Chapter 30
ALLY
Ally was mortified. Well, I basically just flashed a group of kids on a field trip. Go, me.
She was exaggerating but only a little. Although she had Lyk’s shirt on, it left a large swath of exposed leg.
His robe, even larger, swallowed her up, forcing her to wrap it as tightly as she could, but even with the belt knotted, the slit opened when she walked, exposing her more than she would have liked.
Parading around the royal palace in no panties. What would Evie say?
She’d probably call me a royal mess. And boy, she wouldn’t be wrong.
The laboratory Ladee was looking for was quite large, and its entry was protected. Lyk stepped in front of the camera, then hit the intercom button.
An attractive female in a white lab coat appeared on the viewscreen.
She recognized Ally and waved, then asked what they were doing at her lab.
Lyk informed her that they’d been woken up by the sudden and unexpected arrival of a guest who was looking for her.
Lyk moved out of the way so that Ladee became visible on the viewscreen, and Dawn let out a shriek of delight.
The door slid open, and when they entered, Dawn was rushing to meet them. She dropped to her knees in front of the furry creature and hugged him, tears streaming down her face. “Oh, Ladee. I thought I’d never see you again!”
Lyk put his arm around Ally and bent down to whisper in her ear. “Let’s go. Leave them to their tearful reunion and get some more sleep.”
Ally nodded, then paused. “Maybe she’s got a few items of clothing I can borrow for now,” she whispered back. Ally approached Dawn, waiting for an opportunity to politely interrupt.
“How did you get here?” Dawn asked, wiping away her tears. “The Seekers had you. No one could find you. How did you manage to escape?”
“I didn’t.” The creature blinked, and Ally saw Dawn freeze, then bend closer to look at his eyes.
“What did they do to you?” she breathed, a tinge of horror in her tone.
“The Crown Prince of Hell needed to send a message, so he chose me as His messenger.” Ladee rolled backward, took off his little top hat, and bowed. “Dr. Dawn Illya, his Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Hell has a special message for you, all the way from Dazimin.”
Twin beams of light suddenly shot from its eyes, and Ally screamed, thinking they were some sort of laser beams, but they shot past Dawn and hit the wall. It was a projection.
“Greetings, Dr. Illya, or should I say, Dr. Vartik?” The image on the screen was of an incredibly handsome man, so handsome that Ally’s breath was momentarily frozen in her chest. Lyk was still the sexiest man she’d ever seen, but this man was more angel than man. His beauty was nearly blinding.
“I’m sure you’re wondering why I sent Ladee back to you. The reason is simple. He will serve as a go-between for us. You trust him, and so do I.”
“But why do we need a go-between?” Dawn murmured to herself.
“You’re probably asking yourself right now why we would need a go-between.” The angelic male smiled, and Ally shook her head. Who is he?
“Ladee will serve as an impartial mediator while we negotiate an exchange of prisoners. I have a couple people you’re considering invading my home world to rescue. And you have someone I am considering destroying your entire planet to get back.”
Dawn’s eyes widened. “Who is he talking about?”
“I’m talking about my mate. Tess Thorne.”
Twin gasps issued from Ally and Dawn in tandem. “He has to know that Pennzinn would never agree to that,” Dawn said.
“I know you think the Vartik male that stole her from me would never give her up, but don’t forget, I have some things you want very badly.”
The camera angle shifted to the image of a blond, muscular man wrapped in chains, lying on the ground. “I believe you’ve been looking for a certain twin child of the Goddess of Light, perhaps?”
“Oh fuck.” This was from Lyk. His face was impassive, but his eyes were wide. “Jazmine is going to go nuts when she hears this.”
“So is Penn,” Dawn muttered.
The camera returned to the handsome man and his blisteringly bright smile. “Now, I realize this alone might not be enough to convince you Vartiks of an even-steven prisoner swap, so I’m willing to sweeten the deal.”
Reaching off screen, the angelic man pulled someone into the frame with him. Ally clutched her chest. “Evie!”
The man held her easily by the leash around her neck, and Ally struggled not to vomit at the sight of it. “It turns out someone might want this one back as well.” He pulled her against him, Evie’s back to his chest, and ran a fingernail down her cheek.
Ally could see the tearstains on her sister’s cheeks. Evie was trembling, her eyes wild, like an animal in a panic. Her heart froze to see her sister in such a state of terror.
Suddenly, the man shoved Evie off screen and crossed his arms over his wide chest. “Two for the price of one,” he said with a chuckle. “What a bargain.”
Dawn shook her head. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“I know all of this is a little hard to believe,” the handsome man said with a friendly smile, “but I am a man of my word. When you’re ready to talk business, just let our furry little friend here know, and he’ll get in contact with me.
But don’t wait too long. Humans are so fragile, and Dazimin is a dangerous place. ”
The feed suddenly disappeared, and Ally thought her legs might give out on her. She realized suddenly who the beautiful man was, and that made his beauty all the more fantastical. That was him. The Crown Prince of Hell.
Lyk came up behind her, his arms circling her waist, and she was grateful for the support. Ally closed her eyes, breathing heavily. She’s still alive. And we might be able to get her back.
The hope that had been fizzling sprang back to life, renewed by the image of Evie. Even though her sister was in mortal fear, she was alive and looked unharmed. I will get her back, she vowed, her purpose restored.
Dawn slipped to her knees again, peering closely at the robot. “He’s altered you somehow, hasn’t he, Ladee?”
The creature didn’t respond. It blinked lazily, allowing his former companion’s scrutiny. Dawn let out a curse and returned to her feet. “He needs a full examination. That means I need to take him apart.”
“Shouldn’t we tell the rest of the family before you start dissecting our negotiator?” Lyk asked with a slightly sarcastic tone.
“He’s done something to him. Something… unholy.”
“It’s a robot, right?” Ally asked. “How could he do anything unholy to a robot?”
“He’s the fucking Prince of Hell,” Dawn snapped.
“His minions stole my friend from me, then made me forget he ever existed. If Zelup hadn’t tried with all his might to make me remember, I would have lost him forever.
Hell, I could still lose him because whatever that thing is now, he isn’t the sweet Ladee I created. ”
“But he’s the Ladee we have,” Ally said, trying to soften her tone while simultaneously speaking with authority. “And he’s the best shot we have of getting our people back without risking lives on Dazimin.”
“Our people,” Dawn sputtered. “You think Penn is going to give up Tess? He’s already been to Dazimin once to bring her home.”
“But your queen, her own brother is suffering there.”
“And Jazmine will definitely have a say in what comes next. But it’s na?ve to think we’ll do some kind of convoluted prisoner swap with the prince.
He’s not exactly trustworthy.” Dawn picked up a penlight and flashed it in Ladee’s eyes.
“I know he did something to you, and I’m going to figure it out. ”
Lyk let out a frustrated groan. “It’s becoming abundantly clear that we won’t be heading back to bed anytime soon. In that case, I’m going to convene my brothers for a healthy discussion of our plans for Dazimin.”
Dawn nodded. “I’ll bring Ladee to the War Room soon. Everyone is going to want to hear what he has to say.”
Putting a hand in the small of Ally’s back, Lyk started to steer her out of the lab.
“Wait,” Ally said, suddenly remembering the school group. Turning back to Dawn, she asked if the scientist had any clothing she could borrow.
“In my quarters, sure, but they’re across the palace from here. I do have a lab coat you can borrow, and it buttons up, so you don’t have to worry about that oversized robe falling open.” Dawn pulled out a crisp white lab coat and passed it to Ally.
“I’ll get this back to you as soon as I can,” Ally said while taking off the robe and exchanging it for the lab coat.
“Keep it,” Dawn said, already distracted once again by her robot creature.
“Don’t forget the War Room,” Lyk called to her as they left, and Dawn waved without looking up from Ladee.
Ally finished buttoning up the lab coat as they were walking into the corridor. “Where to?” she asked Lyk, who was striding down the hallway fast enough that she had to jog to keep up.
“Marek’s quarters. He’ll issue orders for the family to assemble.”
She scurried down the hallway, attempting to memorize her surroundings, but it didn’t take. This place is a maze. If I let Lyk out of my sight for one second, I risk becoming lost forever.
A red door received Lyk’s insistent knock, and the sounds of two children erupting into twin crying fits made Ally grimace. Shit. That’s not the way to get on the King’s good side.
The door burst open and a glowering Marek stood there. “What?”
“I know it’s late, but we’ve just had a special visitor. Does the name Ladee ring any bells?”
“What are you talking about, pirate boy? Too much rum again? We just got the children down to bed and you come along, pounding on doors and ruining all our hard work.”
“Ladee is Dawn’s robot, the one the Seekers took.” Jazmine appeared, a baby in each hand. Their tears were lessening, but it was clear they were once again wide awake.
“You came down here waking up the twins for a robot? You must be drunk.” Marek grouched.
“He’s not,” Ally said. “I can vouch for him. The robot had a message from the Crown Prince of Hell. He wants to negotiate a prisoner exchange. Your brother,” she motioned to Jazmine, “and my sister in exchange for his mate.”
“His mate?” Jazmine’s face screwed up before realization dawned. “Oh.”
“What is it?” Marek asked.
“You better summon everyone to the War Room, dear,” Jazmine said, patting her husband on the arm. “It’s going to be a late night.”