Chapter 15

Mátyás

Elek strokes her neck while we listen to her breathing. She's been sleeping like the dead since we tucked her in last night and hasn't moved. She handled everything we did to her all too well, like I knew she would. Sometimes, one must be pushed past their comfort zone to realize what they're capable of.

"What are you thinking?" I ask, pulling him from his thoughts.

"How nice she'd look with a collar on."

"We have one of those." I lean closer to her, and a unique scent hits me, making my dick harden. "Do you smell that?"

"Her scent is changing." Elek rests his chin on her head, coating himself in her smell.

"The mating process has started." I lean down and sniff her neck. My beast is beyond pleased with the fact that she smells like us. Tasting her blood and coming inside of her has started the mating process. We've marked her as our property, and no one will fuck with her or they answer to us.

"You think she'll notice what we're doing?"

"She didn't earlier." I shrug. It might seem cruel, but I've told her we'll stop at nothing to ensure she's ours. "Besides, sometimes fate needs a helping hand."

A low vibration hums on the bedside table, and I groan. I only brought the damn thing in here because she was too exhausted to notice. We've instructed the coven to keep all technology away from her. I refuse to risk her gaining access and calling the witches. I'm not chancing them tracing the phone, no matter what security measures we have in place.

"What?" I snap into the phone.

"Forgive me, Mátyás, I wouldn't interrupt unless it was important."

"Spit it out, Akos. I don't have all night." Sometimes, he's worse than Sebo.

"You have a visitor."

"Tell them to fuck off and come back later." I'm in no mood to deal with anyone else's shit.

"I can't." He clears his throat, but my superior hearing doesn't miss the slight hitch to his tone.

"Why not?"

There's a scuffle, and a different voice comes through the line. One, there is no arguing with.

"Get down here now." The other end goes dead, and my teeth grind together. I hate being summoned, least of all by them.

Elek's hand stiffens under mine.

"You heard that?"

"I did." His brows pinch together. "What is he doing here? We haven't broken any laws."

"Let's go find out." Because if we don't, he'll come bursting through the door and disturb Kiara. As much as I would enjoy antagonizing him, she needs her rest.

Reluctantly, we climb out of bed, leaving our mate by herself. We're dressed and walking down into the great room minutes later.

When we enter, Akos is standing at the back with his hands behind his back. Veins pop up along the dark skin of his arms, leaving me to wonder how long our uninvited guests have been here. He and László stand in the back corner. The rest of the coven is noticeably absent, an issue I will address later.

The reason for this little chat is sprawled out across one of the throne chairs, his leather-covered legs dangling over the edge, his right knee bent, eating an apple, and the irony isn't lost on me. "Good" and "Evil" are inked across his knuckles, reminding me of who I'm dealing with. Samael does enjoy toying with his father's creations.

Raziel stands behind his chair with his arms crossed over his chest, pulling on his black T-shirt and drawing attention to the ink peeking out from his sleeves. His snake bite piercings glisten against the light as he flashes me his fangs. He remains silent and watchful, like a sentry.

Uriel sits in the chair next to him, flipping his black Zippo open and closed, looking like he would rather be somewhere else. A sentiment we can both agree on.

Zadkiel is walking around the room, no doubt figuring out the type of havoc he can wreak. Out of all the fallen, he enjoys creating chaos the most. Feeling my glare, he winks, causing the silver of his bridge piercing to move.

The final brother of the Fallen Five, Azrael, is standing behind Uriel, watching our every move. His white hair stands out among the rest of us, as does the silver of his septum piercing.

"By all means, make yourselves at home." There's no missing the venom in my voice.

"There's that European hospitality that has never gone out of style." Samael points the hand holding the apple my way, ignoring my sarcasm. He is always the spokesperson for the group. While he speaks and reads you, the others watch your every move like a sentinel.

"How did you manage to find us?" We've gone to great lengths to remain hidden from the rest of the world.

"You think we haven't known where you were all this time?" he says, pretending to wipe lint off his black T-shirt. "It's our job to know."

"Where is the rest of your little demon circus?" I pretend to care as I glance around the room, looking for the many demons he employs.

"Busy. Not to worry. Carnival of Sins is running without trouble in our absence." Samael brushes me off, but I will dive more into that later.

"That's a shame." Elek steps up next to me and narrows his eyes. He's showing them that we're a united front.

"Is it?" Samael takes another bite of the apple, letting the juices slide down his face as he fixates on the tapestry.

"What do you want, Samael?" I'm in no mood for his games. I'd much rather be elsewhere.

He drags his eyes away from the black tapestry to hold my stare. Our history is no secret to them, but theirs has been hidden from the rest of us and remains a mystery. He's taking his time to chew and swallow that bite of the apple, prolonging answering me and enjoying the attention. The Fallen are so damn dramatic.

"A little doggy told me that you've found a certain little witch." He flicks his forked tongue out, toying with the hoop on his bottom lip. Samael loves to find your weaknesses and feed off them. If he keeps this up, I will rip one of the gauges out of his ears and wear it as a trophy.

"Nope." Kiara is none of his concern.

"Come now. No need to be deceitful, Nephew. I can smell her scent all over the two of you. You've started the mating process, but I wonder if she knows that." He tilts his head to the side and smirks. "We're all family here. What would Leviathan think if I neglected his precious son?"

My jaw clenches at that mention of my father. He knows we hate it. It's their way of reminding us that we're beneath them in the hierarchy of things.

"Farkas should worry about finding his mate and leave ours alone." I meant what I said and will skin that fucker if he comes anywhere near her.

"More importantly, why do you care, Uncle?" Elek shifts his weight, standing taller, and throws the endearment right back at him. He has no patience when it comes to Samael. I usually don't either, but my curiosity is winning out with this unannounced visit. It's out of character for them to involve themselves in our business unless it directly affects them.

"You're looking more and more like Belial every day, Elek," Samael teases. It's no secret that the Fallen aren't fans of our fathers, but unlike our fathers, they tolerate us. To them, we serve a purpose, and that purpose is pissing off their father. Reminding him that his children chose to carve out their own path and walk in the shadows of sin over his righteous ways.

"Go to Hell with him." Elek tenses at the mention of his father. There is no love lost between us and our sires. They abandoned us and left us to fend for ourselves in a world we didn't belong in.

"Unfortunately for you, I can't. Lucifer and I don't see eye to eye on an important matter." Samael laughs, getting the reaction he wanted from him.

"If that's all you came by for, there's the door." I jerk my chin toward the exit. My beast is itching to lash out, and if he doesn't stop antagonizing us, things will escalate into an all-out war.

"Are the Daughters of Enid giving you any trouble?" he asks, ignoring my dismissal of him.

"Not so far." My eyes narrow as I study him for any hint of why he's asking about them. It's no secret that neither we nor the Fallen care for those witches. They're the thorn in our sides.

"Good. I think we should celebrate the special occasion then." He tosses the apple core onto the ground, letting it roll until it stops at my feet.

"Why?" I arch a brow and study him, looking for any sign of deception, but he's a master of illusion.

"It isn't every day that a mate as important as her is found. Is it?" His blue eyes glisten, but I'm not fooled. There's something he isn't telling me.

"I will not put her in danger to placate the likes of you." I shake my head at his antics.

"Watch it," Raziel snaps, joining in the conversation. His eyes flash from blue to their natural state of pure black. If Samael is the instigator, then he is the brute force that indulges his every whim.

"It's all right, brother." Samael holds his hand up to stop him from lashing out and releasing his power. "Mates are sacred. They must be celebrated and protected at all costs. Wouldn't you agree?" All humor leaves his face as he sits up straighter in his seat.

"They are." I nod, conceding his point and gaining a better idea of what is up his ass. "Does this mean that you've lost yours again?"

"One cannot lose what was never lost to begin with." A muscle in his jaw clenches as he spouts off his cryptic response.

"Stop speaking in riddles and tell us what you want." Elek's eyes flash a brighter blue as his fangs come out. Samael has pushed his beast to the forefront, and I wonder if that was his intention all along.

"It's settled, then." He ignores Elek's question as he holds my gaze. "We will return on the eve of the full moon to celebrate. Prepare this room for me. I'll be bringing the entertainment. After all, she should meet the rest of your family."

Without waiting for me to argue, he and Raziel stand to their full height of seven feet and release their wings. The black feathers ripple from the movement as they attempt to intimidate us, but their theatrics don't fool us. They walk out through the doorway and out the way they came.

A sense of foreboding settles in my gut like a lead weight, but I refuse to be rattled by the likes of them. Samael has a reason for everything he does. He wants something from us and is using our mate to get it.