Chapter 18 #2
Luke laughed. “That could offend me. Lucky for you, I find it funny.” Leaning his head back and shaking his hair like said cover model, he returned his attention to Reyes. “So, Cap. Why did you call me in?”
She inclined her head to her brother. “Tell Luke what you told me.”
Carlos hesitated. “I think I saw who killed our Alpha.”
That definitely got his attention. “Pardon?”
“Larry. I think I saw the ones who killed him.”
All humor fled as Luke crossed his arms over his chest. “And you just now thought to tell us?”
“I just learned what happened when his wife called to ask me if I’d been there.”
Luke blew out a tired breath as he realized he should have followed up on that lead sooner, but he’d been too distracted. You’re not the only one. Rory should have followed up too.
Not that it mattered. Carlos was here now.
“What did you tell his wife?” Luke asked.
“I told her nothing. What I didn’t tell her was that he left with two women I’d never seen before.”
Luke arched a brow at that. Wolves, even werewolves, were supposed to be monogamous. He’d never heard of one cheating on his mate before.
His face must have telegraphed his thoughts because Carlos’s next words let him know Carlos had the same opinion.
“I don’t think he was going off with them to have sex.
It was odd, though, right? He looked nervous.
Like they’d said something to him, he didn’t want to hear.
When he came over to me to tell me he was leaving, I asked if he wanted me to join them and he told me to go home.
I assumed he’d be all right. You know? He was my Alpha. Why would I question him?”
True. As a rule, any pack member was subservient to their Alpha.
“Were the women werewolves, too?”
Carlos shrugged. “I don’t know for sure.
I never got close enough to catch a scent from them.
It was a crowded bar and grill. There were a lot of different smells in the air.
” He drew a ragged breath. “Believe me, if I’d thought for one second that he was in any danger, I would have never left him alone. ”
“Are you his Beta?”
Carlos shook his head. “She wasn’t with us. We’d gone out for dinner after work. Never thought either of us would be in danger.”
“Would you recognize the women if you saw them again?”
“The redhead, definitely. The blonde? Maybe. She was pretty, in that generic blonde way that stands out when they’re present. But after they leave, you can’t really remember what they look like.”
That was harsh. And in truth, it pissed off Luke. Sorcha was blonde and she was anything other than ubiquitous. Anytime she entered a room, she dominated it.
Completely unforgettable, and it made him want to slap Carlos on her behalf.
Good thing Sorcha wasn’t here or he would have done it. No one would insult his partner without feeling his wrath.
Bastard.
“You okay?” Reyes asked Luke.
“Fine.” That came out a little sharper than he meant it to. He turned his attention back to Carlos. “Anything else you can think of?”
“No. Sorry.”
“It’s fine. If you remember something else, let us know.”
“Will do.”
Inclining his head, Luke left them and teleported into his office. This was the only place on earth that was similar to what he’d left behind in Hell.
He missed all the gothic architecture. His father had always had a preference for it.
Mostly because the Middle Ages had been the height of his father’s power.
While Lucifer had fewer direct followers back then, those who feared him had fed his powers much more.
Because that fear came with their acknowledgment of just how powerful the fallen angel was.
How much Lucifer ached to take their souls from his father above.
’Cause, fuck you, Ken!
Today, many of the devil’s “devout” believers were simple posers. Those who professed faith for nothing more than the shock value of it. Yes, there were a large number of those who were true followers, but even they didn’t really understand what it meant to worship Samael.
Which only fed his father’s fury and anger.
His jealousy.
Samael wanted to be equal…well, no, greater than…his father. But as with so many sons of accomplished people, he failed miserably. Which meant all Samael could do was act out.
And he did.
“Oh, whatever.” Get thee behind me, Satan. He didn’t want to think about his father. He had too many other things that took precedence.
Turning on the lights and waking his PC with his powers, Luke headed to his large black wooden desk and sat down.
It was eerily quiet without the cacophony of his Feral Demon Choir in the closet. Only half of them had returned.
Dohlar was still on the loose and smart enough not to be causing havoc that would give away his position.
Irritated, Luke winced at the photos that came up on his monitor.
Siobhan. They hit him like a gut punch. Her open, glazed eyes haunted him. Not because she was dead. He was used to looking at dead bodies. Nothing about those surprised him. Nothing grossed him out.
It was the fact that they were identical to Sorcha’s, and he was used to the lively way they challenged him and sparkled with laughter.
And anger.
He never wanted to see her look like this.
Using his powers, he wiped the photos from his screen and pulled up the photos of the dead werewolves.
That was what he needed to focus on right now.
Well, aside from the Necos after Sorcha.
Focus.
His thoughts were all over the place tonight. Why couldn’t he do what he normally did?
It was too quiet without his demons. He turned on his speakers and switched to White Horse by Skillet.
The memory of Sorcha’s face when she realized he listened to Christian rock made him smile. Yeah, it was weird, but he’d never been normal. Never played by the rules.
And he had no intention of starting now.
The air behind him stirred. Luke caught the scent of his mother.
Without a word, she placed a hand on his shoulder. “You went to see Ecanus.”
“I did.”
“Why didn’t you come to me?”
He turned around in his chair to meet her fierce gaze. “Didn’t think you knew anything about a Xolotl priest. Or a Chthonian.”
“Xolotl wasn’t just my friend. He was also good friends with your father.”
That surprised him. Although why, he had no idea. His father knew a lot of different gods. “Really?”
She nodded.
No matter how much you thought you knew your parents, there was always something new to learn. “Why have I never heard about this?”
“Xolotl’s been gone a long time. Didn’t think it important. As you know, I don’t like talking about the past.”
That was true. To her it was useless. “This isn’t the past, Mom. The Chthonian spoke about a prophecy. Do you know anything about it?”
“The return of the twins?”
He gaped. “So you do know about it?”
His mother lowered the hood on her black cloak. Her long, braided hair fell over one shoulder as she moved to take a seat in the chair in front of his desk. Following her movements, he turned back around in his desk chair.
“I do. It’s another one of those save mankind things. Though why anyone bothers to save such pathetic creatures, I don’t know. They’re really quite boring and bothersome.”
He would argue that except he knew no amount of reason would change her mind. “How do the twins save mankind?”
“They have to be reborn and then they have to be sacrificed. Aztecs were big into sacrifices.”
There had been a time when that could have been said about their side, too. It was one of his father’s favorite things. But again, he wasn’t about to tell his mother that. It would anger her and she’d stop talking and vanish.
So he played along. “Any idea why that would involve my partner?”
“No. Why?”
“One of Xolotl’s priests tried to kill Sorcha. Before I could question him, he committed suicide.”
His mother toyed with the silver moon necklace she always wore around her neck. “They’re good at that. The priests, I mean.”
“Yes, they are.” And his mother wasn’t helping this or his mood. He felt like he was just rehashing the same thing with no further clarity. “You remember anything else?”
His mother took a moment to think. “Not really. Never cared enough to ask questions or pay attention.” Vintage Senka.
“And again I ask…any idea why one of their priests would be interested in my partner?”
She shook her head. “Does she have any Mesoamerican blood or ties?”
“Not that I know of. Does it matter?”
“If she is related to the god, it might. It would explain why a priest was interested. Other than that, I can’t think of any reason.”
She was right. It would explain a lot, actually. The aura that clung to Sorcha and why they couldn’t pinpoint it.
Learning her bloodline wouldn’t be hard.
All he’d need was to taste her blood.