Reaper grows stronger and stronger every day, but his strength is starting to scare me. To keep him away from the Republic I can never stay in one place for too long. The last place we were in, Reaper got upset about a guy who kicked a defenseless dog tied to a pole and killed the entire population of that town. It took me an hour to convince him to resurrect them. My own team is afraid of him. We have to move him back to Legion where he can’t do much damage.
“How close are we?” Gavin asks.
“Close enough, but we need to find Asher. From what we’ve been able to gather, the weapons must be activated in order or it all goes to shit.”
“So in other words without Asher, activating the other weapons is pointless.”
“Pretty much,” I nod.
“What about Aria? Do you think she’ll help us?”
“Not voluntarily,” I shake my head.
“Why’d you leave her behind?”
“To give us a chance to escape. Besides, I needed to put space between her and Reaper.”
“Speaking of…Noah, Reaper is a liability we can’t afford. I know he’s your son, but every time he kills someone he gives away our position. We’re so close to figuring this out and I’m afraid when we do, it won’t matter because they’ll already be coming for us, if they aren’t already.”
“I can’t abandon my son,” I glare at him.
“I’m not saying abandon him, just…give him back to his mother,” Gavin suggests, “I love an evil deed more than most, but he needs the balance. If he goes unchecked he’ll eventually kill us all, including you. Not to mention the fact that every time we have to clean up his messes it slows us down.”
I know what he’s saying is true, but I can’t bring myself to do it. It doesn’t matter how many times Reaper has killed me and brought me back to life. I can’t help but realize the killing machine I wanted him to be is dangerous. And as much as I don’t want to hand him over to the Republic, I don’t really have a choice.
“We will bargain then. I will return Reaper in exchange for information.”
Gavin nods and disappears out into the hall. I need to see Reaper, but I haven’t gone to his room in a couple of weeks. The last time I showed my face he killed me and left me lying there for hours before he resurrected me. All so he could spend time with me without me leaving him until he was ready.
I had one of my guards go into his room to let him know I was coming to spend time with him and after Reaper nodded, he fell to the floor dead. This is going to be tougher than I thought. Slowly I went to his room and stood in the doorway, holding a toy. It’s an action figure. Ironman. His face lights up when he sees it and he motions for me to come closer.
“Thank you daddy!” He smiles.
“You’re welcome,” I kiss him on the forehead.
“Daddy, where’s mommy?”
“Mommy went back home. Would you like to visit her?” I ask.
He nods his head yes emphatically. I watch him play with his toy for hours. He’s independent, he’s smart and he already wields so much power. He’s perfect. It saddens me that I have to give him up. Still, I pull out my phone and dial Aria’s number. She picks up on the third ring.
“Where are you?” She unloads through the phone, “where’s my son? Where’s Reaper?”
“I can’t simply give you my location, your son is sitting here next to me and you and I need to talk,” I answer her questions in order.
“When and where?” She asks.
“Now, human realm and Belleview,” I answer.
Aria hangs up the phone and I turn my attention to Reaper, “how would you like to go see your mother?” I ask him. A bright smile widens on his face. I’ll take that as a yes, “good, come with me.”
Reaper takes my hand and I escort him out of his room. It’s the first time he’s been out since we got here. As we walk the halls of the compound nervous demons either leave the room or stop breathing and stand still, frozen in place.
He’s hungry, so I cut up some fruit and slide a plate of it in front of him, “you’re afraid of me,” Reaper eyes me, “I won’t hurt you.”
“Reaper, every time you kill me, even though you bring me back to life, it hurts me.”
“I didn’t know that,” he sulks.
“And now you do.”
“Is that why you sent mommy away?”
“No. Your mom and I aren’t together. We both love you and we love each other, but sometimes love isn’t enough. Sometimes two people can be so different that even though they love each other, they can’t be together. It hurts them to be together. It’s toxic,” I explain.
“Is that why she didn’t take me with her? Am I toxic?”
“No. That was my fault. I love you too much to let you go.”
“But you let her go. Do you not love her?”
“I do, but it’s not that simple. I’m with Qi now.”
“Qi doesn’t like me,” he sulks.
“Yes she does, she’s just afraid.”
“Where are you going?” Qi asks, walking up to us.
“I’m taking Reaper to see his mother,” I answer.
“Do you think that’s smart? He knows too much Noah. He’s seen too much.”
“Aria won’t do anything that’ll put Reaper in jeopardy. She’ll protect him with her life.”
“I’m going with you,” She insisted.
I didn’t want to argue and I hadn’t seen her in a few days, so I let her tag along. We waited for Aria to show up for almost an hour and just before I was ready to give up I spot her making her way across the schools football field. She’s alone…sort of. There are two blinking lights coming from her abdomen, which could only mean she’s succeeded in providing Havoc with an heir. Two heirs. How very stupid of her to come here alone in her condition. I have half a mind to kill her unborn children and send their sparks to their father, but I must resist the urge. Reaper is watching and he’s very protective of her.
Aria seems to be watching Qi with a murderous look in her eyes and I can’t help but sense some animosity between them.
“You,” Aria growls at Qi.
“What about me?” Qi smirks.
Aria cocks her head to the side, sizing Qi up and smiles, “he doesn’t know does he?” Qi fidgets and looks away.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“Later,” Aria replies, kneeling down in front of Reaper. He runs into her arms and she picks him up. “Have you been a good boy? I’ve missed you.”
“Yes mommy.”
“What is this?”
“I have an offer for you.”
“I’m listening,” she folds her arms across her chest.
“Reaper in exchange for information.”
“What information?”
“Asher’s location.”
“Why? So you can activate the weapons?”
“Reaper for the location of the first weapon,” I offer.
“He’s home, with his family,” she sighs, “he’s been cloaked.”
“Thank you.”
“Why now?” Aria asks, “why are you giving him to me now?”
“I’m not heartless,” I reply.
“In other words, you can’t control him anymore,” she smirks.
I forgot how well she knew me. Perhaps in another life and under different circumstances we could have been great together. But now she belonged to the future King of Blood Harbor. She’s secured him heirs to his throne, which makes her untouchable now. To do so would be a death sentence for us both. And while I admire her in every way, I’m not ready to lose my head.
“Thank you for bringing him back to me. I’ll protect him with my life,” she assures me, “but Noah…you have to give up your crusade for the weapons. If you activate them, you’ll be putting us against each other. I won’t hold back.”
“I didn’t think you would,” I smile.
“Now back to you,” her eyes flick over to Qi, “Qi’s still sleeping with Thien. I don’t know for how long or what sick twisted game she’s playing but I want it to stop.”
Suddenly oddities in Qi’s behavior began to click into place. Her insistence that I leave Aria behind when it was time to leave, her disappearing acts as of late, and her sudden joyful mood. The bitch has been sleeping with my enemy. When she first started to seduce him it was at my request, but I hadn’t made such a request recently, which meant she was acting on her own and I don’t like surprises.
“I’ll handle it,” I assure Aria.
I said goodbye to my son one last time before Aria disappeared with him. Then I turned my attention to Qi, “how many times?”
“I was just trying to get information out of him,” Qi began to ramble.
“How many times!”
“A lot.”
“Skin,” I whispered.
Qi’s bloodcurdling screams pierced the nights’ sky as her skin melted from her flesh. What remained was repulsive and unrecognizable, “I own you,” I shouted, “If you so much as look at another man I’ll make you wish you were never born.”
She nodded and followed me through a vortex back to our compound.
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