Chapter 15 Luka
LUKA
Five more minutes I told myself.
If they didn’t come out in five minutes, I was going in myself.
We had been waiting, crouched behind the shrubs for Goddess knows how long, waiting for Luce and Lennox to emerge from the building.
Smoke clouded the air, the sky lit up by the full moon, the celestial figure cast in a red tinge from the raging fires at the other side of the building.
It had taken every ounce of my self-control not to take off into that building. To tear through the building until I found Lennox. I knew something was wrong.
I could feel it in my fucking bones. The mark on my palm pulsed, the veins felt like they were burning.
“There’s someone coming.” Nico hissed.
I peeked over the bush, my eyes scanning the side of the building for movement.
There. Dark hair blew behind the figure. Luce. Something was attached to her back. Was that a body? Was it Lennox? Nico jogged into the field to meet her, taking the limp body from her back, severing the vines holding them there.
The body was thin, the hair dark.
My heart sank.
“Where’s Lennox?” I asked, continuing to scan the field.
Luce’s face fell. “I’m so sorry, Luka.” The mating bond on my palm throbbed in time with my racing heart. “Adreona took her right as we were going to leave. We waited as long as we could, but I couldn’t risk it.”
“You could have stayed.” My voice was rough in my throat. “But instead, you saved an innocent?” I gestured toward the unconscious body now lying at our feet.
“Luka, you don’t understand.”
“I think I understand perfectly. You saved your own ass over Lennox. Seems fucking clear to me.”
Magic writhed in Luce’s eyes as her nostrils flared, and she flexed her hands at her sides. I knew I was crossing a line but I didn’t fucking care. I shouldn’t have taken it out on her, but she gave me an opening, so I was going to fucking take it.
I needed to take it out on someone, and I knew Luce could take it.
“You listen to me you stupid fucking prick.” She pushed at my chest with a single finger, causing me to fall back a step.
“We will get Lennox out of there, but it wasn’t going to be today.
Yes, I could have stayed in there and waited for her, but Lennox would have killed me if I didn’t get him out.
That male, there? You see him, Luka?” I let my eyes dart to the male’s form, he was skinny but had long, lanky limbs.
His skin was so light it was almost translucent, like he hadn’t seen the sun in years.
His dark hair was long and fell over his face, hiding it from my view.
“What about him?”
“That right there is Nol Adair, Lennox’s brother.”
My entire body stiffened.
“Holy shit,” Nico swore.
“Turns out he isn’t dead, but had been a captive for three fucking years. So yeah, I got him out instead of Lennox because I knew Lennox would want me to, and she told me to. I couldn’t live with myself if I let him stay in there one more moment.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
“I know you didn’t. Just don’t be an asshole until you know all the facts.”
I scrubbed a hand over my face. Nol, Lennox’s brother, was alive. He was alive.
But Lennox was still in there.
“How much longer is your spell active?”
“We’ve got until early tomorrow afternoon.” Her brows pinched.
“Why?”
“We’re getting Lennox out tonight, but we need to hurry.
” A plan came to life in my mind. “You and me, we’re going to go back in.
” I met Luce’s dark gaze. “You‘re going to glamour me to look like Nol. When they bring Lennox back, we’ll leave. It will be harder with the fire almost out; we might need to fight our way out, but we can do it.”
Luciana mulled over my plan; I could see her calculating every possible outcome. Finally, her silver eyes met mine. “Let’s do it.”
With the fire still blazing at the opposite end of the building, we made it back inside easily, only coming across a couple of guards, who we killed with minimal effort.
“This is it,” Luce whispered as we neared a large metal door. She made quick work of the lock before ushering us inside and closing it quietly behind us.
Luciana locked the door before erasing her marks with her water magic.
“So this is where Lennox has been living?” The room was dark, illuminated by one flickering lantern. There were no windows in the cell, and the ceiling was low, making me feel like I needed to duck as I walked. The cell had two mattresses pushed against the wall, otherwise, the cell was empty.
I tried to keep my rage at bay. She was fucking High Queen and she was being treated this way.
“Yeah.” Luce sighed deeply. “But—”
We both jumped as the lock shifted on the door. The door slowly swung open, revealing a dark-haired male carrying an unconscious Lennox in his arms.
Lennox.
“What did you do to her?” I demanded. I forced myself to stay calm, even though every protective instinct roared to life inside me.
“She’s fine, Adreona thinks the magic was too much, so she passed out. They’ll continue again tomorrow.”
“Continue what?” Luce pressed. “What is she doing to her?”
My eyes didn’t leave Lennox’s limp form as the guard moved into the room, placing her on the bed. Her face was pale, her golden hair limp on the mattress. I balled my hands into fists, resisting the urge to touch her until the guard was gone.
“Continue altering her memories.”
I ripped my gaze from Lennox to the guard instead.
“What do you mean?”
“They are altering her memories. Making her hate her vampire mate so she’ll cooperate.” The side of the guard’s lip tilted up.
I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to control my emotions. I didn’t even hear the door close as rage thundered in my head.
“Luka.” Luce’s touch was gentle on my arm, but still, I jumped.
“I’m fine,” I lied.
“I’m sure whatever they did, I can find a way to reverse it.”
“Yeah, sure.” I still didn’t face her as my eyes stung. I reached for Lennox’s hand, taking it in my own. I flipped it over and brushed my thumb across her marriage mark. “They can never take her from me.” I placed a kiss to the center of her palm, over the mark. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Luce dipped her chin. “I’ll get started on the spell.”
I stayed by Lennox’s side as Luciana began drawing markings on the door once again.
Her hair was matted against her forehead; I brushed it away from her face, letting my touch linger on her cheek. I had been waiting for the moment I’d get to hold her in my arms again—I never imagined it would be like this. That she wouldn’t even know I was here. What if she didn’t wake up?
What if she did and Adreona had been successful—and her memories of me had been altered?
I’d spent so long getting her to open up to me—I hated the idea of having to do it again. I’d do it in a heartbeat, but her not remembering our memories, our story—
“I’m ready,” Luciana called out. I caressed my hand over Lennox’s face one more time before scooping her into my arms, her strong body limp in my arms.
“Be ready to be on the lookout. We don’t know how many guards will have returned from the fire by now.”
We made our way down the hallway quickly, following the same path we came from. I didn’t know if that was a smart decision or an incredibly stupid one, but it was the only way we knew how to get out.
Lennox’s body bounced against mine as I jogged down the hall at Luce’s heels.
Luce stopped when we reached the end, peering her head around the corner. “There’s a bunch of guards blocking the exit!” she hissed. “I think they found the bodies we hid on our way in here.”
“Fuck. How many of them?”
She looked around the corner again. “Five.”
I mentally calculated. “You take Lennox.” I placed her in Luce’s waiting arms. “Wait for my signal.”
I reached for my magic, pulling it to the surface.
I’d make them pay. Every fucking one of them.
I kept my back to the wall as I slunk down the hallway. The guards were too preoccupied with their dead friends in the closet, they didn’t spare a look at me.
I kept my footsteps light as I approached the first guard.
His neck snapped easily under my grasp. I grabbed the sword from his side before I let him slide to the ground.
His companions drew their swords, but not a hint of fear flooded my system.
I lunged before any of them could move, my sword finding a home in the female guard’s gut. Blood spurted as she folded over, gripping her stomach.
I kicked out, sending her flying backward, her head hitting the wall with a crack.
I turned in time to meet an incoming blade, our swords clashed, the sound echoing in the hallway.
My boots squeaked in the blood staining the floor as I shifted, shoving my sword upward into the guard before twisting and slicing it across the next one’s arm.
They cursed, dropping their sword as they reached for their injured arm.
“This is for thinking you could lay a hand on my wife.” I shoved my sword through his neck with a snarl.
“Remember who you’re dealing with next time.” The next two guards fell easily, their blood blending with the others pooled on the floor.
I turned to signal Luce, finding her already jogging down the hallway with Lennox slung over her shoulder.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” she muttered as she passed Lennox back to me.
“You don’t have to ask me twice.”