The Shadow Kingdom

Chapter 12iii

"Those three men who tried to kill me, did they really belong to House Ashcroft?"

Adrian retrieves his laptop and lays it on the coffee table. "Take a look at these photos. These were taken by Diana the day of the home invasion." I examine the photos in detail. "Do you see the tattoo?"

All three men have a tattoo on their left shoulder. It is a circle, inside of which, there is an open palm with a flame above it. "What of it?" I ask.

Adrian opens up a website that has the same symbol as the company logo. "This is the website for a company called Prometheus Global Security. It is the private military company owned by House Ashcroft. The tattoo is the Greek symbol for the titan Prometheus. Many of their mercenaries have this tattoo."

"This is just a tattoo though. How do I know this photo wasn't altered? Or that the soldiers didn't deliberately use this to disguise themselves?"

"Occam's razor. Given all the information you have at hand, the simplest explanation is most likely the correct one." I chuckle. He knows how much I love logic. "Also, Diana was unable to use facial recognition to ID any of these men specifically. That means they were not registered in the overseers' database. It is possible they had facial reconstructive surgery."

"Fine. Now, tell me about you and Selena." He rubs his chin. Logic isn't going to get him out of this one. "Why did you neglect to mention that the two of you slept together?"

"It was never relevant. I've had dalliances with a lot of women." Wow, totally wrong answer!

"Right, approximately seventy by our last count." I say sardonically.

Adrian sighs in frustration. "If you want an exact number, I think it's seventy-five. Scarlett, it was a long time ago, and it was meaningless, even more so than all the others. As I said, Selena is a crazy bitch."

"She didn't seem that way to me. How did the two of you get together?"

"It was during the time when her mother was dying. I was still living in Shanghai at the time. Selena knew about my ability, and she was the one who found me. She came to me with the same pseudo-friendliness as when she presented herself to you. I fell for it, and the next thing I know, the two of us are in bed together."

"So you're saying that she tried to seduce you into saving her mother's life? Why would she even need to do that? Why would you not want to help her mother?"

"It wasn't an issue of what I wanted. Back then, our families hated each other even more than they do now. Augustus offered William my services in exchange for a favour. William told him to go to hell.

"You see, in our society, when you acknowledge that someone has done you a favour, you are bound by law to return this favour whenever they ask. No one, not even a king, is above this law. We call it Lex Clementiae, the law of kindness. William already hated the fact that he had to pay out of the ass for my blood. He couldn't stand the idea of being indebted to my father. That is the reason why Elena died.

"Elena was the only person that Selena has ever loved other than herself. After she died, there was a time when Selena went bat-shit insane. During the funeral, she took out two ninjato daggers and went postal. She killed sixteen people and burned the church down. Her father had to cover it up and lock her away for a while until she regained some sanity." He shows me an Internet article about the event. The article claims that the people died in a fire caused by a gas main explosion.

I slowly feel the world return to normal or at least what passes for normal these days. I want to believe that Adrian is the good guy, that I chose the right side in this war. "What was the point of all this? If you knew she was just going to lie to me, then why did you have me spend the day with her?"

"Because this proves that they are desperate. They're trying to play nice, something that nobody in the Shadow Kingdom does except as a last resort." He sits closer to me and places his hand over mine. "And because I wanted you to know beyond all doubt that I am your ally." For the first time today, I smile genuinely.

I lean in and kiss him. "I never really doubted that." I whisper.

"Good. Because there is more that we need to do. We have to go to Pittsburgh. I want to meet your mother."

"What? Why would you want to do that?"

"I think I may be able to help her."

"What do you mean? How?"

"I have the ability to heal people. I think I may be able to help with your mother's mental illness."

I am stunned. "What are you saying? That your ability works on PTSD? Have you tried that before?"

"No, never. But that's just it; I've never tried it. We won't know unless I do."

"Adrian, where did this idea come from?"

"I want to help you; that's all. This is the woman who brought you into this world. She wasn't born insane. Your father was a monster who abused her in an unspeakable way. He made her the way that she is. And maybe I can help undo at least some of that."

I stand up and walk around the room for a minute. What if Adrian's ability could help Andrea? Why would I not want that? "You really want to go to Pittsburgh?" I ask. He grins and nods solemnly. "Do we need any mercenaries?"

He laughs. "My father is still in town. I'll ask him if we can borrow the jet. We'll be quick – one day, in and out. The Ashcrofts won't have time to react."

I shake my head with a stupid grin on my face. "Do angels and demons exist too?" I ask.

"Uh well, yes actually." Adrian answers, and I burst out laughing. Of course they do! "Why do you ask?"

"Because right now, I think you might be an angel."