Love's Nudging

by Flynn Eire

  “Deal,” he agreed.

  I focused and dampened us, Karel nodding when it was working. Helios and Alexander came in and helped us interrogate the guy. The plot was fairly simple. Kidnap me—who they now knew where I was from the leak in Grandmother’s security—and once they had me, the heir, they would trade me for a list of ancients and Wyrok that had refuge in Denmark.

  Which meant they knew it was a haven for ancients and were nervous as to the numbers. Even more than that, I wasn’t the only target, as there were several other areas that ancients were quietly welcomed with open arms. When we reached nine minutes, the guy kept looking at the door.

  “I texted Bricius that you were hungry and asked for some dessert from the baker,” Karel lied. “I’d say you have another twenty minutes, but that’s it.”

  I nodded, not shocked that a man who had survived so long was quick on his feet. Helios focused on names and locations, the recording he’d asked to take catching all of it as my ancestor rattled it all off.

  “Anything else you want to ask?” Helios checked when they were done, the twenty minutes long past.

  I pushed off the wall I was leaning on and uncrossed my arms, towering over my ancestor. “Are there any others who look anything like my father or anyone else in the family?”

  “No.”

  “That’s the first lie he’s told,” Karel muttered.

  The guy flinched but met my gaze with anger instead of fear. “Do what you want to me, but just as I don’t agree with coming after you this way as you are family, I will not betray any other family I know and love. If the choice was you or him, I chose taking you and then killing you later, and for that I’m sorry, but those were my options.”

  I almost respected the answer, but then shook my head. “Yeah, but you love yourself more than him because what do you think your bosses will do when we move on this information? You think they still won’t go after him?”

  “I sent him a message to run right before I got here, knowing this would probably fail, as they knew Alastair and his friends were here and I’m not as old as them. I was probably dead either way, but now he’s not. I tell you, you go hunting for him.”

  “Fair enough.”

  Helios studied his phone and then handed it to me. “Do you recognize this man? I sent Claudius the name of this guy, and he pulled records.”

  I took the phone and studied the image, nodding. “He looks exactly like my uncle who just died.” I glanced from the phone to my ancestor. “So your brother?”

  He swallowed loudly. “He wanted no part of this. Neither of us did.”

  I shrugged. “That’s the problem of siding with the bad guys, they’re bad. If you expect any honor or lines, you should have picked a third option or something.”

  “Judge all you want, child,” he sneered. “If even a fraction of the stories are true of Bricius, he’s more a demon than I could ever be.”

  “Well, his eyes are orange, so whoever is keeping track of what side everyone’s on, they don’t agree with you.” I leaned in and smirked at him. “Sort of like lying to you that I wouldn’t let the pre- and post-trans practice their swords on you. They could use the training and see how your blood burns, how the sun burns you, and how you were out when it wasn’t full dark. That’s what I want to know.”

  “I was so focused on him slipping in past Nero I didn’t even think about it,” Karel admitted.

  “I don’t know,” my ancestor told me, shaking his head. “It’s the truth. They gave me something, and it helps as long as it’s not too long and not hot out. That’s all I know. They know a lot like the contacts and more to hide us. That’s the truth.” He met my gaze. “Just end it already. I gave you everything. Just take my head already.”

  “Fine,” I grumbled, feeling bad knowing he’d done all of this to protect his brother and we’d go after him.

  “I may not be able to protect you from everything, but I sure as fuck won’t let you kill your own blood who looks like your father,” Bricius said from behind me. I swallowed a yelp as he spun me around and flipped me over his shoulder. “Karel, I leave it to you. I need to have a discussion with someone about being a team.”

  “He didn’t fly solo,” Karel reminded him. “You knew his father too and liked the man, Bricius. He was protecting you as much as you did him.”

  “And I need to see it,” I admitted. “Fine, I shouldn’t be the one to do it, but I need to see it. No more doubts or someone promising me he’s really gone.”

  He let out a long, pained sigh before setting me on my feet. He slid his hand in mine after checking we were done interrogating him and nodded to Karel. “Do it.”

  Karel glanced at me—which I appreciated—and I nodded before he pulled out his sword and took my ancestor’s head. I was surprised he didn’t give him a chance for last words or anything you always see in movies, but then again, no one cared what he had to say.

  He was a bad guy after all.

  I watched his body slump against the restraints, head on the floor, and dropped Bricius’s hand, booking it from the room. I made it outside before puking my guts out. Without the red eyes or harsh stare my father had never had, I saw my father again instead of evil.

  “Let’s go to bed,” Bricius said gently when I was done.

  “Yes, please,” I whispered, thrilled that was an option and I had someone to carry the burden for once. He took my hand again, and we headed to the dorm.

  “So I hear you agreed to let me fuck you until you pass out in front of your friends?” he asked when we reached the elevator. “Tomorrow?”

  I burst out laughing, tears forming in my eyes I laughed so hard. I laughed all the way to the room, knowing he said it because I needed to laugh right then. It made me fall for him deeper. Maybe that was the answer to life being hard? Find someone who can make you laugh when you hurt and have hot sex when you want to punch in people’s faces.

  Probably not, but I was willing to find out while having Bricius at my side.

  The End

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