Page 115 of Legacy of Chaos

Stryke looked up at his uncle as he buttoned his shirt. “What’s it look like? I’m getting dressed.”

“You’re not ready to be discharged.”

“I feel great. It’s fine.”

Eidolon slammed his clipboard down on the counter loud enough to make Stryke jump. “Listen to me, you arrogant ass. I’m tired of your shit. I’m tired of everyone walking on eggshells around you because they’re afraid you’ll retreat from them even more.” He jammed his finger into Stryke’s sternum and pushed him backward until the backs of his legs hit the bed. “You’re going to sit your ass down and listen to me.”

Stryke gaped. Arrogant ass? His uncle had never spoken to him like that before, and it was enough of a shock to have him sitting down, just like Eidolon said.

He’d gone toe-to-toe with genocidal dictators and faced demon emissaries who ate the flesh of their enemies while they were still alive. He feared little and respected few.

And his uncle just put him on his ass like a spoiled child.

“You almost died,” Eidolon barked, jabbing into Stryke’s sternum again. “Do you know what that would have done to your family? Do you know what that would have meant to the entire world? What you do is important, too important to entrust it to someone else. But you have a fucking death wish” —he thrust his finger in Stryke’s face when he opened his mouth to argue—“anddon’t eventryto fucking deny it. Donottake me for a fool any longer, Stryke.”

Eidolon stepped back, his fists clenched, anger putting gold flecks in his eyes. “The suppressant’s killing you. You know it, and you keep using it. Knock that shit off. You might think you’re invincible, but you’re not, and—”

“It’s not about being invincible,” Stryke protested, even though the truth wasn’t much better.

“You’re right,” Eidolon said with a nod. “It’s about not caring if you live or die.”

Bingo. Stryke hadn’t cared about much outside of work since Chaos died. But lately…things had changed. Cyan had helped him find interests outside of work. He even enjoyed the pool now.

As long as she was in it too.

“I care, Eidolon,” he argued. “There was a time when I didn’t. But I do now.”

Skepticism flickered in the angry gold glitter in Eidolon’s eyes. “Good. Your parents have been through enough.”

“Agreed.” Stryke was done with this conversation. He started to stand, but Eidolon slammed him back down.

“We’re not finished.” He breathed deeply as if bracing himself for what he was about to say. “StryTech’s demon-detection software is leaps and bounds ahead of the closest competitor’s. You probably outsell everyone ten to one.”

“Twenty to one,” Stryke shot back in a flare of temper. His uncle was treating him like a child. Worse, Stryke wasn’t sure what to do about it. He’d rarely been treated like a child even when he’dbeena child.

“Yeah, why is that?”

“It’s because my tech is far superior.” Stryke met his uncle’s gaze, daring him to find fault with his company. “The number of demon species in our database is three times thatof Demonovation’s. Four times the number of Ufelskala Five demons.”

“And how,” Eidolon began, his gaze locked with Stryke’s, aggressive tension thickening the air, “did you manage to acquire the genetic material for that many species?”

Oh, shit.

Stryke’s gut took a dive all the way to his feet. His uncle had walked Stryke up to the edge of a trap and let him spring it himself for maximum humiliation.

He knew.

Eidolon wheeled away from him and looked up at the ceiling. “We recently upgraded our security, data, and storage software, and it created some strange glitches in the hospital’s DNA library. We brought in a specialist to identify the problem.” He shook his head, hands locked behind his back as he turned to Stryke again. “Turns out someone hacked our original software and added code that alerted them every time we logged a new species. After a little more digging—”

“Spare me the forensics,” Stryke said, shame making his voice gruff. “You got me.”

The disappointment in Eidolon’s expression shredded him.

“Dammit, Stryke.” Dismay weighed down Eidolon’s voice. “You’ve been stealing from me for years. Why? Why not just ask me? I’d have given you whatever you wanted!” He threw up his hands and cursed. “You remind me of Wraith when he was young. You take what you want because you can. Too proud to ask for help. Using your pain as an excuse to be toxic to everyone around you.” He threw open the door. “Get your shit together, kid. Your family needs you, whether you believe it or not.”

Stryke snarled and leaped to his feet, but Eidolon slammed the door closed before Stryke could defend himself. Yeah, he’d taken the samples from the hospital, but he hadn’t exactlystolenthem. He’d just mapped the genetics and duplicated them.

Okay, maybe he should have asked, but he hadn’t wanted to put his uncle in a compromising position with the WCSG, which was already wary of Underworld General. Finding out there was a secret demon hospital beneath New York City had freaked them out so much that UG’s existence hadn’t yet been revealed to the human population.

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