Gabriel Elder book II of the Warlock Series
Chapter 7: Family of Misfits

Gabriel woke and slowly opened his eyes and surveyed the room. He listened intently, but couldn’t hear anything. Turning his head, he found Breena was gone. He sat up and looked around the room. Apollo was gone too. As he climbed out of the bed, he could see Breena’s clothes laying on the floor. Her clothes were there, but where was Breena?

The door to the room opened and in came the dark haired young woman with Apollo close on her heels. She was carrying a tray full of food and she was wearing a new set of clothes. They were black leather and fit her perfectly. The top was form fitting and had a zipper which Breena had left down just enough to show off her flawless, pale skin. The pants were also black and the entire outfit appeared to be made of the same material used in Gabriel’s pants, vests and jackets. A special blend of synthetic leather, polyester, spider silk and carbon fibers. It made for strong, yet flexible and form fitting clothing. It was also bulletproof.

It was a look Gabriel approved of. It caught him off guard and his normally reserved personality came to life as he smiled broadly at the young woman.

“You are stunning,” Gabriel said.

Even as he said it, he wondered where it had come from. He had never talked to a woman like that before. Truth was, he’d never felt like he was feeling right now either. He continued to smile and he had meant what he said, even if he was blushing for having said it.

“I’m glad you approve. I hope you don’t mind. I showered and then used your robe to replace Oz and see if he could help me clean the clothes I’ve been wearing. After I spoke to him, he disappeared. I turned around a minute later and he was back holding these. I think they may have belonged to your mother,” Breena said cautiously.

She wasn’t sure how Gabriel would feel about her wearing his mother’s things.

It took a few seconds for it to register with Gabriel. He had tried to envision what his mother looked like. If he got his deep black hair from her, she would have looked a lot like Breena. Only the color of their eyes set these two apart. Gabriel’s eyes were a deep, dark blue and Breena’s were almost yellow. There was just enough green in them to keep people from guessing she was part wolf.

Thinking about his parents reminded him of his thoughts from the night before. He had a question for Breena.

“What can you tell me about my father?” Gabriel asked.

“Not much, Grandfather would not talk of him. He wasn’t ashamed of him, it’s just how my people…I mean, our people, are. Once a clan member leaves they are not discussed or mentioned in any way. If they return, and they often do, they are accepted back into the clan without question and everything picks up right where it was when they left.

When Grandfather adopted me, he essentially showed the clan he did not expect his son to return. It was a big deal, but he’s never talked about him before. I know he was unusually powerful and almost as big as Grandfather. I had to pack away his clothes when I moved into the cottage. They would have almost fit grandfather and the pants and shirts had been altered for a narrow waist and thick legs, arms and chest. I’d say he was very close to the same size you are,” Breena answered as she looked intently at Gabriel’s body.

That made Gabriel think, perhaps his size and strength had more to do with his genetics than it had to do with the cocktail of injections Zeus had insisted on. Perhaps it was the combination of the two? He sat there with a far-away look on his face wondering about his parents and how much they had contributed to who and what he was.

“What is it Gabriel?” Breena asked.

“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about my parents. I’ve spent most of my life trying not to think about them and now it seems I can’t get my mind off them,” Gabriel replied.

“Why would you try to keep from thinking of them?” Breena asked.

“What kind of parents abandon their baby? I mean, that’s what I’ve always believed. I was simply abandoned, like I was an inconvenience. If what Zeus said last night was true, then they might have had a very good reason for leaving me with the church,” Gabriel answered.

“I believed him, and I believe they, or at least your mother, left you to save you. There is probably much more to the story than that, but the one thing I am sure of, I will be forever grateful to her for doing what she did. If she hadn’t, you wouldn’t be here and then I would have never known the other half of me,” Breena said softly as she reached up and stroked Gabriel’s face.

She reached up and pulled the young warlock’s head down to hers and she kissed him. She had never kissed a man like that before, but it felt natural. Gabriel reached out and pulled her close. He was completely lost in her embrace. The kiss lasted for more than a minute. When they finally pulled apart they were both breathing heavily and the blue energy between them was sparking like lightning. Neither one was sure what to do next.

As if on cue, Oz called up the stairs, “Gabriel, can you and Breena please come down to the dining room?”

They both started laughing uncontrollably and it took a while before Gabriel could respond.

“We’re on our way,” he answered.

Breena picked up the tray of food which was still uneaten and carried it with them as they headed for the first floor and the dining room. Apollo followed close behind. As they entered the dining room from the hall, Zeus was coming in from the kitchen. Both were surprised to see him up and about and looking much better than the previous evening. He acknowledged their expressions with his greeting.

“Good morning and thank you. I am feeling much better, and I understand I have you to thank,” Zeus said to Breena.

She simply nodded and set the food down on the edge of the table. She was afraid he would question her as to how she could heal him. She needn’t worry though, Oz had explained enough to the master warlock that he knew better than to ask questions Breena couldn’t answer and would only drive her away.

“You must eat. All of you,” Oz insisted as he entered from the kitchen carrying another tray loaded with food and drinks.

All four of them sat down and ate in silence for fifteen minutes. Zeus was staring intently at his coffee when Gabriel broke the silence.

“I am sorry for the way I acted,” he started.

“No need to apologize Gabriel,” Zeus interrupted, “You had every right to react the way you did. I am the one who’s sorry for waiting so long to tell you the truth. I awoke early this morning and I felt better than I have since your mother…left. Stazia was, and always will be, one of the things I am most proud of. I am no less proud of you Gabriel. A lesser warlock would have killed me, or at least tried.

My work with the warlocks may be over. The council has been infiltrated by the shifters, or by those loyal to the white Alpha, and cannot be trusted. From what Oz tells me Dr. Connors has some explaining to do as well. I’ll have to deal with him soon enough. Now that you know who I am and about your mother, we need to talk about the white Alpha.

First though, I need to know more about your new friend here,” said Zeus.

Gabriel started to speak, but Breena answered first.

“The only thing you need to know about me Mr. Zeus, is that I am not a danger to any of you and I am in love with your grandson. I plan to take very good care of him for the rest of his life,” she said.

She did it so matter-of-factly, it shocked all three of the men sitting there. Zeus wasn’t sure what to say. Gabriel was both embarrassed and proud, and Oz could only chuckle. This was why he loved humans, so unpredictable, so emotional.

Without another word, Breena reached for a bowl of fruit and began devouring grapes and strawberries. Gabriel quickly began eating another piece of toast until he could think of something to say.

Zeus wasn’t at all satisfied with the beautiful young woman’s response, but he believed her and he would accept what she said, for now. He knew not to ask her about how she could have healed him, but he still wanted to know more about her. If she was important to Gabriel he needed to know who, and exactly what, she was.

Oz continued to chuckle until Zeus finally asked him what was so funny.

“It is simple, I am here with the greatest master warlock to ever live and the only person who can possibly best him, his own grandson, and yet, both of you are afraid of the young lady Breena,” Oz said simply.

After a few seconds of thought, both Gabriel and Zeus broke out in laughter. It made Oz smile from ear-to-ear to hear the old master warlock laugh again. It was one of the things he had wished for after Stazia left, and short of her reappearing, it was the best thing he could have hoped for.

Deep down, he knew the couple would never be able to stay at the compound. Breena’s kind never stayed around humans for long and were known enemies of the shifters. He still wasn’t completely sure why she was here with Gabriel, especially since his grandfather was a shifter, but he would take a moment to enjoy what pleasure he could in all of it.

His species didn’t really have family bonds and would never understand his feelings for the group assembled in the dining room. As he looked around, Oz realized he was with his family. Gabriel, Zeus, Apollo, and even Breena, were now his family. He had always been close to Zeus, but this was something more. It felt like love. But why love such a group of misfits? Why not? A Scythian, a shifter and whatever kind of hybrid Gabriel turned out to be, along with a massive, highly intelligent wolf. It seemed like something out of a Spielberg movie script.

Zeus stood and excused himself from the table, and as he was leaving the room, he looked at Gabriel and said, “If you don’t mind, when you are finished, I’d like a word with you in my office.”

Gabriel simply nodded. He had no idea what the master warlock wanted but he was sure to be asked questions about Breena. He had promised he would not divulge any of the secrets he had learned about the Scythians and he was going to keep that promise. He had already decided he was going to make his home with Breena and the clan, now he just had to decide how to explain it to Zeus and Oz. He couldn’t have them looking for him or asking too many questions about the clan.

He ate two plates of food until, finally, Gabriel had stalled as long as he could. He stood and looked down at Breena before heading to Zeus’s office for his conference. As Gabriel left the room, Breena was aware Oz was staring at her.

“Will your kind accept Gabriel and keep him safe,” Oz asked.

Breena thought for several minutes before answering. She was going to be very careful with her words and with the information she provided to Oz, whatever he was.

“If you believe I am something other than what I appear, why are you not afraid of me little man?” she asked.

“Just as you know I am not what I appear to be, I know you are not entirely what you appear to be either. I believe you are a Scythian, an ancient species which has some human qualities, but you are not fully human. I assume Gabriel knows, but I don’t know how. That is knowledge your kind does not share with a non-Scythian. Ever,” Oz answered.

“Scythians?” Breena asked innocently.

“Some of the oldest creatures to walk this planet. Capable of taking the forms of animals and elements when needed. Perhaps they are the original humans, since it seems to be their natural form. They are known by many names in legends and folklore and according to those tales, they are a formidable group,” Oz replied.

“And so, if that is true, then the only way Gabriel would be given such information, according to your theory, is if he were in fact a Scythian himself, or at least part Scythian. If such creatures existed, and I am one, why are you not afraid of me?” Breena countered, offering no real confirmation to Oz’s statement.

“I fear nothing,” Oz replied, “Besides, the wolf trusts you and I trust the wolf. His instincts are always right when it comes to any possible threat to Gabriel. My worry is not what you will do to Gabriel, it is what the rest of your kind will do to Gabriel. He might be part Scythian, but he is also part human and quite possibly part shifter as well. I have observed enough of your kind to know they are very intolerant of anyone who is not a Scythian,” Oz explained.

“If you trust the wolf’s instincts then you should know he has accepted Gabriel’s choice of his new home and as long as you and Mr. Zeus don’t come looking for him, he will be fine. In fact, he will be better than fine, he will thrive and as I said before, I will always take care of him,” Breena answered.

“I know you think you are strong, perhaps even stronger than Gabriel, but you are wrong. Hidden deep with the young warlock is a strength this world has never seen. If he is ever forced to unleash it, it might destroy all those around him. Gabriel would survive, but I’m not sure his soul, his spirit, the thing that makes Gabriel, Gabriel, would survive. Are you willing to risk that?” Oz asked, as he stared into Breena’s eyes.

“We are young, but we are as one,” Breena started, “I will take that risk as well as any others to be with Gabriel and Apollo. We will replace a home where we can be safe from the world and the likes of the white Alpha. In the human world there is only danger and deceit. In our world, there will be peace and love. Gabriel will be well protected.

Can you promise Gabriel would be safe if he stayed here with you and Mr. Zeus? Can you promise he wouldn’t unleash this thing you believe is inside of him if he stayed in your world? I don’t think either of us can tell the future Ancient One,” Breena answered.

Oz listened to her carefully chosen words, she was highly intelligent and a great communicator, and yet, she never confirmed or directly denied Oz’s accusations as to what she was. She was also correct, there was no guarantee that by staying at the compound, Gabriel would never unleash what was inside of him. Oz had sensed it long ago and had pleaded with Zeus to send the child away from the life of a warlock because he feared a confrontation with a pack of shifter might bring about that very thing.

Oz was also keenly aware Breena had just referred to him as one of the Ancient Ones. A name given to his kind by the many native tribes around the world somehow sensed their presence and gave them a very wide birth. Rather than seek them out as some had, the natives always respected the Ancient Ones and stayed far away from them. He knew she was probably guessing, but like her, he would neither confirm, nor deny the allegation.

Breena was hoping to change the subject, “Thank you for the clothes, they are a perfect fit. Did they belong to Gabriel’s mother?”

“Yes, they were Stazia’s work clothes. She wore those when she went out on patrol. They can stop small caliber bullets and most sharp weapons. Zeus spared no expense in developing and producing her work clothes. He even improved on the material for Gabriel and Apollo’s clothes. Zeus had me remove all traces of Stazia before Gabriel arrived, but I kept them hidden away, just in case she returned,” Oz answered.

Breena watched the way the little man talked about Gabriel’s mother. He really cared for Zeus and Gabriel and that fascinated her. All the Scythian records dealing with the Ancient Ones, portrayed them as much more reclusive. They were known to shun any kind of gatherings where humans were present and to disappear without a trace anytime they were threatened. She was sure Oz was one of them, but he must be very unlike them at the same time. She knew better than to ask him directly, but she would keep a close eye on Oz when they were together.

As the little man began gathering up the dishes from the table, she stood and helped. She meant to show him she could take care of Gabriel; besides it gave her a chance to spend more time with one of the Ancient Ones. Oz knew what she was doing, but he didn’t mind, he was planning on replaceing out as much as he could about Breena, her clan, and what her plans were for Gabriel.