Unleashed Witch (The Primordial Queen #3)

8. Eirik

8

EIRIK

“ H e’s working with your father,” Ryes says the moment the portal closes behind me. I narrow my eyes at the doctor, who is held to the chair he’s sat on by Ryes’s air magicae. I don’t know how well the fucker can breathe, and I honestly don’t care.

Choke him, let him suffocate.

It’s a far better fate than what my anima nexum would’ve suffered if it weren’t for the innate protection her magicae offers.

“Release him a little,” I command, and Ryes doesn’t argue, releasing the pressure on the man’s chest.

“Did you really think you’d get away with this, Ladiur?” His eyes widen in fear, and I tut as I lean in closer, placing my hand on his knee. It’s burning to touch, and he hisses but doesn’t scream out.

Smart man. There’s nothing that would infuriate me more in this moment than hearing his desperate cries.

They wouldn’t have listened to Zoe’s. They wouldn’t have cared.

A portal opens, and I don’t react, sensing Mael’s magicae.

“Well, I wasn’t aware this was a fire party,” he says, and I turn to face him. I raise a brow, and he nods once. “Secured, don’t worry.”

“We’ve got a problem, Rik,” Ryes says, pulling back and dropping to his ass on the floor. He’s a little drained, so I snap my fingers, moving away from the doctor, as vines come out of the walls to tighten around him and hold him in place.

“What’s happened?” Mael asks.

“It wasn’t just Etonik that wants to know about Zoe’s results,” he says, taking my offered hand up. “Mr Downey was insistent that he share all information.”

Three men appear in a beam of shadow and light, the time witch standing tall by Ciar’s side.

Necos frowns at the doctor. “Theran’s working with him?”

“I suspected that when Downey insisted you go to him today,” Mael says, giving me a strange look.

“I figured it was someone he trusted, like Necos,” I mutter, and Etrix pats my shoulder in reassurance.

“Etonik paid the doctor off,” Ryes says, and now it’s Etrix and I who frown. My dad paid him off? That’s not his usual style.

“I know,” Ryes answers, but I don’t know which silent thought he’s replying to. “Etonik didn’t handle it himself. Plausible deniability, you know? Instead, he had one of the guards do it.”

“Likely dead by now,” Etrix sneers, glaring at the doctor as if it’s his fault.

“More than likely. Well, anyways, Downey didn’t pay him off,” Ryes says, looking up at the doctor in sadness. “He threatened your daughter, didn’t he, Dr Kunya?”

I don’t know who is more surprised—Necos or myself. Mael and Ciar share identical smirks, and I have no doubt that the sick fucks are now impressed with the lawyer.

“Not a fucking chance would a spineless coward like him impress me.” Ciar’s dark eyes are narrow into slits.

I roll my eyes before snapping my fingers. The vines disappear back into the wall as the good doctor drops to the floor, heaving desperately. The way he’s clutching his throat is pathetic—I barely choked him out.

“Well, fuck,” Necos says with a shake of his head. “Theran’s getting deeper into whatever he’s doing, and it’s not going to end well for him.”

“We need to get on the same page regarding him,” I warn, and the time witch nods his head in agreement. “We’re going to have to split up if we want to contain whatever this is.”

“You’re going to tell Theran what we command,” Necos says, crouching down next to the doctor. “We’ll find your daughter, and we’ll get her into a safe place, but we can’t do that, if Elzora is at risk.”

Ladiur’s eyes widen, and his fear is palpable. I don’t give a fuck.

“It’s that,” Ciar says darkly, “or I wipe your life out of existence faster than you could even stand up.”

I relax the clenching of my fists, knowing that I wouldn’t even need to raise a hand—my team is on the same page.

“I prefer the killing him option,” Ryes says with a manic grin. “It would be so much faster, and I wouldn’t need to waste time on a rescue mission.”

“Please, don’t,” Dr Kunya begs. “I’m not a bad man, honest.”

“No, you just put someone in danger to pad your own fucking pockets,” Mael snarls, throwing a fireball at him. The water witch has enough power to disintegrate it, but he doesn’t move from where he’s sprawled out on the floor.

I step away and meet Necos’s eyes. I form a mental connection between the two of us and block Ryes from accessing it. As much as the psychos in the room are people I trust with my life, I do not need their input when it comes to crafting the plan.

“We’re going to need to approach this carefully,” I say. “I can go to the castle whilst the lot of you figure the rest of this out. Etrix will only make it worse.”

“I know someone who is working with Theran,” Necos says. “And they might have insight on what he’s getting into. I’ll need Ryes to help, but if he’s willing, it would make my job easier.”

I shake my head. “We’re one team—this isn’t a negotiation. Take him. We’ll send Mael and Ciar after his daughter.”

“That leaves Etrix to get the doctor to adjust the results and then take him somewhere else.”

“We can’t transport him,” I argue, and Necos’s eyes narrow. “If we pull him from the school, both my father and Theran are going to doubt what he says.”

“Fuck,” Necos replies, shaking his head as we both look over at the others. Ryes is now back to scouring through Dr Kunya’s mind, the doctor not even fighting him, probably because Mael’s looming over them both as a protective shadow.

Ciar’s looking around the room, although I don’t know what he expects to find, and Etrix is watching Necos and I, clearly awaiting our decision.

“Once your daughter is safe, what other leverage would Theran have over you?” I demand.

“None,” Ryes says, shaking his head. Ladiur can’t even speak, his exhaustion that low from the mental… rape that Ryes is performing on his mind. “Downey helped them out with a legal matter, as his daughter got into some kind of legal trouble. If it came out, it would ruin her life.”

“Scum,” Etrix snaps. He looks over at me. “What’s the plan?”

I send Mael and Ciar off, neither arguing as they leave to go track her down. Necos takes Ryes with him, leaving just me and my brother to handle the doctor.

“You’re going to fake her results,” I warn him, and he nods. “You share the exact same information with both men, and do not let on that she stopped the test.”

“Or that we know that either are interested in her,” Etrix says. “What would these results have shown?”

“How strong her primordium is, how quickly it replenishes itself, and how healthy she is. He basically wanted a full work up done on her,” Dr Kunya says. His voice is raspy, probably from being repeatedly deprived of oxygen. He eyes me wearily before admitting, “Theran wanted me to make her uncomfortable, to try and figure out what branch of magicae she has, and to identify her lineage.”

Etrix’s brows raise. “Why the fuck would he need that? We already know who her family is.”

“I don’t know.”

I fucking hate not knowing things. I clench my jaw, the tight hold I have on my magicae nearly snapping, as I hear it. “And my father?”

Dr Kunya tenses, looking at me with pain in his eyes. “I took that bribe because it was that or they’d apply other kinds of pressure. All he wanted to know was if she had royal blood. I didn’t see the harm when I knew it would be leaked anyway if she did.”

“Not if he contained it, it wouldn’t,” I say, my eyes darting to Etrix. “He suspects that the prophecy is coming to light.”

Dr Kunya’s eyes widen. “She’s… Elzora is really…”

“Elzora is the daughter of King Caedos and Queen Exsern,” I reply with a nod. There’s no point lying anymore, considering it’ll be outed very soon— by us, more than likely— in an effort to protect Zoe. “And you can reveal that fact to my father and to Theran. Although, Theran is already aware.”

Something I hope that Margaret is turning in her grave over revealing to him. It’s very fucking clear that no matter what kind of relationship the two of them had, Theran Downey is not somebody that has Zoe’s best interests at heart.

Which makes him an enemy.

“Are you sure?” Etrix asks.

“If you didn’t agree, you’d have cut me off,” I say, and my brother shrugs. “I think it’s time the world knows exactly who she is, and as Etonik is preparing for that information to leak…”

“We can prepare for the next step.”

“We’ll help your daughter, Ladiur. Not because we care about whether her life is ruined…”

“But because we now have that leverage over you,” Etrix finishes for me once more. We’re on the same team.

It’s good to know that even joining a rebel organisation that goes against everything I’ve ever believed in isn’t enough to destroy my faith in him.

“After this is handled, I’ve got a few men I can chase down who might know about the missing guard,” Etrix says, and I nod my head.

“Stay safe.”

He rolls his eyes. “Safe is my middle name. Besides, you’re the one walking into the snake’s pit.”

I smirk at my brother but cut off the mental connection, not bothering to reply. Etonik is a coward, but he’s a coward with a lot of power and resources at his disposal, which makes him someone to be wary of.

The doctor’s hands are trembling as he gets up and moves over to his computer. Etrix is watching over his shoulder, probably no less aware of what the data means than I would be, and I take my leave.

It’s time to go play the son my father is used to seeing. It never used to be so hard to put this mask on, but now, when my pretending is one of the biggest things that keeps Zoe safe, it’s fucking terrifying knowing that one slip up could fuck everything.

It would be all my fault.

“ W here is my father, Aria?” I demand, letting my portal close behind me. She’s sitting in the dining room sipping on tea with her pathetic fire harem surrounding her. The three males look practically the same, and I have no idea how my dad can stand any of them living here.

Titus is the worst, but that’s because he’s the one who is with Aria as a constant guard. Azar is the eldest of the group, and he’s not the worst person I’ve ever come across.

He’s devoted to his mate, sure, but he’s also smart and quite knowledgeable about our Kingdom. He’s got dark hair, and a piercing gaze, and has a strong primordium .

Eoson is the one I’ve interacted with the least throughout my entire childhood. He worships the ground Aria walks on and struggles to hide his distaste of my father. Luckily for me, this is transferred to my brother and I.

Unluckily for the waste of space trio, I’m far more powerful than any of them could ever hope to be. I could burn the lot of them alive, at once , without a single one of them being able to stop me, so the way they draw on their fire magicae just in case I’m going to harm their precious little anima nexum is pathetic.

It’s not like I’d actually kill her. I hate her, but I don’t want the woman dead.

“Are you okay, dear?” Aria asks, her voice laced with genuine concern as she rises from her chair, her long, pale gold dress moving with her.

I know for a fact my father has her closet mostly filled with gold dresses and attire—another way of him clinging to the life he wished he had. Aria never argues, just does as she’s told.

It’s probably why she was picked for his Queen.

“Where is my dad, Aria?” I repeat, not bothering to answer her.

“He’s not home,” she says, but I know she’s lying based on the way her three mates exchange looks behind her. She quickly corrects herself. “He doesn’t want to be bothered.”

“Two different answers,” I say with a sneer. “I need to talk to him about Zoe.”

“Zoe?” Her eyes widen, and I hate how the concern pouring from her is so authentic. She was worried about me, but she’s terrified for my mate.

I fucking hate her interest.

“She matured yesterday,” I reveal, which doesn’t seem to be a surprise to Aria or her mates. That’s really fucking annoying. “And we had her health check-up today.”

“And what did it reveal?” Aria asks, as the three men behind her adjust their positions warily.

I wish I had Zoe’s soul magicae abilities right now to be able to get a good read on each of them. Their minds are closed off, unable to be penetrated, due to their bond with Aria.

As the Queen of Mitagus, she’s awarded a lot of protections from the natural magicae of our world, and her secrets are just that: hers .

“She’s a royal,” I say before shaking my head. “It’s more than that… she’s…”

“Is she safe?” Aria’s tone has completely changed.

“Yes.”

She turns to her mates. “Eoson, you know where to go.”

The man nods, rising from the table to give his mate a gentle kiss before disappearing through a portal.

“Where is he going?”

“It’s best you don’t ask too many questions, Prince Farglory,” Azar says. “I take it you’re going to reveal the news to your father?”

“What news?” I ask, resisting the urge to cross my arms in front of my chest.

“We’re not going to stand here and posture today, Eirik,” Titus warns. “Your mate might be safe, but you forget that Etonik isn’t just targeting her. We’ve all got our parts to play.”

“We’re all playing our parts,” Aria echoes, giving me a sad smile. “Your dad is in the Red Office. He’s alone.”

I nod my head, filing that conversation away for later. Every time we learn something, something else blows up, and we’re back to barely wading through the shit.

I knock on the door but enter before he tells me to. My dad rises from the desk, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. His shoulder length hair is tied up in a messy bun, and he’s wearing loungewear. He’s barefoot, so a few inches shorter than me now, and his icy blue eyes pierce into me.

I can feel his fury, his magicae swirling dangerously within him, but I don’t bite. Not today.

“I need help,” I utter before he can say a single thing. I watch the way his expression twists, the joy in it that he can barely hide makes me feel sick and twisted.

He’s vile.

“What’s happened, son?” he asks, waving his hand and blowing the door to his office shut. A few vines appear from the tree in the corner, pulling out the chair for me, as the fire lights.

He’s showing off his skills, marvelling at the fact that his prodigal son has come, desperate for support.

If only he was smart enough to see how much of a ploy this whole thing is.

“Elzora had her maturing yesterday,” I say, and to his credit, his face doesn’t change at all. “And we had her health check today.”

“Is she healthy?” he asks, sounding so excited at the thought of her not being healthy. “Your brother will be?—”

“We both know she’s not just his,” I say, holding my hand up as I cut him off. His eyes narrow, but he doesn’t argue. “Elzora’s my anima nexum, too… but this is more than that.”

“What is it?” He eagerly leans across the table, his eyes lit up in true excitement.

“She’s the Primordial Princess. She’s the daughter of King Caedos and Queen Exsern, and she’s… she’s powerful.”

He gasps before rubbing his hands together. “You know what this means? It means that the prophecy?—”

“Yeah.” I lean back in my chair. “What are we going to do?”

“Well, it’s probably not a good time to mention this, son, but we really need to talk about something.”

“About what?” I can’t help the bite in my tone. My magicae is barely under control, and I know if I loosen my hold even slightly, my dad will be dead.

I need to tread lightly.

He leans back, raising a brow at me. “Watch how you talk to me, boy. I am still the King here.”

“Yes, sir,” I reply, nodding my head once. “I’m just shocked.”

“Shock isn’t enough of an excuse to talk to me this way,” he warns, his eyes flickering between orange and their icy blue. He’s forgetting that it’s not me he usually torments with fire magicae—it’s Etrix .

“I understand.”

“An attack has been launched on your brother,” he says, and a knot forms in my stomach as I try my best to appear unconcerned. “I was alerted about it and have been unable to get it called off.”

“I see. Do you know who issued it?”

“I’ll find out. These things always have a way of coming to light ,” he says calmly. The emphasis on the type of magicae my brother harbours isn’t missed.

He’s sent another assassination attempt against my brother, and I’m here playing fucking chicken with the worthless cunt.

“I’d appreciate it. Etrix and I are bonded through our anima nexum, and I can’t take the risk that his death won’t affect me, too,” I say, trying to keep my tone as even as his.

He laughs. “You really are my son. Etrix is a lost cause, but you…” Etonik trails off grinning at me. “If your brother survives, we’ll launch an investigation into it. Can’t have these pesky little attacks continue.”

“No, not just yet, anyway,” I say, smiling the same ruthless smile I learned from him. “What do we do with the news about Elzora, though? We’re bonded now, and it’s not going to be long before the public is made aware.”

“We’ll spin it for the media and let our people know.”

“I’m more concerned about her safety,” I say dryly. The frown on his face is the one of the only genuine expressions he’s had in this entire conversation.

My concern over my soulmate’s safety has truly boggled his narcissist, sociopathic self. He doesn’t have the capacity to care about anyone except himself.

“Her family was murdered, sir,” I remind him, leaning forward. “I will not take the risk that whoever did that to them is still out there and might come after her.”

“Her appearance might lead Anomus out of whatever hiding place he and that rebel institution of his are in,” he counters, rubbing his chin like some weird villain. “We’ll take your safety concerns into consideration, but trust me. I’ve never let you down before, have I?”

I shake my head, even though the answer is absolutely fucking yes. “What do I do whilst waiting for your word?”

“Find your brother and pray he’s not dead.”

With that, his office door opens, and I know that I’m dismissed. I’m furious, angry, and ready to murder someone.

I have no doubt that Etrix is fine, but just in case… I pull on the connection I share with Zoe and open a portal to where she is.

Hopefully whatever protective magicae over the rebel institute recognises me as her mate and not a danger to them because I need her help to find my brother.

Something makes me think that Etonik has gone too far this time.