“I'll send you a clip captured by the CCTV. Before, we never knew what he looked like because he'd kill his victims in back alleys or deserted streets, but yesterday, he fucked up.” Alistair spoke with such certainty it really grated on Anubis's nerves. Maybe on another day, he would have found the man's demeanor admirable, but at that moment, Anubis would punch him in the face if he were standing before him.
“Just send me what you have,” he said through gritted teeth, hanging up the cell phone just as a new message came through.
Not wanting to invade Uriel's privacy, he handed the phone to its owner. Uriel opened the message and stared at it briefly before handing it to Anubis. Taking the phone, Anubis took in a deep breath when he saw Star's face on the screen. It was filled with so much anger and hate that it was almost unrecognizable, as if he was looking at a different person. He tapped the screen, and the video played. He watched the new version of Star beat the shit out of a man that was much bigger and stronger than him.
The look of glee on his face was so unlike Star. His Star was bratty but cute and liked to charm Anubis by being mischievous. Star's previous life had nothing to do with the man he was now. His one mistake did not define his future. Anubis watched the video several times; he felt something was wrong.
This isn't Star. The man I’m looking at seems to be posed.Alarm bells went off in Anubis's head.How the fuck did I miss it? How the fuck did I let it happen?“Fuck, I can't believe I didn't see. All this fucking time, it was there.”
“What?” Azazel asked.
“Spiritual possession,” Anubis responded.
“Are you kidding me?” Azazel said in shock. “How could a spirit take over your mate without you noticing? You're a fucking god of death!”
Anubis couldn't answer that question since he felt just as lost as Azazel sounded. He grabbed his hair in frustration. “Father! Show yourself,” he shouted angrily, knowing Osiris and any god in the realms could hear him.
“Habib, you are overstepping our closeness by summoning me like I am one of your jackals.”
“Your damn spirit has possessed Star,” Anubis said, shutting up his father's words. He had never disrespected his father in all the years he'd lived, and he wouldn't start now, but he was angry and needed answers. He'd asked his father to give him information on the spirit before, but he’d evaded his question by changing the subject. “Father, for the last time, who is this spirit? Why is it so angry?”
Osiris went to speak, but a throat clearing caught their attention, and Anubis realized he was being extremely rude. First, he barged into Azazel and Uriel's home demanding things, and now he was inviting other guests without their permission.
Taking a deep breath, he looked at his two friends. “Azazel, Uriel, my apologies for inviting my father into your home without asking you first.”
Azazel moved over to him and placed a hand on Anubis's shoulder. “It's all good, man. Your mate is missing, possessed, and you don’t know what’s happening. Hell, you're a lot calmer than I was when Uriel disappeared. Did you forget I wanted to burn the entire world down, and you stopped me, while Loki encouraged my behavior? I told you before, I'm with you. Whatever we have to do, we'll do it. I know the pain of not having your mate with you. For twenty years, I suffered. I refuse to watch my friend go through the same agony.”
Anubis went to tell Azazel thanks, when his cell phone rang. He sighed, seeing Thor's name on the screen.
“Inpu, where are you? Chase told me Star was missing. What do you need me to do?”
“I'm at Azazel's and Uriel's place, along with my father.”
“Is that Thor?” Azazel asked, and Anubis nodded. “Tell him to come. Might as well have everyone in one place.”
“You heard him, right?” Anubis asked Thor.
“Yeah, I'll be there in a few.”
They disconnected the call, and Anubis made another right after. “Vivienne, I'm still checking things out, so I won't be able to make it to your office.”
“Can you tell me what's going on, though? Dent and I are really worried,” she said.
“Dent?”
“It's a long story, but he thinks of Star as a little brother. He came over immediately when I told him that Star was missing.”
Anubis remembered the name Dent. He recalled Star had gotten a call from the man once or twice, but he'd never met him. “I don't have much to say. Just keep remembering that Star is innocent. No matter what happens.”
“Okay.”
He disconnected the call with Vivienne just as Thor, Sobek, Chase, his mothers, and surprisingly, Set showed up.
“What are you three doing here?” Anubis asked just as another voice spoke up.
“My loves,” Osiris said, greeting his wives.
“We were with Thor when we heard about your mate,” Isis said, the mothers bypassing Osiris and walking over to Anubis, each kissing him on his cheek. They turned and scowled at Osiris. “What did you do?”
