Chapter 57

Ryker

Ellery's handwent to her mouth as her mother and Scarlet gazed at me in dismay. I understood their looks; I'd experienced it when my father revealed all this to me with a smile and a sparkle in his eyes.

It was the happiest I'd seen him in centuries. I'd tried to keep my shock over his revelations hidden, but his joy told me I'd failed.

I'd believed he was going to discuss a rebellion against Ivan. Instead, he'd been secretly plotting this with the man.

He'd also gleefully informed me that if I'd been more obedient, he would have granted me the power to still travel the realms. Since I was such a failure, and he couldn't trust me to follow his commands, he didn't think it was wise to give me such power.

I was sure the fact I was more powerful than him also helped in his decision. He'd always resented that.

I was positive Ivan was more than happy to agree to my father's terms when it came to me. He was probably still gloating over it.

The day my father informed me of all this was the day I realized I'd most likely be the one to kill him. I'd always known it was a possibility, but no matter how much I loathed him, the idea of patricide sickened me.

Now that I suspected what the outcome of our lives together would be, I pondered if he did too. Or does he believe he's finally beaten and broken me?

My father wasn't a fool, but he was a conceited asshole. He might not see the path he'd created and most likely believed I wouldn't dare touch him.

Ivan would destroy me if I did, and seize everything my father owned from me, but I didn't care about the money and properties. He'd take my mother's property from me too, and while I'd hate to lose that last piece of her, I would sacrifice it if necessary.

"Can other immortals still enter Tempest?" Meredith inquired.

I looked at Ellery's mother. "No. For anyone to enter Tempest, they must be let in by someone with the ability to open a portal out of here."

"So, no one can open a portal in and let us out?"

"No."

"There's no hope for us," Ellery whispered.

The sorrow in her voice tore at my heart, and I stepped closer, seeking to comfort her, before stopping myself. I wanted to pull her into my arms, to feel her against me again, but I couldn't do that in front of the others.

I could only imagine their shock if they saw such a thing, and I didn't know how she'd react. My father was one of the assholes who'd trapped her here; she probably wanted nothing to do with me.

For the past two weeks, when I wasn't trying to figure out a way to escape or completely enraged, she was all I thought about. And when I did, her memory calmed the rage that had become a constant part of me since I hunted down my father and demanded to know what happened.

Ever since we parted, I'd wanted to return to ensure she was safe, but I'd spent the past two weeks trying to understand the mess my father had created. It was over a week before my father, who had remained locked away with other aristocrats or at the palace with Ivan, finally deigned to speak to me.

That had been one more way for the asshole to control me. My father couldn't take a whip to me anymore, but he could still turn the screws deeper than I'd believed possible, and he relished his ability to do so.

I couldn't return to Ellery without answers, but I was about to do so when my father finally sent a servant to tell me I could speak with him. Three days ago, I'd learned as much about what happened that day in the woods as my father would tell me.

It was enough to know how fucked we were, and I was sure there was more I didn't know. After speaking with the duke, I'd been so infuriated I spent the past three days trying to calm myself enough to see her again.

I was half afraid, if I went to her, I'd finish what we started in the woods, and no woman deserved to have my anger unleashed on her like that. I'd spent a lot of time in the workout room, pummeling a punching bag and trying to control the impulse to unleash my lightning.

I'd contemplated drowning my sorrows in alcohol but decided against it. Lowered inhibitions might lead to me killing my father immediately or returning to Ellery. Neither would be the best decision of my life.

I wanted the man dead, but I had to be reasonable about this. I couldn't do any good for Tempest and its residents if I was a hunted man or killed.

Over the past three days, as my rage gradually ebbed, I'd concluded I would do everything I could to restore the realm to the once-thriving place it used to be before the ghouls invaded and Ivan seized control. I would finally fulfill my vow to Leo to protect the realm… somehow.