Fate [The Angel Pack 14] (Siren Publishing Menage Amour ManLove)

by Maggie Walsh

  “Now do you see why we’re acting strange?” Ryx asked.

  “How? Who? Who is this?” Dante asked, his shock matching the others.

  “And why is Sasha in there with him?” Dare asked.

  “For some reason, he feels safe with the big lug. Probably because Sasha all but made a blood promise to protect him,” Valor explained.

  “You what?” Ryland asked in surprise.

  “He’s terrified and needed assurance that no harm would come to him. I gave him my word that no one would hurt him,” Sasha answered.

  “Who is he?” Micah asked.

  They explained everything that had happened until they brought the little man here and came to get them. The whole time, Micah and the others just stared at the little man in Sasha’s arms.

  “So, this is Samuel? The same Samuel that Brighton told us about?” Dante asked.

  “We’re not entirely sure, but we think so,” Nicco said.

  “I have a bad feeling about this in the pit of my stomach,” Jesse whispered.

  “Are you thinking what I am thinking, mate?” Micah asked and looked at Jesse. Their gazes met. Jesse nodded at Micah before turning back to look in the cell.

  “Shit. Are you two thinking with what we found out the other night and now this…” Dante trailed off.

  “What else could it be?” Phenex asked.

  “What are you all talking about? What happened the other night? Did the others make it back from Wyoming okay? Are they still there and something happened to them?” Valor asked in a panic.

  “They made it back just fine. The curse has been removed from Xavier and he and Liam can finally be together. This has nothing to do with that,” Ryland answered and moved away from the cell.

  “A lot happened while you were all gone,” Dare added.

  “Like what?” Nicco asked, moving closer.

  “Xavier is safe, and he and Liam have finally claimed each other. Two cute little pixie-sized men showed up at our door, unannounced, saying they knew where Cass’s mates were,” Micah answered as he began to pace.

  “They do or are they messing with Cass?” Valor asked with a protective growl.

  “Oh, they knew all right. Turns out, they were, are, Cass’s mates. The three of them have been locked in his room since,” Jesse explained as he stepped in front of Micah, stopping him.

  “So, his mates just showed up on your doorstep?” Valor asked in disbelief.

  “What do you care, big guy? You found two mates of your own,” Ryx huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

  “Cass and I once shared something and he will always hold a special place in my heart. He is still my friend and I don’t want anyone hurting him.”

  “Do your mates know that?” Nicco asked.

  “My mates are very aware of what Cass and I had and that it is over and how I still feel about him. But they also know how much I love them and no one, not even Cass, will ever get in the way of my love for them.”

  “So, he really found his mates?” Nicco asked.

  “Yes. They’re cute little things, too. And one of them is a feline shifter, so…” Micah said with a shrug.

  “So, the three of them won’t be seen for days because of the mating heat. Lucky bastard,” Ryx grumbled.

  “Now that we played catch up, what are we gonna do with this?” Dare said as he motioned toward Samuel.

  “Good question. I think we need to get as much information from him as possible before we figure the other thing out,” Micah stated.

  “Is he okay enough to talk, Sasha?” Dante asked with concern.

  “He’s tired and weak,” Sasha replied. “I know he is terrified that the council will hurt him and possibly kill him, but I have a feeling he was forced to do what he has done and if given the choice, he never would have helped Malachi, Brighton, Minos, or Hades.”

  Micah stepped closer to the bars and crouched down low, keeping his gaze on Samuel, who sat on Sasha’s lap, huddled against him like a lifeline. “My name is Micah Angel, Samuel, and as the Alpha Prime, I give you my word that no harm will come to you. Would it be okay if we spoke with you? Asked you some questions?”

  Big green eyes looked at him wide-eyed and full of fear. As Micah made his oath, he could see some of that fear diminish.

  “You’re asking my permission?” Samuel asked quietly.

  “Of course, I am. You are your own man. What you say and do is your choice here, we won’t force you.”

  Samuel looked up at Sasha as if asking for his permission. “Micah is correct, little one,” said Sasha. “The decision is all yours to make on your own. I told you no one would force you to do anything that you don’t want to do.”

  “But…what if they ask me what I did and they hate me for it? Won’t they want to hurt me then when they find out?” Samuel asked, then swallowed thickly.

  Sasha ran a comforting hand down Samuel’s back as he gave him a soft smile. “No, Samuel. I think…I know, if you tell the council everything, honestly, including why you did what you did, they will understand. I promise you that they are all caring, compassionate men who will only want to help you and protect you once they know the full truth.”

  “I trust you, Sasha. So, I guess I should tell them.”

  “Thank you, sweetie, for giving me your trust. I am honored. I will never do anything to betray that trust, you have my word. And as far as you speaking with the council and what you tell them, that’s entirely up to you. As I said, you make the choices for you. You do what you think is best for you.”

  Samuel gave Sasha a small smile, then turned to face Micah. “Where do I start?”

  Chapter Five

  “Where is everybody?” Aaron asked as he strolled into the kitchen with Rory and Raith by his side. The trio stopped at the center island and sat.

  “Xavier and Liam are still locked in their room, and Cass and his two cuties are still going at it. I just brought trays up to both rooms and the sounds coming from within those walls were smokin’ hot,” Shelby answered as he poured a cup of coffee.

  “I know exactly what Cass and those two are going through. Having two hot mates myself and having one of them going into heat once a month is glorious,” Rory said and fanned himself.

  “Don’t gloat. It doesn’t look good on you, shorty,” Shelby said as he sat next to Rory and mussed his hair.

  Rory smacked his hand away and growled. “Not gloating. Okay, I’m gloating. Ha.” Rory stuck out his tongue.

  “Baby boy,” Raith warned.

  “What?” Rory asked innocently.

  “Just because I call you baby boy doesn’t mean you should act like one. Remember what I said. I love my men to be men. If you behave like a small boy, I will not touch you,” Raith admonished gently but firmly. Rory pouted as he crossed his arms over his chest then remained silent.

  “Don’t pout, Rory. Even if you are cute as hell when you do it. You wouldn’t want to miss out on our mate’s very skilled tongue and cock, now would you?” Aaron said with a smirk.

  “Oh, I get it. Ganging up on me, are you? Fine, see if I bring you food next time you three lock yourselves away to fuck like rabbits. Tell me something, do you video that hot action, then watch it later? Because if you do, how much for a peek?” Shelby smiled bright.

  “I’m beginning to think I’m not enough for you, starshine. Every time I turn around you’re talking about how hot someone is or wanting to watch others having sex,” Xander grumbled as he walked into the kitchen, avoiding Shelby, and heading right for the fridge.

  “Of course, you’re enough for me, sunshine. You’re more than enough. I just think it would be hot to watch a ménage couple, trio, whatever, going at it. Aren’t you curious to see what goes where and in who?”

  Xander turned with a bottle of water in his hand and took a big sip, before answering his mate. “I know exactly what goes where. And thinking of any of my pack brothers having sex with their mates is not something I do. I’m heading out on p
atrol, howl if you need me, Raith,” Xander said tightly, then headed for the door.

  “X, do you know where everyone else is?” Raith asked before Xander stepped out.

  He stopped and turned back to look at Raith. “Yeah, Nicco and the guys are back and said something about putting some guy in one of the cells downstairs. I’m a little shocked to see they didn’t call for Aaron, seeing as Nicco said the guy was injured. Anyway, I’m off. I’ll be back tonight,” Xander replied, then disappeared out the back door.

  “Shit. I am an ass and in so much trouble,” Shelby worried.

  “You were only teasing,” Rory said.

  “I know that, and you know that. Hell, even my mate knows that, but he’s right. I have been making comments about others too much lately and I shouldn’t do that. I should think of how it affects my mate. And from the tightness in his voice and the stiffness of his body language, I would say it’s affecting him more than I realized. If you’ll all excuse me. I need to go figure out a way to make this up to my wonderful man,” Shelby said sadly, then stood, and left.

  “I hope they’ll be okay,” Rory worried.

  Raith wrapped an arm around Rory’s shoulders, giving him a gentle hug. “They’ll be fine, baby. They’ll work it out. Now that Shelby is more aware of it I am positive he’ll take care of it.” Rory gave him a tight smile, then leaned into Raith’s side.

  “Why didn’t they call me if there was an injured man downstairs?” Aaron asked absently.

  “They probably thought you needed some rest after everything that happened last night with your parents. I’m sure if it were serious someone would have come for you,” Raith said comforting Aaron.

  “You’re probably right,” Aaron sighed, then crossed his arms over the counter, and laid his chin on his arms.

  “So how are you really feeling this morning after everything that happened yesterday?” Raith asked cautiously. Aaron could hear the hesitancy in his voice.

  “Happy and sad at the same time. Happy that my parents, or those I had always thought were my parents, aren’t really. It explains so much about how they have treated me my whole life. But sad also because they are the only parents I ever knew. Then I think about having real parents out there somewhere. I know Father, Papa, and Mother, I mean Joshua, Leland, and Lila said that my real parents were dead, but what if they’re not? What if they’re actually out there somewhere wondering where I am, or worse, thinking that I was dead all these years?”

  Raith wrapped his other arm over Aaron’s back and gave him a squeeze as he kissed his shoulder. “You have us to help you find those answers, baby. And Storm, as well as the rest of our family.”

  “Storm. Oh gods, I need to call him and see how he is this morning. I know everything that happened is just as shocking to him as it is to me. I want him to know that this changes nothing for me. He is still my brother and always will be.”

  “How about we go over there right now and check on him? The two of you can take all the time you need to talk while we visit with Noah, Bastian, and the babies.”

  “That sounds great. Thank you, mate,” Aaron said, then kissed Raith on the cheek before he stood. “Should I go check on the guy downstairs before we go, just in case?”

  “That’s a good idea. And then we can tell Micah where we’ll be if he needs us,” Raith agreed as he and Rory stood. The three of them walked down the back hall, heading for the basement.

  * * * *

  “When I was a little boy, only about a year old, my family was attacked and we were all taken by this evil man named Malachi. I don’t actually remember this part, but my parents told me about it. Malachi said that he saw me, grown up, in a prophecy that he had and that he knew I was going to grow up to be very smart. So smart, that I was going to create these super drugs and super shifters,” Samuel started to explain as he sat on Sasha’s lap in the cell.

  “My parents and older siblings tried to fight him and the others, but they were too strong. He and the others all had magic and they used it against my family. Two of my older brothers were killed trying to protect me and my other siblings. One of my brothers was carrying my twin brother when Malachi shot an energy ball at them, killing them.

  “My parents were so distraught, but they fought with everything that they had to protect the rest of us. Malachi was able to get me away from my older sister, and he told my parents that if they didn’t comply with his demands, he would just kill them all and take me anyway. So, my parents stopped fighting and Malachi took us all,” Samuel said as tears ran down his cheeks.

  “How many of you were there?” Micah asked softly as he sat on the floor outside the cell, listening to Samuel, with Jesse on his lap. All the other council members stood around listening intently.

  “They killed two of my older brothers, one of my older sisters, and my twin brother, Shawn. Then Malachi and his people took Mama and Papa, me, and my brothers Conner and Dylan, and my sister Erin. They kept us in this house somewhere in East Asia, I’m not exactly sure. We were never allowed out. Malachi kept wards around the place, and only those he sent were allowed in.

  “He insisted that I get a good education and I spent over a hundred years studying. First the basics, of course, like reading and writing, as well as math. Then as I got older, the focus was mainly on math and science. Malachi got me the best tutors and the best of everything that I would need. Somewhere around thirty, he made me focus on physiology, botany, and hematology. He got me every sample I could ever wish for, from human, to vampire, to a hundred different shifter breeds. He also found me angel blood and demon blood. I spent the next hundred years trying to figure out how to splice those cells together to get the desired effect he was looking for.

  “At first my experiments didn’t go so well and some of those creatures he had me do testing on…it was horrible,” Samuel cried, then turned his face into Sasha’s chest and sobbed.

  Everyone remained silent, giving Samuel the time he needed. “Maybe we should stop for now and let Samuel rest,” Dante offered.

  “No, I want to keep going, if that’s okay?” Samuel said as he turned back to face them.

  “Only if you think you can, sweetie. We don’t need to do it all now if it is too much on you,” Jesse replied.

  “Now that I have someone to tell it to, it seems like everything just wants to come out.”

  “Only if you think you can handle it, sweetheart,” Sasha said as he continued to run a gentle hand up Samuel’s back.

  “I do,” he answered with a nod.

  “Okay. But if you need to stop, it’s okay, Samuel,” Micah said.

  Samuel took a deep breath, then continued. “I didn’t want to do it anymore. Hurting those creatures killed me. Malachi got angry and he told me that if I didn’t he would kill a member of my family. I was so scared that I just kept doing what he demanded. Then one day, I was able to transform a human into a vampire. I know it wasn’t supposed to be possible because Malachi said that the only vampires who could convert anyone were from the original six bloodlines. He gave me blood from some of them, but it still didn’t work properly. Then one day he came in with ten vials full of blood. He said half came from the first female vampire and the other five from the first male vampire, and that it should work.”

  “What?” Dante asked in shock as he moved closer.

  “I’m sorry,” Samuel cried and began to shake, as he curled in closer to Sasha.

  “No, I’m sorry, little one. You just took me by surprise, that’s all. I’m not angry with you,” Dante said, sitting on the floor next to Micah.

  “Do you want to stop, Samuel?” Micah asked.

  “No, I’ll go on. I’m sorry if I upset you,” he said to Dante.

  “It’s okay, Samuel. None of this is your fault,” Dante promised.

  “I didn’t know where he got the samples from or if they were what he said they were, but after many tests, it worked. The blood he gave me he claimed came from the first vampires worked, and I was
able to create vampires with human test subjects. Then Malachi told me I needed to change them again and make them rogue. And not just normal rogues, but super rogues. He wanted me to find a way to make vampires, as well as the changed humans, into rogue vampires. It took me many years to pinpoint how to change them, then many more years to figure out how to increase their abilities.”

  “But, eventually, you did figure that out,” Phenex stated.

  “Yes. I used the demon and angel blood mixed together with the rogue serum and it made them more powerful. Stronger, faster, and able to still think for themselves. It also gave them super hearing and sight. But they were loyal to Malachi. I don’t know exactly what he did to them, placed some kind of spell on them or something, but they followed him and did whatever he asked. Now they follow Minos.”

  “How about Hades? Do they follow him, too?” Lucifer asked.

  “I don’t know of any Hades. Once Malachi stopped coming around, Minos took over. Before that, the rogues had to do whatever either of them said.”

  “Is that what you were doing in that cave? Making more rogues?” Ryland asked.

  “Yes, and no. About twenty-five years ago, Malachi told me he wanted me to start working on a serum that would take away paranormals’ powers. I didn’t want to do that. With the experiments I had done on creating the rogues to begin with, and him making me work on a way to make them stronger, I knew if this new breed of rogues were to come up against any paranormal, the fight would be one sided. But if these rogues were to come up against a gifted paranormal, then at least the battle would be more evenly matched. But if I were able to make these super rogues and they were able to take away an opponent’s powers, it would be a slaughter. I didn’t want to do it and I refused,” Samuel said and began to cry again.

  “What did he do when you refused, Samuel?” Dante asked cautiously.

  “He killed my parents. He tied them up and made us watch as he slowly tortured them. We screamed and begged for him to stop, but he only laughed at us. We couldn’t move to try to help them. Malachi had tied us all up and had his rogue vampires holding us. My siblings begged me to just do what Malachi said so that he would stop. So, I did. I told him that I would be good and do whatever he asked,” Samuel cried. He turned back into Sasha and let the tears flow.