22. Creed

TWENTY-TWO

CREED

The day passes in a blur, leaving me to feel as though we’ve never been away. It’s crazy how that works. I was certain we may spend the rest of our lives lost to the Realm of Shadows, yet it feels more like Hell being back here.

We once sought solace from these guarded wards. I believed we would come to Silvercrest Academy to hone our magic and defeat the challenges all other students would face before finding our place in the Elevin Realm. As a soldier, maybe, I don’t know, I hadn’t really thought that far ahead. I wanted to walk in my father’s footsteps with honor, but that’s all tainted now.

We’ve had the pleasure of the Shadowgrim students following our every move all day, irritating the fuck out of me, and I’m ready to brawl. Maybe it would expel some of this energy I’m struggling to disperse.

My head is all over the place. I haven’t been able to focus on a single thing all day. Nothing except the presence of my woman. I squeeze her hand instinctively, reconfirming she’s right there, and she peers up at me with a smile reserved only for the four of us.

Nobody bothers us as we head down the pathway to our house while I bask in being at her side. Zane can take one for the team this time and trail behind. Not that I really gave him a choice, but I’ve missed Raven just as much as he has. To be fair, it’s not a bad view, watching her sweet ass sway from side to side, but shit, feeling her palm against mine is something else entirely.

“Raven, wait up.”

I stiffen at the sound of Leila calling out Raven’s name, who comes to a stop, making Brax grunt. He’s in his usual spot up front, turning with a huff and his arms folded over his chest. His glare deepens, and I know that she’s not alone.

“Don’t say a word,” Brax rumbles under his breath, earning an eye roll from our woman.

“I know,” she snips back before her friend rushes to a stop in front of her, Grave two steps behind her.

I want to pummel him into the ground. I don’t know what for, we haven’t figured out that part yet, but if Rhys is telling us not to trust him, it’s for some pretty epic reason. Only time will reveal the truth to us. The quicker, the better.

“Are you all okay?” Leila asks, her gaze flicking over each of us, but it lingers a hint longer on Eldon, Zane, and me. “I’ve been worried.”

My eyes narrow at the added concern, but as much as her words make me want to scoff and call bullshit, her pupils only shimmer with worry. There’s no double meaning there that I can detect, but I could be completely off base.

“They’re fine. We’re all doing okay,” Raven answers for all of us, and Leila takes a step closer. That on its own is fine, but it means Grave inches closer too, and that instantly pisses me off.

“Are you sure?” Her eyes land back on mine, her eyebrows pinching. “Have I pissed you all off in some way since I last saw you? Because I’m definitely getting that vibe.”

I sigh. I need this to be over, and I need Grave to be as far away from Raven as possible. “Unfortunately, we’re stuck in our thoughts, Leila, sorting through shit that’s taking its toll,” I grunt, unable to keep the annoyance from my voice. “We need to find an end to this madness that has Raven locked under Erikel’s sights. Anything you could have done to piss us off doesn’t reach the same level as that. Sorry.”

She gulps, nodding lightly as she takes a step back. “I’m sorry,” she murmurs, and any other time, I’m sure I may have cringed at my tone, but fuck if I give a shit right now.

“That’s harsh, man,” Grave states, slinging his arm around Leila, who leans into him. I don’t respond to him. I can’t. My thoughts and desire to question this fucker are too close to the tip of my tongue. So instead, I glare at him.

“Nobody asked you,” Zane hollers from behind me, showing less control than me when it comes to this guy, but before anything can be said, Leila quickly waves her hand in surrender.

“No. No, it’s fine. You’re right. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Keep that fucker away from my woman. Thankfully it’s only a thought and not blurting from my lips.

“No, but if there is, I’ll ask,” Raven promises, a smile on her face that doesn’t quite meet her eyes as she flicks her stare to Grave’s hand on Leila’s shoulder.

“Okay. I chased you down to confirm there’s a meeting tonight,” Leila adds, taking a step back.

“Nightmares Guild?” Raven clarifies with a frown, and Leila nods. “Why now? It’s been forever.”

“I don’t know. My contact with my father is minimal, but he managed to snap the words at me in passing earlier, and this is the first chance I’ve had to tell you,” she explains, and Raven nods in understanding.

“Usual time?” Eldon confirms, and Leila nods again. “Thanks for the heads-up. We’ll meet you there.”

Without another word, he steers Raven away from her friend and continues down the pathway to our house. Brax keeps his strides long as he keeps upfront and my hand remains in hers as we leave Leila and Grave without a backward glance.

“None of that makes sense,” I murmur when I’m sure we’re far enough away.

“What?” Raven asks, peering up at me.

“That Fitch is suddenly happy for her to waltz around with Grave and not be under his thumb. Especially after the confrontation they seemed to have before Erikel summoned everyone to the cave system.”

Raven sighs, lips twisting in thought. “Not much makes sense these days.”

“Agreed. We’re going to have to start wielding some extra special magic to piece this fucked up puzzle together because I sure as shit am confused with all of it,” Zane states, remaining a step behind us, and I hum in agreement.

Eventually, some of this might make sense. I’d love for all of the information to fall into place, but I’d take just some at this stage too.

We remain in our thoughts as we turn down our path, a comfortable silence clinging to us until a glint of gold shimmers by our front door and my steps halt.

My breath hitches despite my best efforts to remain unaffected. I saw him earlier with Burton, playing the dutiful warrior he is, and the memories of when I last saw him came flooding back to me. I’ve tried to keep them tamped down, but it’s harder than I had hoped.

Betrayal. That’s all I see right now when I look at this man.

He had delved into my mind without my consent, taking information that wasn’t for him to feed his fucking master. That call, that move from him, was the pinnacle that led us to the caves and me and my friends into the Realm of Shadows with no way back.

Does he regret it?

Does it hurt him to know the amount of pain he’s caused?

Not just now, but all these years since he supposedly died.

He clears his throat as Raven and the guys shift on their feet. They surround me, waiting for me to decide how this will proceed.

“Father,” I grunt before he can speak first, and his onyx eyes bore into mine for a beat before he finds his voice.

“We need to talk.”

“I don’t believe we do,” I retort, and his gaze hardens.

“I’m not asking, Creed.”

My teeth grind together with anger, but despite the fury rising inside of me, I see the pleading in his eyes.

Fuck.

“Who knows that you’re here?”

“No one.” His response is quick, but not so quick that I can feel a lie. “You can check my mind if needed,” he offers, and it irritates me even more.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to throw some back-handed retort at him since he never gave me the chance to offer when the roles were reversed, but that’s not what right now is about. Glancing at Raven, I notice the uncertainty in her eyes as she instantly sees the wavering inside of me. Rising up on her tiptoes, she presses her lips to my ear as she whispers.

Each word holds power and strength, and my eyes fall closed as I absorb each one of them. Each syllable resonates inside of me as I take action, doing as she says, only blinking my eyes open when I feel the walls in my mind are firmly in place.

I don’t know who taught her this but thank fuck they did. Shit, I’m sure it’s something I should have known since mind power is my thing, but classes haven’t touched on the subject of warding our minds, and I’ve never figured it out for myself, either.

I can stand here and face this man without worrying he’s going to get in my head.

He can’t.

She takes a step back, slowly releasing my hand as I stand taller.

“I shouldn’t be more than five minutes. If it gets to ten, come get me.”

Lockedin a stare-off with my father, I’m certain I’ve wasted the first five minutes already, neither one of us starting the much-needed conversation. But I’m standing here for him, not me. So if he wants to waste the entire time, then that’s on him.

As if sensing the mental step back I’m about to take, he swipes a hand down his face. “I’m sorry.”

His words hang heavily in the air, but he’s going to have to be a little more precise than that, and we both know it.

“What for?”

His head dips, his eyes unable to remain fixed on mine.

“For taking your thoughts without your permission,” he clarifies, and my eyebrows rise in surprise.

I wasn’t expecting him to acknowledge that he fucked up. It’s a start, I guess, but it doesn’t fill me with the confidence I wish I felt when I look at my father. The man who had been such an important part of my life as a child.

“Why are you here?” I ask, not wanting to let myself get distracted by his presence like I have every other time he’s spoken with me at the academy.

His gaze finds mine again and the despair is clear this time. “When you didn’t come back with Raven and Brax…” His words trail off, unable to finish that thought, and I snicker.

“Did you think I was dead just like we assumed you have been all this time?” I bite, beyond infuriated with this man, and he shakes his head. I don’t know whether it’s with disappointment or disbelief, but I push on before he can voice his feelings, desperate to drive the nail home on his actions and the damage they caused. “I don’t think you’ll ever understand what you did to us, to mother and me, the pain and terror you left in your wake. And for what? What do you gain from this?” I’m eager to fucking know, but once again, he shakes his head.

“Nothing.” He taps his armored foot on the ground, the noise grinding through my veins as my jaw falls slack.

“Nothing?” I call bullshit.

“I gain nothing from this. Nothing at all. I lost everything for you to gain an exemption from Erikel’s wrath.”

I stare at him, waiting for the lie to reveal itself, but all I see is heartache in his eyes. I’m not buying it, though. It’s not possible.

“Bullshit. If that was the case, then why did he target me the night you arrived? Make me the one you had to kill unless the necromancer revealed themselves? Made Raven reveal herself,” I snap, anger coiling tightly as my eyes narrow.

He shrugs, his movement subtle given the weight of the armor. “I don’t know why he does what he does. I just follow orders. But in that instance, I think that was more of a power move over me, reminding me of the bargain I agreed to.”

“And if she hadn’t revealed herself?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Unbelievable. “My death would have been on your hands. Then what would all of this have been for?”

He looks away, still unable to accept that whatever heroic move he thought he was making all those years ago, it didn’t make a fucking difference because I was still a pawn in that man’s games.

“What don’t I know?” I ask, refusing to dwell any further on a situation that could have been, on all of the things that could have been different. Fuck knows we have enough of those.

“I don’t know what you mean,” he murmurs, brows furrowing.

“What makes you stay with him? What makes you stand before me as half the man I knew? What is it that has you still trying to help me if you’re doing all of this for that purpose?” I know I’m throwing too many questions at him at once, but I can’t stop it. The urgency to know is overwhelming.

“You’re my son, Creed. I’m stuck in a lonely place doing what I believed to be the right thing to protect my family.”

What the fuck does that have to do with anything?

“And you were my father, my hero, yet here we are,” I bite, unable to keep the dejection from my voice as he looks down at the ground with an air of resentment. Not for me, but for himself. When he still doesn’t answer, I take a step back, clenching my hands at my sides. “If you want to help me like you claim that you do, tell me something that will save us all from that man’s damnation.”

He straightens, eyes burning into mine again as he sighs. “He’s not who you think he is. His connections run deep. There’s no stopping him. I’ll regret being by his side every day, but I will never regret believing I was saving you. Not a day has passed where I haven’t thought of you and your mother, but with this…” He stops, pointing at the chest of his armor like it means something. “I’ll forever be his weapon.”

What the fuck does that mean? Could we have been right about him, his armor, when we had read through the parchments about magical objects? If that’s what this falls down to, surely I can…

“Tell me how you get rid of it. Tell me how to⁠—”

“How to what? Save me?” he interjects, a sad smile playing across his lips. “There is no saving me. When the time comes, I won’t be able to stop, I have to follow his commands.”

“What does that mean?” I ask, my voice hoarse as I see the pain in my father’s eyes.

“It means that if there’s a piece of information I can offer you that can stop him, it’s this.” I part my lips, ready to ask what he means, but he drives the words home before I get a chance. “The most valuable information I can offer you is how to kill me.”