Rise of the Nephilim by Adam Rushing Read Free Book Online

down the cobblestone street toward the hotel. The streets were mostly deserted, except for the few denizens of the city like themselves, trying to find refuge after a night of debauchery. A lone dog growled and barked at them from an alleyway. Emily clung to him visibly startled by the creature.
    “Get out of here!” Jude yelled at it and tossed a loose piece of cobblestone its way to drive it off.
    “So, what do you teach at your school, Emily?” Jude prompted, trying to soothe her.
    “I’m teach A-level classes for Upper Sixth students,” she admitted.
    “Beautiful and smart!” Jude exclaimed.
    Emily blushed and tightened her grip on his arm, “It’s just literature. It’s not like I’m teaching physics or anything.”
    Jude smiled,” It still takes a prodigious mind to delve through the annals of human imagination. Some of the old poets are beyond me. So, how does a bookworm like you get into a show like mine?”
    “Mysteries exist everywhere, Jude. Like Carl Sagan said… if something has not yet been proven true, that does not mean that it is necessarily false. Likewise, we can’t rule out the existence of the fantastical based on lack of evidence or our own limited understanding of how the universe works. The human imagination is amazing at filling in the gaps. The Norse myths are my favorite. Only people who lived in such harsh conditions could come up with such a fatalistic view of the world.”
    “A good choice,” mused Jude. “I’ve always been partial to the ancient Indo-Chinese myth of the cosmic turtle that carried the Earth on its back.  It’s fascinating to imagine truly believing that a fantastically large amphibian could be the foundation of the world.”
    “Indeed, it is,” she agreed. They stepped the hotel lobby and headed for the elevator.
    The elevator pinged, and they entered the hallway toward Emily’s room. Jude decided to take a chance. He had enjoyed his time with her, especially since his busy schedule had not afforded him the opportunity to meet many women lately.
    “Listen, Emily,” he said hesitantly, as she opened the door to her room. “Would you like to get together tomorrow to do some sight-seeing? I’ll talk to Antonio in the morning and let him know I’m not coming in, if you do. I mean, I don’t know how long you plan on staying in Rome, but…”
    Her sudden kiss interrupted his potential rambling monologue. The action was so unexpected that it took a few seconds for his brain to process what was happening. He soon surrendered to it and wrapped his arms around her.
    “Don’t be in such a rush to leave, Mister Sullivan,” she said alluringly, as she stepped back into the shelter of the room. She flung her hair into her face, so that he could only see her softly biting her lower lip. She shifted her shoulders in just the right way that her dress fell straight to the floor. “It’s still early, and I would love for you to tell me more about your travels. I’m sure you have so much to teach me.”
    “Much more,” he heard himself agree, as she pulled him inside. He was sure Gallo would understand if he was ate to work tomorrow.

Chapter Nine
     
     
    The burble of running water woke him up and melted away a faint haze of disorientation. The events of the previous night began trickling back to him, and he let out a smile. He quickly scanned the empty room and realized Emily was already in the shower.
    He slowly sat up and steadied himself, as a small wave of nausea poured over him. He didn’t drink like that often, but the evening had turned out much better than he had planned. He stood up to tap the flickering lamp bulb beside him. Even good hotels could never be perfect. The water stopped, and Emily walked out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel.
    “My God, you must be an angel” he said in renewed awe of her beauty.
    “Good morning to you too,” she responded sultrily with a wink. “I hope you slept well. I have quite a few things planned