30. Samuel

Chapter 30

Samuel

T he fact that Mylo didn't immediately respond with violence surprised Samuel enough he felt more of the madness ease.

"My Vix is good at taking things apart though, not putting them back together," the raven warned, sliding his dark gaze to Samuel. "When I found her, she was sleeping in a snowy clearing, mutilated angels all around her. Very dead angels. Honestly, I wasn't sure she was even alive until she threatened to kill me."

He and Mylo watched the raven, silently acknowledging that their little spat would have to wait.

"You can call me Kenji by the way," the raven told them, smiling as he studied them. It wasn't a very reassuring smile though since his eyes shifted to red, a warning that death wasn't far. "She likes that name."

He glanced at Mylo, and Samuel adjusted his stance so the other tiger was slightly behind him. This raven wasn't just an assassin. He was a very protective father, and Samuel respected just how dangerous that made him.

"She was maybe sixteen when I found her," Kenji admitted, like they were just having a chat about old memories. "But when I looked into her eyes…they were ancient. My little killer has lived a thousand lives but can't remember any of them. She just remembers the pain."

The rising sun was starting to peek through the trees, rays of golden light cutting through the shadows, separating them from the house, and Samuel suddenly wondered if it was a mistake to leave Rune and Vix alone for so long with Valentina and Morgan.

"She agreed not to kill the witch or her raven, so she won't."

Both he and Mylo stared at the raven, wondering how he could read them so easily – as easily as Vix did.

Kenji shrugged. "It may not seem like it, but she's very good at following rules. You just have to be extremely specific. If you leave something out, she'll consider that rule null and void because there's nothing to guide her in that situation. I made a lot of mistakes before I learned that."

Mylo took a deep breath and considered those words carefully. Samuel couldn't wait to hear what he'd figured out from that concession. His second was by far the smartest out of the three of them.

"Why are you telling us this?" the other tiger asked, tilting his head slightly, claws still out in case the raven got any ideas.

"I'm sure you already know why." Kenji sighed and ran his hand through his dark hair and then shook his head like he was trying to get water out of it.

What an interesting raven. He even had emotion in his eyes.

"I'd like you to spell it out for me," Mylo drawled, inspecting his claws. "I already have one red-eyed raven to worry about, I don't need another."

The way Kenji grinned set Samuel's teeth on edge, but he couldn't say why exactly. It was just…Vix's father looked pleased with his second, delighted even.

"Because she asked me for permission." The raven turned his gaze to the house then, like he always knew where she was. "She asked me for permission to tell you a raven's secrets. As outsiders, you can't possibly understand what that means."

He had an idea, but Samuel wasn't sure he was ready to hear it – he didn't deserve to hear it.

"She was willing to risk her life to tell you what you needed to know, and I chose to take that risk instead, because I don't trust you." Kenji turned back to them, one eyebrow raised like he was trying to decide if they were worth bothering with or not. "My vixen has already decided you three belong to her and doesn't care if you have ulterior motives. She's stubborn like that."

"We have no plans to harm her," Mylo snarled softly, rising to the challenge so easily Samuel couldn't help but stare at him. Was his second actually offended?

"Yes, but she doesn't have a scent, does she?" Kenji smirked and laced his fingers behind his head like he didn't have a care in the world. "Don't you find that disgusting?"

Mylo actually reeled back like he'd been slapped, and Samuel glared at the raven, knowing he couldn't destroy him no matter how badly he wanted to.

"If not that, then maybe the rotten stench of angel blood clinging to her hair when she comes home one night would make you sick to your stomach as she slips into your bed like she hasn't just slaughtered an immortal." Kenji jumped back when Samuel slipped closer, grinning just like Vix when she got all crazy. "What are you going to do when Gabriel finally comes for her?"

"And what makes you so sure he will?" Samuel growled, flexing his hands into fists to shift the claws back to human nails once more. "Seems to me like he abandoned her."

"You would think that, wouldn't you?" The raven pulled down the black fabric around his neck to show off the scar that was identical to Vix's. "That rune on her neck is evidence of our blood oath. I chose her as my partner after the last one died. Ravens never work alone, did you know that?"

They did actually, but it was pretty common knowledge.

"Don't worry, I'm very aware she's not actually a raven shifter." Kenji's grin widened then, as if he could see their thoughts written on their faces. "I knew she wasn't when I found her, but her skin was covered in all those scars and her aura was drenched in death. That aura may be shattered, but any raven can see the pieces if they look. It's how I learned she was a hybrid."

Kenji released the black gaiter and ran his hand through his hair again, the grin on his face fading.

"Her shoulder was ripped open, and I still don't know why. Or how she kills angels. Those secrets aren't mine to keep. My only job is to protect her, just like I promised I would fourteen years ago."

There was sorrow hanging from the raven like those wings he'd seen Vix ruthlessly rip from the angel, stealing them for herself just like the angel's name, and Samuel wasn't sure why he'd decided to give them any of this information.

What had he seen in them to choose this path?

"I asked if she had a pack or pride, but I knew she didn't. Whatever happened before I got there…it tore a scar in the universe that still pulses with unimaginable grief and agony. I also found something I've been keeping a secret from her." Kenji looked to Samuel then, like he thought maybe he could understand. "If I show it to her, it will destroy any mercy she has left."

The raven moved, standing before him so quickly he nearly responded with violence and death, but Samuel just barely managed to yank himself back from the brink.

Kenji was suddenly holding out a scrap of fabric, offering it to him.

It didn't feel like he was allowed to take it, so Samuel looked to Mylo, knowing he needed to apologize before he could touch something of hers this raven considered dangerous, valuable .

Thankfully, Mylo didn't argue. He simply plucked the fabric from the raven's hand, smoothing it out with his thumb. The tiger scanned it, and then went so still Samuel didn't think he was even breathing.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"Name and regiment," Kenji confirmed, eyes back on the house as he rubbed his thumb over a ring on his index finger. "I can't read angel glyphs, but I spent the entire year she was in the academy looking for someone who could. Found a fallen angel in New York City who translated it. For a price."

"It's the same fabric that angel wore." Mylo squinted like he would if he was wearing his enchanted glasses. "What does it say?"

"Did you know, she looked into my eyes and didn't fear me?" Kenji didn't even acknowledge Mylo's question as he stared at the house so fucking hard Samuel wondered if he could see her through the walls. "Red eyes always incite fear of death, but not for her. Just said she'd been abandoned. Didn't know what to say to that so I asked for her name, and she told me he took it from her. Took everything."

It was impossible to resist his curiosity, and Samuel found himself peering over Mylo's shoulder to look at the glyphs lined up perfectly like the ones on her back in glittering white thread.

"My little killer put that immortal blade to my throat when I got too close, and it was the first time I thought I was seeing true Death…it was beautiful." Kenji smiled slightly and then shrugged, refocusing on them. "Death is merciful, and she delivers it with immortal grace. Hard not to become obsessed with that, isn't it?"

Samuel wanted to argue with him, but there was a rightness to his words that had every single part of him in agreement – the man, the tiger, and the monster.

Kenji snatched the fabric from Mylo's hand and moved out of range before either of them could respond, holding it up between his fingers so the white thread shone just like an angel blade under the sun. "Her name and regiment. Would you like to know what they are?"

Neither of them knew how to answer that.

Of course they fucking wanted to know, but she hadn't given him this name. It wasn't a gift. He'd be stealing it. Just like Gabriel.

"Don't tell me the name." Samuel ran his tongue over his teeth, unable to forget the way she hadn't asked for his. "She already told me what it means. If she knows it…I want her to give it freely."

Mylo slid his gaze to Samuel, clearly irritated all over again by his obsession with names. "Are you sure that name and regiment belong to her?"

"The other bodies had their own. This one was torn, the fabric in scraps all over the place. It was the only one without a body, and it's rather small, isn't it?" Kenji tilted his head, red eyes glowing. "I respect that you won't take her name without permission, but I'll give you the translation. ‘Gabriel's warrior. Second regiment.'"

"That…" Mylo was about to voice the very thought Samuel had, but he trailed off because they both knew it wasn't impossible.

It may not make any fucking sense, but it was definitely possible.

She'd executed that angel so easily.

"Why would they assign her to a regiment and then abandon her?" Kenji flicked his fingers and the fabric disappeared. "Since Gabriel is the second archangel, he was her commanding officer. I made sure to ask."

"Who did you ask?" Mylo demanded. "If there's someone who knows more, I'll pay whatever it costs to obtain that information."

The only person Samuel knew who might answer their questions was Lucifer, but he didn't think that was who Kenji had asked, and they needed all the information they could get.

"I'll pay the cost," Samuel said, his words quiet. But he wasn't conflicted. Not about this. "There isn't anything in the archives about angels other than the obvious. If he comes for her, I need to know exactly what I'm up against."

Kenji tilted his head the other way. "Your auras are less fractured. That's good, but you should still do something about the way you pretend you're only one thing. Not all."

"Who did you ask?" Mylo repeated, his voice suddenly calm and his eyes nothing but golden ice.

"Why?" Kenji eyed them with the same intense curiosity Vix had.

Samuel didn't know why Mylo wanted this information, but he had a feeling that he'd find out why she carved names in her back just like he did if he understood a little more…could he even learn how to read those glyphs? They weren't too different from the language of faerie?—

"She's stuck," Mylo said, interrupting his thoughts. "She can't shift and it's an excruciating pain to bear. If I can find out what those glyphs are for, then perhaps we can remove whatever is binding her to this form."

So Mylo had chosen that, not her scent. Samuel took a deep breath and tucked that away to examine later when he was less…volatile.

"You would know, wouldn't you?" Kenji sighed and started walking toward the house. "Admirable reason, but you'd need to be able to photograph those glyphs and you can't. It's impossible. I've never been able to draw them either. Every time I try, the bones in my hand break."

Samuel and Mylo fell into step on either side of Kenji, both of them biting back the obvious question of how she managed to draw them without issue.

"What's your reason, Alpha?"

"She has names on her back." Samuel ignored Mylo's frosty glare and ripped the bloody shirt off that would only worry Morgan. "I want to understand why angels are just as obsessed with names as the fae. Maybe then I'll understand why she remembers his name, but not hers."

"Because he claimed her." Kenji stopped and studied him. "That's something you three are going to have to come to terms with. He claimed her, and she never really forgot him, just like she's never forgotten me. I claimed that lost soul as mine – my hatchling, my partner, and an active member of my collective. Don't worry though, she paid off her contract before she left for Vancouver, but she only took a leave of absence."

The raven snickered as he climbed the stairs up to the porch and Samuel wondered what he could possibly find so amusing.

"Did she forget to tell you?" Kenji shook his head and set his hand on the doorknob. "She's bad at remembering things, you'll have to get used to that."

The door was ripped open by the woman made of chaos and pain, but her smile was blinding when she looked up at Kenji. "I am terrible at remembering things. What did I forget this time?"

"Oh, just that you're still an active assassin for the Tombstone Collective." Kenji tugged on a lock of her hair. "Your hair looks very pretty today, Vixen."

"Thank you. The alpha gave it to me as a gift." Vix grabbed the raven's arm and pulled him into the house. "I didn't cut it off, just like you told me not to. Aren't you proud? I managed to find a solution you wouldn't hate."

"Super proud." Samuel heard Kenji chuckle as she dragged him farther into the house.

"Did you know he does Rune's hair too? Look how pretty it is. It's red . Like blood."

Samuel stood there in the blinding light of the morning sun and listened to the woman who was so many things and never pretended otherwise. It was a bit inspiring, even if he hated how messy it was.

Disorganized and forgetful.

As an alpha, he couldn't afford to be that way, and there was always a trade-off, wasn't there? He kept his pieces separate and suffered, or he gave in and lost the life he'd built after earning his freedom with so much blood it felt like it soaked into everything he touched.

"Are you going to deal with Morgan?" Mylo asked, turning to study him like he could see every fracture in his silver. "I'd prefer not to be responsible for her punishment, if I'm honest. I might just kill her if she pisses me off again."

Samuel sighed, not even mad. Mylo was just stating a fact. "I'll deal with her. Then I'll ask her to leave. It isn't safe for her here, and she's being even more difficult than usual. I'll make sure to discuss her punishment with you after I'm done talking to her."

"I'd rather you didn't." Mylo took his time going up the stairs, ruffling his hair again, almost like he was nervous. "I'll never forgive her for today, Alpha. So just deal with it. I'll handle the other two."

Mylo didn't turn right, toward the sound of Vix's voice, but left where they had a massive mudroom. He'd get cleaned up and change there just like he always did after a tussle. Samuel wondered what clothes he'd choose this time.

Staring down at the shirt stained with the blood both Vix and Mylo had drawn, Samuel decided he needed to reach out to old contacts whether he wanted to or not. If this vixen had been skilled enough to make it to the second regiment…he sighed and headed inside.

There was no way she'd been abandoned.

Either she's committed an unforgivable crime or she'd escaped, but Samuel knew there could be a third option.

He tossed his shirt and pants in the pile for incineration and headed for one of the shower stalls.

It was always possible she'd been set free.

Samuel wondered what the price of that freedom had been as he let the hot water run down his back. How much had she bled for it? How much had she taken for it?

Wiping his face, he wondered if the price for that freedom was her scent, her fur, her memories…everything.

It almost made him hope she'd committed an unforgivable crime, because if she freely gave those things in exchange, Samuel wouldn't be able to get them back for her. But if they'd been stolen…

Well, the fae had taught him so many useful things, and it had been a long time since he'd had the opportunity to use them.

He scratched at the brand on his bicep, where a name and regiment might go if he wore a uniform, like she had.

Ironic that a mate he'd never wanted was the reason he was going to do the one thing he'd sworn he never would, but Vix was right. He didn't know anything, including how she could deny his alpha command when it worked even on non-shifters.

It was time he rectified his ignorance.

Starting with Morgan.

Due to health issues this year my schedule has severely slowed down. I've been working but it hasn't been nearly as fast as it used to be. Once I get my surgery and go through the recovery, I'm hoping it speeds back up again.

I'm also working on a different way to release the Council of Paranormals books for the second phase so that it will read a bit more smoothly. I am working on Vix's second book, but I need to make sure Jessica James's plot is finalized first 3 Emma

If you haven't read anything else other than this one in the Council of Paranormals, I suggest reading:

Spotted Her First

Or For Fox Sake