Unholy War 3: The Gates

12

Justice

"Is this her?" he asks, "May I see her?"

Genesis hands Armando the baby. It's just us in the throne room now. The royal family. A bunch of vampires plus Genesis. I'm not sure what to call baby Lilith at this moment. Was she a vampire, the queen of vampires born...some type of human hybrid or maybe even a demon. I wasn't sure of any of that. All I know I watch how Armando swaddles the baby and I can't keep from thinking the baby creeps me the fuck out. At this moment I was just glad the baby was on our side and I didn't think I'd ever feel that way about a goddamn baby in the middle of a fight.

"This is ironic, isn't it?" I ask.

"What is?" Genesis asks me.

"Armando and Lilith have a baby. That baby is Santos. Santos finds out that Armando has another son named Genesis who then gives birth to the reincarnation of Armando's lover and the mother of Santos. My head fuckin hurts."

"Justice..." my father states.

My father Nero is trying to shut me up. He says it just when I get the death stare from Armando. Armando never liked me. I assume it's just because he never really liked my father. He'd just always been this stuck up dick head who was a bit overbearing when it came to everything Santos. It was all a bit stalker-ish for my taste. I don't want to embarrass my father though, not in front of his husband Santos at least. All I'm saying was that the other side of this family weird as all fuck and I couldn't be the only one who was thinking it.

"We must do everything we can to keep her safe," Genesis states, "She's the future. Of everything?"

I roll my eyes. I look over at my dad. He looks away. So, I guess he was going to pretend like he didn't hear the maniacal tone of an evil genius in the words that Genesis spoke. I guess we were just going to ignore that because he was so in love with his brother.

"We can't keep the demons out forever," my father states.

"Clearly you can't. If I hadn't shown up with the angels both my sons would be dead," Armando barks, "You had one job. What kind of king lets this happen."

It was like Armando to blame my father every chance he got for everything possible.

"My father wasn't the king. Remember. Your other son stole the throne last time I recall," I blast out, "We were buried alive in case you forgot with Santos. What kind of man lets that happen to his own son?"

"Justice, c'mon..." my father tries to calm me down.

My father was the calm one. He'd always been. It was hard having a father like Nero. He looked about my age. He was just as handsome as I am. We were always compared to one another like brothers maybe because we were brothers. I was the careless, reckless one and my father was the patient, steady one. Neither of those things was good enough for someone like Armando though.

"He's right," Armando states, "Nero...I apologize."

We're all surprised.

I think my father raises his eyebrows. He'd become very used to his father-in-law jabbing at him. He'd become patient of it out of his love for Santos. Sure, it pissed me off but I knew my father let a lot of shit go because he didn't want to cause a rift between Santos and his father. He knew that family was important to Santos.

"Did a demon possess our father's body or did he just apologize to Nero?" Santos asks Genesis.

Genesis stares at Armando and raises an eyebrow, "I'm not sensing demon energy."

"Nero has done all he could to keep this city safe. We all have. The last thing we need to be is divided with Lafayette outside our doors," Armando states, "This is unlike any enemy we've ever faced. Which is why we need to decide who will put on the crushed crown."