Chapter 83
CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE
“Don’t worry. They can do this.” Selene spoke softly as she looked at Levi.
He scowled, folding his arms over his chest, and Selene giggled.
“You male deities are such spoiled children sometimes. Speaking of that, I’d better go talk to Ken before he gets too far away.
” She smiled at Levi. “I’ll send him back.
” She then turned to Lita and Asher. “I’m very proud of you two.
You both have come so far since your journey together began.
Don’t worry, they will succeed.” With that, she vanished just as quickly as she’d appeared.
Levi sighed, then walked over to Xander, motioning away from everyone. “We need to talk. You can bring Lila as well, if you’d like.”
They walked a short distance from the group to get some privacy. Levi set his serious gaze on Xander and Lila.
“Is this about the black dragon that appeared during the battle?” Xander asked.
Lee nodded. “Yes it is.”
“Is she your daughter? She was incredibly powerful. Stronger than our kings. She has to be part god,” Lila said quietly, looking up at Levi.
He smiled and shook his head. “No no no. She’s not mine. But she is a demigod. Her mother was a tier-one deity.” Lee moved his gaze to Xander. “And her father … was a dragon king.”
Xander’s eyes widened. “Are you telling me she’s my sister? Younger? Or older?” He growled the last words.
“Sorry, Xander. I’ve kept this from you for too long.
But it’s time for the truth to come out.
The night your mother died, your father left, filled with grief.
He visited a pub in the Mystique Forest, where he drowned his sorrows with heavy drinking.
In his drunken state, he started flirting with a woman who sat alone.
What he didn’t realize was that she had an aura not unlike yours, Xander.
Most people … most men couldn’t touch her.
So when the goddess Astrape found a man that was able to bear her touch, even in his drunken state, she didn’t hesitate. ”
Levi stopped for a moment. “Your father never knew. Astrape kept it a secret. She even handed the child off to Selene. And that is as far as my knowledge of her goes. Selene kept her hidden. Astrape thought to tell your father once, but it was after he’d moved on.
He no longer had his memories of the past and had found a new mate.
Not that Astrape was interested in keeping your father, but she figured, why stir up the past? ”
“Why didn’t you tell me before? Why am I only finding out about this now?” Xander asked, almost annoyed. Levi and Grandpa Sage were the only family he had until recently. It would have been nice to have a sister, too.
Levi smiled and nodded. “I thought about it. A lot, actually. But she was a secret. And this was her choice, to introduce herself to you or not.” He looked over at the two people walking toward the other dragon kings, and he gestured in that direction.
“I think your sister Jade was afraid she wouldn’t be welcomed, being the illegitimate daughter of the former Dragon King of the West. Who would have thought Weston would end up being her mate, though? ”
Lila chuckled. “Serves him right, with his haughty attitude. He always boasted about his strength. But his mate is stronger than him, isn’t she?”
Levi chuckled. “Yes, she is.” He saw Jade glance in their direction. “Should I call her over?”
Xander smiled and nodded. “Yes. I want to meet her.” He turned and watched as Weston brought her over.
She had her arm linked with Weston’s but trailed slightly behind him, becoming more and more nervous the closer she got to Xander.
As they approached, he noticed her amber eyes, eyes that matched his own.
He reached out, and she slowly placed her hand in his.
He squeezed her hand and pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her.
He patted the top of her head, and she leaned into his embrace, relaxing.
No words needed to be said. They were family.
There was a lot they would need to catch up on about each other, but what was important was that this was something they both wanted.
And even more … his sister Jade had come to their aid.
She didn’t have to fight, but she did. That told him everything he needed to know about who she was.
“So what is it with us dragon kings just swapping sisters around? The only one who got someone different was Dex.” Weston chuckled and winked at Xander.
Xander smiled and looked down at Jade. “I’d like to introduce you to our adopted family. I know they’ll love you, too.” He looked over at the Chain family, who were still standing in the same place.
“Great, that means they’re adopting me too.” Weston grinned widely and plucked Jade away from Xander, pulling her gently back into his side. His fingers trailed over his fresh mark on her neck.
“Man, I can’t believe I somehow ended up getting Weston as my other brother-in-law.” Xander playfully scowled.
“Jade, I’m Lila. Xander’s mate. It’s nice to meet you. We’re going to be great friends,” Lila said sweetly.
Jade nodded and gave her a soft smile. “I’d like that.” It felt surreal to her. She never imagined she would be welcomed, let alone wanted. Xander had accepted her, and on top of that, she’d found her mate. This was the moment she’d always dreamed about, and it had finally happened.
It took a moment for their wolf eyesight to switch over. It was like a desolate world of nothing. It was just darkness rolled into darkness. Reiya squeezed Hunter’s hand, which was still holding hers.
“Can you imagine being stuck in a place like this?” Hunter breathed out as he took it all in. “This must have been a lonely life, living here.”
Reiya bit her bottom lip and nodded her head. “So lonely.”
“Well, let's find this Endymion and get out of here.” He squeezed her hand. “Don’t let go of my hand. I don’t want to get separated from you here.”
“Not a problem,” Reiya breathed out. It was strange, walking on darkness. It was like an area void of anything. Each step forward was just a step on nothing.
As they headed deeper into the abyss of darkness, something happened with Hunter and Reiya.
His red energy swirled around him as a blue one began swirling out of her.
Together they started forming another color of their own.
Almost immediately, their bodies were glowing with a shimmering purple energy.
Reiya looked at Hunter as the energy pulsed from them. It was almost like a warning to whatever was in front of them.
“Hunter …” Reiya held out her free hand, feeling the purple light around them. “They’re combining …”
“Not just that. Do you feel the tugging?” Hunter looked out into the darkness. “It’s leading us.”
Tick tick tick tick tick
The sound of scurrying feet raced toward them, and they could feel its icy, murderous intent.
Hunter tightened his grip on Reiya and pulled her under his arm. They both peered out toward the sound in the darkness, and two small, red orbs started getting bigger and bigger as the distance closed between them.
“Slayer!” Reiya gasped out.
It was blackness upon darkness, but somehow its shadowy outline was deeper. More sinister. And in the center of it were its two red, glowing eyes. It made a hissing sound as it approached them.
All of this would have been enough to stop them in their tracks. But the smell. The putrid, rotten smell that came off this creature was not the smell of a dark fairy. This was a smell they recognized. It was the smell of a demon. Slayer was a demon.
Reiya curled closer into Hunter as they both realized the same thing. If Slayer was a demon, then it would be like another original demon. They had witnessed the power of an original demon. The two of them together didn’t stand a chance.
An eerie, rattling sound came from this creature of darkness—like the sound of a rattlesnake, only louder and more menacing.
Hunter chuckled lowly, shaking his head. “We made it through everything only to meet with this now.” He gritted his teeth in anger. “I don’t care what the hell you are. You’re not getting the best of us.”
Reiya squeezed Hunter and nodded her head. She watched the red orbs shift from side to side as it sized them up. “We won’t go down without a fight.” Their purple light pulsated from them, their clasped hands keeping their energy bound together.
The creature’s eyes flickered at them before a deep, throaty, gurgling growl shook the area around them. And then it lunged toward them, into the pulsing purple light.
Selene appeared in front of Ken, who was standing along the river in the distance. He hadn’t wandered too far, but far enough to escape listening ears. He had stayed near the water's edge, away from the battlefield, while the army was tending to their injured and losses.
He looked to his side at the goddess and snarled at her. “Selene, you crafty bitch. How dare you involve my life in your schemes.”
“You can now free yourself from the curse,” she said with a smirk.
“Of course I can. By forcing me to take the next fairy princess as my mate. I don’t want that forced on me. You linked her life to mine because of this damn black hole business. You’re using me as another anchor to this world.”
Selene only smiled. “So … you don’t want her?”
Ken frowned angrily. “Don’t try to force your will on me. I’ll determine my own fate.”
“You need to stay in the area in order for them to return. Otherwise, your mate will be born in a black hole of darkness,” Selene said.
He snarled angrily. “As if I could let that happen.”
Ken gritted his teeth. He couldn’t help the connection growing in his chest. He already felt the need to protect her. As soon as his eyes landed on Reiya, he knew. He could feel it. He would stay close in order to make sure his mate was born under the sun.
He curled his hands into fists. He was a monster .
.. literally a beast. No matter what form he took now, he was still a monster.
How could Selene condemn the next fairy princess to an eternity with a creature like himself?
A creature like him didn’t deserve someone so pure.
He would have to stay away from her so she could have happiness.
He’d done a lot wrong in the past, and because of that, he had created very powerful enemies.
If he involved her in his life, he could very well be dooming her.
His intentions were to avoid the fairy princess during her lifetime, and then later, break his curse.
By taking a land dweller as a mate, he could break his curse.
But he couldn’t condemn the fairy princess to a lifetime with someone like himself, could he?
The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and staying away from his mate would be hell.
One he had no choice but to endure. He would watch her grow in secret.
He would watch her smile and laugh. And he would watch her love.
He intended to only watch, until the day she ended up in danger.
That would be the day he stepped off hell's path and embraced heaven. But that is another story.