Chapter 259: As do I [2/2]
"I have killed so many. How many ankle biters have I turned into orphans? How many slaggers have I made into widows? How can I live with myself now that I know? Possum, what am I going to do?"
Hearing Robyn's trembling voice crushed my heart. This woman was just coming to grips with reality, and I felt that what I said next would affect her for the rest of her life.
What was I going to say? Would Robyn believe me? Robyn had been a child, now she was finally becoming an adult. What separated adults from children was being held accountable for one's actions.
I put my arms around Robyn and tried to remember what I knew about her. How would I portray her actions in a way that would allow her to be proud of her path? After a few seconds, I found my answer.
"Robyn, you killed so you could live. If you had disobeyed the terrorists or chosen not to defend yourself, you would have been killed. You never actually murdered anyone of your own volition, did you?"
The little woman nodded silently.
"No one can blame a lion for hunting a gazelle. They do it to survive. You are not to blame. The ones at fault were the terrorists. You were a weapon, the one who should go to jail is the one who pulled the trigger."
"But possum, now that I know, I can't act like that anymore. I am useless to you. I have no right to receive your love when I have nothing to give in return."
I only noticed it now, Robyn was slowly starting to speak American English. Is her sudden enlightenment the result of {Code}? While I was happy that she was starting to think about her future, I was also at a loss for the pain she was experiencing.
"Robyn, I love you. I didn't love you because you were the best at killing people. I loved you because you made me happy. Do you love me?"
"Yes."
"Then that's all I need. I want you. I need you. Stay with me. When you can no longer kill, I will protect you. You don't have to give anything in return.
Just be my Sheila."
Robyn suddenly became restless and turned to me.
"Possum, I have a body like an ankle biter, are you attracted to children?"
Chucking, I kissed her tiny lips and began to fondle her tiny chest.
"No kitten, I am attracted to you. Whatever body you have, I will be drawn to it. Wanting to love you is a result of my affection. Not the cause."
"Mhm, then I will be your Sheila. If it is for you, I think I can still fight."
"All right, but don't push yourself, okay?"
"Yes, Possum."
Robyn then looked back at the toddler being carried by her father.
"I used to think she was more blessed than me. But not anymore. Having someone like you by my side is enough, I don't need to know my original family. I just need to protect my new one."
Overwhelmed by how adorable this woman was, I attacked her white skin and made my fourth love bite of the night. Surprisingly, Robyn didn't complain, she accepted it.
Feeling mischievous, I licked her hickey and whispered in her ears.
"Kitten, there is nothing I can do about your parents. But I can do something about your children. We will smother them with love. I just have to put a baby in your belly this Sunday."
"!!!!"
The Australian went stiff at my words and began to overheat with embarrassment. I showered her with kisses as I picked her up and took her to the elevators.
"Robyn, return to my room. Please let Bella apologize. Are you feeling better now?"
"Yes. Possum, could you please come closer?"
I craned my face towards her only to be grabbed and then playfully bitten on the neck. It didn't hurt much, but Robyn licked it like a cat in heat as she added.
"Hehe, I marked you too. Don't tell the others, okay?"
Unable to resist, I attacked Robyn's lips a few more times before letting her go. After she left, I made my way to the buffet hall where the last Siren was waiting for me.
Liv was alone, crying as she ate. Usually people were drowning in alcohol. My Northerner must be a stress eater like me, from the looks of it. I noticed that the whole buffet hall was full of souls as I approached. On top of that, everyone had a dazed look on their faces.
Liv must have used death resonance to force these people to behave normally. I similarly sent out a great wave of souls and commanded.
"Everyone in this room whose name is not Liv Ivaldi, leave immediately."
In the next few seconds, everyone left, including the chef, the waiters, and the receptionists. I walked over to the Northerner and greeted her with a smile.
"..."
Even when I smiled, the other party remained silent and continued to eat what looked like a turkey leg. Annoyed, I fetched a large plate of food, then returned and sat in front of her.
"Beloved, aren't you going to ask me?"
"I trust you Liv, I will wait here until you are ready."
Liv began to squirm in her seat as I ate nonchalantly. Considering the price of a night's stay, the food was of course excellent. While I was enjoying my meal, Liv started to talk. If you took away the fact that we were reapers, this kind of looked like a date.
"My love, I come from the North, a land that has been embroiled in a perpetual war. Nine years ago, the Northern Battlefront was breached. The undead poured into the lands and my people were forced to stay in Hellsgate forever.
"Bit by bit, we lost the surface until we barely had land to survive on. So we used one of our heritages, the Northern Ceremony. We took all the able-bodied people we could, regardless of gender or profession, and forced them to murder each other to become Reapers.
"This worked for a while, but too many died. Originally, we only ascended those 23 years and older. But now the North sends everyone over the age of six to the frontlines.
"My home is slowly dying, my love. And I am the cause. That is why I came to enlistment."
'Well, fuck.'