Chapter Four
Ronen spent the night circling the sky above the facility in between bouts of perching on palm trees. He wasn’t a fan. The lack of thick branches and a trunk to lean against was ridiculously uncomfortable. But since he wasn’t a part of the ground mission, he was stuck on the outside perimeter.
As it was, he’d already had a head full of Victor’s complaints about his presence. Ronen had a feeling that no one believed Tanner was his actual mate or Nephilim, that he was merely hot for Tanner and looking for an excuse to hook up while on the job.
He was still fuming about it. While many of the gargoyles banged humans indiscriminately, Ronen didn’t.
What really upset him, though, was the assumption that Tanner wasn’t a Nephilim.
The team’s belief was unsettling. It meant that all they detected in Tanner was the darkness, that all his light was hidden from everyone except Ronen.
Ronen’s fear that his mate would succumb to the rogue forces before he could be saved terrified him.
After discreetly verifying that Tanner made it back to his dorm room safely, Ronen had retrieved his car and driven back to the lair.
He snuck into the Gesu Church, located the hidden panel behind an antique tapestry, then made his way down the winding stone steps to the entrance.
He was now waiting in the conference room for the others to arrive.
Ronen grunted. He couldn’t wait to face the irritation of his team members.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t lover boy.”
Victor’s voice sounded from behind him at the entrance to the room, but Ronen didn’t bother turning around.
“I was wondering when you’d show up.” Ronen kept his voice even, refusing to give Victor the satisfaction of seeing him riled. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.
Victor stalked around the conference table, his heavy footsteps echoing in the otherwise empty, stone-walled room. “You’ve got some nerve showing up here after that stunt you pulled.”
“What stunt would that be? Following protocol by monitoring a Nephilim who happens to be my mate?” Ronen met Victor’s glare with one of his own.
“Don’t play dumb.” Victor slammed his palms on the table, leaning forward. “You compromised the mission by getting personally involved. That boy is no Nephilim,” he scoffed. “He’s just a human with a darkness in him that you’re mistaking for something else because you’re thinking with your dick.”
Ronen gritted his teeth. The accusation hit too close to home, making it sting even more. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I?” Victor straightened, his scarred face twisting into a sneer. “I’ve seen this before. Slayer gets fixated on a human, convinces himself it’s some grand destiny. Next thing you know, he’s compromising missions, endangering the team.”
“Tanner is different.” Ronen rose to his full height, towering over Victor, his back prickling where his wings itched to break free. “I can sense it. The light in him—”
“The light?” Victor barked out a laugh. “All I detect is darkness. He reeks of it. You think your dick has special sensing abilities the rest of us don’t possess?”
Ronen clenched his fists, his claws on the verge of shooting out. “When did you get close enough to him to detect anything? Huh? What do you know about Tanner?”
They both squared off, the only barrier between them being the large, round oak table.
“Boys, please! Have some decorum. We occupy sacred ground.” Cassiel appeared in his field of vision. “Well, sacred something.” She arched her eyebrows. “Can we bring it down a notch or ten? We’re all fighting the good fight, remember?”
“Ha!” Victor pursed his lips. “Are we really?”
Cassiel scrubbed her face with one hand. “Don’t make me summon Michael. We can’t call on him every time one of you gets his jock in a twist.”
They both slowly took their seats, their eyes narrowed at each other. Ronen inhaled a few calming breaths, then regarded Cassiel.
“What do you mean? Has Michael been summoned since we got here?”
Cassiel lifted an eyebrow. “Notice that Samir isn’t present?”
Ronen pressed his lips together. I fucking knew it. “He’s a traitor, isn’t he?”
Cassiel threw her hands in the air. “You guys need to knock off the distrust with each other. Seriously man. I get being careful, but none of you have worked together as a team since we got assigned this detail!”
Ronen understood her frustration. They were all operating at cross-purposes.
Still, what else could he do? It wasn’t as if he’d deliberately sought out his mate.
Maybe she should summon Michael. Then they would know for sure about Tanner and could quit riding him.
But first, he needed to know what was going on with Samir.
Victor still looked as if someone had broken the head off his favorite doll. “So, what was it then? And why wasn’t I informed? I was the one who brought him on board.”
“I’m informing you now,” Cassiel said, her tone firm. “Samir's been reassigned. Michael and Uriel materialized at the end of the operation last night, said he was to report to the San Gabriel Mission, then escorted him out. That’s all I know. We should have an emergency replacement by tonight.”
Ronen wasn't buying it. Reassignment in the middle of a critical mission? That reeked of trouble. “Was he compromised?”
Cassiel heaved a sigh. “As I said, that’s all I know. My clearance doesn’t encompass such details.” Her eyes darted away for a second—enough for Ronen to know she was holding back.
“Why didn’t Uriel or Michael come to me, huh?” Victor snarled. “Samir was my guy.”
Cassiel furrowed her brow. “So? What difference does it make? The real issue is that we’ve lost our guy who knew the inside of the facility.” She dragged her fingers through her short hair. “Victor, did you get a good sense of the layout last night?”
Victor was still grumbling about something under his breath, but he finally looked up. “Yeah. I got it. Plus, we still have the map and everything he noted on it.”
Cassiel nodded. “Good. Were you able to identify the buildings he wasn’t sure of, or did you get that far?”
Victor shook his head. “We did a basic reconnaissance of the perimeter, observed the facility's security personnel, their schedule, and shift changes.” He frowned. “It’s going to take at least a week of observation to nail down a definite routine. Ideally, longer. But we don’t know how much time we have before they achieve what they’re after. ”
“Right. We can’t drag our heels,” Cassiel agreed. “Ronen, what were you able to find out regarding Tanner’s involvement there?”
Her question caught him off guard. He’d been prepared to defend his position with Tanner, to apologize for revealing himself to his mate so soon. She also hadn’t questioned the truth of whether Tanner was his mate.
“We barely had a chance to speak. He seemed anxious not to be late for work. His fear went beyond the normal anxiety—it rolled off him in waves. Also…” Ronen squirmed on his chair, suddenly hyperaware that he was revealing personal details about his mate connection.
Yet, he was bound by his duty as a Slayer.
“While I was able to recognize him as my true mate the moment I touched him—“ he shot a glare at Victor before continuing— “he didn’t respond to me the way I would’ve expected. At one point, it was almost as if I repulsed him before his demeanor abruptly changed again.”
Victor rolled his eyes. “Oh, brother. Match made in heaven for sure.”
“That’s enough, Victor,” growled Cassiel. “It’s still early enough in the mission to have you reassigned as well.” She turned to Ronen. “Was that all?”
“He gave me his contact info,” Ronen replied as he ignored Victor’s heated glare. “I feel as though he wants to be around me yet doesn’t at the same time.”
“Hmm…” Cassiel lightly tapped the chair arm. “Interesting. If he’s truly your mate, you would’ve triggered his heat. Even if he feared you for some reason, his body wouldn’t have cared.”
“He’s my mate. There’s no doubt.”
Ronen’s words came out harsher than he’d expected. Then again, he hadn’t expected anything that had happened.
“Hey, I’m not saying he isn’t,” Cassiel said, her tone reassuring.
“Only that it’s odd. As if he’s been infected with something.
I mean, think about it. We’ve been operating on intel that humans are being used, that Marianne Walker, who holds a high government position, has been compromised.
But a Nephilim?” She let out a low whistle. “That’s next level.”
Ronen nodded. “That’s what I was wondering, too. How is it he could be exposed to that amount of darkness on an extended basis? And did the demons target him more for his angelic side than his hacking skills?”
All night, his imagination had been running overtime, picturing what might be happening inside the office building where Tanner worked. The only thing that prevented him from busting the door down and whisking him away was that he’d never sensed Tanner’s fear.
Cassiel appeared lost in thought, while Victor sat across from them scowling like a petulant child.
“Well,” sighed Cassiel. “I think we have to summon Michael after all. I’m out of my depth here with this Nephilim situation.” She regarded Ronen. “You said he gave you his contact info?”
“Yeah.” Ronen couldn’t stop the smile tugging at his lips. “He invited me out.”
Victor shot up from his chair. “I need to get some shut-eye. Wake me when Michael arrives.”
Cassiel called after him as he stomped out of the room, “I’ll send Michael to your room when he gets here.
I’m sure he’ll love that!” She regarded Ronen, her jaw hanging open.
“The fuck is his problem? I want to behave myself and be a good little captain, remain professional, but he makes me want to throat-punch him.”
Ronen snort-laughed. “I think you’re showing remarkable restraint.” He lowered his chin before meeting her gaze. “You believe me, though, right? About Tanner?”