Chapter 38 Olivia
Olivia
Istirred in my husband’s arms, my body tense as chaos erupted around us.
“You’re here,” I whispered, a dry sob catching in my throat. I clung to him, trying to shut out the pandemonium surrounding us.
“I’m here.” Roman’s voice was a lifeline, his fierce gaze burning with a thousand untamed fires.
A monstrous howl shattered the room.
Balthazar.
The sheer force of his rage rattled the very foundations of the earth, a sound so pained, so filled with fury and agony that it sent shivers racing through my bones. It was more than a scream—an elemental force crashing through our souls.
“You killed my son!” he roared, his eyes ablaze with unearthly fire. His chest heaved, muscles taut with unspent wrath. A single tear—glimmering and foreign—tracked down his cheek.
“Another one of my children—gone!” His voice cracked with a mix of anguish and rage, his emotions radiating off him in waves so violent they threatened to drown us all.
I choked out an incredulous laugh. After all the torment he’d inflicted, now he mourned?
But beneath the wretched spectacle of his grief, another truth was revealed—
Tristan was dead.
Beheaded.
The man I had once loved. The man I had once slept with.
A shudder ran down my spine.
Little Leo’s cries pierced the air. Emily clutched him beneath the covers, shielding him from the horrors unraveling before us.
Roman helped me sit upright, his hands strong and steady. But my attention snapped to Mathias as his voice boomed through the chamber, ancient scripture rolling from his lips in a cadence that sent ice trickling down my spine.
The words were old. Older than any mortal tongue, reverberating with a power that prickled across my scalp.
And in his grip—
A blade.
Its tip gleamed as it pointed at Balthazar.
For the first time, true silence crept into the room.
Balthazar’s face slackened.
Tristan’s severed head slipped from his grip, landing with a dull, lifeless thud at his feet.
Mathias did not hesitate.
With the grace of a swordsman practicing in a university gymnasium, he lunged—
And drove the dagger straight into Balthazar’s heart.
Balthazar let out a silent scream—his mouth open in a soundless wail—before he, Mathias, and all remnants of Tristan vanished into a swirling cloud of black smoke.
And then—
Nothing.
No blood. No bodies. No trace of the horrors that had just unfolded before us.
“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!” I wailed, writhing in Roman’s arms, my body still caught in the throes of shock.
“Shh, shh, I’ve got you, my love.” His voice was steady, his arms strong, but I couldn’t stay still.
I shoved free from his grasp and stumbled to my feet, my breath ragged.
The room was eerily quiet. The air felt different, as if the violence had been scrubbed from existence.
But it had happened. I knew it had happened.
I turned to the bed, where Emily remained hidden beneath the blankets. Without hesitation, I rushed to her, wrapping my arms around her trembling form.
“Emily, you can come out,” I murmured, my voice thick. “The demon and his—” I caught myself too late.
Shit. Poor choice of words.
Emily flung back the covers, her body shaking, her arms tightly around Leo. Her face was red, tear-streaked. “I’m the spawn of a demon,” she choked out. “Me.”
Guilt slammed into my ribs.
“No, Emily,” I said quickly, squeezing her. “You’re nothing like Balthazar.” I wanted to believe that—no, I did believe it.
But a dark thought curled in the back of my mind. What if she had latent demonic tendencies?
I shook it away. No.
Emily was a good person. A loyal friend. A loving sister.
And whatever blood ran through her veins, it did not define who she was.
Behind me, Roman cleared his throat. “Would someone please explain what just happened?”
Malik stepped forward, his expression tight. “Emily, my darling.” His voice was softer than I’d ever heard it. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you. We wanted to protect you from the truth.”
“But the truth always comes out in the end, doesn’t it?” Emily’s voice broke as another round of ugly crying overtook her.
Malik exhaled, rubbing a hand down his face. “I’m so, so sorry.” He hesitated. “And you don’t have to worry about Mathias. I assume he told you what he is?”
My mind swam, still struggling to keep up.
I swallowed hard. “Yes.” The word felt foreign on my tongue. “He’s the darkness.”
And then, even heavier—“And he’s Emily’s and my grandfather.”
I sank onto the bed beside Emily.
Leo, now calm, snuggled into her breast, greedily suckling, blissfully unaware of the chaos that had just unfolded.
“Yes, Mathias is your grandfather. And he cares for you very much,” Malik said, his eyes gleaming like liquid jade.
My stomach twisted. Another secret. Another truth hidden from me.
“So, you knew all this time?” I said, my voice sharper than I intended.
Malik held my gaze. “I did.”
Anger ignited inside me, crackling like a bonfire. I was so tired of being the last to know. Of everyone else deciding what truths I was worthy of hearing.
“I’ve been helping him all along,” Malik continued, his expression unreadable. “He saved me when Balthazar imprisoned me. He trained both Balthazar and me. He is the most important piece in all of this. I am just one of his students, trying to destroy Balthazar.”
A bitter laugh escaped me. “So, we’re just pawns in your game.”
Malik didn’t react. His face remained an infuriating mask of control.
My gaze flicked toward the open doorway.
“Where’s Marcellious?” I asked.
Roman and Malik exchanged a look.
It was a bad look.
I stepped forward, my pulse hammering. “Where is Marcellious?”
Malik exhaled, his voice disturbingly even. “He’s been taken by Raul.”
No.
Emily gasped, her grip tightening around Leo. “Oh, no!” Her sobs grew frantic.
Leo, sensing her distress, began to cry again.
The noise crashed over me—screams, wails, chaos. It filled the air, wrapped around my ribs, and made my skin crawl.
My nerves frayed to the breaking point.
“How can you say that so calmly?” I snapped at Malik. “If Costa has Marcellious, he could be dead by now!”
Emily’s crying turned into guttural, gasping sobs.
I let out an exasperated groan, running my hands over my face.
“Enough!” I barked. “Let’s give Emily and the baby some peace. No more discussions in this room.”
I jabbed a finger at the doorway.
But before I left, I turned back to Emily, my voice softening.
“Emily,” I pleaded, leaning in close. “You have to believe Malik. I shouldn’t have let my fears slip like that.”
Her tear-filled eyes met mine.
“I come from the dark, Olivia,” she whispered. “Maybe I’m destined for it, too.”
A hollow ache settled in my chest.
I grasped her hand, squeezing it tightly. “Don’t blame Malik. He’s only doing what Mathias told him to do.”
She hesitated, then nodded. “Okay.”
“And don’t let the knowledge of who your father is define you. You decide your fate. All will be well.”
She wiped her eyes, her voice fragile. “I hope so.”
I wanted to say more, but there was nothing left.
With one last glance at Emily and Leo, I turned away.
Malik, Roman, and I tromped into the hallway, closing the door behind us.
Downstairs, Mathias’ voice thundered through the house, rattling the walls.
I no longer saw him as kind or benevolent. Whatever warmth I had once associated with him had been stripped away. Instead, I saw another possessive, controlling darkness—perhaps the most powerful.
And truthfully, he terrified me, grandfather or not.
“You must take care of Emily! Treat her with utmost respect!” Mathias roared.
“I have been, sir. I helped her birth her baby! I am doing my best!” came the equally heated response.
Anne Geneviève.
“Then bring her something—tea, comfort, anything!”
“At once, sir,” she snapped back, voice just as loud.
I rolled my eyes. Oh, boy. A lover’s quarrel.
The sound of storming footsteps made me tense. Moments later, Mathias emerged, striding through the house with an intensity that made my stomach churn. He met us as we stepped onto the first floor.
“Mon Dieu,” he muttered, raking a hand through his hair before looking at me.
He took my hands, his grip firm but not forceful. “Dear Olivia,” he said, his voice softer now. “I wish you hadn’t learned the truth about me in such a ghastly manner. But I assure you, you have nothing to fear from me. I am so very grateful to have you in my life.”
He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my temple.
I didn’t move. I barely breathed.
“Come,” he continued, stepping back. “Let’s sit somewhere comfortable. There’s much to discuss.”
I followed numbly, with Roman and Malik trailing behind. My mind struggled to stitch together the fragments of truth I had been force-fed tonight.
I didn’t want to fit these pieces together.
I only wanted to close my eyes, wake up, and have it all be over.
We settled in the Noir Room, warm from the crackling fire. Shadows danced along the walls, stretching and twisting like specters.
Mathias exhaled deeply, his gaze flitting between Roman and me. “I’m sorry I’ve been dishonest with you.”
I crossed my arms.
“I am the first darkness ever created,” he continued. “And the monster I created is Balthazar. I need to assume responsibility for that.”
I sagged against the sofa, stunned.
The first darkness?
Mathias leaned forward, his eyes unreadable.
“I am the mastermind behind everything. Now that I have Balthazar, he’s inhaling belladonna in my dungeon.
” A shadow flickered across his face. “All I want is to have my family back—Cora and Alina. Yes, I am the darkness, and happiness will always elude me. But neither of you should be afraid.”
I shook my head, my breath catching in my throat. “I don’t want to be here.” My voice cracked with the sting of betrayal. My gaze snapped to Malik. “You could have told me, Malik!”