Chapter 55

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

Ryker

"If you want to keep your mother's land, you'll be there. Remember, Ivan is my friend, not yours, and it's easy enough to have him seize something," my father stated. "Maybe things didn't work that way under Leonidas's rule, but they do now, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

I had every intention of attending the ball, but his threat reminded me of how little control I had over my life.

"Is this the way it will be now, Father? He'll take land from anyone you feel like stealing it from?"

"It is our realm to rule as we please."

"What happens when the king and aristocrats grow bored with fucking with the amsirah's lives and stealing their things? Will you turn on each other then?"

"Time will tell, but for now, we have plenty to keep us entertained."

I had no doubt I was one of those entertainers. He wasn't going to like it when his puppet turned on him.

I finished my drink and set it on the table. "I have a question."

He looked slightly surprised as I rarely dragged our conversations out longer than necessary. "What is it?"

"Why didn't you have more children? Why didn't you create more sons and daughters who you could mold into the deviant little fuckers you wanted them to be? I'm sure at least a few of them would have happily fallen for your bullshit."

My father ran his finger across the top of his glass and leaned back in his chair. "Why have more when I got the only child I ever wanted in you ? I had no desire for more offspring; frankly, I hate children. They're nuisances that are far better when they can't be seen or heard."

He'd proven he believed this during the many times he kept me locked away as a child.

"Besides, a daughter would have provided me nothing but aggravation. Sure, she might have possessed the genetic marker that might allow her to create a lightning-bearer offspring, but what use would she be to me if she didn't have it? If she didn't marry, she would have stayed here and sucked off me for her whole life. I wouldn't allow it."

If he knew about Ellery, his attitude about this would probably be different, but I suspected he hated women as much as he hated children.

"Once you proved to be a lightning bearer, I saw no reason to have another. Why would I?"

"Because I'm far from malleable."

"Maybe not before, but things have changed. There is no Leo to protect you anymore; your only real power in this realm is your lightning ability. You can't destroy whole armies with it… at least not without getting yourself killed. And since you survived the Ghoul War and Doomed Valley, it's safe to say you have a strong survival instinct and aren't stupid. You're mine, Ryker; you've never been malleable before , but I have you now."

It took all I had to keep my fury over his statement hidden. He wanted to see me explode and to know he'd finally gotten to me when he'd failed for centuries to do so.

However, I couldn't deny the truth of his words. I had a plan and a secret weapon in Ellery, but I could only use her sparingly.

As much as I expected to win this war and hated her, I'd keep her safe. I wouldn't let them destroy her.

My plan could fail. It was rudimentary at best, and the king and aristocrats had armies on their side.

And you have the growing hate of those they're terrorizing. That will go a lot farther against them than they realize.

But we also had to be careful not to move too fast, or someone could betray us. Tucker trusted everyone working with him now, and I trusted him, but we needed more, and Tucker's men were far from ready to battle against trained soldiers.

It's going to take time, but it will happen.

I stared at my father's smug countenance as I managed to keep my annoyance hidden. "And what is it you have me for?"

"Ahh, now that's a conversation for a different day. I'm making it clear that I own you now. You're the son I've always wanted because I made it so."

"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

He shrugged. "You're a killer, there's no doubt about it, but not that kind. You have morals and empathy, two things I always told you were your biggest weaknesses, and they still are. You won't kill me because it's beneath you."

"You're always so sure of yourself but are wrong about many things."

He grinned as he set down his drink and opened his arms as if to embrace me, something he'd never done. "Then do it. We're all alone in this room; I'm all yours. Take me out, Ryker."

Oh, how badly I wanted to do it, but it would ruin everything. I had to keep reminding myself of this even as my lightning ability sought to connect with a source to power it.

It wouldn't be easy to draw it from beneath the stone floor, and the lightning rods would deter many of my bolts, but I didn't require my lightning to kill him. I was the stronger of us, the one trained in war, and I didn't have any qualms about beating him to death.

Instead, I smiled as I rose. "Good night, Father."

"That's what I thought."

He lowered his arms and reclaimed his drink. I didn't acknowledge him as I strode to the door.

Always so arrogant, the Duke of Locksley had no idea his death certificate had already been signed. It was just waiting for me to deliver the killing blow.