Chapter 16 Rhyland
Rhyland
Ispill the whole shit storm—my part in this prophecy, my seriously fucked-up family tree, how my mother's power—her darkness is tangled up with the Soul Stone, and my surprise father-in-law chat with Mr. Sunshine himself—Elysium.
"Magni?" Erik questions from his chair, methodically sipping from a blood bag—his typical reserved approach to feeding, always maintaining that iron control.
"Thor's son," I confirm, jaw clenching at the memory.
"Holy shit-balls, I knew it!" Lucian cackles like the maniac he is. "You're Thor's buff-as-fuck grandson! No wonder you've got that whole 'God of Brooding' vibe going on. What's the family motto—'With Great Power Comes Great Daddy Issues'? Wait, wait—can I call you Thunder Thighs? Point Break?"
I glare at my brother, seriously considering ripping out his fucking vocal cords. Leave it to Lucian to turn my bloodline revelation into his personal comedy hour. The asshole's probably already planning merchandise with my face on it.
"Oh! I know—Thunder Vamp: The Winter Soldier! Come on, work with me here, guys, this is premium material!"
"You done?" I growl, watching him practically vibrate with glee like a kid who just discovered sugar. "Or should I give you a few more minutes to get all this shit out of your system?"
"Aw, come on, Thunderstruck—don't be such a buzzkill! I'm already designing the family reunion t-shirts. 'My brother went to ásgard and all I got was this lousy god complex.'" Lucian dodges the empty blood bag I chuck at his head, cackling like the insufferable dick he is.
"Hold up—my father?" Dani arches an eyebrow, pointing her fork at me like a weapon. "You had a divine daddy-daughter talk without me? That's just rude."
I lean on the island, running a hand through my hair. "Yeah, apparently he fucked up or something. I was supposed to be first pick for this prophecy shit, but then I died—so your father sealed the realms. Then tried for round two with you." Christ, even saying it out loud sounds like a bad movie.
"So you got a vampire upgrade courtesy of psycho-Barbie, and that kept you in the game?" Dani asks between demolishing her steak like it personally offended her.
I nod, "That's what they're saying."
"Did he seem sorry for screwing this up so badly?" Seraphina asks softly, her delicate fingers intertwined with Lucian's.
I think back to that self-righteous prick's attitude. "Fuck if I know. He still eyes our kind like we're something stuck to his golden shoe, but yeah—this shit definitely threw a wrench in their perfect sacred plan."
Seraphina's expression falls, that celestial glow dimming like a cloud passing over the sun.
I know that haunted look—she's replaying her angelic demotion for doing exactly what a guardian angel should: protecting her charge.
Even if it meant saving Dani from my dumbass brother's memory-wiped shenanigans.
"Nuh-uh, Angel Cake, don't you dare go there," Lucian squeezes her hand, his trademark smirk softening. "That celestial dick-wad lost the best guardian angel in the business. His cosmic fuck-up is my jackpot, baby."
A small smile graces Seraphina's lips, but I can still see the shadow of hurt in her eyes. Getting kicked out of her home tends to leave a mark, even on the strongest angels.
"But if you died, how would we have even found each other? I mean, the prophecy says a mate has to awaken my powers and shit. And you're, like, ancient as hell," Dani asks between bites, her analytical mind kicks into high gear. The same fucking question I grilled her father about.
"That's when this shit gets even more complicated."
Dani turns to me, eyebrow raised. "Okaaay...."
"Their original plan," I growl, running a hand down my face. "Already picked out some mate for me—another of Elysium's bloodline. But she didn't measure up to their sanctified standards, so they dumped her ass in ásgard. Odin's been playing guardian ever since."
Dani's eyes go wide. "Wait—you're telling me I have—"
"A half-sister? Yes." I confirm. "She's a Valkyrie now. Your Father says she didn't have your fire, your power."
Seraphina gasps, "Oh my god. I remember whispers about this centuries ago, but it was never confirmed."
"Wait, wait, wait—" Lucian throws his hands up. "Are you telling me there's a backup baby Jesus running around ásgard with wings and a sword? Holy shit, it's like finding out Nick Fury's got a secret superhero stashed away! Man, the Avengers ain't got nothing on this family drama!"
Dani groans into her hands. "How is this my life right now?"
"Oh! Oh!" Lucian bounces in his seat. "I've got it—it's like celestial reality TV! 'Keeping Up With The Divines!' One sister gets the brooding vampire-Thor hybrid, and the other becomes Captain Valkyrie as a consolation prize. Quick, someone call Netflix, this shit writes itself!"
I shoot him a look that promises violence, but my brother just grins wider. Asshole never knows when to shut his mouth.
"And this Soul Stone," Emily cuts in, pouring shots like she's arming for war, "is basically your mom's power recycled?" She snorts. "—and I thought my family reunions were fucked up. Drinks are mandatory for this level of dysfunction, people."
"Not recycled," I grumble, running a hand through my hair.
"This is pure darkness—the real fucking deal.
" I break down Odin's story about my parents tag-teaming Moretemis before Mom went full dark side.
"I've tasted that power firsthand." The nightmare's memories flash behind my eyes.
"And trust me, that shit's not some parlor trick—it's nuclear—it'll eat your soul if you let it. "
"Speaking of nuclear..." Lucian exchanges a look with Seraphina that screams, 'We're so screwed.' His usual smartass grin nowhere in sight.
"What did you do?" My tone drops to arctic levels.
"Funny story—more of a whoopsie, really..." Lucian fidgets. "Remember the little witch cage match adventure? Found the fancy ring, thought it might come in handy for Operation Save The World..."
He'd mentioned finding it when I was hell-bent on saving Dani, using it as some twisted pep talk—now sitting downstairs in the vault.
"Spit it out, asshole," I snarl, patience evaporating.
"Well," Seraphina jumps in, trying to save Lucina's ass, "what my eloquent disaster here is trying to say—"
"Oh, for fuck's sake," Emily interrupts, rolling her eyes. "Your idiot brother found mommy's ring of doom and didn't think to mention it until now. Let me guess—you tried it on like it was a clearance rack accessory and found out it's not just a fashion statement?"
Erik's silver eyes narrow slightly. "Only you would treat an ancient artifact of devastating power like a carnival prize, brother."
"The faith you all have in me is truly touching," Lucian clutches his chest dramatically. "I'm wounded. Devastated. Completely—"
"LUCIAN!" We all shout in unison.
"Fine," Lucian drops the bomb, actually serious for once.
"That spell Morgan fired at me? Ring went flying, and I didn't notice until I was on the plane that it pulled a disappearing act.
Well, half of it did. Pretty sure, Lilith's personal carrier pigeon from Satan's asshole swooped in and snagged the broken piece. "
Everyone just stares, silent as the grave until Emily explodes.
"God fucking dammit." slamming her shot glass down.
"I should've just fried that witchy bitch when I had the chance instead of playing nice.
" She whirls on Lucian, eyes blazing. "And you!
You've been sitting on this catastrophic bullshit of information this whole time?
What, were you waiting for the perfect moment to tell us half of an ancient death stone is in the hands of the psycho squad? "
Dani drops her fork, pinching the bridge of her nose.
I feel her frustration building through our bond like a nuclear reactor about to blow.
"Jesus. We finally get all the pieces together, and now we're back to a Humpty Dumpty situation—and your certifiably insane 'mom' has the other half?
Perfect. This is just…fucking perfect." She stabs at her steak with enough force to make the plate protest.
Erik's expression remains unchanged as he analyzes the situation, his tactical mind already mapping out implications.
"This complicates our position significantly.
The fractured stone could have unforeseen consequences—if Lilith uses it…
we need to consider how this affects the power balance and prepare accordingly. "
"No shit, Sherlock," Lucian rolls his eyes at Erik. "Got any other brilliant observations? Maybe warn us that water is wet while you're at it?"
"Can we go back for it?" Emily asks after slamming back a shot of bourbon like it's water. She pours me another, and I knock that fucker back, letting the burn settle my nerves.
"Holy shit, did you suffer brain damage from all that witch-slapping?" Lucian's mouth runs faster than his brain, as usual. "Or did you forget that Morgan makes Bellatrix LeStrange look like a Disney princess? We barely escaped with our perfectly sculpted asses intact!"
"Please. I handled that situation better than you handled your hair care routine, vampire Ken. Or did you miss the part where I was turning that place into a supernatural Fight Club?"
I've got to hand it to the witch—what I saw when I carried Dani out was nothing short of fucking biblical. Emily's powers have definitely leveled up from parlor tricks to apocalyptic shit-show. The kind of force that makes even vampires think twice about pissing her off.
Dani shoves her plate aside, fixing me with that honey-gold stare that sees right through my bullshit. "Alright, babe, spill it. What's the deal with your psychotic Maker? Because after that little reunion, I think we need the full director's cut of that horror story."
The temperature in the room drops ten degrees as Erik, Lucian, and I go rigid. Talking about that sadistic bitch is like voluntarily swallowing broken glass. But with her loose and causing chaos, they deserve to know the whole fucked-up truth—even if we still don't know how she slipped her cage.
Erik's silver eyes darken with eons of carefully contained rage while Lucian's usual smartass grin vanishes completely. Some demons are better left buried, but this one's already clawed its way back to the surface.