Page 106 of Castor
Alastair pushed his chair back and stood. “Where does this leave us? How many are we looking at here?”
“Over five thousand. Some are children from the original two hundred fallen angels, others are offspring of ones who fell after that, and the rest are the children of other Nephilim. Though the latter isn’t as strong, they are still powerful.”
Bellamy spoke next. “So basically you’re saying we’re fucked.”
“I’m saying you need more allies.” Lazarus looked at me. “You’re a water dragon. Alastair mentioned you last we spoke. Is it true your clan will fight with us?”
I nodded. “We have a thousand warriors.”
Our clan had grown over the years, but thanks to the war between our kinds that nearly wiped us out, we had the fewest number of soldiers compared to the other clans.
“And you?” Lazarus asked Warrin. He stepped closer to him. “You’re a member of the ice dragon kingdom. I heard you have quite the impressive army.”
“Ten thousand strong,” Warrin answered. “And more are trained every day.”
He wasn’t being completely honest. I had seen his kingdom. He had more than ten thousand. But he had a keen mind and didn’t know if he could trust the angel—not that anyone could blame him. It was unwise to give a potential enemy the advantage by laying all your cards on the table.
“What is the ice clan’s stance on this war?” the angel asked him.
“King Nikolai, my eldest brother, has stated his stance on the war. We will remain neutral.”
Lazarus’ scowl deepened. “Neutral? I wonder if you will still feel that way once demons run rampant over the earth and all of humanity is at their mercy. If you believe the son of Lucifer will stop there, you’re wrong. Once mankind is under his feet, he will move to all beings. Dragons included.”
Warrin’s stoic expression didn’t falter. “If that day comes, we will deal with him then.”
I knew how Warrin truly felt about the war. He wanted to help. However, he remained loyal and obedient to his king. He refused to besmudge his brother’s name too by saying he disagreed with his decision. The perfect soldier.
“I suggest you find more allies and fast,” Lazarus told Alastair. “Because while you’re sitting here eating breakfast, partying with monsters, and otherwise screwing around, Asa is out there building an army that might very well surpass his father’s.”
The angel left without another word.
“Does this mean we’re going to lose?” Gray asked, resting his cheek on his hand. He sat shorter in his chair than everyone else around the table.
“No.” Alastair shook his head. “Asa may have numbers in his favor right now, but no one can defeat us. I don’t care how big of an army they have.”
“Says Pride,” Bellamy muttered. “We have to face facts. At this rate, it’ll be a bloodbath.”
Galen sat quietly, his brow furrowed. Simon laid his head on his shoulder and peered up at him. Galen’s eyes darkened, going from light gray to charcoal. I recognized that look. Wrath was trying to take him over.
“Easy, big guy.” Simon kissed the side of Galen’s neck. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure this out.”
In one swift movement, Galen stood from his chair and grabbed Simon, throwing my friend over his shoulder. He exited the dining room, and the front door opened and slammed shut moments later.
“Will he be okay?” Warrin asked.
“Yeah,” Castor answered. “When Galen gets like that, Simon knows how to calm him down. They usually go flying. Or fuck. He’s just stressed-out.”
“I will speak to my brother again,” Warrin said, standing from the table. “See if I can get him to change his mind.” He looked at me, and though subtle, he smiled. “Congratulations, Kyo. I wish you and Castor all the happiness in the world.”
“Thank you.” That meant a lot coming from him.
“Why is it so damn noisy in here?” Daman asked, walking into the dining room. His brown hair was disheveled from sleep, and he was shirtless, showing off his lean, toned frame and bronzed skin. He was the one brother I didn’t know that well because he preferred keeping to himself.
“It’s not noisy,” Bellamy said. “You’re just a hungover little bitch.”
“Fuck you. I need coffee. Did you bastards eat all the food?”
“Sit down, Your Highness.” Raiden exaggerated a bow. “I’ll whip you up something special to cure that hangover.”
