The thumping was rhythmic and consistent, continuing on for at least five minutes before Toji calmly opened the door and strode purposefully across the large office to the desk where Hero sat, banging his forehead against the smooth, worn wood. Of course Glen had to be efficient and find all those who had contracts already prepared for him and Hawk to review. Apparently there were already plenty of Divine businesses and schools already set up, but none of them organized or with any Royal Divine backing to get them moving. Glen Andrews had already known about them and had sent an associate over to the Grace home with several folders containing different contracts before the day was out.
Fucking bastard, we’re supposed to be on vacation working on our marriage!
With well timed accuracy, Toji slid a sofa pillow between Hero’s head and the desk, the motion finally ceasing.
“Stop it, you’ll give yourself a headache,” the imp said, slapping a folder down next to his boss. “Besides, Hawk won’t be happy if you have a giant bruise on your face.”
“It’ll heal,” Hero said, his voice muffled by the pillow. “Gone by the time he gets back.”
“Whatever, sit up and look at this.” He tapped the folder twice before shifting into a cat, perching himself in front of Hero, nonchalantly licking his paw.
Hero reached up and smacked the folder, sliding it down to his lap. “You shouldn’t speak to your King that way,” he said, moving his head so he could peer at the documents.
“I’ll let you know when I start caring,” the cat replied with a yawn.
“What am I looking at, anyway?”
“The police report on the second murdered exile you asked about.”
“It’s thin,” Hero noted, flipping through the pages. “Just like the last one.” He sat up with a loud moan, the top of his head hitting the back of his father’s leather chair.
“Apparently exiles in this region keep such a low profile, when they die no one seems to notice.”
“This one took place south of here,” Hero said, pushing the pillow aside and placing the folder in front of him, rubbing at the knot that was forming on his forehead. “Andrews said all these murders took place around the same time, about a week ago, right?”
Toji stared at him.
Hero didn’t bother to look up at him, keeping his focus on the file instead. It was thin, only a few pages detailing the victim’s crime scene, personal information, and his autopsy report. His brow furrowed at one of the images provided. It was of the exile’s stomach, a character carved into it with a sharp blade. According to the report, it was most likely done by a box cutter.
“It’s Divine writing,” he said. “Hawk said he was going to teach me to read it but we haven’t found the time lately.”
“Well, when Mommy and Daddy fight, a lot of things get ignored.” Toji stood and peered at the image.
Hero sighed, his shoulders slumping. “Sorry, Toji,” he mumbled. “I guess we weren’t keeping it from you as well as we thought. You still shouldn’t have been put through it at all, honestly..”
“It’s fine,” Toji said, not looking up, his head tilting to the side as he examined the character. “I would have been more concerned if you hadn’t been fighting. At least you guys didn’t get abusive.”
We tried not to…especially not around you…
Hero petted the cat’s head, scratching him gently behind the ears. Toji began purring instantly. He sat on his haunches and yawned. “‘Revenge’,” he said.
Hero’s hand paused on Toji’s back. “That’s an odd thing to carve into a corpse,” he said. “Revenge for what?”
“If Ciel did it like Andrews believes, then who knows. The guy seems pretty unstable, according to all the reports we’ve been getting since last night.”
Hero shook his head. “Not even a full twenty-four hours and already sources are coming out of the woodworks.” He sat back and spun the chair gently back and forth as he read the report.
The victim had been a male of undetermined age and ethnicity, possibly middle-eastern. He was found on a river bank, beaten and stabbed multiple times, his head twisted backwards, his limbs broken. There were two lateral wounds on his back, reaching from his shoulder blades to mid-back. According to the medical examiner, it looked as though someone not only cut into the victim, but pulled something out of him.
“His wings,” Hero mumbled to himself. “Bastard tore his wings off.” He closed the file and tossed it gently back on the desk, rubbing his face with both hands before sliding them through his hair, folding his fingers together behind his head. “The first one was a demon, this one an angel, the third one a siren.”
“That’s the one Hawk is looking into,” Toji said, folding his legs under his body.
“Only because it was lucky enough to be discovered by a cop who happens to be a Divine. Otherwise, there would be no report to find.”
“There would be a whole lot less than that, Hero,” Toji said. “If a human cop had found her, she would have been taken off to the local university for study.”
“Or the feds would have swooped in and taken her away,” Hero said, his eyes going to the ceiling. “There weren’t any characters on the demon, right?”
“The images provided weren’t all that great,” Toji said. “Just his face, chest, and limbs.”
“Wonder why that was,” Hero thought aloud. “They’re supposed to take full body images at autopsy.”
“Maybe the ME was an exile?”
“Maybe,” Hero nodded. “One that probably had an encounter with Ciel at some point and wasn’t eager to have another one?”
You’ll pay.
Hero stopped the chair, confused by Hawk’s message. For dinner?
That’s what he carved into the siren. “You’ll pay.”
“Revenge” is on the angel.
“I’m curious,” Hero spoke to Toji. “Is there some kind of connection with these victims outside of them being exiles?”
“If you’re wondering if they were former bedfellows, the answer is no,” Toji responded. “Hawk didn’t sleep with the Divine, not after he was exiled.”
“That’s not what I was wondering at all, but thanks for that.”
“Anytime.” Toji yawned and stretched, flopping on his side, his tail flicking as he faced Hero, watching him with hooded eyes. “However, it is possible they all may have fought on our side during the Battle.”
“I doubt Ciel would care much about that if he’s an exile, too,” Hero pointed out. “According to Hawk, all the exiles from that time were those who had fought on the side of Hell and against Lucifer.”
“True.”
Hero resumed his back and forth twisting, his eyes following the patterns in the tiles on the ceiling. “What if,” he finally said after a short while, “there is no connection. That Ciel chose these victims simply because they’re exiles?”
“To get our attention?”
Hero nodded. “A dead human isn’t as important to a Devil King as an exile is.”
“Or to the Blood King, for that matter.”
Hero’s whole body tensed and his hands folded into fists. It was only when Hawk wasn’t around that he felt physically repulsed by the name. It wasn’t that he felt any less disgust in regards to the demon when Hawk was near, but Hawk was his comfort, his shield against the onslaught of violent memories that he had to work hard at repressing. There were times when it simply couldn’t be done, however. That’s when he would go out to the woods and test out his soundproof barriers, screaming for hours at the top of his lungs. Hawk had never heard him, never asked where he was. Hero knew better than to believe Hawk hadn’t cared, of course. He just had no idea how to deal with the situation.
Toji watched him carefully, waiting to see if he would be needed. The last time Hero had reacted this way to the title of his attacker, Toji had to sedate him. After a minute, he breathed a sigh of relief as Hero relaxed. He still kept his golden eyes affixed on his King’s face.
“He’s still going to talk to him,” he said, his tail wrapping around his body once before flicking back behind him. “Isn’t he.”
Hero closed his eyes, gently raising the shield. Hawk, uncomfortable about it, understood. Sometimes, Hero needed to be alone, or needed to confide in someone and Hawk was coming to accept it.
“I can’t dissuade him otherwise, Toji,” Hero said, letting his head rest on his fingers. “He’s determined to do this no matter what I say. I understand his reasoning and I’m not saying he’s wrong, but…I just wish there was another way.”
“If I may offer my wisdom?”
Hero nodded.
“Let him do this.”
Hero’s eyes snapped open, his gaze on the little black cat lounging on his father’s desk, sprawled across the paperwork Hero had been agonizing over for the last two hours.
“Hawk isn’t an idiot. He knows the Blood King better than anyone. He knows how he thinks, how he reacts, what to do to counter him if necessary. Everything he’s doing is for you, for both of you. He understands and accepts the risks and is still willing to face them if it means keeping you safe.”
“But a deal?”
“It’s the best chance we have of keeping him contained,” Toji said. “They’re splitting more and more every day and that concerns me. I don’t want to lose my friend any more than you want to lose your husband. Honestly, I’m kind of hoping I’m wrong and Hawk won’t die, that I may just be fearing the worst possible outcome. But everything I know tells me that’s what is going to happen.”
“Everything you know about what? Have you heard of any other demon with a soul?”
Toji looked away. “No,” he said. “It’s just…” he sighed. “You do know I don’t just sit around all day and do nothing but wait for him to need his ass kicked, right?”
“I never gave that a thought.”
“I do a lot of reading. History, theology, mythology, anthropology, any -ology you can probably think of. I can also still go into the Veil when I want, too. I have access to the entire space so trying to find me is impossible. You only have access to what was created for you.”
“Explain the Battle of the Veil, then. Hawk was all over it, and Charlotte said he still has free reign if he chose to use it.”
Toji’s tail swishing stopped. “What else did she tell you?”
Hero met his gaze, unblinking. “Quite a bit.”
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