Ares Beloved Sin (unedited)

Chapter Fifty Three: Scars.

Lilith

"Leksei?" I hardly recognize the soft voice that leaves my lips, soft, welcoming and nothing like the venom I taught my self to spit when I spoke. Major is a few paces ahead of me and he nudges Leksei's bedroom door open with his nose.

I take in his messy bed and toys littered around and sigh. Reaching to pick up his favorite Spider man action figure before I step on it, Major lets out a loud ear piercing whine and paws at Aleksei's en-suite door. The blood in my vein stops moving all together, I rise and I pivot, really scanning the room now.

His toy chest is shoved over and his bed is not messy its stripped. The things on top of his little dresser are knocked to the floor and I take a sharp breath before bum-rushing the bathroom door. My hearts thumping in my chest and I cant get a rational thought in as the door gives way and I stumble to and push my mess of hair out of my face.

"Aleksei." My vision scatters for a moment, almost missing the mop of red locks in the middle of the large bath tub. My chest heaves as I take in the scene, my son curled into the middle of the tub with his legs pulled up to his chest, his chin tucked into between his bony knees hiding his face but his whimpers reach my ears like someone scratching on a chalkboard.

"Faolon," I try, my feet hitting the edge of the tub as I step closer, the water is clear, only half filled and soap free with a slight chill I can feel when I laid my palm flat over the surface. Looking up I gasp as I take in his red tinged, swollen eyes.

"There so ugly." His voice is no more than a broken whisper that echoes off the tub walls, my throat closes up as he uncurls- lightening bolt scars trail over his stomach and chest, angry scars of jagged deep cuts in his thighs.

I feel my heart wrench and twist in my chest until it rips itself apart. "Is this why you wont let me or anyone bathe you?" He doesn't respond, only offers a wobbly bottom lip. Sniffing harshly against my own tears I stand, watching his sadness morph, confusion, shock and sadness all over again as I stand in my shorts and sports bra in front of my son.

All my scars on display like a road map of my hell, and if I closed my eyes I could still feel how I got everyone. and I had prayed, begged that Aleksei had been saved from this torturous hell. But I was wrong, and he hid It from me.

Swallowing down my own tears I step into the water, watching it ripple as I lower and yanked his body into mine, clenching my tear at the bitter cold sting of the water.

"Absolutely nothing about you is ugly." He whimpers, face burrowing into my chest and his tears feel like lit matches dropping onto my flesh. And I squeeze him tighter, trying to push some of my body heat onto him and pull him back together, the same way Ares had held my pieces together when I lost my grip.
Aleksei sinks into me, his breathing ragged as he clutched to me shivering, and before I register the words leaving my lips, I'm singing the lullaby from my mother land.
" Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral
Too-ra-loo-ra-li
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral
Hush now, don't you cry
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral
Too-ra-loo-ra-li
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral.
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand."

Running my fingers through his hair, I allowed myself a single tear to drop. His breathing has evened out and he's gone slack against my body, with shaky legs I attempt to stand, panic starting to gather at the sight of his lips turning blue.

In my panic haste I don't hear him, but I feel his large arms pull me out of the bathtub, his calming smell washing over my senses but I can't tear my gaze off the scars littering my sons body and I feel myself say, "He wouldn't let me bathe him, but I'm his mother and I-" My eyes squeeze shut against the pain aching In my chest.

Ares lips brush against the back of my head and we start to rock as he snatches towels off the counters and wrap them around us, using his hands to provide as much heat as possible.

"I know baby, I know." I feel myself slip emotionally as Ares maneuvers my head into the crook of his neck and I can hear his calm streaky pulsing heart beat and it anchors me, pulls me back down to earth and I shudder past the sobs, forcing myself to swallow my own pain to allow Aleksei to feel his, to grow in it and heal.

"I wish Lucian was still alive, I would make him suffer for what he did." I hear Ares murmur fiercely behind me and it brings a malicious smile on to my face, the mental image of Ares going feral, tearing y demons limb from limb as they scream and screech for the help the same way I used to.

There was so much Ares had wished was different, especially with my story, but I can't say I do. In the moment maybe, and for my son, absolutely but the horrible trials and tribulations I was forced through lead me to my haven, a dark angry Russian mobster who adored my son and treated me as though I was fine China, or the rarest diamond.