Page 23 of Benicio

Then again, David was just guessing that that was the reason for the very long pause.

“My father had to have been the creator of narcissism. He wanted to control every aspect of my life, wanted to remain the most powerful warlock the word has ever known.”

Wait. If Benicio’s father was a warlock, did that mean his son was, too?

“He grew increasingly enraged that I grew into my powers, that my powers made his seem like parlor tricks.” Benicio ran his fingers over David’s stomach. “He tried to have me killed over a dozen times. Then he cursed me.”

David gasped. “Is that why your body is betraying you?”

“Yes.” Benicio glided his chin over David’s hair.

David figured his mate needed the touch, needed to hold him, and David wasn’t going to object. He knew what it was like to have such a hateful father. Only, in David’s case, at least his father had never tried to kill him.

He’d just belittled him, made him feel worthless, punished him for something he had no control over, like his lack of speed or his inability to beguile people. David truly believed his father downright loathed him.

“He cursed me in order to weaken me,” Benicio went on.

“How long ago did he do that?”

“Two years ago.”

David looked over his shoulder, shocked. “I thought maybe you were talking centuries, but two years ago?”

Benicio nodded. “That was the twelfth time he tried to have me assassinated. I was already the head of the council, had been for over a thousand years. The stronger I grew, the angrier he became.”

The hitch in Benicio’s voice stunned David. This all-powerful, ancient vampire—no, warlock. David had to remind himself that Benicio wasn’t a vampire—who made men tremble at the mere mention of his name, was choked up over the way his father had treated him.

Again, David knew all too well how that felt.

“Since I became aware of his jealousy when my sister died, I’ve been casting protection spells to stop him from killing me.”

“Why didn’t you kill him back then?”

“Because, as much as he hated me, he was still my father.” Benicio scoffed. “I fooled myself into thinking that the more I achieved, the more… that maybe, he would become proud of me instead of wanting my death.”

David knew it didn’t work that way. He’d tried over the past century to make his own father try to love him, but no matter how hard he’d tried, it had never happened.

“Two years ago, he finally had the balls to come after me himself,” Benicio said, his voice low, as if he was reliving the moment all over again. All David wanted to do was wrap him in a hug, but Benicio needed to get this out, and David wanted to hear it.

“He used his magic, tried to cripple me, tried to bring me to my knees.”

David held his breath.

“Instead, I brought him to his knees, and then I blasted him, filled with so much rage, so much hurt, that he disintegrated before my very eyes. Not even his death lifted the curse, and I don’t know what spell he used. If I could find out which one, find his book of spells, I could try to reverse this.”

David sat up and turned to face Benicio. “Where do we start looking?”

Benicio’s eyes widened. “It’s too risky to take you, love.”

“We’re mates,” David said. “You’re not a vampire. You don’t have our strengths. He’s weakened you. If you ask me, you need all the help you can get.” David frowned. “If you’re not a vampire, why does everyone think you are?”

Benicio smirked. “Ready to have your mind blown wide open?”

Like anything else could shock him. “What?”

“There was a precise moment when my father knew I was the most powerful warlock to walk the lands.”

“What moment?” David was on the edge of his seat.

---