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Chapter Text

 Bryce had had enough. After stepping out of the Pearl and Rose, with an expensive bottle of wine under her arm and pockets full of matches, she stopped in the middle of the street to think. It was barely half past nine o'clock and she had only been on a date for an hour.  

It was pitifully short time, and Danika would probably scoff at her for the next century. Bryce dug her phone out of her jacket pocket, opened it, and was about to pick Fury's number when she stopped. Did she want to party tonight? Normally, the answer would have been an absolute yes.  

Bryce could call Fury and Juniper and ask them to join the Raven. She could buy lighseeker from a street vendor , to get her head messed up and the bad taste of a date gone wrong from her mouth, but... 

Bryce hung up her phone and tucked it into her jacket pocket. She opened the bottle of wine and drank straight from its mouth, ignoring the two boucher who looked at her disapprovingly. 

After drinking long and hard, Bryce closed the mouth of the bottle again on the cork, tucked it under her arm, and headed home. 

Danika would scoff at her and the pack would probably howl with laughter when Bryce came back this early. As if it mattered. Bryce had left Reid. She was single again. Bryce glanced at her bottle of wine, and with a sigh, then took it under her arm and sipped another portion into her mouth. 

Bryce didn't know if it was the wine that was slowly starting to rise into her head, but suddenly a pizza date with Connor didn't sound so bad anymore. Yes. Connor may be possessive and territorial, and so on, but... Bryce drank more wine. One date. One fucking date. 

If it didn't work, then not. But Bryce was tired of boring human men who would rather scroll through their phones than socialize whit her. 

Bryce reached the door of his apartment building and keyed in the door code, again drinking straight from the mouth of the bottle. Bryce noticed,  as the wine clouded her thoughts, that she had already drunk half of the expensive red wine on the way home. 

Well, it was good red wine.  

Bryce stepped into the stairwell and started to climb the stairs. When the pack left and she was alone with Danika, and if Bryce felt like going out into the street to party, they could go together. But before that, Bryce wanted to calm down, eat pizza, relax on her bed, and maybe get some sleep. 

Before going with Danika to the nightlife of Crescent city. 

Bryce dropped the keys when she tried to open the door. Cursing, Bryce bent down to lift them off the ground. With a bottle of wine under her arm, it was difficult to get the door open, but in the end she managed to push the key into the lock and turn it. 

As she entered the hallway, Bryce was greeted with loud laughter and the voice of a commentator from a nature documentary. The apartment smelled of beer and pizza. Bryce's stomach growled. She kicked off her high heels and marched through the living room, ignoring the wolves' gazes directly into the kitchen. 

Satisfied, Bryce discovered that Danika had left her a piece of pizza as promised. Bryce banged her bottle of wine on the table and grabbed a piece of pizza from the box. She took a bite out of it and-ah it tasted so damn good! 

"Good date?" Danika came, to lean on against the doorway, her mouth with a big grin.  "You owe me fifty silver marks," Bryce said with a full mouth, swallowing wine down her throat. "The bouncers let me in." 

"Fuck!" Danika cursed before coming up next to Bryce and grabbing a bottle of wine from her. “HEY!” Bryce exclaimed and turned towards Danika, who gulped some of Bryce's wine into her mouth. Danika smaked her mouth and nodded her head approvingly, like the best wine taster. Bryce grabbed the bottle back. 

"Why are you coming home so early?" Danika asked casually and leaned against the table Bryce had sat on. Bryce didn't answer right away, and grabbed another piece of pizza, very aware from the silence of the next room. Even though the nature documentary was still on television, she knew wolves could hear over it. And they were surely eavesdropping on Bryce and Dainka's conversation. 

Bryce snorted after swallowing the wine. "I left Reid. And then I took his wine." 

From the living room you could hear wolves start laughing and howling. Danika slapped Bryce on the back, laughing:"Finally!"she shouted. And then tried to grab Bryce's bottle of wine again. 

Bryce dodged. She returned to the living room, sipped the rest of the wine to the end, and then put the bottle down on the coffee table. 

"Will you stay and watch this shit about nature with us?” Nathalie asked, swung towards the crowded sofa and floor, where she couldn't sit either. Ithan, who was sitting next to Connor, grinned and said:"You can sit on Connor's lap." 

Connor didn't seem to have any objections. He grinned at Bryce and patted his knee. "Come Bryce. Here talking about the mating of bears." 

Bryce show Connor and Ithan's middle finger before marching into her room and banging the door shut behind her when she heard the Pack of Devils start laughing again. "You lost this lot, Connor." Bryce heard Danika say.  

Bryce sighed, rolled her eyes, and then began to take off her dress. She threw it into the corner of the room, after which she took off her bra, sighing contentedly, feeling her back relax.  She therw them on the bed. Bryce pulled on a black top and white shorts before falling on her stomach on the bed.  

Because of the tattoo on her back, she could hardly lie on her back. Bryce pressed her cheek against the pillow and listened to the hilarity of the next room. Her phone buzzed in a bag that Bryce had abandoned at the door. 

Sighing, Bryce got out bed and went to get her bag. The text message was from Danika. It's like she wasn't in the next room. 

Now that you're single again, are you going to accept Connor's date invitation?  

Bryce snorted and threw herself on her back on her bed. She hissed in pain and rose to a partially sitting position before answering. 

Probably. This damn tattoo still hurts.  

Bryce sent a message. It only took Danika a moment to respond. 

The tattoo artist said it will ache for a while.   

I was so in durgs that I couldn't even write. Bryce sent her reply. And then quickly wrote another message right after. And you are to blame for this tattoo. I would never have taken it sober.  

It took Danika a long time to answer. Bryce watched as the three dots at the bottom of the phone told Danika was writing a response. It took so long that Bryce was surprised to find that the message was short. I Know.  

Two words. But why had it taken Danika so long to write them? Bryce frowned and turned on her side on her bed as Danika started writing again. 

Sometimes it is convenient to be a thoroughbred Vanir.  

Fuck you! Bryce sent her answer before hanging up her phone and putting it on her bedside table, next to her book, which she took instead. 

Bryce hooked her legs, opened her book, and began reading where she had left off. Bryce had reached the end of the chapter when there was a knock on the door. Bryce looked up from her book and shouted: "Come in!" 

Connor peeked into the room before entering and closing the door behind her. The volume of the sound in the documentary about the mating of bears was significantly increased. Bryce kept herself from raising her hands to her ears. 

"What now Connor?" Bryce asked, closed her book, looking at Danika's second.Connor sat down on Bryce's bed and crossed his ankles before saying anything. 

"Then you left Reid," Connor started and Bryce wondered if she was about to hear another rehearsed speech. "That means you're back on the free market." 

"So?"Bryce asked, smiling sweetly, making Pack of Devils second blush for the second time that night. Bryce opened her book and said, without looking at Connor: “Come get me at eight o'clock on Saturday. If late, that's it,” Bryce announced, smiling at the page of her book when she heard Connor's breathing stop. 

A nature documentary was roaring in the background. 

"I'll never let you wait." Connor's response made Bryce look up from her book. Connor's gaze burned with flames of joy and desire that made Bryce's toe curl. 

Bryce smiled before saying:"Don't make promises you can't keep." 

Connor gritted his tooth and Bryce could have sworn that Connor restrained himself from pouring Bryce on the bed and doing what shone in his eyes. "Your pack and alphas are on the other side of the wall,"Bryce said and poked Connor's knee with her foot playfully. "And the walls here aren't very thick." 

The same thing seemed to have crossed Connor's mind, for he got up from the bed, looking reluctant. However, he smiled at Bryce. "Saturday, Bryce."  

Bryce's heart was warmed to see Connor's enthusiasm. "I'll pick you up then." 

Connor was already at the door when he turned toward Bryce and said in a low voice: "I've had a long while to figure out all the ways I’m going to spoil you, Bryce." 

Bryce looked at Connor from under her lashes.Connor seemed to have a harder and harder time restraining himself."I'm looking forward to it, Connor,"Bryce said. Connor's self-control almost failed.And it probably would have failed if Bryce's phone hadn't rung at that very moment, announcing the message. 

Bryce, who had been ready to jump into bed with Connor right away, ignoring Pack of Devils, Ithan, and Danika, who were just across the thin wall, picked up her phone with a sigh. A message from Danika flashed on the screen. Bryce smiled depressedly as she read it. 

You'd better stop what you're doing with Connor! There is already enough to endure in bear mating!  

Bryce chuckled, then looked at Connor, who was struggling with himself at the door. "You are needed in the living room,” Bryce said and pulled her legs back on the hook, backing her book against them. "See you in two days," Bryce added, before Connor step out the door after a great effort of will. "Until then, Bryce,"Connor said and closed the door. 

The volume of the document was lowered. For a moment it was quiet and then...Cheers shouts and howls filled the entire apartment. Bryce pressed her head into her hands, feeling her face flush. Her phone announced the message. Bryce picked it up and saw a new message from Danika. 

I love you Bryce! Light it up!  

Bryce laughed at the message before putting her phone back on the bedside table and continuing to read her book. There was a warm feeling at the bottom of her stomach. She was going on a pizza date with Connor Holstrom! 

***** 

Bryce must have fallen asleep at some point, despite the noise and wolves, because she woke up to Danika falling next to her on the bed and yelling in her ear: "I want to party Bryce! The pack is just leaving.Ithan left an hour ago. Change clothes Bryce! I already called Juniper and Fury. We will meet in Ravens in half an hour.And we'll take Connor with us!" 

Bryce lifted her head from her lumpy pillow and met Danika's toffee-brown eyes burning with joy. "Why is Connor coming?" Bryce asked, herb to get her tired brain turned on.Danika rolled her eyes. "So you don't get into trouble, Bryce. What did you imagine? Connor isn't leaving you alone for a moment now that you agreed to date him." 

Bryce groaned and buried her head in the pillow. "I regret it already," she said and made Danika laugh.  

"Up from that bitch. We're leaving soon, so hopefully you won't be long,” Danika said and slapped Bryce on the back. Bryce shouted. "That hurt Danika!" Bryce moaned and sat up, yawning. "I'll change clothes Danika. Don't rush." 

"Great," Danika said and bounced out of bed. "Don't put on anything too fancy." Danika then slipped out of the room, leaving the door ajar as she left. Bryce yawned and wondered how long she had slept. And how horrible she looked. 

Bryce got out of bed and dragged along herself into the bathroom. Contrary to what Bryce expected, her reflection in the mirror didn't look as horrible as she had assumed. Bryce grabbed a hairbrush and began brush her tangled hair, cursing that she wouldn't have time to shower before they left into city. 

After brush her hair, Bryce checked her makeup. The eye makeup looked, miraculously, still good.Lips instead...Bryce poured makeup cleanser on a cotton pad and wiped her lips until she could wipe the red lipstick off completely. 

She took a new lipstick stick from the shelf and blushed her lips until she was satisfied. Bryce grimaced at her reflection in the mirror, making sure there was no lipstick on her teeth. 

Then she stepped back to the bedroom side and began digging through her wardrobe, looking for something fancy, but not "too fancy" as Danika had said. The problem was that all of Bryce's clothest were pretty fancy. 

She had just come to the conclusion that maybe it would be best to wear the same dress as on a date with Reid when... 

First there was a creepy sound of warping metal, and then a pulse of force slammed Bryce to the floor. Bryce managed to protect her face before it hit the floor. For one, creepy moment, Bryce was unable to move. 

She had been imprisoned on the ground. Although Bryce's muscles were shaking, she was unable to collapse against the ground or lift herself to her feet. And then...The power let go. Bryce could breathe freely again as he collapsed against the old wooden floor. 

What the fuck just happened?  Bryce sat up and listened, trying to figure out if it was safe to leave the room. Was there something in the apartment...or someone? Why was it so quiet? 

Where Pack of Devils was? Why didn't Danika say anything? 

Bryce rose to her feet, feeling a bad premonition in the bottom of her stomach. Something was wrong. She took two cautious, silent steps toward the door of her room when a voice froze her in place and made her heart jump into Bryce's throat. And then fall to the bottom of the abdomen. 

"Where is Luna's horn, Danika Fendyr?" asked a cold, authoritative voice. Bryce felt that voice. She had heard it talk on television several times about some shit about a “united country”. But what the fuck was Micah Domitus doing in their apartment? And why did he ask Danika about Luna's horn? 

Did Danika know more than she had revealed to Bryce? 

With slow, quiet steps, Bryce approached the door Danika had left ajar when Danika's response made Bryce stop again. 

"It's not here, Micah. Get out!" Danika's voice was tense and tense, as if she wasn't getting enough oxygen.Bryce took another step toward the door and stopped again, hearing Micah's cold voice:  "I won't ask this question again Danika. Where is Luna's horn? You stole it and then hid it. Where?" 

Bryce stiffened. She heard shocked sighs from the living room side. Other Pack of Devils. They were still here!Connor was still here! Right in front of Micah's destructive power.  

Bryce swallowed her fear and forced herself to continue."It’s. Not. Here!” Danika pronounced each word carefully and shouted almost the last word. "Leave me and my pack alone." 

 Bryce took the last steps towards the door and peeked through the crack in the door to the living room side. The sight made her heart stop in pure terror. 

Pack of Devils, the powerful, invincible Pack of Devils, Bryce's friends, were each frozen in different positions, unable to even move their fingers. There were mixed expressions of fear, disbelief, and rage on everyone's faces.Danika, a brave friend of Bryce's, had stiffened in front of Bryce's door, as if intending to stop Micah from noticing Bryce.  

And Micah, Archangel of Valbara and owner of Umbra Mortis, stood in the middle of it all, with a cold, mocking grin on his face as he looked at Danika and the Pack of Devils. 

He controlled the entire room. But he didn't know Bryce was home. Danika let out a grunt from her throat as she said: "If you're going to punish me for stealing the Horn, at least let my pack get out of here.They have nothing to do with it!" 

Bryce felt her heart fall to the bottom of her stomach for the second time that night. And lower. She suppressed the sobbing rising from her throat. Danika would sacrifice herself if it meant the Pack of Devils survived. And Bryce’s. 

Micah didn't look impressed. He slowly shook his head at Danika's words, and then tilted his head slightly as if a predator were looking at for sure prey.  "And let them tell what happened here?" Micah clicked his tongue viciously. “I don't think you have much of a negotiation chance Danika." 

 Bryce swallowed when she saw the crazy sheen shining in Micah's eyes as he stared at Danika, who had stiffened in front of him. She knew almost nothing about Valbara's archangel or his resume, but Bryce was pretty sure the crazy killer wasn't part of it. 

Micah's blonde hair wobbled as he put his hand in his pocket and dug out a syringe, the tip of which he removed the plastic cover. He smiled at Danika slightly. "What a great tragedy it is to learn that the faithful and respected alpha of Pack of Devils turned out to be a junkie whore who used the same substances she confiscated." 

The roar that escaped the packs of Devils wolves shook the whole house. Micah chuckled, glancing amused at the stiffened wolves around him. Then his gaze caught on Danika again. He clicked the syringe as he said: "The night before he went out partying with her junkie friends, she took too much synth and...”Micah leaned Danika's face level, wings tight against his back. His words were a caressing whisper as he finished his sentence... "killed her whole pack. And then herself." 

Bryce's stomach twisted with nausea as her gaze slowly shifted to the syringe, which Micah held up, as if showing it off. Synth? Bryce had never heard of it before...but if it made Danika murder her whole pack, and then herself... Bryce couldn't let it happen. 

She clenched her hands into fists, but before she could make a single decision to attack, her gaze met Connor's eyes. Connor had stiffened into a position where he appeared to be running towards something. He hands were a little raised.  

A petition shone in Connor's eyes. A request that Bryce not step out of the room. That, wouldn't let Micah notice herself. Bryce bit her tooth and turned her head away from Connor. 

Back towards Dainka and Micah, who were standing opposite each other.Micah had just grabbed Danika's white hair and bent her head so that her neck became visible. 

"Where is Luna's horn?” Micah asked, almost bored, as he placed the syringe head against Danika's neck. Sweat flowed down Dainika's face and Bryce could smell her fear. But still, Danika said: "Go to Hel!" 

Micah sighed. And then smiled."It was wonderful to know you, Danika Fendyr. I'll find the horn and open the gates of the worlds, but unfortunately you're not there to see it." 

No! Bryce's head went blank of thoughts until there was only one thing left. Micah was not allowed to put down the plunger and subject Danika to the influence of synth. Ignoring the fact that Bryce was three times smaller than the archangel, weaker in every way, and an unarmed Bryce rushed out of her room. Straight to Micah, who hadn't expected there to be others in the apartment. 

Surprise flashed across his face as Bryce rushed at his, using all his fea speed and strength. Her elbow sank into Micah's lower abdomen, causing him to stumble backwards and fall to the ground. The syringe came loose from the archangel's fingers and rolled away. 

Bryce lunged towards the syringe, intent on destroying it, but cold, long fingers wrapped around her ankle. Bryce screamed as she tripped and fell to the ground on her stomach. 

Before Bryce could get up, she was pressed against the floor by a wind that felt like shackles around her ankles and wrists. 

Bryce tried to wriggle out of her invisible shackles, but Micah's power held her down, forcing her to watch as the blond angel rose to his feet and leapt over her, picking up the syringe from the ground. 

Then he turned to look at his new prey. Black eyes traveled down her bare thighs, to her butt, and then along her back, to Bryce's face, pausing only for a moment to look at the partially distinctive tattoo beneath the top. 

Bryce became unusually aware that she was lying in front of the archangel wearing only a tight top with no bra underneath and shorts so short that it could almost have been called underpants. 

Micah's lips turned upwards as he smiled at the view. Bryce spat at the archangel's feet. 

Micah's smile didn't fade. He looked at Bryce's face with an expression she had seen a thousand times on the males faces. "What are you staring at?" Bryce grunted, trying to keep her voice steady. She wouldn't let that asshole see her scared at any price. 

 Micah didn't answer right away, letting his gaze wander over Bryce's body again before returning to her face. He knelt before Bryce and Bryce tried to retreat away as the archangel's cold fingers stroked her cheek. 

Connor's grunt would have caused anyone else to die of fear. "Don't fucking touch her!" 

Micah didn't even glance at Connor. Instead, he gave Bryce a small smile as he picked up a strand of hair that had fallen on Bryce's face, running his fingers along it before moving it behind Bryce's ear. Micah's cold fingers swiped Bryce's tapered ear, and then moved from there, along her jawline to her neck. 

Danika grunted and looked ready to tear Micah apart because of that touch. Bryce tried to bite Michah's fingers when they strayed too close to her mouth. Micah's evil grin only widened. 

 "It's almost a shame to let you die," he muttered to himself as he watched Bryce struggle against his invisible shackles and Micah's touch. Desire flashed in the archangel's eyes. Then, however, he shook his head and pursed his lips discontentedly as he stood up. "But unfortunately, you have to die too. It doesn't do my image any good if some half-fea whore accuses me of murdering her friends.”Micah gave Bryce another lustful glance before turning his attention back to Danika. 

Which was now frighteningly silent. Micah stepped in front of her, pressing the syringe against Danika's neck as when Danika said:"Let Bryce go. I... let Bryce go..." 

Danika prayed. Bryce felt her own eyes fill with tears and run down her cheeks. Danika, too, seemed to be on the verge of crying when she said again, in a broken voice: "Don't drag Bryce into this. She has nothing to do with the Horn." 

Micah tilted his head and I glanced over his shoulder at Bryce, who was still lying on the floor. "Can I trust her not to tell anyone anything that's going on here?" Micah asked mockingly. "Who would believe her?” Danika challenged with gritted teeth. "You said it yourself. She's only half fea whore. And you archangel of Valbara. Let her go." 

Danika never prayed. She never apologized. Except from Bryce. Because of Bryce, Danika was ready to pray. The Pack of Devils around them was silent.Connor's gaze alternately flashed at Bryce, Danika and Micah. Hope slowly crossed his face. Bryce's tears ran down her cheeks, in an endless stream, but she couldn't speak. Danika couldn't sacrifice herself and the entire Pack of Devils to protect her. 

"Bryce doesn't have to die,"Nathalie opened her mouth."She doesn't have a position that could put you at risk. Even if she tells someone." 

Pack of Devils couldn't save itself, but it could save Bryce.And it was determined to do so. No matter what. Micah now seemed to be thinking about it. 

He looked at Bryce again, with a pensive expression on his face. Hope flashed on Danika's face.  

Bryce felt her heart break. There was nothing she could do to save her friend. She had nothing to trade for Danika's life, in the same way Danika could afford to trade Bryce's life, except... 

Bryce felt her breath take a breath away when she realized she could do something. She could distract Micah... and perhaps save the Pack of Devils. If... if... Bryce took a deep breath and was shaking. And she should focus. 

***** 

"Where is the horn, Dainka?" Micah asked.Connor turned his gaze towards Danika pleadingly. Danika swallowed. She couldn't reveal that. Even if after that there was a chance that Micah would keep Bryce alive. But the life Bryce would have then... 

Danika bit her tooth. Micah wouldn't necessarily kill Bryce right away, but would keep her locked up until she figured out how to use the horn, despite the fact that it was tattooed on Bryce's back. 

And... Danika looked at Bryce, lying on her stomach on the ground, who had closed her eyes and clenched her hands into fists. There were dried tears on her cheeks. She couldn't do that to Bryce. Keeps her alive, but at the same time subjugates her as a pet of the Archangel of Valbara.  

"It's no for me anymore," Danika said quietly, to Micah, who was waiting for an answer.  Micah's mouth twisted in the smile. "No," he said simply, and Danika felt her heart break. Her gaze slowly shifted from Bryce to the syringe in Micah's hand.  

She would kill her own pack tonight and then Bryce. And eventually she would turn against herself. Then it would only be a relief. When everyone would be dead. But... Micah would continue to search for the horn, unaware that its bearer was lying behind him, exposed to danger. 

And would die.Perhaps it would be enough to destroy the power of the horn. Maybe... but it came at the cost of the life of Danika's friend. A life she would never agree to risk. 

"Let Bryce go," Danika pleaded as tears slowly streamed down her face. She was ashamed of her every tear, knowing that Micah would enjoy them.And he also enjoyed breaking Danika's last hope. "No." 

"NO!" Connori screamed and tried to fight Micah's power. Bryce, on the other hand, lay completely silent and still. Her eyes were closed. 

Dainka looked up from her friend, towards Connori, as Micah grabbed her by the hair and forced her neck into view. "Protect Bryce,” Danika whispered, addressing Connor, whose expression was full of pain, but Danika saw on her second's face a promise to do just that. 

Micha snorted. "Sweet." 

The needle approached. Danika did not close her eyes. 

"Close your eyes, Danika." Bryce's whisper made Danika's stomach turn around. NO! No no no! Bryce couldn't do it! 

"Close your eyes Pack of Devils", Bryce ordered.The metal chips around Bryce that had come off the door began to float, as did Bryce's hair. NO! BRYCE NO! 

Danika wanted to scream. To pray to Bryce not to reveal her secret before the archangel. But she couldn't get the words out of her mouth. Instead, she closed her eyes. 

But even through her eyelids, she saw a blinding light.  And then there was a cry of pain as Micah's grip on her hair came off. At the same time, Micah's grip on his magic also loosened. 

Danika did’t wait. Blind, thinking only of the need to protect Bryce, Danika changed shape and attacked the archangel. 

***** 

Bryce was able to move again. She stumbled upright off the floor, blinking black dots from her eyes, only to see the shape-shifting Danika have slammed her teeth into Micah's arm and blood splattered along the carpet. 

Micah slammed Danika out of himself, but by then Zelda had already jumped on his neck and was reaching for the archangel's throat. Micah reached out, grabbed Zelda by the neck, and threw her against the wall. Zelda's twin howled.   

And then Danika was back on Micah again. Thorne rushed towards Micah's feet, slamming his teeth into his leg. Micah's scream made the window glasses rattle. He dropped the syringe of synth from his other hand, and without really giving it any thought, Bryce rushed towards it... in the middle of a fight.  

Bryce managed to dodge the wolves as she tried to get hold of the syringe of the synth. She grabbed it, but before she could escape from the fight, something hit her neck. 

Bryce fell on her stomach to the ground, hitting her face on the floor of a tree. Bryce felt her nose break from the force of the blow. She sat up and wiped her nose. It was red with blood. Fuck. Bryce tripped upright only to see Bronson thrown toward the coffee table. There was a howl as the table fell apart from under the Bronson. 

Bryce surged towards the injured wolf, but before she could reach Bronoson, a pair of arms wrapped around Bryce's waist. 

"Are you crazy?!" Connor yelled in Bryce's face as he pushed her against the wall. “Get out of here!" 

"I..." Bryce tried to say, but was interrupted by Connor. "Go Bryce! Run away! Get help!" 

Help to kill the archangel... Bryce would have snorted at the thought if the situation had been different. There was a howl of pain as Danika was slammed into the wall. Cracks appeared in the wall when the wolf hit the ground. And no longer moved. 

“DANIKA!” Bryce shouted, but couldn't get to her through the fight. Connor groaned and changed shape into a wolf. She attacked Micah, taking Danika's place in the fight. 

Bryce stood still, not knowing what to do. Connor had told her to escape, but...after all, Bryce couldn't leave the Pack of Devils to die.  

Micah threw Connor off his back. Connor howled as he hit the ground. Micah's face was stained with blood. Both his own, as well as the pack of Devils wolves. His gaze raked around the room until it stopped at Bryce, who stiffened. The expression on Micah's face was full of rage... and something else that made Bryce want to hide. 

“RUN BRYCE!” Danika's cry caused Bryce to wake up from her horde and this time she obeyed. Bryce rushed towards the shattered front door, clenching her fist with a synth syringe. She reached the threshold when an invisible but strong wind caught her and yanked back into the apartment. Danika shouted: “NO!” when Bryce was pulled back into the hole of death. 

Bryce's neck chain got caught in the slats sticking out of the door and snapped loudly broke off. Bryce screamed as an invisible wind dragged her back into the apartment and slammed her against the living room wall. Bryce's already suffering face hit the wall with great force, and now her mouth tasted blood when her lip cracked.  

Bryce could no longer move as the shackles formed by the wind fastened her with her cheek against the wall. Bryce clutched in her hand of the synth syringe in her hand when she heard the sounds of the fight in the living room behind her suddenly stop. 

It was as if the wolves had been frozen in place again. Bryce heard Danika's intermittent sobbing and growling in her ears as she growled at Micah: "Don't dare touch her." 

Bryce couldn't turn her head. Her face ached and she felt blood run down her mouth and down her chin to her neck. She was trapped. 

Slats of wood and shards of glass crackled under Micah's boots as he walked through the destroyed room, against the wall, to the imprisoned Bryce. 

"You would have just go away when you were first commanded, Bryce," Micah purred, stepping behind Bryce and swiping her red, silky hair off the her tattoo. Bryce shuddered in disgust, trying to pull away from the archangel's cold fingers. Micah barely ignored Bryce's discomfort, reaching towards her right hand where she squeezed the synth syringe. 

Micahin pulled it out of Bryce's grasp with calm, steady fingers. Bryce closed her eyes, feeling Micah's fingers linger on her wrist and then slide down her arm to her bare neck. Bryce shuddered as the archangel dragged his finger along Bryce's spine. 

Danika growled. "Don't touch her!"Connor's growl accompanied Danika's words. Micah didn't care about the wolves. He let his finger stop at the top of the top, which hid the rest of the tattoo. 

"You're starborn, Miss Quinlan,"Micah said reflectively, brushing Bryce's tattoo. “Your light is stronger than that of the crown prince of the fea of Valbara,” Micah continued thoughtfully. "And yet you are here, even if you could be their “chosen one”." 

Micah's laughter was mocking, and Bryce could have sworn he would shake his head. Micah's fingers grabbed Bryce's neck and he pressed himself very close to Bryce. His lips touch lightly Bryce's ear, making Bryce shiver again in disgust. The roars and growls of the wolves shook the whole building. 

"Where's Luna's horn, Bryce Quinlan? Did your friend tell you where she hid it?" 

Bryce's whole body trembled as Micah caressed her neck. Bryce felt Micah press the syringe needle against her leg, as if to make sure Bryce wouldn't move. As if she could have anyway. 

Micah's hand landed down Bryce's neck, imitating the letters tattooed on her back. Bryce took a sharp breath as she felt the back of her top split up to her hips in two. Micah now saw the whole tattoo. 

"LET BRYCE BE!" Danika screamed behind them. For Micah, Danika's screech might as well have been the buzzing of a fly. He didn't care one bit. Why did no one hear the screams? Why didn't anyone come to help? 

"Where's the Horn?"Micah asked purringly next to Bryce's ear. "No... I don't know," Bryce stuttered, swallowing her tears. "I don't know." 

Micah chuckled right into Bryce's ear before distancing himself a bit to look at the tattoo on Bryce's back. He snorted. And then chuckled.  

"I have to admit, Danika, I never expected you to do such a trick. I'm impressed with your intelligence. What better place for Luna's Horn than near the only person who could use it?" Micah chuckled again, almost admiringly. 

Danika growled. "Let Bryce be." But the words lacked tempo. It's like Danika is about to collapse. 

"You know what's on your back read, Bryce?" Micah hummed. Bryce didn't answer. She would have liked to convert. To see Danika's face. To see that what Bryce suspected she had done would not be true. Why Danika? Oh, why would she have done that to Bryce? 

“Danika?”There was horror in Connor's voice as the thought clearly crept into his head as well. "You don't... You don't just..."Connor tried to form words, but failed to form a sentence to his shock. 

"Yes,"Micah sounded like he was enjoying the situation from the bottom of his heart. “Luna's horn is tattooed on Bryce Quinlan's back." 

The floor felt to fall from under Bryce's feet. 

***** 
Danika would have collapsed to the floor if Micah's magic hadn't forced her to stay upright.She trembled with rage and fear as she had to watch Micah caress Bryce.And how Byrce trembled under the touch of the archangel. How possessively Micah let his fingers run down Bryce's spine, along the exposed tattoo. 

Danika's stomach twisted when she saw it. Bryce wasn't just a horn-bearer. She was also a star born. Bryce, if anyone, could harness the power of the Horn. That is, if it were intact. Danika clung to that small, only seed of hope. Micah couldn't take such a risk if he wanted to keep Bryce alive. Keeps the power of the Horn alive. 

Danika wished she could turn into a wolf and attack Micah. She would avenge all those touches.Danika would make Micah regret her birth. But she couldn't move, let alone change shape. Micah's power had forced them to return to human form and stay in it. 

“Danika?”Danika forced herself to take her eyes off Micah and Bryce, only to meet Connor's gaze. Her second's eyes shone with rage.Justifiably. Danika had acted foolishly by putting Bryce in such danger. But she had thought... Danika swallowed and lowered her gaze, unable to meet the gaze of Connor or anyone in her pack.  

Danika had thought that no one would ever find out that Bryce was starborn. That no one would ever realize Danika smashed Luna's horn, mixed it with witch ink, and then tattooed it on her drunken friend's back. Horn and Bryce were now one. And Micah was determined to keep the Horn. As well as Bryce.  

Danika’s Bryce.  

Danika should have been more careful that night when she confiscated its synth cargo. If Micah hadn't had those pictures of her... she might still have stolen Luna's Horn if he had gotten a clue as to what Micah was going to do with it. But she might not have tattooed it on Bryce's back and made her a target. 

Micah was still brushing the tattoo on Bryce's back with his fingers, with a small, spine-chilling smile on his face."It seems that your wish will come true, Danika," Micah purred, stopping his knuckles on Bryce's neck. "I'll keep Bryce alive." 

Relief and horror mix inside Danika. Needless to say, there was one big BUT. 

"I think I'll keep you, Bryce Quinlan,"Micah said to Bryce. Bryce's fingers clenched into fists as she growled: "In you dreams, Domitus." 

Micah chuckled.Danika's stomach twisted again with disgust and horror. “We're going to have a lot of fun together," Micah said to Bryce. Connor growled. She could do no more than that, frozen in place. 

Micah turned his back on Bryce and looked at the Pack of Devils in front of him, forced into a human figure. “Hmm,” he muttered. "What shall I do with you then?" 

"Let them be,” Bryce prayed. Micah's hand swiped Bryce's shoulder. "You have nothing to trade with, Bryce.You're already mine." 

Danika and Connor's growled nearly broke the windows of the house. Bryce's back was stiff as she peeked over her shoulder. For a moment, her amber-colored eyes met Danika's toffee's brown eyes. "Please," Bryce whispered in a broken voice and slowly turned her gaze to Micah. 

Micah's fingers brushed Bryce's cheek make Bryce cringe. "Don't touch her!" Connor roared, trying to attack Micah.Micah barely even glanced at Connor before turning to look at Bryce again. “No," he said the same way he had said to Danika when he had prayed for Bryce's life. 

Bryce would swallow. She opened her mouth to continue pleading, but Micah started talking before she even started. "I came here today under the assumption that I would force Danika to tear her pack and herself apart, as punishment for hiding the Horn." He gave Danika a smile. “However, I did not expect to get hold of the Horn and an fea who can use it on this visit.”At this point, he looked at Bryce again.  

Bryce's fingers were clenched into fists as she struggled against her invisible ties.Micah looked at it for a moment before looking at the synth syringe in his hand. "This substance can fix the horn, Miss Quinlan,"he said thoughtfully. "It was originally meant for Danika, but now that it seems like I need you alive and Pack of Devils dead.What better way to fix the Horn and get rid of a couple of dogs than...” Micah inserted the syringe needle into Bryce's thigh and pushed the plunger down..."Give a synth dose to you, Bryce." 

"NO!" Bryce screamed as Micah pulled the needle out of Bryce's muscle. Danika felt the vibrations in her bones as Bryce's air shackles disappeared and she collapsed on her knees on the living room carpet. 

Tears ran down Bryce's cheeks as she turned over her shoulder to look over her shoulder at Danika, slowly shifting her gaze to each member of the Pack of Devils. “No,” Bryce whispered. "I can't... I can't do this..." Bryce sobbed and buried her face in her hands. “I can't..." 

"You don't decide" Micah said.He had opened the window, as if intending to jump out of it and fly to the roof to wait for the job to be done. "When synth starts to take effect, it repairs everything that is broken. Then it confuses your head. You can say goodbye to your friends before that happens." 

Micah looked over his shoulder, letting his gaze rest on Bryce's face. “I'll come for you when all that's left in Pack of Devils are torn bodies. I'll hold you back until the drug stops working, after which we can find out what the power of the Horn is capable of." 

Bryce bared his teeth and growled at Micah. “I'll kill you," Bryce said as tears soaked her face. "I swear I fucking kill you." 

Micah tilted his head. "I wonder if we won't get used to each other's company over time." Then the archangel jumped out of the window and undoubtedly flew to the roof to wait for the massacre to begin. 

“Alphahole,” Bryce spit. Her fingers squeezed the carpet as her broken nose and chapped lip slowly began to heal. "Fucking alphahole.” 

“Bryce,” Danika would whisper. She still couldn't move. Bryce lifted her tear-stained face to Danika. Danika wanted to rush to her friend and wrap her arms around her. Holds her in her arms until Bryce tears her to pieces. 

"I’m sorry, Bryce," Danika said. Her body was limp. She wanted to collapse to the ground. This was all her fault. “I’m sorry, Bryce.” 

Bryce didn't say anything. She wrapped her arms around her, trembling. She stared at Danika's face, as if trying to memorize it. Then her gaze shifted to Connor. “I can't do that,” Bryce whispered. "I won't agree to that." 

Oh Bryce. Danika was now openly sobbing. "I’m sorry, Danika," Bryce whispered. "I’m sorry, Connor. I’m sorry Pack of Devils." 

"Why the hel are you apologizing?" Nathelie groaned. There was blood on her teeth. “Micah squirted synth on you. Not yourself." 

Bryce was still shaking, but managed to give Nathalie a small smile before turning her gaze towards Danika. "What does it do to me? 

"It gives you great powers before clouding your mind and forcing you to attack against those around you.Then you turn against yourself," Danika replied unceremoniously. Micah would hold Bryce back until the synth effect ended. 

Killing the Pack of Devils would destroy Bryce and leave Micah with nothing but an empty shell to play with. That was probably the archangel's intention. 

"Greater powers?" Bryce asked, staring at Danika's face. There was a raised expression in her eyes, as if a thought were forming in Bryce's mind. A desperate, one last hopeful thought. 

"So?" Danika asked. What did Bryce have in mind? 

Bryce bit her lip between her teeth as the tears dried up. "He won't make me kill my best friend," Bryce hissed. She got up shaking to her feet, staring at the window Micah had left open as she flew out. Bryce glanced at Danika over her shoulder. And smiled sadly. "I love you, Danika." 

 And then Bryce rushed towards the window and jumped out. Danika screamed. 

***** 

Bryc should get as far away from the Pack of Devils as possible. This was the thought that made Bryce jump out the window. As Danika had said, Bryce's powers, which were normally non-existent, seemed to have intensified.  

And with these powers, she would escape far from the Pack of Devils. Far from Danika. Far from alphahole archangel.  

Bryce's feet hit the street and Bryce felt her ankle twist, although she had managed to slow down the fall by using a ghost wind. Danika screamed in the apartment. Bryce didn't even give it a thought. She should just get as far away from here as possible. And so Bryce started running, clearly ignoring her broken ankle. 

She had never run this fast. Never before had it felt like when Bryce ran her feet would come off the ground. Whether it was a run or a drug, Bryce didn't know. She just ran.  

Street walkers blurred her eyes as Bryce ran past them with supernatural speed. She heard, synth sharpening her hearing, the beats of wings above her. Micah had gone after her. Bryce would have to betray him so he couldn't hold her down when Bryce attacked herself. Bryce would rather tear herself apart than submit to being an archangel's pet. 

Bryce picked up the pace. Her mind slowly began to blur. No! Not yet. Bryce should be able to think clearly for a moment. Bryce made a sharp turn into a narrow side alley, where, while running, Micha, flying overhead, could hardly see her. 

Bryce's sense of time seemed to get tangled. Her mind alternately brightened and alternately blurred. It was so... Ironically, what kind of powers Synth gave before messing with her wearer's head. Bryce felt numb. She was no longer entirely sure where she started and where she ended. 

The sound of the wings had disappeared. She had managed to get Micah out of her chase. Bryce sighed a shaking breath out of her lungs. Micah couldn't stop her anymore. 

And then a sharp pain hit Bryce's lower leg. As if her teeth had sunk into her flesh. Bryce tripped and fell on the paving stones, causing something that had sunk her teeth into her lower leg to let go. Just to attack Bryce's face. 

That something was...Bryce screamed and tried to stumble upright, but the demon tackled her again and dipped her sharp claws into Bryce's chest, causing Bryce to scream in pain. It was slimy and gray and had sharp, transparent teeth. 

It had no eyes. Only incised nostrils. The creature sank his teeth into Bryce again, this time in her shoulder. Bryce screamed in pain and kicked the demon out off her. Flesh was torn from Bryce's shoulder as the demon flew towards the opposite wall. Bryce screamed hysterically, trying to get to her feet and rushing away, but in an instant the demon was upon her again. 

Its claws sank into Bryce's side, inflicting a long wound on it. It's like trying to claw its way under Bryce's skin to gain access to Bryce's internal organs. Brycen screamed in pain, struggling with the demon. However, it felt as if the extra strength of the synth had evaporated from Bryce's body. 

At that moment, Bryce could hardly care about it. This demon would kill her before the synth could reach. It sank its teeth into Bryce again, this time in the chest. Bryce screamed. There was a howl from somewhere, like an answer to Bryce's screams of pain. 

And at that moment, the large, gray wolf pulled the demon away from Bryce and threw it in an arc to another wolf, who dipped his claws into its damp skin. 

Bryce, paralyzed by pain and shock, stared as Pack of Devils... Pack of devils? Was it Pack of Devils? Bryce stared frozen as the wolf pack tore the demon apart. 

The gray wolf with Danika's eyes whined in alarm as she examined Bryce's injuries. Then it lifted its muzzle and growl an order that Bryce didn't hear. The shadows seemed to increase and obscure Bryce's field of view.  

The voice repeating Bryce's name felt to come from somewhere in the distance. It's like Bryce is underwater... as if she were dying... 

***** 

Just moments after Bryce jumped out of the window, Danika felt Micah's power holding them in  place loosen its grip. It didn't take a genius to realize that Micah had noticed Bryce fleeing with a horn on her back, and a synth in her veins. He had gone hunting Bryce. 

Danika should find Bryce before Micah. She owed it to her friend. She owed Bryce a lifetime. She couldn't let her die or become Micah's pet. 

Danika's gaze met Connor's, who clenched his fist time and time again. Connor was angry with her, but now would not be the time to argue. And the whole Pack knew it. 

There was only one goal. “Let's find Bryce," Danika said, changing shape in a flash of light. With the rest of the wolf pack behind her, Danika leapt after Bryce through the open window, feeling the smell of fear in the air like an arrow pointing in the right direction. 

There was no time to stay and talk. The whole pack just rushed to move, tracing the smell, ignoring people and cars. Just had to find Bryce. 

Despite the fact that the Pack of Devils moved faster than the cars around them, from Danika they were not fast enough. What if the drug had already messed up Bryce's head? What if Micah had found her before Danika? Would Danika find her friend torn body? Or would you find it at all... Micah was the archangel of Valbara. He could make anyone disappear just like that.  

Danika tried to run faster, even though she had already pushed her wolf body to the limit. Because of her running speed, Danika almost passed the alley where Bryce had turned. Only Throe's shout, "Coming here," caused the pack to turn. Danika ran ahead of her pack into the labyrinthine side alleys, where Bryce's smell was clearly felt. 

The next time they turned, Danika's sharp wolf ears detected a screech from somewhere in the distance. Bryce!  

"Here!" Danika shouted and rushed to the next alley. A new shout out and something... which sounded like tearing flesh. Danika refused to think about the possibility that Bryce was currently tearing herself up. She should get to her friend. 

A new cry echoed in the air and Danika howled, as if in response. I'm coming, Bryce, Danika thought. I'm coming. 

Next turn and... The demon had bitten her chin into Bryce's chest and Bryce was screaming on the ground, stained with blood. 

Danika's entire field of vision turned red as she roared and lunged at the demon ravaging Bryce. She gritted her teeth into its damp skin and pulled it away from Bryce, who was screaming hysterically. Danika threw the demon to Connor, who came after her, who slammed the demon into the street.  

With the fury that had been building inside the wolf pack throughout the evening, Pack of Devils attacked the demon, tearing it into pieces so small that it would hardly be recognizable as the same creature anymore. 

However, Danika did not participate in killing the demon. She sniffed Bryce, who bled in so many places that it was almost a miracle that she was still alive. Danika whimpered when she noticed a large wound on her shoulder that seemed to be missing flesh. Why didn't synth fix injuries?  

It didn't matter now. "Call someone for the Legion, Aux, for whoever!” Danika shouted at her pack as she transformed into a human. Bryce's eyes were no longer focused on anything. She breathed intermittently. “Bryce,”Danika whispered and pulled Bryce into her arms. "Don't die. You must not die. You don't fucking leave me! Can you hear Bryce?! You don't fucking die! You need to go on a date with Connor!" 

Danika's tears ran down her cheeks and dripped onto Bryce's bloodied face. Her eyes were closed. But she was still breathing. Still breathing..."Bryce," Danika whispered. "I’m sorry, Bryce.” 

****** 

Hunt Athalar had seen even cleaner battlefields. He had seen more intact soldiers.  

The female, Bryce Quinlan, the party princess's roommate, whose blood was currently being attempted to stop bleeding from numerous injuries, might as well have been dragged out of battle looking like that. And might have looked better. 

She was covered in blood all over and had no shoes. The blood-soaked top, torn open at the back, followed the female's large breasts, revealing that there was nothing underneath the top.  

Hunt was forced to look away from the vision, and instead focused his attention on the demon, or what was left of it. Hardly anything but grey-toned mush. The wolf pack certainly hadn't held back. 

"Could have left more to explore," Isaiha Tiberian said, as he collected demon mush in a bag of evidence. Hunt said nothing. His gaze had returned to Quinlan's female and Danika Fenrdyr. Medwitch just said something to Fendyre that made this torturous look relax a bit. 

Connor Holstrom, who was standing behind Danika, breathed a visible sigh of relief. However, the witch's next words made both of them stiffen again. A freezing rage burned in Danika's eyes as she growl medwitch something. The witch swallowed, but then nodded her head. 

Getting an ambulance down the narrow alley had been difficult, but Nathalie's voice on the other end of the wire had announced that they had half fea on their hands, which would soon die of blood loss. Despite the problems, they had managed to bring an ambulance to the alley. 

Hunt watched silently as Quinlan was carefully lifted onto a stretcher, after which she was loaded into an ambulance. Danika followed, first giving a couple of orders to Connor, who nodded gravely. Danika, stained with her friend's blood, apparently temporarily transferred the lead of the investigation to Connor. 

Then the party princess stepped into the back of the ambulance, squeezing her fingers around Quinlan's flaccid fingers. That was the last thing Hunt saw before the doors closed. 

"Will she survive?"Hunt asked when Connor came to them. Connor’s face was ash-gray. Connor put his hands in his pocket and glanced down at the demon's remains. "According to Medwich, she could survive if she is brought in for surgery." Connor grimaced and kicked the gray mush in the earth. 

"There's more," Hunt said coldly expressionlessly. Connor glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "I don't understand why you're interested in it, but whatever. Bryce may die on the way. The injuries are serious and the poison of that creature slows down healing.” Connor spat on the material of Isaha's testimony. 

The wolf was furious and stared at the remnants of the demon, as if wanting to resurrect it and kill it again. 

"Do you and Quinlan have something?" Hunt asked, directing Connor away from the demon so Isaiha could collect the evidence. Hunt honestly didn't expect Connor to respond or collapse on the ground as if his strength had suddenly run out. But that's what Connor did. His legs seemed to fail, and he collapsed to sit against the brick wall, staring at the blood stains on the ground. 

"She agreed to go on a date with me earlier today," Connor replied, sounding exhausted. Hunt sat down beside him.Connor seemed to be the only Pack of Devils who might agree to tell you why Quinlan was down that alley that night. 

Hunt had been the first to arrive, and genuinely shocked to see Quinlan, in Danika's arms, lying in her own blood, with the rest of the pack of wolves around they. The wolves had behaved overprotectively and had not let any of the angels anywhere near Quinlan. Fendyr had bent over his friend's slowly bleeding body and growel at the legionnaires. 

They had only agreed to let through medwitch, which had arrived moments later. 

"What happened then?" Hunt, I asked leadingly. The other members Pack of Devils were still wolves, and they would just growl in response if tried to ask them something.   

Connor chuckled joylessly and gazed at the small alley where Quinlan almost dead. "Everything went to hel.. I couldn't protect Bryce." Connor's hands clenched into fists. "She didn't even have that damn amulet anymore that could have stopped that from attacking her," Connor continued and nodded towards the remnants of the demon. 

Hunt removed a field bottle from his belt and offered it to Connor.Connor accepted it and gulped water down his throat. "If only it were something stronger," he muttered before handing the bottle back to Hunt. 

"What was Quinlan doing here?"Hunt continued to ask his questions. But before Connor could respond, the air got cold and Micah landed on the ground followed by a couple of other angels. He looked around with cold eyes. His expression was rocky and full of rage as it swept across the alley. It stopped for a moment at Connor, who tensed and growl. 

Hunt stood up. So did Connor, who stared at Micah, as if wanting to tear the archangel to pieces. "Ask your boss. He probably knows as well as I do." 

After these words, Connor turned his back on Micah and leapt over to another wolf, who turned into a young female which glare Micah before turning to say something to Connor. Connor nodded and the female dug out the phone from her pocket and went further away to call.  

Hunt looked after Connor in confusion before going to Micah to give the report. "What happened here?" Micah's voice was ice.Hunt straightened his back, took a breath before saying: "A demon attacked a young fea female. Danika Fendyr’s pack arrived before the female died." 

“So she's alive." The fact seemed to interest Micah. Hunt nodded. "She is currently being taken to hospital for surgery. If she doesn't die on the road trip, there's a high chance she'll survive." 

“Female’s name?”Micah asked, looking at the demon mush on the ground. “Bryce Quinlan,” Hunt replied. Micah nodded his head slowly before turning his back on Hunt and beginning handing out orders to crime scene investigators.  

Hunt took a couple of steps back, intending to return to Connor to continue the interrogation. However, Micah yelled him back. “Contact the hospital where she was taken," Micah ordered. "Tell them to let me know when Miss Quinlan is available. I need to talk to her." Micah kicked the remnants of the demon. And then glanced at Hunt, who had stopped in amazement. "What?" Micah asked. Hunt shook his head and dug his phone out of his pocket. 

What the fuck did Micah from Quinlan want? It was rare for the governor to conduct the questioning himself. Connor's words came back to Hunt's mind. Did the governor have anything to do with tonight's events? 

****** 

Rhun Dannan was furious as he rushed through the hospital doors at six o'clock in the morning with Declan Emmet and Tristan Flynn on his heels. 

He had just received a call from his father, who had somehow learned that the female who had been attacked by a demon and whose blood had been splattered along the wall of that alley was fucking Bryce. 

Rhun had smelled Bryce in the air, but believed or hoped it came from Danika, who had been there. Rhun and his unit had been the last to arrive and they had been told everything they knew about the incident at the time. 

The female, who was moving alone, had been attacked by a demon. Pack of Devils had arrived on time, to save her life. No one had told Rhun it was Bryce. Damn it, Connor had been there and didn't say a word to suggest that Rhun's little sister had been hospitalized. 

It wasn't until the Autumn King called Rhun and blrawl out to him on the phone why Rhun hadn't called and told him that girl had almost died that night, that Rhun learned to whom all the blood belonged. 

Now Rhun rushed to the hospital, ready to strangle Danika for not announcing that Bryce was almost dead.Damn it, Rhun had a right to know. 

However, the sight that awaited him in the hospital lobby caused Rhun to back down. Danika looked horrible. She sat on one of the couches, covered in blood and dirt. There was a blank look in her toffee-brown eyes as she stared at the opposite wall. She had pulled her knees to her chest and leaned her chin against them. 

The rest of the Pack of Devils had gathered around their alpha, part on the couch, part on the floor, and the two walked back and forth with a stone on the floor. Rhun's arrival didn't even make Danika blink. 

She was completely apathetic. Connor, who had been measuring the hospital floor with her steps, looked up at the arrivals. His expression tightened as he grunted out, "What the hel are you doing here?" 

Rhun grunted in response: "Bryce is my cousin, if you remember Holstrom. I have just as much right to be here as you do." 

Connor should have told Rhun already there in the alley. The same thing seemed to come to Connor's mind, as he averted his gaze and continued walking back and forth. 

Holstrom didn't seem to have the strength to fight right then. Nor does Rhun. He collapsed in the nearest chair while Flynn remained standing and Emmet went to ask the nearest medwitch what stage Bryce's surgery was at. 

"Most of that demon's venom has been removed," Declan said as he returned to Rhun and Trisan.He sat down next to Flynn and dug out his phone, starting to do who knows what. Rhun took a good position in his chair and prepared to wait, even all day. And the next night. 

Time passed slowly. A medwitch visited to tell they what stage the surgery was at and to make sure Bryce was still alive. 

At half past eight, Nathalie reported that Ember Quinlan had been informed of the situation and was in the process of coming to town with Randall. 

It was half past ten in the morning when the new medwitch entered the lobby, with a serious expression on her face. It was the first time in five hours that Danika had reacted. She lifted her head from her knees, and a furious hope flashed in her eyes. "We've gotten all the venom out and healed all the injuries that that demon inflicted,” The witch said gravely.  

"And?" Danika asked. Her voice was hoarse. Medwitch smiled slightly. "We can only thank Urd for how lucky Miss Quinlan was. She'll make a full recovery within a couple of weeks." 

It felt like a huge weight had fallen off Rhun's shoulders. Danika relaxed and Connor slumped down on the floor, closing his eyes relieved.Flynn sighed his lungs empty, and then said:"I was already afraid that she would actually die." 

Rhun glare at Flynn, who smiled innocently at Rhun.  

"Can we get to see her?" Danika asked and standing up. "Yes. She's in room number 18." Medwitch said. "However, we will have to wait..." 

She didn't finish her sentence when the whole Pack of Devils and Rhun and his friends rushed into the hallway. "Two guests at a time," the witch tried to shout after them, but no one listened. 

********* 

"What can blind an oracle?"  

"What kind of cat goes to the oracle?"  

The white cat sat on the windowsill and watched Bryce with his bright blue eyes. Bryce frowned. She felt strangely numb. Bryce forced herself to turn her head, causing her to feel blunt pain in her shoulder.  

Half of her body was covered with bandages. Bryce closed her eyes, in her own mind only for a moment, but the next time she opened her eyes, a white cat sat on her chest. 

"It was close, Bryce Quinlan," the cat sounded scolding. Bryce frowned. She opened her mouth to say something, but then realized that she wasn't quite sure where her mouth was. 

"You've been pumped full of painkillers so strong you barely feel anything," the cat continued. Its blue eyes explored Bryce's face. Bryce could only look at the cat. "It has consequences, Bryce." 

With which? Bryce was tempted to ask. But she couldn't find her mouth or voice to ask her question. "Micah Domitus is looking for a way to catch you," the cat thankfully clarified. Bryce was tempted to raise her eyebrows questioningly when she heard murderous in the cat's voice. But instead, Bryce found her eyes closing again. It was too heavy to keep them open. "Sweet dreams, Bryce," the cat purred. 

Then Bryce knew nothing more. 

***** 

"How long did that medwitch say it would take Bryce to regain consciousness?" 

Bryce could have sworn that voice belonged to Declan Emmet. What the hel was he doing here... where was Bryce? 

"She just said two guests at a time," was the reply. Zelda must have said that. "Could someone go and ask?" Oh damn! That was Rhun. 

"Go just my prince, if it interests you so much.” The person who spoke with a grunt had to be Connor. Bryce tried to open her mouth and tell everyone to shut up, but she couldn't open her mouth. 

The sounds evaporated around Bryce as she fell unconscious again. 

"You should eat, Danika." That was Thorne. "I’m not hungry." Danika's voice was hoarse, as if she hadn't drunk or spoken in a while. "Bryce wouldn't want you to starve yourself." Again Thorne. 

Danika didn't answer anything. Bryce felt someone curl up next to her on a hospital bed. Danika's voice whispered in Bryce's ear: “I’m sorry, Bryce. I love you." 

I love you too, Brycen wanted to say, but the world blackened again. 

"It's been 12 hours since Bryce's surgery ended." Tristan Flynn. Why were there Aux people around her sickbed?  

"Medwitch said it can take time to wake up." Why was Rhun still here? 

"Twelve hours is quite a long time." Great brain work Connor. Someone snorted at Bryce's ear. "Shut up. Bryce wakes up when she's ready." 

"What the fuck was she doing in that alley?" Rhun again. Danika growled warningly. Unlike previous times, when Bryce had almost woken up from her drug coma, Bryce sensed that there were others around her. A whole Pack of Devils. 

And three fea of Aux.Judging by the smells, Declan Emmet, Tristan Flynn and Rhun. But that's what Bryce had already guessed from the sounds. Danika, on the other hand... 

Bryce could feel where her fingers were. And she also felt another hand pinching her fingers. Danika lay next to her. Must have been lying all along. She smelled clean, like she had just come out of the shower. Perhaps Thore had managed to persuade Danika to wash and eat. Bryce would kill Danika if she hadn't eaten. 

“Bryce,”Danika muttered in her ear. She sounded better than before. “Mom came here. But the witches evicted her from the room. They promised to let them know when you wake up."  

It was as if Danika knew Bryce was awake. Mom was in town. But... Bryce felt the horror inside her when she realized Ember Quinlan was in the same town as Micah. If Micah even considered touching Bryce's mom... 

"Zack and Zelda are guarding her. Randall is here too. Nothing to worry about." 

Bryce sighed. The whole atmospher in the room seemed to change as all the wandering attention seemed to be focused on Bryce.  

"Bryce?" Bryce felt, she felt again how Connor grabbed her other hand. The sensation involved Bryce felt pain in her shoulder, leg and chest.  

Oh shit! 

"No fuck that causes pain," Bryce muttered hoarsely and opened her eyes. A bright light hit her eyes and she immediately closed them again. 

“Bryce!” Danika screamed and bounced up next to Bryce. Bryce opened her eyes again and this time, squinting her eyes, she managed to focus her gaze on Danika's relieved face. Bryce looked at Danika for a moment to make sure she wasn't hurt.Then she turned her head and met Connor's gaze. After that, her gaze wandered to Rhun, who was leaning against the headboard of the bed. Declan had conquered an armchair in the corner of the room. He had a computer on his knees.  

Flynn leaned on Emmet's armchair. Thore sat on a small chair behind Danika and Nathalie was lounging on the other. Bronson lay in wolf form next to Bryce's bed, but now lifted his head from his paws and gave Bryce a wolf-like smile. 

"You all look like I'm a hero who survived a great battle," Bryce said hoarsely, then coughed. Connor and Danika both attacked the water jug, intending to pour water the Bryce. They almost poured it along the floors. 

Finally, Connor poured Bryce a glass of water and Danika helped her drink.When Bryce's throat no longer felt like sandpaper, she looked around from a relieved face to the other. Her gaze stopped at Rhun. "Have you really been here for 12 hours?" Bryce asked, not particularly warmly. 

Rhun's expression darkened. "You were about to die, and my king wanted someone to be here so he could be informed as soon as it was certain that you would stay alive." 

Bryce raised her eyebrows. Rhun sighed. "I was worried. From the amount of blood, you would have thought you would have been torn to pieces."  

Torn to pieces. Bryce swallowed and turned her attention to her hands. A thousand questions burst into her mind, but she could not ask them in front of the fea. "Maybe you should then inform your father that I am still alive," Bryce said calmly but commandingly. “I need to talk to Danika." 

Rhun looked hurt when he realized Bryce wanted him to leave. “I'm fine," Bryce grumbled. She wasn't. Bryce's arm felt like it could come off at any moment. 

Rhun raised his hands as a sign of surrender. "Okay then. I'm fading. At the same time, I'll call your mom and let medwitch know you're awake." 

"Do it," Danika muttered as Rhun motioned for Flynn and Emmet to join him, and the three of them disappeared through the door. 

Connor sat down on the edge of Bryce's bed and smiled tiredly at her. “They refused to leave. Just talked some shit about the fact that since you're half fea they should be here to make sure you're okay or something." 

Rhun had no right to be a worried big brother. However, Bryce could not elaborate on that idea now. Instead, she turned toward Danika and asked, "What happened?"  

Danika sighed and leaned her back against the wall. She knew that Bryce didn't just mean what happened after the demon attack. 

"In short," Danika began. "I confiscated a load of synths and Micah got pictures of me looking like I was buying it. He threatened to circulate the pictures and destroy me and the Pack of Devils. He blackmailed me into stealing the Horn." 

Danika sighed and shook her head. "I was desperate. Once I got the Horn, I knew I couldn't give it to Micah. So I hid it." 

"You smashed the Horn and tattooed it on Bryce's back," Connor grumbled, Danika. Danika groaned and rubbed her eyes with her fingers. "I... had to come up with something quickly. I didn't think..." 

"You thought no one would make a connection between me and Horn," Bryce finished. Danika nodded. Bryce sighed. "Will you help me sit down," she asked Danika. As Bryce rested against the pillows, she addressed Danika:"If truth be told, I don't know if you're a genius, just an idiot," Bryce began. "But you can't undo it anymore. Micah is after me and..." Bryce waved her intact hand. “He is the governor of Valbara. He has the power to arrest me or make me disappear or something." 

"We won't let Micah a block closer to you,"Connor declared and slammed Bryce's bedside table with his fist so that the jug of water was again in danger of toppling over. Danika wrapped her arms around Bryce's shoulders and seemed relieved when Bryce didn't pull back. 

"He'll never touch you again, Bryce," Danika promised. Bryce shook her head. She knew Danika couldn't keep her promise. This evening already proved it.  But Bryce said it out loud. Danika probably knew it herself. 

"So," Nathalie sat down on Bryce's bed and crossed her ankles. "What's next? Do we dig the horn off Bryce's back?" 

Danika grunted. Bryce took her by the wrist, knowing that if Danika decided to attack, she wouldn't be able to hold her back.  

"The horn only works on a starborn," Thoren said, glancing at Bryce. "If there was any way to take the horn off Bryce, its power could die." 

"No way," Danika replied grimly. “Especially not now that the Horn has been repaired." 

"Did it get fixed?" Connor asked and sat down on the other side of Bryce, holding her one hand. "In all likelihood, yes," Danika replied grimly. 

"You know what's confusing me," Bronson said from the floor, in the form of a wolf. "Well, what?" Nathalie asked the wolf. "Why did the synth effect stop when that demon attacked Bryce?" 

It was completely quiet for a while. Bryce and the wolves looked at each other in confusion. Finally, Bryce said, thoughtfully, "Maybe the demon's venom somehow nullifies it," she suggested. 

Danika nodded her head, expressing her agreement. Connor opened her mouth to say something when there was a knock at the door. Declan Emmet peeked into the room. "I don't want to disrupt your meeting," he said. “But the governor just came here and wants to talk to Bryce." 

Bryce's stomach turned. Again, she felt as if Micah's fingers were caressing her cheek. He was here. 

"You're already my Bryce Quinlan."  

If only that demon had killed her after all. 

Chapter Text

For a while it was completely quiet. So quiet you could have heard a feather falling to the ground. The wolves were frozen in place. But somehow they just seemed to condense their pack around Bryce.  

Connor's fingers squeezed her hand, and Danika was bent over her, as if ready to leap into battle. Her muscles were tense.  

Declan made the smart decision to close the door and fade away. And he didn't do it any too soon. A loud roar escaped Danika's mouth and she rushed towards the door. Bryce tried to grab her, but the pain caused her to stagnate. Her better hand still squeezed Connor's fingers. Bryce hoped it would be enough to keep Connor still, so that he doesn't rush after his alpha, into the corridor and through it into the Archangel in the lobby.  

Nathalie, Throne, and Bronson lunged Bryce around the bed on attack Danika and tackled her before she reached the door.  

 Danika growl and wriggled as she tried to escape the pack from her comrades. "Let me go!" she grumbled. "I'm going to kill him!"  

Bryce tried to get out of bed to help hold Danika back. The thought of Danika being confronted with the Archangel terrified Bryce. But she did not manage to get up. Stabbing pain in her arm, leg and side caused her to bite her teeth together, so that she does not scream in pain.  

"What are you doing?" Connor looked worried when she noticed Bryce trying to stand up. Why on earth was she still hurting so much? Connor forced her to stay in bed, while three members of his pack fought with Danika.  

It took two human-shaped wolves and one wolf to hold Danika back so she wouldn't go and try to murder Miach."Don't give him an excuse to arrest us," Nathalie grunted with gritted teeth. "If Micah can get us out of the way under any pretext, there's nothing stopping him from marching in and taking Bryce."  

This made Danika stop fighting. Her body relaxed when she realized Nathalie was right. "Fuck," she muttered. "Fuck."  

Bronson, Thorne, and Nathalie got off Danika, and Nathalie helped Danika stand up. Danika wiped her leather jacket, before returning back to Bryce and slumping down to sit on the edge of her bed.  

Danika's expression was blank . She didn't seem to know how to proceed. What to do next? Bryce loosened her grip on Connor's fingers to grab Danika's hand. She squeezed it comfortingly. Danika turned to look at her, toffee's brown eyes full of rage and despair.  

"I can't stand it, Bryce," she groaned, so quietly that even Bryce had a hard time hearing her. "I can't stand the thought of him with you in the same room. That, he's looking at you. Touches you..." The growl that came out of the wolves' mouths caused the hairs on Bryce's neck to stand up.  

Danika's growl promised pain and death.  Her beastly furious gaze turned from Bryces to the door, as if she could see Micah, even though he was in the lobby. "What does he think he can achieve by talking to Bryce?" Thorne asked, looking at the his pack comrades.   

Danika lifted her legs onto Bryce's bed and positioned herself between Connor and Bryce. She didn't say anything, so Thorne continued: “Or rather, he can't just march in and take Bryce out of the hospital without anyone questioning it."  

Thorne looked from one gloomy face to the other. Everyone seemed to be wondering what Thorne said and whether Micah could just take Bryce with him without anyone wondering?  

He was, after all, governor. "I don't think he can do it without a good reason," Connor finally stated. It didn't cheer up the wolves much. Danika snorted. She put one foot on top of the other and leaned her back on Bryce's pillows.  

Her expression was painful. Bryce squeezed Danika's hand. "Don't worry," Bryce said. "We will come up with something."  

Danika chuckled bitterly and turned to look at Bryce. Tears had welled up in her eyes. "You're an uncanny Bryce," Danika groaned and rubbed her forehead. "You're in the hospital and you're being chased by a fucking powerful god-like creature and all of that is my fault. And yet..." Danika shook her head and wiped tears from her eyes. She snorted, and then continued: "Nevertheless, you comfort me."  

Bryce smiled at Danika. She leaned her head on her shoulder and sighed. "If Micah hadn't gotten those pictures of you and blackmailed you, you wouldn't have stolen the horn." Bryce pointed out.  

"Yes," Danika admitted. "But I wouldn't have had to tattoo it on your back."  

"It can be discussed later," Nathalie said sharply. And from the look she cast on Danika, it would indeed be discussed.Bronson awkwardly switched weights from one leg to the other. Thorne lowered his gaze and Connor stared at Danika stone-faced. Their confidence in their alpha had faltered.  

But, now that Micah threatened Bryce, they postponed the obligatory argument until later to protect theirs."We can't let Micah get anywhere near Bryce," Connor said in a tone that did not tolerate objections.   

All five members of the pack in the room nodded. "I don't think we can openly accuse Micah of attempted murder and possession of syth," Bronson said from the door for he had crept up to guard. "We have no evidence and Micah could shrug the claim."  

Danika's expression was gloomy. She squeezec Bryce's fingers and stared at the ceiling thoughtfully. "We're not in a position to directly stop him from talking to Bryce,” she said thoughtfully.  

"Under what pretext does he even want to talk to her?" Nathalie asked."Demon attack," Thorne replied. “Or at least that's what one might assume. It wasn't a demon nobody seen before.” Thorne shrugged.  

"Then it's easy for us to avoid it," Danika said.  She lowered her gaze from the ceiling and took turns looking at the members of her pack as the first genuine smile of the evening slowly rose on her face. "We say we can handle Bryce's hearing ourselves. We'll give him a report and tell what we saw to some of the 33 bastards, if we have to."  

It was quiet for a long time as Danika's herd weighed the idea. Finally, they all nodded. "That sounds reasonable," Connor said. "If we play it down enough, we'll make Micah seem stupid if he tries to talk to Bryce again under that pretext."  

Danika smiled contentedly. Then her expression darkened. She turned to look at Bryce, lying quietly in bed, who had listened carefully to the conversation. "I'm going to drive the seagull away," Danika said, placing a kiss on Bryce's forehead.  

Then she stood up . It seemed to cause her physical pain. The instincts of Danika's protector demanded that she all the time stay by Bryce's side, until she could defend herself. Bryce didn't say anything,when Danika shook herself like a dog, and then said to her pack:  "Nathelie and Connor, come with me. Bronson and Thorne, stay here and take care of Bryce."  

Bryce opened her mouth, to tell Danika, that she could do just fine alone for a while, but Connor had time to argue against Danika, before Bryce. "No!" she groaned.Bryce sighed inward. Overprotective wolves. Yes, Bryce was scared, but the wolves' nervous behavior made her feel uncomfortable and tense too.  

However, Danika's grunt and gaze made Connor lower his gaze. "It was an order from Holstrom. I need both of you when I talk to Micah."  

There was a clear command in Danika's voice. It was pointless for Nathalie and Connor to argue against Danika.Connor growled half aloud, but straightened his back and nodded his head to signal that he was no longer fighting the order.  

Bryce watched with quiet anxiety as Danika went to the door, Nathalie and Connor behind her. When the door latch slammed shut, Thorne changed shape. Now at Bryce's bedside were two, large wolves obeying their alpha's command and ultimate instinct.  

Protect a wounded member of the pack.  

*****  

Guided by the same instinct, Danika didn't leave Bryce for more than a quarter of an hour during the week Bryce had to stay in the hospital.  

After the incident with Micah, Danika's protective instinct had taken over. First what happened in their apartment and then later an encounter in the hospital lobby.  

Micah's cold power had struck Danika as she stepped out of the aisle in front of the archangel and two legionnaires. Connor and Nathelie had stayed behind her, watching over Danika's back as Danika stepped in front of Micah with her hands clasped.  

"I don't think you need to conduct an interrogation, your grace," Danika said, gritting her teeth. She hated calling Micah "your mercy" considering what she had tried to do to the Pack of Devils. What he wanted to do to Bryce.  

For Bryce, who couldn't even sit up, without feeling pain. The demon's venom slowed down healing, and although everything had been almost completely removed, the wounds had not been completely closed. And the Medwitches didn't dare to close the wounds completely, fearing that poison would remain in Bryce's system. They would examine the wounds again the next day to make sure the poison was gone.  

Micah's cold, black eyes were directed at Danika and Danika had to restrain herself so as not to grimace. Those same eyes had searched Bryce, filled with unholy lust and possessiveness. Now they were just cold and emotionless. The eyes of the archangel of Valbara, which everyone felt. Not the madman who wanted Luna's Horn to open a portal to another world, Urd knew what.  

"Miss Fendyr," said Micha, coldly matter-of-factly, and nodded his head. Danika gave him a strained smile. "The Pack of Devils can handle this," Danika got straight to the point, defiantly facing Micah's cold eyes.  

The corner of Micah's mouth quivered. Fracture in expressionless mask. The archangel was impatient. She wanted to see Bryce to know what condition the Horn holder was in. And had the Horn even been repaired.  

Danika didn't let her emotions shine from her face, but focused on staying calm. She shouldn't give Micah a reason to arrest Danika and Pack of Devils.   

 "I'd like to talk to Miss Quinlan face to face,"Micah said. Danika's nails sank into her palms. "I don't think it's necessary," Danika said, keeping a strained smile on her face. "I can conduct the questioning myself and send the report to you later."  

Danika hated this. She wanted to change shape and tear open Micah's throat. Tear and grate until Micah is left with the same pile of vague flesh pulp like demon.  

Micah's expression remained cool, even though Danika could see the impatience and rage flashing in his eyes. If there had been no eyewitnesses, Micah would most likely have suffocated Danika and her pack in that place. And then faded away, Bryce with him.  

Now, however, Micah had to settle for a staring contest with Pack of Devils alpha. Danika rose to the challenge, chin held high. She wouldn't back down.  

The tension between them was palpable.Everyone in the room senses it. Medwitches lived backwards, while legionnaires brought their hands to sword handles. Connor and Nathalie were both crouched in an attack position, ready to attack Micah's men, for one wrong move.  

Danika took note of all this, but did not for a moment avert her gaze from the archangel. "I want to talk to Bryce Quinlan," Micah said calmly.Danika responded to Micah's move with an understatement."I didn't know that interrogating injured civilians is now part of the governor's duties."  

The rage flashing in Micah's expression,caused Danika's blood to turn into ice in her veins.The nails were piercing the skin of his palms as he clenched his hands into fists.   

For a moment it was completely silent as Danika and Micah were staring each other. Finally, Micah said: "I expect your report within three days. It's important for us to know all about that demon."  

Then he turned and marched out of the hospital building, with two legion angels on his heels. After they spread their wings and rose sky, Danika let herself breathe a sigh of relief. They had succeeded. She had managed to keep Micah away from Bryce. At least for now.  

"What was that about?" the question sparked Danika's thoughts on the real world. She turned her head and I noticed Rhun standing next to the couch near the door. She looked confused, glancing alternately after the angels and alternately at Danika.   

Danika groaned and turned her back on the prince. " None of your business," Danika said over her shoulder before heading back to Bryce.Danika could only relax next to Bryce. When she knew the friend was safe.  

The next day, when Rhun and his friends had finally disappeared and all the hordes of devils except Connor and Danika had left to visit Hollow, recounting the night between Thursday and Friday, Ember Quinlan marched through the hospital doors like a whirlwind.  

Randall followed, with an expression on his face that made everyone dodge.   

Bryce had been put to sleep for the night with medication. Danika had slept next to her all night and woke up every now and then to Bryce complaining of pain in her sleep.  

Danika felt helpless as there was nothing she could do to help Bryce. While awake, Bryce didn't let the pain show, even though he was clearly in pain.  

The wounds had been checked again Saturday morning. The poison was gone, but the witches had not been able or dared to do anything about its effect. Bryce's wounds were no longer as severe as they were at first, but they still hadn't closed.  

Bryce was unable to walk because of the pain. There was still a spot on her other leg where the demon had sunk it teeth.Danika still didn't understand where the demon had come from, or why it was attacking Bryce.  

If it had anything to do with the Horn... Danika felt more guilty every day.   

Danika had had to carry Bryce to the bathroom and help her wash, for Bryce could stand alone for exactly one minute before her bad leg failed, and she collapsed on the floor. This had happened when Bryce had stubbornly refused Danika's help on her first bathroom trip.  

The door had been closed for a moment when Danika heard a knock and a painful hiss. She pulled the door open, only to see Bryce lying on the ground, sweating her brow and panting in pain.  

Without a word, Danika had picked Bryce off the floor and carried her back to bed, being careful not to step on Connor's tail. Connor remained in wolf form most of the time, lying at the foot of Bryce's bed on guard. Danika sometimes did this herself, but she preferred to sleep right next to Bryce. Danika was afraid that if she let go of Bryce, she would just disappear.   

Danika hated the moments when she had to leave Bryce's side. The fear of what she would or would not find when she returned hurt her physically. Bryce complained about how overprotective Danika and Connor were.Danika refrained from coughing up an answer that would only have made Bryce more angry and anxious.  

Danika knew her friend. She knew when she was scared.  

But Bryce wasn't nearly scared enough for herself as she seemed to be for her mother and Danika.  

Ember Quinlan was overwhelmed with worry and relief when he finally made it to Bryce's room. Bryce told her mother to calm down, but Ember wouldn't listen. Randalla, Danika, and Connor found themselves marginalized while Ember dominated the room.  

She didn't ask anything that Bryce would have had a hard time answering, but Ember was clearly curious about how her daughter had been hurt.  

After fussing around Bryce and Danika for half a day, Randall finally convinced Ember to walk away with her. He had noticed how exhausted Bryce had looked.  

Ember agreed to leave only after making it clear that she would return the next day.   

Medwitches no longer even seemed to try to stop guests from entering Bryce's room. On Saturday night, Juniper and Fury rushed in through the door of Bryce's room. Bryce had just fallen asleep, but was startled awake when the two rushed in.  

Danika glare towards the duo, but even she couldn't stop Juniper, who rushed past her and grabbed Bryce in a hug. Bryce let out a painful sound, patted Juniper on the back as the faun sobbed Bryce in the hair.  

Fury looked at the situation with cold eyes. The rage shining from her face promised death to whoever was responsible for harming Bryce.   

Danika wasn't surprised when Fury left Juniper to talk to Bryce and dragged her down the hallway. Connor lifted his head from his paws and gave Danika an inquiring look.  

Danika looked at the wolf meaningfully and nodded her head.Connor would remain to protect Bryce.  

When Danika and Fury got into the hallway, Fury didn't hesitate as she pushed Danika against the wall and growl: "Who. Did. That?” she said it quietly, but every word was one nail in the coffin where Fury would put the person who hurt Bryce.  

"We killed the demon," Danika replied, staring defiantly into Fury's eyes. Fury snorted and pressed her hands tightly to Danika's shoulders. "I don't mean a demon. Who did that? I'm not stupid Danika.I know when there is more behind the case than what is claimed. That demon isn't the reason Bryce was in that little side alley. The demon did not destroy your dwelling, as Micah Domitus claims."  

Danika had to contain a grimace when she heard the name of the archangel. Of course, he attributed the traces of the fight between Pack of Devils and himself to the demon. It was logical and plausible to anyone. Except Fury.  

Fury's grimace revealed her white teeth. "What happened in that apartment, Danika?"Fury asked in a deadly low voice. "Why was Bryce in that alley? Why is the governor so interested in her?"  

Danika felt her expression change .What had Micah done for Fury to notice it?  

Fury waited for an answer, but when Danika kept her mouth shut, she sighed. She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them, they showed anger and anxiety.  

"We almost lost Bryce,” Fury said. "I want the head of that person," she nodded towards Bryce's room. "So tell me, Danika, what happened?"  

Danika was silent for a long time. She wondered if it would be helpful to tell Fury what had happened in the apartment. Who was to blame for the fact that Bryce lay almost immobile in a hospital bed. Could Fury somehow get rid of the archangel and governor? Finally, Danika shook her head and lowered her gaze.  

Fury groaned and slammed his fist into the wall next to Danika's head. Danika didn't even flinch. "What the fuck Danika!" Fury grunted."I don't think the demon is behind all this. You would never have let it hurt Byce if you could have made a difference. You wouldn't have let it destroy the apartment. Juniper and the 33 idiots who did the research in your apartment can believe Micah's explanation. But I don't belive it. What happened Danika?"  

Fury's enraged expression demanded answers.Danika met her friend's gaze. She considered the words, but knew she would have to reveal at least part of the truth to Fury. The rest, like Bryce's powers... Bryce could decide to reveal them herself.  

"I made a mistake," Danika whispered quickly, causing Fury's expression to change in confusion. Danika continued: "I can't tell you half of what happened here, but I promise to tell you everything I can after talking to Bryce."  

Danika stared appealingly into Fury's eyes."Because of my mistake, Bryce is now in danger. And not only in danger of death. An authoritative bastard is chasing her for my mistake, and I can't let him get anywhere near Bryce."  

Danika watched silently as her words sank into Fury's consciousness. The assassin swear. “Micah.”  

The mention of the name made Danika's hands instinctively clench fists.Fury had figured out.  

Fury's expression was incredulous as she stared at Danika."What did you do?"  

 Danika sighed and shook her head. “Ei tässä Fury. Wherever anyone might hear. I promise to explain everything, but... Not now. Not here. I have to protect Bryce."  

Fury took a step back, and the cold glow of her eyes made Danika's skin crawl. She expected reprimands or some cold, sarcastic comment, but instead Fury said:"If the governor is part of this mess, we are screwed, Danika."  

Danika snorted and rolled her eyes. "You can't guess how screwed."  

Fury ran her fingers through her long hair. "I will help you protect Bryce, as best I can."  

She glare Danika."You owe me an explanation."  

So Danika was.  

The week passed surprisingly calmly, and no uninvited guests stopped by the hospital. Ember visited daily. So does the rest of the Pack of Devils. Danika sent Connori midweek to represnt herself as leader of the Pack of Devils. They were forced to continue their work, although Connor was not happy with the arrangement.  

Danika refused to leave from Bryce. No more than fifteen minutes. Sabine called Danika on Thursday, the day before Bryce was allowed to leave the hospital. She was already able to go to the bathroom herself without falling. Nevertheless, Danika still woke up at night to Bryce's pain groan.  

"What the fuck are you?" Sabine said instead of greeting. "You should lead your flock and not lie in the hospital watching that half-fea whore."  

Danika bit her teeth. Micah had used those words. "Bryce needs me," Danika replied.  

"And the fuck doesn't have to," Sabine growled in response. "I'm sure she'll be fine on her own."  

Danika watched as the bathroom door opened and Bryce limped out of it, her face pale with pain.  

"And wouldn't make it," Danika said into the phone and then hung up before Sabine could continue her torrent of reproaches.  

She went to Bryce, lifted her lightly off the ground, and carried her to the bed. "I can walk," Bryce muttered irritably as Danika sat her down against the pillows. Danika snorted and sat down next to her. "Then why did you look ready to faint just a moment ago?"   

Bryce didn't say anything. She just rested her back against the pillows and looked at the opposite wall. Danika straightened her own legs next to Bryce's legs. She took the blanket, spread it over Bryce.  

Bryce glare at Danika out of the corner of her eye. Danika just smiled beamingly before taking her laptop out of the bag and placing it on their knees, making sure it wouldn't hurt Bryce.  

Bryce noticed this. She rolled her eyes and placed the laptop on her knees. "Do you notice?" she asked sarcastically. "It won't kill me!"  

Danika sighed before opening the laptop. "What's watching?" Danika asked. "I saw in honor of your last day in the hospital."  

Bryce snorted at Danika's words, but nevertheless took a good position on her bed. "Something stupid, that makes us forget that the crazy angel is right up our ass," Bryce said stretching and grinned at Danika.  

Danika smiled back, even though Bryce's words made her protective instinct alert . Bryce would only be offended if Danika started acting overprotective.  

Danika browsed through the streaming services until she found something that matched Bryce's requirements. She clicked on the icon and the series began spinning. It was silly and the plot was bad, but the main character was funny. Danika and Bryce howled with laughter, pretending they had nothing to worry about. That, everything was normal.  

They watched the series well into the night. Danika clicked the stop button only when Bryce's head fell against her shoulder.Danika closed the laptop and carefully moved Bryce to lie down on the bed. She didn't want to wake her up.  

Danika then lay down next to her and gently wrapped her arms around Bryce to feel Bryce's warmth against herself . So that she does not disappear anywhere.   

Danika woke up at night to Bryce's sound of pain. Cautiously and silently, Danika turned Bryce so that she no longer lay on her injured hand.  

******  

Although Bryce had to rely on help, putting on a white sweater and jeans, she still wanted to walk out of the hospital on her own feet. She refused to sit in a wheelchair brought to her by a medwitch or let anyone in the Pack of Devils carry her.  

Bryce made it all the way to the front doors when her injured leg failed underneath . Bryce swear when she had to take support from the door frame to stay upright. Pack of Devils, which had appeared Friday night at the hospital doors to ensure Bryce's safe return home (or well, their new apartment) all moved towards Bryce, to lift her off the ground and carry her the rest of the way.   

The fastest, however, was Connor, who lifted Bryce into her arms, as if expecting Bryce's legs to fail."Fuck you wolves," Bryce grumbled as Connor carried her out the doors.  "Don't pretend brave," Connor said back grumpy. "Medwitches said you shouldn't strain your leg too much or it will never get better."  

Bryce sighed irritably. "Yes, Dad. Was there anything else?"  

Connor gave Bryce a big smile as he lifted her into the back seat of a small bus rented by Bronso. Danika, who had remained close to Bryce the whole time, sat down beside her. The rest of the Pack of Devils took their seats in the car and Bronson sat behind the wheel. Nathalie sat down next to Bronoson, after taking a quick glance at the backbenchers. "Then no fooling around there in the back,” she warned. "Or you fly out of this car faster than you can say 'it wasn't me.'"  

The warning was greeted with laughter. Throne bent down to explain to Bryce and Danika: "When we got here, Connor and Zelda had the idea to morph into wolves, open car windows and dangle their heads and tongues outside.They only stopped when Nathelie threatened to close the windows from the front seat and cut off both of their necks."  

"Urd forbid," Danika groaned. "Can't I leave you dogs unattended for a while? You immediately start acting like puppies when I'm not around."  

The whole bus burst into laughter and Bronson almost drove towards the traffic sign. "Stay the fuck on the road! We just got Bryce back from the hospital!" Nathelie shouted.   

The laughter in the back seat escalated when Bronson had to straighten the car before the crash. "Did you miss me or something?” Bryce wondered when they were no longer in danger of driving towards a traffic sign. "You all seem to be overjoyed that I am going back to normal life."  

Or as normal as Bryce could return in this situation.   

Connor glanced back from her seat and smiled at Bryce. Nathelie snorted in the front seat. “The whole pack has been excited ever since they found out that you were going to get out of the hospital... Bronson, turn on the flasher."  

"I've driven a car before," Bronson grumbled at Nahtalie as he turned on the turn signal.  

"We've missed," Zelda said on behalf of everyone. The cheerful atmosphere of the car had flattened and become serious. Bryce bit her teeth. She had so many questions. But some of them could not be presented in this rental car.  

Bryce decided to start with the most painless question. "Where are we going?"  

It made the atmosphere of the car a bit more relaxed. Connor replied, glancing accusingly at Danika. "Danika has had other secrets besides your back problem. She has a really good area,really good apartment. Of which she has marked you as co-owner."  

"What the fuck Danika?" Bryce turned to look at Danika, who was staring murderously at her second, before turning to say to Bryce: "I had a feeling that such a thing could be useful in the future. And besides, we cannot return to our old apartment. In addition to being almost completely destroyed, it is also a crime scene. We were only allowed to pick up the essentials before 33 completely isolated the place. Micah doesn't want anyone extra to rummage through there."  

The mention of the Archangel made the faces of the Pack of Devils members either serious or twisted with rage.   

Bryce felt the familiar anxiety of fear in the bottom of her stomach. She had only managed to get her mother to leave town the night before, after assuring her that she was okay and promising to call every night. I don't know how long he would have to do it.  

Bryce looked out the window .The day was grey and rain clouds covered the sky. "What is the official story? What does Micah claim happened?"  

Bronson stopped at a traffic light and Nathelie snorted. "In Micah's version of what happened, he wasn't there. Of course. She has made everyone believe that a demon attacked your apartment and drove you on the run. There are gaps in the story, but there is no other way anyone can explain it. I know most people don't believe the explanation."  

Bryce nodded. The explanation really sounded bad. But who would believe the truth? And that brings her to the next question on Bryce's mind. "What are we going to do with Micah?"  

The silence in the bus was palpable.The wolves looked at each other worriedly. They drove past two intersections and then turned right before anyone in the car spoke.  

"We've talked about it," Connor finally said after a while of silence. "We, the whole herd. If truth be told," and at this point he glanced at the stone-faced Danika, who had folded her arms to her breast, "Most of us would like to tell the world the truth.” Connor gestured towards himself and a couple of other members Pack of Devils. "But the rest of us realized it wouldn't be any use if no one believed it." Nathalie said from the front seat.  

Danika nodded gloomily and changed positions in place. The pack pricked their ears as their alpha opened her mouth to speak: "If we told the truth, it could look like we were trying to destabilize Micah. What wouldn't even be a lie. But he could get an excuse to order 33 against us."  

"So we don't do anything?" Bryce asked. Danika glanced at her. "You can't walk even five meters Bryce. What you do is recover. And if you even try..." Danika pointed out to Bryce, "get away from that follow-up visit in a couple of weeks, I'll tie you to the radiator."  

Bryce snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. He would have put one leg on top of the other if it hadn't hurt like hell.  

Bryce's shoulder, arm and side were no longer so sore. They ached from time to time, but all that remained of the wounds were stitches that would melt over time without leaving a trace.The foot was another story. The demon had slammed its teeth into Bryce's flesh, all the way to the bone, and some witches at the hospital suspected that some of the poison might have escaped their notice.  

All Bryce knew was that his leg hurt. Much.   

Scars should not remain . That's what the medwitches had promised her. Brycen knew she was vain, but was relieved when she heard about it.  

Bronson turned the street corner again and parked in front of a large apartment building. Bryce followed the rest of the Pack of Devils out of the mini bus with Danika's help. Bryce paused on the sidewalk to stare at the house made of law and stone, mouth open. It was anything but the hole they had previously lived in.  

"The apartment is on the fifth floor,"Danika said, perking up. Bryce didn't say anything. She wanted to argue with Danika about the apartment.Bryce would never have been able to afford it, but...  

Bryce sighed. She could leave that argument for later. Much later. They had more important things to deal with than Bryce's pride.  

Bryce took the first couple of steps towards the building when Connor grabbed her in his arms. "You can't be serious?" Bryce groaned as Connor carried her inside the building, with Danika behind Connor. Other from the Pack of Devils came in a sparse line after them. Except Bronson, who left to returne the bus. He would arrive later in his wolf form.  

Bryce wrapped her arms around Connor's neck as they entered the lobby. There was a doorman in the lobby. This then had to be a really well-guarded apartment.  

Bryce tried to ignore the doorman's curious gaze as Connor carried her into the elevator. Danika let them and the rest of the Pack of Devils pass before got into the elevator myself and pressed the button on the fifth floor.  

Bryce was tempted to say she could stand, but there was no room in the elevator to lower her to the ground when it was full of wolves.  

When the elevator was to the right floor, Danika was the first to exit.The rest of the pack followed as Danika leapt to one door, opened it with a key, and swung it open.  

Bryce felt a new sting of betrayed pride when they entered the apartment. It was fine. In fact, really nice and furnished without sparing any expense. Connor harped across the room and laid Bryce's in the living room on novelty the rough couch. Bryce tried not to gasp with pleasure.  

The Pack of Devils scattered around her . Danika sat down next to Bryce and crossed her ankles. After a while, Connor, after laying Bryce on the couch, had marched to the fridge, now came back with a couple of bottles of beer with him.  

"I don't know if alcohol is compatible with Bryce's pain medication," Throne said. "And shit," Bryce snorted, opened one bottle of beer and sipped half of it in one sip. It tasted horrible and Bryce felt safe about it. She pressed herself against Danika as the Pack of Devils around her attacked the beer. Bryce heard someone call the takeout place on his phone and order pizza.  

Everything was as it was the night Bryce's life go hel. But the only difference was that the joy of the herd was overshadowed by the knowledge of what Danika had done and where it had led them.Where it had led Bryce.   

Bryce felt heavy. She drank another sip of her beer and listened to the chatter of the herd and Danika's hoarse chuckles. Danika wrapped her arms around Bryce, which made Bryce feel even more exhausted.  

Tonight they would celebrate Bryce getting out of the hospital. The next day, they would begin planning what they would do with Micah. What could they do the governor of Valbara?   

How far was Pack of Devils willing to go for Bryce? Bryce knew how far. They would kill Micah to protect Brce. But what about after that? Bryce couldn't let her friends suffer because of her.  

"We will come up with a solution," Danika suddenly muttered in Bryce's ear, as if reading her thoughts. "We'll come up with something."  

Hopefully, Bryce thought and drank more beer. She felt heavy . Bryce closed her eyes, from her own mind, only for a moment, but the next time she opened them, Bryce found herself lying in a comfortable bed, in a darkened room.  

She was still wearing that sweater, but at least someone had taken off her jeans and shoes. Bryce turned her side and noticed a digital clock on the bedside table. The clock showed seven. In the morning. Bryce sighed into her pillow. At that very moment, she wasn't interested in the fact that she had slept for almost 10 hours.  

She just wanted to keep sleeping.   

Bryce turned her side and was about to fall asleep again when quiet but angry hisses reached her ears.  

"I can't believe you didn't tell us, Danika!"  

Bryce opened her eyes, recognizing Connor's angry voice. Bryce was silent, not letting the Pack of Devils, which she heard was in the living room, guess she was awake. Bryce believed that none of the wolves wanted her to hear this.  

Bryce was a little annoyed. She might have been more annoyed if she hadn't been exhausted. Apparently, the beer and her painkillers didn't go together.  

"I didn't want to put you in danger!" Danika's voice was quieter than Connor's, but Bryce could hear it with her precise fea ears. “It was safer for you and Bryce that you didn't know Micah was blackmailing me!"  

Low jolts shook the apartment. "Then was it safe that after stealing the Horn you tattooed it on Bryce's back?" Nathelie's voice was coldly cool, but Bryce could hear dismay, rage, and disbelief in the background.  

Danika was silent for a long time. Bryce lifted her head from the pillow and listened to the wolf pack move in the living room as they waited for Danika's response. Apparently, everyone had stayed overnight, after Bryce passed out.   

Maybe they weren't meant to argue about it now, but apparently last night's drinking had got everyone's nerves strained.   

Bryce lifted her head from her pillow when she heard Danika's response."Bryce... that tattoo... I thought it would make sense."  

"Makes sense?" Connor's voice was in disbelief. "Did it make sense to tattoo a fucking powerful antique item on your best friend's back?"  

"I didn't think Micah would ever pay any attention to Bryce!” Danika said it louder than she probably intended, for she lowered her voice as she continued. "Bryce is star-born. You saw it all a week ago. She's fucking tough and knows how to take care of herself. However, she is no one in Micah's eyes. And I never even thought Micah would find a way to use the Horn when it's on Bryce's back."  

This statement was followed by silence, which Throne broke . "Micah can't use Luna's horn.But Bryce can. Did you think about it when you got drunk her and tattooed that damn horn on her back?"   

Again, it was quiet for a long time, until Danika finally said. "The Archenasian amulet was supposed to hide Bryce. I don't think Micah would have noticed the tattoo if amulet hadn't broken in that fight."  

Bryce's hand instinctively flew to her neck, to feel where the jewelry should have been.  

Danika continued, "I didn't want her to know about the Horn until we had completed the Drop. After the Drop, I would have told her. However, the Horn was broken. I didn't think anyone could have used it."  

The silence was longer this time. Much longer. Bryce believed the argument had already ended, but then Nathalie's voice broke it. "What now? When the Horn is intact?"  

Danika's bitter laughter reached Bryce's ears. “Now I just want Bryce to find a way to open a portal to another world and escape. It's another alternative to us killing Micah."  

"She would never agree," Throen said grimly. Again, Danika chuckled. But it sounded more like sobbing than laughter. "I know," Danika said. "I fucking know that."  

Connor said, "I understand you didn't want to put us in danger, Danika, but you lied..."  

"I didn't lie," Danika defended herself before Connor could finish his sentence. "I just didn't tell."  

"Almost the same thing and just as bad," Nathelie said matter-of-factly.  In the midst of the silence, Bryce heard more restless movements and Danika heard a quiet, accelerated breath. Whatever the pack said, it would be serious.  

Connor cleared his throat. "Can we trust you anymore Danika? You don't always tell us everything, and I understand that. We all understand that. But putting someone in danger like you did to Bryce... I don't understand that."  

Bryce's breath clung to her throat when she heard Connor's words. Could the horde displace Danika because of this?  

After a long silence, Danika broke it by saying: "I know I betrayed your trust. I know I put you all in unnecessary danger.I'm not going to explain what I'm doing." Danika paused for a moment and took a breath.   

"I'm going to win back your trust if you still accept me as an alpha."  

Bryce clasped a hand in front of her mouth, shocked. Did Pack of Devils intend to oust Danika? Why did Danika ask her pack if they still accepted her?   

This time the silence was not long. Connor let out a quiet chuckle, which, however, did not break the charged silence.  

"We already discussed this with other members of the pack," He stated matter-of-factly . Bryce waited quietly in her place for what the Pack of Devils had decided.   

"We're not going to displace you Danika. Not after all that you have done for us and for this city,” Natahlie said. "We will still obey your orders, but we expect you to win our trust back as an alpha."  

Bryce saw in her mind how Danika nodded her head slowly."I will not disappoint you."  

Bryce collapsed back on the pillows in relief . She listened, without realizing the following words from Pack of Devils. She listened quietly as they left and Danika gave a couple of orders regarding their work in the Shifters.  

Bryce listened as the door opened and closed . Then it became quiet.Bryce had almost fallen asleep again when the bed gave way behind her and Danika crawled next to her. She wrapped her arms around Bryce and pulled her close to her.  

"Don't you have your own bed?" Bryce muttered sleepily. Danika sighed. "Either I sleep here or I sleep on the floor in wolf form. I can't sleep if I'm not sure about your safety, B."  

Bryce sighed, imitating the sound Danika let out . "All right, then," she agreed. "But then don't steal the blanket."  

Danika chuckled dryly. "Start sleeping B."  

Bryce didn't resist, but let her body relax and fall into a deep, soft, black sleep.  

******  

On Monday morning, the call Bryce had been waiting for all weekend finally came. Jesiba's voice at the other end of the line was impatient and harsh: "You'd better show up for work tomorrow, or you'll spend the rest of your life form worm."  

Bryce sighed inward, leaned most of her weight on one leg, and threw the loaves into the toaster.  

“Jesiba, I still can't walk properly even barefoot, let alone in high heels."  

It was true.  

Over the weekend, Bryce had forced himself to walk around the apartment despite the pain and Danika's worries. Whenever the pain in her leg became unbearable, Bryce would sit on either a chair or the floor if there was no chair nearby.  

Bryce needed to strengthen her leg so that one day she could dance, run and walk as she wanted. So far, Bryce's movement was mostly slow limping.  

There was silence at the other end of the wire for a long time. While waiting, Bryce dug butter and cheese out of the fridge. Nathelie, who was on watch that day, was reading a gossip magazine in one of the large armchairs.  

Danika would have liked to stay, but she had responsibilities that she had put off for whole previous week. Nathalie didn't seem to mind having to babysit Bryce. She seemed to enjoy the task, although she took Bryce's protection seriously.  

Bryce was grateful to Nathalie for staying mostly silent in the background, without disturbing Bryce. She wasn't nearly as bad as Danika, who watched Bryce with unnerving precision throughout, as if afraid she would disappear into thin air.  

"Can't those witches do anything about it?" Bryce was amazed that Jesiba believed her so easily."I have painkillers," Bryce replied, picking up the toasted loaves from the bread toaster.  

Jesiba muttered something before saying out loud, "I'll email you the paperwork. You can make them from home. As for the shops..." Jesiba paused, as if pondering her words. "I move customer appointments forward by a week. If you're not work by then, I'll turn you into a snail, no matter how sore your leg is."  

Jesiba hung up. Bryce frowned in surprise as she lowered the her phone onto the countertop. She had gotten off easy.Why did Jesiba seem so affected today... Empathetic? She doubted it. Maybe she just realized that she wouldn't benefit from a secretary who couldn't walk.  

 Bryce sighed as she felt the pain in her left leg get worse. She sat up on the countertop, hissing because of the ache, and then began to spread her bread.  

Nathalie looked up from her magazine. " Does Jesiba turn you into an animal?" she asked with interest. Bryce shrugged as she took a bite out of her bread. "She'll turn me into a snail if I can't get to work by next week."  

Bryce leaned her left hand on the table and wiggled her bare toes in the air. It was wonderfully cool in the apartment, even though it was hot outside like hel. Bryce had woken up early in the morning to hear Danika complain half-aloud to Nathalie before leaving.  

Because of her medication, Bryce slept heavily every night, well into the morning. She barely woke up at night to Danika changing positions next to her. Bryce was almost used to it. Almost. Danika's protective instinct was already approaching the same levels as Bryce mom's.   

As if knowing which way Bryce's thoughts were headed, Nathalie said, "Danika doesn't like it."  

Of course not. Danika didn't want Bryce to leave the apartment, even with another person. Just like Micah crashing out of the sky and catching Bryce in the middle of the day.  

Unfortunately, everyone in Pack of Devils seemed to think so.  

"Until you can defend yourself again," Throne had assured. That is, until Bryce could walk again without limping. And run. And fight.  

And even that would not be enough in the end.  

"There are good protective spells around the gallery," Bryce pointed out and rolled her ankle, feeling how much it hurt. “And cameras everywhere. Jesiba would see all of if Micah decided to march there."  

"Nevertheless, Danika will argue against,"  Nathalie stated, turning the page of her magazine. True fucking would argue against. Bryce was already beginning to mentally prepare for the argument she would have to have with Danika that evening.  

Maybe she could order some good food and exhaust Danika before announcing that she was returning to work.  Completely from scratch so that Danika would not think to prepare.  

"What about trips to work. You'll be in an open position then."  

Why did Nathalie have to take everyone into account?  

Bryce sighed and took another piece of bread and shoved it into her mouth . "There are cameras on the street, too."  

"Which Micah can influence."  

Oh fuck.  

It would be hard as hell to justify it to Danika. Bryce would soon have to spend the rest of her life as a snail.  

Bryce finished eating her toast, having had a thousand conversations in her head with Danika trying to justify his return to work.  She tried to do it in such a way that Danika could not possibly argue against.  

Unfortunately, none of the discussions in Bryce's head even ended in a compromise.  Danika could sometimes be an even worse alphahole than Rhun. Speaking of which...  

Bryce sighed when she heard her phone ring.  She looked at it and noticed yet another message from Rhun. Rhun had been sending them all the previous week and still didn't seem ready to stop.  

Bryce hadn't replied to any of the messages.  Even now, she ignored her brother's messages and closed the lock screen of her phone.  

"Does Danika send you messages every five seconds to make sure you're still safe? ”Nathalie asked from her armchair.  

Bryce snorted. "Nope. To her I would answer, otherwise Danika would rush here to make sure that I’m not dead or kidnapped."  

Nathalie chuckled. "True. Who is it then?"  

"Rhun," Bryce would reply grimly.  Nathalie peeked over her leaf. "Doesn't your cousin have better things to do?"  

Surely, Brycen thought and finished eating her bread.  But now it seemed that Rhun had gotten it into his head to take care of Bryce somehow.  

Danika already enough to endure.  Bryce didn't need Rhun to dictate what she was allowed to do.  

"You would think it was," Bryce replied . She carefully descended from the countertop and limped to the coffee machine. She was pleased to see that there was still coffee in the pot. Bryce took the mug out of the cupboard and poured it almost full, leaving room for milk.  

"By the way, the mail came not long ago," Nathalie said, nodding toward the dining table, which had a pile of envelopes and free magazines. "Marri came to bring them."  

Bryce nodded, poured milk into the mug.  She drank a long sip of her coffee and limped to the dining table to examine the mail. Under a couple of advertising magazines were some envelopes that had been sent to Danika. Bryce moved them aside and noticed a cream-colored envelope underneath it with her name written in neat handwriting.  

A shiver ran down Bryce's spine as she picked up the envelope from under the other mail.  She sat down at the dining table, feeling pain in her left leg. She put the coffee cup down beside her and began to open the envelope, his heart beating in her chest but her hands steady.  

Inside the envelope felt something hard as well as... something soft.  

Bryce got the envelope open . Nathalie had looked up from her magazine and was looking in Bryce's direction, alert, sensing her anguish.  

Bryce picked up an expensive letter paper from inside the envelope . She unfolded it and was startled when a golden necklace fell on the table. Beside it, as if a signature, floated a white feather.  

Bryce felt her stomach turn around.  White feather and gold necklace. Archesian amulet. Repair. Bryce saw it clearly. Micah had to return to the apartment after all that and retrieve Brce's amulet.  

Growing fear of what the letter might say caused bile to rise in Bryce's throat.  She did not want to read the letter. Still, she turned her gaze to the letter paper she was holding in her hand and read the two sentences written on it.  

I hope you enjoy the amulet. See you soon.  

There was no signature. It was not needed . Bryce knew it was from Micah. The governor would not have had to put his feather in an envelope as a sign of himself.  

The coffee she had just drunk was circulating in Bryce's stomach.  Bryce swallowed the bile that had risen in her throat.  

The letter might as well have read: You're of no use to me dead or although... 

Well, anything more threatening.  Anything that could have been used as evidence against Micah. Instead, he had written: I hope you enjoy the amulet. See you soon.  

The threat was included in the second sentence.  Micah believed that he and Bryce would meet soon.  

Bryce's field of vision narrowed and then expanded again.  

She vaguely realized that Nathalie was yanking the letter out of her fingers and reading it.  

"That fucking asshole," Nathalie growled . Bryce couldn't move. She heard the humming in her ears and Micah's words he had said to her in Bryce and Danika's former apartment: “ You're already mine, Bryce Quinlan."  

He had said it so confidently... like the emperor and king of alphahole.  

"Danika", Bryce kuuli, ikään kuin jostain kaukaa Nathalien äänestä. " Yes... Bryce is, well she's here. But I can't say she's okay. Micah sent her a letter."  

There was silence for a while.  Bryce couldn't hear what Danika was saying, but Nathalie's next words, made Bryce's stomach turn around. "That asshole wrote to Bryce like this. I hope you enjoy the amulet. We'll see you soon."  

Bryce's breakfast rose in her throat.  Ignoring her sore leg, Bryce rushed wc and vomited her half-melted breakfast and coffee. Her whole body shook when Bryce vomited again. And again.  

She was panting and sobbing.  Shock and fear... Micah knew where she was. Where she lived. Where Danika lived.  

Bryce vomited again and then collapsed on her back on the tiles.  She trembled and wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling them against her chest. Her breath ran jagged into her lungs and out of her mouth.  

Bryce's tears ran down her cheeks.  She wanted to stop, but... Micah knew where she and Danika lived. What could Bryce have even imagined that this place would be safe from the Archangel of Valbara?  

Bryce didn't know how long she lay there on the tiles, but she woke up from her whirlwind of emotions when Danika rushed into the apartment and straight into the bathroom.  The hands that pulled her into a sitting position and warm embrace...The smell of Danika wrapped Bryce in a sense of security that was so false... so wrong and...  

"Calm down, Bryce," Danika muttered, hugged Bryce tightly against herself.  "Breathe B."  

Bryce clung to Danika and took support from her friend when she completely collapsed due to recent events.  

She wept over all that Micah, not Danika but Micha, had taken from them when he forced Danika to steal Luna's horn.  

Bryce didn't know how long she cried, but the next time she realized something, she knew she was sitting on the couch, under Danika's arm.  Danika rubbed her back and muttered to her constantly soothingly.  

Bryce forced her breathing to calm down . She sobbed, and then said in a hoarse voice: "He knows where we are."  

Danika's grip on her tightened . "He won't touch you," she vowed.  

Bryce closed her eyes.Micah had managed to sneak into Bryce's asylum . And Bryce knew it would only be a matter of time before she faced the governor again.  

We’ll see you soon.  

Brycen wanted to vomiting again, even though her stomach was empty.  

******  

Hunt stared at pictures of Danika Fendyr and Bryce Quinlan's apartment. He had asked Victoria for pictures and she had kindly sent them to Hunt's email.  

Hunt couldn't believe the destruction and chaos in the apartment, judging by the photos. One would imagine that there would have been at least twenty demons that just one. One demon versus Danika Fendyr and her pack. The chaos in the apartment couldn't possibly have been caused by a demon. Hunt was sure of that.  

The problem was that Hunt hadn't figured out what had been raging in the apartment, if it wasn't a demon.  It was clear that Quinlan had been attacked by a demon, but...  

How it had caused Bryce to flee the apartment... through the window.  Hunt had not been there. He had explored the city and searched for demons similar to the one who attacked Quinlan's female.  

Hunt had found nothing.  

Naomi had told Hunt that the evidence clearly showed Bryce had jumped away through the window.  On the ground, just under the window of the apartment, blood had been found, which had been found to come from Bryce.  

Traces of a drug were found in her blood, which Vic was still trying to find out more about.  

Hunt sighed and closed the lid of his laptop.  He leaned his elbows on the living room table, thinking about the pictures and what they revealed. Who had lied? What had Pack of Devils left untold?  

Someone had visited the apartment before the Legion came.  There was a smell of a cleansing spell. It's like someone went to clean up all the blood spills. The only blood found was Brycen. And it was on the ground, and not in the apartment.  

Although the official story was that the horde was attacked by a demon, Hunt felt that was not all.  He had seen pictures of apartments where demons had been raging. There were claw marks on the walls and there was blood on the ground and floor. This apartment had just been thoroughly destroyed and there were only crevices left by the claws of wolves on the walls.  

The building's security camera hadn't worked, so they didn't even have a video of what happened . However, the camera's voice recording worked. Nothing had been recorded on it. Absolutely nothing.  

The investigation could not be continued. And that frustrated Hunt.  

Micah had been in a bad mood all week . Hunt believed the archangel was still angry with Danika when she turned Micah away from the hospital, preventing him or anyone 33 from seeing Bryce face-to-face.  

All they had was a wolfpack report, which was consistent with their story . They were too similar and Hunt believed they were fabricated. What happened in the apartment on Thursday night?  

Hunt had given this a lot of thought, despite the fact that Micah had announced that the investigation into the case had ended when no new evidence or footage emerged.  

The Archangel had spent the previous week and weekend either in his own office, apartment or... somewhere else.Micah hadn't been in town over the weekend.  Hunt had heard about it from Isaiah, who said Micah had reported that he had things elsewhere.  

He returned on Monday, still in a bad mood.  He had been in his office all day, doing paperwork or something like that. It wouldn't have interested Hunt much if Micah hadn't messaged him this morning that Hunt should show up in his office at four o'clock.  

It was five o'clock to four o'clock, and Hunt stood up heavily, thinking that Micah had another wretched task for him to perform.  

Hunt walked quickly to the door of Micah's office and knocked . Receiving a brief order to enter, Hunt opened the door and walked into Micah's office.  

Micah had leaned over the computer and seemed to be finishing some document. When Hunt entered, Micah turned off the computer and turned all his attention to Hunt. There were no emotions in his cold eyes.  

Hunt noted that, out of the ordinary, there was no folder on Micah's desk. Instead, it had a folded piece of paper.  

What exactly did Micah have in mind?  

"Hunt," Micah said expressionlessly. "How many killings have you committed in the last four years?"  

Hunt didn't let his confusion show in his expression . "82," replied Hunt. He knew that Micah knew the quantity as well as he did.  

Micah nodded his head . He got up from his chair and walked over to the windows. He said with his back to Hunt. "I'm ready to make a new deal with you."  

Hunt stiffened. A new deal could mean a reduction in the number of lives Hunt could be credited. Or it would grow. Maybe Micah was sending him somewhere.  

"I'm listening," Hun said firmly, though his heart beat with hope. Micah turned towards Hunt and gave him a small smile. "I'm counting 82 killings."  

Hunt's heart did a somersault in his chest. 82 killings. The same amount of he would have done in the last four years.  Only 82 between him and freedom.  

Micah smiled, as if he knew what was going on in Hunt's head.  He moved a piece of paper on his desk toward Hunt. "Of course I have my conditions,”  Micah said as Hunt took a piece of paper off the table. He opened it. Two addresses and a date were written on it. The task that Micah ever assigned to him should be done by the end of the week at the latest.  

"What are your conditions?"  Hunt asked, barely keeping the tension out of his voice.Micah gave him a small smile. "First of all," he said. "Everything we talk about here has to stay within these walls. Otherwise, the contract will be terminated or I will send you back to Pangera."  

Hunt barely managed not to swallow . Pangera. Back in the middle of the war. Back to Sandriel's dungeons and tortured by Pollux.  

"Alright, Micah."  

Now a smile had spread across Micah's face that Hunt had never seen before. It was triumphant and complacent. Like a child who knows he's going to get the gift he has wanted for a long time.  

He nodded towards the address.  

"I'll count your debt 82 if..." Micah opened the drawer of the table and placed a syringe with a cloudy liquid inside, "you're bringing me Bryce Quinlan."  

Chapter Text

Chapter 3  

"Absolutely not!"  

There was a final decision in Danika's voice that made Bryce gritt her teeth. However, she forced her expression to remain calm, even as her voice rose as her anger grew.  

"You can't keep me indefinitely in this apartment, Danika.I have to go back to work. Jesiba will have a tantrum if I'm not at work next week."  

A day had passed since Micah's letter and Danika was completely upset. She refused to leave the apartment, fearing that Bryce would disappear the moment she wasn't there.  

The situation was not helped by the fact that the rest of the Pack of Devils had also become confused with worry and practically moved into Bryce and Danika's apartment.  

Their constant vigilance was getting on Bryce's nerves to such an extent that she was already seriously considering just marching out the door to get at least a moment of peace.  

If Bryce's leg hadn't still been so sore, she might have carried out her childish whim.Regardless of the consequences. But since Bryce's leg felt like it could come off, she decided to settle for standing defiantly with her arms folded.  

Danika stood in front of her with her hands on her hips, looking angry and worried. The other Pack of Devils sat around them. They followed the argument like a tennis match. The flower did not dare to say anything.  

"Jesiba can go to hel!”Danika snapped. "You're not going!"  

Bryce sighed. She shifted weight from one leg to the other and groaned: "In case you didn't happen to remember, Jesiba's protective spells are even more powerful than those around this apartment."  

"It doesn't exactly hold the archangel back!" Danika argued. "Jesiba would know if he kidnapped me, Danika! She's watching over that whole fucking place!"  

Danika growled. It was Alpha's order to remain silent.An attempt to end the dispute. But Bryce wasn't going to give up. She wasn't going to be trapped in this apartment just because Danika thought it would be too dangerous for her to go out.  

"I can't lose my job, Danika!" Bryce groaned and ran her fingers through her hair. "But I can't protect you if you're there!" Danika argued and her face twisted with anxiety. Bryce felt a sting of pity. Danika's guilt and protective instinct made her act like an alphahole.  

But Bryce wasn't going to give up anyway.    

"I'm never alone there," Bryce said, now calmly. Danika snorted. "Yes," she said sarcastically. "The fire fairy and chimera will certainly help protect you from the archangel of Valbara."  

Bryce felt a new flare of anger. She clenched her hands into fists and hissed from behind her teeth. “I can manage on my own, you know? I don't need you to constantly protect me!"  

"You can barely walk!" Danika grunted back.  

Bryce had enough. No longer caring for Danika, she marched across the room, past the wolves to the door.  

"What the fuck are you doing?” Danika grunted and was about to go after Bryce. "Let me be!" Bryce grunted in response, yanked the door open, and marched into the hallway.  

Straight towards Rhun, who had just been about to knock.  

Bryce stumbled because of a startle and her sore leg . She exclaimed, nearly falling to the ground, but Rhun caught up with her before it could happen.  

"What the fuck!" Bryce grunted and yanked herself out of Rhun's grasp. She stared at her brother, her eyes shining with rage.  

Rhun looked confused and startled at first, noticing Bryce's state of mind, but quickly recouped.  

He wiped a non-existent particle of dust from his black shirt and said: "You haven't replied to my messages. I decided to check that everything was fine."  

Tristan Flynn and Declan Emmet, who, as usual, hung on Rhun's heels like overzealous bodyguards, indeed glanced. Bryce noted their expressions and thought Rhun was more worried than he now implied.  

Danika came to the door. The rest of the Pack of Devils crowded behind her, peering into the hallway, but none of them stepped over the threshold.  

It's like they're marking territory. No problems would arise if Rhun and his buddies didn't step on the Pack of Devils tails.  

Bryce sighed irritably. She felt the energy of overprotective alphahole all around her as they mentally competed against each other, trying to figure out who had the right to protect Bryce.  

Her already tense nerves became even more tense when she noticed Danika and Rhun's hostile gazes . Tristan and Declan stepped closer to Rhun and put their hands to their hidden weapons, just in case a fight broke out.  

Bryce stood between the two troops. She clenched his hands into fists and restrained her desire to punch Rhun and Danika, who were the main devils in this situation.  

"What are you doing here, Danaan?" Danika asked, gritted teeth. Rhun bared his teeth as he answerd. "I wanted to see that everything was fine with my cousin. I haven't heard anything from her for almost two weeks and I started to get worried."  

Danika snorted with contempt. She leaned her back on the door frame and measured Rhun with her gaze."Bryce is not accountable to you, prince," Danika said, stretching. Pack of Devils wolves let out a barking, mocking chuckle.  

Rhun's face darkened and the shadows on the walls moved restlessly. However, he managed to keep his strength and expression under control when he said, presenting a calm: "Bryce is obliged to tell me about her condition so I can inform the Autumn King that she is okay."  

Danika grumbled, "And there's no fucking!"  

Based on the energy in the air, Bryce sensed that a full-scale fight was about to break out in the hallway at any moment. Taking advantage of Danika and Rhun's distracted attention, she turned and limped to the elevator, grimacing.  

She wanted a moment of peace.Just a moment without Danika and the Pack of Devils. Rhun's appearance would not have been needed for Bryce's nerves to finally fail. She was supposed to have a moment without overprotective wolves and an overly worried big brother who had no right to be worried.  

Bryce had already entered the elevator when Rhun, Danika and their crew realized she had disappeared.  

Bryce heard Connor exclaim, "Bryce, come on..." the rest of the command was muffled when the elevator doors closed and Bryce began to descend towards the ground.  

She had a hunch that he wouldn't be able to breathe long without Danika who would drag her back into the apartment. But Bryce needed some fresh air at that moment. This was stupid.Although Bryce didn't believe for a moment that Micah was lurking anywhere nearby.  

Bryce stepped out of the elevator, waved his hand in greeting Marrin, before stepping out of the glass doors into the hot open air.  

The street was hot under Bryce's feet, but it was a welcome feeling after long days in the apartment.  

Bryce raised her face towards the sun and sighed contentedly as she felt the warmth on her face.  She was wearing a white top and sports shorts that exposed her long legs to the sun.  

It would be lovely to lie in the sun for longer periods of time and get a proper tan. Under Danika's watchful eye, that would hardly be possible.  

Bryce was about to step to the side of the street and sit down when slender fingers wrapped around her wrist. A hand covered Bryce's mouth before she could scream in fright.  

"Are you crazy?" Fury groaned at the base of Bryce's ear. Bryce closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief as Fury put her hand away from Bryce's mouth and then turned her towards her. She was still holding onto Bryce's wrist.  

"Hey Fury," Bryce said a little out of breath, rubbing her neck, trying to calm her wild pulse.  

Fruy snorted in response and poked Bryce in the chest, saying again:"What the fuck do you think you're doing Bryce Quinlan? Walk now, just like that! It's like begging for trouble."  

Bryce sighed irritably, listening to Fury's reproaches . "Shut up Fury, if you're going reproach me for that, that I wanted out of that stale apartment. Four days indoors would make you a cottage fool too!” Bryce quipped. She jerked her wrist out of Fury's grasp and sat down on the side of the street. Grimacing, she straightened her sore leg and then sighed in pleasure as the warmth of the sun made her muscles relax.  

Fury sat down next to her, stretching out her own legs in the driveway as well, ignoring any cars that might be speeding past. "Does Danika know you came out?" Fury asked, while surreptitiously glancing around.  

"You too?" Bryce groaned and pressed her forehead against her knee. "I'm sick and tired of your Vanirs' overprotective!"  

"That is, she does not know," Fury answered her own question. Bryce groaned and glanced at the doors behind her. Danika, Rhun, and others would probably rush into the street at any moment.  

"Danika hasn't had time to tell me the whole story because all the time she spends awake, she's with you. So, Bryce, do me a favor and tell me why Micah seems interested in you and the reason why Danika is acting like an overprotective alpha?"  

Bryce glanced at Fury, who was sitting gravely next to her. "Hasn't Danika really told you anything?" Bryce asked. Fury shrugged her narrow shoulders and looked up at the sky, as if making sure no one was flying there.  

"She only told me enough at the hospital that I could link Micah to the case. And that Danika blames herself for the whole thing."  

"Not much then," Bryce said. Fury put one foot on the other and directed the gaze of her cold eyes, Bryce's detective and curious. "Tell me what happened?" it was a commandment.  

Bryce sighed. She stretched her aching leg before deciding to tell it directly and plainly. " Micah is a crazy guy who wants Luna's horn to open the gates between worlds. She took pictures of Danika where it looked like she was buying a synth. With those pictures, he then blackmailed Danika into stealing the during of the power outage of Luna's horn," Bryce began, glancing sideways at Fury to see the effect of her words on the assassin.  

Fury's expression had closed. Bryce continued. "However, Danika refused to give the horn to Micah, but crushed it, mixed the witch ink and tattooed it on my back."  

This time, when Bryce glanced at Fury, her mouth had snapped open in pure astonishment. Bryce had never seen her friend so surprised. In general, the assassin knew how to hide her feelings perfectly.  

Fortunately, there was no one on the street at that moment who could have heard the conversation. Bryce also believed that her quiet speech was not recorded on surveillance cameras and if...well, if anyone heard Bryce's story, she would either be arrested or Micah would get into trouble.  

"Micah attacked our apartment because he wanted Luna's horn. He now knows it's tattooed on my back, which is why Danika is crazy with worry and I've been sitting inside four walls for the last six days,” Bryce finished. She looked closely at Fury's face, trying to decipher the assassin's facial expressions.  

Many emotions alternately flashed across Fury's face, but so quickly that Bryce didn't have time to register them . Finally, Fury closed her eyes, crossed her arms over her chest, and said calmly: "It was stupid, that smart, that exceedingly dangerous."  

Fury opened her eyes and they nailed Bryce in place. "I'm no longer sure if it's you or Danika messed up. But that..." Fury shook her head, "Explains Micah's behavior regarding the criminal investigation. He shut it down as quickly as possible," Fury explained when she saw Bryce ask for a questioning expression.  

 Bryce sighed and looked at her incessant toenails. Maybe she could make a new polish on them today when she sulk in her own room after arguing with Danika.  

For the quarrel over this marching of Bryce out would come.  

"You'd better go back inside, ” Fury's words made Bryce sigh in irritation. "Alright," she muttered and stood up. Other leg almost failed from under her right away. "Oh fuck," Bryce grimaced. Fury helped her with steady hands into a more stable position, after which she pulled Bryce behind her back into the building.  

Before they entered through the glass doors, to the Pack of Devils, who had most likely rushed down the stairs like a feral pack of wolves, Bryce glanced back.  

The hot air that made the facades of the buildings and the street ripple may have done Bryce's eyesight a trick, but for a moment he was sure she saw the figure on the roof opposite their apartment.  

It was just a glimpse and then Bryce was dragged into a cool lobby, away from the heat. And Bryce forgot her vision almost as soon as Danika marched in front of her and began to berate her for carelessness and everything else, Ignoring Marrin or Rhun, who came after the wolves to the lobby with Trista and Declan behind him.  

Bryce sighed. This would be a long day.  

*****  

Hunt was annoyed.  

It had been the perfect opportunity. If Axtar hadn't appeared, out of nowhere, Hunt would now be 82 glorious deaths away from his freedom.  

Quinlan had marched out of the building shortly after noon and then stood in the street, as if she owned the whole world and could do anything.  

She had just stood, facing the sun, as if she hadn't seen it in a long time. Gold had flashed around Quinlan's neck. Hunt hadn't been able to tell what kind of jewel was around the female's neck, but the gold in the jewelry suggested it wasn't a cheap thing.  

What the heck did Micah want from a partyer? Hunt had tried to deduce it, sitting on a hot roof for more than half the day and sweating his black outfit wet.  

After all, the female was hot. Really hot. But Hunt didn't think that was the case. Or at least not just that.  

Micah had no shortage of lovers, and certainly no one had ever rejected the archangel. Of course, it could be that this whole task was just a silly prank or something like that.  

Hunt didn't know why Micah would have joked at his expense, by forcing him against a seemingly innocent civilian. What did Micah have against Quinlan?  

Had Bryce piqued Micah's interest the night he was attacked by a demon? Or had Quinlan rejected Micah earlier?  

All this sounded so... unrealistic. Why would Micah keep him kidnapping a demi-fea female? And why on earth was the whole damn Pack of Devils so overprotective of a female?  

Hunt knew he didn't have all the pieces to know why he had to do this? He would have understood, in a way, if Micah had told him to, even kill the Pack of Devils. But kidnapping Danika Fendyr's roommate? Why? Urd knew why.  

Hunt slumped down on the roof and watched as Axtar pulled Bryce behind him out of the hot heat. Hunt could have sworn that Quinlan's amber-colored eyes had briefly looked directly at him. But he had averted his gaze so quickly that Hunt believed he had only imagined. The heat really did the trick on him.  

Hunt wished he could go somewhere cooler himself, but he had been told to stay here and wait for the moment when Quinlan would be left alone long enough to fulfill the mission Micah had given him.  

Last night Hunt had packed what was needed and flew under cover of darkness to this roof to watch over Fendyr's apartment. Hunt had then realized that abducting Quinlan would be more difficult than he had imagined.  

First, Bryce wasn't left alone for a moment. And he didn't leave the building. It's as if Quinlan knows Micah is after him. Or rather, the whole Pack of Devils seemed to know the Archangel's strange interest in Bryce Quinlan.  

Hunt sighed and pulled the sweaty hair off his face. He could do anything else at the moment. Lie in bed with a nap, watch a sunball game with the rest of the Triarus... search for information about what attacked Quinlan two weeks ago.  

He could have done all of this, but instead he sat on this red-hot rooftop ambushing Bryce Quinlan, like an stalker. But it would be worth it. Whenever Hunt began to feel that this whole task was just a big joke, he reminded himself of Micah's words.  

If he delivered Bryce Quinlan to Micah, his debt would count to 82.It was still a lot and Micah could hold Hunt back for many more centuries but... 82 was always better than more than 2,000 killings.  

So Hunt took a good posture and continued to monitor the apartment. He had been in worse places.Compared to the battlefield of Panga, the red-hot roof was a luxury.  

Hunt watched through the opposite window for a long time as Danika Fendyr and Quinlan's female were clearly arguing about something. The argument ended when Bryce marched into his room and slammed the door behind him, like a child. Once again, Hunt wondered why Bryce?  

And why did Micah have to get him for himself so shady?  

Hunt watched as Danika marched around the apartment, her pack watching her. Axtar relaxed at the countertop and grabbed something from the bottle. She said something to Danika, which made the wolf cringe in response.  

One of the wolves, Connor Holstrom, Hunt recognized him, stood up, and headed after Bryce to his room. He said something over his shoulder to Danika, which caused Pack of Devils alpha's shoulders to collapse.  

Connor knocked cautiously on Bryce's door and then entered, closing the door behind him.Danika slumped down next to Throne, who offered her a bottle . Danika accepted it and drank a long sip from it.  

He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and said something to Fury next to the countertop . Fury nodded stiffly. After a while, Hunt saw the assassin leave the building with his shoulders stiff.  

Fury glanced around before taking a couple of deliberate steps and managing to disappear from Hunt's sight.  

Hunt raked the street with his gaze, but could no longer spot Fury Axtar anywhere .Hunt's mouth clenched into a line. He looked back into the apartment and moved enough to see what they were going to watch on TV.  

Many hours later, as the evening began to darken and, to Hunt's relief, the temperature began to fall with the sun, he felt exceedingly bored.  

Connor, who had appeared from Bryce's room perhaps half an hour after Fury left, got up again from the couch and went to Bryce's door.  

Hunt didn't know what Holstrom was saying, but it caused Bryce to come out of her room. Bryce had limped across the room and then sat down next to Danika, as if in a gesture of reconciliation.  

Danika and Bryce exchanged a few words. Danika sighed and leaned her head against Bryce's shoulder. Quinlan smiled at her and leaned her back on the back of the sofa.  

It occurred to Hunt then that maybe it wasn't because Micah had something against Quinlan . Maybe it was Danika.  

Micah may have had an idea or need to punish Fendyr for something, and the best way to do that would be to attack Quinlan.  

It already sounded much more sensible. Perhaps Micah and Danika had had more arguments than the fact that Danika wouldn't let Micah talk to Bryce after the demon attack. Maybe Micah wanted to show Danika her place by threatening Quinlan or something.  

Hunt's high-flying theories came to a halt when his phone rang in his pocket. Hunt picked it up from his pocket and grimaced at the sight of the caller name.  

"Have you made any progress, Hunt? ” Micah sounded impatient. Hunt grimaced towards the window of Fendyr's apartment before answering. "Unless you want me to kill all the Pack of Devils, I don't think I'll get anywhere near Quinlan very quickly," Hunt said it more rudely than he had intended. The whole day on the sun-warmed roof had left him tired and irritable.  

He tensed, expecting reproaches for his disrespectful speech, but instead Micah asked coldly matter-of-factly: "How closely is she protected?"  

Hunt wondered why Quinlan was protected in the first place ? What on earth had happened between Micah and Pack of Devils?  

"The entire Pack of Devils seems to have moved into Fendyr's apartment and Fury Axtar also seems to be part of Quinlan's conservation team, ” Hunt said with a sigh. He wondered, again, what would Micah do with that knowledge?  

Micah didn't tell Hunt, but asked, "Others? ” neutrally and emotionlessly. "Rhun Danaan visited today with his gun bearers," Hunt reported.  

He seemed to hear an impatient sigh from the other end of the wire. But when Micah spoke again, his voice was coldly matter-of-fact:“You can't kill them all."  

It was not a prohibition. That was a statement. There was a pensive undertone in Micah's matter-of-fact voice. “It would attract attention," he continued. "And then I'd have too big a piece of paper work."  

Hunt waited. Micah was clearly planning something.  

Then he said sharply:"I'll get everything out of your way on Friday. You'd better get it done then or forget about our contract. Don't hurt Bryce Quinlan. I need her unscathed."  

For What? Hunt almost asked, but bit his tongue before he could do so. Instead, he said, "All right, Micah."  

"You can come to the barracks for the night," Micah continued, as if he had read the order on a piece of paper. "But you'll go back first thing in the morning. No exceptions."  

Hunt felt relieved that he wouldn't have to sleep on the roof. "Alright," he said.  

Hunt was about to hang up when Micah said: "One more thing, Hunt.”  

Hunt waited while Micah was silent."Don't underestimate that female," Micah said seriously. Now Hunt's curiosity began to awaken in earnest.   

“I don’t Micah," Hunt assured . Micah hung up and left Hunt on a windy roof, his head full of questions to which he couldn't come up with a single answer.  

*******  

Bryce was angry, like a wasp that woke up in the spring. She was shocked by Danika's overprotective attitude and demeanor, as if Bryce were a reckless child.  

She didn't bother to recall her quarrel with Danika, which had driven Rhun away almost as soon as he realized the anger of the two female.  

Fury had been following the Pack of Devils quietly up. By the time they got to the apartment, Danika and Bryce had ended up yelling at each other. At one point, Connor had tried to say something in between, but the angry looks of Danika and Bryce had caused him to remain silent.  

Now Bryce was sitting on her bed and varnishing her toenails gold. She had put on earbuds and was listening to music, while cursing in her mind that she couldn't run away the anger. Or dance. Or even walk.  

Danika was right about that, much to Bryce's annoyance. Bryce was still unable to walk long distances alone. Ember, with whom Bryce had spoken the night before, had told Bryce to call the hospital and make an appointment for a foot checkup.  

Other parts of Bryce's body were no longer hurting. The only exception was the shin into which that paralyzed demon sank its teeth. Perhaps its poison had really remained under Bryce's skin.  

Bryce had to lean her back on the headboard of the bed as she felt her leg ache get worse.She gritted her teeth together, barely preventing a painful groan. If she let out a sound... she really didn't feel like arguing with Danika any more at that moment.  

Bryce looked at her toes and wondered if Zelda could varnish her toenails if she asked nicely when there was a knock on the door. She pulled the earbuds out of her ears and exclaimed, "Come In."  

Connor peeked into the room. He stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him. Then he come to Bryce's and sat at the foot of her bed.  

"Are you going to preach to me too?" Bryce asked sharply. She leaned towards her toes and wiped the varnish on the unfinished nail, continuing: "Don't bother. Danika already took care of that."  

Connor didn't say anything for a moment. He just watched gloomily as Bryce grimaced again in pain and leaned her back back to the headboard of the bed.  

"We were supposed to go on a pizza date last Saturday, ” Connor said quietly, causing Bryce to lift her eyes from her nail polish. Bryce blinked once before counting her gaze. "I haven't thought about it," she admitted in shame after a long and awkward silence.  

Connor chuckled and crossed his legs. "I wouldn't have thought otherwise," he admitted. Bryce looked at her from under her lashes and smiled sweetly. “I hope I don't break your heart with my cold attitude," Bryce purred.  

Connor snorted amused. He lifted his fingers, hesitated for a moment, and then flicked one strand of hair that fell on Bryce's face behind her ear. Connor's fingers hesitated on Bryce's cheek, inquiringly.  

Bryce smiled seductively and leaned her cheek on Connor's palm.  

"If I could walk, and Danika didn't act like an overzealous watchdog, I would go with you, even now on those dates, ” Bryce said. Connor had moved discreetly closer to Bryce. His other hand was now placed on her hips.  

Brcye touched Connor's cheek with her fingers and smiled sadly. Connor's expression was a mixture of lust, sadness, and joy.  

"So if Danika wasn't acting like an overprotective watchdog right now, you'd go on a pizza date with me and see if it would work? ” Connor asked. His thumb flicked Bryce's lower lip.  

Bryce nibbled at it playfully and grinned at Connor. " Not Holstrom," she said, putting h hand on Connor's neck. "I'd go on a real date with you. To hel experiments. When you've been on the brink of death, you'll see that there's no point in delaying."  

Connor sighed. His lips swiped Bryce's cheek as he muttered in her ear. "And you say it now? I've been nervous for a week in vain."  

"It looks like it," Bryce hummed. Connor gave a light kiss on Bryce's cheek. "You're horrible Bryce." Connor moaned, bringing his face to Bryce's face. "Did you just notice?" Bryce asked teasingly.  

Connor sighed again. He pressed his forehead against Bryce's forehead and said quietly. “I sometimes wonder what would have happened if you hadn't been home,” Connor said quietly. Bryce laid her other hand on Connor's hand. On the hand that gently pressed on his hips.  

"I can't think about it," Bryce said quietly . And she couldn't. Just the thought that Pack of Devils is dead... Without his pain medication, Bryce probably would have had nightmares.  

Connor kissed her other cheek. His other hand landed from Bryce's cheek to her neck, on top of the Archesian amulet.  

"I don't like the idea that Micah has touched this piece of jewelry," Connor said, flicking the necklace. "And yet you put it back on your neck."  

Bryce sighed. She shook her head as she said: "It made sense. Despite the fact that... that Micah had it fixed."  

Connor growled. Bryce put one finger on Connor's lips . "Come on," she warned. "If you start growl, I'll throw you out of my room."  

Connor, while clearly wanting to continue his wolfish and overprotective growl, ended smartly . Bryce smiled softly at Connor, whose lips were inches away from her mouth.  

"I won't let him hurt you, you know? ” Connor ask. Their lips were now scarcely separated by more than the width of a hair.  

"I know," Bryce said, ignoring the instincts that convinced her that Connor wouldn't be able to protect her if Micah decided to attack.  

"Good," Connor said.  

Could you please kiss me already, Bryce was tempted to tell him to, and she probably would have done it if her phone hadn't started ringing.  

Their interlocked eyes parted when Bryce turned to look at her phone, which was on the bedside table. Its screen flashed the name of the caller.  

"It's Mom," Bryce sighed . She pushed Connor off her her. Bryce had been partially pressed against the sheets and Connor had risen over her. Now the enchantment of the situation had been shattered and Bryce had remembered that the Pack of Devils was in the next room.  

Connor distanced himself from Bryce reluctantly and remained seated on the edge of the bed while Bryce answered the phone.  

"Hey Bryce," Ember Quinlan sounded, as usual, brisk and worried. "How are you doing? Is your leg any better?"  

Bryce sighed and looked at Connor apologetically . Connor pursed his lips together, shook his head, and then grinned at Bryce.  

He got up from the edge of the bed and patted Bryce's thigh. There was a clear message in Connor's gaze. The next time, Bryce had no business answering the phone. Next time, Connor wouldn't have a nice chat but would make Bryce moan.  

It was all visible from the wolf's gaze.  

Bryce showed her tongue before answering his mother as Connor left the room: "Everything is going well, Mom. Don't tear your hair in vain."  

Everything had gone really well right up until mom called. So good that Bryce was annoyed that Mom even called.  

"I'm worried about you," Ember said. "You could come here for a couple of days. I want to take care of you and Randall doesn't think Lunathon is a safe place anymore."  

It had been very dangerous for Bryce for the last couple of weeks.  

"I don't know," Bryce said awkwardly, grimacing as he lifted one foot over the other. "Danika is quite overprotective now. You know what wolves can be like after situations like this."  

Overprotective bastards who got the hang of it if Bryce went out into the street to breathe fresh air.  

"Let me talk to Danika. Maybe she could take a couple of days off and come too. I could have both of my girls taken care of."  

Bryce was already refusing when she began to think more carefully about the idea. That might make sense. If she and Danika went to Bryce's parents' house for the weekend, it could make Danika relax as well. And Bryce could start rehabilitating her leg not only indoors.  

Danika would never let Bryce go alone, but if she came along...  

"I'll talk to her later," Bryce promised, waving her hair over her shoulder. "The best thing would be, or I'll come and kidnap you for myself. Danika can't appropriate you."  

If only you knew, Mom, Bryce thought. She said into the phone: "How are you? And oh, tell Randal that I don't need to be protected. I'm a big girl and I know how to take care of myself."  

A man's voice could be heard in the background of the call as Ember relayed the message, and Bryce smiled to herself, hearing her father's voice, even though she couldn't make out the words."Randall said he wouldn't bother asking you back home otherwise, but he's worried about your condition."  

Everyone seemed concerned about Bryce's condition.  

"I will be fine," Bryce assured . "My leg is getting better. It already feels much better!"  

At least it wasn't torn apart by immense pain anymore when Bryce walked.  

"That's nice to hear. Have you been to medwitch?"  

Bryce closed her eyes and cursed in her mind. Why did her mother have to ask about it?  

"Not yet," Bryce said. "But I'll go before we get there with Danika."  

That is, if Bryce could get Danika to agree to the proposal. Bryce wanted out of town and away from the archangel who was persecution her.  

"It would be best," Ember said sharply. "Or I'll drag you here to the first reception, where your feet can be properly and well checked."  

Bryce sighed aloud now. "Come on, mom. I know how to take care of myself."  

And Danika took care of the rest. Connor had also taken his share of it. Bryce found herself wondering what Connor's hardened hands would feel like on her skin.  

She caught herself in time before she began to dream properly. Ember was just saying:"Call me after you've talked to Danika or if anything happens... anything that makes you want to go home."  

Yes. Bryce wanted to return home because Valbara's archangel was stalking her and had sent her a disturbing message.  

"I'll call," Bryce lied. "Hey mom then." She hung up and threw her phone on the bed. Bryce rubbed her eyes, half cursing aloud.  

Ember Quinlan was fucking sharp-eyed. Far too sharp-eyed for her own good. Mom would immediately realize that all would not be well when Bryce and Danika got there. That is, if Danika would agree to leave. And she would get time off work.  

What Bryce knew was that if Danika didn't go, it would mean Bryse wouldn't go either.  

No matter how far home is from Lunathion . Danika would be too afraid to let Bryce leave alone.  

Bryce sighed and put her hands on her lap. She should be back at work next week. Whether Danika likes it or not. He was not entitled to give Bryce orders.  

Bryce's anger flared up again.  

She sat on her bed until dusk, sulk until Connor knocked on the door and asked if Bryce wanted to join them in the living room.  

Bryce had thought about it, but in the end decided she had sulk up enough. She had gotten up and limped into the living room. Seeing Danika sitting on the couch, drinking beer from a bottle of beer looking gloomy, Bryce's anger subsided for good.  

She limped up to Danika and sat down next to her. After a moment, Danika had laid her head on Bryce's shoulder.  

"Mom invited us there for a couple of days," Bryce said as she watched, without realizing the program that had been chosen for that night.The entire herd had refused night shifts to protect Bryce. Sabine would rage at them when she found out.  

Danika glanced at her. "Asked huh?" she asked.  

"Yes," Bryce replied, leaning his back against the soft couch cushions . "I don't know about you, but I want out of this city."  

Danika was silent for a moment and watched what was happening on TV. "I could negotiate myself a weekend off. It would be nice to see Mom."  

Bryce smiled at Danika, who responded with a smile. "Mom is delighted," Bryce said. Danika took a better position next to Bryce. "I, too, would be delighted to have two of my favorite people with me."  

Bryce punched Danika on the shoulder so that beer spilled from the bottle onto Danika's band shirt.  

*****  

Danika and Bryce decided to drive towards Bryce's childhood home on Friday morning. Danika had gone to Hollow to "talk" with her mother. It was reportedly, according to Thorne, a phenomenal argument. Which Danika eventually won.  

Or so they imagined until Thursday night.  

"This can't mean anything good," Danika said, as she walked back and forth in the living room.  

Bryce watched Danika's nervousness worriedly. She lay on the couch with her feet on Connor's lap. Connor rubbed Bryce's injured leg soothingly, while observing Danika's nervous gait. Nathalie was standing next to the TV, her hands clasped. "The message came from Sabine, not from any of the 33 members," she pointed out.  

Danika glanced at him over her shoulder in irritation. "Nevertheless," she insisted, pausing in the middle of the living room. Danika placed her hands on her hips and glanced from one of her pack mates' faces to the other. "We don't know if Micah has anything to do with the invitation!"  

The invitation, or rather the order to arrive at Hollow on Friday morning, had been sent to Danika's email an hour ago . Bryce, Danika, and the pack had known that the Pack of Devils would likely be reprimanded for negligence and neglect of work for not sticking to their regular patrol days.  

It was one and the same whether Micah had anything to do with Sabine's orders. Danika and the Pack of Devils should go to a disciplinary hearing in Hollow.  

After reading her mother's message, Danika had almost thrown her phone out the window. "She still dared to claim that the order came from Grandpa!" Danika said, folded her arms and continued walking around the room.  

Like Danika, Bryce believed that the old man had little to do with the message. Sabine had acted arbitrarily in sending her orders.  

"We knew this was coming," Thorne quietly pointed out from his place in the armchair. He continued, noticing that everyone in the room had turned their attention to him. "Or so," Thorne swung his hand, "We knew we were going to get into trouble for neglecting patrols."  

Danika grimaced and stopped in the middle of the carpet. Although she addressed everyone and she watched Thorne. "She wouldn’t have had to call the whole herd," she remarked.  

"No," Connor admitted. He absentmindedly stroked Bryce's leg, as he continued: "But she did that, to make us look like misbehaving children."  

Danika snorted. "Probably."  

It was quiet for a long time. Bryce fingered the hem of her blouse as she waited for someone to speak. "We could invite Fury here," Zelda suggested. Danika thought about it and then shook her head. "She left yesterday to do something about her mission. She won't be back until next week."  

Quiet again. Danika wasn't the only one who seemed to have trouble thinking about leaving Bryce alone. At least for a moment. "Juniper," Bronson suggested cautiously.  

"No!" the word came out of Danika's and Bryce's mouths at the same time. They glanced at each other and then looked at Bronson. Danika explained, "I don't want to mess Juniper for this. And she couldn't protect Bryce."  

Bryce sighed and leaned her back on the armrest of the couch. "It would only be an hour. Up to two. Marrin is downstairs and there are powerful protective spells around the apartment. And if Micah would somehow manage to destroy them, there are cameras here that record."  

Bryce stared at Danika appealingly. "No more than two hours, Danika . I'm sitting here like a nice girl, waiting for the big bad wolf to come back to protect me. And I'm not completely helpless either. Don't worry,” Bryce smiled, convincing in her own opinion. "I'll be fine. If I get bored, I'll call my mom."  

Danika stared at Bryce. Her gaze was intense and precise. She closed her eyes, sighed out through her nose, and then nodded. It seemed to hurt Danika. "Two hours at most," Danika muttered. "Two fucking hours."  

She looked at Bryce firmly ."You'd better be here when I return," Danika said firmly. "We will leave as soon as I return. The farther you are from this city, the better."  

Danika looked at her pack. "Go home," she said. Or rather, commanded. "You've hung around here enough, and I need to talk to Bryce without your eavesdropping ears."  

*****  

Danika's nerves were strained. The night before, when Connor had finally been thrown out of the apartment, she and Bryce had packed up and made a quick action plan in case someone broke into the apartment.  

The plan was that Bryce should immediately if she heard anything suspicious or noticed someone trying to enter through the window, rush into the bathroom, lock the door and call Danika.  

They had taken a landline phone and a loaded handgun to the small bathroom in the living room. Bryce wouldn't shoot past and hold her own until the Pack of Devils arrived.  

And would tear the attacker into parts.   However, this part of the plan Danika did not tell Bryce. She probably knew it anyway. Bryce might even attend.  

"Do you remember now what to do if an attempt is made to break into an apartment?” Danika asked for the fifth time that day. Bryce was lounging on the couch, clearly irritated by Danika's constant questioning.  

She rolled her eyes and said, "Yes, I remember, Danika. Really. We've gone through the plan five times in the last five minutes."  

Danika sighed, fastened her sword to her back, and waved her braided hair over her shoulder. The Pack waited outside. Danika hoped Sabine wouldn't hold them back for long.  

Despite the fact that Bryce was already in much better shape, Danika still hurt to physically leave her alone . And the situation was not improved by Danika's nasty feeling that something would happen when she was gone.  

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Danika assured, perhaps more to herself than to an irritated Bryce.  

Bryce rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes mom. I love you Danika. Don't let Sabine scare you."  

Bryce waved her hand and grinned wildly. Danika smiled as she opened the door. "I love you too Bryce," Danika said before stepping into the hallway, leaving Bryce lying on the couch with a book.  

At the door, Danika still had to take a deep breath and convince herself that everything would be fine. Everything would be fine. Maybe Micah wouldn't even know Pack of Devils would be gone for a couple of hours that morning. She hope not.  

Unless... the thought crept uninvited into Danika's mind. Unless Micah somehow arranged this.  

No! Danika decided and started walking towards the elevator. This was just a stupid order from Sabine. Micah had nothing to do with it. Absolutely nothing fucking to do.  

Danika entered the elevator and pressed a button on the ground floor. The elevator doors closed. Danika's heart clenched. Bryce would be all alone. Prone to danger.  

She knows how to take care of herself, Danika assured herself as the elevator began to descend. Bryce knows how to take care of herself.  

Repeating this, Danika made her way into the lobby and out the door into the cool morning air to her pack.  

Zelda and Zach were already in wolf form. Two white wolves sat on guard on the side of the road, observing the sky and the road. Bronson and Throne stood aside, chatting quietly. Connor leaned against the door, and Nathalie stood with her hands clasped in the middle of the street, watching around her.  

"It took you a long time," Connor said casually . She gave Danika a self-righteous smile, but Danika sensed the tension of her second. "I had to make sure everything was in place if something happened," Danika replied. She stepped to the side of the road, next to Zelda and Zach, looking around as they did.  

After calming her nerves after making sure there was no one around, Danika took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself to meet Sabine.  Whatever that bitch would say would make her want to tear her mother apart.  

"Let's go," Danika said, not looking at the members of her pack.  "I don't want this to last any longer than I have to."  

Five bright lights flashed in the morning twilight, and where before five people stood, there were now wolves.  

Danika didn't hesitate as she rushed to run with the pack behind her. This was definitely the fastest way to get to the Hollow.  

Danika jumped casually on the hoods of the cars, not caring to dodge.  She didn't care much about the marks her nails left on the metal.  

The sooner this would be over, the better.  She would get to Ember's house before night to lick her wounds and sulk while mom fussed around her and Bryce.  

And while annoying, it would also be a welcome change from the tension of the last few days.  

The guard standing in front of Hollow's gates was startled when seven wolves appeared out of nowhere. It took Danika a moment to realize that the boy sitting in the booth was Ithan.  

"What little brother?" Connor sighed and changed shape in a flash of light. Ithan, who looked equally startled, rubbed his chest.  He stepped out of his booth and said: “What's the point of being here," he snorted. "Fuck Connor! You almost caused me a heart attack."  

"You should have heard us, ” Danika said tensely. She didn't want to delay. None, even though she hadn't seen Ithan for two weeks.  

Ithan was about to answer something when he yawned. Connor grinned and slapped his little brother's shoulder. "Did yesterday get long, little brother?" he asked playfully. Ithan glanced at him irritably. "Take care of your own business."  

Connor laughed. He seemed to relax temporarily, but when Nathalie said impatiently: "Will you let Sabine know we're here so we can get out as quickly as possible," Connor tensed again.  

"I don't think I need to,"  Ithan said, reaching out to press a couple of buttons inside his booth. The gates opened. "She's already waiting for you, and judging by the look on her face, she's probably going to kill you."  

"It's okay to try," Danika muttered.  The light flashed, and where the grey wolf was just standing, there was now a female. “Change you shape," Danika ordered her pack. She did not watch as the pack carried out the order. She focused on breathing.  

Whatever Sabine said would have a negative impact on Danika. Danika gathered her nerves and hardened her insides.  

Just as they were about to enter the gate, Ithan asked, "How is Bryce?"  

Danika glanced over her shoulder, about to answer, "fine," but changed her mind in the middle of everything. She paused in the middle of a step and turned toward Ithan, studying her quickly with her gaze . Ithan was a young but powerful wolf. And Bryce could enjoy his company.  

"Will you do me a favor Itha?" Danika asked.  She didn't have to. Danika could just tell Ithan to go to the apartment with Bryce. After all, it would be much better than nothing. A hel of a lot better.  

Ithan looked skeptical. "What do you want me to do? ” Ithan asked cautiously. Danika smiled. A heavy burden seemed to fall from her shoulders. This would work and she could take care of her mother without having to worry about Bryce at the same time. Very much.  

"Could you go to my apartment and keep Bryce company. I'd feel better if she wasn't alone."  

Danika didn't glance at anyone from her pack. Especially not Connor. If something happened to Ithan because of this ...it would be yet another thing Danika would have to feel guilty about.  

Ithan thought about it. In Danika's opinion, far too long.  He glanced hesitantly at his guard booth. Then he nodded his head. Danika barely stopped herself from breathing a sigh of relief.  

"I can do it," Ithan promised."However, my turn will end soon. If anyone asks..."  

"If anyone asks," Connor said, interrupting Ithan, "We'll say you got the order from us."  

Ithan nodded. "Ask Marrin for the key, ” Danika instructed over her shoulder, as she started moving, towards Hollow's doors. "Tell me I gave you permission."  

"Alright," Ithan said briskly, turned the Pack of Devils in the direction of arrival and changed shape in a bright flash of light.  

Danika turned her attention away from the wolf running around the corner.  She started walking towards Hollow's doors when Connor leapt alongside her. Danika waited, half terrified, for what Connor would say to her.  

"It was a clever invention," Connor said.  Danika hadn't expected it, but hid it. “Do you think so?" Danika asked, stepping in front of the doors. "Indeed. After all, if someone protects Bryce without asking if something happens it’s Ithan," Connor said confidently.  

"Indeed," Danika said absentmindedly.  

She pushed open the wooden double doors and entered Hollow's lobby with the rest of the Pack of Devils behind her. She sighed inwardly as the doors behind her closed.  

They should now remain determined and steady. Danika wouldn't give Sabine a chance to strike at a weak spot.  

As Danika assumed, Sabine was found in her desk, sitting in her chair with a face stony. She looked contemptuously at Danika and then at the Pack of Devils as they entered the room.  

There were two chairs in front of Sabine's desk, but none of the seven wolves sat down. Sabine sighed and tapped the papers in front of her with her pen.  

"Amalie gave these to me yesterday," Sabine went straight to the point, without even saying hello . She was angry. "Oh," Danika said coolly, tucking her hand into the pocket of her leather jacket.  

"Was there anything important about them?"  

Sabine's face flushed, and Danika felt great pleasure in making her mother look like that.  

"It's a report of neglected patrols," Sabine quipped. "For the last two weeks. Right after that demi-fea got hurt."  

Danika heard what her mother left unsaid . Whore. Slut. Something similar. Connor, too, heard what was left unsaid, and grunted low, deep in his throat.  

Sabine's eyes turned towards him . "Be warned, Holstrom," Sabine said tensely. "I don't want to punish you any more than I have to."  

Danika gritted her teeth so she wouldn't attack Sabine. How dare that bitch talk to her pack, and especially her second, like that?  

"Don't talk condescendingly to my pack," Danika said, gritted teeth.  Sabine's attention turned back to her. Their eyes met. Danika clenched her hands into fists in her pockets. "You don't give me an order, Danika," Sabine said. She put her pen down next to the stack of papers and gestured towards the chairs.  

"Sit," Sabine said. It was an order.  Danika did not sit down. And rather stared down at her mother. Sabine's teeth flashed. "You could show a little respect," she said, raising her chin. "You won't make me change my mind with that attitude."  

"Change your mind about what?"  Danika asked expressionlessly. Whatever Sabine planned, Danika wouldn't like it.  

Sabine smiled strainedly. "You've neglected your duty, Danika, and it won't do.  I don't want to hear that the people in the wolves pack are getting lax."  

Danika waited. She didn't interrupt as Sabine continued her angry speech . "These recent omissions have ridiculed us,” Sabine continued. Danika raised her other eyebrow. I doubt it. Pack of Devils hadn't missed all the patrols. Only part and they were evening patrols.  

"So?" Danika asked. "I thought we were invited to an official hearing.”  

Sabine's nails bit into the surface of the table, but somehow she managed to keep her voice steady.  "You're here to hear your punishment for defying the rules."  

Danika pulled her hands out of her pocket and crossed them over her chest.  She leaned the weight on one leg and measured Sabine contemptuously with her gaze. "Well, let it be. We don't have the whole day."  

Sabine would get the hel going now . A vague feeling of fear had returned to the bottom of Danika's stomach. Ithan should be at the apartment at these moments.  

Ithan would be there, Danika reminded herself. Bryce wouldn't be alone.  

“All of you," Sabine said, "you live in Hollow for a month and make up for every neglected patrol with other work."  

Danika bared her teeth. She squeezed her nails through the sleeve of her leather jacket to her arm, growled, "No!"  

Sabine, who had leaned over her papers as if the conversation were over, looked up. "Excuse me?" she asked dangerously quietly.  

"No," Danika said. Her pack moved nervously behind Danika.  Sabine's eyes flashed dangerously as she stood up gracefully, staring at her daughter.  

"Do you dare resist my command? ”Sabine asked in a quiet, rage-dripping voice. Danika's eyes hardened. "I'm not going to leave Bryce."  

Danika would rather die than let Bryce be left alone.  

"That slut can do just fine on her own,"Sabine said dismissively . Connor's grunted would have caused the enemy to fall in fear. Sabine glanced at her contemptuously."I could suggest you ten better fucks than that demi-fea whore. Or do you have as bad taste for your company as my daughter?" she said.  

Connor would have lunged at Sabine if Danika hadn't been faster.  Danika jumped over the table and pushed Sabine against the wall, growling against her face: “You don't talk about Bryce like that," Danika hissed, clenching her nails tightly around Sabine's collar. "You don't talk to anyone in my pack like that."  

Danika panted with rage. She squeezed Sabine's collar tightly once more so that it bit her windpipe before letting go.  She stepped around the table, facing backwards, watching behind her, and Sabiena, who was gathering herself.  

Sabine's eyes burned with rage. "You could be crucified for that good," she groaned, rubbing her throat.  

Danika snorted. "Just go for it," she said derisively, lifting her chin. "Call your pack. Arrest us. If you try to press charges against us, you'll see whose side the wolves in this house are on."  

Sabine grunted. Danika smiled and turned her back on her mother."We can do those, extra work, to replace patrols, but here we won't move,"  Danika announced and leapt to the door. A herd watched over her back.  

"This is definitely not over, Danika Fendyr!"  

Sabine sounded really angry.  With her hand on the door handle, Danika turned to look at her mother, her brows raised. "So?" Danika asked. Sabine bared her teeth menacingly, grumbling: "We haven't talked about you stopped the Archangel of Valbara from doing his job yet."  

Danika's momentary triumph was extinguished like a candle. Pack of devils around him tense. Danika thoughtfully lowered her hand from the doorknob and turned all the way towards Sabine.  

"How does Micah relate to this?" Danika asked slowly, hoping that the doubts inside her would turn out to be false.  

Sabine leaned her hands on the table, looking confused by the change in the atmosphere in the room. But she quickly gathered her thoughts. "Essentially," Sabine replied in bad mood. "From him I heard that you had skipped patrols."  

Danika's stomach rumbled. She did not hear Sabine's next words.  Her ears humming.  

Was... Had this been a trap. A plan to leave Bryce alone.  

Despite the gradually increasing panic, Danika heard what Sabine was saying, muffled as if from underwater..."How embarrassing it is to hear from the Archangel himself that the Pack of Devils is not doing their duty..."  

But the words were drowned out by another sound and vibration that Danika felt in her pocket.  

As if in a dream, Danika put her hand in her pocket and pulled out her phone.  She answered, not knowing who was calling. Subconsciously, she wished it was Bryce.  

In the bottom of her stomach, she knew it was too late. Bryce was gone.  

"Hello," Danika replied. She didn't recognize her voice. Ithan's response was quiet and tinged with panic . "Danika," Ithan's voice seemed too loud in Danika's ears, but she forced herself to listen.  

"What?" Danika asked.  Her voice clung to her throat. “Is Bryce there?" The question had to be asked. If she was wrong. Dainka must be wrong..."No."  

Ithan's answer... It was too loud, that word was too loud... nohow.  

"She's not here," Ithan continued, not knowing what Danika's silence meant.  "And judging by the tracks, someone took her..."  

The rest of Ithan's words were drowned in the roar in Danika's ears . The phone falling from her fingers and hit the wood floor. Danika hardly noticed it.  

She just turned around, yanked the door open, and ran out, not caring if anyone was following.  

***** 
Quinlan was heavier than she looked on the outside. 

She was also a hell of a good fighter . Hunt was certain that she had managed to break his nose before he had managed to tame her.  

Bryce Quinlan was flaccid in Hunt's arms, and there was a calm expression on her face.  There was no trace of the wild beast that had just fought for her own life.  

Hunt carefully corrected his posture, supporting the female's head against his shoulder . Despite Hunt's possibly broken nose, he didn't feel the need to make Bryce feel any more uncomfortable when she woke up. The pain in my neck was very nasty.  

The female's red hair slapped against Hunt's face as they flew steadily farther and farther away from the city.  Hunt had memorized the address Micah had told him to take Bryce to. It was about an hour away by plane, in the north, near the sea.  

He didn't know what place it was, but it didn't really belong to him.  Hunt had completed his mission.  

82 killings later, he would be free.  Nevertheless... Hunt looked at Quinlan's face. She was beautiful.Hunt dared to admire it alone in the heights. Why Bryce Quinlan? Why her of all? What was special about her? What did Micah want from her?  

It only now occurred to Hunt that he could have searched the archives of Quinlan's folder and found out her background. Normally he would have done so, but the abnormality of the situation had made him feel differently about it.  

Hunt hadn't had to kill anyone that day. Not a single soul.  

Yet he felt more guilty about this incident than anything else in a long time.  

The wind swept Brce's strands of hair across Hunt's face. Some of her hair was entangled in dried blood on her temple.  

Hunt had been forced to hit Bryce's head against the countertop.  She had not lost consciousness, but had retaliated by pulling Hunt's helmet off her head and slamming it into Hunt's face.  

Bryce had seemed to fight back more than any of Hunt's previous victims.  

Micah had warned him not to underestimate the female, but he had succumbed to it, realizing how easy it was to get into the apartment in the end.  

When the Pack of Devils left, Hunt had been sitting crouched on the roof and observing the situation.  Finding out that the pack had actually left, Hunt descended from the roof and walked in through the glass doors of the lobby. The doorman, Marrin, a bear-shapeshifter, had been standing with his back to the door.  

Hunt's chest had been haunted, but she had no reason to kill the male. Instead, he moved quickly and I pressed his hand to Marrin's neck, giving a single, powerful electric shock. The male had collapsed behind the counter, instantly losing consciousness.  

Hunt had then deleted the video recording by pressing a couple of buttons on the computer.  He followed Micah's instructions, then turned off the protective spells in Quinlan's apartment.  

Then he simply looked for the spare keys to the apartment in Marrin's desk drawer.  So far, the task had been ridiculously easy.  

Hunt had walked into the elevator and pressed a button on the fifth floor. The lift was far too small for Hunt's wings. However, he didn't care. Hunt took a deep breath and took the helmet from his armpit. He looked at its frightening skull pattern and then put it on his head. A helmet would do half the job.  

If the female was scared, it would make Hunt's task much easier.  

During the short elevator ride, Hunt again began to think about the motive behind Micah's order. He had found himself thinking about it a certain amount every single day.  

There were a couple of possible theories for him, but none of them seemed like a sufficient motive to tell Hunt to kidnap someone.  He was usually ordered to kill, no... He had never been told to kidnap anyone.  

Hunt took a deep breath again, looking at the world through his helmet.  He pulled the syringe out of the case and took a firm grip on it. A sting somewhere in Quinla's body and then carrying her away.  

Easy.  

The elevator came to a standstill. Hunt walked quietly to the right door and stuck the key into the lock . Bryce might mistake him for Danika, who returned earlier.  

However, Hunt discovered that Bryce Quinlan was no fool.  

At that moment, the task also became much more difficult than Hunt could have predicted.  

When Hunt opened the door, something was thrown at him, so fast that he barely had time to dodge. The vase smashed the corridor.  

Hunt kicked the door shut behind him to close one escape route for the Quinlan female standing in the living room, who already had a new vase in her hand.  

Hunt knew she couldn't see his eyes, but didn't seem to care as she stared at the helmet covering Hunt's face.  She weighed the projectile in her hand, but without moving.  

For a moment, they just stared at each other until Quinlan lifted her chin and gave Hunt a small mocking smile."Did you get a discount at work, Umbra Mortis?"  

So this female knew who Hunt was, but didn't seem to be afraid. Or caring that he could destory a female with his lightning. Quinlan threw another vase toward Hunt's head. Hunt dodged.  

Bryce took advantage of the moment and rushed across the room, towards the bathroom.   Hunt had seen through the window what Quinlan and the Party Princess were up to the night before. He knew there was a phone and a loaded gun in the bathroom.  

Female should have gone there before Hunt could get inside.  

He rushed after Quinla and grabbed her by the wrist before she could even get close to the bathroom door.  

He twisted Bryce's left arm behind her back with one hand, raised his other arm about to strike the syringe into Quinlan's thigh ...the female slammed her elbow into Hunt's stomach, turned around and slammed her knee into Hunt's crotch.  

Hunt's grip on Quinlan loosened as he bent over in pain.  Bryce circled behind him and struck before Hunt could collect himself from the previous hit. The kick hit Hunt's leg. It bent under Hunt's weight.  

"Fuck," Hunt hissed as Quinlan stepped a few steps away and rushed toward the kitchen.  Hunti forced himself upright and rushed after her.  

The woman reached for the knives . No fucking. Hunt grabbed the woman's arm. Bryce trampled on Hunt's footboard, causing Hunt to scream in pain. He loosened his grip on Bryce's arm, but before she could get hold of the sturdy kitchen knife, Hunt grabbed hold of Bryce's hair and slammed her head against the edge of the countertop.  

The hit, much to Hunt's chagrin, did not paralyze the female. Instead, Bryce used Hunt's gullibility she took advantage of it, quickly turning around, kicking him in the knee . Hunt bent over in pain, causing Quinlan to grab his helmet and tear it off her head.  

Hunt staggered back two or three paces, holding his knee and grimacing . For a moment, they stared at each other's faces. Bryce seemed to have forgotten what to do for a moment, and Hunt had time to straighten his back before she attacked him again.  

Hunt saw Bryce coming, but did not have time to repel the blow.  Bryce waved her hand and slammed Hunt's own helmet into his face. Hunt heard a crunch in his ears and felt blood as it began to run down his chin.  

Bryce staggered away and lifted the helmet again, hitting ready. She leaned more on her right leg.  Hunt thought the demon's corrupting leg was still sore.  

Hunt attacked, not giving Quinlan time to defend herself this time.  

The couch crashed when Hunt tackled Quinlan.  Bryce slammed her fist into Hunt's stomach, causing him to groan in pain. Bryce immediately scrambled up and sprinted towards the front door when Hunt grabbed her ankle and caused Bryce to fall on her stomach to the floor. Bryce rolled over on her back, gritted teeth. Blood was pouring from her forehead.  

Hunt attacked. Bryce dodged, pushed his leg forward and made Hunt trip over it.  Hunt stumbled, and meanwhile, Bryce lifted one of the dining chairs off the ground and slammed it into Hunt.  

The chair burst from the force of Hunt's lightning before it could hit him.  Bryce was startled with rage and pain. She let go of the burnt chair and ran back towards the kitchen.  

Hunt grunted and lunged at Bryce. He grabbed her by the waist and knocked her to the ground.  

She didn't hesitate to let the electricity flow to Quinlan.  Bryce screamed in pain before collapsing unconscious on the floor. She no longer moved.  

Hunt panted heavily. He stood up and looked at the female collapsed on the ground.  

Now Hunt realized that Bryce was wearing only a long, grey shirt with a skimpy black sports shorts underneath that followed Bryce's leg muscles.  

Hunt averted his gaze from this rather picturesque sight.  

He stepped over Bryce's body to retrieve his helmet.  The nose bleeding had already stopped, but the nose still felt funny. It had ossified incorrectly. Hunt would have to break it himself again in the evening.  

Hunt pressed the helmet to his head . All sorts of electronic dots appeared in the field of view, which Hunt chose to ignore.  

He turned back toward Quinlan, who was still lying motionless on the ground . Hunt walked up to her and turned her around with his foot. The head injury looked bad, but the bleeding was already starting to stop.  

Hunt grimaced as he remembered Micah's order not to harm Bryce. Well, done what done.  

Hunt took a syringe given to him by Micah, which contained a turbid liquid inside.  It was something like a drug. Of that Hunt was sure. Quinlan would have quite a headache when she woke up.  

Hunt flicked Bryce's hair off her neck.  Under the hair, part of the tattoo was revealed. The rest of it was hidden under Quinlan's shirt.  

Hunt stuck his syringe into Quinlan's neck and I pushed the plunger down. Bryce shuddered a little, but then she calmed down.  

Previously rapid breathing, became calm.  

Hunt sighed. He opened one window, then returned to Bryce and picked her up in his arms.  

Standing on the windowsill, about to jump, Hunt glanced at the apartment behind him to assess the damage.  

It looked almost identical to Quinlan and Fendyr's former apartment after the demon attack.  

Hunt averted his gaze from the view, jumped out of the window, spread his wings, and plunged into the brightening morning sky with Bryce Quinlan in his arms.  

Chapter Text

Chapter 4  

Too slow.  

Danika was too slow.  

No matter how fast she ran.  No matter how badly she failed to comply with traffic rules, Danika was too slow.  

Her paws hit the street, causing cracks as she raced past people screaming in terror and vanir.  

No Bryce. No Bryce! NO BRYCE!  

Everything else Danika could lose, to protect the city, but not Bryce. Never Bryce.  

But, even if she ran faster than the wind, Danika knew she was late. Irreversibly, unforgivably late.  

Bryce would be gone, though she still subconsciously clung to the small hope that Danika would find her friend in the apartment. That she would still be there and not... away.  

Danikan narrowly passed an oncoming car and, like a wolf, rushed through the glass doors into the lobby, only to see Marrin's empty table.  What the fuck was the doorman in?  

Danika changed shape and peeked across the table, behind it.  Marrin lay behind it, hopefully just unconscious. Danika felt nauseous in her stomach when she was struck by the knowledge that whoever had entered the apartment...That person had come through the door. Not through the window, as Danika and Bryce had thought.  

Connor suddenly plunged into the lobby, braked with a slidbing, and was about to crash into the table.  “Danika,” he started, but Danika didn't listen. She was on the move again. Now she plunged up the stairs and started running up them, three steps at a time.  

Marrin was the first to be removed from the game . He had been left lying indifferently behind the table, like a carcass of an animal.  

Danika leapt onto the platform and continued towards her own floor.  

Bryce was not allowed to be absent! She couldn't be gone!  

Danika wouldn't be able to look Ember in the eye and tell her that Bryce had been taken . Because of Danika. Because of what she had tattooed on Bryce's back. And what about Rhun?  

Danika would probably let such an asshole strangle herself if Bryce was gone.  

Danika's heart pounded against her ribs as she plunged to the fifth floor and rushed across the hallway toward her own apartment . She stopped, sliding. Danika almost slipped into pieces of a vase on the hallway floor.  

She panted and turned wildly towards the apartment with the door open.  

Ithan stood by the door, his skin pale. The smell of his fear wafted into Danika's nostrils as she pushed Ithan out of her way and plunged into the apartment. And stopped almost immediately, as if crashing into a wall.  

The apartment was a complete mess.  

The sofa had fallen over. Sofa cushions, blankets and objects on the sofa lay around the room, like autumn leaves.  

One of the chairs at the dining table seemed to have burned out.  Or as if it had been struck by lightning.  

Danika's heart was pounding.  Cold sweat ran down her spine as she took the first cautious step to devastating the devastation.  

Under her feet crackled shards of glass.  

Another vase that had broken when it hit the wall.  Had Bryce thrown the vases, to defend herself against the attacker? Why hadn't she acted according to plan?  

Danika's fingers slowly clenched into fists as she stepped deeper into the destroyed living room . It wasn't as bad as their former apartment, but the devastation had a lot in common... so much the same...  

But this time, Bryce hadn't escaped. This time...  

"Bryce!" Danika shouted and rushed deeper into the apartment.The first thing Danika did was rush into Bryce's room, where an empty bed was waiting in the darkness. Nevertheless, Danika tore off the bedding as if Bryce could hide underneath them.  

Nothing.  

Cabinets.  

Empty.  

"Bryce!" Danika shouted. She rushed back into the living room . Bryce was... Bryce was... Danika's breath clung to her throat. Bryce was...  

Connor grabbed Danika before her legs failed . The Pack of Devils had followed her back. All the way they had stayed on the heels of their alpha. And now they were in the apartment with her.  

In the apartment where Bryce should have been.  

"Danika?" Connor. She held onto Danika and prevented her from collapsing. "Gone," Danika whispered. "She's gone."  

Connor's grip on her tightened.  "I know. But we'll get Bryce back. Micah is still paying for all this."  

Micah.  

Danika bared her teeth.  She would tear open that angel's bastard's throat. And after that she would burn the body. And then Bryce could vacuum the ashes and throw them into the Istros River.  

"Yes," Danika muttered . Her legs seemed to grow stronger as confidence and anger strengthened her. Danika would get Bryce back. Although she should tear up the whole world because of it. Although she should stand alone against the Asters.  

She would get Bryce back.  

"Look at this."  

Hearing Nathalie's voice, Danika straightened her back and broke away from Connor.  She stepped past him to see what Nathalie was talking about.  

There was blood on the kitchen countertop. As well as on the floor.  

Bronson dipped his finger in the blood on the floor and then lifted it to his nose.  After sniffing for a moment, he said, "Angel."  

 Bryce had indeed fought back. Danika wouldn't have had to dip her fingers in the blood stain on the countertop to know whose blood it was. Yet she did.  

Bryce's blood. The angel, who judging by the smell was not Micah, had hurt Bryce.  Danika clenched her fingers into fists, mentally vowing to tear that dick to shreds too.  

"It seems like Micah sent his dog to do the dirty work for him."  

Throne was squatting next to the partially burnt chair, poking it thoughtfully with his finger . Danika bared her teeth. Connor growled beside her.  

As if to confirm Danika's assumption, Throen stated as she straightened her back:  "This is the work of Umbra Mortis."  

"What the heck is going on here?" Ithan shouted by the door . Danika turned towards him. She hadn't remembered Ithan being here yet.  

"That's what you hear," Danika said in an alpha voice. "Will not leave this apartment."  

Connor turned to look at Danika, looking stunned, as if forbidding her to tell Ithan what was going on. However, Danika's gaze silenced Connor.  

Itha's gaze moved from face to face with unnerving speed . He tried to interpret their facial expressions. To deduce what he would soon hear.  

Danika's gaze was immovable as Ithan's eyes reached hers. Slowly, Ithan left his observation post and pushed the door shut behind him.  

The click of the lock echoed in the room. "Let it be heard," Ithan just said. "Explain what Umbra Mortis has to do with Bryce's obvious abduction?"  

Danika's lips twisted into a smile that hurt her face.  "Rather, ask what Micah has to do with this."  

Ithan's face grew even paler.  

"What has happened, Danika? ” He asked slowly as his mind tied the clues together  

Danika felt her eyes tear . She swallowed and said colorlessly: "Something that could make Bryce suffer a fate worse than death."  

Who knew what an archangel who had lived for many hundreds of years would come up with to break Bryce.  

*****  

The muscles in Hunt's hands trembled.  Bryce wasn't exactly heavy, but the long-haul had made his muscles ache.  

Bryce breathed calmly . Her head rested heavily on Hunt's shoulder. Her red hair fluttered against the wind and occasionally slapped against Hunt's face. Their characteristic smell was mixed with the smell of drying blood.  

Hunt had flown longer distances, with much heavier loads over the years. Corpses, wounded... Quinlan was in better shape than most of those Hunt had carried before her. But those planes were often shrouded in panic and fear of whether the person in his arms would bleed dry. Or images of what it would be like to deliver the body to family members.  

Quinlan still felt the heaviest. Or maybe it was guilt gnawing a hole in Hunt's soul.  He had done worse. Brutally tortured and murdered. The kidnapping of one female was not the worst.  

But this seemed to have crossed a line that Hunt was unaware existed.  The thought of murdering innocents had always hurt Hunt. But no one had died. No. Not dead.  

Hunt looked at Quinlan's face . Her lips were slightly parted. The blood had dried into brown lumps on her forehead and cheek. What was he doing?  

Hunt had completed his mission . He had fulfilled his contract with Micah. Hunt would be released after 82 killings. Hunt reminded himself whenever he was tempted to turn around and take Bryce back to Danika and tell him the hel to take Quinlan far away from Micah. Tell female to hide, but...  

Hunt tightened his grip on Bryce when he didn't have to . Why Bryce Quinlan? Hunt had thought about it so many times over the past few days that the idea was starting to feel boring. But the question was still unanswered.  

The connection between Bryce Quinlan and Micah felt... Unlikely. The demi-fea female and the archangel lived in completely different worlds and had no channel through which they could know each other.  

Unless Danika Fendyra was taken into account.  Although Hunt had already dismissed his theory that this was a way to take revenge on Danika, it still seemed the most likely option.  

The rising sun made Hunt's skin sweat under the thick black outfit . The terrain had turned into a forest beneath him. A mountain range took shape on the horizon. Hunt could already smell the salty smell of the sea in his nose. The wind carried it with it from the sea.  

Wherever Micah had told Hunt to bring Bryce, it was hardly some small cabin in the middle of nowhere.  Hunt had already been flying over the woods for ten minutes. Walking on earth could have been several hours. The last house Hunt had spotted from above in the sky had already been left far away five minutes ago.  

Now there was only a deserted forest, enlivened only by trees dried up by the heat.  

Hunt's throat dried. He was sweating, the sun was already shining brightly, and he had no hands to take a bottle of water from his belt. If the place where Quinla was supposed to be delivered didn't show up soon, Hunt would land in the woods and take a break.  

Quinlan, despite his unconsciousness, might also need water.  It was bad enough that Bryce was injured. Urd knew what Micah would do to Hunt if Bryce died.  

For some reason, it seemed important to Micah to have Bryce with him alive.  

An unpleasant sensation twisted Hunt's stomach.  Doubts about what exactly Micah would do to Quinlan when Hunt turned his back.  

Maybe Hunt should check her in once in a while ...Hunt shook his head. Micah was a cruel asshole, but he guess he wasn't now...Now Hunt's stomach was turning with nausea and he was grateful that he didn't eat breakfast that morning.  

Surely Micah wouldn't torture or hold a female captive for no reason?  

What was behind Micah's order?  Questions raced through Hunt's mind, like a wild deer, so that he didn't immediately notice the destination, which was undoubtedly the place Bryce was to be taken.  

If Quinlan hadn't changed weights in his sleep and muttered something, Hunt honestly might have flown completely past the house.  Which, on closer inspection, wouldn't even have been that amazing.  

The part of the house that Hunt saw from his direction of arrival was built entirely inside the mountain . If the sun hadn't reflected on the window glass, it would have gone unnoticed by Hunt.  

Now Hunt curved gently aside, circling in front of a large house built on the seashore.  

On the other hand, the word "house" was an understatement for that building.  

Built in glass and white stone on the grey mountainside was perhaps the most grandiose building Hunt had seen in his long life.  It could easily have been extravagant had the façade of the building not been so unadorned. White stone and glass.  

There were also windows on the side of the mountain, but they remained partly hidden in the shade at other times of the day except in the morning.  

If someone came towards the house from the entrance of the forest, wouldn't even notice it . It was a great place to hide something. A new question was added to Hunt's ever-growing list.  

Why did Quinla have to be kept hidden?  

After touring the house for a while and digesting the sight, Hunt finally noticed a glass-railed balcony with large glass double doors open on one wall.  

When Hunt landed on the balcony, he noticed that the sea was right beneath them.  However, the house was so high that the waves could not reach it.  

Hunt softened the land as best he could, so as not to wake Quinlan's woman, who had begun to move restlessly.  Now he had calmed down again, but his expression was anything but calm. There was a wrinkle between her eyebrows that made her facial expression turn worried.  

It was as if Quinlan sensed that he was in danger.  

Hunt hoped that Quinlan would not be in as much danger as Hunt feared.  

Slowly, almost reluctantly, Hunt entered the large apartment, though his instincts required him to fade away.  Something about this place reminded Hunt of a cage.  

Even if it was built of marble, diamonds and glass, it would still have been a cage . And Hunt had bad memories of such places. From cages and prisons.  

What the hel had he brought Bryce to?  Teeth of guilt gnawed deeper and deeper into Hunt's soul as he entered what appeared to be a living room.  

The interior was similar to the façade of the house.  Stylish, luxurious yet unadorned. Soft white sofas, black coffee table. A simple and practical lamp on the ceiling. The walls were white and the floors dark and shiny.  

No matter how stylish and comfortable the living room looked, it felt... from scratch.  It's like this place hasn't been inhabited for many centuries.  

Slowly, Hunt stepped into the middle of the room.  He carefully laid Bryce down on the white couch before taking off his helmet. The stream of air on Hunt's face felt heavenly after a long and arduous flight.  

"Was the task more difficult than expected?" Hunt startled when he heard a cool sound behind him. He rolled over and noticed a long Micah leaning against the bar counter made of black wood. He was wearing a white t-shirt and black jeans. As if he had a day off. Micah swirled something amber-colored in the glass and looked at Hut appraisingly.  

His gaze stopped for a moment on Hunt's broken and incorrectly ossified nose. Micah smiled and sipped his drink from his glass before laying it down next to him at the bar counter.  

"I think Miss Quinlan was much more determined than either of us expected."  

Hunt said nothing.  A new wave of doubt and guilt was to overthrow him. What had he gone to do?  

Micah started walking toward the center of the room and Hunt dodged to prevent Micah's white wings from hitting him.  

Hunt watched, still growing in doubt and guilt, as Micah bent down to examine Bryce's pale face, twisted with anxiety.  Micah's fingers gently stroked her cheek and moved the blood-clumped hair away from Quinla's face.  

"I think I said I want her unharmed, ”The archangel said thoughtfully, letting his fingers rest below the wound.  

Hunt felt like someone was twisting his guts as he watched Micah touch Bryce so... possessively.  

"As you said,"  Hunt forced himself to answer, as calmly as he could,"He fought back more than I expected."  

Micah smiled again.  He looked at Bryce with hunger in his eyes, which caused Hunt's gut-wrenching nausea to turn into anxiety. Everything was wrong with in a still life.  

Whatever Micah was going to do... Hunt swallowed.  Micah straightened his back and looked at Hunt over his shoulder. His face was expressionless as he turned completely towards Hunt.  

Hunt couldn't help but notice how the archangel positioned himself in front of Bryce. Not protectively, but as if marking his territory.  

"You accomplished the task well, Hunt," Micah's voice was as cold as his face.  "Your debt is only 82 people left. I hardly need to remind you what happens if you tell anyone about this."  

Hunt would end up back in Panger in Sandriel's clutches . "Not Micah," replied Hunt, and take a step back. Micah wanted him to fade away.  

Hunt obeyed, even though instinct told him to take Bryce with him. Hunt resisted that instinct and pressed it to the back of his mind.  But, even before he jumped off the glass-railed balcony, Hunt looked over his shoulder.  

Triumph shone from Micah's face, and his lips were curled into a creepy smug grin as he glanced at Bryce lying on his couch.  

Hunt averted his gaze as guilt curled up and made a nest in his soul.  As he took to his wings, realization struck Hunt like lightning.  

Although the act seemed downright lenient on the outside compared to what Hunt had done before, it had consequences.  Consequences that would affect Hunt because he brought Bryce to the archangel. If Micah did something to Quinlan... it would be entirely Hunt's fault.  

Still, he flew away, even though he felt sick with guilt.  He left Quinla at the mercy of Micah, even though he knew that the sadistic psychopathic angel was doing Bryce damage that nothing could repair.  

Still, he flew away, trying to shut out the part of his mind that was screaming it was wrong. Nevertheless... he left Bryce Quinlan there.  

******  

Everything had gone horribly wrong.  

Bryce hadn't waited for anyone at the door.  She had just been sitting casually on the couch, engrossed in a book. When she heard a rustling at the front door, Bryce's first thought had been that it was Danika and the Pack of Devils who returned earlier.  

Then a smell that wasn't Danika's had hit her nose.  

The smell of male.  The scent of an angel mixed with the pungent smell of ether had caused Bryce's instinct of self-protection to take over. She should have rushed to the bathroom, according to all reason, but the panic-clouded brain had not given the order to run to safety in time.  

When the door flew open, Bryce had followed her instincts, grabbed the vase and threw it at the intruder.  She already had another one in her hand when Umbra Mortis dodged Bryce's first projectile.  

Panic had set in on Bryce when she realized who Micah had sent for her.  Bryce was forced to clear her mind. She wouldn't leave without a fight. Bryce would rather let an angel kill herself than...  

The hairs on Bryce's neck stood up equally in fear as she remembered what the touch of the archangel's cold fingers felt like.  And the helplessness that accompanied the memory...Bryce would do anything to never feel so helpless again.  

So she smiled at Micah's assassin, and threw the next vase.  

The events that followed were clouded in Bryce's mind. In the midst of the fight, there had been only one thought in her mind about survival.  

Even when Umbra Mortis had slammed Bryce's head against the countertop, Bryce hadn't given up.  With all the fear and rage, she had grabbed the helmet of the Archangel's assassin and ripped it off the angel's head.  

Bryce had known pretty much what an angel would look like, but was still surprised by the handsome face revealed under his helmet.  When her kidnapper suddenly had a face, Bryce was frozen for a while. Just for a moment.  

But that moment had been precious.  

Although Bryce managed to punch the helmet guy in the face, she knew the fight was hopeless.  She only sought to delay the inevitable.  

She had fought back.  Bryce had come close to escaping when Umbra Mortis attacked her and struck an electric current through her body. After that, everything was darkened. Deepened into unconsciousness. After which Bryce had sunk into total darkness.  

Bryce had woken up from time to time . She vaguely remembered the cold wind. As well as pain felt throughout the body. Then darkness had claimed her again.  

The next time Bryce was partially awakened, she remembered the warm hands that held her.  And the rocking motion that caused Bryce to fall asleep again.  

Even in her deep, drugged sleep, Bryce knew that this warm embrace was a safer place than wherever they were ever going.  

That, there would be no security at the destination.  As darkness began to give way to Bryce's consciousness, she felt something soft beneath her back. She was lying on something that no longer rocked. Only the wind had disappeared.  

She smelled a cleanser and two angels in her nostrils.  As well as dried blood. Both her own and someone else's. Bryce's sense of hearing recovered with waves. She pretended to be parting speech. Two male voices who conversed with cold politeness.  

And then Bryce felt the touch of fingers. The touch of cold fingers that moved her hair behind her ear. Cold fingertips were left resting under the wound. Although Bryce couldn't make out the words, she recognized the speaker closest to her.  

If Bryce had been more conscious, she probably would have burst into tears.  No matter how good protective spells they had had. How overprotective Danika had been...  

Still, it had taken less than three weeks for Micah to sneak back into their lives and take Bryce.  

And now... fingers disappeared and Bryce clung desperately to the darkness.  She wanted to remain unconscious for a while. One more moment of unconsciousness before he had to face the real world. Before she would have to face the archangel eye-to-eye.  

Darkness befell her and Bryce fell into unconsciousness once more in relief.  

*****  

Even through her eyelids, something dazzled Bryce's eyes.  It already ached her tender head. Bryce tried to move her fingers and groaned in pain, feeling a pounding ache in each of her muscles.  

What the hel had happened?  

Slowly, Bryce blinked her eyes open.  Her tongue was dry and tasted like sandpaper. Bryce licked her dried and chapped lips, turned her head, and found herself staring at a ceiling made of dark stone.It was so bright that Bryce could almost discern his own image.  

Bryce closed her eyes. Bryce felt like she had been partying the night before and now she was suffering from a bad hangover.  Had she celebrated? And if so, where did she end up? Where was Danika?  

Bryce's memories slowly began to return. Each of them only made Bryce's headache worse.  

Umbra Mortis.  

Fight.  

Lightning strike...  

Drug...  

Bryce opened her eyes.  

She knew what, or rather who she would see, when she turned her head. Panic blocked her rough throat. She wouldn't be able to fight. Every muscle, every movement hurt. Although Bryce didn't think it was possible, tears of panic welled up in her eyes.  

This could not happen. She is not favorable for this. It couldn't...  

"I was already afraid Hunt had accidentally killed you, Miss Quinlan."  

A cold, emotionless voice would have been better.  This smug voice... Brycen replies, twisted.  

Slowly, Bryce turned her head . Every muscle fought against the movement. This did not happen, could not happen.  

Micah sat in an armchair, across from Bryce's couch, with one foot on top of the other . She looked at Bryce, with quiet satisfaction in her eyes. He had a glass in his hand in which he swirled an amber-colored liquid.  

He sipped it before continuing:  "It would have been a pity to destroy Hunt for so kindly and unquestioningly carrying out the task I had given him."  

Micah gave Bryce a lazy smile.  Bryce swallowed and clenched her hands into fists. "Do you often tell your assassins to kidnap random people?” Bryce asked. Her voice was hoarse and dry.  

Micha put his whiskey glass on the coffee table, directly in front of Bryce, before replying:  “I don't kidnap random people, Miss Quinlan. We both know why you're here."  

Sure the fuck they knew.  

Brcye, although internally cursed the pain, forced her muscles to move.  With difficulty and under Micah's gaze, Bryce forced herself into a sitting position. She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he no longer lay on her back on the couch in a bad position to defend herself.  

Now xhe could stare Micah straight in the eye.  Micah measured her with his gaze before gesturing towards the glass of whiskey he had placed in front of her: "Drink," he ordered.  

Bryce didn't seem to hear the order.  

"Why don't you just cut the horn off my back if it's so important to you? ” Bryce asked challengingly. She knew it was stupid.  

Micah tilted his head.  The feathers of his white wings shone in the light coming from outside. "I'm not sure the horn would work apart from you. And I'm not willing to take the risk, Miss Quinlan."  

His gaze swept over Bryce as if he saw a horn tattooed on Bryce's back.  

Bryce felt as if the archangel had undressed her with his gaze.  Bryce clenched her fingers on the sofa cushions. "How do you know if horn is working at all?"  

Micah didn't answer the question. Instead, he again commanded, "Drink."  

Bryce didn't seem to hear.  She crossed her arms over her chest and glanced around the space she was in. Dark floor, white walls. Comfortable couch and armchair furniture. There was a long bar counter in one corner. The room was unadorned but elegant.  

"Is this your holiday villa?" Bryce asked hoarsely.  Did governors even have a vacation? Micah watched Bryce dissatisfied, answering, "My childhood home."  

Bryce blinked. Otherwise, she did not express surprise.  She looked around, reassessing the room.  

If this was Micah's childhood home, it would explain why the space felt so empty and abandoned in parts. Although the furnishings were nice.  

"I've been renovating this over the years, should it be used," Micah continued indifferently, looking at the bare walls and dark floors emotionlessly.  

The use to hold a kidnapped female captive Micah's childhood home seemed to be perfect.  Bryce didn't know what it said about Micah's own childhood.  

Bryce cautiously changed positions on the couch.  Her voice sounded brutal when she asked, "And how long will I have to be here?” Bryce gritted her teeth together as she watched the small grin rising to Micah's face.  

"Until the summit," he replied.  

Bryce's head went blank for a moment as the shocking shock stiffened her muscles. Did he intend... was that fucking crazy..."Are you going to hold me captive for two years?” Bryce cried. It was two years until the summit! Two fucking years! And if Bryce had to spend it in this house, her only conversation partner was a psychopath and an overdramatic archangel...Bryce would probably go crazy in six months.  

Micah raised his other brow and looked at Bryce as if she hadn't gotten the point. "What?" Bryce asked.  Micah sighed. He leaned his back on the back of the chair, smiling crookedly. “Oh Bryce," he chuckled. He sounded amused and... Pitying. "I'm not letting you go as long as you're useful to me."  

Bryce's nails almost punctured the upholstery of the couch.  "You can't be serious?" Bryce gushed. She barely stopped herself from screaming. If her head hadn't still hurt and her muscles were raking against every move, Bryce would have attacked Micah.  

Micah smiled smugly as he watched the varying emotions on Bryce's face.  "You're here until I figure out how to use Luna's horn, even if it's on your back, Miss Quinlan."  

Micah's smile widened as he continued talking, enjoying the panicked look on Bryce's face. "Once we know how your powers work, Miss Quinlan, we will begin to look for a world where I can get help in fulfilling my plans. I believe that we will achieve a great deal in two years. So much so that we already have the support of the other world by the time of the summit."  

Bryce swallowed. She felt like she could vomit.  Despite the fact that Bryce's stomach was empty. "So I'm your official gatekeeper. I'm honored governor."  

Micah chuckled. He leaned his hands on his knees and leaned closer to Bryce. "We will rethink your position after the summit," he said softly, letting his fingers sweep Bryce's cheek.  

Bryce backed away from his touching and bared her teeth to Micah . "Don't touch me, asshole!" She grunted. Micah's hand landed on the table, and he was left again just looking at Bryce.  

"Drink," he commanded again, nodding towards the whiskey glass. Bryce crossed his arms. "No!"  

Silence.  

Micah leaned away from Bryce. The archangel's expression was dissatisfied . Bryce stared defiantly back into the face of the governor of Valbara. Bryce's hair stood up she neck as she felt Micah's cold power in the air.  

The wind swung Bryce's hair.  It's like an angel trying to intimidate. Bryce lifted her chin up. It took much more than a paltry wind to frighten her.  

"Drink!" Micah commanded. Bryce demonstratively turned her head aside.  "No thanks," she said stubbornly. Bryce sensed the charge of Micah's anger in the air.  

Still, she discovered the attack too late .   

The wind suddenly took a firm shape and pressed Bryce against the couch.  Micah stood up at a speed that Bryce's fea's eyes could barely discern. At that moment, the archangel was already upon her.  

Micah grabbed a handful of Bryce's hair and pulled on it painfully.  Bryce gasped in pain, but it was suppressed when Micah forced a whiskey glass to her lips.  

Bryce almost choked on the first dose. Micah pulled Bryce's head against the back of the couch and drained the entire contents of the glass down her throat. Brycen one and sobbed in pain and startle.  

Micah pressed his palm to Bryce's mouth, preventing her from spitting the burning whiskey out of her mouth.  One of his hands loosened his grip on Bryce's hair, but didn't let go completely.  

"We may need to go through a couple of rules, Bryce Quinlan,"  Micah said in a deceptively gentle voice, caressing Bryce's red hair, suppressing her sobbing and cough in the palm of his hand.  

Bryce sobbed and tried to break free from Micah's grasp . The archangel's fingers grabbed her hair again and yanked her back down. Bryce's scream of pain was suffocated in the palm of the angel's hand.  

"When I tell you to do something, you obey,"  Micah said, his voice changing from gentle to dangerously low. Bryce stared Micah defiantly in the eyes. Micah yanked her hair again. "Did you understand?" he asked. Bryce whined, but didn't concede. The archangel's face darkened. Bryce swallowed as Micha lowered his hand from her mouth to Bryce's throat.  

It was bare to the archangel's touch as his other hand was still holding onto Bryce's hair. "Did you understand?" he asked again, wrapping his fingers around Bryce's neck. Micha let Bryce set his gaze on the same level as him.  

His fingers still held Bryce's hair.  

Fingers tightened their grip around Bryce's neck, almost stopping her from breathing when Micha asked for the third time, "Did you understand?"  

Bryce bared her teeth to Micah and rustle. "Go to hel!"  

Micah's fingers tightened their grip around Bryce's throat, almost blocking her breath.  He leaned right next to Bryce's ear and quietly said threatening: "I don't have to hurt you, Miss Quinlan. But I hurt you if you don't know how to behave."  

Bryce bit her tooth and breathed in small, quick breaths . "Don't talk to me like a child," Bryce groaned. Micah brought his face right in front of Bryce's. He didn't smile smugly or mockingly.  

Her face was serious, only partially hiding the anger smouldering beneath the surface . Bryce was suddenly unable to breathe. And not to move.  

Micah squeezed her windpipe and forced Bryce to expose her neck, pulling her head back by the hair . The wind crushed her against the couch. Bryce hated every desperate tear that ran down her cheeks.  

Bryce couldn't fight back.  Unable to stop Micah as he released his grip on Bryce's hair and I pressed his hand to her waist. "Then don't act like a child," Micah's voice was not strained. It was stating. The archangel let go of Bryce's neck. The wind loosened its grip on Bryce's body.  

Bryce greedily drew air into her lungs. Air burst out of her mouth in a sob. Bryce swallowed, trying to stop her tears.  Micah had expressed no emotion as she watched Bryce's tears. Although Bryce knew Micah would enjoy it. Sick bastard. Fucking sick, sadistic alphahole.  

Bryce's neck hurt when she lowered her head and met Micah's gaze.  Micah's other hand was still holding Bryce's waist. One hand pressed against Bryce's cheek. As she wiped away Bryce's tears of panic, the touch was almost tender.  

"When I command you, you obey," Micah said quietly.  Bryce turned her head away. The fingers grabbed Bryce's chin and forcibly turned her head towards Micah. “Did you understand?" Micah asked. The grip on her chin resembled the grip with which the archangel had just squeezed Bryce's throat.  

Stopped Bryce from breathing. And moving. Controlling Bryce's body . Deciding if Bryce could survive.  

Micah wanted control and total control over Bryce.  

Brycen clenched her hands into fists and squeezed her mouth into a line, staring defiantly at Micah . She didn't think she could speak, but words weren't needed. Micah understood anyway.  

The archangel sighed. And then chuckled.  “I can't help but admire your stubbornness Miss Quinlan,"Micah said thoughtfully, pressing his thumb against Bryce's lower lip. Bryce grunted and tried to pull away. Her throat hurt shockingly.  

Micah wouldn't let go. He was stronger than Bryce.  

"I've just shown that I can kill you easily like a fly, and yet you resist me," Micah shook his head and sighed. "What should I do with you, Bryce Quinlan?"  he muttered and rubbed Bryce's lower lip with his thumb.  

"You're not going to kill me," Bryce muttered softly.  She couldn't make a louder noise in his throat. Micha chuckled. "True. But I can kill others. Does your mother know about the little problem Danika arranged for you?"  

Bryce felt her face turn pale.  Micah smiled smugly, seeing Bryce's expression. He leaned closer and let his lips brush against Bryce's tapered ear:"We don't need to confuse your mother with this."  

Bryce closed her eyes. "Did you understand?" Micha asked.  Again, his voice was frighteningly gentle.  

Bryce swallowed. Gods that it hurt!  

"Yes," Bryce replied hoarsely.  

The touch of Micah's lips Bryce's neck was short and light, but it conveyed a clear message.  

"Good," Micah said and withdrew. He released her grip on Bryce and Bryce found herself collapsing against the sofa cushions, her muscles complaining of pain.  

Micah straightened himself up and left a trembling Bryce hunched over on the couch . He stepped in front of the glass doors of the balcony and said to Bryce, without turning to look at her: "You're not allowed to leave here, but you probably already figured it out. I have urgent matters to attend to, but I'll be back evening."  

Micah glanced over Bryce's shoulder and smiled smugly. Bryce felt her essence shrink under that gaze . "Make yourself at home, Miss Quinlan," and so to having said, Micah jumped off the balcony, spread his wings, and soon disappeared from view.  

Bryce's tears had never stopped, but now that Micah had left, Bryce started crying out loud . She pulled her knees to her chest and sobbed, her shoulders trembling. Even looking in the mirror, she knew that bruises would develop on her neck.  

Micah had left her mark on Bryce.  

Bryce's throat ached in pain as she cried.  

She allowed herself to cry this once.  

And then she would have to figure out how to escape from this well-furnished hel. If Micah thought she won... well...  

Bryce looked up on her knees and stared out the windows.  Towards the blue sky and the sea. Bryce wouldn't break. She wouldn't let Micah break herself.  

Bryce wouldn't let Micah win.  

Chapter Text

Chapter 5  

Week. One damn hard and horrible week.  

And Danika suffered from worse sleep deprivation than ever in her life. No one in the Pack of Devils had been able to sleep properly, if at all, since Bryce had been taken.  

Ithan didn't leave Connor for a second. Ithan did his best not to prevent Connor from collapsing or marching to the Comitium to murder Micah.  

Zelda and Nathalie had made sure Danika didn't do anything stupid.  

Danika wouldn't have cared if she had been killed. If only it had meant Bryce's safe return. But Micah wouldn't be so merciful. No.  

He enjoyed this fucking game of his where he toyed with Danika's tolerance and stretched it even more. Danika had asked for an to meet with the governor after explaining the whole story to Ithan.  

While Ithan sat in shock by the door, Danika had pulled out her phone and made a couple of phone calls. After arguing with Isaihai for almost an hour, she got an appointment. A week from now!  

Danika was sure that Micah had told his to do so. That fucking asshole wanted to torment Danika as much as possible.  

It would have been a horrible week anyway. Just because Danika couldn't do anything but report her disappearance and then go back to her normal duties. Although she had asked to investigate Bryce's disappearance herself.  

Sabine, that bitch, had stopped it. The case had been handed over to Amalie Ravnescroft, who could not care less. Danika was sure that the female was just happy with Bryce's disappearance.  

And that's another reason why Danika felt like tearing her mother's throat open. They were talking about Bryce's disappearance, not kidnapping. Sabine had calmly ignored the fact that Marrin had been unconscious and the apartment was in tumbled.  

"She's just a drama seeker," Sabine had said after Danika had argued with her while trying to get the case for herself. "She's coming back."  

And it wouldn't. Danika would have liked to shake her mother.  

Bryce wouldn't go back on her own. Bryce would not be able to return on her own. Not so long that Micah held her captive.  

Worse than the argument had been to call Ember and tell her what had happened. When Ember heard of Bryce's "disappearance," she immediately packed her bags and traveled to Lunathion with Randall. Danika had listened to Ember's worried speech until Bryce's mom had collapsed on the floor and started crying.  

And Danika couldn't hold back her tears anymore. It had been the only time Danika had allowed herself to break down completely.  

The next day and she had just lifted her chin again and confronted Rhun.  

Rhun hadn't heard about it yet when Danika showed up at his door. Danika wondered if Sabine had deliberately failed to notify 33 and Aux. It was clear how worrying Sabine thought the story was.  

She felt she thought Bryce had gone on vacation or something, and would return sooner or later.  

Danika would have given anything to make it true.  

Rhun's reaction had been expected, but Danika was still shocked by the chilly rage that emanated from the fea prince.  

"First the demon and next she disappears. From her own apartment!"  

Rhun had been going around the room looking like he could kill someone. Declan Emmet and Tristan Flynn had been sitting frozen on the couch, too upset to react.  

"And why," Rhun continued, kicking down the coffee table. Danika was not startled by the crash when it broke when it hit the wall, "this has not been reported to Aux? Why do I hear about it two days later from you?"  

Rhun rolled over to look at Danika and grunted with gritted teeth. "Why am I only hearing about it now?"  

Connor and Nathalie, whom Danika had taken with her to this encounter, moved restlessly behind Danika. If Rhun attacked Danika, they would intervene.  

Although Danika didn't really care if Rhun killed her. She felt empty. Despair, fear, and anger had carved a hole in Danika's soul and settled there. There used to be Bryce in that hole. In her absence, Danika felt as if she was missing a limb.  

Danika closed her eyes so as not to see the angry face of the fea prince, as she replied: "Sabine doesn't think the case is important. She believes Bryce just left. Of their own volition."  

Rhun stared at Danika. Danika saw how the prince was working on her words in her head. When he spoke again, Rhun's voice was quiet. "So she didn't just disappear?"  

That was the question. Slowly, Danika shook her head. Flynn and Emmet glanced at each other on the couch. Both looked confused, worried, and furious when they realized what Danika was saying.  

Rhun pulled a hand through his hair, groaned, and collapsed to sit in the nearest armchair. His nails squeezed the armrests of the chairs.  

"Who?" he asked. Danika bit her cheek. She didn't have time to respond when Connor said. "We don't know."  

Rhun turned his gaze to Connor, bared his teeth, and growled lowly: "Don't talk shit, Holstrom. I can already see from your faces that you know who kidnapped Bryce."  

Kidnapped.  

The word sounded absurd and... Wrong. Danika found herself liking the word more, disappear. Although the abduction described the situation better.  

The three wolves were silent. Nathalie looked everywhere except Rhun and the other two fea. Connor stared at the tip of his shoes. Danika looked ahead, but saw nothing.  

Telling Rhun wouldn't help at all. That would only make the situation worse. If Rhun believed the whole story. And how would he react to the knowledge that Bryce was star-born? There were things Bryce could decide for herself. And that was one of them.  

Danika made a decision. She was forced to tell Rhun the truth, but not that Bryce was a star-born. She hadn't told Ithan, either.  

Bryce could tell them herself if they could get her back.  

When. Danika reminded herself. When they would get Bryce back.  

"Danika Fendyr!" Rhun grunted and stood up. He came right in front of Danika and asked, in a low voice. "Who the heck is behind Bryce's disappearance?"  

Danika hesitated. She looked back. Towards Connor, who shrugged his shoulders submissively, and then towards Nathalie, who sighed and then nodded.  

She don't think they had a choice. They would be forced to tell Rhun the situation.  

And maybe, Rhun could get his hands on information that wolves didn't have access to. Something that would make Sabine take seriously the fact that Bryce didn't leave of her own free will.  

If they could increase the pressure and investigate the case properly, Micah might be left with no choice but to return Bryce.  

But Micah was also a governor who was nearly impossible to bring to justice. It was almost the same as trying to go to court against the Asters. Victory was equally likely.  

Rhun had noticed Danika's hesitation and began to press. "Who took Bryce?" he asked, his face almost sticking to Danika's.  

Danika took a step back. “I would sit If I’m you, for you will not believe this."  

Rhun remained standing. "Tell me," he just said, crossing his arms to his chest. Emmet and Flynn remained on the couch, in tense positions.  

Danika sighed. "Bryce was taken away by Hunt Athaler on Micah's orders."  

The news was followed by silence.  

Astonished, incredulous silence. Rhun stared at Danika, his eyes wide open in confusion. Emmet had leaned forward, an expression on her face as if contemplating laughing. Flynn's mouth was open. He looked like a fish.  

"Are you... you're serious," Rhun said, seeing Danika's expression. He took a few tentative steps back and sat down in an armchair.  

"Why would Micah order his assassin to kidnap Bryce?” Declan Emmet opened his mouth for the first time, during the entire debate.  

Danika gritted her teeth together and glanced over her shoulder at Nathalie and Connor. Their expressions were gloomy. The subject was still a sensitive pack of Devils. And even though Danika's alpha's place wasn't in jeopardy, she was still aware that the pack no longer trusted her completely.  

She turned her attention back to Rhun, Flynn, and Emmett. Confusion and suspicion shone from everyone's faces.  

Danika chewed the inside of her cheek, unsure where to start. The silence stretched until Tristan Flynn coughed.  

"Are you going to tell us why the fuck, our governor would order Bryce to be kidnapped? If Micah had wanted to take her on a date, wouldn't it have been easier to ask?"  

Danika knew that Tristan was just trying to lighten the mood, but the thought that the fea's words conjured up in Danika's mind...Danika felt nauseous just thinking about what else Micah could want from Bryce besides Horn.  

Apparently, the same thoughts were running through Connor's mind, as Danika heard his growl behind her.  

Danika opened her mouth, but then closed it when she couldn't figure out how to tell him. Where to start and how not to tell the reason why Danika tattooed the horn on Bryce's back.  

"Micah blackmailed Danika into stealing Luna's horn. Danika didn't want to give the Horn to Micah, so she crushed it, mixed it with witch ink, drunk Bryce and tattooed Luna's Horn on Bryce's back," Nathalie summed up.  

Thanks Nathalie.  

Danika could have laughed at the expressions on the fea male's faces if the situation hadn't been so horrible. Each of them had a look of shock on their faces to varying degrees. The situation was comical.  

You could see in Rhun's eyes how he was trying to process what he heard. He opened his mouth, then closed it, opened it again. He couldn't get a word out of his mouth. Danika waited for the confusion in Rhun's eyes to turn into rage.  

When one of them finally spoke, Danika was surprised to realize it was Declan Emmett. "Why would Micah want Luna's horn?"  

*****  

Rhun's emotions had been like a mountain track for the past quarter of an hour.  

First, she learned that her little sister had disappeared. Kidnapped, to put it better. Rhun himself would have suspected that someone had found out that Bryce was his sister and thought he could blackmail the Autumn King with her help.  

But the fact that the governor himself was behind Bryce's disappearance... It was totally... Impossible! Still, Rhun knew Danika wasn't lying.  

And then when he found out why... The Autumn King had ordered Rhun to look for a horn. The problem was that there was no more horn! What was left of it was damn on Bryce's back! And Bryce was... Bryce was...  

Micah was not the worst governor. Sandriel was definitely worse. But Micah...  

He was old. Rhun knew that. He had fought in the rebellion of angels. He had killed long before Rhun or Bryce was born.  

The idea of Bryce being near Micah... or alone with her...and all just because Danika tattooed Luna's horn on Bryce's back.  

"Fuck!" Rhun gusted and bounced upright with his hands clenched. He stared at Danika, growing in rage.  

"How could you?" Rhun shouted. "Why did you tattoo that damn horn on Bryce's back?"  

The loudness of Rhun's voice grew until he screamed. "Because of you, Bryce is now alone with that sadistic angel! How could you have been so stupid as to put Bryce in such danger! You, if anyone should protect her!"  

Rhun realized he was unreasonable, but at that moment couldn't hold back his rage. Danika's expression was blank. She listened to Rhun's scream, her expression blank. Danika's hands were clenched into fists. The nails were pressed into the skin.  

The wolf did not meet anyone's gaze, saying, "I didn't think anyone would ever know."  

The tone of Danika's voice quenched Rhun's desire for strife. He slumped back into the armchair and buried his head in his hands. He was breathing heavily. Yiritti collect his thoughts.  

Declan, as always, was quicker than Rhun. "Micah was in the apartment the night Bryce was attacked by a demon," Dec said thoughtfully. Rhun looked up from his hands, only to see Danika and the other two wolves nodding gloomily.  

"What happened?" Tristan asked. There was a deep frown between his brows. He didn't seem to understand the situation at all.  

Danika sighed. She sat down in the nearest armchair, fingered the sleeve of her leather jacket, and stared at the floor, guilt shining from her eyes. Connor and Nathelie lined up behind her, just in case the story caused someone in the room to attack Danika.  

Rhun had just been ready to strangle Danika. As the story progressed, he realized that he was angry with Danika, but even more so he felt a disgusting rage towards Micah.  

Danika explained how shortly after midnight, as the herd was leaving, she had woken Bryce up and told her to prepare. Then Micah had come to ask Danikalt about the horn.  

Upon learning that Micah had intent on killing the entire Pack of Devils by injecting Danika's synth and forcing Danika to tear her entire flock to pieces, Rhun's last appreciation for the governor of Valbara evaporated.  

Next, Danika told how Bryce had crashed out of the room and tackled Micah. At that point, Tristan had sighed and muttered something along the lines of, "Of course she was supposed to play the hero," but no one laughed at it.  

Danika leaned against the back of the chair as she described how Micah had trapped Bryce against the floor. The callousness of Danika's voice cracked as she told how Micah had looked at and touched Bryce. If Rhun hadn't wanted to kill the archangel already, he would have wanted to do it now.  

But after this, Danika began to struggle with her words until she fell completely silent. Her face was pale and anxious.  

"What happened then?" Declan asked impatiently when Danika no longer continued her story. Danika glanced nervously at the wolves behind her. Connor looked at the wall and Nathalie looked around worriedly.  

"How did Bryce end up in that alley and how did Micah realize the horn was in Bryce?" Tristankin wondered. Rhun said nothing. Danika didn't want to tell something. And Rhun assumed it was about Bryce.What had Bryce done to attract the archangel's attention?  

"What did Bryce do?" Rhun asked slowly, observing Danika's reaction. The wolves glanced at each other worriedly. Something important was clearly going on.  

Finally, after a long stare race, Danika sighed, raked her white hair, and gusted, "Bryce is killing me because of this."  

Nathalie leaned her elbows on the chair and looked at the room one more time before looking at her alpha. "If you don't tell, they won't understand why Micah wanted Bryce."  

Connor groaned. "Does it really matter. Bryce will kill us if she finds out we did."  

"It doesn't matter to me," Danika said in a exhausted, tired, desperate voice. It scared Rhun more than anything else. He had never heard such a tone from Danika's mouth.  

"It doesn't matter to me if Bryce kills us. As long as she's there to do it."  

Danika's words even silenced Connor's resistance. Danika straightened her back, met Rhun's gaze, and said firmly: "Bryce blinded Micah. He was ready to inject me synth, but Bryce blinded him before he could."  

Danika fell silent and waited as the information sank into Rhun's brain.  

At first he didn't understand what Danika was talking about. Then doubt crept into his mind. Blinded? How did you so blind Micah?  

Bryce hardly had any power. What could he have blinded the archangel with?  

Tristan's gaze shifted from Rhun to Danika and back as he tried to understand what was happening. Dec was silent and stared in front of him.  

Blind. Light was needed for that. Light... starlight.  

Rhun's mouth opened when he realized. Horror, pride, and shock blended inside him into one mess as he digested knowledge and thought. Why didn't the Autumn King know?  

Well, it was actually quite understandable why the Autumn King didn't know.  

But why hadn't Bryce told Rhun? They used to be so close and... Rhun at least imagined Bryce had told him everything.  

"Is Bryce star-born?" Rhun asked slowly. Danika's silence was enough in response. Rhun felt empty. Bryce was star-born. And her light was so bright that she could blind Micah.  

And what about the Oracle years ago? Had Bryce blinded her too?  

"What happened then?" Rhun asked, though he would have liked to think about Bryce's secret carefully. Wondering why Bryce had hidden it from Rhun. From Rhun, who also had the same power. Admittedly, only a faint glow, but still.  

Danika sighed and continued her story.  

Recounted how, as Micah became distracted, his strength had subsided and wolves had attacked him. How Bryce had tried to escape, but Micah dragged him back to the apartment and stopped the wolves again.  

And about how Micah had then realized the meaning of the tattoo on Bryce's back.  

"He told Synth would heal from Bryce everything that was broken,” Danika kertoi, ääni jälleen tunteettomaksi muuttuneena. "So he injected it into Bryce's system and said he would pick her up when she would have torn us to pieces. But Bryce..." Danika swallowed before she could continue."Bryce wouldn't kill us. So she jumped out of the window and..." Danika waved her hand.  

"The rest you know. The demon attacked her, reversed the effect of synth, before we arrived."  

That's where Danika stopped.  

A ringing silence had sunk into the living room of Rhun's house. Rhun's thoughts swirled as if he were sniffing a pile of lightseeker.  

Danika's story and the truth about Bryce. And that's where Bryce was now. What would Micah come up with to break Bryce?  

If she had gotten Bryce to kill the Pack of Devils, it would have done the job. That would have completely broken Bryce. But now... Rhun believed that Micah would not risk being exposed by killing the Pack of Devils.  

He had everything he wanted. Luna's horn. And a person who could use a horn. Rhun refused to think about what else Micah could do for Bryce.  

That sadistic asshole would hardly leave Bryce alone. Slowly, he would begin to scatter Bryce until all that was left was fragments for Micah to assemble into the shape he wanted.  

"What can we do?" Rhun asked. His voice was loud and determined. He stared at Danika, who was plucking the sleeve of her leather jacket. The wolf shrugged. The movement seemed to hurt Danika. "I don't know," she said quietly and I put her hands on her lap. "I don't know."  

Declan leaned his back on the back of the sofa, crossed his arms. He said, staring at the ceiling: "The only thing we can do in this situation is find out where Micah is keeping Bryce. And then figure out how to save her from there."  

Tristan nodded at Rhun, who nodded back as a sign that he accepted the plan.  

Danika had started plucking the sleeve of her leather jacket again, but now she seemed more tense than anxious. Connor and Nathalie glanced at each other thoughtfully.  

"And how did I think we would do it?" Connor asked for everyone. Dec shrugged and grinned a little: "I can hack a little bit and find all the properties owned by Micah. You could start there."  

Danika stopped plucking her coat and leaned forward, now her face shining hopefully. "You could really start there," she said. She looked at Connoir behind him, who also looked hopeful, and Nathalie, whose stern expression implied that she would personally break into all the buildings owned by Micah if the situation called for it.  

"Unless Micah keeps Bryce at the Comitium," Tristan remarked. "Hardly," Nathalie immediately rejected the idea. "There, anyone could see Bryce."  

"How many people can go to Micah's private residence?" Tristan asked a counter-question. "We can't rule out the possibility that Bryce is still in town," Tristan insisted.  

Nathalie snorted and opened her mouth to answer, but Danika waved her hand into silence. When she spoke, she addressed Rhun. "I don't think Bryce is in town. Or if so, she is well hidden. If I could guess, I believe Micah took Bryce away from Lunathion. He doesn't want her to be found."  

"But Micah probably wants to keep Bryce close to him as well." Connor pointed out. "He wouldn't first hunt, harass and do all sorts of other deranged things just to put Bryce somewhere in there."  

Connor's words were again followed by a long silence in which the meaning of the words sank into everyone's brain. Rhun said, "The sooner Bryce is out of Micah's reach, the better."  

No one objected.  

Danika stood up and stretched. She seemed much more relaxed now that they had a plan."I have to go back to Ember," She said, waving his white braid over her heirloom sword. "By the way, I've booked a visit to Micah."  

It shouldn't have surprised any of them, but Rhun still found himself surprised and then worried. If Danika annoyed Micah too much, he might harm Bryce.  

"Then try to do something useful and grab information from that overgrown seagull," Dec said as he reached for his computer from the floor. Connor snorted, and a small smile appeared on Nathalie's lips. Danike didn't smile. Her expression hardened as she said: "You just have to hope I don't try to kill him. If he hints in a word that he has done something to Bryce..."  

Danika's sentence was interrupted by a small sound. To his shock, Rhun realized it was sobbing. It took Danika a moment to collect herself before she continued. "I'm going to kill that bastard. Because of everything he's done and what he doeas to Bryce."  

Significant silence. Rhun, Dec and Tristan exchanged glances. Connor and Nathalie glanced at each other and then looked at Danika.  

Nathalie was the one who broke the silence: "We hardly have a choice. We or him. Same thing with Bryce. He either with us or with Micah."  

He or Micah.  

When Rhun internalized the idea that they should probably kill the archangel, he wondered if this would fulfill his prophecy.  

He would either die trying to save Bryce, or he would be executed for murdering the archangel.  

Either way, the royal lineage would be extinguished in Rhun. Unless Micah before that... Rhun refused to think the idea through.  

They would get Bryce to safety before anything irreversible happened. Rhun would save his sister.  

And after that would make sure that nothing would threaten her anymore.  

******  

If Bryce was right about how long she had been unconscious and noting how often Micah visited, Bryce concluded that she was a couple of hours away by plane from Lunathinon.  

Too far. But at the same time... painfully close.  

Bryce hadn't gotten confused yet about how long she'd been in Micah's childhood home. Just three days. Bryce was sure of that. She had been in this frighteningly large house for three days and had not found the front door.  

After exploring the building, which was partly built into the rock, Bryce began to wonder if there was one here at all. Perhaps the house was built only for the use of angels and other winged Vanir, in which case there would have been no need for an entrance door.  

There were many terraces, windows and balconies in the house. Bryce's legs had become sore as she had searched for a balcony from which she would dare to jump.  

She had reached the second floor, having found down the stairs on her second day. Bryce had studied the two floors she had found thoroughly and decisively, but had not found any new stairs leading to the next floor.  

Bryce began to understand why Micah didn't feel comfortable in her childhood home. The whole place was one fucking maze.  

Finding the kitchen had been a relief, because despite all the stress, Bryce had become hungry trying to find a way out after Micah left on the first day. However, she only had until the evening before Micah would return.  

Bryce had opened the doors, peeked through the windows, until a small kitchen was revealed behind one of the doors. Bryce had wondered if each floor had its own kitchen. No matter how few stairs there were, could hardly run them up and down several times a day.  

If you even found them.  

Bryce had been drinking water in the kitchen to get the taste of whiskey out of her mouth. Swallowing had hurt. Despite her hunger, Bryce was not ready to eat. Especially since everything in that kitchen belonged to Micah  

So Bryce had walked out and continued her little expedition.  

On the next hallway she entered, Bryce found a well-equipped bathroom. Long sink level. Bathtub-sized sink. Pool-sized bathtub. The toilet seat was normal size.  

The mirror had been big, round and illuminated. After Bryce looked in the mirror to check for bruises on her neck, she was shocked by how she looked.  

Her face had been pale. On the other side of the head, the hair was covered in dried blood. Bryce's lips had been swollen from dryness and Micah's abuse.  

But it wasn't the worst. The wound on Bryce's head had already closed and her lips would heal quickly. The worst were the bruises on Bryce's neck. The outline of the fingers could be distinguished. Although Bryce had decided not to cry, a couple of tears had escaped her as she examined the marks left by Micah.  

Bryce had lifted her loose shirt and noticed bruises on her side as well. Horror, disgust, and rage had mixed inside Bryce. But most of all, however, she felt fear. Although Bryce tried to suppress it with anger, she knew she was afraid of Micah.  

She would have been stupid if she had not been afraid of the archangel. And the governor. And the ancient soldier.  

After a moment's deliberation, Bryce had taken off her oversized t-shirt and short shorts. She had washed herself with a hand shower because she hadn't had the energy to learn how to use an oversized bathtub. Bryce felt a heady triumph as she had the blood washed away from her hair.  

As she watched the brown clumps seep down the drain, Bryce found herself wondering how many times she would have to watch that sight while here. How many times should she wash her head of blood?  

Bryce rejected the idea before it could properly form. She dried herself on a fluffy, white towel before putting her old clothes back on.  

Then she continued her little expedition. As her hair dried, Bryce went through the rest of the rooms on floor.  

She found three bedrooms. The first room Bryce opened the door to was large. The floor of the room was dark wood and the walls were the same color. The room had large windows with a balcony behind them.  

In the middle of the room was a bed covered with a black bedspread with golden bed posts. It was big enough for an angel, with wings. And probably a couple of others.  

The room reminded Bryce of a hotel suite. Even if the room didn't smell like Micah, Bryce couldn't have imagined sleeping there.  

As she closed the door, an unpleasant thought crept into Bryce's mind. Would she have a choice?  

The bedroom behind the next door already made much more sense. And seemed untouched.  

It was smaller than the previous room, but Bryce swore it was as big as her former apartment. The coloring of the room was golden white. The walls were light gold. The same shade as the floor.  

A large window gave out to the sea and next to it was a sofa and a couple of armchairs. A white bookcase leaned against the wall next to the window.  

The bed was still as big for the winged angel, but the bed was much more graceful and to Bryce it looked safe.  

Between the graceful, golden columns hung light golden curtains.  

Opposite the bed, as in the previous room, there was a fireplace. Admittedly, this was white, not black. There seemed to be an electric ember in the fireplace.  

So, where would you put a chimney in a house like this?  

Next to the fireplace was a door to the bathroom. Bryce peeked in. It was small and comfortable. Bryce admitted it. Bath, shower, sink and sink countertops. Toilet seat by the door. The tiles were golden white.  

Bryce closed the small bathroom door and looked at the room thoughtfully. Next to the door was a dresser. Curious, or perhaps just willing to find something to cover the bruises on her neck, from, she opened the white drawer of the dresser.  

For a moment, Bryce's brain beat blank. The box was full of underwear. An absolutely royal collection of bras and panties of different colors. Whether he was...  

Bryce rushed to the bathroom and vomited. The whiskey was burning as it came up. And it hurt like hell.  

After throwing up his entire stomach empty, Bryce leaned his forehead on the cool tiles and focused on breathing. She slowly realized that the underwear was not her size. Or well, briefs may have been, but the bra was too small for the size.  

In other words... Micah hadn't bought them for Bryce.  

Relief made her stand up. The thought of how Micah would have found out the size of her breasts had caused Bryce to vomit everything in her stomach.  

Bryce swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth and returned to the dresser with shaking feet. After carefully examining the lingerie collection, Bryce came to the conclusion that the bra really was too small for her.  

So these were not meant for her. At least not initially. Bryce wondered if she had options when it came to her underwear in the long run. She wore a sports bra under her gray shirt. If she could find detergent, she could wash them regularly. Then he wouldn't have to touch them. Who had they even been?  

Bryce opened the next dresser drawer. Inside it, Bryce found shirts, pants and skirts. She lifted one shirt in the air and looked at it carefully. It was a white high-collared sweater. It was way too hot for this weather, but Bryce didn't want to leave her neck exposed. She didn't want to see a reflection of herself. From any surface.  

Bryce took off her damp shirt and put it on. Glancing at herself in the mirror on top of the dresser, she happily noted that the sweater covered the bruises.  

Bryce put her grey t-shirt on the headboard, as if to mark the room as her own. The T-shirt did not fit into the interior. And not a good quality sweater for Bryce's shorts. The sweater was surprisingly airy and Bryce didn't realize the reason until she returned to the hallway.  

There were two cuts on the back of the shirt. Places for angel wings. The clothes, as well as the shoes Bryce had found in the third drawer of the dresser, had belonged to the angel! Bryce swallowed and wrapped her arms around her.  

She was cold despite the heat and sweater.  

The third door Bryce stepped in front of looked like the others, but there was something about it that made the hairs on the back of Bryce's neck stand up. After examining for a while, she realized it was because a lot of things had been removed around the door. Hasp, locks, chains and who knows what else.  

Attempts had been made to paint off their marks, but the shape could just as easily be distinguished under the thick white paint. Bryce's stomach twisted and she swallowed. She was half tempted to turn her back on the door and forget it existed. But at the same time... Bryce was curious. Slowly, each muscle tense, she grabbed the handle and turned it.  

The door swung open. Without creaking, even though Bryce had subconsciously expected otherwise.  

The room behind it... was beautiful, dreary and fucking scary. Still, Bryce stepped in to explore the room better.  

It was smaller than the previous two. Much smaller. It was long and narrow. Next to the door Bryce had come from was another door. Behind it was a sterile white bathroom. Unlike this room, the bathroom felt almost comfortable.  

This small bedroom was tall with a simple lamp hanging from the ceiling. On the wall near the large window was a fireplace. Electric embers again. There was a locked white cabinet between the fireplace and the toilet door.  

In addition to these, the room had only a narrow bed with headboards made of serpentine iron.  

Bryce cautiously stepped closer to the bed and examined it, her vague nausea mounting.  

The bed looked like the one found in a dollhouse. It was, as if trying to soften the creepiness of your iron headboards, a pink bedspread. Which made Bryce feel uncomfortable.  

Why was this room here? If Micah had a torture chamber, would have thought it would be even more imaginative!  

Bryce swallowed. This room did indeed have the atmosphere of a torture chamber. It is as if the echo of the horrors committed in this room had been trapped for many centuries.  

Bryce looked at the headboards and wondered why she felt that way. There was nothing threatening in the room. It just was... Or this room... Bryce's stomach twisted.  

This didn't feel like a room anyone lived in.Bryce laid his hands on the iron headboard. The iron felt cold under the palm of her hand. Ice from the cold. Too cold.  

Bryce cried out in pain as the freezing cold ran cripplingly down her hand to her shoulder. She yanked her hand off and took two tentative steps back. Straight into someone's arms.  

Bryce only barely suppressed the screech as cold fingers clung to her arms and held her upright. Looking outside, Bryce noticed that the sun had already begun to set. She had gone through her research longer than she had imagined.  

"You seem to have obeyed this time, Miss Quinlan," Micah's caressing voice came from the very root of Bryce's ear. Bryce trembled involuntarily and tried to pull away. It only made Micah pull her against his chest. Fingers squeezed her arm tightly as Micah's other hand grabbed Bryce's waist.  

"My mother's clothes fit you," he continued, brushing Bryce's sleeve. "My mother has a couple of very beautiful dresses you could try," Micah continued, though Bryce was pretty sure the angel was talking to himself.  

Still, Bryce found herself swallowing. Micah moved the hand on Bryce's waist. Micah picked up a strip of the hem of her sweater and felt it. As if the feeling of it brings back good memories for Micah.  

"Would you like to try on those dresses, Bryce?” Micah asked, putting down his hand to stroke Bryce's injured thigh. The fingers felt the spot where the scar was. Just as if Micah knew it was under his fingers.  

"No," Bryce groaned, cursing the fear in her voice. “Hmm," Micah hummed, letting his fingers play with the hem of the sweater. “Are you sure?" Micah asked, almost in a gentle voice. His lips swiped Bryce's neck. Teeth almost immediately took the place of soft lips. An involuntary groan escaped Bryce's mouth as Micha nibble at her neck.  

Bryce closed her eyes as Micah's hot breath felt against her cheek. A gentle swipe was a betrayal. Micah could hurt Bryce if he wanted to.  

Micah's hand, playing with the hem of his shirt, suddenly slipped under Bryce's sweater. Caressed her belly and slowly got closer to Bryce's breasts. The hand hesitated when he noticed the sports bra.  

"I let them repaint the room. Otherwise, I wanted it to stay like this," Micah said matter-of-factly. It's like not caressing Bryce's belly and finding his way under her bra. "What about the bathroom?" Bryce asked. She was relieved to find that her voice did not tremble in the same way as the rest of her body.  

Micah chuckled. He moved his hand away from Bryce's arm and lifted it onto Bryce's neck. She stuck her fingers into Bryce's hair and pulled her head back slightly. Bryce's neck was bare again.  

Micha's lips touched Bryce's skin behind her ear and then moved lower. He carefully moved the collar of her sweater aside and nibbled at the bruises he had previously inflicted.  

"Bathroom," Micah muttered against Bryce's neck. His warm breath made Bryce shake, "We had to do it all over again. Part from stains didn't leave properly."  

Bryce felt her heart drip into her stomach. She felt bad and just wanted Micah to release her grip on her. “This room again," Micah continued, moving his hand under Bryce's shirt to Bryce's waist.He caressed the bruises he had previously inflicted on Bryce, "Fathert used to put mother here to think when she didn't behave according to father's will."  

Bryce feel sickened. She tried to wriggle out of Micah's grasp, but the angel just wrapped her fingers in her hair, holding her in place with ridiculous ease in his grip.  

Micah caressed Bryce's red hair, wrapped it around his fingers, and pulled a little harder. A moan of pain escaped Bryce's mouth.  

Micah chuckled. He pressed his lips against Bryce's ear and quietly told her the purpose of the room. "Sometimes they would spend a couple of days here. I think I was born in that bed."  

Micah chuckled joylessly. "I think my mother spent most of her pregnancy here."  

Micah's free hand roamed Bryce's body until he ended up squeezing her inner thigh. Bryce closed her eyes. She wouldn't cry. Not even though her throat choked and Micah's cold fingers squeezed too hard.  

"Do not force me to show you the subtleties of this room. That's all that bed can do. And what my father left me as an inheritance, in that closet. We don't have to get to know it in person."  

Bryce swallowed her anger, disgust, and nausea. She was even relieved when Micah pulled her out of the small bedroom. In the hallway, Micah let go of Bryce and Bryce stumbled a couple of steps back.  

She wrapped her arms around her and stared at Micah, biting her cheek. Micah just looked at her. And stepped closer. Bryce reflexed straight into the wall. Her breathing quickened when she realized she had fallen into a trap.  

Micah approached with the predator's steps until he was right in front of Bryce. The angel was taller than her. Bryce stared at the male's chest. It was way too close. Too close...  

The fingers grabbed Bryce's chin and lifted her face gently until she stared into Micah's cold eyes. Micah looked at Bryce's face greedily. His other hand swiped Bryce's cheek.   

“Olet suurin ongelmani Bryce Quinlan,” Micah sanoi huokaisten. Sormet työntyivät Brycen hiuksiin. Puristivat, kunne Bryceen sattui. Hän kuitenkin puri hampaansa yhteen, eikä antanut Micahin nähdä kipua ilmeessään. Oli jo riittävän paha, että Micah haistoi hänen pelkonsa.  

"I don't know what to do with you," he continued. The grip on Bryce's chin tightened. There was a small wrinkle between Micah's brows as he examined Bryce's face and body. "You're great-looking, Miss Quinlan. And powerful. Demi-Fea, at least."  

Bryce's neck hurt. Her scalp burned as Micah tightened her grip. "You are stubborn and disobedient. It's going to be hard to break you," Micah continued, as if just thinking out loud.  

Bryce gritted her teeth together. "What do you want out of me, Governor? Do you want to kill me? Do you want to me? What do you want?” The final question came as a half-screech as Micah pushed Bryce against the wall. He removed his fingers from Bryce's hair and placed both palms on either side of Bryce's face.  

His breathing had quickened a little. He stared into Bryce's eyes, as if trying to figure out what was going through her mind. Bryce answered the gaze defiantly. She lifted her chin and bared her teeth. Micah's mouth clenched in a row.  

"What do I want from you, Miss Quinlan?" Micah asked. Bryce snorted as he felt Micah's grip tighten. Just one move and he could fold Bryce's neck.  

"I want you to be obedient. I want you to be humble. But then you wouldn't be so irresistible anymore," Micah sighed, placing his palm on Bryce's shoulders. Bryce was shaking. She should fight. She should...  

"Don't do anything stupid, Bryce," Micah warned, squeezing her shoulders. "You don't want to know what it's like to be my prisoner."  

Bryce snorted. She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin. “And then what is this? Holidays?" Bryce was pleased to hear the mockery in her voice. Internally, she had curled up in a heap of fear and covered her head with her hands.  

"You are my guest," Micah replied evenly, loosening his grip on Bryce. "And I treat my guests well," he continued, stepping a step further. "Behave well and I won't touch you. Do something stupid..."  

Micah's serious expression slowly turned into a smile as he stared at Bryce. Especially the curve of her breasts and hips before he meeting Bryce's gaze again...”Then I'll do you everything I've wanted to do since you lay in front of me chained to the floor."  

Bryce feel sickened. She swallowed and nodded slightly. Micah smiled contentedly, took a step back, and turned his back on Bryce.  

She left Bryce trembling against the wall. When she heard Micah's footsteps again, she had staggered into the room of her choice and collapsed on the bed.  

She had curled up, pressed her head to her knees, and forced herself to breathe calmly. Bryce should have fought! To punch and kick as Randall had taught.  

But what good would it have done in the end. Micah would have just stopped her to settle down and... done whatever he wanted to do to her.  

The agreement was simple. Bryce swallowed bile from her throat and quietly decided to please Micah until she found a way to escape.  

Jumping out of the window would not make sense. Bryce was too high.  

On the other hand, if he threw herself into the sea, it would at least be over. Luna's horn would disappear with her body.  

Bryce was horrified to realize after a moment of serious consideration. She pushed the thought into the background of her mind.That would be a last resort. When there would be nothing else. And when Micah would have broken Bryce. If there were no other way to freedom...  

Bryce closed her eyes and forced herself to think about Danika. Then Connor. Full Pack of Devils. She imagined she was with them. That, this whole situation was just a bad dream. Soon Danika would wake her up and tell her that she would soon be late for work.  

In the evening, she would lie on the couch with the Pack of Devils and exchange meaningful glances with Connor.  

Bryce fell asleep in these fantasies. She dreamed that she really was home. But when she woke up the next morning, the horror of reality hit her as soon as she opened her eyes. And even though Bryce had promised herself, she had started crying. And cried probably half the day.  

Then she had gotten up and started surveying the house.  

****  

It was Monday by Bryce's calculations. The morning sun shone into the kitchen through the large windows. Bryce's head ached. Even though she tried to stop herself, she cried herself to sleep almost every single night. Or she cried as soon as she woke up. It made Bryce's head ache.  

The weekend had passed in a fog. Fortunately, Bryce had not interacted with Micah since the day he arrived. She had barely seen the archangel, even though she had known he was in the house.  

Bryce had no motivation to meet him.  

Instead, she retreated whenever Micah entered, apparently, into Micah's mother's room. Bryce had quietly explored the former resident's book collection, which had offered relief from the hellish situation.  

After Bryce woke up in the morning, she had listened to find out that Micah was not in the house. It had become a habit for Bryce since her first morning here. Micah had never stayed overnight in the house, but could arrive first thing in the morning. Micah's presence made the atmosphere of the whole house oppressive. That, too, was likely to hurt Bryce's head.  

Bryce cut a slice of the tomato. The knife was so sharp that it felt as if she was cutting butter. Bryce wondered why Micah had left such weapons at her fingertips. Didn't he think Bryce would attack him? Or he just knew that if Bryce tried, he could stop her with a snap of his fingers.  

Nevertheless, Bryce considered taking the knife to her room and putting it under the pillow. If Micah would change his mind about their small contract.  

Then Bryce could safely stab the archangel to death.  

If it even succeeded with a vegetable knife.   

Bryce continued to chop her tomato. She was never good at cooking, but the salad from succeeded.  

Bryce didn't feel like eating anything heavy. The salad should be fine.  

She tossed the tomato slices into a small bowl as they began to take up space on the cutting board.  

Doing chores like this made Bryce feel calmer and kept her from going completely crazy. Three days and loneliness and complete isolation was driving her crazy. Bryce didn't even know what time it was. Nowhere in this house forsaken by the gods was there a clock. And no smart devices. Not even a television that would have allowed Bryce to find out what was happening in the rest of the world.  

Bryce wasn't going to sink so low and ask Micah. Her presence already made Bryce feel sick with fear.  

Bryce threw more tomatoes into the bowl, fully focused on her work. She imagined the tomato to be Micah and felt satisfaction seeing the tomato juices spread on the cutting board.  

"Have my tomatoes done anything to deserve such brutal treatment, Miss Quinlan?"  

Bryce almost cut off her finger when she turned to look towards the kitchen doors. Micah leaned against the door, white wings neatly folded against his back. He looked at Bryce with an amused expression in his eyes.  

Bryce swallowed and squeezed the knife in her hand. If she would hit it into Micah's stomach, he would hardly have time to do anything. Should she trying that? Would she be so brave?  

Micah didn't care about the knife Bryce was clutching in her hand. He straightened up and walked past Bryce. Very close. Way too close. The stream of air coming after the angel made Bryce's hair flutter.  

Micah stride to the refrigerator, opened the door, and examined its contents. "You can go on," Micah said, without glancing at Bryce, who had been left standing frozen in place. Bryce's mouth was dry and she had lost her appetite. Still, she obeyed and turned back toward her battered tomato.  

She continued to cut it, while keeping an eye on Micah, who grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the fridge. The hissing of a bottle echoed in the room. Bryce forced herself to keep cutting the tomato, even as she saw and felt Micah walking behind her.  

"I'll see Danika at the weekend," Micah said casually, leaning against the wooden dining table behind Bryce. For the second time in the same minute, Bryce almost cut off her finger.  

She swallowed and squeezed the tomato too hard. Tomato juice splashed on her hand. “I see,” Bryce said cautiously. She released her grip on the flattened tomato and walked quickly to the sink.  

She laid the watery one beside her and quickly rinsed her hands.  

"Yes," Micah said. "She argued with Isaihah for almost an hour. I told him not to let Danika go too easy."  

Although the water was warm, it felt cold. Bryce did not comment on Micah's words. She turned off the tap and took the knife back in her hand. Bryce returned to the cutting board, although she could no longer continue cutting the tomatoes.  

"Would you like me to say some greetings?" Micah asked, and Bryce heard mockery in his voice. Fucking asshole. He enjoyed this.  

Bryce swallowed and squeezed the knife in her hand so hard that it was a miracle that the handle didn't twist.  

"Would you really say my greetings to her?" Bryce forced herself to ask, because that's what Micah seemed to want her to say. Please him and don't give him a reason to hurt you. Easier said than done.  

Although Bryce was afraid, anger smouldered under her skin.  

"It depends on what you want to say," Micah replied with a chuckle. The blade of the knife pressed against the wooden cutting board.  

"Oh," Bryce muttered. She certainly would not fall into this trap. "You could say that you're really comfortable here. Or spare me the trouble and tell your friend to stop looking for you," Micah said stretchingly.  

Bryce's anger seemed to squeeze her windpipe. That fucking asshole. She sure fucking would kill Micah.  

Micah was in full swing. Bryce wondered if this was Micah's way of torturing her without touch.  

"I hope Danika doesn't do anything stupid to find you," Micah continued. "Getting rid of her could be tricky."  

Bryce was now trembling with sheer rage. How dare Micah... how dare he even hint at killing Danika?  

Micah continued, as if he hadn't noticed Bryce's rage. "What a horrible accident," he said with pleasure."But that can happens. And then I wouldn't have to worry about the Party Princess finding you anymore. That would at least be a death worthy of the headlines. How Danika Fendyr could not stand the sudden disappearance of her friend and accidentally took an overdose. The media would put it on the front page all year."  

Bryce's head blurred. Rage took over.  

Before she could contemplate, Bryce noticed her body turning around and then she was already swung the knife. Micah was free to threaten Bryce, but if she touched Danika...  

The knife didn't even have time to rise properly when something invisible hit Bryce.  

Bryce fell backwards, the knife came loose from her hand, and she hit the ground on her stomach. And then the wind became solid around Bryce's wrists and ankles. Bryce's breathing stopped for a moment when she realized she was trapped.  

In the same way as when Micah had invaded her and Danika's old apartment.  

And as then, Micah stepped over her, picked up the knife from the ground, before turning to look at his prey.  

He stroked the blade of the knife, but did not take his gaze off Bryce's face. A small, sadistic smile on his lips as she squatted down in front of Bryce.  

Micah's cold fingers picked up a strand of red hair in front of Bryce's face, caressed it before moving it behind Bryce's ear.  

"Naughty girl," Micah hummed. Bryce swallowed.  

Micah clicked his tongue disapprovingly. He pressed his palms to follow Bryce's cheek and lifted her head a little. Micah shook his head and sighed, as if Bryce was forcing him to do something unpleasant.  

"I told you, Bryce Quinlan, don't do anything stupid. Otherwise, our little contract will be dissolved."  

Bryce spated. "Go to hel!" she grumbled, gritted teeth. She wished she had hit. If only she had managed to make that mocking grin disappear forever.  

Micah released his grip on Bryce's face and wiped her saliva from his cheek. He looked at his hand for a moment, then at Bryce. The mouth was compressed into a tight line.  

Something whizzed through the air and Bryce's head slammed to the side. Just moments after that, pain pounded through her body. As she slowly turned her gaze back toward the governor of Valbara, she realized that the slippery and warm liquid in her mouth was blood.  

Micah had hit her. And Bryce's lip was cracked.  

Bryce spat blood on the floor. She clenched her hands into fists. If she did the same trick as before in the apartment...she could get out of these wind chains and...  

"Where would you go?" Micah asked, amused, as if he knew what Bryce had thought. Bryce looked towards Micah from the floor, her face stinging. "Let me go."  

Bryce hated how her voice sounded. The helplessness and fear were so evident that Bryce felt ashamed. Why had she fallen into Micah's trap? Micah had deliberately annoyed her so that Bryce would break the contract first.  

At least what Bryce knew about Micah was that he wasn't above the other male who lusted after her.  

Bryce's cheek hurt even more as she gritted her teeth together, holding back the panic, fear, and crying rising from within.  

It wouldn't help if Bryce claimed Micah tricked her into breaking the contract. It would mean nothing to her.  

Micah touched Bryce's bleeding lip, stroked her cheek. Fucking sadistic psychopath.  

First he hit Bryce and next he touched her like a lover.  

"No," Micah said. Bryce swallowed a moaning from her throat. There was nothing left of her rage. Micah's hit had taken away the spirit of Bryce's fight. At least for a while. Or that's what Bryce was hoping for.  

Bryce's mind became numb. She didn't resist when the wind shackles disappeared and Micah picked her up in her arms from the floor.  

Bryce's body was shaken by tremors. She swallowed and refused to look at Micah.  

Bryce didn't even realize where they were going until Micah put Bryce down on a narrow bed with iron headboards.  

That's when Bryce's panic returned. The numbness disappeared and Bryce sat up. Her stomach twisted. However, Micah did nothing to Bryce. The angel just stepped back to the door. Bryce squeezed the bedspread and waited to see what would happen next.  

What could she even do? She no longer even had the fucking vegetable knife from which this whole mess had begun.  

"I said you don't want to know what it's like to be my prisoner, Bryce," Micah said. He seemed far too happy with the situation for Bryce to believe him.  

"But you leave me no choice."  

It's like Bryce had a choice anyway. Regaining some of her fighting spirit, Bryce bared her teeth and jumped to her feet. "Don't say I'm forcing you to do anything, fucking asshole!"Bryce shouted. "I didn't ask to be kidnapped! Or get here! Or, in general, that you invade my personal space and treat me like..."  

Bryce didn't get any further than that. Bryce didn't know how it had happened so quickly, but she found herself squeezed between the wall and Micah. And that Micah squeezed her wrists above her head.  

"I'm already scared that one punch was enough to break you," Micah growled. Bryce would bruise after this.  

"You can't break me," Bryce grunted in response, facing the angel's face. Micah chuckled joylessly. "See Bryce."  

Bryce, not Miss Quinlan. Bryce refused to get bogged down in details.  

“Fuck you!” Bryce hissed. Micah sighed irritably. "As you, I would behave more respectfully. What I do to you when I come back will hurt less if I'm not angry," Micah warned. Bryce stared into his eyes for a moment, but turned his face aside when he saw Micah's expression.  

Micah looked hungry and vindictive. Angry and self-righteous.  

Bryce's mouth was dry and she felt unwell. "Good," Micah said. He let go of Bryce's wrists and Bryce's legs almost gave out.  

She caught up with the wall before collapsing on the floor. Micah harped across the room to the door, and said over his shoulder. "I'll be back tomorrow evening. Until then, you won't leave this room."  

Brycen didn't realize what was happening for a moment, until she realized what Micah meant. "NO!" Bryce screamed and rushed towards the door.  

Micah pulled the door shut just as Bryce reached the door. Bryce slammed against the door, only to hear the key turn in the lock.  

Bryce was still banging on the door long after she knew Micah had left.  

It wasn't until she hit her knuckles to blood that Bryce collapsed against the door, trembling.  

She cried. And screamed.  

Bryce hit the door a couple more times, but was powerless before giving up and sitting against the door, now silent.  

Micah had locked her in a narrow room. He had said he would be back tomorrow evening. That meant Bryce would spend almost two days in this little booth.  

However, it might be better than what would happen to Bryce when the angel returns.  

Bryce wrapped her arms around her, hoping, contrary to logic, that Micah would forget about her existence.  

She had considered this place her own personal hell. Now Bryce realized that hell was just beginning.  

Bryce didn't know what would be left of her if or when Micah finally got bored of her.  

Chapter Text

Chapter 6  

Bryce woke up from her light sleep when she heard the lock click. The hairs on Bryce's hands and neck stood up. She swallowed, pulled her knees bent, and squeezed her eyes more tightly shut. 

The sun had gone down ages ago and it was cloudy outside. Not even the moon illuminated Bryce's little prison. 

Bryce didn't open her eyes as the door opened and steady footsteps stepped over the threshold. The feathers rubbed against each other as the angel moved its wings. Bryce squeezed the edge of her pillow tighter and refused to open her eyes, like a tantrum child. 

Steady footsteps stopped at Bryce's bedside. Cold fingers flicked Bryce's red hair off her face. "I know you're awake," Micah purred amused. Bryce squeezed her eyes even tighter. 

Micah sighed. "Don't act like a child, Bryce. I'm better than this." 

Bryce swallowed. Her fingernails pressed into the pillow. She didn't answer anything to Micah, who clicked his tongue in irritation. "If you want to play, then let's play." There was not a hint of humor in Micah's voice. 

The sound was that of a predator circling its prey before attacking. Bryce trembled involuntarily as Micah sat down on the narrow bed, right next to Bryce. The angel's cold fingers found Bryce's thigh. Bryce squeak as Micah squeezed it. "I've been thinking throughout the day, sitting in those boring meetings where Lunathion city leaders come complaining about their problems, how do I want to move forward with you.” Micah's hand moved on her thigh, harassing Bryce. Micah wanted his to react to touch. 

Bryce didn't budge. 

Micah sighed. "After much consideration," he continued, "I decided to proceed slowly with you." 

Bryce swallowed tears and focused on breathing. "It's up to you," Micah said. His cold fingers stopped on Bryce's inner thigh, just under her shorts, "This will either be the pleasure of your life or your worst humiliation. Either way, you'll scream in the end.” 

Bryce stuck her hand under the pillow. "Now," said Micha, "be my good girl and turn on your back." 

Micah released his grip on her. Bryce didn't move. She waited for the second commandment. 

The archangel sighed. "Do you remember our rules, Bryce?" 

You and your rules can fall by the Hel. I think a demon would be delighted with your coming, Bryce thought. She swallowed. Slowly, however, Bryce obeyed. But she didn't, still, open her eyes. 

Micah's hand caressed her cheek. "I want you to look at me," he said. Bryce opened her eyes and met Micah's dark gaze. There was satisfaction in Micah's eyes when Bryce obeyed. 

Bryce bit her tongue and forced herself to look directly at the archangel. Micah leaned over her. The hand on her face landed on Bryce's throat. 

Micah's hot breath was felt against Bryce's lips as the archangel whispered: “Good girl. You're my good girl tonight. Now grab the headboard of the bed." 

Bryce stared straight into Micah's eyes, slowly raising her hands. 

And then Bryce slammed the heavy tumbler he had hidden under the pillow right into Micah's head. The glass shattered and Micah backed away, exclaiming in surprise and pain. 

"I'm not your good girl!"Bryce grunted and slammed her knee on Micah's crotch. Micah groaned in pain, and Bryce took advantage of the surprise moment. She pushed the angel off her head, jumped upright, and rushed to the door. And straight out of it. 

"Fucking bitch! You pay for this!" Bryce heard Micah's threat, and she only picked up speed, even though her injured leg seemed to fail with every step. 

Almost forty hours ago, when Bryce had collected herself from the floor of a small room, she had limped around it and searched for something. Whatever. Hiding place. Escape. Weapon. 

Something to defend herself against an archangel who had clearly told Bryce what to expect. If Micah thought Bryce would bend over to be her docile girl, she would get permission to think again. 

Bryce wasn't going to give that part of herself. Micah had already taken her liberty from her. Taken the possibility of free choice. 

Bryce wouldn't give Micah her body yet. And not her mind. To preserve them, Bryce was willing to fight tooth and nail. 

For almost two hours, Bryce had knocked on the wall, trying to open and then break the window. She tried to open the cabinet as well, but the lock held. The room was made to withstand the powers of an angel. Bryce was just a demi-fea, so she had no hope of getting anything broken. 

After trying in vain to wring out the iron post from the headboard, causing Bryce's hands to become almost numb, she had limped into the bathroom. She had opened the tap and pushed her hand under the warm water to return to the numb som. 

In the white room, everything was embedded deep in marble, and Bryce didn't think she could tear the shower atomizer off the wall. Soaking her hands in the water, Bryce's gaze had wandered around the room. Its whiteness and the brightness of artificial light had been blinding. 

Then something had caught Bryce's eye. Bryce had had to blink for a moment before realizing that there really was a tumbler next to the sink. 

Bryce had lifted her warmed hands from under the tap and closed it. Then she had grabbed the glass and tried its weight. It was heavy. The bottom was made of thick glass, which made it heavy. Bryce had felt a shred of hope in her chest when she got at least something to defend herself with. 

Slowly, a plan had begun to form in her mind. Bryce had filled the glass with water, and drinking slowly from it, she had returned to the bed. 

She had hidden the glass under the pillow. It made keeping my head on a pillow uncomfortable, but Bryce was willing to endure it. The first step in the plan was to get Micah to come close enough for Bryce could hit him with a tumbler. 

Then she would run to the door and then... at that point, Bryce's plan had stalled. What happens when she gets out of her little room? What is she supposed to do after that? 

The idea had popped into his head uninvited. Balconies. Window sills... There were plenty of them in the house. 

Why hadn't Bryce figured this out before? She could climb away. Jump from the balcony to the lower balcony, and from it to the windowsill, lower and lower until she could safely drop into the sea under the house and escape from Micah. 

Bryce would have to stay under the surface long enough for Micah to believe she drowned and then swim to shore and seek help. Calls Danika. And for mom. And maybe for Rhun too. 

Bryce had decided not to think any further. What should she do about Micah after escaping? 

The most important thing now would be to escape. 

Ignoring her bad leg, Bryce stumbled into the next hallway to access the living room. Her thigh hurt, but Bryce refused to stop. She leapt from the hallway into the living room, where the smell of fresh night and sea air smelled. The balcony door was open. 

Bryce rushed towards the open door. She reached the threshold when a hand grabbed hold of her hair and dragged Bryce back violently. Bryce screamed in pain as Micah dragged her away from the balcony. 

"You would have just behaved nicely," Micah growled in Bryce's ear, her voice lowered with rage. "It's time for you to learn your place." 

Bryce kicked and tried to hit Micah. Let go and run away. Micah barely noticed Bryce's attempts to break free of his grasp. His one hand held Bryce by the hair and the other squeezed her left wrist. 

"Don't touch me!" Bryce screamed as Micah dragged her back into the hallway where could access the bedrooms. Bryce flailed back with her hand and managed to strike a sore knuckle punch into Micah's chest. 

Startling with pain, Micah's grip on Bryce loosened. At that moment, Bryce turned around and struck another punch in Micah's face. 

Bryce felt a bone crack under her knuckles and, judging by Micah's shouted, Bryce had managed to break something. 

Micah's grip came loose from her wrist and Bryce hit the archangel in the groin with her knee for the second time within five minutes. 

How to bring any man to his knees? Bryce thought as she limped away from Micah, turned around and rushed back into the living room. 

She ran to the balcony, stumbled over her sore leg and crashed into the balcony railing. The air squeezed out of Bryce's lungs and tears welled up in her eyes. Brycel passed a few precious seconds as she gasped for breath. Bryce's knuckles had lightened as she squeezed the balcony railing firmly. 

Breathe. She commanded herself. Breathe. 

Bryce breathed, sharpened herself, picked up speed off the ground... Bryce's muscles stiffened. She was unable to move. Hands had remained to squeeze the balcony railing. The sore leg was strained by standing on toes. 

"Stupid, silly girl. Although I admit you're tougher to fight than I expected." 

Micah's voice again had that dangerously gentle tone. Bryce sensed behind her, every movement of the angel, as he laid his cold hand on Bryce's shoulder, and squeezed. 

Micah's body was warm as he pressed it against Bryce's frozen body. A hand pushed into Bryce's hair. The angel played with Bryce's strands of hair as he pressed his lips against her ear. "Did you think a couple of funny punches and kicks would be enough to give you enough time to escape, Bryce?" 

Bryce swallowed her tears, which threatened to run down her cheeks. "Go to hel!" she groaned. Clearly, Micah allowed her to speak. The governor clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "What should I do with you?" Micah muttered and moved his fingers from Bryce's hair to Bryce's neck. 

His thumb brushed the tattoo visible under her oversized t-shirt. In addition to the shirt, Bryce only wore shorts. The same clothes in which she had arrived here behind the backs of the gods. 

Bryce swallowed. She hurt everywhere. The muscles tried to relax, but Micah wouldn't let Bryce move an inch. Her muscles were frozen for the jump. Every second in that position only increased the pressure on the muscles. And Bryce waited for the first of her muscles to fail. 

"Let me be," Bryce found herself saying. In vain. Hän tiesi sen. Bryce's fighting, begging, and fear only excited the sadistic angel behind her. Proof of that was currently pressed against Bryce's back. 

Micah enjoyed subduing Bryce. She enjoyed it even more when she managed to get Bryce to submit, even though she fought back. 

Cold fingers stroked Bryce's back. Fondly. It only made Bryce tremble. Only mentally, though, because her body was still frozen in place. 

"And would I leave the chance to make you mine? I don't think Bryce," Micah sounded amused. Beneath the amusement smouldered rage, vindictiveness, and hunger. Micah wanted Bryce. Bryce smelled and felt it. 

And Bryce... She was afraid. She tried to hide it. She didn't want to give the crazy angel the satisfaction of sensing Bryce's fear. 

"You know," Micah continued talking, caressing Bryce's hair, neck, back...when the angel's hand squeezed Bryce's butt, an involuntary gasp escaped Bryce's mouth. The tear slowly flowed from eye to cheek, "Many would kill for my attention. And you're just fighting me." 

Micah sighed. "But I've never liked female who were too easy." 

Fucking sadistic, narcissistic... words ran out in Bryce's head. 

Bryce wished she could have closed her eyes and drifted far away from her current situation. Instead, she had to stare at the horizon as Micah's hands explored her body. 

"Poor females," Bryce muttered. "They don't know what kind of dick you are." 

Micah's hands stopped. They remained at Bryce's waist. Micah's breathing was quickened and heavy, yet he somehow managed to sound cool and dangerous when he said: "That's another thing I like about you Bryce. And the thing I want to crush about you." 

The hands squeezed Bryce's waist too tightly as Micah turned Bryce in a quick motion towards him. 

A fading bruise was visible on Micah's cheek. Bryce had managed, at least momentarily, to break Micah's cheekbones. But the fracture had already healed. 

Micah's breath was felt against Bryce's lip as Micah muttered: "Do you feel sorry for yourself?" he asked. The archangel grabbed Bryce's chin and lifted her head. Bryce had to stare straight into Micah's cold eyes. 

"No," Bryce whispered. Her every muscle prayed for mercy. They wanted to relax. "Don't lie to me," Micah said and squeezed a little harder. "Never lie to me." 

Bryce managed to grimace, even though Micha squeezed her chin. "I'll do what I want, damn asshole. You'd better get used to it if you're going to keep me here for a long time yet." 

The blow came before Bryce could prepare. At the same time, the paralysis disappeared and Bryce collapsed to the ground, her cheek stinging. 

She spat blood on the white tiles on the balcony before raising her head and faced Micah's gaze. The archangel looked at her from above and gave Bryce a small smile. “Don't give me reasons to hurt you, Bryce." Micah said it as if the punch was Bryce's fault. 

Narcissistic asshole. 

Bryce spat bloody spit at Micah's legs. "Don't talk shit. I didn't ask to be beaten!" 

The kick hit Bryce directly in the stomach and squeezed all the air out of Bryce's lungs. A stifled scream escaped Bryce's mouth and she curled up on, around her pain. 

Now more tears streamed down Bryce's cheeks. She instinctively protected his head and twisted her limbs to protect the most sensitive parts of the body. 

"You're sweet like that, Bryce," Micah hummed as he squatted in front of Bryce. "When you remember that I am much greater than you." 

Bryce, whose every muscle ached, raised her middle finger. Heavy sigh. "So you'll never learn." 

And then a hand grabbed a handful of Bryce's hair and dragged her to her knees. Bryce screamed as Micah dragged her, holding her hair, across the balcony threshold into the living room. Bryce tried to stumble upright, but tripped over her own legs and screamed in pain as strands of hair came off Bryce's head. 

Tears now ran down Bryce's face as she realized the game was lost. She had made it to the balcony. No escape. And now Micah..."NO!" Bryce cried. "NO! I DO NOT AGREE TO THIS! LET GO!" Bryce screamed as Micah dragged her down the short corridor to the first door. 

"You talk like you have options," Micah snapped back and pushed Bryce ahead of him into the room. Bryce fell on her stomach on the floor and stumbled upright, her muscles trembling, tears streaming down her aching cheek. 

"No," Bryce whispered as Micah pushed her by the back and forced her to move. It was dark in the room. And Micah didn't turn on the lights. This was the big, black bedroom Bryce hadn't agreed to enter since her first day. 

And Micha nudged and dragged Bryce towards the bed in the middle of the room. "No. I don't want to..." Bryce's words were stifled when Micha grabbed Bryce by the hair again and dragged her the rest of the way, ignoring Bryce's objections. 

Bryce's knees hit the edge of the bed and one strong push on Micah, was enough to knock Bryce onto her stomach on the bed. 

Bryce was now crying openly. "No," she groaned. "No." 

Micah ignored Bryce's words. He was angry, aroused, and full of anticipation. Bryce sensed it all in the air. In yet another, desperate attempt, she tried to crawl farther away from Micah, from which the exuding cold force was to drown Bryce. 

Micha's hands grabbed Bryce's ankles and pulled her back. Bryce's fingers squeezed the black bedspread. Claws clenched in the mattress. "Don't," Bryce begged in a voice choked by tears. "Don't. I beg you. Leave me alone." 

"Sweet," Micah said amused. "Very sweet and convincing, dear. But don't bother." The bed gave way as Micah climbed on top of Bryce. "I'm not quitting." 

"Don't," Bryce said. One last time. Impotently. "No." 

The cold air slammed against Bryce's back and made Bryce scream in pain as it hit her spine. Micah hadn't bothered to rip Bryce's shirt or bra. He had simply split the garments in half and exposed Bryce's back. 

That was Bryce's only clothes that reminded her of home and smelled like Danika and the Pack of Devils. 

Micah sat scattered on top of Bryce, squeezing her legs between his knees. As I said, he was not going to rush with his pleasure. 

"I've been thinking about this a lot," Micah said thoughtfully, putting her hand on the tattoo covering Bryce's back. He stroked and stroked his hand down Bryce's spine. Bryce could still feel her back pounding with pain. The stream of air hadn't broken her skin, but Bryce believed a bruise was forming on her back. 

"I have a few ideas that we're going to try." Micah's voice was self-righteous. "But not today." 

Micah's voice drew nearer until Bryce felt the archangel's warm breath on her neck. "Today I want your body. Everything about you, Bryce Quinlan." 

Bryce closed her eyes. "No," she said. Micah chuckled and then pressed a soft kiss to Bryce's shoulder. "You don't decide this," she said calmly. Bryce wanted to scream, cry and kill Micah. Every touch of the angel made Bryce want to do it all. And more. 

She wanted Micah to suffer. As much as Bryce would have to suffer the night ahead. Micah would make hell out of it. 

The archangel's lips landed on Bryce's neck. He stroked the tattoo with his lips. As if to remind her where all this began. 

From Danika, synth and Luna's horn. Bryce clenched her hand into a fist. She squeezed her mouth into a line and tried to hold back the sobs she felt in her throat. 

"What can we do with Luna's horn," Micah hummed in Bryce's ear before grabbing her hips and turning Bryce around. 

Bryce was now lying on her back under the archangel. Micah let his gaze pass over Bryce's body. He didn't touch Bryce for a moment as he examined Bryce's breasts, hips and legs with his eyes. Then the angel's dark eyes returned to Bryce's. 

A small smile played with his lips. "I'm going to enjoy you, Bryce." 

Sometimes, on another occasion with another man, Bryce might have tilted her head, smiled seductively, and pulled him into a kiss. 

Now... Bryce bared her teeth and grunted. Micah raised his other eyebrow. His smile widened. "You'll never learn, dear." 

Micah's hands grabbed Bryce by the throat and pressed her with all their weight against the bed. Micah prevented Bryce from breathing fully. Bryce scratched the male's hands. Slapped her arms around, struggling and trying to scream... all in vain. 

Micah just squeezed... squeezed Bryce's neck until black dots appeared in her field of vision. Bryce's consciousness wandered. Her head hurt. Her neck hurt. Her hands had fallen on the bed, powerless. Micah just squeezed Bryce's neck with an ecstatic look in his eyes. 

He would kill Bryce. Bryce was sure of that. Absolutely sure. She wouldn't live much longer. No...Then Micah pressed his warm, hard, and violent lips against Bryce's mouth. At no point did his grip loosen Bryce's throat. The kiss was not tender. It was dominant and took the last air out of Bryce's lungs. 

When the angel stuck his tongue into Bryce's mouth, Bryce believed her death had come. That, she would choke on it. On the mattress. Into Micah's hands. 

The idea seemed... facilitating. Then it would all be over. And Bryce didn't have to face the angel anymore. Bryce's eyelids are heavy, and she let her eyes close. Bryce's brain was about to succumb to blackness when... the pressure in her neck disappeared and Bryce could breathe again. 

Bryce gasped for breath with greedy, quick breaths. Bryce's ears hummed and her heart pounded in her chest. Bryce's consciousness wavered, sometimes she was aware of what was happening, sometimes she felt like there was a heavy weight in her mind pulling her down. 

From somewhere in the distance, the sound of fabric tearing could be heard, and suddenly Bryce's breasts felt too bare. The nipples hardened, responding to cold air. And then there was the warm breath and teeth exploring Bryce's breasts. 

Bryce didn't know if she was involuntarily groaning in pleasure. She heard nothing. Was not fully present. The hand landed from Bryce's neck, Bryce to her waist and beyond. At the shorts, the hand stopped for a moment and..."No," Brycen groaned pathetically as Micah pulled Byrce's shorts and briefs off Bryce's leg. 

She lay naked before the archangel, defenseless and exhausted. There was pain in her neck when Bryce turned her gaze away from Micah. "I want you to look at me," Micah said. Bryce heard an angel pull a shirt over his head. Judging by the soft thud, he had thrown it on the floor. 

Bryce looked aside. Into the twilight that surrounds them. The moon had partially emerged from behind the clouds and illuminated the room with its faint light. "No," Bryce said, as if it were the only word she knew anymore. 

A sharp pain on her scalp as Micah yanked Bryce's gaze back at herself from her hair. The angel had thrown his shirt away and Bryce had to admit that Micah looked good. Micah noticed Bryce's gaze and smiled.“Do you like what you see, dear?" he asked teasingly. 

Bryce couldn't answer. Not that she even could. Instead, she closed her eyes. 

Bryce conjured up an image of Pack of Devils and Danika. She was home and they were watching something stupid on TV. Bryce would in Danika's armpit and she would flirt with Connor. Everything would be fine. Everything would be fine... But it wasn't. 

The belt buckle opened and Bryce found herself opening her eyes. Micah smiled triumphantly at her as he pulled off his belt and tossed it onto the bed. 

"You'll get it around your neck if you're not good now," Micah said playfully, gesturing towards the belt. Bryce swallowed. She closed her eyes and tried to stop the tears, which had stopped for a moment. But..."No," Bryce said. Again. In vain. 

Micah grabbed Bryce's hair and pressed her against the mattress. Wings soared behind Micah like storm clouds, obscuring the light of the moon. "You're my Bryce Quinlan," Micah said. Declared. He insisted on Bryce. 

Bryce slowly shook her head as tears broke through her thin walls and ran down Bryce's cheeks. Micah smiled. Satisfied. He lowered his head, right near Bryce's head, and breathed in heavily. "Your scent is intoxicating, dear," Micah gasped against Bryce's lips. Before pressing his mouth against Bryce's mouth again. This time the kiss was almost gentle and palpative. 

At the same time, Micah's other arm clenched around Bryce's chest. Bryce's wailing of pain and pleasure was stifled in Micah's tongue, who was conducting his exploration in Bryce's mouth. 

Bryce closed her eyes and tried to get back home to Pack of Devils and Danika. That, this didn't happen. So that the fact that when Micah took off his pants didn't mean the start of real torment. 

No. Bryce wasn't there. She was at home. She was at home in Danika's armpit and Danika told her about her day. Soon the Pack of Devils would come and they would watch some shit together. This didn't really happen. 

Micah grabbed Bryce's ankles and although Bryce instinctively tried to pull her leg off, the archangel managed to separate her legs. The archangel's lips pressed against Bryce's as she whispered:"You scream my name Bryce." 

No. Bryce would have liked to say so, but couldn't. In her mind, she tried to curl up on Danika's side. Safety. Bryce focused on that feeling and image of Danika's lap. 

The image was shattered when a sudden pain between Bryce's legs caused her to tear her eyes open. On the first push, Bryce managed to keep quiet. 

On the next, she screamed in pure pain as Micah thrust into her angrily, possessively, and intentionally, causing pain. 

Although Bryce had a hard time believing it, she did indeed scream. As Micah had wanted. 

Bryce screamed in pain. Screamed and begged Micah to stop. But he didn't stop. Not even when Bryce finally lost consciousness. 

Even then, Bryce somehow knew Micah would continue to rape her body. 

And eventually, that part of consciousness was extinguished and Bryce plunged into darkness. 

******* 

Bryce agreed afterwards to remember waking up only once since. In her mind, however, she knew that she had woken up from her unconsciousness several times. 

She just didn't want to think about the things Micah had done to her. What Micah had forced Bryce to do. 

Bryce rejected all those memories and assured himself that she only woke up once after losing consciousness. 

Bryce had woken up to a rocking motion that had caused her body to ache. Bryce had managed to open her eyes, which were swollen from crying. She had seen the corridor bathed in the early morning light and felt the warmth of his hands against her battered body. 

Micah carried her. He carried her tenderly like a mistress, and not the female he had cruelly raped. A hoarse groan had escaped Bryce's throat. Bryce felt as if someone had stuck a red-hot iron rod down her throat. Every sound hurt. 

"Rest Bryce," Micha's voice was almost as gentle as touch. This was all just part of Micah's brutal game that he loved. Every word and touch addressed to Bryce was part of the game. Part of the game that resulted in Micah breaking Bryce. Would destroy her and leave only a shell that would not fight back anymore. 

Bryce didn't think he could cry anymore, but she still found herself sobbing. Salty tears flowed down Bryce's cheeks into her dry mouth. "It's over now, Bryce. Don't cry." 

Why the fuck couldn't angel just be cruel? Why did he sometimes have to act like Bryce was the most valuable thing he had? 

Even now, as Micah carried Bryce into the small white bedroom, he laid Bryce on the bed gently. Covered up her like a child. Each touch of the angel sent a new wave of pain through Bryce's body. 

What on earth had Micah done to Bryce when everything hurt so hellishly? 

"I'm going to be away for a couple of days," Micah said. Bryce did not indicate in any way that he had heard his words. She had closed her eyes again and let her body relax despite all the pain. 

"I'll send Hunt to see you later,” Micah continued and flicked Bryce's hair off her face. He moved them behind Bryce's shrp ear and then let his hand rest on Bryce's cheek. That hurt too. 

It all hurt. Everything was taken. 

Micah had taken Bryce's body. Ruined it. Enjoyed it. And now he caressed Bryce tenderly, as if she wasn't just another of Micah's slaves. While Bryce was technically a free citizen, in Micah's house she was just... slave. Prisoner. Something similar. And Micah had made her his own. 

The pain between her legs reminded her of it. The burning sensation in the neck and chest area reminded her of it. 

"I'll be back after talking to Danika,” Micah said, stretching, causing Bryce to open her swollen eyes again. Now she saw Micah bent over her. Messy blonde hair drips onto his chest and shoulders. The feathers of the white wings were fluffy. 

"Don't hurt her," Bryce whispered. She had never heard her voice like that. Hoarse and dry. 

Micah gave Bryce a small smile. "Be good, Bryce," Micah said, and Bryce foresaw what was coming. "That's not how I touch Danika." 

Even after Bryce technically had nothing left, Micah found a way to blackmail her. Something to keep Bryce in check. 

"Agreed," Bryce whispered. Micah's lips touched her lips. "Good girl, Bryce," the archangel said contentedly. He got up from the bed and left Bryce lying alone between the sheets. 

"The bath is ready for you when you are able to get up. Wash yourself, eat... do whatever you want,” Micah grinned at the last words, "but I want you in my bed when I return." 

Bryce closed her eyes. She said nothing. Only nodded slowly. 

That was clearly enough for the angel, for he left the room and closed the door behind him. And didn't lock it. 

Although Bryce was very tempted to get up and run out the door. To look for a way to freedom, but she could not. The aches and pains all over her body effectively kept her still. 

Before Bryce fell asleep again and fell into black unconsciousness, she thought of only one thing. 

You won't break me Micah. I'll kill you before you can do that. 

And at those thoughts, Bryce fell asleep. 

****** 

The light of the sun dazzled Bryce even behind closed eyelids. She groaned in pain as the sound made the pain in her throat flare up. 

Slowly, cautious of every movement, Bryce opend her eyes. The swelling had subsided, allowing Bryce to open her eyes completely. She looked towards the window. The open landscape behind it. The sea and the light of the sun playing on the waves. 

It seemed to mock Bryce. Freedom was so close, yet she was unable to rise and free herself. Instead, she lay here in bed, numb and powerless. 

Memories of the night before were imprinted on Bryce's mind. It was as if the events had been imprinted on Bryce's mind with a burner iron. If Bryce focused properly, she might remember the origin of every bruise she had. She refused to delve into the idea, as Bryce least wanted to remember the origin of her bruises. 

Bryce felt dirty. She didn't feel comfortable in her own skin. Micah had taken that part of herself from her. Bryce's body was no longer her. 

Bryce closed her eyes and swallowed, even though her throat was dry. She was thirsty. With a lot of effort and a couple of painful gasps, Bryce managed to get up into a sitting position. She moved the blanket aside, revealing her naked body. 

A muffled groan escaped Bryce's mouth when she saw the bruises. In the morning light, blue, purple and black marks stood out clearly. Bryce was able to distinguish the contours of fingerprints. 

Swallowing tears because Bryce didn't want to lose any more of her body's precious fluid reserves, Bryce forced herself to stand up. 

It was almost too much and Bryce almost collapsed on the floor. She grabbed hold of the bedpost to stay upright on her shaking legs. 

After breathing calmly for a while, Bryce dared to let go of the bedpost and dragged herself into the bathroom with heavy steps. 

Inside, the lights were on. The sharp light of the ceiling lamp was dimmed by water vapor floating in the air. Micah had been serious about saying he was leaving Bryce a bath. How long had it been since Micah had left? Half an hour? Two hours? More? Bryce didn't know. And she didn't care. 

At that moment, Bryce just wanted to wash Micah of herself. 

Bryce was about to trudge to the bathtub when she glanced to the side and saw her reflection in the mirror. Bryce stiffened and slowly turned to face the female staring in the mirror. 

It couldn't possibly have been Bryce. 

Red hair hung lifeless and unpolished over her breasts. The lip was cracked and swollen. Blood had dried up on her jaw and neck. Under the eye was a bruise of enormous size. 

Clear hand prints were visible on the neck. They circled Bryce's neck black and clear-cut. Like a collar, Bryce thought. 

Bryce had bruises on her breasts left over from Micah's hands and teeth. Red and blue marks on her sides and hips where Micah had pinched. Bryce also had bruises on her ankles and wrists. The marks were almost as clear as those on Bryce's neck. 

And then there was blood. Bryce hadn't bled since her first time. Now Bryce's inner thighs were partly covered in dried blood. There was a worrying amount of blood. It's like Micah ripped something out of Bryce. 

Bryce stared at that sight in shock. She looked horrible. Everything that had once been beautiful was now covered in bruises and blood. 

It took a great effort to avert one's gaze from the mirror image. Would this be Bryce's future? She healed quickly, but still. Would she always look like this, every after spending the night with Micah? 

Did Bryce have a future to be an archangel whore? No. Bryce decided, driving out of her mind the idea of the future. She would get out of here before Bryce was destroyed by Micah's beating. 

Bryce dragged herself into the bath and as she descended into the warm water, she moaned in pleasure. The water was warm and pampered Bryce's bruised skin. It also alleviated the pain between the legs. 

Bryce sank into the heat up to her neck. 

Every pain and ache remained in the background, leaving only a wonderful peace. The moment was precious and Bryce would fully immerse herself in her momentary peace. Relaxed properly for the first time in many days. 

The next time he realized something, the water had cooled and Brycen was just growling. Her throat was sore and her eyes were sensitive to light when Bryce blinked her eyes open. The water vapor had evaporated, leaving a bright light illuminating the blinding white tiles. 

Bryce groaned and raised her hands to protect her eyes from the light. She rubbed her eyes, not realizing for a moment that something was different. After rubbing the sleep sand out of her eyes and getting her brain working again, Bryce's gaze fell on her wrist. Beautiful, brown skin looked pristine. For a moment, Bryce just stared at her wrist. 

Then she rose from her partially lying position to sit up completely and lifted one hand out of the water. Unspoilt. Her skin had healed. There was no more trace of bruising. Not from pain. 

Bryce took a shaking breath and pulled her feet out of the warm water to see her ankle. The skin was healed. All traces left by Micah were gone. The knot in Bryce's stomach seemed to open. She got up from the cooled water and laid her steady feet on the cold tiles. The only source of pain was an old injury in one leg. 

Bryce stepped across the bathroom and stopped in front of the mirror to look at herself. Nothing. The bruises were gone. The blood between her legs and on her face was gone. Bryce's hair looked cleaner and shined healthy again. 

Bryce grinned at her reflection in the mirror. Although Bryce healed quickly, it usually took longer for the bruises to disappear. The worst bruises, such as those around Bryce's wrists and neck, should have remained her nuisance until the next day. But they were gone now. It seemed like bath water... 

Bryce felt her smile fade when the realization struck. She looked at her reflection in the mirror again and felt the knot in the bottom of her stomach tighten again. The bath water had healed Bryce's bruises. Micah had laid the bath for Bryce and clearly mixed it with something that accelerated healing. Bryce's momentary satisfaction vanished like ashes into the wind. 

She hadn't managed to wash Micah of herself. She had just healed herself so Micah wouldn't have to watch out for old bruises next time. 

Next time. 

All force escaped from Bryce's body and she collapsed to sit on the floor. Her skin rose to goosebumps. She wrapped her arms around her knees and rocked herself back and forth on the tiled floor. 

And as if Bryce hadn't cried enough, tears began to run down her cheeks. 

Micah took care of her. Healed and repaired the damage she caused. To make Bryce last longer, before a complete breakup. 

Bryce closed her eyes and pressed her head to her knees. 

The idea of jumping off the balcony started to seem like a better idea every moment. 

***** 

Micah was reading the thick stack of papers as Hunt entered the office. The archangel didn't even look up, saying: "Shut the door behind you, Hunt." 

Hunt obeyed, closed the door, and then stepped in front of Micah. Micah quickly signed the papers and then pushed them aside. Then he looked up at Hunt. Something in Micah's expression had changed. The governor's face was calmer, almost cheerful. 

"I have a little task for you," Micah said casually. Hunt smelled another scent mixed with Micah's. Female. 

Hunt didn't have to think twice about whose scent had caught the archangel. Hunt himself remembered what Bryce had smelled like. And judging by Micah's expression, since he didn't look like he was going to order Hunt to murder someone, the mission would probably concern Quinlan. 

"Yes," Hunt asked. He had been planning for several days to go and see what condition the female he had delivered to Micah was in. However, the governor had kept Hunt and the other 33 busy. 

Micah knocked on the table with his fingers and smiled slightly. “I don't have time to check on Bryce because of my work and I suspect she has bad intentions. You'll visit her a couple of times over the next two days when you have nothing else." 

Hunt nodded his head cautiously, pondering what Micah was referring to. "Anything else?" he just asked. 

Micah leaned his back into his office chair and threw a pair of keys on the table. "Lock her up in her room. I don't want her to do anything stupid." 

Hunt stared at the keys. He bit his cheek and tried his best so that the shock would not be visible on the surface.He had already researched Bryce's background the night he delivered her to Micah. Only one offence of obscenity and Bryce had removed her data with fines and doing a month of community service. 

He understood nothing about the situation. Why did Micah want Bryce? And why was it so important that nothing would happen to Bryce? Hunt wondered if it had anything to do with another scent mixed with Micah's smell. 

What did Micah do with Bryce? Or Bryce? Something about the set-up, or rather everything about it, bothered Hunt.He hadn't been able to sleep properly because he thought about the situation in his head all the moments when he wasn't doing something else. 

And then there was the guilt Hunt felt. Bryce had been reported missing, but not until several days later. And the shapeshifters didn't seem to take it seriously. Sabie was, at the time of sending the information, only a said that Quinlan was drama-seeking. Downplaying the situation bothered Hunt. 

It's as if Micah made sure Bryce's disappearance and the whole female were wiped out. 

The Archangel raised an eyebrow at Hunt when Hunt made no gesture to grab the keys. "Do you have any questions?" 

Was at Hunt. So many questions that he didn't even know where to start. He opened his mouth to say, "No," but then changed his mind. "Why?" he asked. "Why did I have to kidnap Quinlan?" 

Micah slowly got up from behind his desk so that he and Hunt stood face to face. The archangel's just relaxed expression had turned into an insensitive mask. "It's none of your business," Micah said coldly, throwing the keys to Hunt. Hunt snatched them from the air as a reflex. 

"Just do as you command. And keep your mouth shut about her. Just one word and you'll find yourself in Panger again." 

Hunt felt cold shivers run down his spine. He tucked the keys into his pocket and nodded slightly. "Yes Micah." 

Micah's expression relaxed. He sat back behind his desk and pulled a new stack of papers in front of him. "I'm waiting for you to report back on her condition," Micah said, before Hunt could leave. "Of course," Hunt replied quickly, opened the door and stepped out of the office. 

In the hallway, Hunt chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment and thought about his options. Finally, he took the elevator, rose one floor up, and jumped off the flight platform into the air. 

Best to do this right away. And at the same time, see if Bryce could give more information than Micah. 

***** 

There was something wrong with Bryce Quinlan. Hunt sensed it as soon as he landed on the balcony of a large beach house and located the female sitting in a large armchair in the living room. There was a book in Quinlan's lap, but her eyes did not move. Her posture was tense, and a hint of fear came to Hunt's nose. 

Quinlan sat with her back to Hunt. All Hunt could see of her were tense shoulders and a head covered in red hair stiffened over the stooped book. 

"Quinlan," Hunt said coolly, stepping over the threshold. The female's shoulders relax and then tensed again. Slowly, the female turned her amber-brown eyes to Hunt. Suspicion shone from her gaze. The female's hand squeezed the book, as if she was about to throw it at Hunt. 

Hunt still remembered how it felt when Quinlan threw things at him. After a couple of vases and a broken nose, Hunt knew the female was tough. Now... There was something small and vulnerable about her. 

Quinlan studied him with her gaze. From the halo to the black boots before her gaze stopped at Hunt's eyes. “Umbra Mortis. Hunt Athaler," the female said indifferently. So she knew who Hunt was. 

"Are you going to kidnap me again, give me a couple of electric shocks and drug me? Or are you just here to check on behalf of your host that I'm behave well?” The female's tone of voice was contemptuous, but Hunt could hear the tension behind the words. 

"I'm just here to check on behalf of Micah that you're not doing anything stupid," Hunt replied and marched across the room to another armchair. He had flown a long distance and wanted to sit down for a while. Quinlan followed her with her gaze, and as Hunt sat down in front of her, their gazes met. 

Quinlan gave Hunt a small smile. "So he really thinks I'm jumping off the balcony," Bryce said."Not that it hasn't crossed my mind." 

Hunt raised one eyebrow at Bryce words. “May I ask why, Micah thinks you're doing something stupid?" 

Bryce's expression hardened and closed. She pulled her legs closer to her body and closed her book. She squeezed it with her knuckles white. Bryce's scent was mixed with another smell. The smell of Micah. It had worn off in part, as if Quinlan had been devotedly washing herself. The second scent masked the scent of the archangel. 

There was something familiar about the floral, strong scent, but Hunt couldn't figure out how he knew it at that moment. 

"If Micah doesn't tell you," Bryce said coolly. Dismissively. "I'm not telling you that either." 

Well, that went great. Hunt squeezed his mouth into a tight line and stared at Bryce. Bryce stared back. There was an unspoken struggle between them. Hunt grimaced and Bryce smiled triumphantly as he had to avert his gaze first. 

"Did you have any other questions?" Bryce inquired, grinning slightly, and opened her book as she continued reading it with grandiose gestures. 

Hunt snorted. He had. Still. 

"So you're not going to tell me the reason why Micah told me to kidnap you?" Hunt asked. Bryce glanced at him. "No," she said, turning the page. She certainly hadn't read the previous one either. 

"Why?" Hunt continued. Bryce looked up from her book and looked at Hunt. Her expression was serious and cautious. “Because you wouldn't believe half of the story. And even if you believed it, it would only harm both of us." 

The answer was not playful. Quinlan said it in a serious voice, her expression taut and her eyebrows creased. She squeezed her book in her lap and stared at the page, as if trying to catch fire with her gaze. 

Hunt sighed. He had flown here for an hour, to spend less than five minutes with a female who simultaneously puzzled and annoyed Hunt. And he still didn't know why Bryce was so important to Micah. Neither side seemed willing to respond. 

Micah for his own reasons. Bryce... Hunt looked at Bryce and her rigid posture. What had happened in this house during the last few days? 

"You've been reported missing," Hunt found himself saying. Quinlan's gaze was fixed on him, and curiosity flashed in her expression. "What has happened?" Bryce asked. Her gaze was intense. Hunt considered his answer before he said: “Danika has tried to make a fuss about your disappearance, but Sabine insists that you've just faded away. Micah has made sure Sabine's version is also what ended up in the media." 

Hunt remained silent and waited for Quinlan's reaction. The female swallowed. She fingered the page of the book, looking worried and uncertain. “Don't really know what happened... after it all?" 

Hunt couldn't say, "after I kidnapped you." Hunt was still not ready to admit that he had done so. And that he still speaks to the kidnapped person in a civilized manner. 

"There's not even a clock here, let alone a TV," Bryce snorted. Hunt raised his other eyebrow. "Hasn't Micah told you anything?" 

"I'm not condescending to ask," Bryce quipped in response. Quinlan stared at Hunt with an expression on her face that Hunt couldn't decipher. It was a mixture of despair, anger and fear. 

Hunt bit his tongue, answering the female's gaze. He tried to interpret Bryce's facial expressions and body language. He did not succeed. "I can bring you a newspaper when I come again tomorrow," Hunt suggested. Bryce blinked. Otherwise, she did not express surprise. "Really?" Bryce asked. 

"Yes," Hunt replied. "I guess you've got here... pretty boring." 

What does Micah do to you? Hunt was tempted to ask it. It didn't seem that Bryce had a particularly warm image of the archangel. 

But Hunt didn’t so. Instead, he asked, "Do you need anything else?" 

Bryce tilted her head thoughtfully. She looked at Hunt, letting her gaze wander to his wings. A small smile rose on Quinlan's lips. "Pizza would be nice." 

Hunt growled irritably and got up from his chair. "I'm not a pizza delivery." 

Bryce was now smiling broadly and mischievously. “Pity. I'm sure you'd be quick with those wings." 

"The pizza would have time to cool down in the hour it takes to fly here,” Hunt pointed out. Bryce's expression changed. An interested twinkle in her eyes, and she asked: "Are we that close to the city?" 

Hunt hesitated again for a moment before answering. Micah probably had reason to keep certain information out of Bryce's knowledge, but...Hunt felt he owed Bryce something. "By car, the same journey takes five hours." 

Bryce slowly nodded her head and collapsed in her chair. She opened her book again and pretended to read. Hunt marched past her, thinking the meeting was over. But before he could return to the balcony, Quinlan's still, wounding voice stopped him: "Could you get me contraceptive pills?" 

Hunt stopped right to the threshold of the balcony and turned to look at the female lounging in the armchair. There was an anxious expression on Bryce's face when she met Hunt's gaze. A new barrage of questions filled Hunt's head, but he kept them inside and said instead, "Is it urgent?" 

Bryce nodded. The female swallowed and averted her gaze. It took Hunt a moment to realize that the female was trembling. She was ashamed. 

Shame was not what female felt after spending the night with the archangel. According to rumors, Micah had a good reputation on the side of the bedroom. But Bryce didn't look like she was enjoying the experience. 

For a moment, Hunt stood still as he considered the situation, Bryce's behavior and Micah's satisfaction. He knew Micah was an asshole, but he guess he wasn't... 

"Did you agree to it?" Bryce looked up, surprised by Hunt's question. Even Hunt was surprised to have the courage to ask about it. Bryce hesitated. Uncertainty and fear alternated on her face. Finally, she shook her head. A lonely tear ran down her cheek, but Quinlan quickly wiped it away. 

"Do you think he's interested in what I want?" Bryce asked. Her eyes gleamed. "Do you really think she cares about what I want or don't want? I am a prisoner, Athaler. If you haven't figured it out yet." 

Hunt wasn't. But now the thought struck him, made a nest there, and made his guilt flare up. 

"I'll bring them to you tomorrow." Hunt promised, taking a step back. Over the threshold of the balcony. "And you can... you can just say Hunt." 

Bryce stared at him. The female swallowed, pulled a hand through her hair and smiled slightly. “Okay then, Hunt." 

Hunt responded to Bryce's small smile before turning his back on Quinlan and jumping off the balcony. 

After climbing to flight altitude, Hunt remembered where the floral scent around Quinlan was familiar. “Oh fuck!" Hunt swore and stopped like a wall. 

It was an expensive bath salt that accelerated healing. It was used by the most powerful angels and feas after fierce battles, to heal faster. And Micah had somehow gotten Bryce to use it. 

Or done something to Quinlan that she was forced to use it. 

What the fuck did Micah do to Bryce far from everyone? In his beach house, about which, besides Micah, only Hunt knew. 

The guilt inside Hunt took on a whole new form as he continued his flight, now much faster towards the city. 

He would do this to Bryce. Fuck about what Micah would think of it. He wouldn't give the archangel a chance to tie Bryce to himself like that. 

***** 

Under Danika's skin sizzle. Had been sizzling all week. It felt like a bucket of fire ants had been dumped on her neck, which would then crawl under her skin and make a nest there. 

It had been a horrible week. Absolutely horrible. 

No one cared about Bryce's disappearance. Sabine and Micah had taken care of it. The only ones who were still actively trying to spread information about Bryce's disappearance were Pack of Devils and Bryce's parents. 

Ember was upset and Randall... Danika believed that if Randall had the slightest clue as to who was behind Bryce's disappearance, he would most likely assassinate Micah, regardless of the consequences. And Ember wouldn't be second in the situation. 

Danika knew that Ember if anyone could understand the hell Bryce had gotten into. The hell Mom had least wanted Bryce to go into. 

Danika had provided Ember and Randal with sleeping places at home. She herself hardly went there except to sleep, and Danika always slept in Bryce's bed. A week later, Bryce's scent lingered in the room. 

It helped Danika sleep at least a few hours a night when she imagined Bryce was safe next to her. But every time she opened her eyes and saw an empty bed, a small piece of her soul tore apart. Every single time. 

Bryce was gone and it was Danika's fault. No matter what Ember said. If Ember knew what Danika had done, she too would blame Danika. Like everyone else. 

Pack of Devils didn't say it out loud. They kept their opinions to themselves, unlike Rhun who glare Danika at every opportunity. If the gaze could kill, Rhun would have killed Danika many times already. Sometimes Danika wished for it. 

If she hadn't tattooed the horn on Bryce's back, Bryce wouldn't be gone. But what else could she have done with the horn? 

Danika tried not to ifs. Bryce was gone and the only thing Danika could do was find her. Find Bryce, bring her home and then treat Micah. 

The past week had gone by in a fog. Over the weekend, she and Ember tried to get people interested in Bryce's disappearance, but when there was no clue, their interest disappeared. 

From Monday to today, Saturday, Danika had worked closely with Rhun and his friends. 

For all the time available, Danika and the Pack of Devils members who had nothing else to do went through all the information and documentation about the buildings owned by Micah, about plots and everything else. So far, no potential place to hold Bryce had been found. 

Danika didn't think Micah would keep Bryce in town. Too many variables. But all the plots of land owned by Micah that Declan found were in the city. Connor and Rhun had begun to talk seriously about raiding Micah's private residence, although Zelda, Nathalie and Declan had stated that it was unlikely that Bryce would be at the Comitium. 

Danika agreed with Declan, Nathelie, and Zelda. Bryce was not in city. Danika couldn't explain it to herself, but she felt it in her bones. 

Bryce was no longer in Lunathinon. 

But they had nothing else. No matter how deep Dec digs into the depths of the internet, No matter how many reports they read, there was no reasonable place Bryce could have been. It was as if Micah had managed to eradicate Bryce from the face of the earth. 

Perhaps it was the governor's long-term plan. To make Bryce disappear from the face of the earth until it would be advantageous for him to bring Bryce back to light. Like a featured pet. 

Danika had had increasingly colorful nightmares about what Micah Bryclle was doing. Usually, Danika woke up from nightmares sweaty and gasping for breath. She always tried to stay as quiet as possible so as not to wake Bryce's parents for her panic. 

And they hadn't woken up to Danika's pain. Danika had once or twice woken up to Ember's tears and Randall's silent assurances that Bryce could still be found. She would be found all right. 

The anxious atmosphere seemed to follow Danika everywhere.Up to Comitum. In which there was such a rush that Danika's state of mind should not have affected anyone. 

But, as if pushed by some invisible force, the angels and others in the Comitium at that moment had dodged Danika when she entered the lobby. 

Now Danika was sitting on a chair in front of Micah's office and knocking on the floor with her foot. Micah had already let Danika wait ten minutes. Angel seemed to enjoy Danika's nervousness. 

Anger under Danika's skin smouldered. She felt an ever-increasing need to tear the angel's throat open as soon as they met. But if she did, Danika would have no hope of finding out where Bryce was. 

Danika sighed and leaned her back on the back of the chair. She noticed a camera on the ceiling. What bet that Micah observed Danika through it? 

Danika showed the camera the middle finger, before collapsing back in her chair, waiting to talk to a narcissistic angel. 

A couple of minutes passed. Danika stared at the camera, imagining herself staring into Micah's cold eyes. She would kill that dick. 

There was a small click, and when Danika turned her head, she noticed that the green light next to Micah's door had come on. 

Danika didn't hesitate as she stood up and marched to the door. She pulled it open, not bothering to knock. “Where the fuck is Bryce?" Danika growned as soon as she entered Micah's office. 

All Danika's rage seemed to rise to the surface and make her muscles tremble. 

Micah didn't even look up from the papers in front of him. "Shut the door behind you, Miss Fendyr." 

It's like Micah hadn't tried to murder Danika and the Pack of Devils four weeks ago. It's as if there's nothing between them but work and the demands it brings. 

Danika grunted with gritted teeth. She was tempted to leave the door open so that the entire building could hear about Micah's crimes. Micah glanced at her quickly. His face was expressionless. Almost bored."I'm not talking about this issue if you leave the door open." 

It was like Danika was a child who needed to be taught how to behave. Slowly, Danika let go of the door and kicked it back shut so that the fuzzy glass rattled. 

Danika was left leaning against the door, arms folded on her chest. Her pack wanted to come along, but Danika wasn't ready to give up any more of her friends. Danika told the Pack of Devils to stay home. Far from this debate. 

"Where's Bryce?" Danika asked, gritting her teeth together. Her nails dug into the skin of her arm through her leather jacket. Micah carefully closed the folder in front of him before looking up at Danika. The earlier, bored mask had disappeared and was replaced by Micah's real face. A smug little smile jerked the sides of the archangel's mouth upwards. 

"Not so fast, Miss Fendry," Micah hummed, leaned his elbows on the table, and crossed his fingers. “I can tell you that your friend will be taken care of. Isn't that the most important thing?” Micah asked, smiling devilishly, leaning on his chin to his crossed fingers. 

Danika bared her teeth and growled, "Where's Bryce?" 

Micah leaned his back on the back of the chair, spreading his wings. His smile didn't waver. “Safe and secure. What else do you need to know, Miss Fendyr?" 

Danika had to force herself to stay in place so as not to attack the archangel. That would be of no use to anyone. Except for Micah, who could use it to arrest Danika. 

Danika clenched her hands fists and bit her lower lip, barely stopping herself from growling out loud. Micah looked at her with that small, self-righteous smile on his face. "Do you want me to say hello to Bryce?" Micah asked lightly. 

For a moment, Danika just stared at Micah as his question sank into her head. The governor picked up a pen from the table and twirled it in his fingers. He still smiled at Danika, but there was something about the smile that made the knot in the bottom of Danika's stomach tighten. 

"Don't touch her," Danika hissed. Micah tilted his head and played with the pen he had picked up from his desk. "Don't bother worrying, Miss Fendyr," Micah said. "I'm not trying to cause Bryce permanent harm." 

Danika froze. It was another alternative to her attacking the angel. She bit her tongue, swallowed all the sharp words, and said in a low, menacing voice: “Keep your hands off Bryce." 

"Or what?" Micah asked, amused. "What were you thinking of doing, Miss Fendyr?" 

The bastard enjoyed this. Danika saw it on Micah's face. The governor had all the power in the situation. And he knew it. Danika knew it. Micah had Bryce. 

And he could do anything to Bryce. Anything... 

Micah moved his wings, either intentionally or accidentally, as he changed position. The smell that hit Danika's nose was to make her self-control deceive and tear the archangel apart. 

Micah's scent was mixed with another scent. An old scent that had not been hidden in any way. The smell of Bryce, saturated with the smell of fear. And it was clinging to the archangel. 

"What have you done to Bryce?" Danika's throat was choked with terror and escalating rage. The wolf inside Danika struggled and tried to break through Danika's self-control. 

Danika's whole body shook as she held the wolf inside her, focusing on the angel's self-righteous face, on which a whole new air now rose. Endless self-righteousness was replaced by gloomy pleasure. It corroded Danika, down to her bones. 

"What have I done," Micah said slowly, folding his arms on the table, “it's me and Bryce thing." 

A grunt escaped Danika's throat, and before she knew it, she rushed towards Micah. She didn't even have time to take a single step when the wind wrapped around her and completely stopped the attack. 

Micah hadn't even had to lift a finger. "Carefully, Danika," the archangel murmured. He leaned his head on the other palm. "We don't want you arrested for attempted assassination of the governor." 

It would certainly not remain an attempted murder. Danika should only be arrested for Micah's murder. 

"Don't fuck touch Bryce!" Danika hissed. Micah's force crushed her neck, her chest, preventing Danika from breathing properly. The archangel sighed and stood up. 

He remained behind his desk to observe Danika's motionless form before bursting into speech again. "Bryce is one of the most attractive female I've seen. What should I do with her? Especially since I've always enjoyed the company of beautiful female." 

Tears of anger and disgust tingled behind Danika's eyelids. "Let Bryce be," she said. "Don't touch her." 

Micah raised his other eyebrow. He measured Danika from head to toe, and then asked, "What would you give me if I didn't touch Bryce?" 

The angel seemed genuinely curious about the answer. Danika swallowed and quickly thought about the options. What would she give for Bryce? 

Anything. Danika knew it. She would do anything for Bryce. 

"What do you want?" Danika asked hoarsely. A mocking smile lingered on Micah's face. He did not speak for a moment, but let Danika wait, frozen in the middle of the room. 

"I have everything I want, Miss Fendyr,” Micah said and Danika felt her stomach spin around. "No," he groaned. "Don't touch her." 

Micah slowly shook his head, his blond hair waving. “I like Bryce. I like her a lot and I don't like to hurt her. Especially since she's been so good these past few days.” 

Danika felt herself sickened. She swallowed the bile that had risen in her throat and forced herself to stare at Micah menacingly. It was the best she could do at that moment. 

Micah answered the gaze firmly. “Don't make me hurt her, Danika." 

Danika groaned when she heard the words, and at the same time the paralysis eased. Danika almost fell to the floor as her muscles relaxed. 

She leaned on her knees and panted. When she looked up, Danika noticed Micah watching her. "Don't look for her. Don't get awkward. Otherwise, you'll get Bryce back in pieces.” Micah's voice was calm and emotionless. He only talked about the consequences Danika's actions would have on Bryce. 

"You wouldn't kill her," Danika said quietly. Micah's expression did not absorb emotions, but Danika could hear the self-righteousness in the angel's voice. "No," Micah admitted. "But I don't need her whole to fulfill her purpose." 

Danika rage was still smouldering, but fear had now taken over. Slowly, Danika straightened her back and stared directly at the angel. "Don't hurt her," Danika hated her imploring tone. Angered Micah's smugly expression when he heard Danika's plea. 

"Don't do anything stupid Miss Fendyr, and nothing will happen to Bryce,” Micah promised, giving Danika a small, self-righteous smile. Danika swallowed. "All right." 

She took a step back. 

Micah sat down behind his desk and took a new folder in front of him. “It's always nice to do business with you, Miss Fendyr," Micah said coolly, bored, in the governor's voice. 

Danika clenched her hands into fists when she heard a clear order to leave. Slowly, reluctantly, Danika obeyed. She turned her back on Michi and stepped to the door. As she grabbed the handle, Micah said, "One more thing, Miss Fendyr." 

Danika turned around only to see something golden flash in the air. Instinctively, she snatched it. Opening her fists, Danika found herself clenching a necklace with three nested rings in her hand. 

"She doesn't need it anymore," Micah said boredly and made a gesture with his hand, telling Danika to leave. Danika obeyed numbly, stepped out the door and closed it behind her. All the way to the elevators, she squeezed an archansian amulet in her hand. 

The elevator she almost collapsed in a heap when she reopened her fist. Danika stared at the amulet. It had protected Bryce until now. Now... 

That was a clear message. As if Micah's words hadn't already made Danika realize how cruel Micah was. 

Bryce was no longer protected by anything or anyone other than Micah. 

A single wrong move from Danika and Danika would get to pick up parts of Bryce's body. 

"She does not need all parts of her body to fulfill her function."  

Danika almost vomited on the elevator floor. 

Micah had declared silent war on Danika and the Pack of Devils. And Micah didn't play fair. Slowly, Danika straightened her back and stared at the elevator wall as she felt a new confidence settle into her bones. 

If Micah didn't play fair, neither would Danika. 

Danika put her hand in her pocket and pulled out her phone. She dialed a number and called. The phone rang once, then the female's voice answered. "Yes?" 

"You'd better get back to town soon, Fury," Danika said tensely. "We have an archangel to defeat." 

A moment of silence. And then... 

"Tell me everything," Fury ordered. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

Rhun Danaan longed for peace. One fucking moment when worry, anger and thirst for revenge didn't running through his mind. For a moment, he just wanted to forget the fact that his little sister had been missing for two weeks now, and they still had no idea where she was.

Rhun hardly slept at night anymore. Worry, fear, anger, and guilt slowly ate him alive. It began to show in his appearance as well. Rhun couldn't take care of his appearance, eating and washing. Without Tristan and Declan, he would have forgotten to shower and eat.

His friends watched like a hawk to make sure he ate and looked even remotely presentable.

But even Rhun didn't look as bad as Danika.

Danika looked dead. The stubborn flame normally shining in the eyes had been extinguished. All that was left was a shell ravaged by guilt and fear.

There were still times when Rhun wanted to kill Danika. The wolf wouldn't have had to tattoo that damn horn on Bryce's back. She shouldn't have messed Bryce in any way with her own secret work. But, whenever the thirst for vengeance came over him, Rhun glanced at Danika and it went out like a candle thrown into the water.

Danika looked too exhausted and frail that the mere thought of attacking her seemed cowardly. Rhun had much more to focus his remaining energy on.

Micah fucking Domitus.

Rhun wished he could chop the angel bastard into pieces with his star sword. Rhun knew that Micah was generally considered a progressive and least asshole governor.

The truth was, he knew how to cover it up better than some others. Micah had told his assassin to kidnap Bryce because he wanted Luna's horn.

Well, now he had a horn and... Bryce. Rhun knew what kind of influence Bryce had on males.It was probably in vain to hope that Micah would keep his hands off Bryce now that he had her for himself.

These thoughts and fear of what Micah Brycelle did kept Rhun awake at night. And today, when his father had contacted him and asked if Bryce had finally reappeared, Rhun's had had enough. Fathet viewed Bryce's disappearance the same way as almost the entire city.

Bryce was attention-seeking and had disappeared for fun. She would appear back when she realized that no one was interested in her childish trickery.

The cold and cruel words of the Autumn King had made Rhun want to strangle his father. Maybe it was just good that father was just a voice on the phone. Rhun was so tired that he was no longer sure what he would do if he was too annoyed.

So, when Rhun had returned home and found a Mithroot forgotten on the kitchen counter...

Rhun would have to buy Flynn a new one as compensation. He had to smoke only a little at first. But realizing how much better he felt, Rhun soon found himself burning a all Mithroot. Now he was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. The roof rippled in his field of vision.

At times, random shapes and colors appeared in his field of vision. Burgundy and amber golden. Bryce's hair and eyes... even after taking drugs, Rhun couldn't shake his sister out of his mind.

But at least he could stop thinking for a moment about what might have been done to Bryce while Rhun lay in bed incapacitated.

The roof began to resemble an already stormy sea, among which there was sometimes a flash of red or a twinkling amber-colored light.Was it Bryce's starlight?

Bryce was star-born and hadn't told Rhun that. Rhun I felt a little hurt. Years ago, they had shared everything. Or, had Bryce never really trusted Rhun? Why else would he not have told Rhun such a big thing about herself?

Water began to drip from the ceiling in slow motion. Or at least it looked like water. Fuck. How much Mithroot had Rhun smoked?

And in an instant, Rhun forgot about it when red flashed on the ceiling again. His thoughts went back to Bryce. Why hadn't he tried harder to settle their dispute? Whye he had let that stupid argument go on for so long?

Bryce had at one point been the brightest light of Rhun's entire dark life. And he had let it slip away.Just because Rhun hadn't been able to apologize for the harsh words he had shouted at Bryce six years ago.

And now Bryce was gone, and Rhun might never be able to mend their relationship.

Bryce didn't deserve what she had to go through. Rhun should have protected her. The wolves did not succeed in it. They had let Micah take Bryce.

If only Rhun had been a better brother, he wouldn't have had to think about whether he could ever apologize to Bryce for his behavior.

The roof rippled again. The shadows of Rhun were somewhere very far away. They could not hide him from his own guilt. Rhun closed his eyes. Oh fuck that he felt confused.

The bed under him rocked. Great. In addition to visual hallucinations, he also had tactile hallucinations.

The part of Rhun that wasn't completely under the influence of the drug noticed voice coming from opening the door. He absentmindedly wondered if Mithroot also caused auditory hallucinations.

And then someone threw cold water on his face. Rhun exclaimed and bounced erect so fast that his stomach convulsed.

For a moment, Rhun just had to sway in place and focus on not vomiting. The room rocked alarmingly much, and Rhun took time to fix his gaze on the person standing at the door.

Toffee's brown eyes, a black leather jacket, under which stood out a worn band shirt. White hair with a tight ponytail. The purple and pink stripes seemed to glow in the dark.

"Danika," Rhun finally managed to connect the face to the person. The wolf sighed and rolled his eyes. "How much mithroot have you smoked?” Danika asked instead of greeting, sniffing the room air. He wrinkled his nose and snorted. "Even I don't smoked this much on bad days."

Rhun tried to make sense of the image produced by his eyes. Why the fuck did Danika Fendyr stand at his door? How had he gotten into the house in the first place?

If it hadn't been for the water still pouring down Rhun's face, he might have mistaken Danika for just an illusion. However, the water ran down his face to his chin and from there to his shirt, leaving behind cold trails that caused Rhun's brain to awaken a little more.

Rhun grabbed a clear part of his brain and tried to form a thought, and then words..."What are you doing here?" he asked. Danika glanced at him contemptuously.

"What would you imagine?" she quipped. Rhun and Danika hardly had anything in common but Bryce. And that meant...

Rhun struggled to get out of bed. Far too fast. He staggered and had to take support from the wall so as not to fall to the floor.

Danika's expression was bad-tempered and pitying. “You need water," she said, turning away from Rhun's door, saying over her shoulder, "Start coming prince."

Rhun had to gather herself for a while before he could follow Danika down the stairs. The stairs swayed as if they were made of snakes. Rhun had to grab hold of the stair railing once or twice in order not to tip over.

Danika marched down the stairs with her head held high. Confused, Rhun wondered what had happened when Danika had regained her strength?

Rhun staggered after her downstairs and stopped when he saw what was waiting for him. He had to rub his eyes to be sure that what he saw was not a hallucination.

"Did you smoke all my Mithroot?” Tristan Flynn shouted the question from the couch on which he sat with Declan and... Ithan Holstrom? Or was it Connor's smaller, slightly different-looking double being?

In the armchair, right next to the sofa, lay Nathalie, sipping beer from a bottle, which was most likely steal out of Rhun's fridge. Bronson had conquered a place for himself on the floor. He leaned on Nathalie's chair. He already had two empty beer bottles at his feet.

On the next couch, where Rhu's gaze hit, lay Zach and Zelda. The dark-haired twins had dug out a bag of tortilla chips from one of the closets in the house and were now munching on them without anyone bothering them.

Thoren and Connor were crammed into the last two armchairs with a beer and a jar of Declan's cookie. Dec's cookies weren't normally allowed to be touched, and from the looks Dec cast over his computer, he hadn't really given permission to do so even now.

And then... Rhun was startled at the sight of Fury Axtar leaning on a ping pong table and drinking beer. The assassin gave Rhun a small strained smile before turning his attention back to Danika, who had leapt into the middle of the room.

"Clear your head prince," Danika commanded and crossed her arms to her chest. "We have important things to take care of."

There was a blaze in Danika's eyes. A familiar spark of stubbornness that had been missing for a long time. And since Rhun's curiosity had been aroused, he staggered into the kitchen as Danika commanded.

When he stumbled and had to take support from the wall, all the wolves in the room burst into laughter. Flynn smiled and Dec just shook his head and he sighed before returning to his computer searches.

Fury looked amused as he watched Rhun stumble.

"Do you know how much I paid for that mithroot?” Flynn complained loudly when Rhun finally got into the kitchen. "The seller promised it would be particularly strong."

Rhun growled in response and broke the first glass he tried to take out of the closet. Wolves laughter in the living room only increased. "Did you burn everything?" Flynn kept shouting. Rhun wondered if his brain would melt and drain out of his nose. Or that, a particularly strong mithroot. Rhun finally managed to pick up the glass and, after trying for a while, open the faucet.

Half the water splashed on Rhun's hands and face as he tried to get the water in his glass under the tap. The entire countertop wobbled so much that Rhun was completely covered in water when it finally succeeded.

Rhun sipped his first glass of water at once. While the water was doing its healing work in her body, Rhun filled the glass again. The sink had stopped rocking.

Rhun returned, with much steadier steps, to the living room and remained leaning against the kitchen door. "From whom did you buy that Mithroot?" he asked Flynn, after drinking his glass of water half full. Tristan shrugged. "Some pretty fea girl. Didn't go with me to the afterparty, even though I prayed on my knees."

"It should have been caught on video,” Dec said from behind his computer. "The first female in history to reject Flynn."

Rhun chuckled into his glass of water. Flynn's mouth clenched into a line. He leaned his back against the sofa and muttered towards the ceiling. "Claimed his girlfriend was waiting outside the bar." he muttered. "I would have loved to have taken both."

"Flynn's sex life aside," Danika said sharply, interrupting what had become a rather interesting conversation. Rhun drank more water and prepared for the future... Well, he guess it was a meeting. Admittedly, it was the most special meeting that Rhun had participated in during his 70 years of life. Eight wolves, three feas and one assassin.

Rhun drank more water, absentmindedly wondering if they still had beer in the cupboard after the wolves had raided.

"I went to see Micah today,” Danika announced. The cheerful atmosphere of the room disappeared like a gust of wind into Hel.

Had it been today? From Rhun, the days had become blurred. But yes. Today was Saturday.

"What..." Rhun started asking, but Connor got ahead. "Has he done anything to Bryce?”

Everyone in the room tensed. Declan shut down his computer with a click, Fury put down his beer bottle on the table.A couple of scattered growls could be heard from different parts of the room.

Danika sighed. Her expression was gloomy. Slowly, she put her hand in her pocket and picked up something from there. It took Rhun a moment to realize that the gold glistening in Danika's palm was not an illusion created by her brain. When Danika threw the archensian amulet into the middle of the coffee table, the whole room shuddered with cold rage pouring out of Danika.

"That asshole has made it clear that she will harm Bryce if we continue to look for her," Danika said with gritted teeth.

Silence descended on the room. Rhun realized he needed beer. He turned around and returned to the kitchen.

However, when he opened the refrigerator, he found only a wizened pouch of carrots. "Fuck," Rhun gusted out, banging the fridge door shut. So you should stay in the water.

He went back to the kitchen door, only to hear Danika's next words. "Bryce's scent had caught up with him."

A glass slipped out of Rhun's fingers and hit the floor with a crackle. Fury's face was distorted with cold rage. Growls echoed throughout the house as members of the Pack of Devils tried to make sense of what they were hearing.

"So you mean..." Thorn, the most diplomatic of the bunch, began. "I mean, that asshole has raped Bryce!" Danika grunted, interrupting Thorn. The words were followed by a ringing silence filled with terror and rage. "I'm going to kill him," Rhun bared his teeth. Connor grumbled affirmatively.

The others were silent, but you could sense the tension in the air. “I will pluck the wings of his grace and make a pillow," Zelda muttered. "I thought I'd nail his dick to the wall." Fury said coldly. And Rhun believed Fury really meant it.

Zelda's words could only be seen as threats, but Fury...Rhun certainly didn't want to end up on his revenge list. Oh fuck. He really needed something alcoholic. He wonder if Flynn or Dec had forgotten some whiskey or half a bottle of liquor in the corner of the cupboard?

Though... Rhun admitted to himself, now maybe it would be smart to stay sober. He should be able to react to Danika's words.

"What did Micah say?" Declan put the debate back on track. Although killing the archangel was part of the story. Danika's expression was stone. The mouth was compressed into a tight line. She stared at the amulet she had tossed on the coffee table, as if wanting it to tell her the information she wanted.

"At first he let me wait almost a quarter of an hour before agreeing to receive me,” Danika started and started walking back and forth in the room. Rhun followed the wolf's jerky movements in silence, like the others in the room.

"When that fucking asshole finally let me in,” Danika finished her sentence, grimacing, "He acted like there was nothing but work between us. Until I closed the door."

Danika stopped talking again. She swallowed and shook his head. "Micah didn't reveal anything essential, except that...”Danika staggered in her words and fell silent. Her brows bowed and her lips pulled away from her teeth as she grunted, “Micah doesn't need Bryce whole to fulfill her mission."

Danika crossed her arms to her chest, rolled around on her heels, and returned to the center of the room in her own tracks.

Her white hair swingin as she let her gaze circle around everyone in the room. "Micah stated in no uncertain terms that if we do something stupid, he will cut Bryce to pieces,” Danika's voice was serious and full of pain.

Everyone knew what the word "stupid" meant in this context. If they did anything to find Bryce or tried to dig the ground under Micah's feet, Bryce would pay for it.

"Anything else?" Connor asked, hands clasped, his eyes fixed on Danika. Danika glanced quickly towards Connor before letting her gaze return to the amulet on the table. "Nothing remarkable," Danika said, nervously fingering the sleeve of her leather jacket.

Rhun sensed that Danika was leaving something untold, but she didn't have time to start asking any more questions when Flynn took the floor. "Did you get any clue where Bryce is?" he asked.

Danika bit her lower lip. “He just claimed Bryce was safe and taken care of," she snorted.

"He's not safe anywhere near that angel," Bronson stated, crossing his arms to his chest. Danika shook her head. She leaned her back against the wall and let her gaze circle the room. "This means that we need to be as quiet as possible and give Micah the impression that we gave up."

"He doesn't think you give up so easily, Danika,” Fury intervened in speech. She sipped her beer before continuing. "Micah knows you'll do anything to find Bryce. If he gets the chance, Micah won't hesitate to take you out of the equation."

The wolves glanced nervously at each other and then at Danika, who was stiffened in place.

Danika breathed slowly with air in her lungs, her nostrils dilated. It took a long time for her to speak again. "So let's not give him a reason to do that," Danika sounded calmer than she seemed.

But Fury still had something to say. "Micah blackmails you with Bryce's safety,” she said coldly, matter-of-factly, letting her gaze circle the whole room. “He threatens us all that if we step on his toes, he will cut Bryce's toes off."

Connor, Danika, and Rhun's groans echoed from the walls. Fury was not disturbed, but continued. "It's only logical that Micah would do the same to Bryce. But only threatens to kill you, Danika and the Pack of Devils if Bryce isn't nice."

Rhun leaned heavily, sighing heavily, his back against the frame of the kitchen door. All along, they had just wondered what kind of grip Micah had on them.But they hadn't realized how Micah kept the stubborn Bryce in check.

Bryce wasn't just any maiden in need. She was Bryce the fucking Quinlan, who had inherited her mother's character and had been trained by a famous sniper. Bryce was tough and certainly wouldn't sit still, waiting for someone to save her.

Unless Micah kept Bryce tied up, drugged, or locked somewhere 24/7, something else and more threatening was needed to keep Bryce down. What could stop Bryce from escaping and saving herself?

"Bryce knows," Connor said, breaking the silence, "that, Micah won't kill her. If it were just her, Bryce probably would have escaped Micah by now,” Connor interrupted and swallowed when he noticed Danika's expression. Danika's face was serious, but her eyes shone menacingly.

Nathalie ended the sentence coolly. "The only reason Micah hasn't killed us yet is because he keeps Bryce obedient."

Danika glanced at her triplet. She seemed to ponder the idea before nodding slowly. Then she sighed and leaned against the wall in the back of her head. “It's just terrifying to think what Micah is doing to Bryce," she said more to himself than to anyone else.

Flynn chuckled from the couch. "What?" Rhun asked sharply and turned towards his friend. Tristan snorted and grinned broadly at Rhun. “I almost feel sorry for Micah. Bryce knows how to put on a hellish show if she wants to. And how do we know what kind of game Bryce is playing. She's not stupid."

Danika smiled slightly on the roof before turning her attention back to her pack, Fury, Rhun and his friends.

"We can't find anything with computer searches," she said. “We need to go deeper," she glanced at Rhun. “You can ask certain questions much more openly than many others," Danika said. "And Fury can use her connections."

"Dare I ask why?" Rhun asked cautiously. Danika's mouth spread into a wolf-like grin. “I want Bryce back home and get revenge on Micah. So the best we can do is gather enough evidence of what Micah is actually doing and present it to city leaders. After that, ousting Micah won't be difficult."

Danika made her point as if it were clear.

Declan asked a question, which he think they were all pondering. "Are you going to overthrow Micah?" he sounded incredulous. Danika glanced at him, eyes shining with stubbornness and determination. "I'm going to destroy him," Danika said lowly. It wasn't a threat, Rhun realized. That was a promise.

Danika was going to destroy Micah.

That would be the only way to keep Bryce safe. Even if they managed to save Bryce, Micah wouldn't stop chasing him as long as he was in power.

And killing Micah... However tempting that may be, there would be no benefit in the long run.

"I’m in," Rhun muttered, straightening his back. Declan sighed and nodded his head. Flynn grinned wildly.

"Let's knock that asshole down," he declared.

Danika's smile was no longer just wolfish. The smile was now beast-like.

And Rhun... He found himself smiling just as beastly.

Micah wouldn't survive this!

****
Danika took a deep breath as she opened the door to her apartment. Randall stood in the middle of the kitchen, an apron covering his clothes, his face in flour. Ember sat on the couch, scrolling through his computer. Her black hair had been pulled back into a high ponytail, revealing a face that made Danika's heart ache. Bryce had come to her mother. Danika would never say it to Ember, but seeing Bryce's mother, every time she returned from work, was yet another knife blow to her battered soul.

And so it is now. When Danika saw Ember's uplifting gaze with hope on her face, yet another piece of Danika's soul came off. Randall, who had evidently baked for the sake of his time to relax, put down the whisk from his hand, with a hopeful expression on his face similar to that of his wife.

Danika hated herself for having to crush that little nugget of hope. Slowly, she shook her head. Ember's posture collapsed and Randall closed his eyes as if trying to fend off Danika's response.

"Still nothing found?” Ember asked, staring at Danika, as if she had all the information Mom needed.

And that's what Danika had. Danika knew where Bryce was, but if she told Ember about it...Danika knew what the hell Ember had been through with the Autumn King. Bryce may well have gone through the same thing, only a degree worse.

Ember could understand Bryce's situation better than anyone else. Then at least he would know that Brye's life was not in danger. But knowing what kind of male she was with... it could cause Ember more concern.

Which was worse. Not being aware of where child was and whether everything was okay with the child? Or to know where the child was, but realize that there was nothing she could do? Danika had decided to keep Ember and Randall unsure of the real situation for the time being. But, Danika knew it, at some point she would have to tell.

That would break Ember. She might not show it, but when she found out where her daughter was... Danika didn't even want to think. Danika didn't anticipate Randall's reaction. He could be just as likely to go on a killing spree as he could stay and think about it and develop a plan.

"No," Danik said with a sigh, kicking off his shoe. Ember's lower lip trembled, but she swallowed and pulled herself up. "I posted a missing person report online. If anyone sees her... We'll find out."

Danika's throat choked. But she forced herself to nod. Randall sighed heavily in the open kitchen and went back to his baking. "What are you doing?"Danika asked as she took off her leather jacket. She carelessly threw it on the back of a chair, earning a disapproving look from Ember.

Randall glanced up from the floury table. "Chocolate croissants," he replied, giving Danika a smile. Now Danika almost was crying. Oh fuck. She cried way too much these days. In part, she wanted to curl up under Ember's arm and cry all her remaining soul clean. But Danika couldn't afford it.

"If you keep baking, I'll gain horrible weight before winter," Danika sighed as she headed her steps toward Bryce's room. It was still Bryce's room in her mind, even though the scent of Danika almost masked Bryce's. “You need some meat around your bones," Randall said, tossing a couple of raw chocolate croissants onto a baking sheet.

Ember smiled for their an exchange of words. The smile was small and taut. The worry wrinkle remained between the eyebrows. It had appeared immediately after Bryce disappeared and would only disappear when Ember was allowed to hold her daughter in her arms. Danika hoped to give it to Ember. She hoped to give Ember Bryce back. Danika wanted Bryce back.

Danika suddenly turned her back on the couple, feeling her eyes fill with tears. She cried too much, but the sight of Bryce's parents' concern broke her heart over and over again.

"Danika?" Ember's voice was soft. Danika swallowed and forced herself to speak. She couldn't let Ember notice Danika's pain. "All right," Danika forced herself to say. “I just have to... take care of a couple of things."

Without further ado, Danika leapt into Bryce's room and closed the door behind her. She leaned against it, pulled her lungs full of air, and then blew them empty. Danika leaned her back against the door. She overheard Ember return to her computer and Randall continued baking. Perhaps pretending that everything was fine and normal calmed their minds.

Danika didn't have that joy, that she could even try to live normally. Not as long as she knew Bryce was in danger. Danika stuck her hand in the pocket of her jeans and picked up the archesian amulet. She brushed its graceful, golden circles with her finger. If only the amulet could reveal where Bryce was.

Danika clamped her fingers around the amulet and pressed it against her chest. The amulet had been close to Bryce. Danika didn't know why, but it made her feel more confident. Everything would turn out well. At last. Everything would turn out well.

Danika was repeating it in her head, trying to pull herself together when she was interrupted by the buzz of the phone. Confused at first, Danika dug out her own phone, but its screen was dark.

The phone kept ringing. Danika tucked the archesian amulet into her pocket and went to follow the sound. She circled Bryce's bed and noticed a sound coming from the pocket of one of Bryce's jackets. The jacket was green and was one of the few coats Danika and the Pack of Devils had rescued from the destroyed apartment before it was cordoned off.

Curious, Danika stuck her hand in jacket pocket and picked up Bryce's ringing phone. A name flickered on the screen: Jesiba.

Danika held Bryce's phone in her hand, thinking about answering. The phone continued to ring stubbornly and Danika could imagine the former witch knocking on the surface of the table with her fingernails, waiting for Bryce to answer.

Sighing, Danika pressed the green handset and lifted the phone to her ear.

"Do you want to be, for the rest of your life, unbaptized, Bryce?” Jesiba's voice hissed as Danika replied. “Because if you don't and if you still want to keep your work, you better go to the gallery right away! Do you know how much money I've lost because you haven't shown up for work?" Jesiba's voice was calm, but Danika was sure that the sorceress was holding back the anger.

"You've spent too much time in Pangera, Jesiba," Danika said evenly. For a moment it was quiet and then..."Danika Fendyr. Can you tell me where my secretary is?” The tone of Jeziba's voice had changed. There was an equally chilling anger, but when she realized who had answered the phone, she had become more polite.

"Gone," Danika said coolly. "There's no point in waiting for Bryce to work, because she's gone."

For a moment, Jesiba said nothing. "How so she is gone?" The last word was carefully weighted. Danika sat down on the edge of her bed, mentally cursing Sabine's actions. Bryce's disappearance had not been properly reported, and even her employer was unaware of her secretary's disappearance.

"She was taken," Danika grumbled. Best of all, Jesiba heard it from her before she could ask anyone else about the details of her disappearance.

"Who has taken my secretary? When and where? Why didn't you let me know earlier. Do you know how many client meetings I've had to cancel because of this?"

Danika ignored Jesiba's last question and answered the first ones. "Bryce has been missing for the last two weeks. And where...” Danika, she felt her guilt flare. "Bryce disappeared from our apartment. The apartment was overwhelmed and the doorman unconscious when my flock and I got there."

“Jesiba's voice was cold as she hissed: "Who took my secretary, Danika Fendyr?"

Danika stared at the opposite wall intently, barely stopping herself from snarling back. "We don't know," she said, gritting his teeth.Jesiba paused. She was silent for so long that Danika already thought the sorceress was hanging up. “Why haven't I heard of this before?" There was a dangerous undertone in Jesiba's voice.

Danika wondered what kind of animal Jesiba would turn Micah into if given the chance. It was a tempting thought to see Micah squirming on the ground unearthed. But Danika had no intention of implicating the former witch in this case.

Enough people already knew.

"Because Sabine and the others treat this as if Bryce had left herself,” Danika said, clenching her back teeth together so hard that she wondered why her teeth didn't chip. “And you don't believe in it." Jesiba stated. Danika's teeth clicked. "You wouldn't believe it if you had seen what condition our apartment was! The doorman was unconscious and the spells had been extinguished," Danika grunted.

"Correct your tone of voice Fendyr unless you want to be turned into a poodle. Is no one investigating my secretary's disappearance?"

"No," Danika replied. Jesiba was silent for a moment. Then there was a deep sigh. "She was a good worker," she muttered, and Danika wasn't sure if the words were even meant for her. Jesiba's voice sharpened again as she said: “I have to find a replacement for her. But I'm not ready to replace Bryce yet." The sorceress's words were declarative, as if she were going through a list.

"I want my secretary back. It will be difficult to replace Quinlan," Jesiba continued. Danika was tempted to say something sharp and rude in response, but she forced herself to remain calm. Of course, Jesiba only thought about herself and what she lost when Bryce didn't work.

"I will do my best," Danika promised. That was self-explanatory. Jesiba snorted. “I know Fendyr and I trust it. Did the archeansian amulet disappear with her?"

Danika felt as if an amulet had weighed a ton in her pocket. "Yes. It's gone too."

Jesiba swear. "I have to stop," she then spoke. “Call when Bryce gets back to work." Then the call was hung up, leaving Danika sitting quietly and alone in an empty, dimly lit room.

Danika could smell the smell of chocolate croissants coming from under the door. She drew it into her breath, like a lightseeker. Perhaps she should follow Rhun's example and escape this hell for a while to a drug high.

Danika shook this idea out of her mind before it could take shape properly. She had to be able to act. But maybe she could empty a beer bottle or two. Even if it didn't do any good, Danika was going to try one more time to convince Aux that Bryce's disappearance was not intentional.

Preferably before the next meeting of city leaders, where Danika would once again find herself in the same room as Micah. And if Danika knew anything about the archangel, Micah would annoy Danika on purpose, to get a reason to arrest her.

Or just for your own enjoyment. Micah was a sadist, manipulative bastard. Danika's fingers clenched into fists. There would come another day when she would smile smugly at Micah's face, chin up, and watch the angel fall.

But it would be just as wonderful to be able to tear open the throat of that bastard.

With plans for revenge in mind, Danika went back to the chocolate croissant-smelling living room.

*****

Bryce's red hair was spread like a fan on the pillow. The first rays of the sun made the hair shine, a bright contrast to bruised skin. Sleeping and calm, touched by the first morning rays she is beatiful.

But the anxious wrinkle between the woman's eyebrows stubbornly remained in place, breaking the beautiful and calm image.

Micah swiped the wrinkle lightly, trying to smooth over the imperfection of the face. The wrinkle only deepened. Micah smiled to himself. Even in a dream, clearly unconscious, Bryce resisted him. Micah leaned his elbows on the pillow and allowed himself to admire Bryce's shape.

A white blanket only covered her from the waist down. Micah could admire Bryce's powerful back and the tattoo that adorned it. Bryce lay on her stomach, her breasts pressed against the mattress. Her hands were on either side of her head and her face was towards Micah. Her lips were slightly parted. Her back lifted to the rhythm of her deep breath.

Bryce's perfect, golden brown skin was only marred by last night's bruises. Bruises on the wrists, neck and back were the worst. Micah wouldn't have had to squeeze so hard if Bryce hadn't fought back so hard. The female had been like a wild cat. Screaming, scratching and hitting, trying to break free from Micah's grasp.

Micah still remembered pressing Bryce onto her stomach on the mattress and holding her hands behind her back until she had calmed down. In the end, she always calmed down and fell silent. The screaming turned into intermittent sobbing and the struggle into immobility.

The bitter smell of fear still covered the female lying next to Micah. It was almost admirable how, despite her fear, Bryce tried to fight Micah. How she fought until the last moment, her hopeless, doomed fight, at the end of which, however, she lay under Micah, limp, like a rag doll.

Micah couldn't say why it excited him. His normal bed mates expected him to have the upper hand in bed, and no one had ever, even tried, to take the lead. Perhaps it was because Quinlan fought back. No one had dared to do it before.

But perhaps it was wrong to compare Bryce to Micah's previous mistresses. Micah moved his wings and gave one feathered touch to Bryce's back. Bryce shivered in her sleep and changed positions. When she turned on her side, more marks and bruises were revealed in the chest area. Each of them was caused by Micah. Bryce's skin had been warm and delicate on his teeth. Bryce had moaned and sobbed in a whirlwind of pain and pleasure.

She had tried to push Micah off her when the archangel's mouth had approached her breasts. Micah had then gathered Bryce's wrists in his other hand and pressed them against the mattress. Micah continued to distinguish the marks left by his fingers on Bryce's skin.

The messy red hair partially covered the mark Micah had caused as he dragged a resisting Bryce into the room.

Contrary to what Micah had ordered, Bryce hadn't been waiting nicely for him in his bed. Instead, the female was locked herself in the bathroom, like a tantrum child and bash Micah's as an alphahole and rapist. When Micah ran out of patience, he broke down the door and dragged her into his room.

Bryce had fought and continued to shouted, hurling more and more insults at Micah. Which only ended after Micah pushed Bryce onto the bed and crushed her windpipe with his other hand.

Salty tears had flowed down Bryce's cheeks, but the rage hadn't gone away. And Micah enjoyed it. No matter how annoying Bryce's behavior was, he enjoyed sparring with her.

Bryce had a strong will that wouldn't give in. In that sense, they were similar. Neither of them was ready to give up. If they wanted something, they also worked to achieve what they wanted.

And in that moment, Micah wanted nothing but Bryce. Bryce was like a drug. Every growl word, hostile look and rejection. Tears, surrender, and prayer. Bryce was Micah's own, personal drug that the archangel couldn't get enough of.

He had slept with Bryce twice. Both times it had been worth the fight he had to have with Bryce before she lay beneath him, naked and helpless.

Micah carefully picked up one of Bryce's red strands of hair on his fingers. He played with its silky softness.However, he was careful not to yank too hard. Micah enjoyed watching the sleeping Bryce. While sleeping, the female's face was not disfigured by anger and rage. Micah had always enjoyed watching beautiful women and Bryce was one of the most attractive beauties Micah had met over the centuries.

The archangel gently moved the red strand of hair behind Bryce's ear, lightly rubbing the female's cheek. Bryce's skin was warm and smooth. Perfect, pure brown.

Micah knew that even if he hadn't met Bryce...In an abnormal situation, this would still have finally attracted his attention. Even if Bryce hadn't had a horn tattooed on his back, Micah would still have claimed Bryce for himself at some point.

It would have been different.If they had met under different circumstances, Bryce would not now have been lying next to Micah bruised and with a worry wrinkle between her eyebrows. She would be calmer and more flirtatious, as Micah knew, thanks to good background research. But Micah couldn't say whether getting Bryce back then would have been as hectic as it is now.

It would have been easier if Danika hadn't tattooed Luna's horn on Bryce's back. If everything had gone as Micah planned, he would already be negotiating an alliance with other world beings. Now he had to proceed more cautiously, considering that he did not know how tightly the power of the Horn was tied to Bryce's life.

If Bryce were damaged, would it do something to the power of the Horn? Micah couldn't afford it. He needed the power of Luna's Horn to stop Pangera's rebellion and wipe people off the map of the world. It wouldn't be hard to persuade the other world to help with it. People were cancerous. The weak in a world overrun by Vanir. Only parasites that hanged in their lives, like a person condemned to death on a hanging rope.

Bryce was a demi-fea just above that swarm of parasites. In a certain way, Micah had always been fascinated by half-bloods. How two so different sides met in the same body. Bryce's body was clearly human, but her eyes, ears and hair were the result of fea inheritance.

Micah liked Bryce's hair. Their smoothness and color always made him want to touch them. Pull, caress, twist them around his hand.

Perhaps Danika had done Micah a favor. Of course, the horn as an object would have been easier to keep than to keep Bryce in check, but at the same time...Micah's mouth twitched with a twitching smile. Bryce sighed in her sleep and turned her side again. Now with my back to Micah. Red hair fell on the sheets, revealing a bruise on her neck and the rest of the tattoo, which contained the power of Luna's Horn.

Danika had given Micah a weapon to use against herself. If Danika had just given the horn to Micah, as she originally should, what would have stopped Danika from telling about it? Now Micah had both a horn and a way to control Danika. And again everything went back to Bryce.

Of which he was reminded...Micah sighed and got up from bed, being careful not to wake Bryce. The day was still early, but Micah had to wake up early to make it back to Lunathion so that no one would begin to wonder about his absence. Perhaps he should tell Hunt to visit Bryce again. Bryce knew how to throw herself awkward if she desperate enough, or just to annoy Micah, she could do something for herself. Maybe he should just drug Bryce for a day or two. Micah had considered it when he had thought about where to keep Bryce when he got her.

The first thought was to keep Bryce drugged in his Lunathion apartment. But he needed a female in good health, which is why he eventually decided to bring her here. It was useless for Bryce to look for the front door. The house was built only for the use of malaks.

Micah bent down to open the drawer on the bedside table and pulled out a syringe. It did not contain drugs, but a small trace chip. It was one of the latest creations of the Reidenr companies. The small chip was inconspicuous and indestructible. The chip was so small that it could even be placed under someone else's skin. Or could slip it into an amulet.

The first tracing chip, which Micah had installed to follow Bryce had been in archensia amulet the lock of the Micah known, where Bryce would move, even if he tried to leave town. Now the amulet was on Danika. And Micah could follow her movements. However, that meant he had to install a new one for Bryce.

Micah carefully moved Bryce's hair away from her neck. He chose a spot, just below the skull, and gently inserted the syringe under h skin. Bryce shuddered, but didn't wake up. Micah pulled out the syringe and put it back in the bedside drawer. Then he picked up his phone.

It took the chip a while to connect to the phone, but eventually the location information appeared. Now Micah would know immediately if Bryce tried to escape. The chip was programmed to alert if Bryce left a certain area.

Micah put his phone on the bedside table and slipped back between the sheets. He had at least another hour of rest and could use it well. Micah pulled Bryce against him, making sure his scent caught on. If he told Hunt to visit the house, he would do well to remember whose Bryce was.

Bryce's body was warm and soft against Micah's. He wrapped his arms around Bryce's waist and spread a wing over her.

He pressed a light kiss to the spot where the chip to Bryce was.

Bryce wouldn't need to know that Micah was following his every move. After all, Bryce was his.

*****

Bryce's places ached. She scratched her itchy neck as she lay in the warm water. The sun was shining outside, casting its rays on Bryce's pinkish bath water. She had opened the small bathroom window as soon as she thought she could get up.

Micah certainly hadn't let her go easy the night before. Bryce had had a stupid and sudden thought to throw himself into trouble. There was really nothing in the background other than annoying Micah. And subconsciously hoping that Micah would get tired of their constant fight and leave Bryce alone.

It had proved to be a vain hope. When Bryce finally ran out of fighting spirit, she had just still and let Micah get his pleasure. By the time Bryce had stopped fighting, Micah's grip had become gentler.

Bryce felt horrible. Her body had failed her. Brcye had never screamed in pain and pleasure. Had never complained of pain and longing.

Bryce's mind had been screaming how wrong it all was. Her mind had tried to remind her body that she didn't want Micah's hands on her skin. No Him Inside her. But Bryce's body had longed for touch. Longed for a mixture of pleasure and pain, which was a completely new feeling for Bryce.

She had had good and bad sex. The human men had never made her feel such pleasure as some of the vanir that Bryce had taken home over the years.

Micah, the centuries-old archangel, was a chapter of his own.

Bryce pulled her knees against her chest and rested her chin on them. The bruises had already healed. The skin was pristinely perfect again. Bryce watched the water mixed with bath salts to relieve the ache between her legs.

However, the water wasn't enough to wash Bryce's guilt away. If she ever escaped Micah, Bryce had a hard time imagining that she would be able to let any male touch her anymore.

Connor's picture flashed through Bryce's mind. Bryce's heart ached when she thought of a wolf. Bryce had spent the past two weeks trying to avoid thinking about anyone from the Pack of Devils. She didn't think about her parents. Fuck. The thinking of Rhun and his stupid friends upset her so much that it was a miracle that she didn't curl up on the floor in a fetal position every time and cry.

Every tear shed was in vain. Bryce just had to figure out a way to escape. Which was easier said than done. She hadn't found any more stairs or doors leading to a new place.

Micah also now kept the balcony door locked, after Bryce's escape attempt. Bryce was literally a prisoner in Micah's childhood home. It's a miracle that the angel didn't chain her to bed yet.

It was probably the next step if Bryce managed to get on Micah's nerves properly.

Bryce sighed and rubbed her eyes. She was tired, which was no wonder, since she had stayed up most of the night, fighting with the archangel. She wonder how many people could say they punched Micah in the face and survived?

Bryce got up from the bathtub and pulled the plug off the bottom. As the water seeped down the drain, Bryce dried herself dream soft towel before wrapping her white dressing gown around her.

On the back of the dressing gown there were places for angel wings. That, too, had once belonged to Micah's mother. For lack of alternatives, Bryce had appropriated all the clothes that once belonged to Mrs. Domitus. Shirts, dresses, pants and skirts fit Bryce relatively well. Panties went too, but the problem was the bra.

They were too small and after Micah broke Bryce's own sports bra, Bryce had to settle for being without it.

Micah had already seen Bryce naked and Hunt...well, he visited so rarely that Bryce didn't care much what he saw. Or did not see.

There was no cheering in Bryce's social contacts in the current situation. First there was Micah, who coveted the power of the Horn and Bryce's body. And then there was Hunt... who had kidnapped Bryce and put her in this situation.

Nevertheless, Hunt was the more tolerable of the two evils.

He had visited twice now. On a previous visit, he had brought Bryce a daily newspaper and birth control pills, which had made Bryce feel much easier. She did not want to repeat her mother's story. It would be an irony of fate if Bryce became pregnant by Micah. Bryce had already noticed how possessive Micah behaved, and it was no longer just Horn. In Micah's eyes, Bryce belonged to him.

"Alpahole," Bryce said to her empty bedroom as she while harping to the bookcase. She pulled one romantic book off the shelf. Behind it, Bryce had hidden the birth control pill. After Bryce pushed one into his mouth, she changed the place of the jar. Now it was behind the detective story. Although Bryce didn't believe Micah didn't mean to get her pregnant, Bryce still wanted to find out how Angel would react to the pills.

Bryce's stomach gurged. She sighed, unable to remember the last time she had eaten properly. Bryce didn't get proper exercise while here and so rarely had an appetite, that it would be a miracle that even now she could get more down her throat than a couple of pieces of fruit.

Bryce wandered into the kitchen and after searching for a while, she found a bag of tangerines in the back of the fridge. After peeling the fruit, Bryce wandered through the house to the living room, the windows of which gave out to the sea.

It was beautiful weather and Bryce wished she could step out on the balcony to enjoy the fresh air. Instead, she sat down in one of the sinking armchairs, absentmindedly wondering if she could find clear liquor behind the bar counter in the corner.

Liquor or something else with alcohol could wash away all Bryce's guilt and hopelessness. And she didn't think it was a bad idea at all to empty her captor's wine cellar.

Bryce was immersed in this when she noticed movement from the balcony. Bryce looked up and noticed Hunt swearing with the lock. Bryce felt relieved that it was his assassin instead of Micah.

When the door finally swung open, Bryce took a deep breath of fresh air from outside.

"Do you have the latest gossip for me?”Bryce asked as the gray-winged angel entered the cool living room. Hunt said nothing, as he tossed the daily paper on the table in front of Bryce and stride towards the bar.

"Isn't that a little early?”Bryce asked as Hunt dug out a bottle of clear liquor from behind the counter. It's as if she hasn't really considered doing the same thing herself. Hunt sipped straight out of the bottle before answering:"I've stayed up all night because a couple of shapeshifters clashed and shredded an entire block. And then Micah orders me here first thing in the morning, without letting me sleep at all,” Hunt complained and drank more of his master's liquor.

"Oh," Bryce smiled, opening the front page of the magazine. Normally she didn't read magazines, but due to the lack of a phone, she had to make do with what was available. "How bad is the situation?" she asked, as if in passing, as she examined the front page of the paper.

Hunt sighed heavily, slouch onto the couch. He sipped some more liquor before banging the whole bottle on the table and saying:“The whole incident could have been avoided if Pack of Devils did their job."

Bryce slowly looked up from the leaf and focused her eyes on Hunt, who in turn had closed his own eyes. He seemed to have fallen asleep upright. And clearly didn't notice Bryce's expression.

"Woe to you poor angels,” Bryce couldn't keep the mockery out of her voice, “when you really have to do something for once."

She reached over the coffee table and grabbed a bottle of liquor that Hunt had snatched. Bryce gulped it into her own mouth and, encouraged by the liquor, blurted out: "Has it occurred to you that the Pack of Devils might not be able to concentrate on their work because their important friend has been kidnapped?"

Bryce gulped more liquor down her throat and opened the magazine, beginning to examine its inside pages with great gestures.

Hunt opened his eyes. Bryce saw with a side-eye how Hunt corrected his posture, the color gradually escaping his face. "I..." He began, but then fell silent. Swearing, he pulled himself a bottle of liquor and swallowed probably half of the remaining clear liquid down his throat.

He wiped his mouth into his sleeve before trying again:"Why are there no clothes for you?"

Bryce couldn't help but chuckle out loud. When she closed the leaf and turned to look at Hunt, she noticed the angel's gaze fixed on her bare legs. "Because Micah's mother's bra doesn't fit me," Bryce said sweetly. Liquor may have been part of the culprit in terms of the answer.

Hunt's face flushed and he suddenly moved his gaze away from Bryce's bare legs. Bryce chuckled low and opened the newspaper again. Behind it she said innocently: “Carefully, Hunt. I don't think your owner would like it if you tampered with his pet.” A bitter tone crept into Bryce's voice, which she was unable to suppress.

The angel heard it too, for when Bryce glanced at him quickly with a side-eye. Guilt flashed across Hunt's face. However, he only said, "I'm not that stupid."

Bryce laughed and turned the page of the newspaper. The newspaper stories weren't very interesting, but Bryce knew she would read it from cover to cover later. Twice. Just because it was her only link to the outside world.

"How are you?"

Bryce looked up in surprise at her newspaper and noticed Umbra Mortist watching the her. However, not in the way he looked at his prey. He looked at Bryce... carefully. Almost gently.

Bryce lowered her gaze back to the newspaper and shrugged her shoulders as indifferently as possible. "How so?" she asked, trying to pretend to be indifferent as well.

Hunt sighed. He looked at the bottle of liquor, as if considering drinking more, but then putting it on the table. "Where is the kitchen here?" he asked. "I need water."

Bryce put the open newspaper down on the coffee table and stood up, ignoring that the dressing gown barely covered her butt.

She gave Hunt a small smile and motioned for him to come after her. "Let me give you a tour of this godforsaken place, Hunt Athaler," Bryce said the best customer service in her voice she had learned while working for Jesiba.

Hunt's facial muscles twitched. “You could also tell where it is,” he remarked as Bryce headed toward the hallway. Bryce shrugged her shoulders. “I'm bored and," she showed the last pieces of her tangerine, "I want more to eat."

Hunt muttered something Bryce couldn't figure out until he followed her into the hallway. Bryce led her down the stairs and then to the right, to the door of the small kitchen. She walked through the doors confidently, with Hunt immediately following him.

Bryce directed her steps the same way she did to the fridge while Hunt found himself a glass in the cupboard.

Bryce shoved the last pieces of mandarin into his mouth before bending over to find more fruit.

"Is there anything to eat here but fruit?” Hunt asked by the sink after Bryce picked up an apple. Bryce slammed the refrigerator door shut, sinking her teeth into the green peel of the apple in the process.“On a guarantee," she said, mouth full. Hunt raised his other eyebrow.

He leaned his back on the sink and sipped water from his glass before saying: “Then why don't you eat properly?" Hunt asked.

Bryce was tempted to growl at the angel. One more alphahole. Great. "Because I'm trying to lose so much weight that I can escape through the window," She growled, and stuffed more apple into her mouth, even though it had lost its taste.

"I'm serious Quinlan," Hunt said, taking a firmer stance. As if he was preparing for battle. Bryce said nothing. She just sank his teeth into the apple again.

"Quinlan," Hunt said low and oppressively. “None of your business," Bryce said. She finished eating her apples and tossed the seed core on the countertop. She would take care of it later.

"Bryce," Hunt tried again, but Bryce ignored him. She wiggled her hair and headed towards the kitchen doors, flailing over her shoulder. "Maybe you should leave."

Bryce would at least leave. She would go back to her room and curl up in bed with a book.

Something exciting that wasn't lacking in action and maybe there should be a little bit in the book as well...a hand grabbed Bryce's wrist and stopped her.

For a moment, Bryce was completely frozen and then, she was overcome by primal rage. She ripped her wrists off Hunt's grasp, spun around, and grunted with gritted teeth: “Don't fucking touch me!"

Hunt took a step back, and raised his hands in the air, as if reassuring the wild animal. "Sorry," he said. "I didn't realize... sorry."

Hunt looked genuinely remorseful and that calmed Bryce down a bit. She was still willing to sink her teeth into the angel's throat if she even stroked Bryce again.

Bryce wrapped her arms around her and retreated to the kitchen doors. “I'm not hungry," Bryce muttered half aloud. "You'd do well to go."

"Quinlan..." Hunt began, but fell silent when he saw Bryce's expression. "Go now!" Bryce stepped aside in front of the doors. "I want to be alone."

Alone before Micah returns. Alone before Bryce would be deprived of choice again. To her horror, she again noticed tears stinging in her eyes.

Huht sighed before stepping towards the doors. He stopped at Bryce and said before leaving the kitchen: “Keep up your strength Bryce, no matter how hard it may seem. Eat properly."

Bryce snorted. Liquor and Micah's other alcoholic drinks sounded like a better option. Especially when..."I don't know how to cook."

Bryce glanced towards Hunt, who had stopped at the door. Their eyes met. Bryce was the first to look away. She heard the angel's wings flutter as if he was about to reach for her, but then remembered Bryce's recent reaction.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Hunt promised, then stepped out of the kitchen, leaving Bryce alone. Bryce listened to the angel's distant footsteps until she was sure the male was gone.

That's when Bryce allowed herself to fall to the floor. The coldness of the stone floor bit into Bryce's bare legs, making her tremble even more.

At least one thing had become clear. Bryce snuggled up as small as she could. At the wedding, her pressed her head to her knees. Bryce could no longer stand the touch of others.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8  

Bryce noticed the passage of time as she reached for the last contraceptive pill from the bottom of her pill jar.  

The attention made her stiffen. As Bryce slowly took her hand out of the jar and looked at the small, innocent pill in the palm of her hand that had kept her sane during these weeks, Bryce almost burst into tears.  

She almost had the similary attack as a few days ago when Bryce's period had started. Bryce had just cried on the toilet floor in relief, because she wasn't pregnant, and that the start of her period just meant that she had been here longer than she had imagined.  

Because she wasn't pregnant and the onset of her period just meant that she had been here longer than she had imagined, but it wasn't until she started her period that she realized the month had really changed.  

Summer was slowly and inexorably turning into autumn. Bryce had subconsciously noticed that the air had cooled from stiflingly hot to more bearable, but after that one incident Bryce had been so numb that he could scarcely notice anything but Hunt's visits.  

Sometimes Bryce was downright embarrassed when she examined her body that she didn't have a single scar during the three days Micah had beaten her. Regularly.  

Bryce shivered whenever the memory of those three days tied to the bed came back to her. Micah had deigned to heal her only after Bryce's tear ducts had wept blood.  

Bryce didn't know how bad it had looked when Micah finally let her go. She just remembered how Micah had carried her to the bathroom and how again the archangel's grip had changed from violent to tender. Bryce couldn't say whether it was more humiliating to be beaten or then let her abuser wash and heal himself.  

Bryce had simply leaned numbly on the edge of the tub and allowed Micah to apply healing water to her devastated body. Broken ribs, broken collarbone, Bryce broken legs...and Micah had only said that next time she would not be so merciful.  

Bryce had laughed bitterly, even though it sounded more like a cry of pain at the time. "Merciful?" she had groaned as tears mixed with blood had flowed down her face. "Do you think this is merciful?"  

Even three days of pain, humiliation and abuse hadn't overcome Bryce's stubbornness. She hadn't let Micah's power and the pain she caused extinguish the flame of rage that Bryce cherished inside. It allowed Bryce to get out of bed every morning. With the force of her rage, planning revenge, he could face herself in the morning after Micah had left.  

Micah had propped Bryce's head in his hand and lifted it gently. “Next time, dear," he had said, caressing Bryce's broken, still tender cheekbone, “You pray for death. If I even let you scream."  

A small sadistic smile had risen on Micah's lips before he pressed a soft kiss to Bryce's forehead. "And I'll make sure you're conscious the whole time."  

Bryce had closed her eyes and only sighed in response. She really hadn't been conscious the whole time Micah had beaten her.  

She think it was the hundredth time that Bryce fainted. The next time Brycen understood anything, she lay between the soft sheets, head against the archangel's chest. He had wrapped his wings around Bryce, than to make sure Bryce wouldn't go anywhere until Micah allowed it.  

That was another confusing thing. Was it worse to be raped or wake up the next morning in the arms of a rapist? And to know that one wrong move and you have to go through it again?  

That was a few weeks ago. Bryce looked at the pill in the palm of her hand. She had eaten birth contraceptive pills like candy after three days of torture. Anything less would have been enough, but Bryce couldn't bear even the slightest chance that he could get her pregnant.  

Bryce didn't know how easy it would be for her. Of course, the fea side would complicate the matter, but...Because of her human side, it would probably be easier for her. Bryce suddenly pushed the pill into her mouth.  

Hopefully, Hunt will visit later in the day. She would once again be able to act as Bryce's saving angel and bring her more pills. Bryce didn't know why Hunt visited so often, or why she felt obligated to take care of her. Maybe it was guilt. Hunt, according to Bryce's information, did not know exactly what Micah was doing to her, but clearly mere guesswork made Hunt feel guilty.  

Bryce didn't complain. It felt good when someone took care. Although Bryce still had a somewhat negative attitude towards Hunt...he was the only one of Bryce's social contacts who hadn't tried to take advantage of her or hurt her.  

Hunt was safe. That was absurd to Bryce. How could anyone consider Umbra Mortis safe?  

But for Bryce, Hunt meant security.  

Maybe she slowly become crazy around alone in this big house. Perhaps her mind was desperately trying to find something else for Bryce to think about other than Micah. His cold fingers and quiet, painful words, under the influence of which Micah had slowly but surely begun to shatter Bryce's hope of getting away someday.  

Or, in other words, get out of the big house as something other than Micah's property.   

Bryce had been very successful in rejecting these words, but now...they quietly gnawed at her mind and subconscious. They made nests of doubt that Bryce felt in her mind as an echo.  

"I've been wondering if Danika would even be able to look at you the same way anymore if you got away?" Micah had muttered in Bryce's ear while caressing the words tattooed on her back. "Would anyone in that pack of dogs be able to touch you anymore without remembering that you were whoring at the archangel?"  

Empty, stupid words. Bryce assured herself. But when they were repeated enough times in different forms, Bryce was already mentally exhausted... The echo remained.  

Sometimes Micah's voice would creep into Bryce's mind as she tried to relax and began asking her questions that Bryce didn't want to answer. "Are you enjoying yourself? Do you feel sorry for yourself?"  

Small, but even more dangerous questions. Questions that always upset Bryce.  

Hunt was a great distraction. While talking to him, Micah's grip on Bryce seemed to loosen.  

It was just an illusion. Micah had a firm grip on both of them. Hunt was Micah's slave and Bryce... was a prisoner of Micah. Perhaps Bryce was attracted to Hunt because of that. They were in the same life situation. In the sick, worst way, they were in a similar situation.  

Both victims of the whims of a sadistic archangel. Hunt killed and Bryce whored.  

That's just a good team.  

Bryce sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed, while tucking a jar of pills under her pillow. And none too soon.  

Bryce felt him before she saw him. A cold, drowning power that wrapped around her like invisible fingers. And then Bryce felt the right fingers caressing her hair. Micah said, "What are you thinking, dear?"  

Bryce tilted her head, trying to pull her hair out of the archangel's grasp. Micah was becoming possessive. He had already locked Bryce in his home, but previously it had only been due to Luna's horn tattooed on her back. Now... Bryce's fingernails pressed against the flesh of her palm.  

Micah wanted her. Her body. Her plea.  

Bryce had noticed a slight change in Micah's behavior towards her. Even that incident from a couple of weeks ago may have mostly been due to the fact that Micah had smelled Hunt in Bryce.  

Since then, things had only gotten worse. Although, Bryce pointed out to herself, Micah hadn't hit her. It said a lot about Bryce's life situation that it felt like a victory.  

"I realized how much time has passed," Bryce muttered in response. She absentmindedly fingered the sleeve of his white dressing gown. Micah chuckled and tugged painfully at Bryce's hair.  

Bryce startled and sprang upright, breaking free from the archangel's grasp. She backed away a couple of steps, glare the angel. Micah lay shirtless on Bryce's bed, looking at her through the eyes of a predator. Wings hung lazily over the edge of the bed.  

"Isn't there anything better to do than bully me?” Bryce asked tensely and crossed her arms to her chest. Micah tilted his head, causing his blonde hair to swing. Bryce had long since stopped finding Micah attractive, even though his face was still one of the most beautiful she had seen.  

"I so like your bullying," Micah hummed and got up flexibly from the bed. In one leap, he stepped in front of Bryce, and Bryce found herself instinctively backing away.  

Micah noticed this and wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her still. "You've been so tense the last few days,” Micah muttered and stuck his fingers into Bryce's hair. He tilted Bryce's head, forcing Bryce to stare directly into the archangel's dark brown eyes.  

"You could relax,” he continued, stroking Bryce's cheek. Bryce restrained her desire to spit in Micah's face. "Pardon your grace," Bryce hissed. "It could be more successful if you weren't constantly revolving around me."  

Micah raised his second perfect eyebrow. His grip on Bryce's face tightened. "Can I make you so tense, dear?”He thought aloud. Bryce swallowed. She knew how to keep fear out of her scent because she had a long career under Jesiba and dealt with varying degrees of alphahole.  

The only problem was that Bryce was unable to tell Micah to let go, telling him to Jesiba turn him into some animal.No. Here the highest power and decision-making power was held by Micah.  

Bryce didn't answer any of the archangel's question. She defiantly met Micah's cold eyes, which showed a hint of amusement.  

"I guess it yes," Micah chuckled.  

"Go to hell!" Bryce quipped and took a conscious step away, trying to break free of Micah's grasp. However, the archangel followed, his grip on Bryce tightening.  

"I don't like it when you don't answer me,” Micah said and flicked the red hair away from Bryce's face.  

Bryce jerked her head violently in the other direction, getting Micah's fingers off her skin. Micah growled. Brycen sensed the danger, but as on many other occasions, the reaction time was not enough.  

First, Bryce stood near the window, with Micah's hand on her waist, next she was pressed against the wall and Micah squeezed both of his wrists in his left hand. Bryce groaned in pain, feeling a strong grip on her hands.  

Micah's right hand grabbed a handful of Bryce's hair and yanked them face to face. "I don't like when you don't answer me," he said again.  

Bryce felt that she was a teaching child who was disciplined by a parent after misbehaving.  

She hated it.  

"But I did," Bryce replied sweetly, flashing Micah a smile. The blow was quick, precise and humiliating. Micah's knuckles hit Bryce's cheek and her head slammed to the side, a wave of pain passing through her body  

So much for that, for momentary victory.  

Bryce had to swallow a couple of extra times before she could turn her gaze back to Micah. The archangel's expression was cold. She still pressed Bryce's wrists against the wall, painfully, using more force than she needed to.  

"I don't like it when you don't answer me,” Micah said quietly, gently rubbing her aching cheek with his knuckles. Bryce pursed her lips together and tried to rip her wrist off Micah's grasp. It felt almost like trying to fight a statue. Micah's wings were raised, casting a dark, dangerous shadow over Bryce.  

"Bryce," Micah said reproachfully and pressed his palm against Bryce's cheek, paraphrasing its form. "I don't like it when you don't answer me."  

"Alphahole," Bryce snorted and turned her head away. She had the energy to fight that morning. Some mornings she could barely get up. The mornings when Bryce had time to fight were even less frequent.  

Another blow. At the same time on the cheek.  

Bryce tasted an iron in her mouth. Her lip was cracked. "I don't enjoy hurting you," Micah sighed and swept away the trail of blood running down Bryce's chin with her thumb.  

Bryce snorted when she heard the obvious lie. “You just don't enjoy being damaged to your property," she muttered. Micah chuckled. Hänen peukalonsa painui Brycen alahuulta vasten. Bryce was tempted to bite the archangel, but as a result, Bryce lay on the bed behind them in air chains in no time.  

As if Micah had read her thoughts, the angel hummed: "Behave like a good girl Bryce, and we'll both be spared unpleasant things."  

He said it as if hurting Bryce was actually uncomfortable for him. Maybe it was. Micah enjoyed Bryce's beauty and didn't like to spoil Bryce's perfect skin.  

Bryce swallowed but muttered, despite her anger, "Yes, Micah."  

A self-righteous smile appeared on Micah's face. His lips touched Bryce's. Bryce felt the tip of the angel's tongue sweep her cracked lip. She closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe calmly. “I like it when you say my name,” he muttered when he finally let her go.  

Bryce didn't move anywhere by the wall. She just wrapped her arms around her and pressed herself against the wallpaper while watching Micah leave the room.  

"I have meetings," he said over his shoulder, "I'll be back in a few days, dear. Be nice."  

Bryce muttered a response that made Micah grin viciously before he walked out of Bryce's room.  

Bryce didn't move until she was sure the angel was gone.  

That's when she let her feet fail. Bryce collapsed on the floor. She rubbed her cheek, which she knew would form a bruise. A lonely tear flowed down Bryce's cheek. Bryce couldn't swipe it away.  

****  

Hunt Athalar had suffered from guilt for the past two hundred years. Rebellion and the death of Shahrai had tormented him for centuries. The killings he had committed at the behest of the archangels haunted him. Torture, blood, death had been his companions for a very long time.  

For a long time, he had not felt obliged to take care of anyone besides himself after Shahar's death. After Shahar, she didn't think she could feel connected to anyone. And still... Bryce Quinlan.  

At first, Hunt visited Bryce on Micah's orders. Then there is guilt. He had asked permission to take Bryce the food and Micah had agreed, after Hunt had pointed out that Bryce was not eating properly. However, Hunt speculated that if Bryce deliberately tried to starve himself, Micah would probably tie her to a chair and force food down her throat.  

So far, Hunt had managed to persuade Bryce to eat. Still, he noticed that she had lost weight. She had been healthier before that incident three weeks ago. There had been a small spark of light in Bryce's eyes then, despite the situation.  

It had been gone when Hunt finally dared to return to the house, without fear of Micah's wrath. Bryce had looked miserable. In three weeks, she had regained only some of her former energy.  

Hunt had mentally whipped himself when he found Bryce in that state. After all, he was to blame for her situation.  

Hunt's visits had become almost daily. Micah didn't know how often Hunt visited Bryce. The archangel believed that Hunt would visit the house once a week, making sure Bryce did anything to herself in the meantime, when Micah was too busy with his duties as governor.  

Hunt had made it a habit to fly to the house first thing in the morning, or early afternoon, while making sure not to accidentally bump into Micah. At the house, slowly but surely, they had developed a routine with Bryce.  

Depending on the time of day, Hunt made Bryce either breakfast or hot food. At first, Hunt had been left alone in the kitchen. Then, little by little, Bryce had started spending time with him. She sat quietly at the dining table and watched Hunt cook. It wasn't until a week and a half ago that they had started talking.  

Carefree stuff. Hunt had told her where he had learned to cook, and Bryce said something about her university freakouts. They had laughed together as they teased each other. However, the fun was overshadowed by a threat. The memory of what happened when they had drifted too close together. Hunt did not know how Micah had punished Bryce, but he had been ordered by the archangel to murder three men very brutally. The torture had to continue all night and well into the next day. Hunt had been mentally a wreck ever since.  

But he feared Bryce's punishment had been worse. Micah hadn't been to the Comitium for three days and when he finally returned, cruel satisfaction shone on his face.  

They didn't talk about it. They didn't even mention what happened in a passing sentence.  

They didn't talk about how Hunt had found Bryce and how Bryce had curled up in Hunt's arms and cried hysterically. They didn't talk about it when Bryce vomited and Hunt held her hair.  

They didn't discuss the first time Hunt cooked Bryce breakfast. They especially didn't talk about it when Micah found them on the couch. Bryce had fallen asleep against Hunt's shoulder, and Hunt didn't have the heart to move aside.  

After that, it took five days for Hunt to dare to return to Bryce. And now it had become a habit. But no touches were allowed. That was something they had both learned in the worst possible way. Micah treated Quinlan like his mistress. Or property. And Hunt had gone to tamper with that property. He had dared to hold Bryce tenderly as she sobbed in his arms and screamed confused words.  

At first it had been on Micah's orders and later on guilt. Now, as Hunt stood in the kitchen and broke eggs in the pan, he realized he longed for Bryce's company. It was ten o'clock. Micah had arrived at the Comitium an hour ago and told Hunt to visit Bryce over the next couple of days, while he himself was at work.  

Hunt had made sure Micah was fortified in his study before flying to the house at record speed.  

Bryce slept for a long time in the mornings or she lay in the bath for many hours. Hunt understood why Bryce did that. Wasn't he himself lying under a hot shower for hours after the murders? The desire to wash sins of oneself was overwhelming.  

Hunt had just moved the bacon onto a plate when the kitchen door opened. Bryce limped in, red hair covering half of the female's face. "Good morning, Hunt," Bryce greeted in a hoarse voice. That's how Hun knew it was a rough night.  

Bryce was once again wearing that cursed dressing gown with Bryce's beautiful long legs peeking out from underneath. Hunt didn't realize he was staring until Bryce snorted: "Is there something special about my legs?” he asked teasingly, and Hunt felt his face flush. He quickly turned his gaze back to the frying pan, trying to pretend he hadn't been staring.  

"Good morning to you, Bryce," he greeted hastily. Bryce chuckled hoarsely and limped to the dining table. She sat down with a heavy sigh and rested her head on the palm of her hand, remaining to watch Hunt cook.  

It was quiet for a while. The only sounds came from Hunt moving the frying pan. "I need more contraceptive pills," Bryce suddenly burst out.  

Hunt looked over his shoulder and saw Bryce examining the surface of the table, looking embarrassed. She followed the patterns on the surface of the table with her finger. Her hair almost completely covered her face.  

"All right," Hunt said after a long silence. He asked no more. Bryce never talked about her relationship with Micah.  

Bryce's shoulders relaxed and she lifted her eyes from the kitchen table to smile at Hunt. Hunt replied with a smile before turning back to the hot frying pan. "What's up with the city?” Bryce asked as Hunt turned around and handed the breakfast plate to Bryce, who began eating voraciously. Clearly not the worst night Bryce had had. On those mornings, Bryce barely nibbled at her food.  

Hunt sat down across from Bryce and dangle his wings over the back of the chair. "Your disappearance will finally be taken seriously," he said. Bryce's chewing jaws stopped. She slowly raised her whiskey-colored gaze to Hunt, or well, Hunt only saw one eye.  

A red curtain of hair covered one side of Bryce's face. Quinlan swallowed awkwardly before asking, "How?"  

Hunt shrugged and sighed heavily. "Outsiders who knew about it started taking it seriously when you didn't show up within a month. Sabine still insists that you disappeared just as a joke and histrionics. Aux believes otherwise. Feas have already begun to explore... what happened then."  

Hunt had to interrupt himself when memories of that day came back to him. He knew that no evidence could lead to him. Micah had taken care of that. If Bryce's disappearance could be linked to Hunt for sure, it wouldn't be long before Micah was under the radar as well.  

"What about wolves? No matter what Sabine said." Bryce asking. Hunt leaned his back against the chair, answering: “Some of the wolves have started listening to Danika. A few help feas study footage from that day. They haven't found anything incriminating but...” Hunt waved his hand. "You can see from the footage that it has been tampered with. As it spread inside Aux, more and more interest in the case began. And then Jesiba Rouga started scene."  

Hunt sighed as he recalled the heads of the city meeting a few days ago. Micah had remained calm and bored-looking for most of the meeting. He didn't tease Danika, who stared murderously at the governor across the room.  

The meeting was halfway through. The Serpent Queen was about to recount a couple of murders in her part of town when Jesiba abruptly interrupted her.  

"So you have time to investigate the murders of whores, but not the resources to look for my secretary,” sorceress had interrupted the Serpent Queen impatiently before turning to look at Micah. The archangel had kept his face expressionless when the sorceress said: "Bryce Quinlan has been missing for a month now. I have asked Aux if the matter has been investigated and I have been told that he disappeared herself. However," Jesiba leaned against the back of her chair and continued: "However, I have heard from a reliable source that security camera footage from that day was tampered with, the apartment was mangled and the doorman was unconscious. Why is there no further investigation?”  

The whole room was silent. Hunt had been standing by the wall, observing the situation. Even Micah's wing feather hadn't vibrated when he said: "Why are you bringing it up now, Jesiba?"   

The Autumn King had glanced at Jesibah suspiciously, then glanced at his son and finally at Sabine. “What is Rouga talking about?” he had asked. Rhun had simply folded his arms on his chest and glanced towards Hunt so murderously that Hunt had guessed the fea prince knew. Fuck.  

Danika had leaned stiffly against the wall and stared at the back of Sabine's head as the wolf's shoulders had stiffened.  

"Bryce Quinlan's disappearance is just a silly, over dramatic trick that that whore is begging for attention with," Sabine had grumbled.  

It seemed to demand a lot from Danika not to attack her mother. Rhun had bared his teeth and grunted lowly. Even Hunt had to make an effort, so as he not to attack Sabine.  

The fact that the wolf called Bryce a whore, not knowing what kind of situation Quinlan was in, made Hunt furious.  

Micah's face was unexplored. But Hunt could have sworn he saw the rage flashing in his eyes. Micah considered Bryce his own and despite what the angel did to the female...Vanir were possessive. Sabine didn't know she was playing a dangerous game when she insulted Quinlan in front of the archangel.  

"Why hasn't the 33rd Legion heard of this?" Micah asked, making a move that left Danika and Rhun confused. The move also made Sabine's cheeks blush, but she said nonetheless: “Because there's nothing to investigate," she had quipped.  

"Isn't it?" Micah asked, raising his other eyebrow. Hunt had noticed how Danika and Rhun had glanced at each other. They didn't seem to understand what Micah was trying to do with his words. Except, perhaps, to destabilize Sabine's position and turn doubts away from herself.  

Hunt suspected something in between. Sabine's behavior had annoyed Micah and he retaliated by making Sabine look irresponsible.  

The Autumn King stared at Sabine piercingly as he asked: “What haven't I been told?"   

Rhun cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the heads of city to himself. As he spoke, Rhun stared at Danika. “According to Danika's account, when she and her pack arrived at their home, Danika and Bryce's home, the apartment looked like it was fighting. The doorman was unconscious and the footage has been tampered with, which is why there is no trace of it, that someone had gone in or come out,” Rhun explained, and Danika nodded firmly, confirming Rhun's account. It was the first time Hunt had seen the two agree on something.  

After that, it had been quiet in the meeting room for a long time. Finally, the Autumn King had asked in a low voice: "You have implied Sabine that a member of my house has disappeared herself. Why has this information not been provided to me immediately?”  

All eyes were on Sabine. Sabine's expression had been closed and hostile, as she explored her surroundings, as if looking for an escape. Danika was the one who spoke, "You deliberately ignored Bryce's case."  

Hunt had watched as the situation had slowly taken a turn for the worse. Sabine's position in the eyes of other head of city had deteriorated. Micah had sat calmly behind his desk while the other head of city attacked Sabine with their words.  

When the meeting ended, Sabine marched out with anger, leaving her daughter to represent the wolves alone.Danika's grandfather had not been there.  

Now more attention had been paid to the case. So much so that Sabine was scolded on social media for sloppy investigation of the case. When the details of Bryce's disappearance leaked out, all sympathy trickled down to Quinlan.  

Bryce was now properly searched, although few believed that Bryce would be found alive after such a long time. That was another reason Sabine had fallen out of favor. Some even suspected that Sabine had something to do with it.  

Perhaps less attention would have been paid to Bryce's disappearance if she hadn't been Danika Fendyr's roommate. And Rhun Danaan's cousin. And, or at least many forums believed so, Connor Holstrom's girlfriend. As far as Hunt knew, they were just going on their first date.  

The month-old demon attack case was also brought up. Everyone in town knew that Bryce had been the victim of the attack and now that she had disappeared. Speculation had quickly arisen. The matter was discussed online, and some brave people had expressed suspicion that the case had been treated with indifference because Bryce was a demi-fea.  

It was brave to post on social media, under ther own name, criticism of the head of city.  

Hunt had watched all of this from the sidelines, feeling a blunt pain inside. All this observation and search would not bear fruit. Eager online detectives and Aux had no hope of finding Bryce.  

For she sat before Hunt, in a white dressing gown far from everyone, hidden in a large house where Micah had turned a prison for the female.  

Hunt was forced to admit that Micah's move had been smart.If anyone of high profile, or anyone at all, were suspected of Bryce's disappearance, it would be Sabine. With all the attention on the wolf, Micah could do anything to Bryce behind the gods' backs.  

"What are you thinking?" Bryce's hoarse question stirred Hunt out of his thoughts. He noticed Quinlan staring at his sharply with her amber-colored eyes. Hunt moved uncertainly, then shook his head. "There's a lot going on,”he finally said when Bryce's gaze didn't stop. "I just think..." Hunt swallowed. Bryce looked at him with an indecipherable expression on her face.  

"Sorry."  

The word escaped Hunt's lips before he could stop it. Bryce's gaze lifted up at him in confusion. Her mouth was a little ajar, as if she didn't believe what Hunt had just said.  

For a moment, the two of them just sat quietly opposite each other, as if deliberately considering the situation. Finally, Bryce spoke. "You know I never blamed you?"  

Bryce's confession surprised Hunt. Hunt had blamed himself and assumed Bryce did the same. But the stunningly beautiful demi-fea claimed that this was not the case. “But..." Hunt didn't know how to continue the sentence, so he closed his mouth and just stayed to look at Bryce's face.  

Bryce smiled slightly. "You are... my friend."  

That's what Hunt least expected, but Bryce hadn't finished yet and Hunt let her finish speaking.  

"You are my only ally and the kind face I have here. Maybe...” Bryce turned her gaze to collect herself. “You are his victim as I am," she said. Her eyes gleamed. "I don't have anything but ... I have nothing but you Hunt."  

Huntin sydän särkyi. Hän kurotti pöydän yli ja tarttui Brycen käsiin. Ne olivat pienet ja pehmeät hänen suurissa, arpisissa käsissään. Hunt ei ollut näin lähellä Bryce kolmeen viikkoon. Hänen käsiensä piteleminen tuntui intiimiltä ja luvattomalta. Hunt työnsi mielestään ajatukset siitä, mitä Micah tekisi, jos hän näkisi tämän.  

"I'm sorry," Hunt said again. Bryce shook her head. "Don't apologize," she said, sounding tired. "Micah is the one who should..."  

But Hunt did not hear the end of the sentence. Bryce's hair had moved so that an ugly, swollen bruise had been revealed underneath it. Seeing it made Hunt's stomach contort. "Bryce..." He whispered and it made her stop talking.  

Bryce noticed what Hunt was looking at and suddenly raised her hand to cover her cheek. It first caused the knot in Hunt's stomach to tighten and then rage flared up inside him. “Will he hit you?" Hunt asked slowly, staring at Bryce's cheek.  

Quinlan's expression was anxious. But when she answered, the voice was steady. "This isn't even bad."  

Hunt's anger flared up again, but he was careful not to squeeze Bryce's hands too tightly. Bryce behaved like any other female in an abusive relationship. She was ashamed of her injuries.  

"Come on, Bryce," Hunt grumbled. "Will Micah hit you?"  

He knew the answer. Hunt should have guessed this sooner. Bryce was one hell of a stubborn female. Of course, Micah would abuse a female if she didn't obey.  

Hunt's guilt took on a new form.It was now mixed with a good dose of self-loathing. He had brought Bryce here.  

"Bryce," Hunt began, though he didn't know what to say. However, he did not have time to come up with it, as the kitchen door flew open.  

Micah's expression when he saw Hunt squeezing Bryce's hand across the table reflected freezing rage.  

However, his voice was calm when he asked: “What should I think about this?"  

*****  

Ember Quinlan closed the lid of her laptop. She rubbed her forehead as she felt the beginning of a pounding headache. She had spent more than three hours online, on various forums where she spread information about her daughter's disappearance. After Jesiba Rouga's intervention, the news had surfaced. A month too late, people began to take an interest in Bryce's disappearance.  

Ember's concerns were now received and she had had a couple of conversations online with people who offered emotional support. Ember didn't think anything would help her calm down. Only when she got her girl back could Ember breathe freely.  

She put her laptop down on the floor and pressed her hands to her eyes. Long time in front of the computer, neck in bad position in a dark room did not do good for Ember's tired brain. Sleeping was almost impossible. She stayed up most of the night, obsessively wondering where her little girl was. Ember refused to think that Bryce was dead. She would have known if her daughter had died. Ember had said the same to Randal after they had slept in bed.  

Bryce is not dead. Ember felt it in her bones.  

Ember was ready to kill, move mountains, and destroy any obstacles in her path if she could get Bryce back.Ember had already killed her daughter for it. She would do anything for her daughter.  

Ember sighed and leaned her head on the back of the sofa, looking at the shadows of the ceiling in the light coming from the street. The sun had set on Ember as she scrolled through her computer and went through her email. If anyone had seen Bryce. Not even a glimpse. But whoever had taken Bryce kept Ember's daughter hidden.  

Sometimes Ember wondered if she should resist even more when Bryce announced she was moving to Lunathion. If he had resisted more, all these horrible things would not have happened. Didn't her own problems start after she moved to the city. Once she left her home behind and came to Crescent city to study. By his nineteen-year-old, Ember had been wild and naive. She had thought she knew what fear felt like.  

In reality, she had no idea about it. It wasn't until she escaped with Bryce in her womb from the Autumn King's villa that she knew what genuine fear felt like. She didn't know what the fea would have done to her if she had caught Ember that day.  

Before that, she had spent almost a week locked in his bedroom. Most of that time she had been naked. And all because she had wanted to meet one of her male friends. Possessive... what word did Bryce use?  

Ember smiled at the roof slightly. Alphahole. That's how Einar had been. Jealous, possessive, and ultimately violent.  

Ember's smile froze. She couldn't completely hate that time because she had got Bryce. And Ember loved Bryce. With the kind of rage that only mothers were capable of.  

And now Bryce was missing. Ember felt as if he had failed at his most important task. She sighed and rubbed her forehead again, feeling a new wave of headaches.  

Danika knew more than she said. Ember was sure of that. Danika had been like her own daughter to Ember ever since she found out Danika was Bryce's roommate. Danika had protected Bryce, even though Bryce occasionally got irritated by it. Ember trusted Danika. She trusted that the wolf knew what she was doing.  

She hoped Danika knew what he was doing. Ember didn't want to lose her other daughter.   

Danika had been upset for the past month. She hid it well, but Ember knew Danika. Something was bothering her. Guilt. Danika felt guilty for some reason. Ember had tried to get Danika to talk, but the wolf didn't talk much to her or Randall.  

Either she was at work or so tired that she went to bed as soon as she got home from work. Ember hadn't gotten a chance to quiz her properly.  

At that moment, Danika was somewhere with her flock and Rhun and her friends. Ember didn't know what they were doing, but believed it had to do with Bryce.  

Randall was on the shooting track venting his emotions. He had left a handgun on the coffee table and said Ember should not hesitate to use it if the situation demanded. Ember would not hesitate to kill for her own safety. She had had to learn a long time ago to leave that part of her morals off.  

Sometimes killing was the only way to survive.  

Next to the gun was a telephone. If anything alarming happened, Randall wanted Ember to call him without delay. Ember had only sighed at Randall's overprotective attitude. She had assured he that she could manage alone for a while.  

Ember rubbed her neck and straightened her legs on the couch. She closed her eyes and tried to get the headache under control. Long sleepless nights had only exacerbated the pain. The worry and stress didn't exactly make her feel better.  

Ember tried to breathe calmly. Maybe she could sleep on the couch for a while. She was so exhausted that it could succeed. Ember would be of no use in Bryce's search if she couldn't think because of her sleep deprivation.  

Ember forced herself to relax. Her body began to feel heavier by the moment. The eyelids were heavy. A moment of sleep and then she could continue looking for Bryce. Be that as it may, she could only do it on her laptop.  

Ember was almost asleep when a knock at the door woke her from her sleep. Ember sat up, rubbing her eyes. Who the heck was there? She glanced at the clock. It read eight o’clock. Perhaps Randall had forgotten the keys home. Or Danika was so tired that she couldn't open the door.  

The poor girl slept far too little. Ember got up from the couch and yawned towards the door. The knock sounded again. "I coming," Ember shouted when she finally got to the door.  

She grabbed the handle of the door, turned the lock, and swung the door open...to see a red-haired male behind it. Red-haired male with pointed fea ears, an overly perfect face, and cold amber-colored eyes aimed at Ember.  

For a moment, Ember couldn't move. She just squeezed the doorknob convulsively, staring at the fea's face, too shocked to move. The Autumn King's expression softened slightly as the corners of his mouth rose into a smile. "For a long time, Ember."  

He said Ember's name. He said it as if he owned her name.  

That made Ember's paralysis dissipate. “Get out!" she shouted, trying to close the door in front of Einar's face, but he prevented it by putting his foot in the doorway.  

“Come on, Ember,” The Autumn King snorted and grabbed the door with his other hand.All it took was a small push and Ember's grip on the handle came off. When the door opened, Ember retreated into the apartment with rage and fear raging inside her.  

The Autumn King stepped after her and closed the door, his red hair darkening in the twilight of the dwelling. He looked around, his hands in his jacket pocket, before his gaze returned to Ember.  

Ember was frozen between the kitchen and living room. Her hands were clenched into fists and her breathing had quickened. The Autumn King's gaze swept over Ember, estimating. He let his gaze rest on Ember's face. His smile widened a little.  

"What do you want?" Ember asked slowly, after assessing the situation for a moment. The Autumn King was not about to attack her, at least not immediately.  

The Autumn King did not answer immediately, but looked at the apartment. His gaze fell on the coffee table on which the handgun and phone were lying. From there, it moved to the floor, next to the sofa where Ember's laptop was lying.  

"Did I interrupt something?” he asked, returning his intense gaze to Ember. Ember lifted his chin up slightly. Conflicting emotions raged inside her. In front of this male, she felt that she was nineteen years old again, a confused young woman surrounded by an older male lurking. She was again the same scared girl who escaped. She had escaped, Ember reminded herself and straightened her back.  

She tried to relax his muscles, which proved difficult. “I was trying to sleep," she replied coolly. "And I'd appreciate it if you would get out and let me keep trying."  

The Autumn King raised one eyebrow. “Not sleeping well anymore?” he inquired, again looking at Ember in the faint light coming from the street. Ember gritted her teeth together as she replied: “My daughter has disappeared. And don't pretend you care. What do you want Einar?"  

Ember crossed her arms over her chest and glanced at the male in front of her, whose expression was serious. "I've missed that,” he muttered and took a step closer to Ember. A deliberate, slow step, as if knowing that if he moved fast, Ember would grab a gun from the coffee table and shoot him.  

Ember wished she was fast enough.  

"Get to the point," Ember hissed, backing off a step. The Autumn King tilted his head, causing his red hair to sway. Like a predator judging its prey. Ember's discomfort worsened.  

"I'm here to offer help," The Autumn King said, causing Ember to be confused. "Help?"  

The Autumn King nodded. Now, as he took a couple of steps closer to Ember, Ember didn't realize to back down. The fea's long fingers swept the back of the couch as he stopped in front of Ember.  

“I offer to help find Bryce," The Autumn King clarified. His breathing stirred Ember's open black hair. Ember swallowed despite her dry throat. She looked up at the Autumn king's face and met the male's amber-colored eyes.  

"Why?" Ember asked. “You never cared before. What's different?"  

The mouth of the Autumn King clenched into a tight line. “I learned that her disappearance was not... voluntary."  

Ember snorted and stepped past the Autumn King. "No way," she snorted. A hand clenched around Ember's wrist and yanked her back face to face with Einar.  

His face was no longer an uninterpreted mask. There was an impetuous expression on his face and an intense look in his eyes. When the male spoke, the words were quick and angry. “Why didn't you contact me as soon as you found out about Bryce's disappearance?"  

Ember rolled her eyes and tried to yank her wrists off the Autumn King's grasp. “Because it's none of your business,” Ember grunted and tried to free herself from Fea's grasp. It was like trying to fight a stone. The Autumn King's grip kept and prevented Ember from lunging at her weapon.  

"She's my daughter," The Autumn King yanked back and yanked Ember by the wrist in front of him. “You threw her out into the street at the age of thirteen, like she was rubbish!” Ember said back, trying to break free from fea's grasp.  

The Autumn King sighed, as if frustrated with Ember's words. “Don't be dramatic, Ember."  

Again, he said Ember's name as if he owned it. As if he still had some kind of right to her. That only made Ember even more angry. “Get out of this apartment and leave me and my family alone!"  

Ember aimed a kick at the Autumn King's crotch gap. No matter as hell, he was the king of fea. Ember would kill him. She just had to get her gun...  

Before Ember could even lift her leg properly, she had been pushed against the wall and the Autumn King squeezed her wrists on either side of her head. The fea's gaze was fixed on Ember's iron ring. He stared at it with a cold, jealous rage on his face.  

"It should have been ours," he growled. The king's grip on Ember's wrists tightened, causing her to scream in pain. “You should have stayed. Give birth to Bryce sheltered with me. You would both have been safer with me."  

Ember couldn't help but snort, despite her pain. "Come on. You didn't want children with me. Are you saying I was better than the sex slave you held captive in your villa?"  

For a moment, the Autumn King looked completely confused. Then that look was replaced by rage. Ember screamed again and tried to kick as the male's grip on her hands tightened.  

"I would have made you my queen," he grumbled. “You were my mate and I..."  

"Don't talk shit," Ember groaned and tried to break free from the Autumn King's grasp. “Twenty-three years and you're still grinding that same shit. I'm not your mate."  

The Autumn King looked like he wanted to hit Ember, as he did years ago on the day Ember had sneaked out of his villa to meet her friends. A friend in the group was a couple of boys that Einar had smelled. A quarrel had ensued, as a result of which the Autumn King had beaten her.  

The blow had been so hard that Ember had almost lost consciousness. She had felt blood running down her cheek. Shock prevented her from resisting when Einar had dragged her by the hair into the bedroom and...after that, Ember was determined to flee at the first opportunity.  

"You would have felt the bond if you had accepted it," The Autumn King argued. "I should have forced you to accept it. Everything would be better then."  

"Better?"Ember shouted. “How so better? I would still live in your villa like a pet that you would throw out as soon as I looked too old for you! And what about Bryce? You had your chance and you ruined everything!" Ember shouted in the face of the Autumn King.  

The Autumn King's expression was closed. However, his grip on Ember's wrists signals the anger smouldering beneath the surface.  

"There would have been ways... keeps you younger for longer,”The Autumn King said coldly. “And as for Bryce... She wouldn't be lost now if you hadn't left!"  

Left! It was as if Ember was a light-footed mistress and not a half-captive young woman.  

“Fuck you!” Ember hissed and turned her head away from the fea. She had to use all her willpower not to start crying.  

“Ember,” The Autumn King's voice had softened, and Ember was back in the bedroom for a while, the morning before her escape. She remembered the Autumn King reaching out from the other side of the bed and gently pulling Ember against her chest. Light kiss on the hair. Gentle touch against bruised breasts.  

Even now, the Autumn King's grip on Ember's wrists loosened, even though he wouldn't let go. “You know I love you," he said. He stroked her wrist with his thumb, which he had just squeezed firmly against the wall.  

"I would give a lot to get you back," he continued, almost a dreamy look in his eyes. Which, however, was ruined by the expression of lust on his face.  

"I'm married," Ember quipped. The Autumn King glanced at Ember's ring. “Should I make you a widow?” he pondered aloud, staring again at Ember's iron ring as if wanting to tear it off her finger and replace it with something delicate and beautiful. Something that would tell all the other men that Ember belonged to the Autumn King.  

"You won't take my husband away from me," Ember cried. “I have already lost a daughter. If you touch a husband, I..."  

"You should have been mine," Einar interrupted Ember before she could finish as a threat. “You should have been mine. That half-blood girl should have been mine." The Autumn King bared his teeth. "I want you to be mine again."  

And when Einar looked into Ember's eyes, Ember knew that the fea wouldn't listen to the objections.  

She opened her mouth to shout something obscene when the apartment door slammed open.  

"Hands off my wife!” Randall stood at the door, rifle pointed at the Autumn King's back.  

Slowly, the Autumn King turned his gaze to Randall, but did not detach his take from Ember.  

"You," Einar muttered, staring coldly at Randall. He glanced at Ember. "What appealed to you about him?"  

Emberi felt the urge to hit the Autumn King, but fea's attention was once again focused on Randall. “I'd get to you before you pull the trigger,” he pointed out. The Autumn King tilted his head, as if deliberately considering something. "Maybe I should just kill you. At least you would no longer be between me and my aspirations,” Einar stared at Randall as he said with an expression on his face that signaled, that it was exactly what he wanted to do. Nothing would give him more pleasure than cutting Randall's neck.  

Randall improved his grip on his weapon, still aiming for the middle of the Autumn King's chest. Fea's hand still squeezed Ember's wrist.  

"Don't," Ember said, catching both male's eyes on themselves. He stared intently into the Autumn King's eyes and said again, pleadingly, "Don't."  

The Autumn King looked at Ember from head to toe, and then glanced at Randall as if considering what to do. Ember quickly tried to figure out how to get Einari to leave quickly before a fight could break out. She didn't want Randall to get hurt.  

"I'm considering your offer," he said, staring as calmly as possible into the ancient cold eyes of the Autumn King. It didn't seem to convince the fea. Ember swallowed. Fuck. She would do anything to keep Einar off Randall.  

"Please. Let Randall be."  

She didn't want to pray, but she couldn't think of anything better. “Please Einar," she said calmly, staring into the fea's eyes appealingly. “I will consider your offer and contact you again once I have decided."  

The Autumn King considered Ember's words. He looked greedily at Ember's face, and then glanced at Randall. He was clearly still tempted to kill a human male who threatened him with his gun.  

The Autumn King's grip on Ember's wrist loosened, and he took a step back, ignoring the weapon aimed at him. “I look forward to hearing from you soon, Ember," he hummed before entering the door and passed Randall without giving him another look.  

After the door closed behind the fea, Randall dropped his rifle on the ground. He hurried to Ember. As Randall's arms wrapped around Ember, she realized she was shaking.  

"Are you okay?" Randall asked anxiously and examined Ember worriedly.  

Ember shook her head tiredly. "A couple of bruises," she muttered, shaking her sleeve covered her bruises. "You came before anything more serious happened."  

Randall pulled Ember against his chest and held onto her as Ember tried to control her tremors.  

When Ember was able to move again, Randall led her to the couch and sat down. Ember pressed against Randall's chest and rested her head on his shoulder. “What did he want?" Randalla asked, drawing large, soothing circles on Ember's back.  

Ember sighed. "Offered his help in finding Bryce."  

Randall stiffened under Ember's cheek. However, his voice was calm as he said, "And you said you would consider it."  

Ember snorted. “I will not take help from him, I guess you know," she raised her head to look into Randall's eyes. Randalla smiled knowingly at him and gave him a tender kiss on his lips.  

"I know," he replied. “Yes, I know that the last thing you would do in this world would be to let him back near you."  

Ember took a better position under Randall's arm. She would rather burn the whole world and herself than take about the Autumn King's help. If she were left in debt... Well, a male could ask for anything in return.  

"Danika knows more than she says," Ember said, yawning. She felt Randall's nod. "I know."  

They quickly looked at each other. “I guess it's time to ask directly,” Randall doubted. Ember smiled slightly. “I want my daughter back," she said gravely. "Even if I should kill gods!"  

******  

Bryce wondered if Micah would break her arm first, tie her to the bed, or pour wine over her? Every scenario was possible.  

Hunt rose slowly, staring into Micah eyes. He had released his grip on Bryce's hand as soon as he had overcome his shock when Micah suddenly showed up.  

Micah didn't have to say anything. Hunt quickly glanced at Bryce and Bryce saw an apology shining in the angel's expression. Last time, Bryce had been mentally shattered and only Hunt's kindness had given her the strength to continue. Even though Bryce cherished her rage as a weapon, seeing friendly faces, at least sometimes, helped her cope.  

Hunt walked past Micah, head bowed, without giving Bryce another look. Bryce felt a twinge of sadness. She had been serious when she said she didn't blame Hunt for everything that happened. Yes, Hunt had brought her here, yet Bryce hadn't blamed the angel for her plight.  

He seemed to be able to do it very well himself, too.  

Micah's cold power raged in the kitchen as Hunt stepped past the archangel to the kitchen doors. Bryce felt like yelling after Hunt and asking him back. She knew that what Micah would do to her now would be much worse than what happened three weeks ago.  

As Hunt's footsteps distanced in the hallway, Bryce realized he had left her hand where Hunt had lowered it. And Micah stared at that hand.  

Jealous, territorial, possessive alphamale...  

"Explain," Micah's voice was dangerously low. "Why Hunt Athaler was here with you?"  

Micah certainly offered excellent resistance to Bryce's father as to who was the worse alphahole.  

"He made me breakfast,” Bryce replied, gesturing towards her plate. “Hunt just obeyed your order, Micah."  

Micah followed Bryce's gesture, remaining staring at the plate of food that Bryce had eaten half of the contents of. “As far as I know, I told him to come here once a week. Not every day," Micah said after a moment of silence.  

Bryce swallowed. She had to be careful with her words, because one wrong sentence could lead to the first hit.  

"He was worried about me," Bryce muttered, lowering her gaze to her hand still resting on the table. The other hand was still pressed over the bruises on her cheek. Bryce didn't know why she had hidden the bruise from Hunt.  

Bryce knew she had no reason to blame herself for her current condition, but...she hadn't wanted Hunt to know. Perhaps Micah's words had sunk deeper than Bryce was willing to admit.  

"And how did that lead to you sitting here, at my kitchen table, holding hands?” Micah asked, baring his teeth to grunt.  

Because Bryce had revealed how much Hunt's visits meant to her. How much easier it was for Bryce to see Hunt. At least one friendly face. It was nothing short of a miracle that Micah had allowed another male to visit Bryce.  

Bryce didn't answer anything because she didn't have an answer. She sat head bowed at the kitchen table, silently waiting for the first blow that would determine the nature of the upcoming assault.  

"Didn't you learn anything from the last time?” Micah asked, stepping right in front of Bryce. Bryce stared at her boots, defiantly refusing to look the archangel in the eye.  

It didn't sit well with Micah. He grabbed Bryce's chin and forced her to look up. The grip was firm and would most likely leave Bryce with bruises. And as if to continue the conversation earlier in the morning, Micah said: "I don't like it when you don't answer me."  

Bryce's stomach twisted.  

"So tell me" Micah went on and swept Bryce's red hair away from her face. “Why are you sitting in my mother's dressing gown in my kitchen with my assassin?"  

Bryce was silent. Micah bared his teeth. “I don't think you learned anything from the last time," he muttered. "Huh, dear?"  

Last time. The first time Bryce had leaned on Hunt. And Hunt had let her do so. Then Micah had found them. Bryce had fallen asleep with her head against Hunt's shoulder. She had woken up from her sleep when Micah landed on the balcony and Hunt stood up. Bryce had almost fallen on her side on the couch before waking up properly.  

Micah hadn't had to say anything. The murderous shining from his gaze had caused Hunt to leave in an instant. When the flapping of his wings had subsided, it had left Bryce in ringing silence with the archangel.  

"Explain," Micah had commanded, as if Bryce were a disobedient child. And Bryce... She had snorted, leaned her back against the sofa, and said back: “Hunt helped me cope with the hangover. Don't freak out about it now."  

A moment of silence, and then...Micah had hit Bryce so hard that she fainted for a moment. Bryce vaguely remembered Micah dragging her into his room and throwing her on the bed.  

After the initial assault, Bryce had been lying scratched and bruised under Micah as he tied Bryce's wrists to the headboard of the bed.  

"Did you try to kill yourself for alcohol poisoning?” Micah had asked, tightening the chains around the headboard. Bryce hadn't answered anything. Her throat was rough from screaming.  

Micah had slapped Bryce's butt, her punishment for silence. “No," Bryce had forced herself to answer. “Good girl," Micah had muttered before continuing his questioning: “Why, then, had half of my wine cabinet been emptied."  

Bryce had closed her eyes. She had, wanted to escape for a while. She had remembered how Hunt had picked up clear liquor behind Micah's bar counter and decided to drink a glass of wine so she could sleep. The glass had become a bottle. And from the bottle two bottles. Two bottles of wine. One whiskey. Half a bottle of rum. Which, by the way, was not to Bryce's liking. A glass of Seratia. Maybe two. Bryce had never tasted such a good wine in her life as the sparkling wine of Western Valbra.  

Bryce didn't even remember what else she had been drinking, but she had been completely drunk when Hunt had come to check on her. Bryce didn't remember much about it, except for that hysterical crying scene that seemed to have completely scared Hunt. Bryce had slurred vaguely on all sorts of things before vomiting on the floor.  

Hunt had cursed and grabbed the reluctant Bryce in his arms, hurrying her into the bathroom. Bryce had vomited over and over again, crying hysterically and Hunt...and Hunt had held her hair all that time, rubbing her back soothematically. He had forced Bryce to drink water. Lots of water. And then he had carried Bryce to her bed. Covered her like a little child.  

Bryce had woken up several hours later to smell the smell of eggs fried in the air. Her head had pounded in pain as Bryce forced herself to get out of bed. She had shuffled into the kitchen. All the light that fell into her eyes ached her head.  

Hunt had been waiting for her in the kitchen. He had only glanced at Bryce before returning to making breakfast. Bryce was wearing the clothes she had been wearing the night before. White sweater and loose flannel trousers.  

Bryce had sat down at the kitchen table, holding her head. She hadn't said a word, but Hunt had nevertheless slapped a painkiller tablet and a glass of water on the table in front of her.  

"Thank you," Bryce had muttered. Hunt had glanced over her grey wings when Bryce had swallowed the medicine and drunk a long sip of water over it. "How do you feel?" he had asked. Bryce shrugged. “It's been worse," she had said, rubbing her eyes at the same time.  

Hunt had snorted before handing her a plate of breakfast and telling her to eat.  

Hunt hadn't left Bryce alone that day. They had quietly cleaned up after Bryce's drunkenness until they ended up next to each other on the couch, with the sun setting the horizon. Bryce had been exhausted and had fallen asleep on Hunt's shoulder.  

Bryce had told Micah all this, even though her whole body and throat were screaming in pain. Micah had punched Bryce in the face and then left her lying in bed alone for a while. Bryce had hoped that Micah had had enough of her abuse, but Micah had returned.  

He had returned with a bottle of Seratia, which he put down on the bedside table. “If you had wanted to drink, you would have just said,” Micah said, in that dangerously calm voice that Bryce knew his condition was getting worse.  

Micah had humiliated Bryce. He had taken a bottle of Serita from his bedside table, opened its cap, and then poured the wine on Bryce's breasts, stomach, and then forced her to drink the rest. Bryce almost choked on the wine because Micah wouldn't let her breathe in between.  

The wine had stinged in Bryce's scratches and made her gasp for breath from pain and lack of air. Micah had only laughed, bent over, and slowly pulled his tongue between Bryce's breasts before forcing a kiss on Bryce's lips.  

It wasn't pretty. Bryce had alternately screamed in pain, alternately complained of pleasure. Micah had mercilessly taken advantage of Bryce's subjugated body and when she was finally done, Bryce was mentally in pieces.  

It took several days for Bryce to get out of bed at all. It wasn't until Hunt returned five days later after Bryce's torture had ended that she finally found the strength to get up. She didn't want Hunt to see her as weak. So Bryce got up. Every morning. Ate even if there was no appetite and enjoyed Hunt's company before returning to Micah's bed.  

The incident quickly crossed Bryce's mind as she stared into Micah's cold eyes. Hadn't she learned anything in that three days? Micah had wanted to break her, punish her for reckless behavior.  

But Bryce had learned something else. Something she now realized: “Hunt is not allowed to visit here again. And as for you, Bryce...” he yanked Bryce to her feet, still holding onto her chin. “We may need to remind you of a lesson you should have learned."  

Bryce knew what that meant. Micah would take her into the bedroom, beat her, berate, and break Bryce so badly that she would no longer get out of bed. Part of Bryce wanted to submit to it. The other part... the other part didn't want to give up the one good thing Bryce had here.  

"I'll do anything, as long as you let Hunt come here.” Bryce was surprised by her words almost as much as Micah, whose brows raised in surprise before his grip on Bryce's chin tightened again.  

"What do you mean, Quinlan?” Micah asked slowly, a doubting look in his eyes. Bryce took a deep breath. She didn't know how she got the courage to speak, but when she spoke, she knew she meant her words. “You like to make deals. So let's make an deal. I will do everything you ask for, without resistance, without stupid tricks, and in return you will let Hunt visit here."  

Bryce had learned, after spending three days beating Micah, that the archangel wanted her. Not only physically. She wanted a grip on Bryce. Some way that Bryce wouldn't do anything stupid to herself or try to escape.  

"Everything I ask for?" Micah made sure, staring greedily at Bryce's face. "Absolutely everything," Bryce gasped, answering without blinking. She didn't want to lose Hunt. Perhaps Micah's assurances that Bryce had no hope of escaping had sunk deep. Maybe Bryce had begun to believe it. Bryce didn't want to lose that one, friendly contact in his life, if that was true.  

Micah's fingers loosened their grip on Bryce's chin. As if to test if she was serious, Brye flicked the red hair off Bryce's face before pressing his palm against her bruised cheek.  

Bryce, although feeling horrible, pressed her head against Micah's cold fingers.  

A smile twitched at the corner of the archangel's mouth as he stroked the side of Bryce's face. Possessively. Satisfied.  

His smile was self-righteous when he met Bryce's gaze. "Alright, Bryce."  

Was Bryce relieved. In a way.  

She let Micah lift herself on the table. Bryce allowed Micah to capture her lips on his own without resistance. She let an angel push her onto her back. She let him take off her dressing gown.  

And in return, she would get to keep Hunt close to her. Bryce reminded herself every time she felt like trying to push the angel off. Bryce benefited from this deal.  

Sighing inwardly, Bryce wrapped her arms around Micah's neck and pulled his mouth into her own, as an obedient whore should.  

Chapter Text

Chapter 9  

Rhun stood in the corner of the room, leaning against the wall. His shadows curled around his black hair. Ember Quinlan sat completely silent, motionless like a fea. Danika stood in the middle of the room, arms folded, her face twisted with anxiety.  

Randall leaned on the kitchen countertop, his face serious. The rest of the Pack of Devils was lying who's where. Ithan leaned against the wall next to Rhun, a helpless expression on his face.  

No one said anything. Everyone was waiting for Ember's reaction.  

"So you say," Ember said slowly, staring at Danika, “that the governor of Valbara kidnapped my daughter and is now holding her captive because you tattooing Luna's horn on Bryce's back."  

Danika was quietly. She couldn't meet Ember's gaze. Ember stared at Danika's face, as if looking for something. Whatever it was, Ember couldn't find it.  

Ember's mouth opened slightly and her dark eyes filled with tears. Ember Quinlan, Rhun's most powerful female known, began crying. First quietly, then more and more intense sobs shook her body.  

The tension in the room subsided when Randall hurried from the kitchen countertop to his wife. He squatted down in front of Ember, pressed his hands to her knee, and tried to lift her face.  

Ember pushed Randall's hands away. She pressed her hands to her face, trying to even out her breathing and gather herself.  

Rhun felt like an intruder. Ember's collapse was not meant for the eyes of anyone outside. He turned his head away, trying to find something else in the room to focus on, instead of Ember. His gaze found Danika.  

Danika stared at Ember with a look of bottomless guilt on her face. She suffered because of Ember's grief and whipped herself over and over again. Danika felt the need to suffer alongside Ember.  

Connor watched his alpha from the armchair he had conquered for himself. The expression was full of rage and sadness. The same expression was repeated on the faces of the rest of the Pack of Devils members. They still appreciated Danika, but were still angry with her for what she did to Bryce behind their backs.  

"Why didn't you tell me?” Ember's voice made the attention of all the Vanirs in the room turn to her and Randall. Danika swallowed. Otherwise, she was completely still, her back straight and her face distorted by pain. "I..." Danika had to swallow again, after facing Ember's tear-filled eyes. "Because I knew knowing where and who Bryce was with would hurt you, Ember."  

Randall clasped his fingers around Ember's hand. He didn't glance at Danika, and it seemed to hurt her more than anything that had happened before.  

Ember stared at Danika, eyes wide, face pale. “So does uncertainty," she said quietly. “Now at least I know that my daughter is... alive."  

Alive. The only positive thing.  

Rhun heard what Ember left unsaid. Bryce was alive, but imprisoned by the old, influential Vanir.  

Ember said, her eyes fixed on Danika, "Micah Domitus is a monster."  

The words made Danika wince as if she had been beaten with a whip. Ember took a sharp breath. She bowed her head in her hands again. Randall rubbed soothing circles on Ember's back. Ember had to gather herself again for a moment before continuing.  

"Bryce... and Bryce is alone with her. I was hoping...” Ember's lower lip trembled and she had to gather herself again before whispering. "I hoped Bryce would never have to go through that hell."  

Rhun felt the weight of words. It almost knocked him off his feet. Ember knew the situation Bryce was in. Ember knew what it felt like to be held captive by Vanir. And Ember's pain... It wasn't just the pain of a fearful mother. The pain of a female who knew what the other was going through.  

"Where is she?" Ember asked. Danika looked like she could collapse on her knees on the ground to beg Ember for forgiveness, but she stayed on her feet. She glanced at Declan, who was standing by the door, before focusing on Ember again. “We don't know," she said. There was bitterness and pain in the words.  

"She's not in town,” Randall said his first words after Ember cornered Danika and forced her to tell her what she knew about Bryce.  

Danika nodded affirmatively.  

"Dec has hacked himself into thousands of websites, looking for lots and buildings owned by Micah. None of those places are suitable for hiding Bryce,” Flynn said from another armchair.  

"Micah has all of Valbara. He could have hidden Bryce anywhere,” Connor commented grimly.  

"No," Randall's stern words received even Rhunin to straighten his back. Now it was not a worried father who spoke, but a famous sniper and soldier. Randalla stood up, keeping her hand on Ember's shoulder.  

His dark gaze circled the room, gloomy and full of experience. Although technically Rhun was older than Randall, he felt like a little boy under his gaze. “Micah doesn't keep Bryce in city," Randall said. "But he also wants Bryce to be close. At a distance he can easily fly."  

Approving mutterings and nods. Rhun himself found nodding along with the others. Randall took a deep breath before saying: “Angels can fly a distance in an hour, which can take five hours by land. I don't think Micah has taken Bryce any further than that."  

"What should it help?” Declan asked. He crossed his arms and frowned. “Five hours one way or the other. It doesn't limit the possibilities."  

"Yes it did," Danika said quietly, as hope rose on her face. She turned her back on Ember and Randal and addressed his pack, as well as Rhun and his friends. “If we think that Micah keeps Bryce close to city, it is enough to begin to study his holdings on this principle, that they are within a radius of about five hours from the city."  

"So if we think he visits Bryce every day," Nathalie pointed out. “How do we know that."  

The thought of Micah being with Bryce for even a second made Rhun feel bad. However, he was forced to listen to what Danika would answer.  

Danika's expression was distant as she said: “We don't know."  

There was silence for a while as the group digested what they had heard. Rhun sucked on the piercing of her lower lip, letting her gaze wander to Ember again. Ember listened carefully to the conversation, but worry and fear still shone from her face.  

It took Ember almost two weeks to get Danika to reveal her information about Bryce. Before that, Danika had dodged the subject skillfully. She had worked hard to find Bryce and get some information to destabilize Micah.  

So far, nothing holding water had been found, which frustrated them all.  

Rhun didn't know how Ember had gotten Danika to tell the whole story about Bryce. Why Rhun, his buddies and the Pack of Devils were there to monitor the situation, was because Randall had wanted everyone involved present. Rhun had listened quietly as Danika had occasionally struggled to tell her story. But she had told it. Every word had darkened Ember's gaze and filled her eyes with horror and despair.  

Watching it had caused Rhun physical pain.  

Almost two months and Bryce was just as missing. Two fucking months.  

Autumn had arrived and dropped leaves from the trees. At the same time, the searchers' hope of finding Bryce seemed to be dashed.  

At least not alive.  

After Bryce's disappearance was finally taken seriously, a search had begun for her all over Valbara. However, the general, hopeful position was slowly being replaced by the sad conclusion that Bryce had died.  

There was talk online about searching for the body and when the family would accept the fact that Bryce would not return.  

Every day Bryce spent missing slowly destroyed Rhun from within. He knew no worse torture than to sit in limbo at the computer and hope, that some information would catch his eye. And at the same time Bryce...Rhun didn't want to imagine any more of what might happen to Micah Bryce. Tortured. Tie... Raped. Rhun's imagination and Bryce's scream, echoing in nightmares, drove him crazy.  

"If there was any way to track Micah's movements...” Flynn began thoughtfully, but fell abruptly silent and frowned. “Why the fuck don't we follow Micah?"  

Danikan crossed her arms and began to stride around the room, chewing her cheek at the same time. “We could do so,” She said she fell into thought. "But it should be done so that he doesn't find out about it."  

"If we are caught spying on the governor, he could crucify us all,” Thorne pointed out. Dec nodded, expressing his agreement.  

"What about cameras?” Ithan asked, glancing around the room. From the corner, which was almost completely obscured by the shadows, a quiet snort was heard. Fury stepped into the light and made Rhun's heart jump in his chest. He hadn't noticed the assassin before. Fury's dark gaze swept over Rhun as it clung to Ithan.  

"The cameras aren't that high, puppy,” Fury said evenly. “And even if it were, do you imagine that Micah would make his following so easy? He's not stupid. Even if he might be crazy."  

"Great," Bronson grumbled. “A crazy archangel is exactly what is needed for this."  

If Nathalie hadn't kicked Bronson, Rhun would have done it. Danika, too, glanced at a member of her pack so murderously that Bronson decided to keep his muzzle closed.  

Connor leaned against the back of his chair, staring at Fury. “Why don't you follow Micah yourself and find out where he keeps Bryce?"  

The look Fury cast on the wolf would have made Rhun fear for his life. Fury's expression reflected sheer anger. When she bared her white teeth to grumble at the wolf, cold shivers ran down Rhun's back.  

"Do you think I haven't tried?" The assassin quipped. “I've been trying to follow him since I found out he has Bryce.” her lips pulled back, revealing every perfect tooth in the assassin's mouth. "But he knows how to hide his tracks. I won't have come far until I lose him."  

The words were followed by an oppressive silence. Ember's shoulders trembled. Randall's hand squeezed her shoulder.  

There was a wrinkle between Danika's eyebrows, as she tried to come up with something. Something...any solution to find Bryce.  

And then, without any warning, the whole world trembled.  

Rhun's legs failed when the apartment under his feet shook violently. He fell forward, barely succeeding in dodging Ithan, who had lost his balance.  

There was jingling and rattling from the kitchen as plates and glasses fell to the floor. The lights in the living room flickered, as in the whole city. Danika fell to the floor, exclaiming.  

The world quake. Quake like in an earthquake. More dishes dripped. The lights flickered and for a moment Rhun thought Midgard, for no apparent reason, would be destroyed.  

And then, as fast as it started, it ended.  

The lights stopped flickering. The quake stopped.  

In the returning light, Rhun saw the chaos in the living room. Armchairs had fallen over. Connor was currently pushing the fallen chair away from him. Thorne and Bronson sort out their tangled limbs, while Nathalie jumped upright, her face red. Judging by Flynn's confused but self-righteous expression, she had fallen into the fea male's arms.  

Zelda helped Zach to his feet, while Declaan collected himself from the floor, nose covered in blood. Ithan sat up confused, then rushed to help Randall, who was trying to get Ember out from under the fallen couch.  

"What was it?" Rhun asked as he stood up, rubbing his back. He had a star sword on his back and it had bumped badly against his tailbone when he fell.  

Danika had stood up and was staring out the window, her face pale in shock. Fury was expressionless. But in her eyes... There was genuine fear in Fury's eyes.  

"It was a portal," Fury said quietly, turning to face the reaction of the entire room.  

All of Rhun's blood seemed to escape from his head to his stomach and he had to take support from the wall so he wouldn't collapse back to the floor.  

Portal? How... How on earth?  

Danika answered a question to which they all already knew the answer. Danika's voice was hoarse. "Micah harnessed the power of Luna's Horn."  

Rhun swallowed. He glanced around and noticed the horror on the faces of the others in the room.  

They are all probably wondering the same thing.  

If the opening of the portal caused such a strong quake in Lunathion, what might it have done to Bryce?  

******  

For the past two weeks, Bryce had become accustomed to waking up alone from Micah's big bed. If anything positive could be said about the arrangement, Bryce didn't have to heal any more broken bones.  

She no longer had to suffer from broken wrists and sprained limbs. Bryce's only problem was a blunt ache between her thighs and bruises. Bruises on the neck, breasts, wrists, ankles... all over Bryce's body. Micha marked Bryce as his own, night after night. Bryce's neck had a partially healed mark when Micah had bitten the soft skin of her neck, eliciting a startled exclamation from Bryce's lips.  

Micah had laughed against her neck. Her tongue had flicked marks of teeth at the confluence of Bryce's neck and shoulder. "You're mine," Micah had said in Bryce's ear. Not aggressively. Not aroused. It was as if he had established a fact. The archangel's long fingers had squeezed Bryce's wrists against the mattress. Traces of it were still visible.  

Deep, purple-black bruises on both wrists. Bryce no longer objected. Usually, she just let Micah fuck her, without reacting. The archangel was not happy with it. Bryce knew the angel enjoyed subduing her and winning the fight.  

Bryce's new, apathetic state did not give her as much pleasure as her earlier rebellion. Bryce sometimes wondered, how much can someone be hated? Bryce hated Micah. Hated every touch of the angel. She hated every single tear she had shed because of Micah's actions.  

But anger seemed to have lost its edge. It was as if the apathy and being an archangel whore had dulled the edge of Bryce's rage. The rage that once flared up was now just smouldering embers. Bryce didn't have the strength to rekindle it.  

The only spark of light was Hunt. Hunt, who visited four times a week. Talked to Bryce. Made her laugh. It all felt like a luxury. From the sun's rays after a long night. In the darkness and hopelessness inside Bryce, Hunt's visits were the only star in the sky.  

Brycella had lost hope of getting away. Little by little, hope and rage had faded away. Now Bryce only had routines left, that made her get out of bed, get dressed, eat, and then... Bryce read. Drowned her loneliness in books. Tried to forget about her situation by reading stories with happy endings.  

Bryce no longer believed she would have one. Bryce almost hoped Micha would just kill her. Not a hope. Bryce would live on an angel's leash all her life. And Micah would make sure Bryce's life would be long too. He would force Bryce to do the Drop.  

Bryce sighed and rubbed her eyes with her hand. If truth be told, she didn't want to get up. If truth be told, she didn't want to get up. From the bed that smelled like sex and bad decisions.  

Bryce took longer than the day before to get out from under the blankets. From morning to morning it was more difficult. But Bryce was still able to do it. She could still get up. And it felt good. It felt good to find at least enough strength inside to get up.  

The air was cool and Bryce was cold. She wrapped her arms around her breasts and laid her bare feet on the cold wooden floor. Bryce stood up and started shuffling towards her room, ignoring the mess she had left behind.  

There was some magic in the house itself, cleaning and changing sheets, without the resident even having to pay attention.  

When Bryce would return to the room in the evening, the bed would look untouched and the air in the room would have lost the signs of the night before. However, they would not disappear from Bryce's skin. Not to mention her soul. Or of what was left of her soul.  

Bryce felt as if Micah had torn her soul from her body and broken it into pieces. Then she would have just pushed it back into Bryce's broken body, turning Bryce into a human wreck.  

The midday sunlight filtered down on the hallway as Bryce stepped out of the room. The wood was replaced by cold stone and it made Bryce shake. Her legs were shaking and the pounding pain between her legs made her want to just sit down. And stay with it for a while. Or an hour. Day. Weeks. Months... she would still be here in a year's time.  

Bryce had no more tears to cry about. It was as if her seemingly bottomless tear well had finally exhausted, leaving only a dry, desolate hole inside Bryce.  

Bryce stepped out of the hallway into her room. The bed was pristine. There was a moment when Bryce had slept in it all night. Maybe a week. Micah never raped Bryce in her own bed. That punishment was reserved for the moment when Bryce would do something so bad that she no longer deserved her own place.  

Things she used to take for granted now had to be earned. Micah was a skilled manipulator. Bryce was no longer even sure which of her thoughts were her own and which had been planted in her head by Micah.  

As a result, Bryce felt tied. Not with chains or ropes. She was a prisoner in her own body. Inside her own head. Bryce scratched her neck as she dragged herself to her bathroom.  

She turned on the tap and watched as the water began to drain into the tub. Bryce chose one of the many bath bombs and threw it into the water. The water quickly acquired shades of purple and blue. The colours reminded Bryce of Rhun and Danika. Unweeping tears squeezed Bryce's windpipe. One thing Micah had made clear. One thought was more firmly entrenched in Bryce's mind than all the others. She would never see Danika or Rhun. She should no longer have anything to do with the Pack of Devils. She would hardly even be allowed to keep in touch with her parents.  

Micah wanted to keep Bryce to himself. As his own little slut and gates opener. What Micha still hadn't tried. It was strange to Bryce. She had been a prisoner for two months now, and they had never once tried to open a portal to another world with Micah.  

Bryce didn't know if she should have been scared or grateful. So far, it had been enough for Micah to fuck Bryce.  

The blue and purple swirls in the water looked like storm clouds when Brycen finally turned off the tap. Bryce didn't like bathing. No longer. But Bryce didn't have the strength to stand, so she sank into her warm water up to her neck, letting the heat of the water caress her sensitive muscles.  

Bryce lay in the bath for almost an hour. The sun cast its bright rays on the steam-filled bathroom as if it were a normal, joyful day.  

Bryce buried herself deeper in her bathtub. Perhaps she should drown. Just press her head under the surface and leave this world behind. Something in Bryce's mind prevented it. Hunt. Hunt was Bryce's friend and... she could not leave Hunt to cope alone with Micah's whims. They both lived on a watery blade. One wrong move and they would be punished. Hunt was forced to kill Micah's enemies. Bryce satisfied the archangel's other desires.  

Bryce pulled the plug from the bottom of the bathtub. As the water level began to drop, Bryce stood up. She stepped out of the tub and grabbed a towel from the wall. Bryce wrapped it around her, feeling relief to hide her battered body from the bright rays of the sun.  

Compared to the heat in the bathroom, it was almost cold on the side of her room. The first cold winds had swept over Valbara, taking with them the last memory of summer.  

Bryce's skin rose to goosebumps. She shuddered, and quickly stepped over to her dresser. She desperately needed something warm to wear. Bryce let the towel he had wrapped around her fall to the ground as she began to examine the drawers of the dresser. Sweater, soft pants and... underwear.  

Bryce's fingers brush against the red lace and a shudder ran through her body. Micah had bought them for her. Like the other two pairs of underwear. Others were turquoise, like the sea in summer weather. The other pair Bryce hated was otherwise white but draped in delicate golden lace.  

In another life where Bryce's clothes were armor and underwear for her own pleasure, she would have enjoyed someone else paying for her expensive bra.  

Now... they meant the same as the bite mark on Bryce's neck. Wearing underwear meant that Bryce accepted Micah's insistence on her.  

Bryce wanted to burn them all from time to time. Each of the three pairs of underwear Micha had bought for her. Unfortunately, Bryce hadn't found any matchesticks. Perhaps Hunt would agree to scorch off her underwear with her lightning.  

Micah had asked her, a couple of days after surprising Bryce and Hunt from the kitchen: “Why don't you ever wear a bra?"  

Bryce had sat scattered on the archangel's lap, her bare golden brown skin glowing in the last rays of the sun.Micah's hands had caressed her hips and butt. Bryce had wrapped her arms around the male’s neck and was brushing his blonde hair.  

"How so?" Bryce had asked, undisturbed by Micah's intrusive question. Micah's hands around her waist tightened their grip and Bryce knew she would find bruises left over from Micah's fingers on her sides in the morning.  

"Answer me," Micah commanded calmly, with that expression in his eyes, of which Bryce knew not to argue. Bryce sighed and lowered her hand from Micah's neck, to the archangel's muscular chest. The skin under her hands was warm.  

"All your mother's bra is too small for me," Bryce said quietly. She saw a small spark in Micah's eyes, which looked like a mixture of amusement and cruel pleasure.  

"Why didn't you say?" he wondered. Hands rose from Bryce's sides, up her back, remaining caressing the base of her breasts. Bryce took a sharp breath as Micah's nail rubbed against the sensitive spot under her breasts.  

"I don't..." Bryce stuttered, but then fell silent.  

It was none of Micah's business. Her breasts did not belong to the archangel. And yet she sat naked on that archangel's lap. “I didn't see the need," Bryce had finally mumbled.  

Micah chuckled. His hot breath tickled Bryce's collarbones before his lips pressed against Bryce's neck. "I think there's a need for them," he mumbled. "Great need."  

Two days later, Bryce had found three white boxes on her bed, with the logo of one of Midgard's most famous top designers on the cover.  

Bryce had felt sick. She had wanted to vomit and cry when she realized what was in the boxes. Three pairs of underwear. All the works of a top designer and obscenely expensive. The worst part was that Bryce remembered dreaming of those red bras she found in drawers. Bryce just would never have been able to afford those underwear. And now she had three.  

In the box where Bryce had found the white and gold bra, a small note was glued to the cover.  

Use these tonight.  

Bryce had vomited. But she hadn't cried. The tears had stopped. Bryce had trembled for a long time on the bathroom floor, arms tightly wrapped around her. But eventually... in the end, Bryce had gotten up and obeyed.  

She hated her white bra the most because it was Micah's colors. White as his wings and golden as his hair.  

Bryce chose a red bra. She put them on and then pulled a sweater over them. After getting dressed, Bryce started brushing her hair. Her red hair had grown over the past few months. The tops were uneven and uncut.  

Bryce wasn't interested in getting pretty because of Micah. She still hoped that Micah would just get bored of her. That Bryce should be left alone.  

But Bryce knew that would never happen. The underwear Micah gave her as a gift made Bryce feel like a whore. It's like she's been paid with an expensive gift.  

For a moment, a shadow of self-loathing obscured Bryce's thoughts, but she quickly shook it off her shoulders. There was one thing she hadn't succumbed to yet. She refused to blame herself for being a prisoner. So, Who did Bryce blame?  

Bryce swallowed as the thought popped into her mind. It was as sore as a sword stab. She didn't want to blame Danika. Absolutely not, but... without Luna's Horn, she would not be in this situation today.  

But without Micah, Danika wouldn't have stolen Luna's horn. Micah had set everything in motion by blackmailing Danika. Micah ordered Hunt to kidnap Bryce.  

It was all Micah's fault. And that's where Bryce stuck to. Micah was to blame for everything. Absolutely everything.  

Bryce sighed and scratched her neck again. Her neck itched constantly these days. Bryce's thoughts wandered from her itchy neck as her stomach growled. Bryce snorted. Thanks to Hunt's cooking skills, Bryce's body had once again learned to demand food.  

Before Bryce left for the kitchen, she grabbed a contraceptive pill from a jar she had hidden in her bookshelf. And then another, just in case. Urd knew what Micah would do to Bryce if she got pregnant.  

The day passed slowly from then on. Bryce ate and then found herself a comfortable place in the living room. She curled up under a blanket to read a novel, in the slowly diminishing daylight. The balcony door was still kept locked, as if Bryce had any hope of escaping.  

Bryce was just finishing a very good chapter when her keen ears noticed the flapping of wings. Bryce looked up from the book, hoping it was Hunt. Even if he wasn't allowed to visit again that week. Micah had made strict and inflexible rules about when and how long Hunt was allowed to spend with Bryce.  

Fearing Micah's anger, they had both followed the rules kindly.  

The feeling of well-being from the book and the hope of Hunt's arrival spilled into a puddle in Bryce's stomach when she recognized Micah's white wings. Bryce buried deeper in her blanket, when the archangel descended onto the balcony and opened the balcony door with a wave of his hand.  

Bryce closed her book with a snap as Micah's power rolled into the living room, cold and destructive. “Hello Bryce,” Micah said and smiled. Bryce swallowed. The sly smile didn't mean anything good.  

"Hey Micah," Bryce said reservedly. She laid her book on the armrest of her chair, shook the blanket off her shoulders, and stood up. Bryce hated looking up to Micah. Micah stride over to Bryce across the room, with an expression on her face that foreshadowed evil.  

The archangel stopped in front of Bryce. His long fingers swept Bryce's red hair away from her face before pressing his palm on her cheek. Micah lifted Bryce's chin with one finger, causing Bryce's wandering gaze to hit the male.  

"Today we are going on a little excursion,” Micha hummed, caressing Bryce's cheek. "I expect you to behave well." Micah's smile widened even further. "If you try something, you know what the consequences will be."  

Penalty. Pain and humiliation.  

"I understand," Bryce mumbled and bit her tooth, in order to contain all the sharp words inside her. There was still hope if Bryce could still find sharp, hurtful words inside.  

Micah smiled at Bryce's mumble. He stepped behind Bryce, which confused Bryce at first. Then she felt cold metal wrap around her wrist.  

"What are you doing?” Bryce exclaimed, trying to wrest her wrist from the grip of the squeezing metal. It didn't take much strength for Micah to grab Bryce's arm and force it behind her back. There was another click as the metal squeezed around Bryce's other wrist.  

"I don't want you to get any stupid ideas," Micha hummed, tightening the handcuffs tighter, almost preventing blood from circulating into Bryce's hands. “What do you think I'm doing? Do I run away when your eyes avoid?” Bryce hissed her question between her teeth, struggling against the compression of the handcuffs.  

"I don't take risks," Micah replied simply. "You haven't shown yourself worthy of trust. I have to make sure I don't lose you."  

Bryce swallowed as Micha grabbed Bryce's arm and started pulling her towards the open balcony door. Bryce stumbled behind, trying her best to keep up with the archangel's long strides. It was cool outside. Not cold yet, but still so cool that Bryce trembled under her sweater. She had no shoes on. Not even socks.  

It didn't seem to interest Micah much, whose thoughts were somewhere else.  

"Where are we going?" Bryce dared to ask when Micha let go of her arm to step behind Bryce again. "Not far," Micha replied vaguely. Bryce trembled with cold and excitement. She opened her mouth to ask follow-up questions as darkness descended upon her eyes.  

Micha tightened the blindfold knot tightly behind Bryce's head. “You don't need to know where we are,” Micah said, answering Bryce's question, which she didn't even have time to ask.  

The air blocked Bryce's lungs and her tremors became even stronger. "What's going on?” Bryce whispered. Micha put one hand under Bryce's knees and the other on her back, lifting Bryce into his arms. Bryce trembled despite the archangel's warmth. She had a bad feeling about the situation.  

"What's going on?" Micah imitated Bryce's words. His chuckle vibrated the muscles beneath Bryce's cheek. "We are trying to open a portal, dear."  

Bryce's heart skipped a beat. Her breath clung to her throat, but before she could ask follow-up questions or start resisting, Micha stepped down from the balcony and took off on his wings.  

Bryce wished she could hold on to something. Now she had to content herself with clenching her fists and calming her breathing.  

*****  

The cold, tangy scents of autumn filled Bryce's nostrils as Micha landed. The descent was smooth and the archangel's grip on Bryce remained tight. Like all the way.  

Bryce's tremors had only gotten worse during the trip. Her eyes were tied, her hands chained behind her back, and she was pressed against Micah's warm chest, while they were on their way somewhere where Luna's Horn in Bryce's body would be tested.  

The tremors hadn't just been caused by the freezing wind that had wave Bryce's hair all the way. Bryce was terrified. The idea of opening a portal leading to another world seemed... unrealistic and absurd. And then what would Micha do when the portal was open? What would happen to Bryce when she opened the gate? What should she expect?  

Bryce might soon get an answer to all that.  

Micah landed Bryce on cold ground. The moisture and cold of the dead grass bit into the soles of Bryce's feet. The cold was like an electric shock, making Bryce's back straighten.  

Micah didn't remove Bryce's blindfold as he started to lead her forward. His hand squeezed Bryce's forearm tightly. “Where are we going?”Bryce asked. Her voice sounds small, even to her own ears.  

The archangel did not answer. He just dragged Bryce after him. Bryce tripped over her feet, trying to keep up with Micah. Her thigh, which hadn't bothered Bryce much lately, radiated pain all over her body, when Micah drag her over roots and small stones. Bryce had little energy to move, so her thigh hadn't been strained.  

Now Bryce could only barely stop the grimace of pain with every step.  

"Where are we going?” Bryce asked again, now in a louder voice, as she had tripped over a root sticking up from the ground. “And couldn't you take off this stupid blindfold?” Bryce continued, drawing oxygen sharply into his lungs as his lower leg pierced with pain.  

"You don't need to know where we're going," Micah snorted and forced Bryce to pick up speed, which almost made Bryce moan in pain. "The less you know, the better."  

Bryce gritted her teeth and considered trying to kick the archangel when they suddenly stopped. Bryce stumbled, and Micah didn't even try to hold her up. Rather, he pushed her to her knees... for something cold and rocky and... Micah finally removed Bryce's blindfold.  

The sun had set. An almost full moon overturned in the sky, casting its silver light on three time-decayed stone steps. Micah had forced Bryce to her knees on the lowest step. His hand rested on Bryce's shoulder, holding her in place.  

In front of Bryce rose a black arch covered with moss, rust and vines. It was like the gates of the city of Lunathion. It even had a dial pad. Badly covered in moss and wildflowers.  

The gate rose above Bryce, menacing and dark against the clear night sky. Bryce felt a cold sweat broke out her forehead. “Why..." Bryce whispered, stalled in her words, and had to start over, whispering: "Why are we here?"  

Micah's grip became more compressive and Bryce bit her tongue, preventing herself from gasping in pain.   

"According to my background research, a portal can be more easily controlled if there is a place where it can open,” The archangel replied. Bryce sensed tension in Micah's voice. A burning mix of curiosity and anticipation.  

Bryce swallowed, despite her dry throat. “Are you sure?” Bryce whispered, staring at the abandoned gate with fear and curiosity. To which world would this gate open?  

Micah let go of Bryce's shoulder only to grab her hair and force Bryce to meet the governor's gaze. "You're not here to ask questions, Bryce," Micah said bluntly. His grip on Bryce's hair was intense and painful.  

"Let me go!" Bryce shouted, trying to pull herself out of the angel's grasp. Micah wouldn't let go. Instead, he pushed... pushed Bryce onto her stomach on three steps as if she were a sacrifice brought to the gods.  

Bryce felt pain when her nose broke and her lip began to bleed. She lifted her face from the cold stones. Micah's shadow covering the moon. “Let's give it a try," Micah muttered, grabbing the hem of Bryce's shirt, lifting it off her tattoo.  

"Don't!" Bryce screamed and tried to kick Micah's legs to get the archangel to back down. “We don't know what's going on! We can't open a portal if you don't even know where it's taking you! Maybe you should look into emph...” the last of Bryce's words were choked by the scarf that Micah had previously worn as an blindfold. Now he stuffed it into Bryce's mouth and tied it behind her head.  

"Your words have no meaning here,”Micah said angrily, pressing Bryce's face against the cold stone stairs. One of his hands bit Bryce's neck, the other of his hands lifted the hem of Bryce's shirt to reveal her tattoo.  

Bryce struggled and tried to talk, to no avail. Micha didn't even seem to notice. He muttered to himself as he studied the words tattooed on Bryce's back. One of his fingers brushed along words written in the ancient language. “If I fill a tattoo with raw magic, I guess it's the same as blowing my horn," he mumbled. The stroking finger stopped. "I guess it's best to just give it a try."  

Micah pressed his palm against Bryce's back. Blinding pain filled Bryce's entire body. Her scream was stifled by an improvised gag. A bright light flooded Bryce. Bryce was blind. From pain and self-shining light. She tried to struggle and yell at Micah to stop. But it didn't stop. The world trembled. Bryce felt it beneath her. Felt shivers emanating from under her from the ancient stone, rapidly spreading outward like shivers on the surface of the water.  

Bryce's new scream was just hoarse prayer alongside previous screams. A new bright flash of light. Not from Bryce, but from somewhere in front of her. Micah's hand disappeared from Bryce's back and neck.  

However, the pain did not disappear anywhere. It pounded in her body, making her muscles tremble. Nevertheless, Bryce forced herself to lift her head off the stone stairs just to see...  

Portal.  

A brightly shining portal opened in the middle of an ancient circle. It was... it was..."It worked,"Micha said, sounding amazed and delighted. Bryce moved nervously. Tried to crawl away from the portal as best she could, with her hands tied and muscles screaming in pain. Her bare feet were numb, as she moved them along the ground.  

Micah didn't stop Bryce. All her attention was on the portal, from where a shining glow light made her wings and hair glow.  

Bryce got off the stone steps. She tried to jerk her handcuffs in the hope of causing the metal to fall apart. If she could get her hands free, Bryce could try to escape when all of Micah's attention was on the portal she had just opened.  

"Where do you think you're going?" Micah's sharp question was accompanied by cold winds that wrapped around Bryce like ropes, tying her down. Micah turned towards her. Wild triumph shone in his dark eyes and... pure madness. Micah was crazy. No matter how well you knew how to cover it.  

"This is just the beginning," Micah said, pulling Bryce's closer to him whit his magic. Closer to the gate. "I still need you," Micah continued. “In two years, we will be able to showcase your talent to the rest of Midgard. We can show them what we can do with an army from another world...” Micha didn't get any further in his rant. You see, someone or something had just come out of the portal and thrown himself at Micah.  

Slimy, black-skinned... demon. The portal had become a demon!  

So no wonderful new world.  

The gate had opened to Hel.  

****  

In the sudden rush of adrenaline caused by the sight of the demon, Bryce once yanked her arms apart, thanking the fea blood flowing through her veins as the metal chain broke with a clink.  

Bryce stood up, pulling the gag out of her mouth as more demons jumped out of the portal, attacking Micah directly.  

Bryce backed away, turned and rushed for a run, ignoring the pain in her leg.  

Her bare feet slipped on the slippery moss as she limped as fast as she could get farther from the portal. Every step was one pain. Bryce bit her tooth and forced herself to go faster, despite the pain.  

There was a roar behind her. The howls of a pained angel and demons. A wave of power threw Bryce onto her stomach.  

Bryce's head hit the root of a tree, and stars crisscrossed her field of vision. She stood up, shaking her head, rushing forward like a prey animal.  

And that's basically what she was. Behind her, demons and the archangel were fighting. Once Micah had defeated the demons or, alternatively, the demons would have torn Micah apart, he or they would go after Bryce.  

Brycella couldn't waste the opportunity to get a head start. She should get out of here. Far from the opened portal and the crazy archangel. Away from the demons whose shouted and screams echoed in Bryce's ears as she stumbled over rough terrain.  

So far, all the demons' attention had been focused on Micah. But at some point, one of them would come up with the idea of following Bryce's scent saturated with fear and pain into the woods. And then... Bryce would be lucky if the demon just ripped her throat open. In the worst case, the demons would keep Bryce alive for as long as possible, brutalizing and torturing her until Bryce eventually dies of her injuries.  

Bryce had tripped over a large tree root sticking out of the ground. Her ankle twisted and a gasp of pain cry escaped Bryce's lips. She took support from the rough trunk of a tree, pausing to even out her breathing.  

Where the heck was she?  

The forest around Bryce did not look in the familiar. Tall, ancient trees towered skyward, obscuring the moonlight with their foliage. The ground was uneven. Coated with moss and dead grass. Here and there, roots and boulders stood out of the ground.  

Bryce swallowed as she looked around in alarm. Hunt had said that Bryce would be about five hours from town if she were going by car. The information did not help Bryce in any way. She did not know in which direction was north and where south was. She didn't know if she was heading in the right direction, on her way to town. Bryce was in the middle of the forest, at night, alone, and at any moment she could be attacked by a beast lurking in the forest.  

Bryce took a shaking breath into her lungs and took a couple of steps forward. She should just walk forward. Yes... yes she would at some point find people and then...  

From somewhere behind Bryce, there was a huge roar. A new wave of power swept through the forest. Bryce clung to the nearest tree to stay upright. The cold trunk of the tree seemed to pulsate with life beneath her cheek.  

The recent roar was answered by another, higher roar. The first was Micha. The second was a demon. Hopefully, the demons would tear Micah apart. Would destroy his wings and transcendentally beautiful face. Hopefully, the demons would kill Micah.  

But so what?  

Bryce squeezed the trunk of the tree, stiff in horror. What happens when demons put an end to the archangel? They would go after Bryce. And after killing Bryce, they would continue to wander through the woods until they found more victims and...and eventually they would find Lunathion. And even if demons could be killed, more and more would come from the portal. If it weren't closed... if it weren't closed...  

"Fuck," Bryce whispered into the darkness. She couldn't leave the portal open. Her momentary freedom would not be worth the lives it would cost to keep the gate open and flee. Bryce should... She should go back. Back to the demons. Back to Micah.  

She didn't know which one was worse in the endgame. But she would have to close the portal. Or even more people would suffer from Micah's obsession.  

Bryce turned and rushed back in her direction of arrival, following in her own tracks. Her bare feet duster up moss and dead grass, as she stumbles toward the light. Internally, she sweared. She knew she wouldn't get such a good opportunity to escape for the second time.  

The light in front of Bryce brightened. The cries of demons and the growl of Micah filled the air. As well as the recognizable smells of blood and death.  

Bryce stepped out of the woods into a small clearing, where the gate shone brightly, illuminating the scene in front of her.  

Micah, covered in demons and his own blood, sent his powers to blow the two slimy creatures to pieces. But they were immediately replaced by five new demons. Micah's eyes lit with rage as he waved his hand, destroying one attacking demon after another.  

Bryce didn't wait for the demons coming from the portal or for Micah to notice her. She ran past them, slipping on the blood-soaked ground. She reached the stone stairs, which she climbed, leaving behind bloody footprints.  

Bryce's eye burned to look at the shining door to Hel. No one walked away from it at that moment, but Bryce knew she had to act quickly. Before anything worse would come through.  

But how to act? How could she use the horn in her body?  

"Call on your light, Bryce."  

Something soft swept her ankles. She looked down and saw..."Aidas?” Bryce whispered. The blue eyes of the white cat lifted up at her. When their eyes met, the sounds of battle, the roars, and the voices of dying demons voices were muffled.  

"You have to close it,"  Aidas said, blue cat eyes burning. “How?" Bryce whispered. "I don't know how..."  

"Yes, you know," Aidas' voice was strained. The cat sat down on the ground, stared sharply at Bryce, and continued. "You know what to do. Luna's horn and you are now one and the same. Your spirit knows how to use it."  

Bryce stared at Aidas. And then she looked at the portal. She swallowed.  

"Hurry up, " Aidas urged impatiently. “ I can't hold those trying to get through for much longer."  

Bryce was motionless for a moment. And then nodded.  

Slowly, Bryce raised her hand, closed her eyes, and called for her light. It’s answered the call eagerly, like a puppy. Bryce slowly blew air out of her lungs and raised her arms, forcing the light out of herself.  

She envisioned threads of light wrapped around the portal. And Bryce began to tighten her grip. She stitched up the tear between the world with the power she found inside.  

"Good, " Aidas said. " Go on, Bryce."  

The voices of demons returned. She heard screams around her and felt creatures rushing past her, like deer fleeing a forest fire. Bryce continued. Tightened her grip and forced the portal to close. The light around her brightened, blurring all of Bryce's senses.  

"Just a little more, " Aidas' voice was no longer be heard from Bryce's feet. Now she heard a voice next to her ear. The air grew colder, and Bryce felt a gentle touch on her shoulders.  "Hold on for a minute."  

A scream escaped Bryce's lips as she ripped even more strength out of herself. A little more... The light disappeared. Broke down in front of Bryce. Bryce knew she had succeeded, feeling the pressure disappear.  

A breath escaped Bryce's lungs and she collapsed against the cold, hard body. Her world revolved. Cold, pain, light, darkness... Everything blended together. Bryce's strength was exhausted. All she wanted at that moment was to sleep. Sleep... At that moment, she couldn't think of anything else. Her whole body cried out for rest.  

"Make the drop, Bryce Quinlan."  

Aidas' voice seemed to be heard from somewhere in the distance as Bryce's consciousness slowly began to fade.  “Make a drop Bryce and then come find me. So we can finish this. "  

"How?" Bryce whispered. Her body fell on a cold, bloodstained stone. The soft end of the tail swiped Bryce's face. "Everything will become clear in due course, Bryce Quinlan,” Aidas' voice promised.  

"You'll be safe soon."  

And after that, all of Bryce's senses were extinguished and she plunged into the darkness.  

*****  

Hunt stared at his phone screen. He didn't know if he should laugh and just berate Quinlan the next time they saw her.  

Hunt was so overwhelmed with mixed emotions that he almost forgot to answer Micah's call. Or as his contact information now said for the Archangel's phone number:  Bryce and Hunt think Micah is an asshole.  

Hunt answered abruptly so that Vic, who was reading the papers next to him, would not notice the name.  

"Hey Micah," Hunt said, stepping away from the wraith.  

"There's work for you," Micah said bluntly. It was. But it seemed like Micah was talking about a job other than what the whole 33 was doing now.  

Last night's earthquakes were not as devastating as originally feared. Around the city, the facades of buildings had collapsed. Rubble, pieces of wood and glass had fallen onto the streets, damaging cars and causing minor injuries to people on the streets.  

Palm trees had fallen all over the city on the roads, caused to a massive traffic jam in downtown Lunathion.There were a couple of thousand injured. Nothing very serious, but about twenty people had to be taken to medwitches' clinics after being excavated from under fallen furniture or walls.  

It was nothing short of a miracle that no one had died. At least 33 or Aux were not yet aware of any fatalities.  

The whole city was in turmoil.The townspeople tried to understand last night's powerful earthquake and compile a list of broken property. Despite the chaos, Micah had stayed away. He had not been seen at the Comitium and Isaiah had not been able to contact him.  

This call was the first sign that the governor was alive at all.  

"What do you want me to do?" Hunt asked, glancing at Victoria, who was reading the accident reports at her desk. The wraith hadn't noticed who Hunt was talking to.  

"There are about demons running around in the forest west of Lunathion. You'd better track those down and destroy those before they can do real damage."  

For a moment, Hunt was completely silent. Had Micah really meant that there was a horde of demons running near Lunathion? Where did those come from? And more importantly, how did Micah know about those?  

"Alright," Hunt said slowly, stepping into the hallway. Fortunately, it was empty. "Are these demons somehow related to last night's earthquakes?"  

For a moment, it was quiet on the other end of the call. Then: "What earthquakes?"  

Hunt only became even more confused. How could Micah not know about earthquakes? Surely they had been felt all the way to the coastal house if Micah had been there all night...  

"Last night an earthquake passed through Lunathion. So far there is no information about fatalities, but property has been significantly damaged,” Hunt reported, questions fluttering inside his head like panicked birds.  

“I see,” Micah muttered, and Hunt wasn't sure if it was meant for his ears. There was silence for another moment, after which Micah said: "I'll be there in an hour. Pass the message on to Isaiah and do your own job, Hunt."  

The Archangel hung up. Hunt listened to the tapping of his phone for a long moment, mentally going through Micah's words. How could it be that he didn't know about quakes? But still ordered Hunt to hunt down a forest full of demons.  

As Hunt set out, to retrieve his belongings, a thought crept into his mind. Did Micah have something to do with quakes and demons?  

And then another, more alarming thought: was Bryce okay?  

*****  

The bitter taste of whiskey burned from the mouth all the way down the throat to the stomach. It was Micah's fourth glass that night.  

The sun had set a long time ago, leaving the sky with a blaze of orange and pink. The moon had not yet risen. The firsts of the stars had just lit up.  

Bryce Quinlan had slept all day. Partly because of last night's strain, partly because Micah had drugged Bryce before flying to Comitium to investigate an accident in the city. The situation was not as bad as Micah had imagined. Three people had been found dead during the day, two of whom had fallen off the roof after the earthquakes began and one had collapsed in her car.  

Two people and one witch. No big losses.  

Micah drank his fourth glass and laid it down on the coffee table.  

Last night had been a farce. He hadn't thought clearly enough about where he wanted the portal to open. No. He had only wanted to know if the horn on Bryce's back was working. For a while, everything seemed to be going well. And then the first demon had attacked him from behind.  

And Bryce had escaped. Ran away when he saw the opportunity. Micah had exploed the demons to shreds, intent on chasing after the female and dragging her back to the portal. And close it.  

But more demons had rushed at him from the portal. Micahin killed, mutilated and shredded demons, all the while determined to get Bryce back before she could escape.  

Easier said than done when he had to fight the demons that kept coming out of the portal. And then, surprisingly, Bryce ran back to the scene herself. Micah hadn't had to force Bryce to close the portal. She did it all by herself. When the gate had begun to flood with starlight, the demons had fled. Part into the forest and some past Quinlan back to the deepest depths of Heli.  

And then the light was out, leaving Micah momentarily blind. When his eyes got used to the twilight again, he had separated the motionless body of the female lying in front of the portal.  

For a moment, Micah had feared that Bryce had actually died until he found a faint pulse on her neck.  

Micah's injuries from the surprise demon attack were minor. He hadn't had to wait to return to his childhood home. He had only picked up Bryce's flaccid body from the stairs and rise into the sky.  

Bryce, like Micah, was covered in blood, soil, and other dirt. After washing himself, Micah had bathed an unconscious Bryce. Bryce hadn't shown any signs of life in all that time, when Micah's hands touched her body. Without the pulse and quiet breathing, Quinlan could have been mistaken for a corpse.  

After placing her naked on her bed, Micah had injected something into her body that would keep her asleep for as long as possible.  

After calling Hunt in the morning and learning about Lunathion's condition, Micah had left for the city, leaving Bryce unconscious in his house. He should leave his decision on Bryce for later.  

Now, after spending a long day in an emergency meeting with other city leaders, Micah had flown back to his childhood home.  

If truth be told, he just wanted to fuck Bryce, but with her still unconscious, he had abandoned that plan. It would be no pleasure fucking to something so lifeless.  

Micah leaned his head into his fist and looked out the large living room windows. His mind returned to the question he had been thinking about throughout the day.  

What should he do about Bryce in the future? How to get Danika out of the way when she would bring Bryce's talents to the attention of all Midgard? Micah had no doubt that Danika would stand in the way of his efforts in every possible way. The publicity given to Quinlan's disappearance could also cause some problems.  

Micah should come up with a credible taria that would keep the people, the Senate and the Asters satisfied. How do explain Bryce's disappearance so that it doesn't sound like a kidnapping? Which it technically was.  

How do really hold Bryce from Micah's grip? How to make sure that no one else could claim her anymore? One option, of course, would be to make Bryce a slave. The process required for that would also take care of Danika. Micah could accuse Danika of stealing Luna's Horn and hiding it. Danika would either be crucified immediately. And if he got lucky, her whole pack would be beheaded in the process. Another possibility was to get Danika in jail. There it would not be difficult to carry out an assassination.  

Micah could blame Bryce for giving help, in which case Micah could easily make Bryce a slave. Then he would legally own Quinlan. There was only one aspect of the plan that bothered Micah.  

Asters. They could tell Micah to hand Bryce over to them. Micah had a few reasons why he didn't want to.  

Therefore, the second option that Micah had considered began to seem more appealing than the first.  

Silent footsteps from the hallway awakened Micah from his thoughts. He turned his attention towards the hallway and saw Bryce stop like a wall when she saw him. Bryce had wrapped his mother's dressing gown around her. The white fabric mimicked the female's full breasts and soft hips.  

"Bryce," Micah said, before she could retreat back into the hallway. The female stiffened and swallowed visibly, meeting the archangel's gaze. Micah changed positions and waved his hand at the female invitingly. "Come here," he ordered.  

Brycen hesitated for a moment. Micah watched smugly as the female forced herself to move, despite her obvious fear and disgust. Their contract obligated her to do so.  

Bryce stopped in front of him, squeezing the front of her dressing gown. The expression of her amber-colored eyes was cold. “What do you want?" she sounded, as usual, hostile.  

Micah didn't bother to answer, but grabbed her hips and sat her in his arms. Bryce's back was stiff under Micah's hands. He would soon make Quinlan squirm until she was relaxed in Micah's hands, but before that, she would have to take care of a few things.  

"From yesterday," Micah said, caressing Bryce's free-flowing red hair. He could see from Bryce's expression that she wanted to dodge the touch. "We should have been more careful."  

Bryce snorted and Micah tightened his grip on her hair. Panic and pain quickly flashed across Bryce's face. Micah smiled contentedly when he saw it. “Next time we will be more careful," Micah continued and wrapped his hands around Bryce's wrist to make sure she couldn't get away even if she tried.  

"What do you want?" Bryce asked tensely. Her hand in Micah's grip was clenched into a fist. Micah smiled at Bryce's tense tone of voice. He pulled her closer and pressed his nose against her neck. Bryce's breathing stopped for a moment before continuing again.  

Micah drew Bryce's lilac and nutmeg scent into his nostrils before saying: “I want many sections, Bryce Quinlan. Including you."  

Bryce stiffened in her arms, motionless. Micha smiled against her neck. The golden brown skin still showed the bruise caused by Micah's teeth. His demands and marks on Bryce's skin.  

"However, we have to decide," Micah continued, making eye contact with Bryce. Bryce's eyes alternated between panic, despair and anger. “Are you my slave," Micah kissed the inside of Bryce's wrist, where the SPQM letters would be tattooed. “It would be a shame to ruin your beautiful skin," he mumbled, caressing Bryce's slender wrist.  

"What's the other option?" Bryce asked, swallowing, trying to drag her wrist out of Micah's grasp.  

Micah smiled at Bryce's powerless attempt.  

"You can either be my slave," Micah said. A spark of anger flashed in Bryce's eyes. "Or my wife."  

The spark was extinguished when the pure shock caused Bryce's heart to skip a beat and her breathing to quicken.  

"It's your choice," Micah said, fully enjoying Bryce's reaction. “But no matter how you decide, you'll be mine for the rest of your life. You get to choose whether you are of your own free will or will you be marked part of my property."  

Bryce didn't answer anything, and Micah let her think calmly about the choice that would define the rest of her life.  

Chapter Text

Chapter 10  

Slave.  

 The word was etched in Bryce's consciousness, the moment Micah had let it out of his mouth. No more ropes, spells, or even this house would be needed to keep Bryce in leash. Just those four letters on Bryce's wrist would be enough to bind her to Micah for the rest of her life.  

The archangel would ensure that Bryce would never get a chance to buy, negotiate, or whore her way back to freedom. The thought of Bryce being labeled on paper as Micah's property made her stomach twist with fear.  

And then Micah had suggested something else. Something Bryce wouldn't have expected under any circumstances.  

Wife.  

The governor's wife. If the future as Micah's sex slave had made Bryce want to crawl into her bed under the blankets and stay there until the end of eternity, this travesty of the proposal caused Bryce to freeze in place.  

The shock paralyzed her muscles, as she stared into Micah's cold, mocking eyes. Bryce swallowed. Micah's eyes followed the movement of her throat, like a wild beast waiting for a meal.  

The archangel's hand was still sorely squeezing Bryce's left wrist. His fingers covered the spot where SPQR would be tattooed. Bryce's fist slowly opened, when the last rays of the sun seemed to illuminate the ring finger of her left hand.  

Slave or wife.  

"What's the difference?" Bryce asked, confronted with Micah's calculating gaze. The archangel tilted his head, his mouth stretching into a small smile. “As a slave, you would have no rights whatsoever. You wouldn't be much more than a beautiful antique. I could keep you to myself, locked in a glass display case, or sell you on if I wanted." Micah shrugged.  

Bryce's both hands clenched into fists. She could say, between her clenched teeth: "You wouldn't win anything in that deal."  

Micah chuckled. He lowered Bryce from waist to Bryce's bare thigh. He moved his hand slowly upwards, pausing shortly before the hand would have slipped under the dressing gown.  

"You're right that a demi-fea female wouldn't be paid much," Micah admitted. The grip of his hands tightened, although his smile remained unchanged. “But about a female who is able to open gates to other worlds...” Micah seemed to be calculating the price in his head as he let his gaze measure Bryce. “Many feas, archangels, vampires, and even Aster would give anything for such a treasure."  

Bryce's throat choked and she found herself trying to yank her wrist out of Micah's grasp. Micah didn't seem to notice Bryce's attempt.  

“Why do you give me a choice?" Bryce grunted when she realized Micah wasn't letting her go.  

"Why don't you just directly make me an object? Why bother offering another option?"  

Micah's expression was uninterpretable. He tightened his grip on Bryce's wrist and pulled him closer until their faces were close together. Bryce felt Micah's breath on her lips as the archangel said: “As a wife, you would still have the rights of a free citizen."  

Bryce couldn't help but snort. Wife or slave. She was a prisoner of Micah. Bryce would hardly be able to choose who she saw, when she saw, where she could go, or whether she could go at all. Micah was such an alphahole, that we might start deciding all other aspects of Bryce's life.  

As a wife, Bryce would not be chained by a tattoo, but by some beautiful and probably obscenely expensive and precious ring. Whose meaning was basically the same. Bryce was someone's property.  

"I still don't understand why you would offer such an option,” Bryce said coolly, trying to pull away from Micah. Micha responded to this by pulling her even closer.  

The following words Micah muttered in Bryce's ear, in a still, low-danger voice. “If you were my wife, no one, not even the Asters, could demand you."  

Bryce's blood froze in her veins. “What would the Asters want from me?" she asked quietly. Her own breath seemed to tickle Micah's ear, for he pushed her a little farther away before answering.  

"They want Luna's horn, Bryce dear,” Micah said it as if Bryce had been slow-witted. “Like many others on this dusty planet. If you were auctioned, your price could reach astronomical sums."  

Bryce raised her eyebrows slightly. “I doubt the Asters would give me up for auction. They would pull in and take ownership of me with the right of the bigger one."  

Bryce's comment seemed to amuse Micah enough, that he let Bryce retreat until she was face to face with Micah again.  

"That's what they do if you're a slave," Micah said, caressing Bryce wrist. “It doesn't matter that I found and repaired the Horn in your body. They will take you as their own."  

Micah gave Bryce a small, cruel smile. “You don't want to know what they're going to do to you."  

Bryce could only imagine. Micah was a cruel, ruthless asshole who seemed to have no qualms about holding an innocent female captive. The Asters were even more cruel. Even more ruthless. And a thousand times worse assholes.  

They might as well put a collar on Bryce and force her to sit at the foot of them crystal thrones, like an obedient dog. With a snap of their fingers, the Asters could kill and capture everyone close to Bryce if she tried to resist.  

Bryce bit her lower lip and lowered her gaze. She felt a familiar feeling of fear and anxiety in her chest. "What's stopping them from doing it, even if I am... your wife?” It was hard for Bryce to say the last. “And besides," She continued with sudden inspiration. “Aren't you expected to marry some full-blooded angel to keep your angels' family tree pure?"  

She waved the red hair on her back with her free hand. Micah followed the movement. He looked like he wanted to grab Bryce's hair and bend her head, until Bryce's graceful golden brown neck was bare.  

"That matter can be negotiated with the Asters,” Micah said, sounding indifferent. He had thought this through. Cold shivers ran down Bryce's spine. “Which do you think is worth more?A pure-blooded archangel or a child with the power of angels and Luna's Horn running through hers veins?"  

Bryce's mouth went dry as she began to realize what Micah meant. She began to shake her head as Micah continued: "As my wife, you would have a duty to bear me a child,” Micah grinned as if the thought was very amusing. “I'll offer the Asters a child in exchange for I can keeping you."  

Micah's hand moved on Bryce's thigh, closer between her legs. Brycen swallowed despite her dry throat. “How do you know that the power of Luna's Horn is hereditary?” the words came as a whisper from Bryce's mouth. Her throat felt to be overgrown.  

Micah smiled smugly. "We can get tested," he said nonchalantly. “Or," he released his grip on Bryce's wrist, just to grab Bryce's hair. “We can try."  

He began to wrap Bryce's hair around his hand, when Bryce's breath clung to his throat.  

The archangel's other hand moved under Bryce's dressing gown. Touched between her legs. "NO!"  

The word came as a half-screech from Bryce's mouth as she tore herself out of Micah's grasp and bounced upright. Bryce backed away with quick, too light steps toward the balcony door. She stumbled into the coffee table and almost fell on her back.  

Micah's amused expression had faded, revealing the madness and predatory instinct smouldering beneath the surface.  

"Come back here, Bryce,” Micah commanded in his lowest, most threatening voice. Bryce circled the coffee table and continued to retreat. Micah's eyes flashed with rage. He stood up, casting a menacing shadow over Bryce.  

"Come back!"  

It was a pure command.  

Bryce was never good at obeying orders. She turned around and rushed towards the balcony door, not even knowing what she was trying.  

Bryce could only move forward two steps as Micah's arm was already clenched around her elbow. "Why do you have to be so difficult?” Micha growled as he slammed Bryce to the ground.  

Air escaped from Bryce's lungs when she hit the wooden floor. She hastily stood up on her hands and began to pull herself away from the enraged archangel.  

"We've been doing so well," Micah continued, walking after Bryce as she continued to retreat. Bryce's back hit the coffee table. It hindered her advance.  

Micah towered over Bryce, threatening like a snake ready to attack, preparing to swallow its prey. Whole and, in Micah's case, alive and moaning.  

Micah looked down on Bryce as if she were just a bug at the god's feet. Bryce's nails pressed against the wooden floor as she stared up at Micah.  

"You have to do everything I tell you, Bryce. Do you remember?" Micah hummed lowly and squatted down in front of Bryce. His fingers were brushing Bryce's cheek. The touch caused Bryce to withdraw. Micah's mouth clenched into a tight line.  

“You promised to do everything I told you to, and in return I'll let Hunt come here and see you from time to time."  

Bryce's hands clenched into fists as the rage caused by Micah's words flared up in her. Micah spoke to Bryce as if she were a child.  

He mocked Bryce. Reminded her of the deal the two of them had made. Be an obedient girl and you will have at least one friend in your life.  

Micah's cold fingers stretched out and clenched around Bryce's neck. Bryce gasped in shock as she was yanked to her feet.  

Bryce's toes barely touched the ground, Micah held her at arm's length, squeezing her throat.  

"Well?" he asked. "Do you already know how you want to spend the rest of your life?” Micah barely let Bryce catch her breath. Bryce's lungs were burning with panic and lack of air. She faintly tried to tear Micah's hand off her neck, but it was like trying to fight the statue.  

"Let go," Bryce hissed, powerlessly scratching Micah's hand. A cruel grin slowly rose across Micah's face. "Sorry, I didn't hear."  

He pulled Bryce closer. Bryce had tripped over her feet and only Micah's stranglehold held her upright. “What did you say?” Micah asked derisively as his and Bryce's faces were facing each other.  

Bryce didn't answer. Instead, she pulled her head back and slammed her forehead with full force towards the perfect face of the archangel. Bryce heard a bone crunch. Micah's astonished gasp broke the silence in the room, and suddenly Bryce was able to breathe again.  

Micah's grip loosened Bryce's throat and she fell to her knees on the floor, gasping for breath. Bryce crawled into her trembling hands, leaning away from Micah, whose nose was bleeding. Randall would be proud if he saw it.  

Bryce's breath raced as she pulled herself away from the archangel. She tried to stand up, but her legs seemed paralyzed. Bryce couldn't stand. All she could do was crawl away from Micah, who could at any moment...the windwhip hit the middle of Bryce's back. Bryce's cry of pain was cut short as another blow sank into her stomach.  

Bryce fell on her side to the ground and curled up around her pain, again trying to get oxygen to their depleted lungs. A new blow. A fist formed by the wind hit Bryce's lumbar, making her gasp in pain.  

The next two blows had been to Bryce's face and legs. Tears of pain filled Bryce's eyes as Micah hammered her with his wind. Each blow was carefully aimed. Her body cried out for mercy, but Bryce couldn't form words.  

There was still not enough air. Every blow, time after time, emptied Bryce's lungs of that little air, which she had managed to pull into her lungs.  

Through the veil of tears, Bryce saw approaching black boots. The wind raging around Bryce gradually calmed down, taking on a new shape. Now it pressed Bryce against the floor.  

"You're pathetic," Micah said. He turned Bryce around whit his boot, and when her back hit the floor, a painful gasp escaped Bryce's mouth.  

She must have broken ribs.  

The wind around Bryce swirled. It tore and grated Bryce's dressing gown until it opened, revealing her curvy body. Bryce instinctively tried to take her hands to cover her boobs, but Micah's wind pressed Bryce's wrists to the floor.  

Brycen pulled tremblingly against the wind chains, staring at the face of the archangel bent over her.  

"You're weak, Bryce," Micah's voice was hypnotically calm as he squatted down next to Bryce. The archangel's fingers brushed Bryce's face. Moved red hair away from her face stained with sweat and tears.  

"I could protect you," Micah said quietly, wiping the tear that had flowed down Bryce's cheek with his knuckle. “Or I can tell you to stay in one room for the rest of your life."  

Micah's hand landed under Bryce's chin. With two fingers, he forced Bryce to lift her chin and meet his gaze. Micah tilted his head slightly, causing his golden hair to swing. “Which life attracts you more?"  

Bryce breathed unevenly. New bruises ache. Muscles felt stiff. “Go to Hel," she said despite her bruised throat. Micah's mouth clenched into a tight disgruntled line. “If I was you, I would make up my mind, Bryce," Micah said bluntly and straightened his back. He began to unfasten his belt. "Or I'll decide for you."  

A bitter chuckle escaped Bryce's lips. "Not interested," Bryce said. “I don't hear the fuck interest."  

Hours later, after perhaps Micah's most violent rape to date, Bryce could barely move. She felt nothing below her waist, leading her to believe Micah had broken her spine. Bryce's legs were covered in bruises. The right ankle was twisted in an unnatural position. The bone had partially come through her skin and a warm trail of blood was wetting the floor beneath Bryce.  

Her wrists were still held back by Micah's air chains. Bryce's fingertips were numb.  

Micah didn't even bother to get dressed as she lifted Bryce's broken body off the floor. Bryce didn't even have the strength to scream. Although she could no longer feel her legs, she could feel all the broken bones above her waist. Every bite and scratch left by Micah stinged. Some bleed. Micah certainly hadn't been affectionate this time.  

And the archangel had kept Bryce conscious all that time. No matter how much she was hurt or how many blows were inflicted on her head, Bryce had remained conscious. She had felt everything. She had been screaming for as long as her voice had worked. And when she couldn't scream anymore, Bryce had cried in pain.  

Micah had prolonged the situation as long as possible. So long that there was no longer a spot on Bryce's body that wasn't black from bruises or broken by Micah's hits.  

Only then did he stop.  

Bryce must have lost consciousness for a moment, because when she realized something again, she was in warm, pain-relieving water.  

Micah was next to the tub. He had leaned his elbows on the edge of the tub and was watching Bryce. Bryce answered the look. In that state, she couldn't do much better. She couldn't even move her head, because even such a small movement caused pain to pass through her body.  

"I'll leave you to think about my offer," Micah's words awakened Bryce from the depths of pain and numbness. Bryce blinked. It didn't hurt much, for which Bryce was grateful. However, she did not seem to be able to speak.  

"I want an answer when I come back,” He went on and stood up. Bryce closed her eyes and turned her head away. The answer. To the question of whether Bryce would be his slave or wife. She said nothing.  

Micah rubbed her damp red hair before he left. Bryce listened to the footsteps. How they passed into the living room. And after a while returned back to the bedroom. However, Micah let Bryce bathe in peace.  

Bryce buried herself deeper in the tub, letting the heat relax her aching muscles. Little by little, Bryce began to relax. And finally she fell asleep.  

Bryce woke up from Micah's bed. And despite Bryce's fuzzy mind, aching muscles and slight pain still felt between her legs, a single, crystal clear thought came to her mind.  

She would have to find some way to escape!  

*****  

The fifth emergency meeting of mayors was illegally boring compared to the previous ones. Rhun wasn't the only one nodding against the wall, trying to pretend he wasn't falling asleep standing. They had been going through statistics and other crap for almost three hours, and all the time there seemed to be more numbers and small print words, attempted to justify postponing the renovation of some neighbourhoods.  

And there was always someone who thought that particular part of the city should be repaired immediately. Rhun tried to cover her yawn, while listening to Sabine and the Autumn King argue about it, whether the roof of Hollow should be repaired first or start the renovation of FivRoses mansions.  

Jesiba Rouga scrolled through her phone, looking bored. The Serpent Queen leaned her head on her hand, and the Oracle otherwise just seemed very bored.Even Micah seemed to slowly become irritated by the unnecessary prolongation of the meeting and the wrangling over resources. Only Danika seemed attentive.  

However,s she paid no attention to the resource discussion, but focused her attention on observing Micah.  

The governor seemed unusually distracted. Maybe it was because the meeting was boring, or maybe he had something else on his mind.  

Or someone else. Micah leaned his chin on his long fingers, letting his gaze wander around the room. He did nothing to interfere with the escalating dispute between the Autumn King and Sabine.  

Rhun turned his attention away from the governor, only to notice Hunt Athaaler, standing next to Isaiha Tiberian, lurking in the corner of the room.  

Athaler leaned against the wall, looking like he could think of anything more meaningful to do than listen to a boring meeting. In general, Micah did not bring any of his Triarius other than Isaihah to the meetings.  

Hunt's presence would not have been needed. Or even desired.  

Most preferably, and given the tedious nature of the meeting, probably more interesting things to do, would be to attack Hunt and force him to tell him where Bryce was.  

Since he originally took Rhun's sister, Rhun believed the angel knew Bryce's whereabouts. But in front of so many people. With so many cameras watching, Rhun had to settle for a gray-winged angel glare.  

As if sensing his gaze, Hunt glanced towards Rhun. The gaze of his dark brown eyes was indecipherable. Rhun had to bite his teeth in order not to openly express hostility towards the angel.  

As if knowing these thoughts, Hunt responded to Rhun's gaze challengingly. Rhun's hands in his pocket clenched into fists, and his shadows swirled around his fingers hidden in the pocket. The desire to tear the angel apart grew moment by moment.  

And then, a small phone message voice broke Rhun and Hunt's staring contest. Their attention shifted simultaneously to Micah, who stuck his hand into his pocket looking bored.  

He picked up the phone from his pocket and glanced at its screen quickly. If Rhun hadn't stared at Micah intently, the pure rage flashing on the governor's face would have escaped his notice.  

For only a moment, only a split second, the archangel's features were twisted into a cruel, grimace of pure rage. And in the same moment, the expression was gone.  

Micah pushed the phone back into his pocket and stood up. “We will continue this discussion later,” he said rude interrupting the dispute between Sabine and the Autumn King. “What now, your grace?” Jesiba Rouga looked up from her phone. "Why interrupt the meeting?"  

Micah glanced quickly towards the sorceress, flashing a small, strained smile. “I have one urgent matter to attend to,”Micah said and started stride out of the room.  

Jesiba looked as if she wanted to contradict him, but by that point the archangel had already marched out of the room. Jesiba shrugged her shoulders and stood up herself. Other also began gathering their belongings, to following after the archangel.  

Rhun caught Danika's gaze. Danika's toffee-brown eyes shone with worry. What would make the governor leave the meeting in the middle of everything?  

Rhun knew Danika thought the same thing.  

This was all about Bryce.  

Danika stood up and Rhun straightened her back to follow her father out of the meeting room. Before that, however, he found himself still glancing at the grey-winged angel in the corner of the room.  

A poorly disguised worry shone from Hunt Athaler's face.  

*****  

Bryce stared down over the balcony railing. She pressed her fingers around the railing so hard that her knuckles turned white.  

The cold autumn fire caressed her red hair and brought chills to her skin, despite the two sweaters what Bryce had dressed on top of each other.  

After Micah had left the day before, Bryce had been planning an escape ever since. And the only way to do that seemed to be by climbing down the house wall. This house was built on winged Vanirs. Bryce had finally discovered that there was no door in or out of the house that didn't lead to the balcony.  

And all the balconies that Bryce had access to were about a hundred feet above the churning water below. Bryce had considered jumping from the balcony, straight into the chilly autumn sea, but gave up the idea when she realized she would probably die from it.  

Now Bryce tried to encourage herself to climb on top of the railing and on the other side. From there, she would have to make a small leap on the balcony about three meters below. And from there she would have to continue to the protruding windowsill, and from there again to the balcony, until she got so close to the water that she dared to jump.  

Then Bryce should swim to shore. The journey would not be long. Maybe only ten or twenty meters if Bryce managed to land in just the right spot. But the water was cold and, despite the calm weather, the sea rippled beneath her. Bryce should hope that the waves will carry her on the beach, and would not drag her deeper into the sea, wherever any hungry thing, in any proportion, might attack her.  

So Bryce steeled herself for the future. She forced herself to breathe calmly and even out her heart rate. Anywhere else, even in the ocean as food for some creature was better than here. Bryce glanced at the balcony door behind her. Micah had left it open. Either intentionally or accidentally. Bryce didn't know which one this situation was about. Either way, all Bryce had to do was turn the door handle to get to this point.