Page 8 of Resurrection (Daemons & Lumens #2)

CHAPTER SIX

Devon

E verything about this situation was the fucking worst. I knew the Kings were murderers, liars, and so much worse, but seeing them force a man to murder his wife was something else entirely. Their cruelty knew no limits. And I was beginning to see how little control we had here.

I was furious with them for the memories and images they planted in my head to turn me against Seraphina.

Furious at myself for letting it happen.

I checked my mental shields again, having reinforced them since Seraphina set me free.

How she managed it, I wasn’t sure. I doubted she was either.

But when I was with her, everything else faded away and my soul felt tethered to hers completely.

I fought it for so long, afraid to trust and unable to let go enough to fully let her in.

But that was all behind me now. I was fully committed to Seraphina Valdis.

Several guards escorted Edward Kingston from the room, and another crew came in to remove his dead wife. The Kings seemed incredibly pleased with themselves, and the look in Laszlo’s eyes as he turned to me was deeply unsettling.

“Devon. Enjoy your little tryst in the woods?” Laszlo drawled, and I stiffened. “Did you think the guards you can see are the only ones I have?”

Shit. Of course he’d have eyes everywhere. How could I be so careless?

“It seems even with proof, one taste of the little whore’s cunt has you turning against us once more,” Laszlo mused.

“Don’t fucking talk about her like that,” I growled at him. “I know you tampered with my mind. My memories. It won’t happen again.”

“We’ll see.” Darren chuckled.

The sound was almost similar to Ty’s. I hated that. I crossed my arms, staring him down as Laszlo stalked toward me.

“Now it’s time for you to make a choice.” Laszlo’s dark eyes challenged mine, but I refused to look away, even as unease sank to the pit of my stomach.

“Get on with it then,” I spat at him, holding his stare.

He turned away first, and for a moment, it felt like I won something.

The sound of another door opening caught my attention, and I turned.

A woman stalked into the room with two guards at her back.

She wasn’t chained or bloodied. She walked in with confidence.

The woman was curvy, with brown skin similar to mine and dark hair braided down her back.

She wore black leggings, boots, and a maroon sweater.

Her face was blank as she stalked toward us. There was something familiar about her.

When her gaze turned in my direction, I gasped. Startling green eyes matching my own stared into my soul.

“Leyja?” I rasped, stepping toward her.

She cocked her head but said nothing.

“It can’t be. You died. You’re… This isn’t real.” I strode toward her and reached out, unable to stop myself.

Before I could touch her, she twisted my arm behind my back harshly and kicked out my knees. Seraphina shouted my name, but was held back.

“Hello, traitor,” Leyja murmured.

This was beyond confusing. How could she be here? I wanted to cry with joy that my Leyja was alive, but what she called me stuck in my mind. Traitor.

“Devon, it’s been many years, but I believe you remember your sister?” Laszlo cut through my thoughts. “She has been a loyal member of The Obscuritas for some time now.”

“Laszlo. What is this?” Andras cut in, his body rigid.

Laszlo Blackbyrn walked slowly to my sister and placed his hand on her shoulder. I snarled and scrambled to my feet, hating him being anywhere near her. Guards prevented me from stepping closer to them.

“When your mother was tragically killed, we were able to save your sister. Your father was going mad, even then, so we kept the knowledge of her from him.” Laszlo squeezed my sister’s shoulder affectionately.

Everything out of this man’s mouth was a fucking lie.

But what haunted me most was the idea of my only sibling being in the hands of the fucking Kings for the last fifteen years.

Doing the math, she would be around twenty years old now.

I hadn’t seen her since just after her eighth birthday.

I thought she died with my mother. But now she was here, alive.

Elation and terror flooded through me in equal parts.

No one survived that much time with The Obscuritas without going insane.

Laszlo stepped in front of her and glared at me.

“Unlike the other members of the Parrish family, your sister has remained loyal and true. She is quite gifted too. A quick learner and very skilled with a variety of weapons.” He smirked.

“And Samuel has trained her to feel very little pain. She is truly a sight to behold.”

I processed his words slowly. Samuel Delano. I knew of his sick desires. He liked to see how much pain his victims could take. The idea of my only sister on the receiving end of that torture was enough to make bile rise in the back of my throat.

“What the fuck do you want, Laszlo?” I ground out the words. He said I had a choice to make.

Laszlo smiled. “Yes. It’s time to choose where your loyalties lie. To your sister, to us. Or to the whore. Seraphina Valdis would surely kill your sister if given the chance. She wants us all dead, and Leyja is one of us.”

“Father,” Andras cut in once more. “What exactly are you making him choose? You have us all here. You’ve won.”

“You see, my traitorous son, you all need a lesson in power. And the realization that you’ve never had any,” Laszlo snapped. He turned back to me. “Choose, Devon. Your sister or Seraphina. Whichever you do not choose, will belong to me.”

“Father!” Andras bellowed angrily.

“Silence!” Laszlo shouted back, a dangerous edge to his voice. “Take my son away.”

Before anyone could move, a guard tased Andras from behind and several of them dragged him out of the room.

“Devon,” Seraphina whispered, and I looked at her, desperate for an answer. “It’s alright. I’ll be alright.”

The weight of the decision before was suffocating.

I just got her back, my heart, my soul. How could I give her up?

I locked eyes with my sister. Her face was a blank mask as she stared back at me, her arms crossed and back straight.

Leyja reminded me so much of our mother.

She was fierce and strong, but now, her mind was fucked.

This was not the loyal and caring big sister I knew.

I had to get her away from Laszlo. Had to at least try and save her. For my father’s sake. For our mother.

My head bowed in defeat at this fucking awful choice. “I choose Leyja.”

Another guard immediately pulled out a taser and aimed it at Seraphina.

She dropped to the floor as the electricity shot through her body, but my brave queen didn’t scream.

Another guard stepped forward and stuck a syringe in her neck.

Seraphina’s eyes drooped as the drug quickly worked its way through her system.