Vanquished

by Andy Lewter

It wasn’t long before he returned with my phone in hand. “It seems you have a breech in your system, Mr. Sweeny,” I said calmly as he placed it in my palm. “Kayla has her hooks even in your most trusted colleagues.” With a push of my finger, I felt outrage fill the room as the voice of Thomas Bryant’s conversion confession echoed off the walls.

  21

  Nicholas

  * * *

  “Aye, you dim-witted boy! Foolish! You ruined it all!” Moui scolded behind me in the car.

  I knew she was right; I just wasn’t in the mood for it. So I slouched further into the driver’s seat. “Yeah.”

  “You could have hurt her!” she smacked the back of my head with a magazine. “You’re lucky she has supremacy! Foolish boy!”

  I sighed hard and smoothed out my hair. Like a charcoal ember blazing with heat, the anger I held captive within my core opened its slumber-induced eyes. With a quick inhale, I gulped it down and stomped out the ashes. I can’t lose control ever again.

  Of all the people to lose control over — it had to be her. The one that I’d do anything for, and I hurt her. I felt her pain, her fear.

  I’d never forgive myself.

  A phone rang and Moui turned frantic as she tried to find it. Answering in Korean, her conversation was so quiet I couldn’t make out her words, but it wasn’t long before she pulled the phone from her face with a blank stare. “Navi,” she said with a shake from emotion. “The Valens from the island ambushed the bunker looking for Cade. Navi didn’t make it.”

  The heaviness from her words hit hard, and my mind shifted to how this loss would impact Abby. What I would give to hold her alluring body and stroke her supple skin — how natural it would be to ease her pain while I wrapped her securely in my arms and kissed her worries away.

  I pushed my senses out to her. She’s far away… and she’s calling for me. Her body sends one message, her mind another. I’ll never wrap my head around her mind and how it governs her feelings.

  With a deep sigh, Moui pinched the bridge of her nose. “Drop me off at headquarters.”

  “You don’t need to go to your house anymore?” I asked.

  “No. They need me there,” she answered. The drive was silent until we dropped her off.

  “So what’re we doing again?” Ray asked as he stared out the car window. “I can’t believe we’re back in Salvus,” he muttered.

  The clouds above rumbled as they mirrored my temper. “Now that Moui’s dropped off, we’re headed to my house.”

  “Your house. Great. What’re we doing there?”

  I squeezed the steering wheel in my fist as a flashback sparked in my mind. The sky darkened, and rain splattered in rapid drops on the windshield.

  “Nicholas… help me!” Abby cried, her face deeply bruised with blood matted on her shirt.

  “Abby? Are you okay?” I made it to her in two bounds and dropped to my knees. The desperation in her voice raised my protective guard, and I brushed her hair away from her eyes. “Are you hurt?”

  “Oh, babe. It hurts. I’m in so much pain!” she sobbed, lifting her shirt and exposing her blood-soaked abdomen. “Please, help me.”

  “Whoa, whoa. What happened?” I ripped away a piece of my shirt and scooped her up on my lap, blotting her wound to get a better view. She winced and clung to my shirt, whimpering from my touch. I can feel her agony. “Who did this to you?”

  Her head fell heavily on my shoulder, her body became limp. “Nicholas…” she rasped. “I… I…” her breathing turned labored and her chest started to convulse. With a wet exhale, the life faded from her hazel eyes, and her heart stilled in her chest.

  “Abby? Abby! NO!” I clung to her lifeless frame, willing her soul to come back to me. Please, come back. I can’t lose her. I can’t...

  A laugh I knew all too well filled the area around me. “Oh, Nicky. You’re going to let a silly girl get to you like that?” Everything disappeared before me, including my Abby, who instantly vanished from my embrace. “I’ve raised you better than that.”

  I met the cold-hearted eyes of the person that was responsible for my pain. “Mom.”

  A hard shove to my shoulder pulled me back to reality. “Dude, calm down,” Ray snapped. “You’re gonna kill someone.”

  Strong winds howled against the windows. The daytime sky was dark as midnight, and heavy rains mixed with hail assaulted the vehicle. I cleared my throat and tamed the wicked beast living inside me — the beast created by my mother.

  With a final inhale, the clouds started to thin, and the rain let up. Turning the last corner before my driveway, I felt the fury churning in my gut once more. I hate this place with a passion. Raking my hair, I swallowed my pride and turned into the entrance of the driveway.

  Ray turned to me uneasily. “You sure about this?”

  Dropping my harsh expression, I shifted the gear into PARK. “Follow my lead.” I pushed the intercom button situated in front of the secured ironed gate. Salvus vine had woven itself up the gate rails since I’d been here last. I tried not to think about the security measures put in place since my departure. Or worse, her new recruits.

  “Nick?” My mother’s voice sounded through the speaker.

  “Hey, Mom,” I replied, making the conversation light.

  “Who else is with you?” Her tone turned threatening.

  “You know, that awkward fuddy-duddy you used to feed at your dinner table after practice,” I answered, glancing at Ray’s paled expression. His panic filled the car, but I turned back to the window and ignored it.

  “Where’s the girl?” she snapped, losing her patience.

  “She left me, so I came home to refocus. I tried Mom, I tried to make her see our ways.”

  Ray glared at me incredulously. The gate hummed open, and I turned my attention to the winding driveway ahead. Pulling in a deep breath to gather my bearings, I parked my car next to the tall, muscled man who had tossed boulders over a cliff the last time we were here. “Miss me, cupcake?” I quipped out the window as I turned off the engine and stepped out of the car. A sly grin raised my cheeks as I dangled my keys in front of his face. “Put this somewhere out of the way.”

  His lip curled in a disgusted scowl. “Do I look like a valet?”

  I raised my brows at him, appearing unpleased. “Don’t scratch it.” Releasing my hold on the keys, they dropped with a clunk into his annoyed grasp. With a dark smirk, I leaned uncomfortably close to his crinkled face before turning toward the front door.

  “That was weird,” Ray muttered under his breath as he fell in step next to me.

  “They need to remember who’s boss ‘round here.” Stepping across the threshold of my home, the animosity that hung in the air cascaded against me in a thick cloud.

  A dark blur approached, then an earth-shattering crack echoed through the room and rocked my vision. Standing right before me, my mother’s fierce glare pierced me like an icepick — the sting from her fingers burned my cheek like an iron. “And you call yourself a Ludovic,” she seethed with venom dripping from her tone. “The audacity to show your face inside these walls! Fighting your own brothers and sisters for a naïve slut who ended up denying your heart. Karma has no boundaries, especially with your own blood. Oh, Nicky. I only have one question for you.” She shook her head with a wicked curl of her lips. Pressing her sharp nail deeply into my slapped cheek, she dragged it down to my chin. I felt my skin swell up in her wake. “Was it worth it?”

  Clenching my jaw, I held her eyes to show my confidence. “Was it worth gathering information about their plans?” I folded my arms and set my feet in a firm stance. “You tell me.”

  Her harsh expression softened just a little. “Tell me.”

  “Hmm, well. My welcome has proved faulty, and I’m not sure I’m ready to talk about it yet,” I remarked as I plucked a tissue from a side table and patted my sore cheek, checking for blood.

  “Nicky,” she fumed. “Quit playing games. You’re disgracing your parents.”


  I scoffed. Heated anger bubbled in my chest; the sky darkened and churned in response. “How dare you bring up Dad?”

  She tisked. “The man who taught you everything he knew? Before he was taken by the very hands you found comfort in for your failed love scandal? Oh, son. Disgrace is only the beginning of what you’ve done.”

  Clenching my jaw, thunder clapped threateningly above as my thoughts shifted dark. “If only you knew how I could benefit you.” Shoving my hands into my pockets, I flashed a devious smirk and fixed my eyes on the manipulator before me. “Time to go, Ray.” I held her fierce gaze until I turned on my heel and stormed out the front door, knowing all too well the reaction this move would provoke.

  The temperature outdoors suddenly turned sultry and sticky — a pungent odor ravaged my senses, leaving me heaving and gasping for fresh air. Then, agonizing pain seared my flesh as blisters bubbled up all over my body, promising to rob my consciousness.

  With a quick shake of my head, I huffed out a forced breath and willed my mind to focus on pushing Kayla’s vision out. Clearing my throat loudly, I straightened my back as the stairs I stood on rested beneath my feet once more. “You know your mind games don’t work on me anymore,” I said, turning back around and facing my mother.

  “Where are you going?” she asked, clearly unnerved she couldn’t keep a hold on me.

  “Does it matter?”

  “Who will take you now? I’m afraid you’re running out of places to hide, son.”

  “Your aggression can be unleashed elsewhere now. I’m sure your puppets are needing some attention anyway.”

  She pressed her lips in a menacing line and squared her stance toward me. “I created them. I pushed them to their potential. Everything they are today is because of me. How could any Valens regret reaching an Elite status? Sometimes we all need a little push. Which is what I’ve done with you, Nicky. Your weaknesses are blinding your senses, otherwise you’d have understood that by now. Your confidence, your strength, even your stubborn ways — that’s all from yours truly. I created the beautiful, lethal creation that you are today. Me.”

  “You take credit for a hefty load there, Mom. Truth is… I mastered my element gift without your aid. Don’t be so quick to label yourself with a claim as profitable as myself, your highness.” Ray stepped down next to me. He appeared unaffected by our dispute, but I could feel his panic thrum against me like a drum.

  Kayla huffed out loud and turned her attention far away. She appeared conflicted for several moments, then she moistened her lips and sighed.

  The harsh barrier she held like a lifeline dropped for a blip of a second and was replaced with a motherly calm I’d secretly wished for since childhood. “You need to be home. Stay here. I’ll make your favorite pizza.”

  Chancing a glance at Ray, I shifted my attention to the ground and nodded. “Don’t you think that’ll cause a problem with the recruits?”

  And just like that, the terrifying woman I call my mother returned. Her softened features turned harsh and unyielding as her cold eyes met mine. “What I say goes. You can see yourself to your room. Ray can stay in the guest room.” With a quick nod and a turn on her needle-thick heel, she disappeared.

  A wave of relief washed over me as I faced the front door. One step down, two to go.

  22

  My soft sheets ripped away from my body and a chilling draft snapped me unwillingly from my deep slumber. Sitting up with a jolt, my blurred vision met a short physique that stood in an impatient stance at the foot of my bed. “Can ya give a man some privacy, Adele!” I grumbled, readjusting my shirt that crept up during the night.

  I’d met Adele in my mother’s training program. If I had a sister, I imagined someone like her would fill the void. I’d grown undoubtedly protective of her before I left, though I knew she could fend for herself while I was away.

  “You ditched me!” she snapped, her teeth set with anger. Her jet-black hair rested on her shoulders like a blanket of silk.

  I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. “I had to leave. Why didn’t you pop over?”

  “Very funny, idiot! You know how my gift works. I can’t teleport places I’ve never been. And I didn’t even know where you were! Why didn’t you tell me?” She stiffly folded her arms and glared something fierce.

  I chuckled. “You’re kinda cute when you’re mad. All short and angry-like. Makes me feel like I gotta find your mom for you or something…”

  She slapped my foot. “Shut up!”

  All playful banter diminished, my features turned serious as I held my forefinger to my lips to silence our conversation. We listened for movement in the hallway before speaking again. “How’d you know I was back?” I asked.

  She stepped a little closer and kept her tone gentle. “You stirred this island showing your face again. They think you’re sick in the head or something. What’re you doing here, anyway?”

  I smirked. “This is my house! Why wouldn’t I come back?”

  She looked at me like a bad joke. “Uh, ‘cause you ditched your own kin for the enemy? You got balls, bro. Whatever it is you have planned.”

  Leaning against my bed frame, I sighed and stared out the window. “I was going to come find you. I might need a favor.”

  “A favor? After you left me dry? Nicholas, favors come at a price now.”

  I chuckled. “A price? What do you want?”

  She raised her chin with confidence but spoke with hesitance. “Don’t leave without me again. Take me with you.”

  I frowned. “But your family?”

  “They’re too far gone,” she answered in a rush as a wave of sadness filled the room.

  I swallowed deeply as I understood what she’d meant. My mother’s training tactics had confiscated their minds. They’re no longer who they once here, which meant Adele was left without a family. “Alright, Nugget. Deal. Did you want to shake or something?”

  My deal agreement didn’t lift her mood, in fact, I felt her emotions darken even more. “Don’t you dare leave me in this hell again.”

  I’m such a selfish pig. “Come here.” She dropped her chin to hide her tears as I pulled her into a hug. “I won’t leave you, okay?” Her arms hung loose by her sides as she nodded in my chest. I pulled back after a moment and squeezed her shoulders. “You good?”

  She sniffed and wiped her eyes with her sleeves. “Thanks.”

  Yawning, I stretched my arms above my head and glanced at my closet. “Alright. I need to change. Pop back in ten minutes?”

  Flashing a cute side smile, she vanished without evidence of her company. With a quick huff, my mind drifted to the tasks ahead.

  “I never liked staying over at your house, just so you know,” Ray murmured behind me as he crept through my door.

  Tossing on a t-shirt and finger combing my hair, I turned to him and met his uneasy gaze. “Ready?”

  “What are we doing again?”

  I smirked with humor and slapped his back. “Spending time with my mom, son!”

  Ray’s face twisted like he had a bad taste in his mouth. “Awesome… ‘cause your mother’s so charming.”

  With a quick raise of my eyebrows, I turned out of my bedroom door in search of my mother. Ray lagged behind like a stubborn puppy. The boulder man was digging in the fridge as I walked into the kitchen, and I curled my lip with distaste as I stood behind him with folded arms. “Hey, cupcake, where’s my mom?”

  He slammed the door with such force the wall rattled. “I have a name,” he roared.

  I smiled haughtily. “What is it?”

  He pursed his lips. “Theodore.”

  I laughed. “Alright then. Teddy, where’s my mom?”

  He tensed his jaw and growled at me. “She’s training recruits. Do not disturb.”

  “Thanks, Teddy. Downstairs, right?” I grabbed an apple from the fruit basket and took a hearty bite in front of him before turning away.

  “What’re we doing?” A small voice sounded from behind
me. Adele had popped back in and was following our lead with excitement in her steps.

  I stopped in the hallway and turned toward her. “Hey, do you know where your parents are?”

  Her cheerful expression dropped. “Why?”

  I turned my attention back toward the way we came, distant in thought. “I want to speak with them.”

  A slow scowl formed on her sweet face. “Better make it quick. Last I heard the ‘rents were leaving town.”

  My face matched hers as I took in her words. “Leaving? For what?”

  Frustration piqued on her features before she breezed passed us and her disappointment clipped me like a sharp slap. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” She stormed down the hallway and turned toward the stairs. Ray and I kept pace behind her as the morning light waned and the air grew uncomfortably thick.

  I loathed coming down here. The entire space permeated with residual emotions from training Valens. Pain, agony, exhaustion, desperation, defeat. The copious amounts of unidentified feelings in this room physically made my stomach churn.

  My anger started to rise as I denied myself the ability to feel. The only way I managed to endure this space was to push out the emotions that ravaged my mind. But the moment I deny it all, my mother gets in my head. Probing, pushing, finding secrets I never meant for her to see.

  Needless to say, I couldn’t stay down here long.

  “They’re this way,” Adele said in hushed tones, guiding us to a door with a two-way mirror. Deep blue lights bounced off the walls as her father sat in a chair in concentration — her mother and mine hovered close by, watching intently.

  Adele faced me with a distasteful purse of her lips. “Welp, see ya.” And in the blink of an eye, she was gone.

  Glancing over at Ray, I could tell he was trying to remain indifferent but his furrowed brows betrayed him. He was uneasy. “Let’s go say hi to Mom,” I murmured with a smirk, hating that my abilities were absent at the moment.

  Twisting the handle, I set my eyes ahead and made my approach with Ray on my flank. “What’s going on?”