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“Well, I can understand that,” Candy said. “But why Will? He’s…” she paused. “He can’t be anything to you.”
“He’s something to Maddox.”
“Yes. He is. Maddox made all the difference in Will’s life. My boy would have languished his entire life in prison if not for Maddox taking him and rehabilitating him. Will is not a threat to anyone. Well, he is to himself, most of the time. But not to a creature like yourself, a virtual god. I’ve heard you destroy armies. But Will’s just one boy. We have a saying, I don’t know how modern it is. Perhaps you’ve heard it before?”
“Oh, yes?” Gideon was listening.
Candy stepped forward, her chin raised, her voice unwaveringly brave. “Pick on someone your own size.”
Gideon stared at her for a long moment, pure malevolence written across his features. Maddox feared for her life, but knew it was now in Gideon’s clawed hands. She had either abdicated, fled, or disowned every maternal responsibility for Will, but she was making up for lost time now.
“Woman, you know I am capable of great cruelty, and that to me, you are little more than an aperitif.”
“Yes.”
“Why, then, do you tempt me to drain you?”
“Because I love my son, and because I want my boss intact. I can’t work for a head barely attached to a body. And you can’t rule over one either. So maybe you should reconsider your parenting style. Maddox and Will are happy. Maybe they won’t be happy forever. You think I was thrilled to discover my son was at the mercy of a master vampire? I always hoped the baby I left for others to raise would have a happy life, a normal life. I’ll admit, I imagined him having a wife and children of his own. Instead, he has a taste for human flesh, and a master vampire lover.”
“I wasn’t happy either,” Ivan growled. “I can tell you that fucking much. Did everything I could to get them apart. Fed my boy my own flesh to teach him how to be what he was supposed to be. Still didn’t work.”
“I fed on my boy’s flesh,” Gideon mused. “I took his voice. I always loved his voice. He is so elegant when he speaks. He always has been.”
“That’s disgusting,” Ivan growled. “One thing to feed your own flesh, but…”
“You’ll destroy him if you try to make him what you think he should be,” Lora Candy interrupted. “You have to let them find their own way. And if they make mistakes, they make mistakes. Help them after the fact. Don’t try to stop them living.”
“That is quite wise, for an ephemeral woman.”
“Thank you.”
“You have given me much to think about. I think it is time I take my son and my leave.”
Maddox was led from Candy’s house like an already slaughtered lamb with little hope. Each step was heavy and painful, and served to remind him of what was starting to feel like an immutable truth. Gideon could not be escaped. Not ever.
“Were you truly swayed by their mortal arguments?” Ray asked the question once they had returned home. Maddox was safely stowed in his room. The fledgling Lorien was missing but would be punished for taking Maddox when he was found.
“Of course not,” Gideon sneered. “I must go to the forest, and I must kill Will while Maddox is still weak. This entire dog and pony show only goes to demonstrate how closely Maddox is tied into petty, ephemeral, mortal concerns. He is barely a vampire. He is certainly not acting as my progeny. He does not understand his place in this world anymore. I will break what I have to break in order to make him what he needs to be.”
There was somebody else who needed breaking too. A certain young fledgling who had obviously meddled in Gideon’s affairs.
“Hello,” Lorien said with a nervous smile when they all arrived home. Gideon beckoned him into one of Maddox’s many furnished rooms and was pleased that Lorien had the sense to follow. Perhaps there was some hope for him yet.
“Hello, baby vampire,” Gideon smiled. “Why don’t you come here and tell me what you’ve been doing.”
“Oh, me? Nothing.”
“Nothing? I was under the impression that you had stolen my boy and taken him to the suburbs in an extremely misguided attempt to help him in some way.”
“Oh,” Lorien said. “Well, maybe I did do that, maybe.”
“Maybe you come here to me and put yourself over my thighs. Maybe I teach you a lesson,” Gideon said, crooking his clawed finger once more. Lorien hesitated, his eyes dancing about, looking for a means of escape, but there was no easy way out.
“Do not hesitate,” Gideon warned. “You saw what I did when Maddox disobeyed. I do not want to damage you. You would take a long time to heal.”
Absolutely terrified, Lorien walked toward the Maker. He had known there would be consequences for his disobedience, but he had not really considered what they were. He’d hoped Maddox would heal, and then they would all run away together somewhere Gideon would never find them. But, of course, that had not panned out.
“Come here,” Gideon said, reaching out to take Lorien by the front of his shirt. He drew Lorien closer, closer, closer, until Lorien found himself over the Maker’s hard thigh.
