Rise Of The Nephilim
Chapter 44

Āmand cloistered himself in his Command Center. He sat motionless at his desk, stone-faced and conflicted. Kal was right. I’ve grown weak. Even now.

His head jerked at the faint tapping on his door. What the hell is it now? He stood up and walked toward the door. This time the tapping was stronger. He opened the door, “What—”

Maxine threw herself toward him, wrapping her hands around his back. Her eyes had been clouded with tears.

Āmand stood frozen, his eyes glaring as if taken by surprise. He did not know what to say or what to do. It was unusual for Nephilim to show such emotions. Finally, he had finally worked up the courage to respond to Maxine. He pushed her slightly away from him. “Child, why do you weep?” His voice was shaky as he tried to work through the turbulence of emotions rattling through him. It had been a long time since he’d felt the embrace of anyone. Since Maybie.

Maxine could not bring herself to look him in the eye. Nor could she reveal the truth about her and Mathias. She feared that he would look into her mind and learn of her disloyalty—her mingling with an angel from the Realm. She feared that he would have her killed or thrown in the dungeons with Imps. Stupid . . . idiot, she thought, chastising herself for not thinking before she’d decided to bare her soul to Āmand. But it was a natural response. He was, after all, her father.

“Father, I remember.”

Āmand looked at her with furrowed brows. “Remember what, Sarai?”

Damn it! What am I doing? However, it had already been too late. Now Āmand was even more curious to know why she had been acting so strangely.

She breathed in deeply, mustering all the courage she had.

“Out with it, child.”

“I remember who I am.”

It was not what she’d intended to say, or even the reason she’d run so helplessly into her father’s arms, still it was a relief to unburden herself.

“I lived in Brewster; I remember my mother, my brother Shane, and I know that David is not my real father.”

Āmand stared and grinned slightly.

Maxine had expected him to try to convince her otherwise. That the people she’d remembered were not who she thought they were. That he would try to put another block on her memories.

She looked in his eyes. “You . . . are not angry?”

This time Āmand laughed.

Maxine squinted her eyes and furrowed her brows in confusion of Āmand’s displaced characteristics. He should have been angry for the loss of control and his inability to have completely blocked any memory of her former life and the people she loved.

“No, I’m not angry. I realized from the very first week you were here that you were different from the rest of your brothers and sisters. That there was more of me in you than I’d realized.”

The grating of leather against stone drew near, interrupting their conversation.

Maxine stood next to Āmand. It felt different this time. Right. As though her place was by his side. Though she had not forgotten Maybie, Shane, David, or even Father Magliano, as well as her enemies back at St. Augustine High.

She’d thought about going home—back to Brewster but feared that she would have been rejected, even more so than she was before. Even by her own family, now that she was truly Nephilim. Not only would they not recognize her, but they would have feared her.

“Lord Dominance.” The guard lowered his eyes to the ground as he addressed Āmand. “We’ve taken the prisoners to the upper holding chamber.”

Āmand had only responded with a nod of his head. “Make sure they are fed, bathed, and given fresh clothing.”

The Epoch frowned at his suggestion and hesitated to respond to his command. Why would his Dominance want to feed and clothe these prisoners?

Āmand had immediately sensed his Epoch’s uneasiness with his demands. “Is there anything else?” Āmand asked with some harshness in his voice as he slowly approached the guard.

“No, Lord Dominance. I will see to your commands.”

“Good. Now, see to it that I’m not disturbed until further notice.”

With his eyes still staring down, the Epoch gave a sharp nod in agreement and backed away, closing the door behind him.

Āmand turned to Maxine. “Sarai, why don’t you go and join the others in the sanctuary? I have important business to tend to.”

“Yes, Father.”