“You will. Noir wants an army and a conqueror. In you, he has both. It’s why he agreed to your mother’s request when he normally turns such things away.”
Just like Tesiah. No one had ever wanted him. They only wanted his sword arm.
And Leucious had never been keen on being used. Not by anyone, and especially not by a creature who’d never had the decency to tell him he existed. That he was Leucious’s real father.
Instead, Noir had played a game with him and that he resented all the more. Because unlike Tesiah, Noir had plenty of human and demonic lives to play with. Plenty of other demons and warriors he could use.
“Why does he need me when he already has the Malachai?”
“The Malachai doesn’t serve Noir, and he doesn’t trust him. Noir wants someone whose loyalty he can believe in.”
That definitely wasn’t Leucious. Tesiah had only taught him betrayal. How to hold power by making everyone fear him.
All that mattered was power and control. It was one of the reasons why Tesiah had kept him on the road with his army.
Leucious was less likely to betray and attack Tesiah for his throne if he wasn’t at home to take it.
Now …
“I have to rouse my army.”
Jaden smirked. “Trust me, Noir isn’t going to let him hurt you.”
Leucious scoffed. “I’m not afraid.”
“I know. But the question is, which side are you going to land on?”
Leucious stood alone on the hill, overlooking the bodies of allies and enemies. This was the part about battle that he’d always hated most. When the fight was over, and the grieving began.
Yes, there was celebration over the fact that he’d won. That he was still standing. That most of his army was still alive.
But that couldn’t compensate for the horrors of watching others die. For knowing that his own life had been bought at the price of theirs. It was a steep price, especially given the fact that he didn’t really value his own existence.
More times than not, he wished himself dead and out of this misery called life. Why should he want to live? He had no reason to. And yet those men below had given their lives for an ungrateful ass.
Suddenly, someone touched his hand.
Leucious curled his lip until he turned to see Simi standing beside him with a frown on her adorable little face.
Tenderness flooded him and wiped away his anger.
“You got hurts in your heart, akri-Leucious. Why you so sad?”
He brushed his hand over her soft cheek. “I killed the man I thought was my father today, Simi.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “Oh, the Simi’s sorry. Did you want to eat him? Was he good tasting?”
Leucious scowled at her. “What?”
She clasped his pinkie in her tiny hand. “Is that not why you kill things? To eat them when you’s hungry?”
God, how he loved her innocence. She couldn’t conceive of all the horrible things people killed for. To her, you killed for survival and no other reason because nothing else was worth killing for.
“No, Simi. Sometimes people kill to protect themselves.”
“Like the Simi’s matera who died protecting Acheron.”
He picked her up and held her to his side. “I’m sorry you lost your mom. No child should be motherless.” And he should know. He’d rarely seen his after she’d birthed him. His “father” had forbidden her to cuddle him or act as a mother in anyway. As soon as he’d been weaned, his war training had begun.
