Page 44 of Kiss of Death
“When the Barbarians attacked Riviana Star, he told me not to go. But I went anyway, and when the battle took a dangerous turn, he somehow stopped time…and gave me the power to raise the dead. And not only that, but he gave me his strength…the strength of a god.”
He was seething now, his anger boiling.
“It was the reason I was able to make the Barbarians flee the forest. It was the reason I was able to save you. And through the rest of his journey, he’s advised me and helped me. He’s been the eyes in the back of my head in every battle. He’s shown himself to my enemies to keep me safe. He’s done everything he possibly can to keep me alive.”
“Never let a man take credit for your accomplishments, Lily Rothschild.”
That was not the first thing I expected him to say.
“You prevailed because of your skill with the blade. You won because you’re smarter and wiser and faster than your enemy. You defeated our enemy because your soldiers and allies felt honored to serve you. Don’t you dare, for one fucking second, let a demon claim your crown.”
“He’s not a demon?—”
“He is. He presents himself to the world as a beautiful man so his victims will approach, but in the underworld, he’s an eight-foot demon with twelve horns that feeds off the souls he claims. I would know this because I have seen it.”
“I understand Bahamut was a demon, but Wrath is not?—”
“He lied to you, Lily.”
“He didn’t.”
“The Covenant would never choose anything but a demon to represent their desires in the mortal world. He didn’t help you out of love. He helped you to earn your soul—and he will try to take it.”
“He said he gave me his gifts freely.”
“And you were foolish to believe him.” He stepped closer to me, making a lunge like he wanted to grab my throat and squeeze it. “He will come, and he will try to rip it from your chest, but I’ve killed a demon once and I will do it again.”
“Dad, you need to trust me.”
“I can’t trust someone who trusts the word of evil.”
“Dad—”
“He seduced you, Lily. He gave you exactly what you wanted because he’s been observing you far longer than you realize. The underworld doesn’t just want souls. They want powerful, profound souls that fuel their abilities. And your soul shines like an iridescent pearl. He knew you would never give it freely because I forbade you from going to that island, so he found another way to draw you nearby. He unleashed that storm to throw you onto his banks. And he fabricated this elaborate plan to manipulate you into this vulnerable position so he could trick you into giving it to him.”
“Enough.” I couldn’t continue to listen to these fantasies of paranoia. “I understand this is hard for you to believe because you had a very different experience with his predecessor, but what I share is the truth. He loves me and would sacrifice anything and everything to keep me safe. He was the one whotold me platinum would save your life. The reason you stand before me is because of him.”
“And I’m sure the reason I was stabbed was because of him too.”
“No—”
“Yes.”
“Dad—”
“You don’t know, Lily. There’s so much you don’t know. And until you’ve been in the darkness of the underworld and seen the unspeakable evil firsthand, you’ll never understand?—”
“I have seen it.”
He took a step back as if he’d been slapped.
“I asked him to take me to his world so I could see. I wanted to understand his life. Wanted to figure out if there’s a way we could free him from his enslavement.”
“He doesn’t want to be free, Lily. He wants you to join him there.”
I shook my head. “I asked him to take my soul to save your life, and he refused.”
His eyes watered again, not because he was touched, but because he was furious.
