Saving Grace

Chapter 5.2.

And the parodical Angel returns. With less than satisfactory answers.

Grace tossed the book over the arm of the couch and groaned. She needed action, a mission, a purpose. As much as she loved reading and watching movies, the guilt over what had happened with Blackwing and the fear it sank into her bones wouldn't let her find any peace. She needed Nate. Why wasn't he there?

Selfish! She scratched the back of her hand as she flopped down on the pillows, trying to concentrate on the movie. Nope, her attention span had reached zero. She considered throwing something at the wall just to blow off some steam.

The ticking of the clock drilled into her head. The sound mixed with the lines of the movie as her vision blurred. A shadow hovered over her - it spoke, but she couldn't understand a word. She moved closer. The shadow only stepped back, dancing out of her reach. A loud knock snapped her back to consciousness.

Grace blinked. The sun had gone down, coating the room in semi-darkness. The TV still flickered, though another movie had started. Wow, she'd actually fallen asleep. Had she imagined the knock? Another pound answered her question. She rolled off the couch and dragged her feet to the door. For a second she hesitated, wondering who it could be, but shook the thought away. The Garden was safe.

Once she opened the door, the breath hitched in her throat. A mass of red roses with legs awaited on the other side. She stepped back and let Nate enter.

"Hi, honey. What were you doing?" He placed the huge bouquet on the kitchen counter.

Grace blinked, trying to drive the sleep out of her head. "When did you get back? And what's with the...?" She waved her hand in the direction of the flowers.

"A little apology for leaving you alone for so long." He rummaged through the cupboards in the small kitchen looking for a vase. "I hear you didn't take my absence too well."

She closed the door to the room and walked to the back of the couch. Why did Nate act like he owned the place, as if this was his house? And that comment stung a little. She'd missed him, but it wasn't like she couldn't live without him.

"I was mostly bored." She rounded the couch and sat, watching him fuss with the roses. "The flowers are really pretty."

"Pretty flowers for a pretty Angel." He smiled as he walked to her and sat on the coffee table, blocking her view of the TV. "How are you feeling? You seem a little off."

"I'm groggy, I just got up." Which was why she was acting like a socially challenged moron. She should've jumped in his arms when he'd appeared at her door with flowers. Of course, that would've meant squishing the flowers. He'd just called her pretty. It was the first compliment he'd ever paid her and all she could think about was Blackwing calling her beautiful. Ugh, get out of my head!

"I've missed you." Nate took her hand and brushed her knuckles with his lips.

She shivered. "I've missed you, too."

"I hope I won't have to leave without you again."

"How did the investigation go?" She hoped that his absence had at least been worth it.

He sighed and sat next to her on the couch. "Unfortunately, not as well as I would have liked. I've looked into what you told me. Checked to see if someone's after you."

Grace tightened her fingers around the corner of the couch cushion. "And?"

"You have no reason to worry. There's the big force of Demons after us all, but no one after you specifically."

"Really? What about Blackwing setting traps for me, or that Nexum trying to take me away?" She frowned, trying to fight the annoyance taking hold of her. It wasn't just her imagination.