“My family returned the next day and gave yours eternal rest because we did owe them that much because not all of them were evil. It was more than they had done for my mother. Knowing what I do now, that some survived, I’m willing to guess it wasn’t any of the good ones because they’d never have left those children behind to die by fire. Fire isn’t a good death, not when the flames moved faster than the smoke, offering them no relief from the pain. So no, Remington,” he stated, handing me the glass of whiskey, “I couldn’t let you walk away because you are going to mean the difference between winning this war and losing it.” His eyes held mine, and I lowered them, peering anywhere but into the cunning stare that was smug as shit.
“You are not evil. Not yet, anyway. I could have done this differently and told you the truth, but had I done that, you’d never have believed me, let alone trusted me. At the end of the day, I’m a Van Helsing, and you’re Remington Silversmith. You were born my enemy, and I chose to become yours. Don’t choose an alpha tomorrow, because then I’ll have to kill them to claim their child should you produce one during the festival of fertility. I respect most of the alphas because we’ve worked very hard to bring order to our world since it crumbled at the hands of your family. As an alpha, I can take the child of a beta as my own and raise it. I’d never wish to remove a child from its father, but in this case, because of the nature of the blood you carry, I would. You can go.” Rhys stared at me as I sat there, numb from what he’d dropped in my lap.
As I processed his words, my heart thundered against my chest, and I wanted to slap him, scream at him, or do something to release the pain his words had caused. I was stuck with him for eternity, and any child I had, he would take. Was I supposed to just accept that? Fuck that and him.
“That dark look of absolute rejection burning within your stare, Remi,” he mumbled softly. “The pain you’re feeling? That’s why I didn’t tell you. I’m a sadistic bastard who enjoys my role, but your pain doesn’t bring me joy. I sort of hate you for it because it tells me you’re a weakness I cannot afford.”
I downed the drink, holding the glass back out for more, watching him hesitate. “You just told me that I’m stuck with you one way or another until the world blows up, and even then, I can’t escape you in our next life. I don’t see it happening soon enough for it to be relevant, so pour me a damn drink, Van Helsing. Tell me about the festival. Or tell me something not horrible about this world in which I was born.”
“Your dress is finished. I allowed it to be silver to symbolize your house. You’ll wear the only silver ribbon as well. When you choose a partner, you tie it around his wrist, and at the end of the night, if he chooses you, you will be his for twenty-four hours to procreate. Most can’t create life anymore or have lost the ability because of what they’ve become. As you know, Beltane is the only time of the year that immortals are fertile. Therefore, any children born to immortals are off-limits in feuds, since breeding is such a rare occasion.”
“Unless they’re Silversmith children? In which case, you’d take them from me,” I countered harshly, watching his throat bob at my reply. “That was an asshole thing to say.”
“But true,” he admitted without removing his heated stare from mine. “They’re off-limits again, though. That shouldn’t have happened. Rage, grief, and fear create monsters. They don’t think before they act, and when they do, it’s done harshly and without care to those they harm. We didn’t start out as monsters, Remi. We became the monsters to prevent a war, unlike anything the mortals would have ever seen. Us giving into our demons allowed us to prevent the humans from perishing to a greedy bitch who wanted too much. Had Roslyn gotten her way, she’d be the immortal queen of all the houses. But her greed wouldn’t have ended there. She’d want the entire world. Roslyn was tired of hiding who and what she was. She wanted it all. She’d do something so horrid and then cry for forgiveness afterward, and everyone always forgave her.”
“Almost everyone,” I whispered, sipping the cup. “Someone needed to stop her,” I admitted, sipping the whiskey while lifting my eyes to hold his stare. “Evil is evil, and sometimes it is blood. Roslyn sounds like a psychotic, murderous bitch. I’ll pick a beta, because if I have a child, no one is taking it from me, Rhys. Not even you. As I said, I take pride in the things I create, and if I create life, I will assure it is perfect, and I will raise my children myself because that’s important to me.”
“I figured you would want your child, Remington. You’re the kind of woman that men look for as a mate. You’re smart, beautiful, and there’s a loyalty within you that not many people can even begin to understand. I went through your files from E.V.I.E. last night. You entered under an alias, Remi Cordova, and earned the entire division’s highest marksmanship scores. You marked higher than pure born witches in magic skills, and yet you chose to make weapons. You could have done anything you wanted within E.V.I.E. and gone straight to the highest-ranking level of hunter, but you chose not to do so. Why?”
“Because your bloodline cursed mine, and that limits me. I’d have put others in danger, and that wasn’t something I could allow. Sometimes we have to accept our faults, see our limitations, and understand what they mean for others and ourselves. I know mine, and I know what they mean for others. I can’t expect others to save me all the time. So, I stayed where I could help E.V.I.E. the most. I am a good shot, powerfully blessed with magic, and I can hunt down my enemies. The thing is, to do so, I’d have had to lie about being cursed, and I am many things, Rhys, but a liar isn’t one of them. Sleep well, Van Helsing,” I whispered, setting the glass on the table and leaving him to ponder my words.
Chapter Twenty-Three
I stared into the mirror, amazed and blown away by what the women working for Rhys had been able to do with my appearance. The dress he had commissioned for me was a work of art. Silver beadwork covered the corset, with a flowing bell skirt creating layers of fine silk that flowed to the floor beautifully. The only jewelry I wore was a simple silver necklace containing an infinity symbol dangling from a thin chain. It was delicate, simple, and beautiful. Rhys had dropped the necklace off earlier, and I wasn’t sure if it was for my protection or a gift. Either way, I was thankful to feel some resemblance of defense tonight.
My hair was curled and placed into an updo with a few strands left down to frame my face. Makeup was applied, but only to enhance my eyes and lips with light color since tonight wasn’t about transforming into something we weren’t. It was about freeing yourself from the constraint of the modern world.
Beltane was all about new life. It was the celebration of a man and woman coming together to create life. It was also the celebration announcing summer to the world. They lit fires to fill the world with new light while heating it with renewed warmth.
“I look like a goddess!” Nyx bounced from foot to foot in her red dress that had a deep V-line neck exposing the curves of her ample breasts. “I cannot wait for them to undress us, because I’m literally wearing nothing but panties beneath this dress!”