Chapter 30 #2
Lana stuck out her tongue at Jax in a move so unqueen-like for such a serious situation, it reassured me that the Lana I knew and loved was still in there. We hadn’t lost her yet to the anguish of being separated from Kade.
She glanced at me, then to Storm. “I’m assuming you both have ideas on who should undertake a portal jump to Firestone?”
Storm’s lip twitched as he crossed his arms. “Perhaps.”
“Out with it, then.”
“Jax and Ian,” Storm answered immediately.
Lana’s eyes narrowed, but I didn’t miss the slight furrow in her brow. She was surprised. “Because?”
“We’re shifters,” I answered for him. Storm nodded.
He was a damn good leader, and I appreciated his quick thinking.
It rivaled my own, and I was grateful to have an equal navigating these circumstances.
“Meaning we can physically retreat faster than all of you. We also possess the ability to be stealthier in our animal forms. We can get in and out, hopefully without being noticed.”
“Just the two of you alone?” Lana asked.
Raya flipped her sword around in her hand like she was bored.
“I’ve gotten pretty good at my babysitting duties with you, Your Majesty.
” She winked at Lana, and though it wasn’t directed at me, my heart skipped a beat at her beauty.
Since she’d accepted our bond and stopped punishing herself for what happened in Mysthaven, she’d been lighter despite the challenges and dark path that lay ahead.
“I don’t like this.” Lana wrung her hands together. “You’ve never even been to Mysthaven, Ian.” She stepped toward me and whispered, “What if you don’t come back? I’m barely hanging on right now. If I lose you too…”
My fingers found hers, and I interlaced them. “It’s a risk we have to take. This is for our world’s survival.”
“He won’t be going alone,” Raya added. “He’ll have Jax and Lucien. They’ll get the information we need and report back in no time.”
“I can’t believe you’re not worried about me too.” Jax crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.
“Have you always been this needy?” Lana retorted.
He grinned. “For my queen’s attention? I haven’t had a queen in a long time, so I’m going to say yes.”
I let Jax’s humor soak into the tension-filled atmosphere.
It allowed me a moment to hide my own fears.
I couldn’t show Lana or Raya how worried I was.
What if we didn’t succeed? Not only in finding whatever this weapon was but in getting the information we'd need to destroy it. We couldn’t lose this war, but right now, there were too many outliers.
If we didn’t find a way to eliminate this threat or destroy the darkness in Kade, defeating Thames wouldn’t matter at all because it wouldn’t be possible.
Beyond that, Lana would never recover. I didn’t know how many more losses she could take and still maintain her sanity.
Losing her mate? That wasn’t even on the table.
I’d had less time with Raya than she and Kade, and already I knew if either of us lost the other, there’d be no place for us here. It wasn’t just a deep-rooted feeling; it was as if accepting the bond intertwined our souls together. There was no longer one without the other.
I couldn’t help but flick my gaze to Cassandra. Knowing this feeling, I wasn’t sure how she continued functioning. Especially for a thousand years.
“Well, since that's settled,” Jax said, rising to join me next to Lana. “How does one travel through a portal?” Jax’s expression shifted and filled with mischief. “Can I continue to use it after this? Or is it a one-time thing?”
Cassandra rolled her eyes. “For you? Fates help anyone if Lucien lets you bounce around our world on a whim.”
Jax winked at the seer, eliciting a sharp, brisk chuckle. The first I think we’d heard from her in weeks.
Lana worried her lip between her teeth, her gaze floating between Lucien and Vivienne.
“You believe this is the right move?” she asked her.
“That I stay, and they go through a portal like this?” Her gaze turned icy when she looked over at Cassandra.
“Because if I send my friends into this unknown portal and they come back harmed—or worse, dead—I will not hesitate to banish you from this kingdom, or the next.”
I held my breath, unsure of how Cassandra would respond. Vivienne seemed to be the tolerant one, but the more Lana pushed Cassandra, the moodier she became.
Instead of reacting, both sisters shook their heads. “The Fates have spoken; it is their will,” Vivienne said solemnly. “We would not lead you astray, not as we approach the final hour. The portal is safe.”
Cassandra sighed. “As for what they find, we can’t make promises.”
Lana’s jaw twitched as she clenched it. I shifted my position, resting my hand between her shoulder blades. She relaxed slightly.
“You believe this is right?” she asked me much less angrily than the tone she took with the seers.
I nodded. “We’ll learn about the weapon and come right back to discuss how to destroy it.”
She looked into my eyes, searching for hesitation. She wouldn’t find any. Fear or not, this was the right decision.
“Lucien,” Lana finally called, kneeling on the ground as he trotted up to her legs.
“I don’t begin to understand how your power works, but will you please use your extremely cool portal powers to help my friends?
” Lucien sat up straighter, wagging his dangerously sharp tail.
“I will forever be in your debt.” She tickled her fingers under his chin.
The little pugron nodded his head in clear understanding and rubbed his smooshed face into Lana’s hand, demanding more scratches. “I’ll take that as a yes,” Lana giggled. “Good boy.”
Feeling eyes on me, I lifted my gaze to meet Raya’s. A faint tinge of color rose to her cheeks as she teasingly mouthed, “Be a good boy.”
I laughed, ignoring the others as I crossed the space between us, cupping her face in my hands.
“I’ll be a very good boy so I can get back to showing you who is in charge.” I wrapped my hand around her neck, bringing her lips to mine for a kiss that was over far too soon.
Lucien breathed a stream of fire from his mouth, and we both startled at the flames. He spun in a circle and then lifted his chin. The area in front of him turned hazy as a cloud formed, swirling, shiny and black.
He glanced back at me and then looked at the portal again. It grew in size, until it appeared as if I could walk through easily. He stopped, padding backward, and smoke hissed out of his nostrils.
“Well, that’s our cue.” Jax walked fearlessly toward the portal, but as he reached Lucien’s side, he looked back toward Leif and Kalliah, still seated on one of the stone benches. “Take care of our girl, Leif. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“I’m not your girl,” Kalliah huffed, despite the blush coloring her cheeks. “How many times do we have to go over this?”
“Just keep telling yourself that, sweetheart.” Jax threw her a wink anyway and waited for me.
I squeezed Raya’s hand and left her side, moving quickly to give Lana a hug, “We’ll be back as soon as we can. Try not to get in any trouble while we’re gone.”
“Be careful. Don’t do anything stupid, please?” Lana’s voice quivered. She was trying to stay strong. I’d seen it so many times before.
“See you soon, Lan.”
Jax and I gave each other one quick look and then stepped into the portal.
Fates, I prayed we didn’t die.