Wounded Angel (The Earth Angels) - By Stacy Gail Page 0,16
senses sharp, okay? Not to be a drama llama, but your lives depend on it.
Type atcha later! Macbeth
Nate tapped on the Comment box and let his thumbs do the talking. “Nothing to report here in Chicago, Drama Llama...except that my ass is freezing off.”
The snark-prone keyboard-jockey Nate had come to know as Macbeth responded immediately. “Don’t care about your red ass, dude. Just red eyes. LOL.”
Another member of NeoPhilim, KyleTheFlash chimed in. “What’s a delicate Georgia peach like you doing up in the fucking North Pole?”
Nate snorted. “On the job. And did you just call me a peach, you beach bum?”
“I’d have thought you’d object to being called delicate,” Macbeth offered, ever helpful.
MenloNotThePark showed up next. “Don’t suppose you’ve run into any of our kind in the Windy City, have you, Nate?”
Leave it to solemn Menlo to bring a derailing conversation back in line. “Nope, which is a relief. I’m not fond of traveling, thanks to that no-congregating rule we have.”
“Has anyone ever tested that rule?” Kyle asked. “I mean, I know the biblical lore—the ancient Nephilim got wiped out because they hung out together and pretty much lorded it over mankind. But that’s because they were dicks. We’re not dicks, so why shouldn’t we sit down and have a couple cold ones?”
Nate shook his head. “Unless it’s the end of the freaking world, I’m not going to chance it. So not interested in a smite-y smackdown.”
Macbeth was the quickest on the draw, as usual. “Is smite-y a word?”
Nate chuckled out loud and was in the process of defending his wordsmith prowess when Macbeth’s employer and fellow descendant of the Nephilim, SeraphSara appeared next. “Macbeth, are you playing, or working?”
“Umm...”
Kyle clearly decided a grade-school comment was the only way to go. “Macbeth’s in trouble. Macbeth’s in trouble.”
“Morning, Sara.”
“Morning, Menlo. Keeping Boston peaceful?”
“As peaceful as it ever gets. Macbeth’s been great in pulling us together. Don’t know what I’d do without my daily dose of NeoPhilim.”
Nate had to smile. Menlo. The Bostonian was the calmest of their group, but there was an understated relentlessness that radiated in every word. From the start Nate had gotten a sense that of all the people he’d met on NeoPhilim, Menlo was the one guy he’d hesitate in tangling with, and it wasn’t just because he’d lost his main Nephilim gift. Though he’d always been a dud compared to the rest of his family when it came to power, his speed and brawling abilities were still present, and second to none. But with Menlo, he suspected all that raw strength burgeoning in his muscles wouldn’t mean a damn thing.
Nate sent his thumbs over the screen. “I feel the same way, Menlo. Though I’m not sure I belong on these boards now that my locator mojo blew a fuse.”
“STFU, dude. Once a freak, always a freak.”
He supposed that was Kyle’s way of being reassuring.
“I’ve been looking into your problem, Nate.” Macbeth’s comment was the next to pop up on the live feed. “The ability to psychically locate is rare, but it’s not unique. It shows up time and again throughout human history, from remote-viewing to an ability commonly referred to as dowsing. Have you tried using a physical object to try and jump-start your gift? Dowsing rods or a crystal hanging from a chain?”
Nate made a gagging sound before he could stop it. “You’re kidding, right?”
Kyle seemed to be of the same mind. “Macbeth...WTF.”
“There’s no escaping genetics. Your powers are still there because your DNA is still there, see? Since your gift stopped functioning in one way, I wouldn’t be surprised if it manifested itself in another, totally new way.”
Nate sighed and typed. “Thanks Macbeth, but I can’t see myself stomping around holding Y-shaped sticks. My powers are gone.”
“Not all of them. When you first found NeoPhilim, you said you still had your speed, right?”
Nate shrugged as if Macbeth could see him. “Yeah. What’s your point?”
“My point is that what you’re going through is probably psychological, and you might need a way around whatever mental block you have to get your locating powers to reboot.”
Kyle chimed in. “Leave it to Macbeth to make you sound like your hard drive has a glitch, Nate.”
“I think what Macbeth is saying is that you can’t change who you are, Nate.” Menlo appeared next, before Nate could think of anything to say. “You were born a member of the Nephilim, and that’s who you will always be.”
“That may be, but only minutes after I was born, Mommy dearest hacked my