Page 116 of Legacy of Chaos

Fuck. Angry, hurt, and full of self-loathing, Stryke strapped on his wrist comms just as it vibrated.

Taran.

Had it been anyone else—other than Cyan—he would have ignored it. But he’d apparently been talking with his foreman when he had hisevent, and he had questions.

He threw Taran’s hologram into the room and finished dressing while they talked.

“Boss,” Taran said. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Yeah. About that.” He tucked his shirt into his pants. “I don’t remember anything. What happened?”

Taran shrugged. “One minute we were discussing the Gehennaportal, and the next, you were on the ground.”

Stryke stilled as he tugged on his belt. “Why were we discussing the port—?” The memory hit him like a brick to the face. The portal was possibly still active. “Never mind. I remember. Has anything changed?”

“No, but I took the liberty of showing the newest casing images to Quillax. He wasn’t happy about being interrupted during his leave. Very grumpy. Anyway, he said the glyphs have been repaired, but he also said they aren’t destruction spells. They’re containment spells.”

“So? They would have needed to contain Gabriel’s destructive energy inside the breach.”

“That’s what I said. Quillax insisted there would have been another glyph alongside the seals. A backup of sorts in case destruction rattled the seals loose. It’s like I said, theGehennaportal is intact, and there’s no way Cyan wouldn’t have known that.”

Stryke couldn’t believe it. Refused to believe it. Cyan had told him the portal was destroyed. Why would she lie to him?

He thought about all the times she’d quizzed him aboutSea Storm. He had thought she seemed oddly interested in its operations and what he planned to do with the rig. Restart it? Sell it? Use it for research?

He’d told her more than once that he planned to hold onto it. Who knew what kinds of residual effects they’d see after the incursion. Sheoulic elements could have been introduced to the sea floor or water. Aquatic demons may yet be lurking in the depths, breeding with native species. It was even possible that the portal’s destruction had caused a weakening in the membrane that separated the demon realm from the human one. The site needed to be monitored for decades. Centuries, maybe. And Stryke wanted sole control of it.

Had she been as curious as she was because she feared the breach would open again?

“Boss?” Taran’s voice brought him back to the present.

“Yeah. I heard you. I’ll talk to Cyan about it. Is that all?”

Taran nodded. “Just glad to hear you’re okay.”

He was not okay. He’d been spanked by Eidolon, and the female he lov—no, the female hefelt stronglyaboutmight have duped him.

He disconnected with Taran and got the hell out of there. He didn’t want to see anyone right now. This was all too humiliating. Rock-bottom shit. Time to drown himself in work, numbers, and anything that would keep him from feeling the crush of emotions he didn’t know how to process.

Fortunately, the halls were empty of anyone he knew, but as he passed the private waiting room, he saw his family. He stopped. Backed up. Peeked inside.

His mom, Blade, Crux, Parker…they were all gathered around Cyan, who sat slumped in a chair. Blade’sdermoirewas lit up as he gripped her forearm.

What was wrong with her?

Panic shot through Stryke. Cyan was pale, her skin damp. He needed to be at her side—

“Holy shit, Cyan.” Blade stared at Cyan, wide-eyed. “You’re pregnant.”

Stryke froze in mid-step.Pregnant? Impossible. Well, almost impossible. Crux and Chaos had been born during this offspring-less time for demons. But still. Blade had to be messing with her.

She rolled her eyes. “Real funny, Blade.”

“I’m serious.” He kneeled next to her, hisdermoirelit, pulsing gently as his power connected with Cyan’s body on a level not even Stryke could. “I can sense fetal tissue.”

Stryke’s heart stopped, and his lungs locked up hard. She couldn’t be pregnant. Stryke wouldn’t be fertile untils’genesis. So, if she was pregnant…

It wasn’t his.

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