A Demon's History: Lotus Thorns

Chapter Eighteen: Wolf's Blood

Lleon had no one to confide in about his situation. He would not even trust his own family with such news. He did not think an Angel and a Demon could procreate with each other. It was unheard of and unexplored. Things worsened as the attacks became for frequent for Anahera. She was hardly able to manage without feeling weak, ill, or irritated. Most thought it was because of the war, but she had other reasons. She had not told a soul and she did not plan to. They took small steps to get Lleon back in as a public partner, but they seemed to recognize that he was helping.

Anahera was patching up some of his soldiers, her focus on them the entire time. She would eventually get to him though. Lleon stared at her cleavage as she worked on cleaning his wounds of blood that was not even his. He thought she was bold for wearing a bodice so fitting. She hadn't noticed until she looked up at him.

She scoffed, "Avery was right. You are perverted."

"Adoring, not perverted. Besides, do you know how long it's been out here?" He huffed. "The bloodshed gets me all riled up, and you look like one fuckable piece of meat."

"Tch." She shook her head. "All you Demons are the same."

He snorted at this. "Go lay with another one and I guarantee you will retract that statement."

Things slowed down around this day thanks to their tireless efforts, so the banter was welcomed. He stared at her stomach for a moment. It did not look any different.

"How are you holding up?" Lleon asked suddenly.

"I am okay as long as everyone is safe." She responded.

"Of course, you would say that. You were always so noble." He said sarcastically.

"You should try it."

"What do you think I'm doing here?" He murmured.

"You only want my territory for yourself. I hardly call that noble," she said, frowning at him.

"Nn. You are smart," He moved closer to her, "Should I end you here now?"

"Then what?"

"Then I finish the stupid wolf and expand." He told her, taking her face in his hand. "What do you think?"

"How would you go about it?" She asked. "Would you do something so shallow?"

"I'm not opposed to it." He growled lowly in her ear.

"How dare you?" She shoved his hand away and looked at him, a startling anger in her eyes. She then spoke quietly. "You indulge yourself in my body, leave your spawn within me, and you still want to kill me for my kingdom?"

Lleon fell silent, not that he did not want to say anything but he couldn't. He could not find the words. Even before this, he had never seen true hatred in her eyes like he saw at this moment. She was not playing anymore.

"Then again, I expect that of you." She went back to tending to his wounds, tone softening up. She sat back for a moment and began fiddling with her fingers. "That night meant nothing. Only to sort out unfinished...business."

She was lying. That night was everything to her. She even admitted this to him in her letter. She longed to be held the way he held her. She longed to be loved the way he did that night, even if it was not real. She craved the warmth and touch of another. He did not flinch when she touched him now. She found him leaning into it sometimes.

"You should go on your scouting mission now." She told him, making a point by excessively tightening the bandage.

"Fine."

So, Lleon went on his scouting mission. There was no mission planned, but he understood that she just wanted him to go away. The sun had set by the time he reached the northern region of the Demon realm. The darkness hid him despite the snow on the ground and how light the wintery sky was. As he shadowed himself into shadows behind buildings within the walls of Kingdom Foall, he overheard some commotion happening right in the heart of the kingdom. The sounds of low barks and aggressive snarling. The smell of blood lightly tainted the air. He was interested now.

Upon reaching the area, still hidden, he saw two wolves fighting to the death. These were not the normal ones he would see. These wolves were larger, traits of the Evermore family's dire wolf bloodline. He could not recognize which ones they were in the flickering lights of the torches that lined up on the houses. Lleon watched until the rain began coming down, to which he took shelter underneath the roof of a house. However, when the noises seized, he dared to look and saw the victor standing over the other wolf's body.

Celvin Evermore's son just killed his own mother.

Lleon was so distracted-impressed even-with the sight that he had not noticed the other wolf made his way towards him. He expected to be attacked on sight, but he was not. The other's white hair was dirtied with blood and mud, and his mouth was covered in the same substances.

"Ye've got wolf in ya." He commented, eyeing him. "I can smell it."

"Is that so?" Lleon was aware of his wolf ancestry, though he did not think it would even be detectable. He noticed the wolf's bushy tail brushing the ground lazily.

He held out his hand. "Caydren Evermore."

"Lleon Lovett." He took it in a tight grip. He had many questions, but it was not the time to ask, nor did he trust him to answer honestly.

"I gotta go sort out this bloody mess, but I think we have a common enemy, you and I." Caydren told him. "Ma father is one hell of a tyrant and I cannae wait to see him burn."

Lleon did not respond to that, only thought about the situation more. Would it be a betrayal to Anahera to accept this proposal of alliance? He did not think so. He only saw bigger benefits than drawbacks. If Anahera saw it as betrayal, then that was her problem, not his. And if the wolf decided to stab him in the back, then there was hell to be paid.

"Let us keep this quiet, Evermore." Lleon finally said, accepting his indirect offer.

It would not be long before the news swept across the northern region. The wolves blamed Anahera, accusing her of treason. She did not understand why when she had not even stepped foot in the realm outside of when she 'banished' Lleon from her realm.

"Are you sure you did not see anything?" Anahera asked for the umpteenth time. Lleon would shake his head once more. So, she sat in her office, trying to figure things out.

"There is my darling lotus." Avery greeted her.

"Is it important?"

"Not at all. Would just like to know if you are feeling any better."

That was right. She had felt ill all morning.

"Yes. I am trying to figure out what happened to the wolf queen."

"Are you sure that brute didn't do it?"

"I didn't give him orders to kill."

"Since when did he follow orders?"

He was right. Lleon despised being told what to do. He killed when the chance presented itself. Like a wolf gazing upon a lamb. It frightened her, in the back of her mind. Not because he could be compelled to turn on his allies-she had seen it before-but because of his spawn that grew inside her. She knew he did not want this child; she did not know if she did either. Still, it was hers, and she was going to make damn sure she protected it with her life.