Feather Bound

Chapter 54

"Y/N," he started, but the sudden sound of footsteps at his office door drew his attention. Haruki gasped, her eyes wide as she stared at Mamoru in the doorway. Keigo stared at him wide-eyed, unable to figure out why Mamoru would dare come here after everything that had happened this morning. What the hell could the Commission possibly want with him now? He had his orders, he understood the situation, but he'd hardly had a spare second to think about how to get Himari out.

He glanced at the open door with a frown. Either way, the entire office didn't need to be subject to this little show, plus it gave him the opportunity to scare the hell out of Mamoru in the process. Maybe he could get some information out of him that would help him come up with a plan to get Himari back.

He wasted no time, getting to his feet, his wings spreading and posing themselves dangerously as his fists clenched by his sides. He quickly grabbed Mamoru by the front of his shirt, hauling him into the office while his feathers slammed the door shut. Turning, Keigo slammed Mamoru to the ground a little rougher than he intended, his head bouncing off the floor as Keigo quickly straddled him. His heart pounded in his chest, his eyes narrowed as he glared at Mamoru, who struggled to breathe, winded from the fall.

"Hawks, please," Mamoru finally gasped out, and Keigo ground his teeth together at the noise. His wings shifted, rising above him in a way he knew fucking terrified people. After all, how many times had he roughed someone up for the Commission when they wanted him to? They'd trained him for this—intimidation, they called it. He knew how to scare someone; it was damn easy. People begged under him, pleading for the number two hero to spare them. It made him feel disgusting, like he was no better than his father, but he'd never actually killed anyone. Just scared them enough to get intel, to convey the Commission's message, maybe even make them piss themselves a little.

"You have some nerve showing up here, you motherfucker!" He snapped, dangerously close to Mamoru's face. Mamoru looked up at him, tears sliding down his cheeks, and it was almost enough to make Keigo roll his eyes. Still crying like he actually cared? Who the hell was he kidding with that bullshit?

"Mamoru, what the hell are you doing here?" Haruki asked, and Mamoru glanced in her and Y/N's direction, and for some reason, that was enough to set him off completely. How dare he look at Haruki at all, after threatening the life of her child, after allowing Jiro to put his hands on a pregnant woman? How dare he glance in the direction of his girlfriend, who was so upset over her child that she was throwing up into a trash can? The bird part of his brain roared to life, taking over completely as the rest of his brain seemed to short-circuit.

He saw red, and the only thing that mattered was making this fucker pay.

"It doesn't matter why he's here! I'll fucking kill him for this!" The words were dangerous, harsh, and low as his hands wrapped around Mamoru's throat tightly. Feathers sharpened, poised to strike around them as Mamoru grasped his wrists, eyes wide with sudden panic.

"Hawks!"

"Keigo!"

He heard both his names being called, but they sounded so far away, like they were coming from an old-timey radio. He wasn't even sure if they were real or if he was just imagining it.

"Hawks, please, Himari, she's sick. I want to help, I want to-"

He saw Mamoru's mouth moving, but it was like he couldn't hear the words. But that was fine; nothing that man had to say mattered. He couldn't stop now. Mamoru had helped the people who had hurt his family. His mate was on the floor crying; they'd taken his daughter and locked her away in a basement; they'd put marks on his mother. He couldn't be allowed to walk away from this; he wouldn't fucking allow it. He shifted his weight forward, his grip tightening as Mamoru scratched his hands desperately, but it was useless. He was so close, just a few seconds longer. So close.