Tigress (Night Hawk Series)

by Taylor, J. E.

  Michael’s arms crossed and he glared at me before he moved his gaze to Damian’s.

  “What exactly does she know that I don’t?” Damian asked.

  Michael threw a curve ball that neither Damian nor I saw coming.

  “That I’ve been watching over you for a very long time,” he said and his gaze bounced from Damian’s to mine and back.

  “I failed to save your daughter. Why the hell would you watch over me?”

  “Because, you are Gabriel’s son.”

  Damian shrugged. “What does my father have to do with this?”

  I stared at Michael and my mother’s catholic upbringing brought forth the names of the archangels. Understanding sank in and I gasped. “You mean to tell me, Damian is your nephew?”

  Silence descended between the three of us and when Michael nodded, I stepped back, digesting the implications. Angel blood bound us and that was the principal difference between Damian and the rest of the vampires.

  “But...my parents died when I was a child,” Damian whispered.

  “Yes, unfortunately, they did. My bringing Athena to Greece wasn’t a coincidence. Our brother didn’t know about you because he had been exiled from heaven before you were born and Gabriel had seen what kind of destruction he was capable of. If our brother knew about you, I think you would have had the same fate as my son.”

  “Athena was my...cousin?”

  “Yes,” Michael said.

  Damian shivered and turned away, stalking toward the van without another word.

  “You let him screw around with his cousin?”

  “Times were different back then and I knew he had a strong need to protect her,” Michael said. “I knew he’d die for her and that’s the best a father could hope for, especially with my brother on the warpath.”

  I paused with my hand on the door handle. “So while you’re in human form, you can die like Gabriel?”

  A bitter smile surfaced. “Yes.”

  “And if your other brother was to find you in this form?”

  “I would be just as screwed as the two of you.” He reached past me and opened the door, holding it so I could climb into the cab.

  Damian glared beyond me at the being who had kept him in the dark for millenniums. The hostility in the cab was enough to make me take a deep settling breath. Anger traced its way through the muscles in his face and the tightness of his jaw. His lips presented a thin white line and the only thing holding more resentment was his challenging blue eyes.

  “Fucking angels,” he muttered and pulled out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell.

  I still had a wealth of questions pinging through my brain and when Damian lowered his hand to my knee and gave it a squeeze, I glanced at him. The sheen covering his eyes told me more than any words could have and I went to cover his hand and stopped myself just before our skin touched.

  Gritting my teeth, I pulled my hand away, opting to squeeze his arm through the fabric instead and found my vision distorted by my own tears. I didn’t give a damn if he was an angel or a vampire or some weird half-breed like me, I just wanted to hold him and love him again.

  Chapter Ten - Damian

  I glanced at the clock on the dashboard and her hand on the crook of my arm before refocusing on the road ahead of me. My mind still reeled from Michael’s revelation and I couldn’t bring myself to look at him, never mind speak. For thousands of years, he played me for a fool and I wondered if this was just another part of his twisted game.

  The steering wheel creaked and I dropped my gaze to my hands. My knuckles were white from squeezing the metal and I inhaled, forcing my muscles to relax and the grip on the wheel to loosen. I chanced a glance at Naomi and the tear slowly tracking down her cheek shot straight to my heart.

  I sent a glare at Michael and focused back on the road.

  “Why now?” I asked once I was sure I could speak without lashing out.

  Michael didn’t answer and when I glanced in his direction, he was busy studying the landscape.

  “Well?”

  When his gaze slid to mine, I clenched my teeth, expecting another ultimatum, but his sigh and the shift of his gaze told me all I needed.

  “So, if Naomi hadn’t played the ‘he cares about you’ card, I would still be left in the dark?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “What kind of family were we born into?” I muttered and glanced at Naomi.

  “A colossally dysfunctional one,” she answered. “At least mine is buffered by umpteen generations. You’re the only firstborn angel offspring, so you are totally fucked.”

  Her answer was just as unexpected as Michael’s and I started laughing. Leave it to my lovely wife to say it like it is. I bumped her with my shoulder and she bumped me back.

  The humor faded as I turned over the facts and I pulled off the highway onto a deserted country road, putting the car in park.

  “So, the only reason I survived that pit is because I’m half angel?” I slid my gaze from out the windshield to Michael. He didn’t acknowledge the question. “And Naomi didn’t freak the fuck out like some of my earlier disasters for the same reason?”

  Michael leveled a glare in my direction, one meant to silence my oncoming tirade, but I was already too far gone into the land of fury to let it go. I wanted a piece of this asshole and there wasn’t anything on this earth that could stop me. Not even Naomi.

  “Get out,” I snarled and received identical dropped jaws from both Naomi and Michael.

  “Damian,” she started and I dropped my glare to her.

  “Don’t give me that Damian crap, it’s high time I kick my uncle’s ass.”

  Michael’s face morphed into a mask of anger and his door opened. I don’t think his feet even touched the ground before I was on the other side of the cab. Naomi started to speak and I slammed the passenger door on her, shutting off her ability to divert my attention.

  Michael backed onto the field, his features hard and unreadable, his hands clenched in tight fists by his sides. I considered shifting into shadow form, but I really wanted to see just how good a fighter he was without his angelic powers. I had the advantage with speed and strength, even without my shadow form and we circled like a couple of prize fighters.

  With each step, a low growl emitted from my chest, matching the roaring fury filling my muscles. There were just too many events where I nearly shit my pants in his presence, thinking I was walking a thin line between life and death any time he showed up. I didn’t give a damn about respecting my elders at this moment. All I wanted was a few solid hits and from the expression on his face, he wanted the same.

  We both stepped in at the same time but Michael sidestepped, using my inertia to his advantage and delivered a fist to my ribs as I passed. It wasn’t like a normal human swat; this was full of the same power residing in my veins. I stumbled and caught myself, turning back in his direction and this time, I was more cautious with my approach.

  My ribs throbbed where his punch landed and I silently cursed my sloppy attack. I’m sure if any one of the multitude of sensei I’ve had over the years saw my last attempt, I’d be doing a thousand push-ups while being lectured on the virtue of patience. This time, I took a deep breath and concentrated, focusing on Michael’s movement and when an opportunity presented itself, I stepped in, throwing my right fist from my waist instead of the wild swing I tried to deliver the first time.

  He parried but his block wasn’t fast enough to deflect the blow aimed at his chest, instead it knocked my aim to the right, connecting with his shoulder. He spun from the power of it. Unfortunately, he used the natural flow to his advantage, circling around and swinging a shot to my ribs. I think he actually lifted me off the ground with it and the breath shot from my lungs in a groan.

  Naomi’s yell for us to stop broke through and I sent a glare her way. I should have known better. When I turned back toward Michael, his fist slammed into my cheek. The shock of it sent me flailing backwards and I fell on my
ass. Before the pain flared, I was up and charging, this time, I hit him like a linebacker, driving him to the earth.

  Somehow, I ended face down in the dirt with his knee pressing into my lower back and my arm twisted painfully behind me.

  “Gabriel never knew how to fight either,” Michael mumbled under his breath, but I caught it. “Are you done with your little temper tantrum?” Michael asked.

  Just his tone bit my nerves and I bellowed, bucking and rolling, but not before the sickening crack filled the air and pain spread like wild fire from my wrist to my shoulder. I cried out as I rolled onto my broken arm, but that didn’t stop me from slamming my good elbow into his chest and sending him onto his ass.

  “You broke my fucking arm,” I snapped as I got to my feet, cradling the throbbing appendage to my chest.

  “You’ll heal by nightfall,” Michael shot back at me. He dusted himself off and stood, waiting for me to make another move.

  I thought twice about taking another swing, especially with the throb in my arm. I didn’t dare look at what the actual condition was right now, not with the anger still so embedded in my flesh.

  Instead, I turned and headed back toward the truck, passing Naomi only a few paces away with her hand over her mouth and her eyes wide with concern.

  “I’ll be fine,” I said and passed by her, leaving them both in the field while I worked my way back to the van. I leaned against the side and waited for them to follow, the anger still present, but now only at a dull throb that matched the flare in my cheek and ribs.

  I took time to assess my arm and attempted to set it myself. My teeth clamped together with the pain and before I could get it right, Michael stepped in and took my arm in his hands, twisting it back into the right alignment before gently setting it against my chest.

  I closed my eyes at the wave of dizziness that accompanied the pain and took a few deep breaths to get my bearings. When I opened my eyes, I glanced at the sky before bringing my gaze to his.

  “Why did you lie to me?”

  “Watch your tone,” Michael warned.

  “Just answer the fucking question!” I slammed my teeth together, resisting the urge to go into shadow form and tear into him, but as I learned, he was better at predicting my moves than I was and I’d probably end up with another broken bone if I went on the attack.

  “I was protecting you,” he said, his voice soft and calm, telling me the fight in him had already burned out.

  “From what?”

  Michael raised his eyebrows. “Lu...” He stopped himself and pressed his lips together in the all too familiar way I’ve seen in the mirror a thousand times. It was the same expression I got when I catch myself from screwing up.

  “Lilith, Eve, my brother, all of hell’s demons, you name it,” he said.

  I lost some of the fire as I digested his answer and I stared at him before glancing up at the sky again, gauging the amount of time I had before the sun hit the horizon. The stars weren’t as bright and I dropped my gaze back to Michael’s. “If you were trying to keep me out of the line of fire, why in god’s name did you put me in charge of your bloodline?”

  He smiled. “That’s the safest place for you. Considering the sheer number of descendants and the fact that my brother has only found a handful of them in over two thousand years, I’d say that was a good call.” He glanced at Naomi. “Until you crossed paths with her.”

  I glanced at her and pain flared in her eyes before she dropped her gaze.

  “Baby, don’t blame yourself,” I said and reached my good hand to her. I traced her cheek with my fingertips, and my skin burned with pain, but I didn’t pull away until I tilted her chin to look at me. I curled my blistered fingers away from her. “I’d be dead by now if it wasn’t for you,” I added.

  “You would never have been in danger if it wasn’t for me,” she said and glanced at the sky, just as aware of the time as I was. “You need to get in back.” Then her gaze slid from me to Michael. “I suggest you join him. I’m not in the mood for company right now, especially since you decided that breaking his arm was a lesson in humility.”

  The underlying hostility was clear and I sighed, not sure how Michael was going to react. He sent a barely suppressed smirk my way and headed toward the back of the van without an argument.

  “It might be better if Michael is in the cab with you,” I said.

  “You want me to break your other arm?” she asked with a flare of venom in her voice that made me shake my head. “Good,” she added and crossed to the back of the truck, undoing the latch and sliding the door open to the six foot container.

  I followed and hopped into the barren space filled with only our duffel bags and a queen mattress that spanned most of the space. She raised an eyebrow.

  “I figured I’d at least have something soft to land on while you throw me all over the back with your erratic driving.”

  Michael snorted a small laugh and hopped up into the truck and she sent a clear warning at us. The one I knew meant to behave. I nodded and the door slid down. The only sound above the idling engine was the sound of the lock clicking into place.

  Chapter Eleven

  “It’s cold in here,” Michael said from the other side of the mattress. He had folded his knees in and crossed his arms to try to find some body heat in the frigid space.

  I checked the time on my phone and glanced at him in the dim light. We had only been in the truck for a couple of hours and while I was just as chilled as he was, I wasn’t about to admit it. Instead, I climbed to my feet and crossed to the duffel bags.

  The light was dim but enough for me to make out the meager pickings and I wondered why I hadn’t had the forethought to grab a few sweatshirts while I was at it. I found a couple of thick work shirts that would help us deal for the next few hours. Stripping my coat, I slipped one on before tossing the other one to Michael. I slid my coat on just as my phone decided to drop into sleep mode.

  My eyes took a few minutes to adjust to the dark while I repacked the bag and then I grabbed the phone and pressed the button to brighten the space. Michael had followed my lead and zipped up his down vest over the layers.

  “I guess you’re not used to being human,” I mumbled and settled back on the mattress with my back propped against the wall. I pulled the backpack over and unzipped it, finding the mural stuffed into the space. I pulled it out of the bag along with my computer. “This might help as well,” I said and tossed the fabric to him.

  His expression bordered on grateful and I rubbed my face before opening my laptop. The light illuminated the space and I plugged my phone in and started the web browser. Typing commands, I pulled up the same email address that Lucifer sent the note to yesterday and gritted my teeth. Another unopened email sat in my inbox and I put the laptop aside, ignoring it for the time being.

  “Come lunch time, I’m sure Naomi will let you out,” I said and Michael met my gaze.

  “It’s been a very long time since I took human form,” he said. “I tend to forget how fragile the human body is along with all the other needs that go along with it.”

  “I’m sure,” I said and sent a text to Naomi so she wouldn’t forget that Michael needed to eat and use the facilities just like she did, so she would be wise to remember that at the next rest area. I didn’t want to deal with a mess back here if I could help it. I raised my gaze and studied him.

  He had the same physique as I did, along with the dark curls that matched mine and my limited recollection of my father carried the same qualities.

  “I gather you and Gabriel looked a lot alike,” I said and he nodded. “So, what happened with your other brother?” Lucifer was the polar opposite, with the more traditional Viking complexion as opposed to the decidedly Greek aura of Michael.

  “God only knows,” he sighed. “He’s always been different, rebelling in heaven long before he was cast out.” He shivered and brought the mural together around his shoulders. “Gabriel was the musician and much more sensi
tive than either of us were. He used to disappear for months on end, and finally, when he had made the decision to be with your mother, he came back to share the news. As I said before, by that time, our brother was no longer welcome in heaven and had already turned bitter, so I suggested Gabriel keep his decision to himself for now and I wouldn’t say anything either.”

  “You mean, keep me a secret?”

  Michael nodded. “I didn’t know just how important that decision was until after my brother killed my son.” He paused and blew on his hands to warm them. “I should have known Greece wasn’t far enough away from his wrath, but I knew you were there and because of the family bond, you would be compelled to protect Athena.”

  “I still can’t get past the fact that she was my cousin and you never said a word. You just gave us your blessing and let us live as man and wife,” I said, finally voicing my distain.

  “Things were very different back then and yes, I allowed it because it was my best option of protecting my daughter.”

  “But I failed,” I said and he met my gaze with a shake of his head.

  “No, you didn’t. I was the one who failed both of you. I didn’t make it back in time to stop my brother from slaughtering Athena, but I did get there in time to pull you from that pit before you were too far gone to survive. I let you drink from my veins and the double infusion of angel blood made you into what you are instead of a raving mad killing machine.”

  I stared at him for a long time before my gaze dropped to the computer.

  “Is that why Naomi turned out the way she did?”

  “I don’t know. She’s so far removed from Zoe that I can’t be sure. It could be a combination of my bloodline along with her Indian heritage, which has its own unique qualities that are just as rich as my bloodline. Or it could be a wild fluke, but she’s just as unique as you are.” He offered a shrug. “It could also be because she bit me as well.”

  “You know, she was stronger than I’ve ever been,” I said.