Chapter 22
Sam stood in the back courtyard with Lauren as she explained why Caius needed him back early. They agreed to search the Lux Palace before Sam returned to Vincula. He would look for more information on the planted guards while Lauren searched for Gedeon to see if he said anything of worth.
They glanced around to ensure no one saw them open the staff entrance, and Lauren transformed into a small bird, flew inside, and signaled that it was safe for him to enter.
He couldn’t risk being scooped up like last time and transformed into a cat the same pale color as the walls. Once at the end of the hallway, he gave Lauren a slight nod, and they split up.
As he approached Gedeon’s office, he saw a non-Aatxe guard keeping watch. Sam assumed the king would have his trusted spies guarding places he deemed important, and if they were here, then something inside was noteworthy.
What he did not expect was to see Stassi appear around the corner of an intersecting hallway. Something made her pause and whip her head around. Her eyes widened when she saw him.
He saw her gulp, and before she could say anything, he trotted over and hopped onto the bottom shelf of her cart, knocking over a few bottles. He peered up at her, but when he heard the guard approaching, his fur stood on end.
“Clumsy today, I see,” the man teased. He didn’t sound menacing, but as one of Gedeon’s spies, he couldn’t be trusted. The guard’s legs bent to pick up the bottles on the ground, but Stassi dropped beside the cart, shielding Sam from view.
“It’s okay, Tag, I’ve got it,” she said, stumbling over her words.
She grabbed the bottles quickly in her arms and stood. Concern filled the guard’s voice. “Are you okay, Stass? You’re jumpy.”
Sam tensed at the familiarity in his tone and released a low hiss. Stassi laughed nervously to cover up the sound. “Yes, just tired.”
The man shuffled his feet, and Sam’s irritation grew. “I was wondering,” Tag started to say, but Stassi grabbed the cart handle and pushed.
“I’m sorry, Tag. I have to finish my duties before my shift is over. We’ll talk soon, okay?”
The disappointment in the guard’s tone gave Sam a sick satisfaction. “Yeah, okay. Do you need into the king’s office?”
“No,” she replied a little too quickly. “I… I have to clean his quarters tonight. I’ll see you around.”
She grabbed her cart and whipped it around so fast that Sam almost fell out. When she was far enough away, she pushed her cart into a random room and flipped on the light.
Her head popped into his line of sight as she peered under the cart. “Is it you?” Pressing her lips together, she righted herself. “I’m going crazy. Of course, it isn’t him. His fur was black.”
She continued muttering as she paced back and forth, and Sam jumped from the cart to shift.
“Stassi,” he said, his deep voice filling the room.
She screamed bloody murder and jumped as she spun around. “You—” Her shaking hand pointed from the cart to Sam. “You shouldn’t be able to change colors. Weren’t you black last time? Y-you were because you shed on my uniform.”
He wanted to argue that he didn’t shed, but he couldn’t get a word in as she continued to ramble.
“And now you’re an awful beige color, but you were black.
Shifters can’t change anything about their animals.
What are you?” Her breaths were rapid as she shook out her hands.
She was hyperventilating, and Sam only had a few seconds to catch her before she hit the ground.
Hoisting her into his arms, he surveyed his surroundings. It was a banquet room with long tables filling the space. The tables would be too cold, he thought and laid her gently on one of the plush, ornate rugs instead.
His eyes traced her sweet face, and a foreign feeling filled his chest. He scanned the rest of her, confirming she wasn’t hurt, and the thought of her fainting because of him didn’t sit right.
She didn’t faint the first time she saw him, but she was probably more focused on the guard trying to take advantage of her.
Her eyes fluttered, and he tensed, waiting for her to scream again.
“What happened?” Her voice was weak as she rolled her head sideways, her eyes landing on him. “Shit,” she cursed and rolled away.
Giving her space, he assured her, “I will not hurt you.”
Stassi rubbed her eyes and opened them again. “It’s not possible. You were a black cat before. Shifters can’t change their animal forms.” Shaking her head, she sat back on her haunches. “I’m losing my mind.”
“You already said that,” he reminded her. “Why did you faint? It did not bother you last time.”
Her face transformed from shock to annoyance. “You would faint too if cats kept shifting into giant, beautiful men.”
When she called him beautiful, something inside him warmed. Frowning, he rubbed a fist over his chest. “I am not a shifter,” he replied after a beat. “I am going to show you something, but do not faint again.”
Before she could reply, his wings flared to life behind him, and he watched her, worried she would run.
There was no logical reason for him to divulge his identity to her, but he had to. He couldn’t explain it.
“Seraphim,” she breathed and stood on shaky legs. “I thought Angels lived in the aether?”
“Most people do not think Angels exist,” he countered. “At least you are smarter than most.”
She fought a smile, and he wanted her to set it free.
Her hand reached up as if to touch his feathers but paused midair. “Why are you here?”
“What do you know of the new guards?” he asked instead of answering, which irritated her more.
She pushed a wisp of hair out of her face. “You mean the non-Aatxe guards?”
“Yes. When did this start?”
He noticed a slight blush creeping up her neck. “I almost took you home.” Sam choked on air, forgetting his reason for being here as an image of her in his bed flashed through his mind, but before he could reply, she narrowed her eyes at him. “As a cat.”
“You can take me home any way you would like,” he drawled before he could stop himself, relishing how her skin reddened.
“Uh, the new guards started arriving about a year ago,” she mumbled, changing the subject. “They oversee the staff and guard certain areas of the palace.”
Sam scolded himself for getting distracted by this woman when there were more important issues at hand. “How do they treat the staff?” The man he took to Adila was vile, but the guard from today was respectful. His lip curled at the memory of how familiar Tag was with Stassi.
“It’s hit or miss. Most are nice, though everyone knows they’re snoops.” She wrinkled her nose. “Some are assholes, but you already know that. Thank you, by the way.”
“You are welcome.”
“Did you kill him?” Her voice was so soft he almost didn’t hear her.
Sam studied her expression. After everything the man did to her, did she still worry about him? “I took him to the Scales of Justice, and she sentenced him to hell.”
She averted her gaze, but Sam saw the tension melt from her shoulders. “Thank you.”
He didn’t like that she wouldn’t look at him. “You already said that.”
She huffed, making him smile. Her demeanor was sweet, but she had a little fire in her as well. He liked this woman who saved a cat but stood up for herself against a seedy guard, and who feared an Angel but still made her annoyance clear.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she mumbled, smoothing a hand over her hair. Tonight, it was half up and hanging halfway down her chest.
“My name is Sam.” He held out his hand.
She chewed on the inside of her cheek before tentatively shaking it. “Anastasia.”
His lips twitched. It suited her better than her nickname. “You have access to the king’s office?”
Yanking her hand back, she backed up. “Whatever you’re about to ask, the answer is no.”
“You are afraid of the king,” he observed. “Why?” The Lux rulers were often known for their kind nature, even Gedeon. He was a talented actor.
Anastasia fidgeted, and Sam involuntarily took a step toward her. “I’ll lose my job. Staff members are fired for even mentioning the new guards or questioning anything the king does,” she replied. “Especially the Aatxe guards.”
“Why would they fire Aatxe guards?” Sam asked, switching to commander mode. It was rare for an Aatxe to be fired. They’re honest and good at their jobs.
Anastasia pursed her lips. “I just told you. Gossiping, asking questions, looking at a new guard wrong; take your pick. Imagine what would happen if someone was caught snooping around the king’s office. Not even to help an Angel.”
“I would let nothing happen to you,” he promised her, meaning every word.
She puffed out a disbelieving laugh. “Is that so? Tell me, have you seen me since you were here last?” Before he could answer, she continued. “Because I haven’t seen you, and unless you are trailing me every second of every day, your word means nothing.”
His wings ruffled with his anger. She was right, and if Gedeon hurt her, he would kill everyone in the realms without question. “If there comes a day that I need your help to get into Gedeon’s office, I will take you with me when I leave and never let you out of my sight again.”
She stood still enough to be mistaken for a statue before she burst out laughing. “What the fuck?” Her laughter made him want to bend her over his knee and spank her.
“This is not a laughing matter, Anastasia.” The laughter stopped abruptly. “We do not know what will happen in the long run if the Lux King goes unchecked, but as of now, a friend’s life is in danger, and by proxy, the Umbra King’s life, as well.”
He knew if Rory died, Caius would soon follow. The king’s grief would pull him into an early grave.
“The king who killed his sister?” she squeaked. “There are Umbra King worshipers who think he’s coming back any day to take over Erdikoa. They say a battle will destroy half of the realm.”
He rubbed a hand down his face. “Now is not the time to discuss conspiracy theorists. Lives are in real danger.”
“You’re serious,” she breathed. “What the fuck?”
His eyes narrowed. “You already said that.”
“Stop telling me what I’ve already said,” she snapped. He rubbed his mouth to hide his smile but wasn’t fast enough. “This is not a laughing matter, Sam.”
“I know it is a lot to ask, and I will not ask it of you today, but there might come a time when I need you. I will not let you do anything dangerous alone.”
He saw the moment he won her over, but it didn’t make him happy. The defeated look on her face made him hate himself. “Okay.” Her brown eyes found his. “You promise you won’t get me killed?”
“With everything I am.” He moved closer and kneeled before her. Her lips parted slightly. “I, Samyaza, commander of the Vincula legion and heir to the Aravoth throne, promise to protect you in this life and the next. If I fail, I will find you in the aether.”
“Samyaza?” The color drained from her face.
He stood and placed a large hand on her shoulder. “Do not faint again.”
She shook his hand off her shoulder and rubbed her forehead. “I can’t believe I’m trusting someone who is heir to a made-up kingdom, but okay.” Without looking at him, she grabbed her cart and wheeled it toward the door. “If I die, I’ll kill you.”
He’d never smiled so big in his entire life.
Sam met Lauren at the bunker behind the palace. She leaned against the doorframe as he approached and lifted a perfectly manicured brow. “Why does your face look like that?”
His smile dropped instantly. “My face always looks like this.”
It was the wrong thing to say. “No, it doesn’t. Why do you look happy? Did you fuck someone when you were supposed to be working?”
He and Lauren had warmed each other’s beds, but that was as far as it went. They’d been friends forever, and Lauren often found comfort in other companions. Sam did occasionally, but it was rare, and now she smelled blood in the water.
Something about referring to Anastasia as a ‘fuck’ set him off, and he turned on her. “Do not speak that way about my personal matters again.”
Most would have run screaming at the promise of violence in his voice, but Lauren’s face lit up like a Plenilune festival. “You like this person. Spill.”
“I do not like people,” Sam countered. “We have a job to do. Did you learn anything or not?”
Lauren planted both hands on her hips. “It’s okay to want something for yourself, Samyaza.” Her voice softened. “It’s okay to be happy.” When he ignored her, she dropped her hands to her sides. “No. Gedeon was fucking someone, unimpressively, might I add, but there was nothing amiss.”
Sam rolled their tiff from his shoulders. “Gedeon hired non-Aatxe guards to be spies around the palace, which I already knew from Adila, but Anastasia confirmed it. According to her, staff members are fired for mentioning anything negative where the king and new guards are concerned.”
“Damn,” Lauren said finally. “What is he hiding?”
“I do not know,” he replied.
“That doesn’t tell us much, but at least it’s something,” Lauren said and patted Sam on the shoulder. “I need to get to Rory.”
He stalked back to the bunker to change.
It’s okay to be happy.