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“Anyway, I did what I had to on the hunt for revenge, and then….” His laughter faded a bit, but the smile stayed, taking on a dreamy quality. “I met Rory.
“She was working as a barista, and I was trying to get a foot in with the Upper Council, so I was trying everything. Power isn’t enough when you’re surrounded by people in your same ability range; I was bribing some of the Paras with coffee one day, trying to make friends, and there she was.”
To her credit, Reese looked sympathetic rather than jealous. Their budding relationship—whether either one was admitting it or not—was sweet to watch.
“Anyway, around this time, Kiyomasa had been trying to drag me back into the fold, but I was being stubborn. Rory and I fell in love the old-fashioned way, so I thought I could have my cake and eat it too. She might have been okay if I’d listened and come home.”
“That’s not how it works,” Marilyn said dimly at the same time, Reese exclaimed, “You can’t blame yourself for that!”
“I do, though. She didn’t know what I was when she got tangled up with me. I didn’t give her all the information to make a good judgment call.”
Neo shrugged, trying to play off his discomfort when Reese and Marilyn both gave him withering looks.
“You can’t blame yourself any more than I can myself,” Marilyn huffed. “People die in our line of work, whether we like it or not.”
“How’d you end up in the Resistance?” Sariel redirected attention to Marilyn when Neo’s jaw began to flex, obviously gearing up to argue. The angel deflated swiftly, allowing the subject to change with nothing more than a slight nod in my mate’s direction.
“My coven abandoned me as a kid, and the lone witch thing wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be,” Marilyn replied. “I was too… progressive? Somehow? Anyway, I got adopted by my parents, and they brought me into the fold. It was nice being with people who actually cared about me as a person rather than just looking at the whole.”
She paused to take a bite of her salad, glancing up and looking around the table with narrowed eyes as we waited for more.
“They died with Neo’s parents. I decided to run off and kill their murderers—which I did, in fact, succeed in, thank you very much—and then became a Para with plans to feed intel to the Resistance. Except, when I passed my exam, my coven decided they wanted to claim me.”
Johnny made a face, but Marilyn just shrugged.
“My plan was always to come back, but everything got so messy when they got involved, and then I met this guy, and he talked me out of—” Her eyes flickered to the elderly man that seemed to adore her, then changed directions. “Anyway, things got messier when we got together, but I wouldn’t change any of it.”
She kissed Johnny’s hand when the man interlocked their fingers, both smiling at one another.
I’m reminded of the time Johnny scurried out late one night back when I’d first met him, quoting work despite the hour.
They were definitely hooking up,Sariel chimed down the bond, and I felt a grin trying to work its way onto my face.
Hush. We’re being serious right now.
He smirked at me, scoffing at my weak reprimand before our attention was pulled back across the table to our friends.
“It’s good to have you back where you belong,” Kiyomasa said softly after it was clear everyone was done sharing. “You and Marilyn were sorely missed.”
Reese was rubbing Neo’s arm in a way that wasdistinctlymore friendly than I remembered them being, her sad eyes focused on the table as she sipped her drink. The angel seemed far away but leaned into the touch.
I wished there was someone for me to side-eye over it. Unfortunately, Marilyn was equally distant, head propped against Johnny’s shoulder; the somber mood killed what was left of my appetite.
You need to eat more.Sariel immediately disagreed with my decision to stop eating, glancing down at his own tray before passing me his dinner roll. My wolf preened, elated that he’s always so eager to provide for us.
Thank you,I respond instead of trying to argue, nibbling at the gift and trying not to laugh at the bolt of pride that hits me from his end of our connection.
I’m not at all surprised to learn Johnathan had yanked Marilyn back from tragedy. Despite his appearance, the man radiated good intentions; it was why his perceived betrayal cut so deeply when he’d dropped me on Azazel's doorstep. Knowing him a little better now, though, I get it.
“So they’re useful, then,” Auren said blandly, head propped on his palm, and Kiyomasa proceeded to beam at him like a doting father.
I was irked by the casual observation that weighed my friends as assets and weapons instead of the people that they were. It didn’t mesh with the person I was beginning to view Auren as, serving as a sharp reminder that he’s not just Sariel’s long-lost little brother—more than anything, he’s a leader collecting soldiers for his cause.
That didn’t make it any easier to swallow, though.
“Quite. Neo is one of the most powerful angels I’ve encountered in decades, and Marilyn has always been exceptional, even as a child. They’re a wonderful addition to the ranks,” Kiyomasa answered.
Auren was taking in our ragtag team with little to no emotion, seeming more assessing than he had ever been before. If Neo or Marilyn were angered by being judged like cows at auction, neither showed it.
