help you if we can?"

I turned to face him, "I would. But first, you have to tell me how you know all of this. I know that you can't be normal. You don't look it, and you don't act it. Just what are you?" I asked him.

Malakai took all of this in stride, "I understand, and with what you've come to know, I suppose you might understand a little better too. After all, you can keep secrets rather well. So I'll tell you. We're the polar opposites of what's been chasing you. Raziel, Anna, and Noah are all Nephilim, just as the rest of our family." he explained.

"Nephilim?" I didn't think that I'd ever heard that word before.

"Basically, half angels." Raziel answered, walking over beside Anna, "We carry both human blood and angelic blood, and Malakai is a full angel. He's also the leader of our family."

I stared at the man in front of me. This was a real angel? It was funny, but I knew that I'd thought that before when I first laid eyes on him. Score one for intuition.

Still, I felt apprehensive too, "You're serious? You're an angel?" I verified.

"I am, and I am not fallen either. I have permission to maintain this family for protective purposes, and with what is happening to you, I have more than enough right to intervene where I can, as well as them. Although I'll admit that you are the first that I've ever seen that was born with a contract. I've heard of it, but it is a rarity." Malakai confirmed.

I suddenly felt small sitting there. I was in the presence of a real angel, and two that were half angels. But also, the thought occurred to me about Noah. He was half angel too, or at least, he carried the blood of both a human and an angel. I wondered how that worked with Raziel and Anna being what they were.

I didn't get a lot of time to think about it before I heard the door opening. Noah was coming in.

"I see it didn't take you long to find her once you decided it was time." he commented, walking over to sit in the chair beside me. I had the distinct feeling that he was unhappy over that.

"After what I've seen, I don't think that we have much time to waste, and I wanted to see this contract for myself. Like I told you before, we already suspected that it was changed once. Especially considering the circumstances." Malakai told him. He spoke in a very matter of fact tone. Perhaps he didn't feel like Noah being able to challenge him on his choices.

"So I'm taking it that you told her." Noah guessed.

"There wasn't much choice. It's in her benefit now to know, and besides, I believe that we can trust her with all of this, considering all that she's already been through." Malakai answered.

Noah just shrugged, looking at Raziel, "So what now?" he asked.

"Same thing we said before. We're going to decipher that contract." Raziel answered as he stood up.

"How?" I dared ask.

"It's really not going to take much with Raziel's talent. He can easily copy the contract from your eye so that we can see it clearly without having to fully activate it. But to do that, it's better if it happened here, where we can keep up a barrier. Noah, I trust that you can maintain that for us." Malakai explained.

"Of course." Noah agreed.

I couldn't say that I was really comfortable with this, but for the time being, all I could do was trust them. Hopefully, my premonition of doom would be proven wrong.

At least I hoped.