I can no longer think of only me anymore. Bullet is going to need me to make decisions that will shape the future he or she inherits. I have to do better. The only way I can do that is by surrounding myself with people who care about me, and those who will also love my child. Nyx has my back without question, but where do your loyalties land?”
“With my family,” she stated honestly, her hand tightening on my shoulder. “And my family is in your womb, growing. That means you’re my family now, too. You’re Rhys’s silver, whether he wants it or not. He chose to accept you, and he offered you his protection. I vow to you that I will always tell you the truth unless it endangers my brothers. If it becomes an issue, I will live in a tent outside your house.”
“Like a stalker?” Nyx asked, popping the button for the trunk. Cole dropped the bag in, and I watched him walk off without a backward glance.
“Exactly like a stalker. Rhys has many enemies, and they’ll see his child as a weakness. They don’t know that he has disowned it, and they will not stop to ask questions. The entire Beltane guest list was outside for the announcement of his child’s existence.” Cole peeled out, heading in the opposite direction of the Van Helsing Estate. “My family just broke again, Remi. That pain just became fresh for them, and even though you killed Roslyn for good, it’s going to take a few minutes for them to see you had no part of this mess. I can see it because I watched you instead of that murderous bitch during the fight. You had no idea your mother was Roslyn, and actually thought she was Elizabeth. It’s both sad and pathetic.”
“Uh, thanks,” I snorted, chewing over what she said while my chest tightened with pain from the betrayal and Rhys’s outright rejection of our child.
“I did just say I wouldn’t lie to you. I thought you wanted honesty?”
“Some white lies aren’t bad,” I admitted while counting to ten inside my head, holding on for dear life as Nyx sped us down the road. “I feel like the most unwanted, blind fool in the world.”
“You pretty much are,” Nyota stated.
“White lies, Nyota!” I snapped.
“You’re brilliant,” she corrected.
“Asshole,” I muttered.
“Bitch,” she huffed.
“I need dick,” Nyx announced, and I rolled my eyes while Nyota made a crude noise from where she sat pressed against my seat.
“This is going to be insane. A nymph, a Van Helsing, and a pregnant Silversmith,” I frowned. “What could possibly go wrong?”
“Is that the house?” Nyota asked as Nyx pulled into a driveway.
The house looked abandoned with windows covered in plywood, as if preparing for a hurricane to hit, or worse. The grass was yellow and dead, and the porch ceiling was hanging down, as if something had sat on it, crushing it beneath the weight.
“Please tell me this is a joke?” I asked, turning worried eyes on Nyx, who smirked, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel.
“It just needs some elbow grease, right? I mean, you said anything would work.”
“I didn’t agree to protect you from a fucking house, Remington. It’s one strong wind away from blowing over.”
Our heads turned back as the porch creaked loudly, and the ceiling crashed to the ground, destroying the steps that led into the front door. I sat back in the seat, exhaling as I rubbed my eyes. I was exhausted, and my emotions were on edge. I’d discovered my mother was a murderous, power-hungry villain who literally hated me.
Rhys told me I had meant nothing to him and that my child meant about the same. I’d become homeless, and the shack that Nyx had purchased wasn’t even a safe place to sleep. We couldn’t even get into the door to go inside.
Headlights appeared behind our car, and I watched as Ian unfolded his lengthy frame from the driver’s seat. Conrad climbed out of the car, staring at the house before sliding his attention to me and back to the house as another board crashed onto the ground. Both paused to look at the house, and Nyota pushed the seat up to grab the door.
“They may be here to hurt you and Bullet,” she whispered, pushing the door open as she pulled out a blade. “Halt!”
“Who the hell says halt?” I asked, turning to look at Nyx.
“Scotland Yard police do,” Nyx said, shrugging when I looked in her direction.