Chapter 47
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
The room was quiet as everyone stared at Alexa. She was standing near them, a dark energy emitting from her. She raised her hand to wipe away the blood that had fallen from her eyes, smearing the red liquid across her face, then looked down at her hand and stared at the traces of her blood.
“Lex,” Mikah whispered, taking a step in her direction. She turned her gaze toward him. A red hue flashed behind her blue eyes. Her warm white light was no longer shining. Instead, there was a suffocating darkness swirling around her.
“Alexa!” Reiya cried out, rising to her feet. “Oh, my poor baby. What did he do to you?”
A cruel smile spread over Alexa’s face as she slowly turned in her mother’s direction. “Do to me? Who can do something to me? I just accepted the truth.” She shrugged her shoulders. “And that is that the light only exists to emphasize the dark.”
Reiya went to step toward her daughter, but Levi grabbed her shoulder, holding her firmly in place. “No, Reiya—don’t. That is demonic energy. Lex, this isn’t you. Let us help you.”
“Help me?” Alexa chuckled and then sneered at her father. “You want to hold me back. You both have always wanted to hold me back. Well … I’m not being chained up anymore. By the way, it’s Xi now, not Alexa. That person is dead.”
“No, she isn’t,” Reiya said calmly, a faint smile on her face. “Your light shines right here.” She tapped on her chest. “You just need to find your way back. We can help you.”
Reiya reached out, sending a warm, gentle light toward her daughter. Alexa glared at her mother with contempt.
“That will not work on me. It’s unwanted.” Alexa sent a dark, pulsating light toward her mother in retaliation.
Levi raised his hand and sent the energy back toward his daughter. The energy collided with Alexa, sending her to the floor.
“What are you doing?!” Mikah growled as he lifted his dark gaze to Levi.
“Mikah, it’s the only way. We need to weaken her so we can handle her. She’s my baby. I don’t want to hurt her.” Levi’s eyes watered as he watched his daughter stagger to her feet.
“You won’t hurt her,” Mikah said calmly.
“Because I won’t allow it.” He took a protective stance in front of Alexa, then turned his head to look at his princess.
“It’s still you and me, right?” He gave her a half-smile, which she returned.
“I’ll be your dark knight.” He winked at her and was happy to hear her soft laugh.
She was still his Lex. And he would protect her and stay by her side, no matter what.
“Wait. I can help you,” Bella said quietly, stepping forward.
“I don’t want your help, nor do I need it,” Alexa said firmly, snapping her cold gaze toward Bella. Brian wrapped his arm around Bella protectively, an action that didn’t go unnoticed by Alexa. “Don’t you trust me anymore, Brian? I change my energy and suddenly I’m your enemy?”
“It isn’t like that, Lex.” Brian watched her arch her brow at him and he coughed out her new name. “Xi … But this isn’t you. You would never attack your mother.”
“She attacked me first!” Alexa shouted in a wounded tone.
“Oh, so it was okay for her to send her light magic to me? But the moment I defend myself, I’m the evil one?
” She scoffed and scanned over everyone with the hatred that was consuming her.
“I see. So, in all of your eyes, this version of me is unwanted.” She paused for a moment, listening to their silence.
She bit her bottom lip angrily as she clicked her tongue.
“Fine. Then I guess this is how it is. Some great family I have.”
“Don’t give in to the poison. Please, Lex, this isn’t who you are,” Reiya pleaded as she prepared to reach her daughter again. She would try to smother the dark with her light. The problem was that there was still no guarantee. And Alexa no longer trusted her.
“Xi, I don’t care who you are. I’m with you no matter what.” Mikah turned to face Alexa and watched her nod her head.
Alexa walked up to Mikah and wrapped her arms around him. He did the same, holding her protectively in his embrace.
“Always us.” Alexa smiled up at him genuinely.
Then she scoffed, looking out at everyone else.
“If this is how you want it, then we’ll be enemies from here on out.
I’m not a light fairy anymore. I’m a dark fairy.
Remember that.” Black smoke surrounded her and Mikah, and a moment later, they were both gone.
“Damn it!” Levi roared. He squeezed his eyes shut, his whole body trembling angrily. “Ken warned me that there was more to the nembrant glass before he left. He said we needed to remove it immediately. What the hell did Erebus do to her?!”
“We can get her back, right? We can fix this,” Reiya cried and watched as Levi’s jaw clenched. “No. We can’t lose her. I’m going to Elysia. Everything is a mess right now. I need to speak with my parents.”
“Your parents?” Levi asked, looking at her in confusion. “I guess I wasn’t paying attention. I just assumed that the lights–”
Reiya shook her head. “It wasn’t my parents’ lights that went out.
It was my grandparents, Alice and Nathon, and Alice’s guardian Dylan that were killed.
” She clenched her fingers. “It’s so much …
” she whispered, and Levi wrapped his arms around her.
She would miss them, but she needed to pull herself together and focus on Alexa right now.
“Let’s go to Elysia.” Levi shot his gaze at the Great Sage. “See if you can find any information. Brian, let your father know what’s going on, but keep everything quiet. We need to keep this news between us.”
“Do you suspect a spy is here?” Brody suddenly asked, feeling alarmed.
“Yes, the walls have ears. We need to keep all of this as quiet as possible. Most likely that fool thinks he killed Asher. He’ll think Ken is gone, and we need Ken now more than ever.
As her soulmate, he can reach a part of Alexa that we cannot reach.
” Levi sighed as he clenched his jaw angrily.
That damn Erebus would pay for all of this.
“But Ken hasn’t marked Alexa yet,” Chelsie whispered. “Will it be enough?”
“It has to be.” Reiya shook her head. “We’ll reach Alexa no matter what. I won’t lose her.”
“Maybe I can try to take the glass out now?” Bella felt Brian’s arm tighten on her protectively.
“No. It’s too dangerous to attempt now. We need to have her with us so Brian can keep her warm.” Levi looked at Reiya, who was trying to put on a brave face.
“Let’s go. We need to get to my parents!” Reiya nodded her head. One step at a time. Right now, they needed to head to Elysia.
“Brian, after you talk to your father, could you please wait upstairs in case Ken shows up before we get back? Tell him what happened and for him to meet us in Elysia.” Brian nodded his head.
Levi could see the worry in Brian’s eyes.
“Don’t worry, son. We’re going to get her back.
No matter what the cost. Fairy magic is strong.
” He nodded to Brian as Reiya opened a portal.
Brody and Chelsie stepped through first, then Levi and Reiya walked through together. They had just suffered a traumatic loss, and their grief continued to compound. But it wasn’t over. Now was the time to fight.
Reiya stepped out of the portal that led them to the inner lower citadel of the castle.
She knew this was where her parents would be.
She wasn’t entirely shocked to see her brother Hunter with his mate Freja there, as well as Chasen and his mate Jin.
Lita’s eyes were red and swollen, her father Asher holding her tightly.
In her hand was a glowing letter that she held onto tightly.
Lita turned, caught the look in Reiya’s eyes, and came to her side instantly.
“What’s wrong?” Lita asked, her arms open for her daughter.
In that moment, Reiya was a child again. She stepped into her mother’s arms, buried her head in her shoulder, and quietly sobbed. “It’s Alexa. She’s gone dark on us. That glass did something to her. She left us.”
Lita hugged her daughter tightly while Asher patted Reiya’s head. Chasen and Brody found their way to each other near their Uncle Grayson.
“What happened here?” Brody asked quietly.
“Alice already knew that Erebus was going to come looking for Asher. She wrote everything down in that letter and sealed it down here for when the event happened. She said this was the choice they made in order to strengthen Elysia. They have joined with Elysia’s living barrier.
Erebus will no longer be able to enter here.
The three of them all decided on this choice to protect us all,” Grayson said solemnly.
“We sent word out to your Uncle Drew. Hunter, make sure you visit him after you return.” He then glanced around. “Where’s Mikah?”
“He went with Alexa,” Brody said quietly.
“Good. He’ll keep Alexa safe.” Lita sighed and nodded her head. “Reiya.” She looked into her daughter’s damp eyes. “It’ll be okay. We won’t lose Alexa.”
“We don’t even know where she went. She teleported using demon magic. Lee couldn’t trace it,” Reiya whispered.
“Her soulmate can find her.” Lita looked up at Asher. “I was able to go to Asher when he was missing.”
“They haven’t marked each other. And Derrick wasn’t able to find Lucie.” Reiya straightened up and felt Lee’s warm hand on her shoulder. He gently brought her back into his arms so they could comfort each other.
“That is different, Reiya. A deity was keeping Lucie hidden. As long as Alexa doesn’t go to such lengths, Ken will be able to find her. We’ll put our faith in him to reach her.” Lita took in a deep breath as she folded the letter her mother had written her.
“What if he can’t reach her?” Reiya asked, meeting her mother’s eyes.
“Then we will have to seal her away. As the strongest fairy princess to ever exist, it will take the combined strength of you and me, and most likely Lucie in order to do it. We can seal her and purify her with time.” Lita watched Reiya’s worried eyes look up at Levi.
“Are we strong enough to seal Alexa?” Reiya leaned into Lee’s chest as she gathered her courage to move forward. The loss of her grandparents was a terrible blow. But losing Alexa … she could barely stand from the shock.
“If Ken fails, there won’t be another choice. We have to be strong enough.” Lita felt Asher’s hand curl around her waist, his head leaning into hers.
“At this moment, we have to wait for Ken. For now, we’ll give Alice, Nathon, and Dylan the proper send-off they deserve.” Asher rubbed Lita’s side, pulling her into him.
From the upper level of the castle, they all stood on the balcony as the sky dimmed.
Fireflies began to light up the sky as the fairy’s song rose to greet the night.
During their sorrowful song, the barrier around Elysia responded.
Yellow streaks zig-zagged over them, emitting a familiar energy and light they all recognized.
A faint smile reached Lita’s lips as she leaned into Asher. Their energy had changed form, but it was them. Her parents and Dylan were now constantly guarding and protecting them. They were still here … part of the living barrier that protected Elysia.
My beautiful daughter. Sometimes it’s a blessing to know the future even if you don’t avoid it.
If you’re reading this, it is because the future finally arrived.
Know this … we are not dead. Your father, Dylan, and I sent ourselves into the barrier the moment before we died.
Our bodies remained only as a shell to fool Erebus.
I had several premonitions about this day that showed the different possibilities and outcomes.
Selene visited me, and Endymion offered to protect us, since the fairies belong to him.
However, with every change, the casualties were different.
And with the growing future threat, Elysia needs a stronger barrier.
Elysia is now safe from Erebus. He will not be able to get to our family behind the barrier. You must bring them all here. Until Erebus is destroyed, this is the safest place for them. Selene will send Rogio to protect the Vampire Kingdom and Lycaon will watch over the Black Ice Pack.
Your father and I already decided a long time ago that we would enter the barrier. This just presented the right opportunity for us. And of course, Dylan wouldn’t be left out. Don’t cry for us. This way we will never leave you.
We could have fought this and changed the future, but this is the destiny we chose to embrace. We love you and will always be here watching over you. Feel our energy that swarms around you and smile.
Until we meet again.