Mastering the Flames by S. J. Himes

Author:S. J. Himes [Himes, S. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SJ Himes
Published: 2019-10-03T16:00:00+00:00

The limo ride was as easy as ever, though this time he was wide awake, and it was daylight. Angel sat beside him on the wide bench seat, and they both stared out the windows as the limo cut through Downtown on the way back to Beacon Hill.

“I asked Constans out on a date,” Isaac blurted out.

“I heard,” Angel said, turning from his window, and they stared at each other for a minute.

“Does that bother you?”

Angel paused as if thinking about it, then shrugged. “It doesn’t matter if it bothers me. Do you want to go on a date with him?”

Isaac thought about it, kind of amazed he’d even asked the City Master out. “Yeah, I do. I can’t even remember the last time I had a date.”

Angel snorted. “Greg Doyle never took you out on a date?”

“Not like anything you or I’d consider a date. Not a real one.” Isaac slouched down in his seat, crossing his ankles. From that angle he could only see the side of the buildings as they went along, and the random tops of people’s heads on the sidewalk. “Is it horrible that I don’t miss him? I mean I do, but not like I thought I would.”

“Greg Doyle used you. For money, a place to crash, and the means to fuck around.” Angel stopped what Isaac recognized as his once frequent refrain about the sins of Gregory Doyle, and he pulled back on his temper. “But once upon a time he was a kid who helped you survive your grief, and what I now know was your guilt,” Angel paused. “Whatever Greg Doyle became, he helped save you when I was too wounded to do more than feed you and make sure you were breathing. You can feel however you want or need to about Greg Doyle.”

“We both lost our family, Angel. We lost everyone,” Isaac whispered. “I can’t stop feeling guilty about that. I tried.”

Angel took his hand and gripped it hard. “I can’t convince you that you’re not to blame. Leicester Macavoy, his wife, Deimos, and assorted others killed the Providence Bloodclan and our family. I confront my guilt about stopping them the way I did every time that night is mentioned. I know you won’t hear me and believe me. I think that’s something you need to believe for yourself, in time.”

Isaac sniffled. “I’m sick of crying.”

“I don’t think either of us has cried enough, actually,” Angel replied. “Cry all you want.”

Isaac leaned over a bit and put his head on Angel’s shoulder. “Love you.”

Angel tensed a bit then relaxed, and he tilted his head enough to rest his cheek on Isaac’s hair. “I love you too.” Once upon a time, Isaac would sit like this with his mother. It hurt to recall but felt good to do it again.

“I miss Mom,” Isaac whispered after a heartbeat. “You were Dad’s favorite.”

Angel snorted. “And you were Mom’s favorite, so that evens out. I never minded. Did you?”

“Not really? I mean, Mom

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