Primalcraft: Sins of Bygone days (book 2)

Chapter 24

"Close your eyes and ears, Blake! I'm killing this fucker," Ahriman growled.

"No, you are not! What the hell is going on here?" Elliott said and stood in between the two beings. "Someone explain."

"A fae?" Scarlett suddenly uttered from the sideline as she watched Nemain with confusion. Nemain raised a hand and green flames erupted from Scarlett who let out a chilling scream as she was burned. All the witches shouted as they tried to extinguish the fire. One of them was Leon who couldn't stand to see his mother suffer.

"Don't insult me, mortal. I am no fae," Nemain said with a chilling voice. Elliott could just stare at the man who had once flirted with him in that restaurant.

"Don't posture. You might not be a fae but your father is," Ahriman huffed as he brushed himself off.

"Was... My father met an untimely demise," Nemain said casually.

"I'm sure. You always hated your heritage. Might as well erase it, am I right?" Ahriman mocked but Nemain just smiled.

"Precisely."

"If he is not a fae. Then what the fuck is he?" Elliott asked.

"An Archon of Rage. Especially that kind of frenzy you get in a battle," Ahriman explained as he walked closer. "All this must be your doing."

"Not all. Mortals have the ability to conjure up fire where there is none. All I had to do was fan the flames."

"And Blake? What is your excuse for trying to hurt him?" Elliott asked with an accusing tone. Nemain looked over at him and for a second Elliott could swear that he saw something flash in his eyes. Guilt or maybe regret. But it was gone a moment later and Elliott convinced himself that it had never been there to begin with.

"Is it not obvious?"

"No!"

"Spirits love Blake," Ahriman replied in Nemain stead and Nemain nodded like it was only natural.

"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Elliott who started to be frustrated with the two all-powerful beings that kept forgetting that not all of them were all-knowing.

"What do you think the spirits of your wolves would have done if something happened to Blake? The tree Crann Eolais, that the coven resides in, is a spirit. It would be enraged and swallow the entire coven up. The wolf spirits would hunt every witch in sight to avenge Blake. To protect him. It would have been a slaughter," Ahriman explained.

Elliott paled as he realized what Nemain had wanted to do. "That's- Wait, why did you tell Blake about the plan then? You knew that he would never choose such a thing. No human would!"

Nemain looked up at the dark sky for a while like he tried to find the answer up among the stars. Then his glowing eyes fell onto Blake who looked pale in Jaxon's arms. "Maybe I was curious to see if he would protect the fools who wanted him dead."

Nemain suddenly started to fade into a green flame which slowly floated to the sky.

"Fuck!" Ahriman threw himself at Nemain but only caught the residue of the flames.

"It was good to see you again, Ahriman. Let's play as we did back then," Nemain's voice echoed as it faded into a distance.

Elliott grimaced and turned around to handle this mess but still heard a last whisper into his ear. Sad almost longing. "I did care for you."

Elliott felt a stab of pain from his chest but ignored his obvious bad taste in men to try to see what the damage is.

*****

Alex groaned and rubbed his eyes as he had been hit with a flash during his throwdown with his father. With a hard thud, he landed onto the water. He soon saw a river and grimaced as the cold water flowed over his body. His Asian Golden Cat growled displeased at getting wet but Alex paid no mind to his spirit as he soon saw his prey.

The enchantment had been lifted and his father who had been fortunate enough not to land in the water stoke his bleeding lip. "I don't remember you being this rash, son."

"Don't call me that! You aren't allowed to call me son," Alex felt fury burn beyond compare in his chest and heated his body from the cold night air. His white hair dripped and eyes glowed forming two cat's eyes giving him perfect sight in the darkness.

"It doesn't matter. You cannot erase where you came from, boy."

"I'm nothing like you."

"So you keep telling yourself but there is a reason why your friend Blake recognized me even though he had never laid eyes upon me before," Frank Lloyd said and gave Alex a knowing smile that sends cold shivers through his body.

"Don't compare yourself to me. You are nothing to me!"

"I am everything to you, son. I haunt your dreams. Every decision you make is because of me. Why you even deny that is beyond me," Frank said with a shrug as he watched his son come up from the water. He held the distance between them at a decent range as he was no match for his son in close range.

"Why did you even show yourself after all these years?" Alex growled as he let his claws grow out while stalking his father trying to find an opening to rip his throat out.

"I got a rather high paying offer from Nemain. One I could not refuse."

"Nemain?"

"Oh, lad. You are so far behind that it is sad. Have you ever considered opening a book? Try Irish mythology. I'm sure you can figure it out."

Alex froze as he listened to his father."He is not a witch?"

"Very astute of you."

"He is fae then?"

"No, something far worse and far more dangerous. You have truly walked into the fire, son. I do hope that you can handle the heat."

"Don't concern yourself with me."

"You are my son. I will always be concerned for you."

Alex let out a loud roar like that of a cat and threw himself at his father who merely raised a hand and snapped his finger. His ring glowed and hit Alex with some strange magic that froze him in place.

Frank sighed and brushed off his clothes before he came closer to his son. "Such a temper. You clearly got that from your mother."

Alex tried to move his stiff limps but wasn't even able to twitch which left him at his father's mercy. Something he had sworn that he would never allow again. Frank touched his cheek before sighing yet again and giving him a smirk.

"We'll see each other again, son. That I can promise. Try to behave until then."

Frank snapped his finger again and in flash, he was gone. Damn him and his bloody toys!

It did not take long before the spell wore off and left Alex cold in the empty glade. He let out a hopeless roar into the night in despair which left him hollow. He fell onto the ground feeling his skin turn blue and stiff. Damn him!

"Alex?"

A distant voice reached Alex's ears and a familiar scent that he had come to like filled his nose. The scent of green hills and deep forest. His sight became blurry as he felt someone lift him up and hold him onto their chest. Firm and gentle. The scent of an Alpha. His cat purred in his mind and he couldn't help but to let out one himself much to his savior's amusement.

"Mon p'tit chaton."