Chapter 2 SAMAEL
SAMAEL
My hand tightened around my phone, a growl threatening to rip from my throat.
Finn was out of fucking control. Killing his nurse hours after he left the mental facility wasn’t just dangerous, it was downright chaotic.
Even Slash when he had an itch disguised his kills well enough not to leave a mess.
Finn worked in the same vein and somehow was the exact opposite.
His kills ranged from pristine to bloody and messy, the nurse being the third body he had left for us.
I stared at the male beside Gwen, grimacing as I recognized his face.
This shit was messy. Killing people that were so closely related to us drew eyes that we didn’t need.
I glared at my phone as it vibrated again.
You know I had to, right? Gwen was going to ruin everything. Dr. Lewis was an accident.
That doesn’t make it any better.
Sure it does. They’re the only ones who knew about the security tapes.
This wasn’t the first time Finn had mentioned the tapes but where I had been worried about Killian’s mental health and safety nearly a week ago, now I was worried about Chief Matthews.
Finn was adamant about keeping our secrets in the most unhinged ways.
Finding out that he had moved home rather than in with one of us told me that his plans didn’t align with ours.
And his idea of right and wrong were just a little more warped than I had previously thought.
Add in the fact that the letters scratched into his arm were most likely self-inflicted and I had no idea how Finn had fooled the mental institution twice.
“This is all kinds of fucked up,” I muttered to myself, kicking Gwen’s foot as I stared at her sorry state.
Her once white uniform looked more like a Halloween costume at this point.
I bent down and lifted her shirt slightly, groaning when the precise cuts became clear.
None of this made any sense.
Finn was Killian or maybe the other way around.
However, how had a kid like that without medical training learned surgical precision?
The lungs were definitely missing, Finn no doubt packaging them up for Aeron as a gift.
Finn’s existence presented too many questions that I didn’t have answers to.
Which meant he was a loose cannon and threatened my sense of control.
“Whew, he did a pretty number on the nurse but the doctor is intact. One quick jab to the heart.” Brent saddled up to my side, grinning down at the carnage.
Scenes like this used to get me hard. I’d go home and find someone to fuck, to get rid of the adrenaline coursing through my body.
Knowing who the culprit was and that it was the same person messing with us for much longer than I probably suspected, I found less enjoyment in cleaning this up.
“Just get it cleaned up.”
Finn was leaving us a message—that he could.
That he had the power to disrupt our lives in Primrose without doing much.
He knew our style, what got us going, what we craved.
He knew that a scene like this would have every last person questioning the Skinner’s motives, especially since the small machete sticking out of Dr. Lewis’ chest wasn’t Slash’s usual MO.
I’d come back in the morning and ‘discover’ the scene before writing up a report and submitting it to Chief Matthews.
Hopefully, he would believe my hint at a copycat killer which would shift blame from The Skinner.
It would also raise the general anxiety flowing through Primrose.
A once quiet little town had become the home of multiple individuals with a love for death and chaos.
They had no idea what had just been unleashed on them because Finn wasn’t playing with Primrose. He was playing with us.
I stepped away from the bodies and dialed Finn’s number. “What’s the point, Finn?”
“Does there need to be one?” He cackled into the speakerphone, his voice barely above a whisper. “I enjoy seeing you three squirm after stuffing me into that crazy box. How could you? Killian screamed at you not to and you love him. I’m just seeing how much you truly care.”
“Finn-”
“I love hearing my name on your lips, Samael. I really do,” He purred and I hated the way it stirred up feelings in my chest. The emotions Finn brought were entirely different than the other three alters.
I had a hate/love relationship with this version of Killian, whether Finn was the original or not.
“I’m excited to see the story you’ll spin from this.
Impress me. Oh, and return my fucking cat. ”
Then he hung up, like he was my boss and I was merely a pawn playing on his chess board. Impress him? Was this what it had come to? And yet, some part of me wanted to accept the challenge. I wanted to see what it would take to knock Finn off of his feet, even for a second.
“Finn is dangerous, Samael. Why are you still dealing with him?”
I narrowed my gaze at Brent, some of my guys cleaning up the scene to paint a slightly different picture. “Who I choose to deal with is my problem. Your only job is to follow through.”
His face twisted up, the man letting out a nervous laugh. Brent might have been a friend before he became my closest confidant but pushing back against my orders wasn’t acceptable. I knew he didn’t really like Killian or any of his alters, Finn even less. But that wasn’t his choice to make.
“Samael, you know I’m only looking out for you. I know you like your relationships a little twisted but—”
I whipped around, grabbing Brent by his throat and dragging him toward me.
“Let’s get one thing straight, Brent. You decided to work for me.
You’ve been there every fucking step of the way, through the hell, the madness, and everything else.
I told you before that your opinion of my lovers was unwarranted and not wanted.
That hasn’t changed. If you feel the need to speak on it, don’t.
” When he opened his mouth again, I thrust him backward in disgust. “Don’t push me, Brent. Not right now.”
Brent raised an eyebrow, silently demanding an explanation but I wouldn’t give him one. I was on edge and needed an outlet that neither Aeron nor Slash could provide. Killian would have been able to calm down this rage. Dark would have enjoyed it. Daemon would have basked in it. And Finn?
I must have been a sick bastard to wonder if Finn would accept me like this.