Savage

Savage

“I’m done!”
Xev scowled as Malphas appeared in his room. “Don’t you knock?”
A knock sounded on the ceiling.
Rolling his eyes, Xev let out a long, tired sigh as he propped himself up in his bed. “You’re lucky I’m alone.”
“Sorry. Wasn’t thinking about your nightly routine. I’m just furious.”
“Why?”
“I hate Verlyn.”
“Finally, common ground.” Xev drew the covers up higher over his body, then brushed his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry Dad let you down … again.” Xev motioned for Malphas to have a seat on the foot of his bed. “What happened?”
Malphas didn’t sit and he didn’t speak. Rather he paced Xev’s room. “You were right. There’s no trust. I’m nothing to him.”
How was that a surprise?
“I heard that, Xev. You asshole.”
“Sorry. I forget sometimes … and why are you in my head anyway? It’s such a mess most of the time, I don’t want to be there. I can’t imagine being on the outside, wanting in. What is wrong with you?”
“That is a long and winding list that begins with that thing we call a father and ends with why I’m here!”
“Which is what?” Xev was beginning to lose patience. He’d never liked to be awakened from his sleep and this was becoming a tedious rant. Malphas either needed to answer his question, or become way more entertaining in his fury.
“I heard Verlyn speaking with Cam.”
Xev felt his own stomach shrink in dread. Nothing good ever came when those two got together. Mostly because Cam was a self-important blowhard who spouted off all manner of stupidity. Which she often won their father over to. He’d never understood her ability to do that. It was almost as if she had an unnatural power over him.
“And?”
Malphas paused again. “Braith’s pregnant.”
His eyes widened at the thought. The goddess of destruction? She who hated all creation? Braith had never voiced any positive words to his knowledge, about anything. And especially about children. She was an angry, vengeful shrew who made his mother look like a kitten in comparison. The fact that both Noir and Azura avoided her, said it all about her fury and power. “Who would dare touch her?”
Malphas pinned him with a hard stare. “Her Sephiroth guard.”
“Kissare?”
He nodded.
“Oof.” His breath left his lungs with an audible sound that echoed. Sephirii were a nasty bunch of …
He really didn’t know. No one did. They’d been created by the Primals as their attack dogs. Each one winged as he was, they were strictly off limits to demons. No one was allowed to approach them or even speak to them.
Even Xev kept his distance. They were a snotty bunch who saw themselves as better than all other life forms because they served the Source gods.
While he was sure his father had probably trifled with some of them, he could only imagine how angry they’d be that one of their “dogs” had fraternized with Braith.
With the exception of Azura, the Primal goddesses were expected to be very circumspect with whom the courted.
But to be honest, he was stunned anyone would dare to trifle with Braith in such a manner.
Props to Kissare for that amount of courage.
Still, he was confused by one thing. “How is Braith being pregnant a betrayal to you?”
“Verlyn wants to use me to spy on them.”
“Spy how?”
Malphas glared at him. “You can’t tell anyone who the father is.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m not supposed to know. Verlyn doesn’t know. No one other than Braith and Kissare know, and they have no idea that I know he’s the father.”
“Your powers …” That made sense.
Malphas saluted him. “That’s why Verlyn wants me to hang out with Auntie for a bit.”
“Rather not do that.”
“No kidding. I rather like my anatomy in all its current places. No wish for her to redesign me because I was dumb enough to help my father betray her.” Malphas visibly shivered.
“How did you find out?”
“Ran into Kissare by accident … not long after he found out. It was all he was thinking about. That and the fact that Braith is now showing.”
Which would be how Verlyn knew she was percolating a baby in that venomous womb.
Xev chuckled. “Bet he was wetting his diaper.”
That succeeded in lightening Malphas’s mood. He laughed, too. “Indeed. Kissare knows what’s waiting for him when the others find out.”
“Yeah. I don’t need Shadow for that prophecy.” Kissare’s days were numbered. In truth, he felt sorry for the Sephiroth. While they were no friends of his, he wouldn’t want to be on that side of the Primals.
Normally, the seven of them couldn’t agree on anything. Not even the color of the sky. But when it came to their creations knowing their places …
They would unite to punish the Sephiroth.
Damn. Just damn.
“What are you going to do?” he asked Malphas.
“Lie.”
Xev arched a brow at the fact that he didn’t even hesitate with that. “Seriously?”
“Why not? Verlyn’s just keeping me around to run his errands for things such as this. He doesn’t care about me. And I’m not about to cross Braith for a father who barely speaks to me. How stupid would I be?”
Pretty dumb. Forgiveness wasn’t in her vocabulary. Torture, however, was her favorite pastime. Second only to a good degutting. “He is sending you into harm.”
“With a smile on his face. You think for one second I’d be able to do that to my child?”
Xev shrugged. “I don’t know. You are a demon.”
Malphas’s nostrils flared. “Half.”
“I thought daeve ate their young.”
“What is wrong with you?”
Xev yawned. “I was asleep when my brother came storming in. Would really like to go back to it. Unless you wish to continue your diatribe.”
“Why do I talk to you?”
“No idea.”
Malphas growled at him. “I hate you so much.”
“Hate you, too.”
Malphas used his powers to extinguish the light in the room. “Get some sleep, asshole.”
He rolled over to his side. “Calm down, Mal. Just tell him you don’t know or give him the name of someone you hate. For that matter, tell him Noir’s the father. That should strike fear in everyone’s heart.”
That made Malphas’s eyes turn bright red in the darkness. It also caused a deep, evil laugh to bubble out from him. “I should do that. It would make him shit.”
“Yeah. Can you imagine? Those are two powers that never need to spawn.”
“Definitely. Enjoy your nightmare, brother. I have my own to go face.”