He wanted tofixthis.
He didn’t want to make it worse.
But she said, “If you idiotic fucks hadn’t made those abominations, we wouldn’t be where we are. Those things aren’t supposed to exist,” and Lux did. He made it so much worse.
They were only souls. Innocent, infant souls who didn’t choose to exist. No, Lux and the par animarum hadn’t intended to create them, but they had, and they loved them. They were not abominations. They were just people living simple lives, and they didn’t deserve to be killed and trapped within Taeral as he conquered world after world.
For the second time that day, Lux lost control.
As he siphoned Prinna’s soul. As he, unintentionally, siphoned the soul of everything nearby. As the lightning crashed through the glass windows. As the draken caws in the distance silenced to thunder cracks.
While he destroyed another world, he thought of how his children deserved theirs.
CHAPTERFOUR
VÉA
Idon’t like this. I don’t like it one bit.
That was all I kept thinking as I lifted Vanna to my hip and started to the door. Why?
Because it was the middle of the night, and someone was knocking.
Vanna, my oldest daughter, had woken half an hour ago, and I’d been trying to get her back to sleep ever since. Singing hadn’t worked—she said I was no good, and she wanted Papa to sing to her. I told her I was sorry, that Papa was busy, and she’d groaned and plopped her head to my chest.
She was just about to fall asleep when that knock thumped at the door, and a voice sounded in my thoughts.
Véa, please answer, Lux said in my mind.I need to talk to you.
Lux and I were not friends. We were friendly, but only because we had to be. He was my husband’s brother, and we’d created a world together. Prior to that, however, he’d been my husband. My abusive husband, at that. Our marriage was the product of extortion. I’d never wanted it, and it didn’t last long.
That was millenniums ago. But I’d never let go of those first few years together, not enough that I could trust him.
If Nix was here, I wouldn’t mind this. The two of them sometimes sat in the living room singing and playing music all night. That was alright with me because I knew Nix would die before he let that bastard bother me or my children.
Even so, I could protect us now. That didn’t ease the churning in my stomach, but I knew it was true.
I opened the door with a quick, “Nix isn’t here,” shutting it just as fast.
But he caught it. Holding it in place, I got my first good look at him. His brown eyes were bloodshot, snot leaking from his nose. When he opened his mouth to speak, the sickly scent of alcohol rushed toward me. “I know. I’m here to talk to you.”
“I’d rather not.”
“Please.” His voice cracked. “Please, Véa. I only—I need someone to talk to.”
“And I have two children I need to get back into their beds. We can talk when Nix gets home. Excuse me.”
Yet again, when I tried to push the door shut, he held it in place. With his Angel strength, it was no more difficult than lifting a flower. No matter how hard I pushed, it was to no success.
Which only pissed me off more.
I was about to stomp a foot and shout a profanity, but he dropped to his knees.
Lux dropped to his knees.
The only time I’d seen him do that was to greet a child.
Now, he was on his knees at my feet.