Page 28 of The Human Element (The Human Element Collection #1)
Samuel
Hearing Daemon say he’d have to learn how to fight, was honestly terrifying to Samuel.
He shouldn’t be surprised considering they were most definitely going to have a run-in with more demons, if not with any angels as well, which Daemon seemed convinced of.
But Samuel had never done well in combat classes back home.
He was weak; he’d hardly make a blow, and half the time he was too scared to even try.
It was very common for Samuel to be sent to the nurse’s office because of a bloodied nose or a mean kick to the cheek.
His teachers always saw him as a failure, but would hardly do more than pull him to the side and force him to sit out the activity; no one wanted a meeting with Lucifer to say they failed to teach his only child.
It was hard to think that he was in the presence of one of the most legendary warriors of Heaven. If anybody could teach him how to fight, he hoped it would be Daemon.
While walking around Stonehenge, Samuel couldn’t help but become more and more fascinated with what could possibly be there.
From what it sounded like, Lorelei definitely had some intuitive abilities, but what if they weren’t enough?
The “what ifs” of their entire predicament were taking up Samuel’s attention when he realized the car pulled off the road and began making its way down a narrow, hand-made path leading to a massive open field.
The grass was a dark green color and the few daisies and wildflowers strewn about the area gave an innocence that seemed ironic with what they would be doing here.
The swirling dark clouds above them looked like they might soon rain and Samuel wondered how much harder it would be to train if it was pouring.
When they got out of the car, Daemon walked to the trunk and opened it, revealing a basket and a folded blanket. He smiled at them while tilting his head to look over his shoulder.
“I figured we could have a little picnic of sorts before we get the party started. Besides, you’re going to need all the energy you can get for training. It’s going to take a lot out of both of you.”
Daemon eyed them over before grabbing the basket and blanket and walking them out into the middle of the field. Suddenly, a shift in temperature made Samuel look around himself. Daemon noticed.
“That’s just the spells I put up to protect this area. Once on the other side of it, no one will be able to hear or see us. Any damage we do to the area will be fixed once we leave here. It also allows only us three to pass through it. In other words, I have made us invisible.”
Was Daemon letting down his guard around him?
Samuel couldn’t be sure yet, but he felt his shoulders relax a little more at the thought and walked alongside the two of them until Daemon picked a spot on the ground and began laying out the blanket and what he packed in the basket.
Taking a seat opposite Lorelei, who was sitting beside Daemon, Samuel watched as Daemon pulled out an assortment of goodies: sandwiches, fruit, cheeses, crackers, cookies, and a couple of thermoses, followed by plates, bowls, and utensils.
Samuel’s tummy growled in reaction, as it was already hours since breakfast. He didn’t realize how starving he was until the wafting smell of little finger sandwiches and cake was splayed across the blanket.
“What is in those?” Samuel asked in reference to the thermoses.
“One has a delicious butternut squash soup, and the other is black tea. No picnic is quite right without English tea time. I may be rough around the edges but I'm not savage; missing afternoon tea would be a crime under these circumstances.”
Daemon's jovial remark made Samuel laugh; it was nice to see Daemon more relaxed. After everyone grabbed handfuls of food, discussion returned to the kind of training they were going to do. Samuel watched Lorelei add milk and sugar to her black tea; following suit, he took a sip, rejoicing in the delicious combination he’d never had before now.
It was delightful. He listened contentedly while Daemon answered his most recent question.
“Well, I know Lorelei has done some defense classes before, so I am not so worried about that. Later I will work with her one-on-one to see if she can speak Enochian in any capacity, but specifically I will be training you. Helping you uncover your abilities, if there are any, and knowing your parentage, I believe there’s no shortage of powers lurking beneath the surface. ”
Samuel blinked in surprise, but nodded casually as he took another bite from a cookie, or biscuit, as Daemon kept referring to them as, He discovered they were lemon flavored, and the combination between that and the warming tea, was a sensation of coziness he relished in.
As he shoved the remainder into his mouth, he stood up and wiped the crumbs off his shirt before turning to the two of them.
It was so surprising that Daemon’s demeanor towards him seemed to be changing.
It was less apprehensive and more friendly. Samuel didn’t know which was scarier.
“Are we starting training right away? I was sort of interested in examining the flowers in the field, since I haven’t been able to see many in person.”
Samuel knew his voice was quiet, although he wasn’t sure if his uncertainty around Daemon was necessary any longer. Daemon gave him a quirky eyebrow raise before responding.
“No, we will let our food settle a bit. Have at it, mate.”
Feeling a sense of relief, Samuel walked away from them, finding a patch of the wild flowers.
Kneeling down, he ran a hand along the soft, plush grass beneath him before he pulled a particularly adorable lilac-colored flower out from the ground and sniffed its sweet aroma, smiling contentedly as a light breeze brushed his unruly red locks across his forehead.
For the moment, everything was peaceful; a dream came true for him.
He had dreamt of the day he could walk here, surrounded by friends, and enjoying the pleasures of human life.
He looked out onto the horizon, as the sun did its best to peek behind the clouds above him, and pretended to be a normal human being, enjoying a stroll along the grassy hills of the countryside—if only for this one moment.