Page 15 of Pretend Wife (Angels of the Secret Order #4)

TWELVE

Danielle

In the days that followed our wedding, Hayden and I barely said a word to each other. I kept to my room, and he was gone most of the time. We shared a kitchen, but you’d never know it since our schedules meant we were never in it at the same time.

The penthouse was huge—like I could easily fit three of my apartment inside it—but I was still surprised we could avoid each other so completely. Most of the time it felt like I still lived alone.

It wasn’t what I’d thought married life would feel like, but at least it was easy to keep my secrets this way. Hayden didn’t have any reason to suspect I wasn’t entirely human, and he didn’t notice when I left to meet with my family for combat training.

I slid my rings off my finger and tucked them into the small purse next to my phone and credit card as the car pulled to a stop outside Youngblood .

Caleb eyed me through the rearview mirror, but he didn’t comment. Hopefully he wouldn’t say anything to Hayden. I knew my “husband” would be pissed if he found out, but I wasn’t ready to have the fake-marriage conversation with Sam yet.

“What time should I come back?” Caleb asked.

“Around four?” It came out sounding more like a question than an answer.

“I’ll be here.”

“Thanks, Caleb.” I was still having a hard time getting used to having Caleb drive me around rather than taking the train or walking. I also found it weird that Hayden had assigned him as my driver. He’d been Hayden’s main driver for as long as I’d known them.

I filed the thought away in the box of questions I’d maybe ask Hayden if we ever started talking again.

The training room on the third floor of the building was empty when I walked in.

I hadn’t been here since Micah had all but kicked me out about a month ago.

But Sam had specifically asked me to meet him, Nate, and the kids today.

And that wasn’t the kind of invite I passed on.

The fact that I was getting out of the penthouse was a bonus too.

The door opened, and Sam waked in with his son at his side. Dion was five now. He looked nothing like Sam with his light eyes and blond hair that came to his chin, but his expression was so Sam it was hard to believe they weren’t blood related.

Sam’s gaze skated over my dress as if he was inspecting it for imperfections before he rolled his eyes.

“You’re still allergic to pants, I see. ”

“I don’t try to tell you what to wear,” I retorted.

Both Sam and Dion were dressed in black leather pants and boots that were made for destruction.

Sam opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by a shriek of delight.

“Aunt Dani!” A little girl with bright red hair ran into the room and straight into my legs.

I laughed, scooping her up in my arms. “You’re getting so big. What are you, like six now?”

“No, I’m three.” She held up three fingers to illustrate her point.

“Nova, what did I tell you about running at people?”

I dragged my gaze from Nova to her father. Nate was easily the most beautiful man I knew—bright green eyes that Nova had inherited, long lashes that were probably the envy of every girl who looked at him, tousled blond hair, thick silver wedding band.

“But, Daddy, Aunt Dani is here,” Nova said like he was missing a crucial point.

“I can see that, sweetheart.” He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

Nova had been a handful from the moment she was born—she had every bit of her mother’s sass, her father’s protective instincts, and an innocent charm that made everyone love her almost instantly.

Nate blamed it on the fact that she was Nephilim—the child of an angel and a human—and since all the rest of them had been killed off before even Micah was born, no one could really say for sure.

We just knew that everyone adored her. She even had Dion wrapped around her finger, and Sam’s son was the least social person I knew .

He was currently giving me his signature unimpressed look. I wasn’t sure if it meant he found me lacking or if he simply didn’t like the attention Nova was giving me.

Nova played with the gold cross that hung around my neck. “Why can’t I wear necklaces when I fight?”

“Because it’s stupid,” Nate answered bluntly.

“But you do it,” she said, looking over at her father, who was indeed wearing two round pendants around his neck.

“I’ve been training for a lot of years,” he answered. “I’m allowed to make stupid decisions now.”

Sam snorted. “Great plan. Admit to your daughter that you’re an idiot.”

Nate shrugged as he joined Sam and Dion in the middle of the gym. “Better me than her.”

All three males stripped out of their shirts, and within seconds, they’d all spread their wings—Nate’s dark red, Dion’s the same white as mine, and Sam’s a shiny silver.

It was a perfect illustration of the secret order.

A few years ago, I never would have believed I’d ever get to see angels born of three different orders training together in one room.

But that was what made them special, different.

Dion held a child-sized trident clutched in a tight fist. The weapon was nearly as big as he was, but he looked at ease with it, like it fit him perfectly. He’d been training for less than a year, but I was pretty sure he could take me down if he wanted to.

Reluctantly, I set Nova back on her feet, and she ran toward the boys. She looked so unbelievably young in her gym clothes with her long red hair pulled into a high ponytail. It didn’t help that she was weaponless.

The four of them started out working in pairs. Sam worked with Dion on different moves with the trident while Nate and his daughter wrestled on the mats that covered the wooden floors.

I tried not to wince every time the points on Dion’s trident got close to his skin, knowing the kid wouldn’t appreciate my concern for his safety.

Watching Nova wasn’t any easier. She was good—fast and graceful—and she was going to be an amazing warrior someday.

Considering who her father was, that wasn’t the least bit surprising.

And there was the fact that the Nephilim were considered the most dangerous species to ever be born into the world.

That reputation had to come from somewhere.

But it was still hard to watch her fight without worrying.

After a while, Sam took the trident from his son, and the two kids faced off with each other. They were such opposites. Nova fought like it was her favorite game in the world—all smiles and laughter. Dion’s expression, in contrast, was dead serious, his every move cold and calculated.

“Are you learning any new tricks?” Sam asked, coming up beside me with his silver wings still extended and his dark eyes trained on his son. Like me, Dion was born into the seventh order. We technically had the same natural abilities, but Dion’s skill far surpassed mine.

“I think I’m the definition of you can’t teach an old dog new tricks . ”

“Bullshit. I think your problem is that you don’t really want to fight.”

“Maybe I don’t.” No part of me had ever been interested in becoming a warrior. The only reason I tried as hard as I did was so that I could fit into my family.

“No one’s making you,” Sam pointed out.

Technically he was right. Micah had never demanded I become a fighter.

I could just be the secret order’s healer and let the boys take care of the jobs that involved fighting demons or Fallen.

But if I did that, I’d always be their helpless sister.

A princess who needed protecting. I’d never feel like I was one of them, and they’d never stop trying to shelter me.

And I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life letting everyone else take care of me.

Nova and Dion’s training session wrapped up after a couple of hours.

“I want to stay and watch Aunt Dani shoot,” Nova said, clutching at her father’s shoulders when Nate picked her up. “Please, Daddy?”

“Not today, sweetheart. Mommy’s expecting us home soon, and Uncle Samuel needs some alone time with Aunt Dani.”

“Maybe next time,” I said, leaning over to kiss the top of her head.

“See you back at the house,” Nate said with a nod to Sam, who was now the only one in the room with his wings still out. “Dani, be safe.”

Nova squirmed until Nate put her down so she could run over to Dion, the two of them whispering to each other about the fight and different moves they wanted to try later.

Dion might not care for me, or just about anyone, but he was the most protective older brother and cousin any girl could ask for.

Between Dion, Nate, and Sam, I felt bad for any boy who ever tried to date Nova.

An image of Hayden standing at the altar in his tux with a gleam in his eye popped into my head.

At some point, Nate and Sam were going to figure out that he’d married me, and I honestly wasn’t sure how they’d react to that news.

I wasn’t Nova, but that didn’t mean they’d take well to hearing I’d married someone without telling them.

“Your turn.” Sam started toward the locked room at the back of the gym.

I slid my bow from the holster at my thigh and let my own wings spread out above the low back of my dress. Here went nothing.

We started easy—Sam set up a simulation, and I shot at the various demons who came at me.

Things got complicated when he added humans to the mix.

I could tell the humans from the human-looking demons by the colorful auras of emotions around them, but there were so many of them it was hard to get a good shot.

It slowed me down and allowed the demons the chance to get close enough to touch me.

An arm knocked the bow from my grasp while the demon’s other hand wrapped around my throat. And just like that, I was transported back to an exam room two years ago while Beelzebub’s fingers dug into my skin.