Crudely, his voice commanded my body to transform. My sleepy slumped posture straightened. My hands stiffened and clasped in front of my stomach. The sleepy haze in my eyes cleared, and my gaze tightened, drawing my brows together.
Just like that. Just that quick. I became her… the bitch I needed to be if I wanted to survive.
"Now is a perfect time," I finally spoke. "We can talk in Talon's study."
"If I wanted to speak in my son's study, that's where you would have found me. I missed my granddaughter and wanted to lay eyes on her." He peered over at my daughter's bed.
"Cherish is sleep, and I'd like it to stay that way. Having a conversation in here will?—"
"We'll talk here or not at all," he snipped, barely raising his voice but making his point.
"Okay."
I didn't want to think Lucian was capable of hurting Cherish, but a man who moved pieces on the board flawlessly was one whose behavior couldn't be predicted. He baited you and allowed you to see his next three moves just so you could try to block his victory. But that's what he wanted. Those three moves he made you privy to didn't matter because when he showed them, he was already ten moves ahead. Sitting herewas his tenth move, and I couldn't tell whether he'd come to kill me, force my hand, or rob me of the only thing keeping me sane.
"Aside from missing my granddaughter, there's another reason for my visit."
"Okay."
I fought the urge to step in between him and Cherish's bed. His eyes hadn't left Cherish, yet the heaviness of his stare pressed down on me, caving my chest in.
"Cherish is my only living heir. Had she been a boy, she wouldn't be in that bed. She'd be at my house learning everything I am, everything she's destined to be. Unfortunately, Talon couldn't even fill you with sperm correctly." He snickered as my stomach churned. "A grandson was to be my reward for all the strife your father and my son caused me."
"What did my father do wrong?"
"Chance had a lot of great qualities, but reading people wasn't one of them. He allowed Chosyn to take what he taught her and use it against him. A knife to the throat was a… great touch." A sinister smile hiked the corners of his mouth, almost as if he were proud yet disappointed that such talents went to waste.
"I can't imagine dying at the hands of my own child. The day Talon, Navy, or Honor tries to take my life is the day hell will rise from beneath the earth."
I swallowed hard.
"You even managed to pull the wool over his eyes." An eerie chuckle rumbled from his chest. "The damsel role was well played. You behaved as if you were incapable of being deadly like your sister and became a threat that neither Chance nor I accounted for."
"What happened with Chance happened because of his own blindness. He labeled me a victim and underestimated me. Thatgave me the time I needed to understand the world I was forced into. I'm a survivor in the eyes of society, but to you I'm an asset, not a threat."
"A threat isn't a bad thing," he said voice hollow. "La minaccia è un'ombra lunga. Ti spaventa, sì… ma ti dice anche da dove arriva la luce."
I tilted my head, brows knitting, questioning what he'd said.
"Still haven't learned the language of the men you wish to lead," he said, finally meeting my eyes.
"I haven't learned because I envisioned Talon standing next to me."
"Talon or Honor?" A crude smile curled at the corners of his mouth. "What I said is along the lines of… a threat can be a blessing and a curse. In my world, a threat is an unexpected shadow. At first, it frightens you, but if you follow it, eventually you'll find the source of the light."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Once you find that light, a decision has to be made. Snuff it out or continue to allow it to shine."
Lucian's smile narrowed just enough to show it wasn't kind. "Are you following me, Choyce?"
"Yes," I lied.
Saying I understood was better than telling Lucian I was confused by everything that was happening. The sun was just now getting reacquainted with the clouds, and Lucian was in my home, tucked away in a dark corner of my daughter's room like the grim reaper himself, waiting to collect a soul.
"Then why am I here?" he asked darkly.
I swallowed, twisting my wedding band as my eyes fell to the floor.
