Page 35 of Catch a Tiger

Excitement coursed through him again as he wondered if she’d let him take her apart so he could find out how she worked. There were secrets under her skin, and he wanted—no,neededto figure out how that strange magic could burn through an angel, but not her.

Claws dug into his shoulder and Rune licked his lips, a small smile creeping in. “Right. No torturing our mate.”

“She might like it,” Mylo muttered as he leaned against the doorframe, eyes glowing gold, and the scent of suspicion, irritation, and secrecy washed over him along with that familiar citrus tang. “Her body is covered in scars, just like that Kavanagh witch.”

Rune froze as he tried to process what the fuck that could mean, but Sammy was already prowling toward the door like he was going to run up there and demand answersnowso he knew exactly who to slaughter.

“She did it to herself.” Mylo smirked when their alpha froze. There was nothing but shock in Sammy’s scent, as if he couldn’t figure out what he should be feeling about this. “Even the one onher back that looks like someone ripped her shoulder blade out of her body and then put it back in…”

Well, Mylo would know better than anyone what that would look like.

Anyone but Rune.

He couldn’t help but wonder if she’d been taken by someone like the Collector, or if she’d been in an experimental facility like Mylo.

“Vix did that to herself too,” Mylo told Sammy, his golden eyes scorching. “The only thing she didn’t seem to be responsible for was the bullet to her heart.”

Someone had tried to kill their mate?

“Oh, and evidently, she’s a raven.”

That didn’t seem…right.

“She has golden eyes, Mylo, that’s impossible,” Sammy argued, just as confused as Rune.

At least he wasn’t the only one feeling lost with this sudden influx of information.

“Don’t ask me, ask Valentina.” Mylo turned back inside the house. “Our little mate said she lived in an eyrie and the bullet to her heart happened before that.”

A raven with golden eyes.

Oh, man, he wanted to pluck out those eyes to study how they worked. Rune would give them right back. She was a shifter after all, it would heal as soon as he put her back together.

Maybe if he asked real nice?

“Sammy…”

“Absolutely not,” his alpha snarled, shoving him inside the house. “She’d pluck out yours first or gouge them out if you’re unlucky, considering how much she doesn’t like green eyes.”

There was that.

“Come on, Alpha.” Rune grinned when Sammy dragged him through the foyer and into his office so as not to wake the sleepingwitch.

Sammy’s cub was off limits, but Rune knew the taste of Nyx’s dark gift better than most, even other witches. Morgan wasn’t a shadow witch though, and he wanted to know how she still possessed that glittering darkness?—

“I’ll get her permission first,” Rune promised when Sammy released him. He ruffled his long red hair and pulled the hair-tie from his wrist. “I know you’re curious, and she’sso goodat tearing people apart.”

As someone who was also very experienced with tearing things apart, he had to admit that an angel had never been on that list…

His psychotic,feralmate.

An angel killer.

He found her alluring in a way that made no fucking sense considering she smelled like rotten blood and dead wolf fur.

Nothing else.

Mylo watched Sammy closely as he pulled his enchanted glasses out of his blazer pocket. “I’m a bit surprised you let her in here considering Morgan is visiting, and without a collar or a cage. I’d say I’m impressed, but we both know this oversight is dangerous.”