Envy (Dark Waters Book 1)

Chapter Twenty-seven:

"Father?" I scoffed, shaking my head. "You expect me to believe that? You all joked about it constantly, but that can't be true."

Pride shrugged, leaning against his seat. "You should believe it."

"No." I inhaled sharply through my nose. "That's impossible."

"It isn't." Pride passed his hand over his hair before making himself comfortable in his seat. He drummed his fingers over the armrests. "Well," he sighed, "it is impossible, but it isn't. It's more strange. You see, you know that actions will always repeat themselves, right?"

That had to be a rhetorical question, right? He couldn't expect me to answer him.

He sighed and smirked, slightly leaning forward in his seat. "The voices tell you that, don't they? Always telling you clues to your existence, but you never listen."

He knows about the voices.

My brows shot up. My mouth dried. "What?"

"Voices." Priscilla looked at me. "You hear voices?"

"Oh, oh, oh." Pride laughed. "Yes, he does. You see, a baby born in limbo without a proper soul will experience such oddities because they're an abomination in either realm."

"No!" Gluttony stepped into the circle, looking at Pride as he shook his head. He glanced back at me as he sighed. "It isn't..." He looked back at Pride. "Don't do this, please."

"Hm. You never planned on telling him, did you? Clearly, you didn't. How awful." He sighed. "Tsk, tsk, such a Sin you are."

I gripped Priscilla's hand to keep myself grounded. I listened to what everyone was saying in the surrounding space, but I wasn't sure how to process it all. Was Gluttony my father? No, that couldn't be right. Sins couldn't have children; it was impossible.

Wasn't it...?

Sins falling in love with mortals has been said to be impossible, yet here we are.

Gluttony looked back at me, lifting a hand. "Octavio, with Greed dead, we can attack, just like you wanted! Come on!"

"Ha! Greed isn't dead," Pride hissed. "He isn't himself, or here, or..." he glanced around the room, "he's somewhere. But you, Octavio, if you give up your powers, you will be nowhere."

I took one step back and found myself stumbling. My knees weakened. "I—what?" I rubbed my face.

Pride sighed, then growled. "Like father, like son." He looked at Gluttony, impatiently waving his hand. "Won't you tell him how you, too, fell for a pure soul? He kept her for so long, she became pregnant with his child."

As Pride spoke, Gluttony turned and faced me. He looked at me with apologetic eyes.

"He protected this kind soul until she gave birth to a young boy, half demon-half mortal. You." He snorted quietly. "But The Seven became impatient—I mean, who takes over a year to deliver a soul? And then our sire and mistress became restless, beginning to ask questions, why; what were we to do, hm? We demanded her soul's sacrifice, and Gluttony had to deliver. But you know what happened instead?" He ended his speech with an exaggerated smile, as if he told a good joke and needed to get to the point of it.

I shook my head. I didn't know. This was news to me.

He accepted my reaction as means to continue. "Your mother knew we were coming for you both, so she willingly—willingly!—gave up her soul. Right there, where you were kneeling." He pointed at the circle. "She put the blade to her neck and swish, died to ensure you'd live." His gaze shifted over to my right. "Now Gluttony here was distraught because he'd lost his mortal wife. How was he supposed to care for a bairn on his own."

I looked at Gluttony. The giant demon, who always cared and watched over me, was my father. If I'd paid attention, maybe... it would've made sense. Maybe... I would've caught on.

"He couldn't care for you. He tried from afar, still abiding by his sinful duties like a good Gluttony," Pride continued. "It wasn't until you grew up, touched the wrong madame within the dirtiest of brothels, and caught the plague, that he felt the need to be a father. At least, to be one the only way he knew how."

I looked down at my hands. I'd never been sure how I'd contracted the plague, but that made sense. I'd never turned that woman away. Lifting my gaze again, I met Gluttony's once more. Tears rimmed his eyes. He opened his mouth as if he'd say something, but there was nothing. Silence.

"Priscilla," Gabriel whispered behind us, "come on..."

Pride ignored him. His eyes were stuck on me. "Gluttony came to Him and Her and pleaded for them to let you into the Seven. Our Envy, that piece of shit, had just passed, and we needed to fill the seat. As you were half-sin, he thought you would've been perfect for the role." He leaned back until his back cracked, the sound echoing in the temple. "You're only alive, Octavio because you're father," he pointed at Gluttony, "is selfish and prideful, much like you."

Gluttony stood directly in front of me. Two tears fell from his eyes as he blinked. I pulled Priscilla closer as he placed his hands on my shoulders. To him, I whispered, "This is why you told me not to look into her eyes, right? That you knew what this was like. You knew that I'd one day forget."

Gluttony closed his eyes and shook his head. "It's hard to forget when you look just like your mother..."

I snarled and stepped back. Priscilla followed. "Gluttony," I shook my head, "you trapped me in this life."

"I saved you!" he hissed.

Pride laughed, loud and hysterical. "Oh, sure, find the good in your selfishness. Did you believe bringing him here would correct what you'd done wrong? Hm?" He pointed at us. "And with Priscilla's soul, you thought poisoning her would allow her the chance to come back, and their love will bloom anew. Shit, you're something, Gluttony, you're something. Love isn't going to be strong enough to take us down. Pathetic."

Ignoring Pride, Gluttony shook his head and motioned for Priscilla and me to walk to him. "I need you both to come over here."

"No..." I narrowed my gaze.

From behind, Gabriel hissed, "Stop being a brat. Listen to him and go to him, so we can get you both the fuck out of here."

I looked back at him as he raised his voice. And his brows. "Don't do that. Don't look at me like that. I told you there was a side to this story that wasn't mine to tell. So, I will need both of you to get away from him before neither of you can tell yours!"