Felix Felicis ─── Bonus Chapters

bonus chapter (woh)

"Will do." Jordie waved him off, scribbling down the last notes for his homework before disappearing to go and find his mother. Trailing down the stairs, he watched as Celia led someone from the house, before hurrying down. "Is Ma in? Can I go talk to her?"

"She's free but she has a meeting in half an hour." Jordie nodded, before knocking on the study door and entering. His mother sat in her chair, reading through notes ahead of her next meeting.

"Ma." Stasiaj looked up, her painted lips curling into a smile as she stood. She was, as per normal, dressed in a long gown though this was in red, rubies in her ears and hair.

"My little boy." Jordie felt a smile grow on his face, accepting his mother's embrace as she ran her fingers through his hair and pulled back to smile at him. "I didn't hear you get back from school."

"You were in a meeting."

"You could have interrupted. I wouldn't have minded." Stasiaj grinned, before taking the lid off of a pot next to her so Jordie could snatch a toffee from it. "How was school?"

"Fine. I didn't speak to anyone, no one spoke to me and all my work is done." Stasiaj seemed to wince at that, before smiling sympathetically. "I wanted to talk to you."

"What about?" Stasiaj sat back down at her desk, tilting her head as she watched him. Jordie took a deep breath, before kissing his teeth and nodding.

"Ma, I want to finally get involved in the business."

"No."

"What? You haven't even heard me out yet." Jordie protested, looking at his mother incredulously. 

"I don't need to. It's not happening."

"Why not?"

"You're my son. I don't want you involved in it and neither does your father."

"Malkus is involved." Jordie pointed out, folding his arms and cocking an eyebrow. "He's also your son as is Ivarn and Celia and all the other vipers."

"That's different."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is." Stasiaj watched him, her eyebrow cocked and Jordie felt a chill go down his spine. Even if he was getting the lesser version of his mother's famed glare, he hated it. Jordie pitied the poor fools who ever took the full brunt of her glare and cold tone, though he responded to this with a glare of his own. "They grew up in it."

"So have I."

"No, Jordie, you have not." Stasiaj shook her head again. "I found Malkus when he was born, out on the street, I took him and raised him with Ivarn and some of the other vipers. They collected information for me. They were little spies for me. They've killed, stolen, beaten and blackmailed for me."

"I can do that."

"Most of them aren't vipers anymore." Stasiaj snapped back. "Out of the thirty who were originally with me, only three still work in the same business. Most of them went to university and got out of this life when they were eighteen, though they keep in contact. The only ones who stayed were Malkus, Ivarn and Celia and only Malkus does anything similar to what he used to do when he was a Viper."

"I want to do this though."

"Jordie..." Stasiaj sighed, before shaking her head. "You've been hearing the glorified version of the tales from when the others were Vipers and Crows. It wasn't fun and games like it was made out to be when you were younger. People were hurt and killed. Gods know that I've been stabbed multiple times, almost kidnapped by a vengeful trader, found out that I was kidnapped from my home, nearly drowned in a shipwreck, almost sold into prostitution, betrayed, shot at and almost died. I do not want that happening to you."