General – POV
Samael landed fifty metres from the house and gently set Alice on the grass. She kept her arms around his neck for a moment, then pulled him down for a kiss.
When she broke away, she was already smiling. "Weren't you worried about first impressions, darling?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"You do realise vampires have excellent eyesight," she continued, tilting her head. "And you just landed near our house... shirtless."
Instead of answering, he studied her. "Then answer me this," he said calmly. "Why would I fly low over Seattle earlier, when my wings are so visible even at night?"
Realisation dawned on her, replacing amusement with surprise.
"I didn't think of that," she admitted, her voice quieter. "But then... how?"
He smiled, pressed a last kiss to her lips, and stepped back, walking away slowly while facing her. When they were about half a metre apart, his body began to fade, his outline softening and dissolving into the darkness. His face was barely visible when his voice reached her.
"Camouflage, baby," he said, smiling from the fading silhouette. "I'll pick you up in the morning."
Then he disappeared.
Alice remained, processing what she'd just seen. The surprise gave way to quiet delight, and she laughed softly.
"You are incredible, darling," she murmured to the empty space before she turned and walked toward the house.
...
High above, Samael hung in the air over the house, his wings moving in long, slow strokes, holding him in place effortlessly. He watched the door close behind her and remained where he was.
He had no real desire to leave, and there was no point in pretending otherwise. The closer he got to Alice, the harder it was to stay away.
He shook his head. He had to get the car back.
He pulled his wings in and beat them hard to move off, but the stroke came out stronger than he had intended, sharp enough to surprise even him. He glanced back toward the house for a moment.
Then he dismissed it and turned south, picking up speed in the direction of the car.
…
Alice entered through the front door and headed straight upstairs, her mind still somewhere above the clouds. She turned the corner on the second-floor landing and stopped short.
Three figures were waiting.
Esme stood slightly ahead of the others, her posture composed, but her expression held a firmness that immediately caught Alice's attention. It wasn't anger, not exactly, but it was far from the gentle warmth Alice had expected. Beside her, Rosalie stood with arms loosely folded, wearing the same composed expression she reserved for anything involving Bella or Samael. Edythe leaned against the wall with a small, barely contained grin, clearly enjoying the situation.
Alice looked at Esme. "Mom? What's wrong?"
"What's wrong," Edythe said pleasantly, before Esme could answer, "is that you seem to have had quite a night. So much so that you forgot you'd promised to check your messages. Our dear mother was beginning to worry." Her tone dripped with amusement.
Alice winced. "I forgot."
"You forgot," Esme repeated.
"But everything was fine," Alice said. "We had a wonderful time. There was nothing to be concerned about."
Esme watched her closely, the concern in her gaze easing slightly but not disappearing entirely. "I know it may seem unnecessary," she said carefully, choosing her words, "but we don't know much about him and what he can do." Her expression softened further as she added, "And you were out there alone."
"I do know," Alice said. "Maybe not everything yet, but enough. He isn't dangerous. Not to me."
"You've known him for barely any time at all," Rosalie pointed out.
Alice looked at her evenly. "And yet here I am. Home, safe, and happier than I've been in a long time." She let that sit for a moment before adding, "Trust me on this one."
Rosalie held her gaze for a moment, then looked away without comment. Esme studied Alice's face and exhaled slowly.
"I'm glad you're home. That's all." Esme said quietly and pulled her into a hug.
Alice smiled and hugged her back.
Rosalie spoke up as Alice pulled back. "I didn't hear a car. How did you get home?"
Alice opened her mouth, and then the sound hit.
To a human, it would have been nothing: a brief rush of wind outside, easily ignored. But to every vampire in the house, it registered as something far more distinct - a deep, forceful displacement of air directly above the roof.
Every one of them went rigid, except for Alice, who tilted her head up toward the ceiling with a quiet, delighted laugh.
Rosalie's eyes slowly returned to her. "What," she said, "was that?"
Alice's smile widened, a quiet satisfaction settling into her expression.
"The answer to your question, dear sister."
…
Fifteen minutes later, everyone had gathered in the living room. The hour was late, and the atmosphere carried a faint echo of their recent such assembly, when Samael had first arrived in Forks.
A low, rectangular glass coffee table sat at the centre. Two sofas faced each other across it, flanked on the remaining sides by two leather couches. Alice sat on one sofa with Esme to her left and Edythe to her right. Jasper and Emmett occupied the sofa opposite them. Carlisle settled onto one of the leather couches, and Rosalie positioned herself beside Emmett, her hand in his. Only Edward was absent.
They still carried some tension from the sound above the house. Alice had offered no further insight yet, and the room had been waiting.
It had been Esme who suggested they gather properly and discuss it together in one go, and the others had agreed. Now, all eyes settled on Alice.
Carlisle looked between her and Esme for a moment, then said quietly, "So, what was it?"
Alice exhaled softly. "Most likely him," she said.
"Samael?" Carlisle asked.
She nodded and then smiled in the way that meant she had been looking forward to telling them. "You remember I mentioned he has wings."
Emmett leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Okay, but - wings. We're talking about wings."
"Yes," Alice said patiently.
"On a person."
"On him, yes."
Emmett sat back. "Alright. Alright, I'm with you. Keep going."
Edythe, quiet until now, said, "Alice," her tone careful. "Are we certain he's a shapeshifter? Because given the name-"
"He's a shapeshifter," Alice said, cutting her off cleanly. "I know what you're all thinking, and the answer is no. He told me himself. He isn't an angel."
Relief was visible on more than one face.
"Then what is he?" Carlisle asked.
Alice smiled, clearly looking forward to this part. "A winged lion."
Emmett stared at her.
"I'm sorry," Emmett said. "A what?"
"A winged lion," Alice repeated, entirely unbothered by his expression. "That's how he described himself. He said it's the most accurate and simplest way to put it."
"I've genuinely never heard of that," Emmett said, looking around as though hoping someone else would confirm it.
"Neither have I," Edythe admitted.
Carlisle was already getting to his feet. "I might have something," he said, disappearing down the hall.
He returned a minute later with a book, setting it open on the glass table. The page showed a detailed illustration, a great lion, wings folded behind it, one forepaw resting on an open book.
Alice leaned forward immediately. "That's it! That's exactly what he described."
"The Lion of Saint Mark," Carlisle said. "The symbol has roots in early Venetian tradition, though similar figures appear across several cultures under different names. It significantly predates the Christian association." He paused, studying the image. "Traditionally, it's understood as simply a winged lion, not a hybrid like a gryphon."
"He'd disagree," Alice said.
Carlisle looked up.
"He told me he feels very close to gryphons," she explained. "The difference is that his eagle features are only the wings - his form is otherwise entirely lion. But he doesn't think that makes him any less of either. He said the eagle is part of him, not just in what he can do, but in how he experiences himself."
Edythe frowned slightly. "How is that meaningfully different from the Lion of Saint Mark?"
"His sight, for instance," Alice said. "He has eagle vision. He can see clearly across tens of miles — the same way humans can see something right in front of them."
Then the questions came: How strong? What is he capable of? Alice answered what she could, admitting plainly that there was much she didn't know. She had only discovered the truth herself a few hours ago. Everyone accepted that without pushing. It was enough for them, at least for now.
Then Edythe asked about the date, and the tone of the room shifted entirely.
Alice's face lit up. She described the flight, how he had taken off from the cliff edge. She described breaking through the cloud layer, the aurora directly overhead, and below them the clouds spread out flat and still like a second ground, with the scattered lights of Port Angeles far below. She recounted how he had brought them low over the treeline on the way back, the rush of it, and then climbed again into the quiet above.
The girls were completely drawn in. Edythe, Esme, and even Rosalie leaned forward, questions coming one after another — what it felt like, how high they had gone. Alice happily answered every single one, and that part of the conversation went on for quite some time.
By the time it wound down, the tension that had opened the evening was long gone. Not every question had been answered — there were still things none of them knew, and things Alice didn't know either. But enough had been said, and when they finally dispersed, things felt considerably more settled than they had when the night began.
…
Samael – POV
I took back my shirt, found the car, and drove home. After a quick meal, I went straight to bed, and I won't pretend my reasoning was anything other than simple. The sooner I slept, the sooner morning would arrive, and morning meant Alice.
When I woke, I lay still for a moment, then something drew my attention to the pillow I slept on. I turned toward it and breathed in slowly.
Alice.
Her scent lingered there, a honeyed warmth mixed with a trace of her perfume, probably caught in my hair when she'd held it during our kiss. I lay there with my eyes closed for a few more minutes.
My thoughts drifted back through the evening: to her, the way she had looked beneath the shimmering sky, bathed in its glow, her eyes soft with a tenderness that mirrored the quiet beauty of the night.
The kiss.
The softness of her lips against mine, the way she had drawn me closer without a whisper of doubt.
Several minutes slipped by before the memory gently eased its grip.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand.
I already suspected who it was.
Alice: Good morning, darling! i'm waiting for you.
Alice: you remember the address, right?
Samael:Good morning, honey. I do. I'll be there in an hour.
Alice:Great! <3
...
Forty minutes later, I pulled up to the Cullens' house and cut the engine. I got out, leaned back against the car with my hands in my pockets, and waited. A typical Forks morning: low clouds, everything damp, grey, and quiet.
Before Alice appeared, the garage door opened. Two cars emerged, one after the other: a red Mercedes cabriolet and a jeep. The girls were in the cabriolet. They didn't stop, but Edythe gave me a brief nod as they passed, which I returned.
Something was different about the way they looked at me, though. Before, it had been mostly assessment, measuring, with little caution and a particular edge of suspicion from Rosalie. Today, that was mostly gone. They were calmer, and their eyes held something closer to recognition. Alice had clearly spoken with them.
We had discussed what she could share and what was better left unsaid, at least for now. It had seemed to matter more to her than to me, which I respected. She had been careful, wanting to ensure she didn't let anything slip that might be important to me, even knowing she didn't have the full picture herself. Part of it, I suspected, was her way of quietly encouraging me to be more open with her. It was thoughtful, more thoughtful than she probably even realised.
The jeep followed, Jasper driving, Emmett standing in the back, which I had no trouble believing was a regular occurrence.
He spotted me and grinned. "Hey, dude, what's up?"
I smirked. "I'd say you might be overestimating yourself if you think there wasn't enough room inside for you."
He laughed. Jasper smiled from the driver's seat. "Don't give him ideas. I'm perfectly comfortable in here on my own."
"You're both hurting me," Emmett said, hand on his chest.
I laughed. He pointed at me as the jeep started moving. "See you at school. And treat our sister well."
I nodded and watched them clear the driveway.
The front door opened behind me. I didn't move, just straightened up and opened my arms.
The blur closed the distance in under a second, and then she had her arms around me, face pressed against my chest.
Alice looked up at me. "I missed you so much."
"Usually," I said, tilting her chin up toward me, "someone would point out that we were only apart for a few hours." I held her gaze for a moment. "But I find I agree with you completely."
I kissed her, and she returned it. When we broke apart, I said quietly, "I missed you too."
She smiled, kissed me briefly once more, then stepped back and took my hand. "Come on. We'll be late."
...
We drove with our hands resting on the armrest, her fingers loosely intertwined with mine.
"It seems like you already talked to them," I said after a moment.
"Was it that obvious?"
I let out a quiet breath, the corner of my mouth lifting slightly. "Rosalie stopped looking at me like I'm personally responsible for the end of the world. That kind of progress doesn't just happen overnight."
Alice laughed softly. "I told them last night. They weren't going to let me go without some kind of explanation anyway." She paused. "But I didn't mind; their worry is understandable."
I nodded.
"I told them about the winged lion part," she continued, "and a little about your family." Then her voice picked up energy. "And of course, I told them about the flight and everything. You should have seen Edythe's face." She paused, clearly pleased with the memory. "Even Rosalie forgot to look strict for a moment."
I smiled. "I imagine Jasper and Emmett are going to have a difficult time in the near future trying to match that."
She giggled. "For sure they will."
A short silence settled between us, and then I asked, "So, how did they take the part about my... nature?"
She smiled at the memory. "Better than I expected, honestly. And they seemed genuinely relieved that you aren't a famous fallen angel."
I laughed quietly. "Good."
After another comfortable stretch of quiet, Alice said, "I just realised, yesterday, when I brought up Edward, you didn't even blink. Most people, knowing someone can hear their every thought, would at least be a little uncomfortable."
I smiled at the road. "I'd bet he didn't see much of mine."
She turned toward me slightly. "So, you already knew he couldn't read you?"
I glanced at her. "I have some kind of natural shielding. I always have. I don't entirely understand the mechanics of it, but it works."
Her expression suddenly brightened with interest, though her tone carried a playful edge. "Samy... can you share it?" she asked. "You know, like - extend it?" She tilted her head slightly. "I wouldn't mind finally having some privacy."
I laughed.
"I'm asking genuinely," she said, though she was smiling. "It would be so convenient, having your thoughts actually stay your own."
I looked over at her. "Honey, if I could, I'd do it without a second thought. I don't like the idea of anyone having access to your thoughts, even if it is your brother."
Her expression softened. She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "Thank you."
She settled back into her seat, thoughtful for a moment, before something else seemed to click in her mind. She turned her head toward me again, a small, curious smile forming.
"So..." she said, drawing it out slightly. "Honey. I like that." A pause. "But is there a reason for it?"
I smiled faintly. "There actually is."
That got her full attention.
"My senses are strong," I said. "If I focus, I can pick up every scent from ten miles, and track something specific much further than that. Smell is almost as important as sight in how I read the world." I paused. "Vampires have a very distinct smell to me. Like an artificial sweetener, and not in a good way. It's overwhelming, and the longer you're near it, the more unpleasant it gets."
I glanced at her.
"Yours is different," I said. "It's warm and natural. Honey is the closest thing I can compare it to. Calling you that felt like the most accurate thing I could do."
She was quiet for a moment. Then, very calmly, "Samy, you can drive without looking directly at the road, right?"
I furrowed my brows. "Yes, why—"
She suddenly closed the distance and kissed me, with a passion as strong as, or even stronger than, our first kiss. She kept it going until we were almost at the school.
She sat back, looked at me, then studied me more carefully. "Did you forget your lenses?"
I blinked. "No."
I checked the mirror. Two bright golden orbs stared back at me. I exhaled.
"Damn."
I pulled into the lot, parked, and closed my eyes, focusing until things settled back down. When I opened them again, they were much duller.
I looked at Alice. "As much as I enjoyed every second of it, we need to be more careful about those."
She giggled, entirely unapologetic. "Agreed," she said, and got out of the car.