Chapter 32 — Revelations

Mikhail:

Azazel clicks on the computer again as he speaks. “As I’m sure most of you know, I am the kind of demon who takes his security very seriously. Not only are there cameras outside my club, but also inside my offices. Several weeks ago, I was approached by a member of the Council. The Council member requested that I assassinate Mikhail Cross.”

At Azazel’s words, Lukan instantly goes on alert. Any thought he had that somehow his plan to be rid of me would work has just gone up in smoke, and now Azazel is about to obliterate his standing with the Council.

As I observe Lukan, Azazel places a folder before Mathias. “The member who approached me was Lukan Garron. At first, I didn’t tell the council because I needed proof of Lukan’s duplicity. I wanted to know why he wanted to murder Mikhail Cross. After some investigation, I found the proof required to convict our perpetrator. Before you are proof that Lukan Garron was behind the death of his sister Galena Garron and her husband, Samael Kendrick. You will also find pictures of Galena and her son, Mikhail, along with a couple of letters from Samael. Now, I know that pictures mean very little to the Council, so I asked a friend to research further. Before you, you’ll also find a DNA composite proving that Mikhail is the son of Galena and Samael Kendrick. The council genetics chamber provided us with the articles containing Samael and Galena’s genetic codes, which perfectly matched Mikhail Cross’s genetic composition. My computer forensic team has taken the liberty to recover some data from Lukan’s computer. Along with statements, there are several video recordings showcasing the murder and interrogation of Galena and Samael Kendrick. When Mikhail told me that he was found in a certain area of the city, I researched and found that Samael had a bank box within a few miles of the warehouse. The bank box held a marriage certificate with the names Galena Garron and Samael Kendrick. It also held a lock of hair and birth certificate belonging to Azrael Kendrick, who is now known as Mikhail Cross. We were able to recover a journal detailing Galena’s life at the Garron house until her escape from her brother Lukan Garron. In her notes, she discusses her fear of the prejudice she would face if Lukan and the council found out that she was mated to a demon. Based on all this evidence, we believe that Lukan was already aware that Mikhail was his nephew. When Lukan discovered this information, he saw it as the last thread of his sister’s disloyalty and betrayal of their family.”

Azazel steps back and plays the videos. The first video is of Lukan asking Azazel to kill me. The second is a little grainier, but you can see Lukan cutting a man and screaming in his face. Jaw tight, I watch as the video cuts to another scene. In this one, Lukan is slapping a woman and repeating the word, “Where is he? Where’s the abomination?” I must assume that the “he” in question is me. The council is riveted. However, all I can feel is sadness as I observe the torture my parents experienced in Lukan’s hands. This bastard killed my family.

“Enough!” Mathias orders out. He looks to where Lukan is standing and waves a hand in his direction. “Guards! Remand Lukan Garron into custody until further notice!”

Lukan’s eyes bulge as he glances around nervously. I’m sure he’s waiting for a couple of allies to step in, but no one does. At Mathias’ command, the guards rush towards him. However, before they can reach him, the bastard takes something out of his pocket and throws it at them. The room goes up in flames as debris, papers, and bodies sail everywhere. We rush over to help the fallen angels, shocked by the destruction, then turn to search for Lukan, but he’s gone. Mathias growls with frustration as soon as he sees that Lukan disappeared. “Set protocol lockdown!” He calls out to his men. “We have an escaped murderer.”

At that moment, the alarms in the building go off, and every Council door closes tight.

“Follow me.” He calls out to us as he makes his way to a door. He’s surprisingly composed for someone who nearly got blown up.

Without another word, we follow him out of the room. One of the guards releases my wings and hands me my things.

Once he’s done, Mathias faces me and mutters. “The guards will have Lukan Garron in custody any minute. This building is heavily protected—”

Alex’s phone rings at that moment. “It’s Rowan,” Alex mumbles as he lifts the phone to his ear. “Rowan, I’m a little busy right now… What? Where is she then?”

Brow furrowed, I look at Alex. Did he just say she? My stomach churns with trepidation with every word out of his lips.

“No, stay there; we’re on our way.” Alex disconnects the call with a frown. “What is it, Alex?” I ask.

Alex looks back and forth from Azazel to Mathias, then back at me. “Rowan just told me that when he and the boys got home, the house was empty. Nevaeh was gone, but she left a note telling them that she was meeting with her friend Jez at her house. The problem is that when he went over to check on her, Nevaeh wasn’t home, and the door was open. Worried that something happened, he called her friend Jez who told him that she hadn't seen Nevaeh in days. He wanted to see if she was home, but I told him to stay where he is.”

I glance at Azazel, who looks as worried as I feel, then back at Alex. “We have to go. With Lukan running around, no one is safe.”

Azazel nods. “This isn’t good, mate. We better go.”

Brow furrowed, I rush to a nearby door. Unfortunately, the door won’t open. “Open the door, please,” I ask Mathias.

Mathias quirks a brow in astonishment. I’m sure he’s not used to being bossed around. “You cannot leave yet. The Council is on lockdown until Lukan is discovered.”

I shake my head. There’s no fucking way that I’m staying here while something might be happening with Nevaeh. “I don’t care. I need to go—Now!”

Mathias' eyes glow with aggression. “Watch your tone, boy!” He grits out.

Lips tight, I bang on a nearby door. “You don’t understand; I need to find her and keep her safe.”

Mathias gazes intently into my eyes and takes a couple of deep breaths. “Then I’ll go with you. You need me to let you through, and we need to discuss Lukan’s involvement in your parent’s death.”

I nod my head, ready to agree to anything if I can get out.

He gives me one last look before he places his hand over the palm scanner. As soon as the doors open, we rush out, release our wings, and fly home.

Rowan, Carrick, and Kell meet us at the front door. “Where’s Nevaeh?” I ask Rowan.

Rowan shakes his head. “I don’t know, man.”

I look in the direction of her house and frown. The lights are all off. Even the one on her balcony. She always leaves the light on for me. Mathias arches a questioning brow. “Who’s Nevaeh?”

Alex looks at me for direction, but I’m too angry to care that Mathias is the Council’s top enforcer or that he might support Neveah’s death because she’s my mate. “Nevaeh is my mate, and I need to get to her before something bad happens.”

Mathias narrows his eyes.

However, before he can say another word, I give him a daring glare. If he tries to stop me or reports me to the Council, I won’t hesitate to attack. To my surprise, he doesn’t. Instead, he raises his arms up in surrender and mutter. “Well then, let’s go.”

I don’t question his sincerity. I’m too wound up with worry to care. All I want is to find Nevaeh.

A shiver of trepidation runs down my back as soon as I walk up Nevaeh’s door. Pushing the door open, the others and I step into the foyer. The hallway is eerily empty. It’s only when we’re near the living room that I see the trail of blood on the floor. The metallic smell of blood overwhelms my senses, and bile stirs in my throat as the possibilities of what might have occurred overwhelm me. Throat tight, I search the first floor, then run up the stairs when I come up empty.

“Nevaeh!” I call out, but there’s no one upstairs either. Shards of glass crunch beneath my boots as I step through the room.

Alex’s call snaps me out of my panic. “Mikhail, come down here! We found something!”

I meet Alex and the others near the coffee table and frown when I see that Nevaeh’s tablet is propped up in the center with a post-it note stuck on the screen. Watch me. It reads.

Throat tight, I kneel in front of the tablet and press the play button. Horror, as I’ve never known, overwhelms me as the video footage unfolds. Henry’s glowing red eyes and razor-sharp claws come on the screen. There’s no doubt that he’s the hellhound that killed Travis. In the video, Henry’s leaning over Nevaeh’s bruised and battered form.

“Look at what you did to me, you little bitch.” He calls out before he pulls back his fist and punches Nevaeh in the face. We watch with horror as Henry shakes her and slams her on the floor. “Wake up!” He yells.

Nevaeh tries to pull away, but he continues to hit her until she loses consciousness. Once he's done hitting her, he looks up at the camera and says, “Hey, pretty boy. How do you like your girlfriend now? Too bad, I had to mess up her pretty face. Oh, well.” He says before he raises a clawed hand and stabs her in the stomach.

As his strike hits her tender skin, I fall to my knees. “Neveah, no!” Nausea rolls in my stomach and tears gather in my eyes. Feeling helpless, I sit at the bottom of the stairs and bury my face in the palms of my hands. Emotions roll through me like waves, muffling my ears. Azazel’s mournful cries follow mine as he whispers her name and slams his fist against a nearby wall. “I’m going to kill them!”

Sniffling, I look at Azazel and croak out. “Damn it, this has Lukan written all over it! We need to find him!”

Mathias reaches for his cell phone with a frown as he quietly speaks into the receiver. “He got away… How is that possible? Get all the men you can and have them go to all of his houses, anywhere where he can be found.”

Jaw tight, he disconnects the call and faces me. “Lukan is no longer in the building. I sent my guards to find him.”

I sift my hand through my hair with a frustrated growl and face Mathias. “He killed her! The bastard killed her…”

My breath hitches and my body shudders as tears threaten to fall from my eyes. Alex places his palm on my neck, consolingly. “Listen, Mikhail, we don’t know if she’s dead yet. If Lukan wanted her dead, he would have left her body for you to find, which means Nevaeh might still be alive. You need to pull yourself together, Mikhail—for Nevaeh!”

I nod my head. Alex is right. There’s still a small possibility that Nevaeh is alive, and I’m not going to give up until I find her.

“What do we do? She can be anywhere.”

Azazel snaps up from his perch and screams out. “THE MARK!” “What?” We bark out in unison.

Azazel snaps his fingers as he thoughtfully paces across the floor. “The mark. We can find Nevaeh using the mark.”

“That’s not possible. Is it?” I ask.

Azazel nods, but Mathias is the one that answers my question. “Actually, you can. In the sixteenth century, a demon’s mark was used by demon hunters to hunt demon families. The hunter would catch a demon, enchant their mark, and use it to locate their families. Unfortunately for the hunters, the demons retaliated and declared war against them. For nearly a hundred years, demons and other supernatural creatures were at war, and the death toll was astronomical. The Council made the decision to intervene and stop the war before any more supernatural beings were killed. They began by calling a truce between all supernatural leaders. Once the pact was established, all demon hunter cells were disbanded, and demon hunting was prohibited. Along with that, the use of the spell was outlawed. Anyone who was caught using it was executed by the Council.” I from Mathias to Azazel. “Fine, we’ll do this then.”

Mathias shakes his head. “You can’t. What part of ‘there’s a pact’ don’t you get? If we break the pact, the Council will kill you.”

Lips tight, I shake my head. At this point, I don’t give a damn about Council rules. Nevaeh is all that matters to me. “Do you think I give a fuck about that? Well, I don’t because that monster, Lukan Garron, escaped the Council and might possibly have my mate? If it’s an issue, you can kill me when I save her. But for now, I need you to get out of my way.” I mutter firmly. I meant every word I just said. I don’t care if the Council takes me as long as I get Nevaeh back.

Mathias’ expression grows cold at my words. “You’re a very brave little hybrid, aren’t you? However, let’s say that I give you permission to do this. How would you be able to do the spell? You’d need several ingredients that are nearly impossible to find.”

Azazel smirks in reply. “That’s not a problem, mate. I have all the ingredients we need. I just need a vial of her blood.”

Azazel gestures to the dark puddle on the floor. “Get the blood and follow me to the loft.”

Using a plastic bag, I collect the sample and fly back to Azazel’s loft.

Azazel’s sitting in the middle of the living room floor surrounded by candles. His shirt is off, and he’s rubbing something over his mark. “Do you have the blood?” He asks I toss the bag at him and watch as he begins to mix it in a bowl. Mathias walks in a moment later and runs a critical gaze across Azazel’s form.

“I thought the girl was your mate?” He asks me pointedly.

I shake my head. “She is, but it’s complicated.”

Mathias frowns in reply. “You know, with anyone else, I would have already killed them for being so insubordinate. But there’s something about this situation that has piqued my curiosity, so I’m letting your little attitude slip. However, my curiosity only stretches so far before I want the truth. That’ why I suggest you toe the line, boy, and when the time comes to be prepared to answer my questions because if you don’t, I will make you regret your very existence. Do you understand me?”

“I understand.” I respectfully reply. Even though my demon half is annoyed that Mathias is trying to dominate him, my angel half is grateful that he’s trying to help Nevaeh.

“How does this work?” I ask Azazel.

Azazel places the bowl in the center of the floor. Painted on the floor is a crimson rune with various other symbols floating around it. “The blood spell will call to her blood and any supernatural relatives or mates Nevaeh has. Though Nevaeh is human, she is marked as my mate, which means the spell should work.”

Azazel crosses his legs inside the circle of candles and hands us each a vial. “You need to drink some of this and stand back. As soon as the spell kicks in, a line will glow. It’s similar to a line you would find on a map. The potion you’re drinking will enable you to see the lines anywhere they’d lead. That line will guide us to where she is located.”

Everyone takes a drink of the potion and steps out of the circle while Azazel chants and drinks Nevaeh’s blood. His body shudders, and his mark glows as a line begins to form on the floor. To our surprise, the line splits into two lines instead of one and moves up Mathias’ body. Mathias’s brows arch with surprise. “What is this?”

Azazel’s mouth gapes open in astonishment. “The spell is meant to find Nevaeh and any supernatural family member. Bloody hell, perhaps you’re related.”

Mathias shakes his head. “That’s impossible. I have no living family members.”

I shake my head. “Look, guys, can we put this on the back burner for now?”

Azazel and Mathias nod their heads in agreement. There’s no time to question why this is happening. We can revisit the situation once we find Nevaeh. Everyone stops next to the other line and observe as it moves toward the balcony.

“Let’s go,” I mumble.

We fly for miles, following the line until it leads us to an abandoned warehouse near a shady part of town. The closer we get to the warehouse, the more worried we become. As soon as we arrive, Azazel and I ask the others to stay back. The area looks abandoned, but my demon side senses several supernatural presences nearby. Searching around, we finally spot several hellhound guards pacing around the building’s perimeter.

Once we’ve gotten the lay of the land, we reconvene with the others. “There are at least a dozen hellhounds guarding the perimeter,” Azazel mutters. “How are we going to get in there without Lukan discovering that we are here?”

I think for a moment. All we really need is to distract the guards and, in the process, disable the guards without alarm. Easy peasy, right?