“Damn it all! Not you too?” Azrael exclaimed.
“Hold on,” I snarled. “Wait for me to speak before you convict me.”
“You obviously agree with them.” Azrael waved his hand out toward the others.
“I agree with how it appears,” I said. “But I trust you, Azrael. You know him better than all of us.”
Azrael's shoulders drooped and his expression softened.
“I doubted you when it came to Samael before,” I went on. “And I was wrong. I won't make that mistake again. If you say it isn't him; I believe you.”
“Thank you,” Azrael whispered.
“Vervain, we have to work with the facts,” Thor said. “And the facts are; both families attributed angelic qualities to this killer and described him as being an exotic looking man with dark hair. Then there's the fact that Samael is a death angel and possesses the ability to remove souls from bodies. He doesn't even need a weapon like Azrael, he just uses his hands; just like the exorcist.”
There was something tight around the edges of Thor's eyes that made me stare at him a little longer than necessary. His jaw clenched and a slight flush filled his pale cheeks. I blinked in surprise as Thor ran a hand through his strawberry blond hair and looked away from me.
Oh, sweet Norse Gods! Was Thor remembering our time together? We'd been married in one of those wrong timelines of Aion's. Just thinking about it brought up erotic images of Thor and me together; scenes of married life with him. It made something ache in my chest; the feelings I had buried when I'd moved on from him. Damn it; this was the last thing I needed. Thor and I had been through a lot; both together and to get over being together. I really didn't want to rehash everything. Nor did I want to see Thor hurt again.
But he didn't look back up at me, and I had the attention of my husbands, boyfriends, and the Squad on me now. I had to say something.
“Samael could glamour himself to look like anyone,” I reasoned. “Why would he show up as himself? And what about his snake eyes? That would be something the families would notice, and I don't think they'd call it angelic.”
“You just answered your own question,” Blue said. “He glamoured his eyes only; the easiest solution is the best.”
“But why would Samael kill demons?” Azrael growled. “His children are demons!”
We all went silent; that was something no one had considered. I was pleased with myself for going with Azrael this time, and I internally vowed to do so from now on. At least where angel stuff is concerned.
“I think we can safely rule out Samael,” I said. “There's no way he'd jeopardize the lives of his children.”
“He'd recognize his child's soul,” Thor argued. “He would know not to take it.”
“That's weak, dude,” Trevor said. “Give this one to Az; he knows his own people better than we do, and he has the greatest attachment to the Demons. It would be stupid of us to waste time running down a lead just for the sake of our pride.”
“He wouldn't want to jeopardize his children,” I repeated with a more pensive tone.
“Yeah; we heard you the first time,” Horus said dryly.
Hekate smacked him.
Horus grabbed his wife's hand and leaned toward her to whisper, “I've had enough of this abuse, Katie. From this moment forward, every time you hit me, I will punish you for it in private.”
Hekate began to smile—slow and deviously—and then deliberately smacked him in the chest. Horus rolled his eyes, but they were glittering with anticipation.
“It's a shame Pan missed that little exchange,” Finn noted with a smirk.
“Hello?” I snapped at everyone. “Samael won't want his children hurt. Samael; the powerful ruler of Makhon.”
“Yes, we got that,” Morpheus said. “What's your point?”
“That he has a reason to help us!” Azrael exclaimed. “You're brilliant, Carus!”
“Thank you.” I nodded regally and popped a piece of steak in my mouth.
“I fail to see how he will be of any more use than the rest of us,” Horus said.
“He's a death angel,” Azrael said. “And he keeps extensive records; he watches.”
“Right; the eyes thing,” I muttered and shivered.
One of the myths about Samael was that he was covered in eyes. He probably could take such a form, but he usually appeared as a tall, gangly man with striking features; including a pair—only one pair—of pale green, serpent eyes. And he had wings, of course. Samael was an angel, so he came equipped with feathered wings, and his were as black as Azrael's.
“I'll go speak with him,” Azrael said and started off.
“Hold on!” Trevor grabbed his arm. “You aren't going alone, and you haven't eaten yet. Sit down, put some food in your belly, and then we can go together, Brother.”
It was the 'brother' that stopped Azrael and made him take a deep breath. I think he'd felt attacked with how he had to defend Samael, and he'd briefly forgotten that we were all family here, and we wanted to help him. We loved him.
“Okay.” Azrael gave in and took a seat at the table.
“I'm going too,” I said to him.
Azrael smiled at me. “That will help; Sam likes you.”
“I would never have guessed,” I said in surprise.
“He doesn't instantly sneer when he sees you,” Azrael said and then nodded his thanks as he accepted a plate of food from Aidan. “That's high praise from Sam.”
I considered this. I couldn't remember if Samael had sneered or not the last time I saw him. I'd have to pay more attention this time.
“Why don't the rest of you go home and get
