Chapter 3 #2
They all follow suit, glancing at me with anger and pain in their eyes before looking away. Like they can’t stand to even stare at me any longer.
And it fucking hurts.
“What the hell are we supposed to do in this shithole?” Malakai says to no one in particular.
I open my mouth to tell them that none of them have to stay here. That they’re not fully bonded to me. If they truly despise me that much now, they can go back to the Shadow Academy and slowly lose the connection we have formed over time. A connection I’m starting to doubt we ever had.
But I never get to voice my thoughts as Levington walks into the office, without Cassius, before I get to say more.
Levington’s gaze assesses each of my mates. “I think it goes without saying that Sena’s secrets need to stay just that.”
The four of them cut Levington a vicious glare. “We’re not that fucking stupid, Captain Obvious,” Knox grits out.
Levington nods, unbothered by Knox’s anger. “I already have your rooms organized if you’d like to follow James to your new accommodations. He’s waiting outside.” Levington turns to me. “I have a few things I need to discuss with Sena.”
The guys still, their gazes bouncing from me to Levington before sharing a look between themselves. It takes a minute, but they get moving and my heart drops as they head out without even a backward glance.
“Sena? Are you okay?” Levington asks as soon as they leave.
“I’m fine. What did you need me for?” I ask as I try to shove down the whirlwind of emotions trying to drag me down.
He gives me a look as if he knows I’m lying but says no more on it.
“The building we are in is home to the Alitas. I originally thought it would be best to keep you here, but I met with Willow a few minutes ago and she questioned who, and more specifically what, you are. If she can sense something different about you, the others might too.”
Concern creases his forehead. “I can ensure your safety here but how our people will react to finding out they have a living royal can go a hundred different ways. It’s a variable I can’t predict.
I don’t want to take the chance that any word leaks back to Talos.
So, for now, I think it’s best that we keep your identity a secret. ”
He watches at me as if waiting for me to oppose the idea. But he would get no objections from me. I definitely wasn’t ready to reveal to the world I was their future queen. Nor did I have the first clue as to what one is supposed to do.
“I still haven’t wrapped my head around everything, but I agree. I think it’s best to keep everything hidden for now,” I tell him.
“It’s a lot to take in,” he says as he gives me a soft understanding expression before nodding.
“I’ll place you with a group of females that will know you’re a newfound Alita coming to terms with everything.
They’re mostly human and those with small amounts of Shadow DNA, similar to the females in the Shadow Academy.
They are trustworthy and will keep this secret. ”
“Even if they keep the secret of me being an Alita from everyone, won’t everyone eventually sense what I am?” I ask.
Levington gives me a little smile before pulling out a silver pendent with a small white diamond from his pocket. “Cassius figured it would be best to also keep your identity hidden for now. He made this pendent to mask your energy and essence.”
“Where is he?” I ask wondering if he’s decided I’m someone else’s problem now that I’m switched back.
“He needs to find someone,” he says before handing me the pendent. He says no more on it, and I’m too emotionally exhausted to try and get anything more from him.
I glance down at the pendant. It’s beautiful, delicate, and looks way too expensive for me to just wear.
“It will also conceal the color of your golden blood and make it look red,” Levington says, making my heart drop.
My eyes whip up to his. “How did you—”
He gives me a small smile. “I keep forgetting you don’t know anything. All royals have golden blood. It’s extremely potent and powerful. If you were to get cut or injured, having the pendent only conceal your energy wouldn’t matter, your cover would be blown.”
Something I definitely didn’t want.
“All royals have a certain… allure that the Shadows are drawn to because of your power. You’re not fully awakened yet. But I’m sure you’ve most likely noticed how some Shadows act around you.”
I thought it was because I was an Alita but maybe they could sense that I was royal. “This will definitely conceal that I’m an Alita and royal?”
He nods. “Wear it at all times and anyone that meets you will assume you are just another female Shadow.”
“What about those that saw me at the War Camps? I’ve been there a few times,” I remind him as I place the pendent around my neck.
He watches me, his face filling with relief as soon as the pendant is on. “Most are gone. Those that are left are keeping a watch on Talos for me. There’s only one other that is aware of who and what you are, and he’ll be watching out for you.”
My stomach churns at the thought of so many lives lost. I push it to the back of my mind for now and try to focus on his words.
“Who?” I ask, wondering who he has watching over me.
“Dakson,” Levington says. “He’s checking on a few things for me. Once he’s back you can go to him for whatever you need, and he will ensure everything is discreet. At least until you’ve adjusted, and we figure out how to deal with Talos.”
I nod playing along but I doubt I’ll be taking him up on his offer. “Why does Talos want me dead?”
“He craves power, and you are the epitome of it.” He gives me an expression telling me how dangerous he thinks Talos is and the lengths he may go to retrieve what he wants.
And, considering how easy it was for him to send my mates to the Void as kids, I have no doubt he will go to great lengths to get whatever he wants.
Even if it means killing those in his way.
“What are you going to do about him? Would it help to organize another war game in the meantime to buy us some time?”
He sighs. It’s heavy and full of the weariness I feel.
“I’m afraid another war game will not fix this.
Talos knows something is off. Allowing my men to enter another war game that Talos most likely has no interest in will only end in a slaughter.
” He shakes his head. “He knows something is wrong and he will not stop until he gets his answers.”
Something flickers in his eyes, a spark of something that makes me pause. “You already have a plan,” I say.
He nods giving me a hesitant look before continuing. “Talos has always wanted to create an army of dark soldiers that don’t rely on the essence of the royals. And your four mates were one of his most successful experiments.”
I narrow my eyes on him. “They’re people, not experiments.”
He gives me a look full of apology. “He molded them into what he wanted. Forged them into weapons he could control with the dark energy from the Void and Hollow being their center point. But that all changed when you met them. You became their new anchor, and it stripped away what Talos spent years trying to create.” He clenches his jaw. “What he’s still trying to create.”
“I thought he wanted to destroy the crystal?” I ask, wondering why he’s creating an army if it’s only going to kill every Shadow that exists.
He nods. “He does. But he needs the crystal destroyed so our anchor to the light is completely gone. He wants to force our hand and make us choose the dark power the Hollow has instead. Without the crystal, all Shadows will be forced to join him or die to the madness. He then wants to unleash the Hollow on the world and, once that happens, it will devour and destroy everything in sight.”
A pit of fear coils around me, threatening to swallow me whole.
“What can we do to stop him?” My mates may be anchored to me and whatever power I have—something I doubt they’re very happy about right now—but what about the thousands of other Shadows, winged or not?
“The Hollow was created by a dark sacrifice,” Levington reveals.
“It’s dangerous. Even more dangerous than the Void, considering the Void was made from its power alone.
” Levington gets a far-off look. “The Hollow is not without its weaknesses. It has a main source of power, a heart stone, that sits at its center. I’ve been training my men to send them into the Hollow to find and destroy it, should it come to that.
” He sighs and shakes his head. “But Talos has moved up his timeline. I now only have a couple of months to find a group strong enough to take on the task.”
Going into the Hollow… I look at him like he’s the one that’s crazy. “It’s a suicide mission.”
Levington gives me an exhausted expression. “It’s our only hope to end this once and for all. If we destroy the heart stone, we destroy the Hollow. But finding the heart stone will be like finding a needle in a haystack.”
He turns and stares out the large window like he’s contemplating something I’m not going to like.
“Your four mates already have a connection to the Hollow through the Void. Not only that, they have you as their anchor. A royal mate. They would be less susceptible than any of my men to the lure of the dark.”
I freeze, my body stiffening with each word. “You want my mates to go into the Hollow for you?”
Levington turns to me without an ounce of humor on his face. “I have a team of men I’ve been training. They will go in with them, find the heart stone, and destroy the Hollow once and for all.”
I narrow my eyes on him. I admit I liked him up until now. But there’s no way he’s sending my mates into a place that births Terrigons and Dark Beasts. A place that is much worse than the Void.
Over my fucking dead body. “No.”
“Sena…” he says on a sigh, giving me a patient expression. “We need their help. It won’t just be the Shadows that suffers, it will be the entire human race. Everyone on Earth,” he says with gravity.