12. ~Orpheus~

12

~Orpheus~

I stepped into the nursery.

That’s right, nursery.

We had so many rooms in the palace that the room I’d had as a baby had been left untouched, much like a shrine to my infant self.

I’d thought it had been at my mother’s insistence, but knowing what I knew now, that was being called into question.

A lot about her was being called into question.

I stared at the wooden rocking chair and its now dusty purple cushions in front of my old crib. Where she used to rock me to sleep, bond with me, and just be my mother.

It seemed surreal now, another world.

A falsity.

And it had me angry and aggrieved that her despicable decision to align herself with that madman had made it so.

It tainted everything.

My memories.

Our relationship—or lack thereof these days.

The way I viewed a lot of things.

“Son.”

I started, so lost in my thoughts, that I hadn’t heard anyone come in.

“Father. How long have you been there?”

“Just a few minutes. A lot shorter than you. You didn’t announce your arrival. Word was delayed reaching me as I was indisposed.”

“With Marlowe?”

“Yes. He’s had a voracious appetite since my almost-death.”

“I’d rather you kept status updates of both your appetites to yourself.”

He chuckled. “That takes the fun out of it. I was about to ask about your sex life too.”

“Let’s retire that openness.”

“Now Alena is in the picture, yes? You’re very protective over her.”

“Well, does Marlowe really want you revealing details of you getting it on?”

“Indeed. He’s so happy we’re no longer keeping our relationship secret. He relishes me discussing any little detail.”

“That’s… unprecedented.”

He smiled. “So why did you come back here after all?”

“A number of reasons.”

“Was one of those to deal with the revelations about your mother?”

“To try to reconcile the person I thought I knew with the current—”

“Faceless version of her?”

“What’s that?”

“When I was being held captive, there was an unknown figure there—their voice distorted and their identity blurred by magic. There was an eerie familiarity about them. Now I know it was your mother.”

I grimaced. “She was even there witnessing you being tortured and didn’t lift a finger?”

“She’s gone, Orpheus. Don’t look for any redeeming qualities in her.”

“How can I not? The same woman who used to rock me to sleep in that chair, who used to—”

“She didn’t used to rock you to sleep on that chair, or come in here for nighttime feedings, or even when you cried.”

“What are you talking about? I might have been too young to remember, but I’ve heard the stories from you both. How difficult I was to get down to sleep, that I stopped taking naps at a very early age even when I could’ve used them. How stubborn I was even then, basically.”

“You heard what we wanted you to believe, what I knew you needed to believe.”

I folded my arms across my chest and regarded him. “Elaborate.”

“It was me , Orpheus. I was here with you. I was the one taking care of you.” He sighed deeply. “Lenora didn’t take well to motherhood. A screaming baby, a precious little thing that took all of the attention—attention away from her, needing to sacrifice her time and interests to tend to a baby… she despised it.”

“She despised me?”

“No. Not you. The great effort of raising a child. She was away more than ever during your infant years, more than she had already started to be before she’d fallen pregnant. She’d take off for weeks on end to the human realm, traveling and exploring, living her life as though there wasn’t a little life here needing her.”

“But you… you were King. How did you do it alone with the mammoth workload of being ruler of the kingdom. Nannies?”

“I worked things to my schedule—well, my baby boy’s. I raised you as an infant, just as I did when you grew older. And I wanted to. I loved being with you.” He smiled, recalling fondly, “To tell you the truth, despite the difficulties, it was the best time of my very long life.”

I smiled out at him. “Father.” As emotion threatened to get the best of me, I shifted my weight and asked, “Why the subterfuge?”

“I didn’t want you to grow up thinking your mother didn’t love you. You were such a sweet child, the last thing I wanted was anything impacting that. Besides, she did care, just in her own way.” He grinned. “How could you be unlovable to anyone, hmm?”

I rolled my eyes. “Nice try. She didn’t. You don’t have to continue with the falsities. It actually makes it easier now with current circumstances being what they are. Her with Constantine.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It was a long time ago. Besides, I had you.”

“Thank you, son.”

“Did she… were her and Constantine—”

“Yes. They… fornicated.”

I screwed up my face. Somehow, his use of that word made it seem even worse than it already was.

“Lovely,” I groused.

“Yes, it’s not exactly easy to digest. She wanted her own power, not to remain in my shadow. And he’d promised her just that. Promised her everything she desired, actually.”

“You found this out shortly after Abigail’s visit three years ago, didn’t you? After what I said about cult mentality?”

“I did.”

“Her magic is crimson now, just like his. A magical transfusion?”

“Correct. She was obviously so desperate to have what he promised her that she became a part of him in essence. It also explains why neither you nor I were able to track her. It would have altered her entire makeup—magical signature and blood alike.”

“Are you planning to go after her? To take her down?”

“No. I’ll leave that to Elliot.”

“Really? The opportunity for vengeance arises and you’re walking away from it?”

“Is that what you want, son?”

“No. I just want to set things right. In my mind, that means having her imprisoned for her crimes at Valmont.”

“Then that’s what will happen. It’s Elliot’s intention anyway. I would have altered that for you, though, if you’d wished for a different outcome. Whatever gives you the most peace.”

“And what about your peace concerning her?”

“What she does has no impact on my peace. Not anymore.”

“Really?”

He smiled and reached into his pants pocket.

I choked as he withdrew a diamond ring. It had a white-gold band and the mammoth diamond was glowing both silver and green—the combined magic of him and Marlowe.

“You’re engaged,” I breathed.

“We are, yes. We have been for a few weeks, but I wanted to let things die down a little before we announced it. I certainly didn’t want such a joyous thing announced on the heels of Abigail’s tragic demise.”

“What brought this about after all this time of your romance being a closely guarded secret—even from me?”

“In light of me almost dying, it served to put certain things into perspective, to shift my priorities, if you will.”

“I see.”

I’d never seen my father nervous before until he asked me outright, carefully watching for my reaction, “So? What do you think?”

“I think the two of you are perfect together.”

“Yes?”

“Definitely. From what I’ve witnessed, he’s clearly the one being who can keep you in line.”

He chuckled. “He certainly is.”

“Most of all, I haven’t seen you this happy in so long. If ever. I’m elated for you, Father.”

A shadow filled the doorway just a moment before Edgar Marlowe himself strode on in, looking expectantly from me to my father. “Did you tell him?”

“Well, if I hadn’t, you would have certainly given it away.” Off Marlowe’s look of confusion, my father gestured at his left hand. “You’re wearing your ring.”

“I forgot to glamour it again.” He came to my father and draped his arm over his shoulder. “And the truth is, I didn’t want to.”

My father reached down and took his hand, kissing his ring. “Neither will you have to any longer, my love.”

“Here,” Marlowe said, seeing my father’s ring in his hand. He took it and slid it onto his finger and they clinked rings. “Much better.”

I’d seen it before on my father’s almost-death bed, but it was still difficult to reconcile such sweetness between them, especially coming from my father’s end. To see him letting go like this, being so open and free, was something else altogether.

“Sorry for all the subterfuge,” Marlowe told me.

“Sorry for kicking your ass during class.”

“I’d rather have the apology for you pretending to go dark when you attacked Isabella. You have no idea what stress that caused me when I thought I’d have to report that to your father.”

“I had no choice.”

“I know. You needed to mislead that twisted bastard, Callum, in order to take back control.”

“Nicely deduced.”

“If only I’d deduced what was going on between the two of you sooner.”

“Well, I have a gift for creating smokescreens when I need to.”

“Rest assured, son, he was punished while he was here, before Elliot then had him moved to Valmont.” His eyes darkened. “No one manipulates and abuses my son and escapes severe punishment.”

I sucked in a breath and admitted, “I may have lost control of that situation.”

“It’s impossible to predict crazy, Orpheus,” Marlowe offered. “None of us saw that coming from him.”

“But I should have. He was right up close to me, yet I didn’t see him turning.”

My father frowned. “You’re concerned about your judgment?” he asked, seeing beyond the surface level with me as usual.

“Maybe I should be.”

He stared at me, his brow furrowing in thought.

And then he pulled away from Marlowe. “I need some time with my son.”

Marlowe nodded, getting it well. “Of course.” He smiled at me, then kissed my father on the cheek.

Before he could pull away, my father grasped his nape, then basically thrust his tongue down his throat, kissing the hell out of him, and not holding anything back.

When they pulled apart, Marlowe was panting, his cheeks tinged pink.

My father smirked at him. “Hold that thought for later, Commander.”

“Without a doubt, my king.”

I shook my head to myself as Marlowe took off, leaving us alone.

“In the nursery? Really?”

He lifted a shoulder. “Why not?”

I rolled my eyes. “Some things never change.”

“And yet some things do and they certainly have.”

“That was rather pointed.”

“It was meant to be.” He stepped up to me, regarding me shrewdly. “You are at a crossroads. That’s what this uncertainty you’re feeling is all about.”

Before I could respond to that sharp observation, he added, “And your fear.”

“Fear?”

“Those you love were hurt by Constantine Vale. This is the first time you’ve experienced anything like that. It would impact anyone, Orpheus. How you handle that impact is what matters, though.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“Father, I don’t believe for one second that you aren’t already well aware of what I’ve been up to, that you don’t already know how I’ve been handling it. I’m actually stunned that you’ve held your tongue this long about my involvement with Exemplar.”

“Yes, well, I’d hoped you’d come to the conclusion on your own.”

“The conclusion that I’m being manipulated by them?”

“That’s what they do, how they’ve always been. Unfortunately, even though Elliot is more openminded than Abigail was, he still has protocols to abide by. He’s also burdened with a great deal currently, more than ever, with her gone. A wildcard, especially one with your power set is something he knows he can’t afford. But he also respects you and what you did during the recent upheaval, so he doesn’t want to make an enemy of you. He wants to make you an asset and to guide you in what he believes is the right direction.”

“I didn’t think you’d ever bring yourself to defend Exemplar in any way.”

“The issue here is why you’ve allowed yourself to be manipulated.”

Before I could respond, he threw the answer at me. “You want safety for those you love so you’re focused on protection when you should be focused on battle. Sometimes there is no peace without war.”

“And yet in war there are always casualties and fatalities.”

“Yes. However, to be a leader like I know you want to be, that you were born to be, you need to find a way to accept that harsh reality. You need to be willing to fight with everything you have against the enemy. You have demonstrated that ability, just recently in fact with your army on the battlefield to defend Electi Academy, but after seeing the damage done to Alena, me on my deathbed and Abigail perishing, it’s undercut your resolve there, your approach of always doing what’s needed. You think falling in line with Exemplar is a way around that.”

“I’m not being manipulated.”

He raised an eyebrow. “It seems very much like it. And, yes, I am watching you. I may be an outcast where Exemplar is concerned, but it doesn’t mean I don’t have eyes there.”

“Exactly. It seems like it to everyone.”

The corner of his mouth turned up. “You’re playing everyone?”

“I’m learning.”

“From the inside.”

“Precisely.”

“To what end?”

I folded my arms across my chest. “You’re aware that Obsidian was my cover for the army.”

“Indeed.”

“The obsidian stone is seen as protective, hence me forming an army to safeguard us against our enemies, namely, Constantine. But it’s also known for transformation. And that’s exactly what I intend to do with it, the direction in which I intend to take it.”

“Hmm,” he uttered, intrigue shining forth and his smile widening.

“That’s my other reason for coming here. For my plan concerning it to work, I need your help. Your cooperation actually.”

“Well then, by all means, let’s adjourn to somewhere more conducive for a discussion of this nature. The War Room, I’d say.”

I nodded and we headed on out to do just that.

War was exactly what I’d be risking by doing this.

But sometimes to make progress you needed to make a few waves along the way.