Page 118 of Gift from the Nexus

“The insults against her are getting old. You’re like an old, broken record that plays the same thing repeatedly in an attempt to hurt me, but really, it’s becoming pathetic at this point. We both know she wasn’t worthless. She was worth more than thousands and thousands of you. Skip to the part of why you wanted to see me,” I command, already ready to walk out of this room.

“This power trip you’re on will be coming to an end soon, daughter,” He says with an unhinged laugh falling from his lips before he tilts his head back and begins convulsing.

None of us move.

I sit here and stare in horrified fascination. Part of me hopes this is the end, the part where he just dies in front of me, and I can wash my hands clean of him forever. The other part is pissy at how anticlimactic it is. I’ve been dreaming of his death for so long, I wanted it to be with a bang.

Suddenly, the convulsing stops, and with unnatural, uncoordinated movements, he rolls his neck around as if he’s getting a feel for how to make it function. When his eyes pierce me in my place, I hold in a gasp.

Those aren’t his eyes.

What the fuck is happening right now?

“My, my. His description of you was spot-on, Miss Willow. Even the photographs I’ve received over the years do not showyour true features. I do not believe you inherited a single trait from your father. It is so nice to finally meet you.”

Saliva collects in my mouth, and I can’t swallow it down past the lump that’s formed in my throat. It may be Franklin’s voice coming out, but I’ve grown familiar now with that form of speech.

“We’re leaving,” Corentin orders, but I lay my hand on his thigh.

“Hold on, please. He’s no threat to us right now. He’s just somehow using his body.”

“Pleased to finally meet you as well. I’d address you by your name, but that seems to be a well-kept secret,” I say calmly.

“Ah yes, yes, it is, but have no fear, you will know it in due time when you are returned to us. For now, you may call me by my title.”

“I assume you mean Summum-Master?”

Franklin’s mouth awkwardly opens on a strangled laugh that’s horrifying to hear. It’s a mixture of his own vocal cords making gurgling noises and his rare, unhinged laughter. I swear if the word evil could produce sound, that laugh is it.

“That is my formal title, but you, of course, do not have to address me as such. Grandfather will surely do.”

There’s no doubt my eardrums just ruptured from the high-pitched whistle ringing around in my brain. The room around me disappears as my vision becomes tunneled and I’m suddenly trapped in his gaze, unable to pull away. I swear I’m drowning. My lungs are filling to the brim with water and my blood is about to boil through my skin.

This isn’t possible.

This can’t be happening.

An ambush of emotions rushes through my chest, and the feeling of my Nexus laying their hands on me snatches me out of the dark void I was drifting into. Their calmness, certainty,devotion for me force the demons away. It must be taking them considerable strength to hold back any negative feelings right now because I feel none of it.

All I feel is their protection and unyielding love for me.

“You’re lying,” I breathe, unwilling to accept this.

“I’d never lie about such important family matters.”

“You are not my family.” I growl.

“Like it or not, that is my blood running through your veins, and this is my son’s body I’m currently borrowing so I could finally meet you,” he says as a matter of fact.

“That doesn’t qualify you as my family, nor will I ever acknowledge or claim you as such.”

“Nonsense. You have no say so in such things. Now, I’ve allowed you to frolic around the realm long enough. It’s time you and Franklin return,” he commands exasperatedly as if he believes that’s exactly what I’ve been doing since arriving in Elementra and my eyes widen in shock.

“Excuse me?”

“I did not misspeak. You’ve been making a mockery of our name, running around whoring yourself out to the enemy. Allowing them to split apart the Nexus I carefully constructed for you. It must be the other half of your blood that craves the attention and the need to defy those superior to you because your father never attempted such foolery. It’s time you put a stop to this and fill the role you were born to fill,” he says, nodding, or at least trying to make Franklin’s head nod like that’s that, no more discussion.

I’m confident this speech and plan of his was carefully structured, and he never would’ve considered the possibility of me uttering the word no.

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