Darkest Shadows

25) Kings, Queens, and Peasants

"Now carry me, peasant!"--Jaxin

♡

"You have to confront it! You cannot run from it!"

He's trying to hold himself together as Rhea shouts at him to face one of his biggest nightmares: his aunt.

He doesn't know how she did it, but somehow Rhea got Ambrose's aunt and brought her to the cabin that Jay built for Rhea when she was little. "This is going nowhere, why must I stay here? He isn't going to do anything? He's too much like his father; the gays are weak."

He keeps looking to Rhea for help, but she has her feet up on a stool watching. "I'm not weak."

"Even the way you said that was weak child," Aunt Mary hisses, trying to yank her hands out of the rope Rhea has tied around her.

"Well excuse me for trying to be respectful even though you deserve none. How could you treat a six-year-old like that? I'm your nephew, your sister's son...and you treated me like an animal, you beat me with a belt just because I went into your office. You're sick," Ambrose exasperates.

"Someone had to teach you to listen, you're lucky your wife here can even tolerate you."

"She's not my wife, she's my best friend's wife," Ambrose pauses before saying his next words, "My husband is back home."

Aunt Mary's eyes blow wide. "You're...you're gay? Of course, you turned out like your father, you'll die like him too you know, you and that disgrace for a partner."

"Jaxin is not a disgrace; he is amazing, beautiful, smart, and talented. He's everything I could ever dream of, and he makes me happy, he made me see the good in life after you tried to kill me. In a twisted way, I'm glad you dumped me off at the Highrise because I found people who genuinely care about me, and I met the love of my life there. You're just going to be alone since Uncle Tom left you and I'll be happy because I have a wonderful husband and we have a great daughter."

"Oh God, you're going to infect the child too. You-" Aunt Mary directs her attention to Rhea, "-how could you let that happen? He is not fit to be a parent; don't you see how broken he is? Look at him! Gay and mental!"

"I am straight and mental but am still a good mom; sexual orientation has nothing to do with the capability of someone to parent."

"You have kids?"

"I do. Two. My son Tarver and my daughter Sybella," Rhea smiles proudly.

"Let's hope they don't catch what you have."

"Mentally? My kids are fine, Tarver is close to graduating and Sybella is so sweet like her Daddy. Tarver is carbon copy of me though, same white hair and blue eyes."

"I cannot believe a child of my sister would affiliate with such people. You both should be ashamed of yourself-that husband of yours needs to take those kids away, they should not be subjected to your illness-" Aunt Mary directs at Rhea then at Ambrose, "-or your sinful actions. You will burn in hell."

Rhea gets up from her spot on the chair and stalks towards Aunt Mary with a dead look in her eyes, she stops right before her and licks her lips. "I have been to Hell, I was the Queen of Hell for eight months, I know exactly what it is like down there. I can show you if you would like."

Aunt Mary backs away. "You are the devil."

Rhea laughs and grips Aunt Mary's chin and shivers, the glamour on her skin dropping so all her scars pop out. "This is what I did, what I have done to myself. If you think I have any problem hurting you, then you are wrong; I will do it with a smile. Listen clearly: there is nothing wrong with him loving another man, it is people like you who are lonely and lowlifes who have a problem with anyone being happy. You may have been able to push Ambrose around when he was younger, but I guarantee you that you cannot touch me. I am a goddess after all."