I assumed down because of where he disrupted my hair. He was tall. Taller than me, taller than Thomas.
“The interesting thing about blood is that it doesn’t matter.”
I closed my eyes, his scent filling my soul in a way that didn’t quite make sense.
A flutter in the pit of my stomach, a sudden pulse between my legs, a spinning of my mind. I wanted to inhale, but I was too afraid.
Azrael straightened a second later. “It’s better you learn that now before you find yourself lost upon the sight of it spilled on your precious sacred grounds.”
My breathing was uneven, the world tilting. I wanted to fall, but I wasn’t sure which way.
“You should know that there’s a reason your father wants to move me so quickly through your ranks, Thomas,” he hummed quietly. “Perhaps it’s because I’m powerful enough to sway even your dear…fictitiousgod.”
My brain snapped to his words, focusing on the ones he had chosen to say.
“That’s blasphemy,” Thomas hissed.
Itwasblasphemy, but what it also meant was that he was certainlynotsent by the Elders. He was just a civilian who found a flier and wandered in the doors of this specific church.
Was that luck or a blessing?
“Alert the church,” he sang.
His presence disappeared almost instantly.
I opened my eyes and found his shoes gone, and it was an effort not to acknowledge the disappointment rolling under my skin.
A month gone, and the sea had finally returned, crashing against my eroding shores unforgivingly, bringing with him venom and riddles.
10
Bonus Chapter
Azrael
April 1st, 2022
Istood above him, the machines beeping lightly, telling me that his heart was working just fine.
Luckily for the mouse, I supposed.
I couldn’t stay for long, Seattle was calling, but I couldn’t very well leave my soft-hearted brother alone before I knew for sure if he would survive.
The bullet caused some damage, but if he truly was one of us, he’d be up and seeking out his mouse well before he should.
I glanced around the room. The warehouse father dearest had commandeered for this little operation was a small one, but still far more massive than we would ever need.
The doctors and nurses had set up a little sterilized room surrounded in plastic specifically for the cub. There were bright lights and machines that recorded his heartbeat. They were positive he would live, which was saying something with the damage that the not so stray bullet had caused.
I pulled out my pocket watch and checked the time. It was nearing midnight. I would have to catch a flight soon. The Church of Daylight would be mourning the loss of one of their great Leaders, I wouldn’t want to miss that.
I slid it away and stepped up to the bed, feeling the edges of impatience tease me. I slapped his cheek and grabbed his jaw, his eyes flashing open, his entire body jerking in response.
“Shh,” I cooed, looking down at him, rage taking over the panic in his eyes. “You’re still under heavy pain killers, you might not even remember this, which is fine with me—”
“Azrael,” he spat, the word slurred and choppy.
“Don’t try and speak, little cub, you’ll only hurt yourself.” My grip around his jaw tightened as I leaned in. “Listen to me very carefully,” I began, looking at him in the way that always unsettled him, “Louis’s men didn’t shoot you, but I think you already know that. Your loyalty has limits, Greyson,” I hummed, seeing the confusion cloud his eyes. “You need to find them and put that loyalty where it truly belongs. Your little Snowflake, as you call her, needs you now. She will need you more than you will ever know, especially in these coming years. I respect her for not wanting to be a part of this world, it would shatter her, which is not a terrible thing. Be the Shadow I know you can be, Grey, it matters now more than it ever has before.”
