Page 61 of A Tempest of Intrigue (Tempest of Shadows #4)

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

Ryker

“You don’t think Leo only left one bastard child behind, do you?” my father taunted.

I pondered his words as I debated how to respond. “I understand why he came to you about Bria, but why would he tell you about other children?”

“You’re so fucking na?ve, Ryker. How did I ever have a son who is so stupid regarding political intrigue? Of course he didn’t tell me about them, but I’m not an idiot. If the man was foolish enough to beget one bastard with a whore, then he’d do so with others too. I hunted those others down.”

Uneasiness churned in my gut. I was not going to like what he had to say. “How?”

“It took some doing, and a fair amount of carisle, but I had some men uncover all they could about Leo’s past proclivities. In doing so, I discovered more than a few of his offspring. Most were grown, but a couple were still children. Since they couldn’t be useful to me, I had them killed.”

I didn’t know why this astounded me. I knew how far my father would go to gain control of the realm and how depraved he was, but the possibility of him hunting down Leo’s bastards and slaughtering them never occurred to me.

And then I recalled something else. “The orphanage fire in Cartha.”

“So, you’ve heard about that too.”

“There were rumors that men in black were seen running away from it.”

“Those incompetent idiots,” he muttered. “I had them all killed.”

They were most likely the last residents of his dungeon. “Not everyone died in that fire.”

“Those fools were incompetent, but I can assure you Leo’s bastard son did die in it. They cut off his head before the fire started. The flames helped cover that.”

“ Children died in that blaze.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Ryker, stop being such an emotional pussy. To gain power, one must be willing to do whatever it takes… including stomping on those far lesser than them.”

I loathed this man. I stepped toward him before catching myself and moving away. There was a reason I couldn’t kill him now, but I was having difficulty remembering what it was.

My father’s smirk only grew. He knew what I was thinking and that I wouldn’t act on those impulses.

“If it makes you feel better, Leo’s son wasn’t a child,” he said. “He helped run the orphanage. He grew up there and decided to stay on once he became an adult.”

I didn’t know what to make of any of this. Leo had let his son be raised in an orphanage? Did he know about the boy?

He must have known his son was there if my father uncovered him. I’d loved and looked up to Leo, but I was so disappointed in him.

“Did that man know he was Leo’s son?” I asked.

“I don’t think so. Unlike Bria, Leo had nothing to do with the boy after creating him.”

I glanced past him to the rolling fields and sun-kissed lake. Since Ianto had told us about the orphanage fire, I hadn’t known who burned it or why, but I should have suspected my father. If anyone was going to ruthlessly slaughter men, women, and children, it would be my father.

“I will have that female lightning bearer, Ryker,” he said. “And you will bring her to me.”

I shifted my attention to him as I smiled grimly. “Why would I condemn her to a life of misery by bringing her to you?”

“Because if you don’t, I’ll have Ivan give me your mother’s property and throw you in jail.”

I laughed. “Are you forgetting that I know you’re plotting against him by trying to marry Leo’s daughter? Your threats mean nothing to me.”

When he stepped closer, I held my ground. “What about that whore you’re screwing? Does she mean something to you?”

Though he considered Ellery a whore, something I would one day remedy, he couldn’t know about her, but unease clenched my belly. If he knew I was still seeing her, he would have made another move against her.

“Which one?” I asked. “There are so many of them.”

“From what I’ve learned, there’s only one . I think her name is Dahlia.”

So, he had started questioning the women in the bordellos about my activities and digging into my life more. I’d hoped to avoid this but had prepared for it.

That didn’t mean I couldn’t feel the noose tightening around my neck. I’d known time was running out for me and Ellery, but it was slipping faster and faster through the hourglass with every passing second.

“You have a thing for focusing on only one whore at a time,” he remarked.

“Or I prefer not to stick my dick in every woman who comes along. I’m getting too old for that shit, so once I find one who more than satisfies me, I tend to stay with them for a bit.”

“Or maybe you care for her.”

I laughed at him. “Doubtful, and you’re forgetting there are whorehouses in the Revenant Woods.”

“Well, I can always bring her here to find out.”

“I’m sure she’d enjoy a tour of the place, but I don’t care what you do, Father.”

“Yes, you do.” We stared at each other, neither giving a centimeter before he spoke again. “It’s strange that you’re not more curious about this lightning bearer.”

“I’ve expressed all my curiosity over the week since learning about her existence. And, as I’ve said, I’m sure she’ll one day reveal herself.”

A muscle in his jaw twitched. “Bring her to me, or I’ll kill Leo’s daughter.”

He was getting desperate as he switched tactics. “The woman you love? So dramatic, Father.”

“She’s the only living offspring of your fucking hero.”

“And she was supposed to be my stepmother. What’s your point?”

“I’m assuming you want her to live.”

I did, but Ellery came first. “I’ve learned to live with disappointment. You are my father, after all.”

His pale green eyes narrowed on me. “You always have the smart fucking replies.”

“So very much like you.”

The corner of his mouth twitched toward a smile. “It’s the only thing we have in common. Bring her to me, Ryker, or I’ll drag Dahlia here and hang her and Bria from the rafters. I’ll leave them there for you to see every time you enter.”

“If I bring you the lightning bearer, you’ll kill Bria anyway. You won’t let one of Leo’s bastards live if they’re useless to you; you’ve already proven that. You’d never just give her money and send her back to the Gloaming. She’s as good as dead.”

I would have to figure out how to prevent that, but while Ellery remained hidden, Bria remained safe. That wouldn’t last.

“True, but maybe I’d let her live… if my son were to marry her,” he said.