Page 46 of Castor
“Well…” Baxter ushered one of his men forward and accepted a glass of dark red liquid that was unmistakably blood. He took a drink and savored it on his lips, intentionally dragging out his point. “If you’re telling the truth and the son of Luciferhascome into power, why would I ever side with you over him? He’s just as strong as you, if not stronger, and he has an army of demons at his back. And what do you have? Seven cursed Nephilim, a human, and a few angels? I don’t like it when the odds are stacked against me. I only fight if I know I can win.”
“Then let me remind you who it was that defeated the Morningstar all those years ago,” Alastair said in a hard tone, his pale blue eyes lethal. “As the avatar of Pride, I don’t easily accept defeat. I very rarely lose.”
“Good for you. But I have a better idea. Why join either side when I can stay here on my island with my people, drinking and fucking to my heart’s content while you all kill each other?”
“You won’t have that luxury,” Alastair said. “Asa will come for you, and if you decline his offer, he’ll kill you all out of spite. And if you declinemyoffer, you’ll either die by his hand when you refuse to ally with him, or you’ll die by mine on the battlefield when we’re enemies.”
“Yet, here you are asking for my fidelity. Asking me to put my people’s lives on the line to fight in your war.” Baxter reclined on the couch and took another drink of blood. It glistened on his lips before he swiped his tongue across it. “Sounds like you need me a lot more than I need you. So let me ask… what’s in it for me?”
“Have you no honor?” I asked. “Though not related by blood, we’re your kin. Our fathers all fought together. Died together.”
Baxter stood from the couch. “Yes. Andwhydid they fight?Whodid they fight for? For Lucifer. You ask me to betray my father’s memory, to shit on everything he died fighting for, and ally with the side that killed him?” He threw his glass to the ground, and blood splattered my legs as it shattered. “I humored you by listening to your request, but I’ve reached my limit. Get out of my sight while I still let you leave with your heads intact.”
Alastair looked as if he were about to argue, but he gave a sharp nod instead and turned to us. “Let’s go.”
“No,” I said, stepping toward Baxter. Kyo grabbed my arm and tried to stop me, but I kept going. The Nephilim tipped his chin up and held out a hand to his men to stay where they were. “Do you think you’re the only one of us who loved his father? Mine was one of Lucifer’s generals. He commanded an army, killed innocent people, and wanted to turn the world to ash. Yet, he was an incredible father. Loving. Compassionate. I admired him more than anyone else.”
“Yet, you still killed him,” Baxter said, curling his lip in disgust. Hate penetrated through his multicolored eyes. “You dare speak to me about honor when you betrayed your own father.”
“No, he betrayed me!” I roared, tears burning in the backs of my eyes. “No matter how much I loved him, he was a monster. Just like Lucifer. Just like everyone who followed him down that destructive path. His love for me wasn’t enough to right the wrongs he committed in the world.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Baxter asked.
“Because the time has come for you to make a choice. A choice I had to make thousands of years ago when I chose to save the world instead of watching it burn.” The anger left me, and I dropped my gaze to the bloodstained ground. “Our fathers were wrong. We have to do better than them. We have tobebetter.”
“Cas.” Bellamy touched my arm.
Raiden appeared on my other side, his eyes shining. They had felt my pain—my grief—as if it were their own. Maybe some of it was their grief too. Carrying such a burden on our shoulders wasn’t fair, but nothing in life ever was.
Baxter studied my face for several long seconds. “Why should I care if the son of Lucifer wants to take over the world?”
“Your mother was human, was she not?” I asked. “I imagine you’ve taken humans as lovers over the years. Laughed with them. Some of the Nephilim on this island have mated with them. Humanity, despite its many flaws, is beautiful. And it deserves our protection.”
Baxter looked at Alastair. “I like him better than you. He’s not a smug bastard with a superiority complex. Perhaps let him do the talking next time.”
Alastair glared but kept his silence.
His attention shifted back to me. “Angels hate our kind. We had to put up warding around this island to keep them out because they kept trying to kill us. An alliance with you would mean one with them, and I don’t favor that idea. They’ll put a knife in our backs the moment our guard is down.”
“They hate us too,” I said, then smiled a little when he blew out a laugh.
“They’re goddamn bastards, aren’t they?” Baxter shook his head. “Okay, Red. You’ve piqued my interest. I’ll consider your request, but I make no guarantees that I’ll agree. I need to weigh my options and do what’s best for me and my people.”
“As you should,” I said. “It’s not a decision you need to make lightly, though I hope that we can come to an understanding.”
“Yep. Definitely better than you.” Baxter smirked at Alastair. “There’s no sense for you to leave the island only to have to come back later. Why don’t you and your men stay here for the night? I’ll speak with my people about your proposal and give you an answer tomorrow.”
“Can we trust him not to slit our throats in our sleep?”Bellamy asked.
“I’m putting my money on no,”Raiden replied.
“Refusing his offer would be seen as disrespectful and ruin any chance we have at an alliance.”Alastair nodded to me.“Tell him we accept.”
“That sounds great,” I said. “Thank you.”
So much was riding on Baxter’s decision. I only hoped I had managed to convince him.
***
