“Well, I’ve said it on the Memitim message boards,” Journeymuttered, and yeah, that was more like it.
Maddox hiccupped.“You’re a bully.”
Cipher shook his head.“Bullying requires a power imbalance,real or perceived, in favor of the bully.Azagoth has all the power.Journeyhas none.Plus, Azagoth doesn’t know what Journey says on the boards.Hence, nobullying.”He punched Journey in the arm.“I think you mean he’s a troll.Anidiot troll, but not a bully.”
“Okay, guys, can we get serious for a second?”
Abruptly, Journey lost the swagger and cocky grin.The guycould switch into duty mode faster than anyone Hawkyn had met.“What’s up?”
“You watched over two serial killers in your life—”
“Three.”Journey ticked off his fingers as he spoke.“Plusan assortment of rapists, sadists, mass murderers, andeven an emperor who regularly ordered the executions of entire villages ofpeople.”
Yeah, Hawkyn had been assigned a variety of monsters too,but for some reason, serial killers like Drayger seemed extra monstrous.Thetime they took to plan and execute their evil put them ahead of the rest, inhis opinion.
“How do you deal with it?”Cipher asked.“I know you’re notallowed to interfere in your Primoris’ lives, but fuck that, man.How can youjust let someone be tortured to death by one of your Primori?”
“Those people are dying for the greater good,” Journey said,reciting the official company line like a good little soldier.“It’s why theywere born.They have a purpose to serve.And it helps to realize that theirsuffering is temporary.A drop in the bucket of time.They go to a betterplace.”
Maddox jammed his hands into his jeans’ pockets.“It alsohelps to avoid your scumbag Primori.Don’t even check on them unless theirheraldisactivate.”He shrugged.“Ignorance is bliss, you know.”
“Preach it, brother.”Emerico bumped fists with Maddox.
It was way too late to be ignorant about Drayger.Besides,Hawkynwantedto learn about his charges.The more he knew about theirlives and their personalities, the easier it was to understand why theyrequired angelic protection andfrom where any danger mightcome.Hawk had never understood why people like Maddox and Rico treatedtheir jobs so casually.Hawkyn had always been dedicated to a fault, an all-inkind of Memitim.
“I can’t do that,” he said.“Especially now.I kind offucked up.”
“Ooh, do tell.”Cipher shoved away from the column, hisinterest fully engaged.“It’s always good to have dirt on you.”
Cipher hadn’t changed a bit since the day, almost two yearsago, when Hawkyn had dragged the guy here against his will for fucking withanother of Hawkyn’s Primoris.Ciph was still a bit of a scammer.But he didhave a moral compass, and despite their rocky start, they’d become goodfriends, and Hawkyn trusted him with his secrets.
Journey and Maddox were a littlemore iffy,but they were his favoritebrothersand he didn’tthink they’d betray him.
Probably.
Emerico?He’d been raised by professional con artists, andwhile he was generally reliable, he tended to look for all the angles in anysituation that would benefit him.
Ah, what the hell.Hawkyn needed advice, and these fouridiots were the best source of it he had.
“I interfered with my Primori’s abduction of a victim,” heblurted.
Journey let out a drawn outoh shitwhistle.“Dude.”
Maddox concurred.“Dude.”
Rico did a face palm.
“I know I’m not up on all your crazy Primori rules,” Cipherbegan, “but even I know that interference in Primori actions is crazy bad.Like, the most forbidden of the forbidden.”
“There’s worse,” Hawkyn said, “but not much.”
“Sowhat happened?”Journey asked,his dark eyes wide with morbid curiosity.Because who didn’t love a good trainwreck?
“I’m fucked, that’s what happened.”Hawk swiped a cup ofwine from the table and drained half of it.He wasn’t much of a drinker, but hecould use some alcohol right now.Good thing wine was approved by the MemitimCouncil, because he was tempted to drink it by the barrel.“I caught him tryingto grab a woman.She mistook me for his partner, and she blasted the fuck outof me with a photon torpedo or some crap before he managed to subdue her.”
“Ah, shit,” Maddox said.“So did you take damage meant forhim?”
“I don’t know.That’s what I’m worried about.”Hawkyn lookedat each of his buddies and wondered who was going to freak the most when hesaid, “So I rescued her.”
