Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 6

later, Brandon came out of the bedroom and solemnly walked directly toward him. He was fully dressed now. As he approached, the other men backed away slightly, still aiming their weapons at Sam.
    Bran stepped up beside him, and reached around placing a hand at the small of Sam's back. There was something in it. The Demon Dagger! The blind faith the man showed was humbling. He just hoped he did not let his Little Raven down.
    As inconspicuously as possible, he shoved the blade down the back of Samael's shorts, while speaking to their captors. "What do you want?"
    "Ah, Brandon. Good to finally meet you, son." The 'son' comment had Sam flinching.
    His Little Raven raised his chin in defiance. "Who are you and what do you want from me?"
    "I am Master C and you, my dear boy, owe me a lot of money. Now, I know you do not have it. Carlos, here," he indicated the human with a tilt of his head, "has told me as much; but seeing as it has recently come to my attention that you are my child, I am willing to overlook it."
    The angel allowed the words to sink in for a minute before continuing. "On one condition. You come work for me."
    Brandon pushed his hair off his face– which Sam knew was significant because it was always in his eyes when he was nervous– then his Little Raven looked at him and held his gaze. Samael used his newfound ability to read the little man's expressions. He told him without words that he had heard everything from the bedroom, and he was not going with Gadreel. I would rather die than go with that evil man. What is your plan Sam? Let's do something. Let's get out of here. I am staying with you no matter what. We fight this together remember, together!
    Right! The private conversation was just what Samael needed. He bolstered his courage and turned back to their enemy, slowly sliding his hand around behind him to grasp the hilt of the dagger.
    Bran tipped his chin down, hiding his face once more, and then turned to the angel. "So, you are my father?"
    Gadreel latched on to that; anything to get what he wanted. "That's right, Brandon. No one here is going to hurt you. You come with me, and we will get to know each other." Gadreel schooled his expression into one of regret. Man, was he good. "I am so very sorry that I have not been there for you. I didn't know about you until recently, but we can change all of that."
    Brandon slowly stepped toward the angel, drawing everyone's attention to himself. Damn, but his man had some balls. Asmodeus had lowered his weapon slightly, and the human now had his pointed somewhere around the couch. Both of the men's focus was split between the protection of their boss, and Samael. Their boss was winning. Stupid, very stupid.
    "What about the money?" Bran was now a few feet away from the angel, and Sam was slowly edging his way toward the other two men in the room.
    Gadreel gave a flick of his hand. "If you come with me, you'll have all the money you want. The amount you owe, well, let's just consider it a bonus."
    "What could I possibly do for you?" Almost there, almost.
    "Your dreams…"
    Just then, Samael moved— thrusting the dagger through Asmodeus' heart, and then spinning to the human. He knew the blessing on the blade would do its work, and the demon would be down. As he turned, he flung his left hand up, capturing the muzzle of the gun, pushing it upward and setting it off in the ceiling. At the same time, his right hand brought the dagger up and in an arch, slicing the human's throat. He felt no remorse. That's what you get for putting your hands on his Little Raven!
    In seconds, both of them were dead, and Sam was facing Gadreel.
    It was not quick enough.
    Gadreel had changed; his huge silver wings nearly the length of the room. He didn't deserve to wear silver; they should be black, as dark as his soul.
    The angel had Brandon pulled up against his chest, a blade to his throat.
    "Nice Samael. I see you haven't lost your skill."
    "Release him Gadreel. It's over." Samael started toward them, but heard a hiss come from Bran that froze him in place.
    Brandon was standing on the tips of his toes, a large forearm wrapped across his neck. The blade pierced him, just under his right ear and a small amount of blood was beading there. Sam could throw his dagger, but he did not have much room to work with and was afraid to hit Bran instead. He did not even know if the Demon Dagger would work on Gadreel. Technically, he was still an angel. Barely.
    Some help would be