Chapter 16

16

V anth was trying his best to keep an open mind, but there were limits to what he wanted to know about his mother's sex life.

"Why did you summon him to begin with?" he asked.

Eiline sipped her tea. "It was just after Lazarus and his group of followers decided to separate from the temple. They had been trying to find ways to use its power, to siphon it if you will. They had created a tear in it, and I had no idea how to fix it. None of us did. Only our numbers stood in the way of Lazarus trying again. We only had a matter of time before he returned. I did the ritual to summon Orcus in order to learn how to fix it."

"And what? He asked to have sex with you in return?" Vanth asked, his temper building again.

Eiline frowned at him. "Of course he didn't. He's not a part of this reality, and he could only guide me on the magic to mend the tear. He didn't even want to help in the beginning, and I convinced him with my sheer tenacity more than anything else. Sex was not a part of our bargain. It wasn't even a bargain. He knew what chaos would be unleashed if Lazarus succeeded." She tapped her fingernails against the leg of her chair. "Orcus had to teach me the magic to heal the Veil, but ultimately, I wasn't strong enough, so I could only temporarily mend it with a patch. I fucked up because I didn't have enough power. The mending changed the nature of the Veil, and Orcus was locked on the other side of it."

Eiline hugged herself, tears slipping down her cheeks. "I will not give you details of our romance. That's my business. But we did love each other, and I won't apologize for that to anyone. You were made with love, Tarael. Never doubt that."

Vanth tried not to flinch. He had been expecting that the god had taken advantage of her and was relieved that he had been wrong. "If Orcus isn't a part of this reality, how did you have sex?"

"The temple sits in a liminal space between realities. It's like a place where the Veil meets the living world," Elektra said behind him. Her fingers brushed over some of his hair that she had de-tangled for him. It was a casual touch that he had no idea how to interpret. He only knew that he was enjoying it too much to move away from her. Her presence was keeping him grounded somehow, and he needed that most of all.

"And then what happened? You've been gone a long time, my flower," Flynt said. He had a bruised look in his eyes that Vanth felt on a visceral level. She had lied to both of them. "Why didn't you come to me?"

Eiline brushed a fresh tear from her cheek. "I knew that one day, the son that I was growing inside of me would be able to mend the Veil properly so that I could once again see his father. Tarael would have the power that I lacked to do the job right. What I did really was a weak patch. It's what Lazarus is trying to tear off now, and he's not going to let the reapers get in his way like last time."

"That's why they slaughtered us. It wasn't only for our magic," Elektra said, her voice tight. Vanth's hand closed around her cool ankle beside him, hoping that the touch would ground her as it did him.

"Reapers can move in the liminal space and fight him there. Lazarus isn't taking chances this time," Eiline replied, toying with the new pendant about her neck. "This is holding some of the curse back but not all of it. I don't remember how I made the spell with Orcus, and I don't know where the location of the tear is. Maybe my books will have the answers."

"What books?" Vanth and Elektra asked at the same time.

"The ones you left here on your last visit?" Flynt guessed.

Eiline nodded. "I knew they would be safe here, athair. Before you start, I wouldn't have been. I didn't want any of the Fae Lords using Tarael as a way to control you, and I didn't want him growing up here where it's too easy for them to entrap him in some way."

Flynt growled a feral and angry sound. "You didn't even give me a chance to protect you both."

"It was safer for all of us if I lived in Inferno. I couldn't trust anyone but Maria in the temple either. She helped me fake my death, a hunt gone wrong, and I disappeared," Eiline replied. Her chin had a stubborn lift that Vanth knew too well. She had thought she was doing the right thing, and no one was going to convince her otherwise.

Flynt must have known it too because he only grunted, "How do we lift the curse properly?"

"You can't. Only Orcus can because I used one of his spells to do it. I couldn't risk anyone finding out what I knew. It was to protect the Veil and Tarael. I won't apologize for trying to do it either," Eiline replied, crossing her arms.

Vanth didn't know if he wanted to cry or punch something. "Okay, Mom. Let me see if I have this right—Lazarus is back to fuck up the Veil and try and capture Orcus. The key to fixing the Veil and making it so Orcus can traverse it again as well as remove your fucking curse is all locked in your mind."

"Or in my books," she said with a nod.

"Fuck my life," he murmured. "I need to go and hit something too. Can I use your forge, granddad?"

"Fuck no, you will break something," Flynt replied and then shot him a smile. "There's a training room attached to it you can use though. Knock yourself out, kid."

As Vanth got to his feet, Eiline grabbed his hands. "My room is on the way to the training room. Have a look in there for my books."

"Yes, Mom," he said and dropped a kiss on her head. He didn't want to be mad at her, and he needed to walk away before he said something he was going to regret.