Page 34 of Galen

I snarled.“Not unless you want to die.”

“Just fuck him already, Galen. You’ll feel better. I promise. It’s just sex.”

“Worry about your own sex life and stay the hell out of mine.”

I shut off the water and grabbed a towel, running it over my body harder than necessary. The bubbling anger in my veins refused to die down. That anger was part of me. I couldn’t escape it.

Earlier on in my life, it had been a lot harder to control. I would meet someone, see into their soul and know how horrible of a person they were, and the wrath inside me would lash out at them. Wrath was like a beast inside me, always hungry. Always lurking, searching for a way out.

Lazarus nearly killed me because of it once, thinking I was a lost cause.

Sometimes I felt like he was right.

***

Simon sat in Alastair’s study, hands wringing in his lap. Anxiety radiated off him, but so did curiosity.

When I used my power to see his soul, I saw nothing but kindness. Perhaps a little snark too, of course, but nothing bad. The only person he’d ever harmed was himself—emotionally, anyway. I couldn’t read his mind with my power. I could only judge his character. But he clearly didn’t see himself the way I did.

Not that I saw him in any special way. Not at all.

I’m so fucked.

Alastair had tried contacting Lazarus again about the run-in with Phoenix but received no response. First things first, we needed to know what we were dealing with.

The box was the answer. Everything that had happened lately revolved around it.

Alastair opened the safe in the wall and grabbed the box tucked inside.

“So I just need to open it?” Simon asked. “That’s all?”

“Yes,” I answered, standing beside his chair.

“Why can’t you?”

“The warding against angels prevents us from doing so,” Alastair said, walking over. “We’re only half angel, but the warding is strong.”

“Why would someone block angels from opening it?” Simon asked with a shake in his voice. “It’s just a ring.”

“That’s what I’ll find out.” Alastair placed the box on his desk. “Come here.”

Simon’s wide, nervous eyes flashed to me.

The fact that he looked to me for reassurance caused warmth to trickle through my chest. I wasn’t used to being a safe place for anyone. I was used to people fearing me and being intimidated in my presence. But Simon, even though we argued the last we spoke, trusted me for whatever reason.

I nodded to him. “It’s okay.”

He stood and walked over to the desk. Noise from the hall drew my attention, and I looked over to see Castor and Raiden standing in the doorway. Gray was beside them, his brown eyes peeking around Castor’s arm.

Alastair brought a hand up to rest near his mouth, his expression pensive. “Open it.”

With a trembling hand, Simon undid the latch and opened the lid. Right away, I felt the power contained inside. Alastair felt it too. He seemed to lose his balance a little before resting his hands on the desk. His pale eyes shifted to me. What I saw left me cold. He rarely showed such worry. His arrogance and prideful nature kept him cool in tense situations. But now?

Fear.

A whimper sounded behind me. Gray had jumped behind Castor and pressed his face into the larger male’s back.

“What in the shit is that?” Raiden asked, muscles tensing. “It feels so…”