Chapter 274: Brand new hand.

Ursula hugged her arms tightly around herself, shaking her head so hard her wet hair whipped around her face. "I can’t! I don’t remember! It was a mistake, a chaotic night, I really don’t remember who it was!"

"Lie!" Lita yelled. "I can tell when you are telling lies mother, you must remember him!" She leaped forward, lunging across the small space to grab Ursula firmly by her shoulders. She shook her mother once, staring straight into her terrified eyes. "Look at me! Tell me who he is right now."

"No! You don’t understand!" Ursula wailed, ducking her head in sheer terror. "If I tell you, he will kill us! He will wipe us both off the face of this earth! It is better for you that you never, ever know."

Lita stared down at her trembling mother. The anger in her chest turned into a icy, hard knot. Slowly, Lita released her grip and stepped back, smoothing down the wrinkles on her own silk sleeves. Just as she knew when her mother was telling lies, she also knew when her mother was speaking the truth. Whoever her father was, he was not a simple man.

If he was not simple, then maybe he had some form of power. At least, he was more powerful than the father who raised her. "Give me a name or tell me if he has any power."

Ursula shook her head. "You don’t need to know any of these things." She whispered slowly.

"Fine," Lita said coldly. "If you won’t talk, then we have nothing left to say. Do not call me, I am not coming back to this place until you are ready to give me a name."

"Lita! No! Don’t leave me! Lita!" Ursula sobbed, reaching out uselessly as Lita turned her back. "He is dangerous. Don’t look into him, let it go."

Lita walked out of the executive suite without looking back once, the door shutting out her mother’s desperate crying.

As she walked down the sunlit hallway, passing more bowing people, a small, dark smirk touched Lita’s lips. Her mother was a coward, yes. But her mother’s blind terror fed her suspicions even more: her biological father wasn’t some weak, low-born loser. He was someone terrifying enough to make people shake just at the thought of his name.

And she was going to find him.

*****

Inside Highwell hospital, Elliot sat propped up against a pile of fluffy pillows. Andrea and Zayn slumped on the leather sofa nearby, staring at him as he flexed his shiny new robotic hand.

It was a custom job, forged strictly to his expensive taste. His thumb tapped a tiny silver button on his palm, and four sharp blades shot out from his knuckles with a terrifying metallic click.

Elliot let out a burst of belly laughter. "Honestly? If I knew artificial limbs were this cool, I would’ve chopped the damn arm off myself years ago!" He wiggled his metallic fingers, eyes sparkling. "Hey, what else do you think I can swap out? My ribs? My legs? Can I turn my whole body into a walking death weapon?" He thought to himself that he couldn’t defeat Hunter in a fight, but with artificial hands and legs, he could easily take down anyone, not just his brother.

Zayn rubbed his temples, shaking his head in absolute disbelief. "You’ve actually lost your mind this time. Don’t you feel a single shred of remorse? You killed people!"

Andrea chuckled, lazily popping a grape into her mouth. "Please. Elliot and remorse don’t even belong in the same dictionary. Though I am mad I had to postpone my trip to the Wild Lands just to watch over you for at least two months. This is a sensitive time for mother; you need to behave Elliot. Next time, control yourself. There is difference between beating someone into a coma and killing them."

Zayn stared at her, horrified. "Is that the lesson here?" He closed his eyes, silently wishing their sensible brother Hunter was here instead of these two psychopaths.

A knock on the door pulled their attention. The door swung open, and Mason walked in alongside his mother, Mrs. Ricketts. She carried a bright bouquet of flowers and a warm, maternal smile.

"Oh, Elliot, dear!" she cooed, placing the flowers on a table. "We heard about the terrible sparring accident. I’m so sorry about your hand!"

"Ah, don’t sweat it, Auntie!" Elliot beamed, raising his gleaming metal fist. "Good as new! Honestly, those Somnivores really outdid themselves with this tech. Top-tier craftsmanship! Those aliens are awesome."

Mrs. Ricketts froze, her smile instantly hardening. The Somnivores? In their world, praising those dark-path monsters was practically blasphemy. They were considered worse than the demons of the underworld!

Noticing the awkward silence, Zayn jumped up like his pants were on fire. "Haha! Pay no attention to him. The anesthesia hasn’t worn off yet! He’s floating in fairy land!"

"Ah, of course, the poor boy," Mrs. Ricketts said, exhaling in relief.

She patted Elliot’s shoulder gently. "Well, I must run. Tell your mother Sabrina that I stopped by to wish you well!"

Mason gave his mother a sweet kiss on the cheek and let her out the door. But the very second the heavy door clicked shut, the warmth in the room evaporated.

Elliot’s smile vanished. "Mason you mother fucker. Get over here."

Mason blinked, taking two steps forward_ and in a flash of cold steel, Elliot snatched him by the collar. The four gleaming knuckle-knives instantly pressed tight against Mason’s throat.

"Eek!" Mason squeaked, his knees going completely soft.

"Shh! Keep it down!" Andrea hissed from the couch, not even looking up from her phone. "Some of us are trying to relax."

"Why the hell didn’t you tell me that bastard Ashford died?!" Elliot growled, his eyes blazing with manic fury. "You had one job! To keep tabs on him."

"I-I was overseas!" Mason stammered, tears springing to his eyes. "Business trip! I literally just landed in Zenith thirty minutes ago!"

"Elliot, stop it!" Zayn yelled, his face red with anger. "What is wrong with you?! Why are you so damn thirsty for blood every second of the day? Retract the blades or I swear I’m calling the police."

Elliot smirked, his voice dripping with venom. "Call them. I’ll carve them up too."

The door flew open so hard they slammed against the wall. Sabrina strode into the room, her aura so suffocatingly cold that everyone instantly shut their mouths.

Elliot retracted the blades with a swift click and let go of Mason, instantly faking an innocent grin. "Just playing around, Mom! Brotherly bonding!"

"Enough," Sabrina said, her voice sharp enough to slice glass. "The scars from your latest mess are still fresh, Elliot. Do not test my patience. Lay low, keep your head down, and stop committing crimes before the Elders use it as an excuse to banish you from the clan."

Mason rubbed his red neck, panting heavily. "I told you, man_ Ashford was bad news from the start. You shouldn’t have trusted him."

"Tsk. Doesn’t matter," Elliot sneered, leaning back into his pillows. "Ashford’s dead, but his old folks are still breathing. They will pay the price for taking my hand. And I am also going to rip off my grandfather’s head off with this new hand."

"I said I will handle your grandfather. Don’t touch him. " Sabrina warned, giving him a glare that could freeze a volcano.

Zayn sighed, grabbed his leather jacket off the rack, and walked out the door without saying another word. He needed a drink, a vacation, and a brand-new family.