It had been far too long since Lewis had heard aunty news back on a particularly nasty snake that he had been hunting for years at this point. When Lewis had first met this mark, he had been but a mere apprentice assassin under Lord Raith. It had all started with a contract to kill a girl.

Marcov had hired him to kill a girl named Dala. It should have been a quick and easy kill, but it was anything but. The girl, as it turned out, was the adopted daughter of the very God that Lewis was serving. Sure, there had to have been a reason, but Lewis was not one to be fucked with when it came to those he respected.

Was it a petty grudge? Maybe. But Dala evolved from just ‘the daughter of the God;, and became a true friend to his Simone, and in turn, a good friend to Lewis. Out of the very few people that Lewis could trust, Dala was one of them. So, it went from personal pride to personal protection.

But somehow Marcov was far more elusive than Lewis had accounted for. The bastard was far too smart to be tracked down by normal means, and so in secret from Simone, Lewis found himself using his old contacts. Most of his leads ended up at a dead end, but this one…

Lewis paced back and forth in the small office on the bottom floor of the castle. Simone was asleep with the newborn babies upstairs, and the rest of the kids were being entertained by Rex and Hazel. No, today, Lewis had to talk to another one of his trusted friends.

“All right, what’s the deal?” Xeik asked as he stepped through a portal into the office.

The ex-assassin paused. “Took you long enough.” He crossed his arms and gave a look to his best friend. “I found a lead to Marcov.”

Xeik sighed, “I wish you’d just give this up. I know you’re worried about Dala, but she’s the safest she’s ever been. Just give up on this. Don’t poke the sleeping bear…” Wise words from the Divine Mender. “You have a family to worry about. You can’t go making enemies anymore.”

Lewis scoffed, “The bastard made an enemy when he tried to fuck me over.”

“And yet you haven’t heard from him since,” Xeik responded. “He probably doesn’t even remember you. You were a no name assassin, a tool to use and throw away. If anything, he would have come back for you once you made a name for yourself. Are you sure this is even a good idea?”

That caused Lewis to pause. “No. I’m not. But…” Lewis sighed. “Marcov is a huge unknown when it comes to what he’s capable of. If he’s eluded me this long, there’s no limit to what he might do. This is less about me and more about…”

Xeik rolled his eyes. “And you call me soft. You’re really worried about them aren’t you. Dala…your family… your friends.”

“Will you help me if I find him?” Lewis asked, more or less ignoring what Xeik said.

“…yeah.” Xeik nodded. “I promise.”