Wining Celeste (Book 4) Jacobs Broken Mercenaries

chapter 32

Grayson

They talk well into the night. While me, Jacob, and Estevan wait in the kitchen.
I’ve heard them cry, laugh, and cry again. I know one of those cries had to do with Amber’s change. The laughter that followed was about Estevan.  I stopped listening after that. 
“Do you think they’ll ever come out of there?” Estevan complains, mimicking my thoughts. We’re all waiting for different reasons, but me and Estevan are the least patient. I think it’s getting on Jacob’s nerves.
Most everyone has turned in for the night, and there’s been no sign of Mica. Whether that’s good or bad has yet to be revealed. 
“Well, I’ve had enough of this. I’ll talk to them in the morning and we’ll go from there. If Mica shows wake me, I’m not sure the alarms will do the trick.” Jacob says this over a yawn, and I nod, holding back a laugh as he stretches out of his chair.
I’m just happy Celeste is safe. Besides, I’m used to this waiting thing.
Something catches my eye, and I turn to see Jacob awkwardly backing up. Peter enters the kitchen with a gun aimed at us.
“Grayson, be a good boy and go fetch everyone. I don’t want any of you to miss a thing.” 
Peter’s calm demeanor contradicts his actions, and I growl at the threat. I look at Jacob for guidance, and he nods his approval.  
How the hell did he get out? I know damn well Celeste’s magic is strong. I felt it hours ago when I startled her in the cab.
It takes just a few minutes to wake everyone.  When we’re all gathered in the kitchen, I’m ready to go on attack and try to make eye contact with Jacob to get the go-ahead. I’m not sure what his plan is, but I know a bullet isn’t fatal to him.  I’ve seen him hit before.
Just as I’m about to throw caution to the wind, he turns to me and moves his head side to side in a quick jerk. I’m all for finding out what this guy’s up to, but Celeste is behind me, and a bullet is fatal to her.
Peter puts the gun down, and we all wait for Jacob’s queue. It seems Jacob is waiting as well. Peter begins to glitch, and I watch, astounded.  This continues for a good thirty seconds. Looking around, everyone is just as shocked, everyone but Jacob. 
“That’s better.”
Peter isn’t Peter… he’s Cael!
After all the initial gasps of surprise and some choice curses, the room goes silent.
“I had a feeling you knew, but I wasn’t sure until now. What I was sure of was you couldn’t be trusted. That’s why I volunteered for this mission.”
Call is talking directly to Jacob as if we’re not in the room. Like we’re not a threat. I guess to him we’re not. He’s a mercenary angel, after all. His power is connected to the heaven way beyond our abilities. 
“What are you on about now, Cael? Does your father know you’re here?”
Cael laughs. It’s loud and obnoxious. I can feel the anger behind it, literally.  An angel’s anger is cold and rolls off in waves. The temperature has already dropped a good five degrees. 
“Who do you think sent me here?”
Uh oh, this doesn’t sound good. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out something detrimental is about to happen.
“Then summon him here.  Let us have this out while you sit at the kids’ table where you belong.”
A deep shiver rattles my body as the temperature drops twenty degrees in a frigid blast of wind. Frost coats my hair. I feel Celeste cling to me from behind. I look back at Jacob, who should be an icebox in that close a vicinity, but he’s unfazed. He appears warm. I rub my eyes to make sure they’re not obscured and look at everyone else who seems to be suffering the same way I am. Which begs the question; what the fuck is Jacob?
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Get all of us on your turf at once and even out the playing field. We’re not that stupid… One sacrifice, that’s all you had to make to prove we could trust you, to better the world and you couldn’t do it.”
I thought angels didn’t have feelings. Cael seems to hand it out like candy.
“Yet.” Jacob breathes the word with his eyes on the floor. His anger rivals Cael’s; seething just below his skin. Cael gets in his face.
“What did you just say?” The angel asks, irking him.
Jacob tenses, slowly raising his head and stomps his foot to the concrete floor.  I watched shocked as it sinks crushing with the force of a Mac truck. Cael is thrown backwards by an invisible force like a rag-doll and the ground shakes beneath us.
“I SAID YET! I HAVEN’T SENT HER YET!”
Jacob’s voice rumbles through the air, causing the walls to shake. Sphear appears, placing himself between the two. He says something to Cael in a language I don’t know he sounds angry. He then turns to Jacob. 
“Think about your actions… you don’t want to do something you can’t take back, remember.”
Jacob calms, and Sphear sends Cael back.
“Your time is up… I’m going to escort the phoenix myself.”
My head swivels to Tally, whose brave face damn near breaks my heart. That’s what this is about? We’ve made so many sacrifices; worse than this and I’ve never seen this side of Jacob. Tally walks forward. Jacob is frighteningly still. Just when she’s about to pass Jacob, he throws his arm out, stopping her, while staring into Sphear’s eyes.
“Jacob.”
Sphear says his name in warning. 
“Give me a minute!” he snaps back.
Tally swallows hard in response to the look Jacob gives her. She’s trying to stay strong but is on the verge of tears.
“You’re my daughter by flesh and blood. My father was Ares God of War and I am his bastard son. A half-breed. Your mother… she was as beautiful as she was powerful. A proud phoenix that died protecting you. Your name is Tallisa The Nameless and you have blood of the God’s running through your veins… if that bastard tries to hurt you in any way; you tell him you 're my daughter and if he touches one hair on your head or even looks at you wrong. There’ll be hell to pay.”
I watch Tally’s tears fall and hear the breaks in Jacob’s voice. The moment Sphear disappears with Tally. Jacob does too.