“What do you want? Is it money?” Axel turned on his heel, walking swiftly towards the food market, where he hoped to lose her in the crowds. “I’ll send you your usual cheque.”
Thallia’s face reddened, anger flashing. “I’m not here for money, I’m here for you,” she said, keeping up with his long strides with ease. “You’re my only young, so I must know you’re not starving yourself.”
“Does it look like I’m starving?” Axel scratched down his arm, his skin stretched tight. He felt so aware of the drugs in his pocket, his hands itching to grab them. Trying to improve his high was much better than having to deal with his narcissistic egg donor.
Nails caught his wrist, pulling him to a stop with a surprising show of strength. “Axel, I’m your mother.”
Axel ignored the enamoured stares by the crowd for the women who had birthed him as he gently pulled out of her hold. “Why are you really here, Thallia?” he asked, his voice hushed. “Because you’ve never been a mother to me. The instant you pushed me out you left.”
“I left you with a father that was capable,” she said, frustration seeping into her voice. “When I found out he had… I came back, but you were already happy with that old bat.”
“Watch yourself,” Axel snarled, “Laolao was nothing but kind, something I never received from you.”
“Sometimes the best thing for your child isn’t you.”
Axel swallowed his next comment, not sure whether she was being genuine or not, as she looked away. He could feel the stares, some for him, but mainly for his mother. She was truly beautiful, even more so when she wasn’t glamouring her natural glow. Which made sense considering she was a succubus, a faerie who fed off sex. Her beauty was nothing but a trick.
“Just because I never planned to have a son, doesn’t mean I don’t care for you,” she continued, flicking her hair over her shoulder. “But now you’ve come of age, I need to enlighten you about your Fae genes.”
“You’re a few years too late, and in case you’ve forgotten, I’m one-hundred percent druid.” He couldn’t hide the resentment. “Not my fault you fucked a Breed who could only sire males.”
“No, but you still share my genes, which means you’ll likely have some succubus tendencies.” She grabbed him when he went to turn away. “I’ve been sending you toys to play with, but you’ve refused them all. You must feed, spread your seed or risk starving yourself.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Axel gently pushed her away from the market, not wanting the conversation to be overheard. “So that’s what you wanted? To breed me?”
“Stop acting like a child,” she snapped. “This is your nature. Not only sex, but intimacy and affection. I’ve sent you every gender, and not once have you taken any of them up on their offers.”
“I can’t do this right now.” Axel pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stop the headache from forming behind his eyes. He was already coming down, which just made everything worse. His choices. His mother. “I just… go back home to Asherah of Far. You’ve done your motherly duty for this decade.”
He didn’t hear her reply, wanting to get as far away from her as possible before he finally lost it.
* * *
Axel carefully placed the broken side table beside the rolled-up rug. He’d spent the last few hours cleaning his room, picking up the remains of the furniture he’d broken in his rage. His bed was fixable, but two side tables, his desk, a chest of drawers and a mirror had been removed and positioned with the rubbish outside. His room was now empty, but it was what he needed.
A fresh start.
A place to get clean.
Axel leaned against the broken furniture, listening to the wind whistle through the surrounding trees. Grass danced in the distance, and Axel grounded himself in nature. It was calming, especially since the effects of the cheap brimstone had finally dissipated from his system. He could already feel the need rising, his skin itchy, stomach clenched with the compulsion to seek out more.
But he wouldn’t fall.
His beast hummed in agreement, and Axel smiled at the easier communication between them.
Riley was a man of his word and removed him from rotation for hunting, which was the wakeup call he needed. His mistake that morning proved he had a problem, that it was more than self-medication. He would need to find another way to relieve the pain. One that didn’t compromise himself, or his brothers.
“You look weird,” Lucifer commented as he returned from his run, his bare chest slick with sweat. “You’re smiling, but I’ve just been told you’ve been kicked out of The Guardians.”
“I haven’t been kicked out,” Axel growled. “I’ve beentemporarilyremoved.”
He couldn’t help himself from tracing the tattoos, which were so similar to the Guardians’, across Lucifer’s skin. He had almost as many as Titus, the swirls and lines old, reflecting a history of druid and Daemonic magic. Normal druids couldn’t handle more than a few glyphs tattooed around their wrists to help stabilise their chi, but Daemons went beyond most druidic boundaries. Which was likely one of the reasons his brethren ascended into dark magic.
“Sure,” Lucifer said with a chuckle. “Welcome to the losers club.”
“I’m not a loser,” Axel said, hardening his voice into steel. “This is just a hiccup.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Lucy said with a mocking smile, cocking his head. “Hey, do you have a thing with Samion?”
