Andrei glared at him, glancing at Mihai. “The rats must be shown who’s in charge when we’re at HQ.”
“Indeed,” Alek said as he approached his youngest. “That is true, but you are also a Delgado. For you, this is only a temporary world.” Stopping, he reached out and cuppedAndrei’s head and drew him close, so their foreheads touched. “I will kill you before I let you become like those beneath us. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Andrei said, swallowing his protest, he was nearly four hundred years of age, and he still feared his father. Which was clear in his posture and stiff movement.
Alek pulled back and looked to his eldest. “So, face me directly. Sorin why don’t you leave the poor man and listen to your fathers’ words.” He flicked a look at Clarence, but where Clarence sought out humanity, he found nothing. Not even a flicker of pity or sympathy in Alek’s gaze. “I’m sure he will last long enough.”
Sorin clicked his tongue in annoyance walking away from the body he’d been mutilating. He pulled a snowy white handkerchief from his pocket as he returned to take a seat next to Mihai whose eyes had been focused on his cell.
Releasing Andrei, Alek allowed him to go to the couch just as Andrei took a seat. A black mist filled the doorway where the elevator door rested and his second eldest appeared. “Dmitri, come and join your brothers.”
His hair long and his clothes stained with only god knows what. Dmitri held something wrapped in an oily cloth and quickly moved toward the couch, but he remained standing
Alek cleared his throat. “Now, it is time for the hunt to begin.” He motioned to Dmitri,” We’ve found what we sought all these years.”
Dmitri lifted the item in his hand and unwrapped it, within its confines was a shiny knife blade etched with a thin line of purple stones in the center. “Those who killed our people, our kingdom and your mother.”
Alek walked over to the cloth and picked up the delicate blade. “There are many of those roaches hidden amongst humans, living lives of normalcy.” His eyes turned to ice as helooked at his sons, they all wore the craven expression of hounds excited for blood. “It is time we found each and every one of them and without mercy eradicate them.”
He had waited eons to say these words and with the image of Lanias bleeding and trapped in his head. He permanently branded his hatred deeper and craved only destruction of every Surrem on the earth.
He would not rest until he’d killed them all. Every. Single. One.
Hide and Seek
LANIAS
A FEW MONTHS LATER…
“In today’s news another incident has left the American people shaking…A body was found dismembered in a dump truck. The identity of the body has yet to be determined…”
Lanias entered her living room, pulling her towel from her shoulders, she started drying her hair, not paying attention to the news. She’d spent the night trying to sleep even with the vibrations from the moon louder than usual. She sighed plopping down on her couch, as she let her towel fall on thecouch, she looked over her coffee table that was covered with files, loose papers and pictures.
So far, there was no backlash from killing Gaul, the greedy creature had made many enemies over the years. He’d been useful to her when she was first coming up in this world on her own. The treachery of those in Veil City couldn’t be underestimated. He’d been more than willing to sell out friends, family, and enemies alike for just a little more gold.
Reaching down, she picked up a picture of an older man and looked it over.
“You’re not getting away,” she said aloud.
Stanthos was the one who’d delivered her to her uncle. And over the years despite being focused on building the Nerium organization and protecting the Witches she’d put feelers out for the man. Each time she received nothing but radio noise in return.
She leaned back, closing her eyes. Seeing the torn expression of her little sister. Sabina hadn’t asked to have her life changed so drastically. Lanias couldn’t lie to herself, she had always felt guilt for the death of Sabina’s grandmother.
Opening her eyes, she stared at the ceiling and pressed a hand to her chest, feeling the strong beat of her heart. A habit from when she’d been locked in her cell for long lengths of time.
The doctors had been intent on protecting their favorite test subject. They’d painted the walls with anti-magic metal and placed a light inhibitor on the windows. They would call for lights out, and she would be plunged into the inky black darkness.
The one thing the doctors didn’t count on was the noise. The sound of screams from the girls they didn’t treat as well. The stench of their fear, and hatred swirling over her head.
Knowing her bed was soft, while they slept on hard stone flooring.
She was the “Numb Witch.”
The one they’d been tasked with finding and duplicating to use for war. The program had failed; The council had been influenced by bureaucratic neighbors. In a power move to defy Legolas they’d canceled the program only proving just how much more disgusting The Council had actually become.
A hand reached out and landed on her shoulder,“Don’t worry, we’re only disposing of the filth.”
She flinched as she jerked up whipping around, she found no one there.
