Page 72 of The Magic of Revenge
His mouth tugged up at the side. "You think so? I think her mother wants to punch me a lot of the time, but I think I'm making some progress. She smiled at me today and only called me old man or old timer like five times. It's an improvement." He grinned fully now and clanked his glass to mine before taking another sip.
"They've both been through a lot. That's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.” I paused and fiddled with my fingers. “Kai told us earlier that Asrael had these files on magically inclined kids in the basement of that castle he held them at. He caught Bryce updating one of them—it was a file on Annie," I said, holding my breath for his reaction. Khol's eyes darkened and his horns shot out instantly. Oh yeah, he was pissed.
"He's sure?" I nodded. "Fuck. I'll get a security team sent here. They'll be here within a few hours. Asrael doesn't do anything without a reason. If he's tracking her, or others, it's because he wants to use them in some way," he explained, tapping his fingers across his phone, calling in the reinforcements.
"Tell me about you and Asrael. What's his deal? Why is he like this?"
Khol sighed and fixed those green eyes on mine. "It's not a pretty story. Mine isn't either, for that matter."
"I need to know. If this asshole thinks he's going to keep coming after me and my family, I want to know everything I can about him. As it stands, aside from Laurie, you're the best source of information we have. She's still not talking," I told him, walking around the bar and taking the seat next to him.
"I expected as much. She's the most conniving witch on the planet." He looked up briefly, like he was clearing his mind, or trying to figure out where to start. "Asrael and I grew up together. Along with Thane, his brother. Thane was the oldest and therefore first in line for the throne. I was the son of a high-ranking demon in the prior King's court. My father and I were close, he was a good demon and after my mother died giving birth to me, we were all each other had.” I held my breath, this was already the most family history I’d gotten from him about my demon side. Growing up with one family member I could rely on made me luckier than some kids out there who had none, but damn… I was desperate to know everything Khol could tell me.
“My old friends, Eronne and Thijs, they're the two other demons that were sent to this realm for the procreating mission all those years ago. They're over in Europe and Asia mostly, but we do keep in touch. Asrael, there's always been something off with him.
"We used to spend so much time together, the five of us. That was until Thane got older and had to start taking his position more seriously. There's a lot one has to learn in order to be able to run an entire realm. I think Asrael started to resent Thane because he always got more attention. When the four of us turned eighteen, we joined The Crown’s Wings. Being in the army was kind of like a rite of passage. There had been some civil unrest, due to the King raising taxes and implementing new laws that caused division instead of bringing us together.
"Anyway, we were in our early twenties and we'd just gotten to this small town, maybe two hundred demons. They'd been the loudest over the years with their displeasure at the King's greed. The first night there, Asrael rushed into the tent we were all sharing, saying that a dragon had brought word from the capital. There was a letter addressed to me, I can still remember the feel of the wax..."
I swallowed as I watched Khol's eyes turn glassy, his fingers running over some imaginary surface.
"The letter said that rebels had attacked and there had been casualties. My father amongst those dead," he said softly and I gasped.
"I'm so sorry," I told him, taking his hand.
"Ah, thank you, wild one. But this was a very long time ago. I've since dealt with the grief. I can't be certain what happened after that, it was like I blacked out. Two days of my life went blank. On the second day, my first memory was waking up naked, laying in a puddle of blood. It wasn't my own. My knuckles were shredded, I was covered in dirt and blood. My muscles screamed as I tried to get up. I'd really done a number on myself.
"Az was standing there, looking down at me. His expression chilled me to the bone, and yet I grabbed his hand so he could pull me up to my feet. I asked him what happened and he told me that I'd gone on some kind of murder spree. I'd been unstoppable, slaughtering and maiming every demon I came across. The soldiers followed my lead and over the course of two days, we'd killed every demon in that town. I earned the nickname Khol the Cold from those two days of blood and tears. They said I showed no emotion, that I was like a machine of death. I've always been thankful that I don't remember, even the thought is enough to make me sick now.”
Khol stared straight ahead and although he physically sat in my shop, his mind was a million miles away, locked in a horrible memory. Gods, this man. Even after so many years, it was clear to see the pain in his eyes and the tortured soul beneath his strong exterior. Before I knew what was happening, I had my arms wrapped around him in an embrace. I'd always been a hugger, and Khol definitely needed a hug right now.
"Thank you," he sighed, sinking into the hug. We stayed that way for a minute or so before he pulled back and kissed my forehead. Reaching for his drink, his hand trembled as he raised his glass to his mouth. I felt guilty for even bringing the subject of Asrael up—I’d had no idea that it would lead to this.
"Ah, don't look at me like that. This is my past. As bloody and tragic as it is, I can't change it. The thing is, Asrael slaughtered close to or as many of those demons as I had. I didn't learn that until we were on the route back to Naryan and Thijs pulled me aside, seeing that I wasn't myself. Grief was ripping me apart, for my father, for those I'd killed in his name in a blind fit of destruction. He'd told me that Az had been out of control, vicious and heartless. It was alarming to both him and Eronne to see him like that. He'd always had this darkness... We just hadn't realized the extent of it.
"It wasn't until a few years later, the civil unrest was at an all time high... I was renowned in the realm as being Khol the Cold, my name was whispered and feared. I hated it and at the same time, I felt such fury in my heart that my father had been killed by these rebels. Az and I were on a patrol and we came across a small rebel camp in the woods. There was a woman and she had three mates with her..."
My gut twisted, knowing this wasn't going anywhere good. Khol was lost to his demons, almost in a trance as he sat there and swirled his amber liquor.
"Az taunted them. They knew who we were of course, but they didn't back down. When Az threatened the woman, one of the men rushed him and Az stabbed him in the heart with a dagger he'd hidden up his sleeve. I'll never forget her wailing as her mate slumped and was dead before he hit the dirt. All hell broke loose. One of the other men shoved something into the woman's arms and screamed at her to run. Tears ran down her cheeks as he pressed his lips to hers and pushed her, urging her into action. I turned just in time to see Asrael behead the second man."
"Oh my gods," I breathed, tears welling in my own eyes, imagining myself in that woman's position. It was unthinkable.
"I ran after her, chasing her through the brush. She was fast, but I was faster. When I cornered her, she pleaded. That's when I heard the softest little cry from her arms. A baby. No more than a month old. And we'd just murdered its fathers. Just like my own had been cut down. And for what? I hated myself—I had for a while by then—but the depth of my self-hatred slammed into me so forcefully as I stood before this new mother, hearing her cries for mercy. Not for herself, but for her baby. I told her to run and not look back. Her men were dead and she needed to flee before Asrael realized I'd let her go. She fled without hesitation, disappearing into the darkness of the forest.
"When I composed myself and set off to return to the camp, I heard her scream rip through the dense forest and my heart dropped. I knew Az had found her. I flew through the trees at top speed, following the sounds until her screams ended abruptly. My heart sank because I knew she was dead. But the baby... I made it to the small clearing and found the woman laying face down, blood pooling beneath her.”
I must have gasped because Khol paused before swallowing roughly. “I can’t forget the way her dress… It was rucked up around her hips. Disgust and sadness overwhelmed me as I snarled at Asrael. He'd done the unthinkable, and the way he smirked as he looked down at her body told me it wasn't the first time. Fuck, I hated him. I turned and threw up behind a tree. It was then I heard a little whimper.” A ghost of a smile haunted his mouth and his features softened before he spoke again. “She must have known Asrael was on her trail because she'd tucked the baby into a hollow tree trunk."
My hands were sweating, and I felt like throwing up myself.Please, please don't tell me Asrael harmed the baby.
"I scooped him up, his little face was so angelic. The baby made a little cooing sound and his eyes drifted shut as I nestled him to my chest. A twig snapped behind me and I spun around, holding him tighter. Az's eyes dropped to the bundle in my arms and I knew I would kill him if he tried to hurt that baby. And gods, he wanted to. I convinced him that I would raise him and he'd never know the truth of his origins. And I did. Raise him, I mean. He was a happy boy, but I drowned in guilt every time I looked into those innocent eyes, knowing I was part of the reason his parents were dead.”
A brother… I had a brother?
"He found out the truth eventually. Asrael was the one who told him. After, he confessed to me that he'd been the one who staged a fight, the one that had killed my father all of those years prior. He said I needed to come into my true potential and accept who I was and what I was capable of." Khol chuckled without humor. "It was the following week that we got orders to come to this realm and try to make more demon babies. I think what Asrael did that day in the woods cursed our people. He killed them in cold blood. My son... He refused to speak to me, so I accepted the assignment. I haven't spoken to him or seen him in over fifty years."
"I don't even know what to say... I'm so fucking sorry. I can't begin to imagine the pain you must feel. The betrayal from one of your oldest friends, losing your son..."
