Chapter 28
Visions of her cousin’s body flashed in Lucie’s mind.
She covered her mouth as liquid crystals trickled down her cheeks.
It was so real. What did she need to do to prevent this from happening?
She felt Derrick’s hand rub over her shoulder gently.
The vehicle came to a stop, and Lucie glanced up, surprised to see she was back home.
She was so lost in her thoughts she didn’t even realize it.
The door opened and she was instantly pulled out of the vehicle.
“Damn it Lucie, I was so scared!” Aedan wrapped his arms around her, crushing her against him. He looked down and saw the evidence of her tears on her face. His eyes immediately darkened as his gaze shifted to Derrick.
“Easy on her.” Hunter hurried toward his son. “Lucie had a premonition. She’s still adjusting.”
Derrick slid out of the vehicle, and Jasper was at his side immediately. He looked at the man with auburn hair and smiled. “You must be Aedan.”
“Who are you?” Aedan said coldly.
Derrick’s eyes rested on Lucie. She was extremely quiet. So much that he was feeling anxious and worried for her.
Lucie took a small step from Aedan. She wanted to introduce him to her mate.
Mate. Alexa’s mate. She needed to find Alexa’s mate so that … the vision of her body flickered in her mind. The dried blood and bruises all over her body. The pooling blood beneath her. She must have fought incredibly hard. Lucie’s hands started shaking.
“Lucie.”
She snapped her head up at the sound of a familiar voice. Her gaze met her grandmother Lita’s green eyes. She walked up to Lucie with confident, commanding steps and wrapped her arms around her.
“Don’t worry. We’re going to fix this. Okay? Shhh, we’re going to fix this,” Lita said calmly.
“Mom? How did you know?” Hunter asked.
“The light of another fairy princess began to flicker into existence. However, I didn’t know she’d received the same premonition until I saw her face.
Reiya also saw this. Don’t worry, Lucie.
It isn’t going to happen, okay? Alexa is going to be just fine.
That’s the reason we get these premonitions.
” Lita rubbed the back of Lucie’s head as she continued to speak to her in a soothing tone.
“What about the other thing?” Lucie finally spoke, her voice quiet. “The girl with the sword.”
Lita’s fingers tensed. “You saw that too?”
Lucie lifted her head and looked at her grandmother, nodding slowly. “Who is she?”
Lita sighed and smiled. “That is a future we’re not going to worry about right now. That is centuries and centuries from now. Who knows what can change before then, right?”
“What is this about Alexa?” Aedan asked, taking a protective stance near Lucie. He’d rarely ever seen her look so vulnerable, and he wanted to protect her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and looked at his grandmother.
Freja stood next to Hunter, and behind them was Chasen and Jin, who walked up with Asher, Lita’s husband and mate. Asher and Lita were the previous Alpha and Luna of the Black Ice Pack and were now the King and Queen of the Fairies.
“Lucie, let me see you, kiddo.” A man’s voice boomed from the side.
“Uncle Grayson.” Lucie smiled, then her eyes widened in shock as he picked her up. Grayson was her grandmother’s guardian. He was a very large man who was also a werebear, like all the previous guardians.
Grayson’s face turned serious as he looked at Lita and Asher. He glanced up at Chasen and could see he knew it as well.
“She has the smell … and I can feel her.” Grayson eased her down.
“Hi … could someone please explain what’s going on? I seem to have missed the seminar,” Jasper said with a small grin. Derrick stood there, quietly absorbing the information that had to do with his mate.
“Me too,” Aedan said with a shrug.
“We had a premonition that Alexa was killed. We have room to adjust and remedy this. Just like how Elysia wasn’t destroyed.
But the fairy magic in Lucie has awakened.
Her royal scent is now letting other fairies know who she is.
She is recognized as a potential heir now.
This doesn’t mean anything, though. Nothing changes except our Lucie is a bit stronger now.
However, in light of this, it is protocol for her to have a guardian now.
” Lita looked up at Hunter. It was his job to pick one out for his daughter.
“No, please don’t.” Lucie stared back at her grandmother with determination.
“I am not the fairy princess. Alexa is. And giving me a guardian … it feels like you’re giving up on saving her.
I don’t want one. I won’t accept one. I have Aedan, Justice, and Jasper around all the time.
I don’t want a guardian to add to that too. ”
“We aren’t giving up. It’s just that you’re important, Lucie, and protecting you is important.” Lita frowned. “I’m sorry. You must have a guardian.”
“Then let me do it.” Justice jogged up from the side.
“I know I can’t shift into a bear, but I can still protect Lucie.
I want to do it. I grew up with Lucie. We’re family.
It makes sense. Right, Dad?” Justice looked at Chasen with hopeful eyes.
He was always joking around about being their honorary guardian. This was something he wanted to do.
Chasen nodded his head. “The guardian power must accept you, Justice, and if it does, then you were meant to be her guardian. But I have to warn you. You’ll be accepting a very strong power at a much older age.
We all had a long time to adjust to the strength bestowed on us as guardians.
It will require some very intense, crash-course training. ”
Justice nodded his head enthusiastically.
“Now wait a minute.” Derrick finally spoke up, and all heads snapped to look at this new person. “Could these new powers he’s getting make him dangerous to Lucie? I won’t allow it.” His firm conviction resonated with power. “If there is any chance new powers could cause him to lose control …”
“That’s what the training will be for. Don’t worry. I promise I won’t allow him to be by Lucie’s side unless he’s ready.” Chasen chuckled. “You can relax. Besides, a guardian by her side would be a good thing. More protection.”
“Okay, who the hell are you?” Aedan fixed his gaze on Derrick. Who the heck was this guy to say anything?
Jasper smiled. “They aren’t within hearing,” he said, tilting his head in approval for Derrick to continue.
Lucie smiled and walked up to Derrick, leaning into his side. “This is my mate.”
Derrick wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. She looked normal again and even sounded normal. But he was feeling very protective over her and needed her beside him.
“This here is Prince Derrick … but for now, please refer to him as Ryan. We have comrades nearby, and while they can’t hear us here, it’s best to avoid an accidental slip up.
For … reasons, right now he’s keeping his identity undercover.
But it just so happens that he and Lucie are also mates.
Actually, we believe they’re soulmates,” Jasper said almost proudly as he looked over at Lucie and Derrick.
“Yeah, Mom. They haven’t marked each other but can already feel each other’s emotions,” Hunter said, providing this information to someone who was much more knowledgeable.
Lita looked over at Asher. “That didn’t happen to us until after we marked each other. That must be an incredibly strong connection. Something like that …”
“Isn’t just an accident, right?” Freja added with a smirk.
“No, it looks like this was a gift from the Moon Goddess.” Lita smiled.
The Moon Goddess knew about the treaty, and this was a beautiful gift to give the two heirs.
She gave them an unbreakable bond with one another.
A marked soulmate couple couldn’t be ruined by misunderstandings, because they could read each other’s mind.
They could hear their thoughts. They would know them like they knew themselves.
It meant baring your soul more than any other mate.
But it was also worth it, what with the unconditional love, respect, and trust that came with it.
Aedan stared at Derrick quietly. He saw how he was holding Lucie possessively. Even the way he looked at her was like she was a treasure he was greedily protecting. But he wasn’t convinced yet. He would need to hear more of his story.
“We need to have a little chat, I think,” Aedan said quietly, keeping an intimidating gaze on Derrick.
Derrick smiled and nodded his head. “I figured as much.” He rubbed his hand over Lucie’s shoulder gently. If her brother cared about her like he was told, this was only natural. And he wanted to talk to Aedan as well, since he would be relying on him to keep his little mate safe.
“So, Mom … about Justice?” Chasen asked, seeing his son shifting from side to side anxiously.
“There has never been a guardian who wasn’t a werebear.
But Chasen is right. If the power accepts you, then you were meant to be.
It’s up to Hunter. Hunter is the one who must feel her guardian and decide who it is.
That’s how it works. He can’t force it either.
You feel it inside …” Lita raised a hand and placed it over her chest. “It’s how I knew Brody and Chasen belonged to me.
It’s how Reiya was able to pick Mikah, even though he was dangerous in the beginning.
But Grayson was able to straighten him out. ”
“Nothing a few gentle slams couldn’t correct.” Grayson chuckled.
“Hey, um … Ryan.” Justice cleared his throat, noticing he seemed a bit uncomfortable about the guardian idea. “If it ends up being me, you don’t have to worry, you know? Like I’d never hurt Lucie. Not even by accident.”
“I trust you, Justice.” Lucie looked at him and smiled. She could get behind the guardian thing if it was Justice. He was always around her anyway. But she had one question. “Would this mean he would always be my guardian?” She looked at her grandparents.
“Yes. There is no taking the guardian power away.” Lita glanced at Justice, understanding Lucie’s point.
“This would mean connecting your life with Lucie’s. Wherever she goes, you will go. Whether it be the vampire kingdom or Elysia. But as you’ve seen, the whole mate tradition has been changed.” Lita smiled, looking at Chasen and Jin.
“Yeah, I’m not going to be celibate or anything like Uncle Grayson, but I don’t mind following Lucie. And I think this would make the family feel more at ease, knowing I’ll always be by her side.”
Grayson chuckled. “I didn’t take a mate. I never said I was celibate.”
“Whoa! Uncle G … I never knew,” Justice said with a big grin.
“I don’t exactly broadcast my private life.” Grayson shook his head. He never took a mate. He didn’t want one. But he was still a male, and he had needs.
“Well, I don’t know if I have a fated mate or not, but I definitely plan to have a family one day,” Justice said with a shrug.
Lita looked over at Hunter. Don’t just pick him because he wants it. It doesn’t work that way. Connect with that part deep inside you, where your fairy magic resides. It’ll help guide you. It has a will of its own and it will help you choose the right guardian.
Hunter interlaced his fingers with Freja’s and looked into her green eyes.
It had been a while since he’d really connected with the fairy magic that existed deep inside him.
There had been so much peace that the need for that kind of deep power hadn’t arisen.
It has been twenty years since he’d needed to fight with everything he had.
He searched inside, where his energy swirled, energy that was also connected to Xander and Reiya.
One he hadn’t connected with in a long time.
He watched as it circled around him in red ropes.
Fairy magic worked differently from other magics.
You willed it and it came to light when you needed it.
You developed your magic over time. And because of the need for a guardian, it was awakening.
The magic was searching for a protector for their potential heir.
He watched as a bright green rope swirled around Lucie but also connected with Justice, circling together in a figure-eight motion.
The energy was connected already. But what was fascinating was how a white glow emanated from both Derrick and Lucie.
The glow pulsated together and in perfect rhythm.
It was a light he couldn’t see until he pulled his fairy magic forward.
And both of their lights were reaching out to Justice, as if it already knew he was the one.
Hunter didn’t know what that all meant, but one thing was obvious … Justice was meant to be Lucie’s guardian.
“I guess I’ll be needing to make a trip to Elysia for the guardian ceremony to transfer powers,” Hunter said quietly. He watched Justice’s shoulders slink in disappointment. “Hope you’re ready for the life you’re signing up for, Justice.”
“You mean it?” Justice’s eyes grew wide as Hunter grinned and nodded. “Hell yeah! I’m going to be a guardian!” He jumped into the air and raised his fist.
“This will be very interesting. He’s the first one that isn’t a werebear.
It’ll be interesting to see his power merge with fairy magic.
” Lita looked at Asher and shrugged with a smile.
He was already thinking the same thing she was.
Since they were soulmates as well, they knew each other’s thoughts, and they were both thinking this was not a coincidence.
Somehow, the fact that he was a sword-wielding guardian was even more significant.
Somewhere they would see a connection to the vision of the girl wielding a sword in the future.
A future that would one day come to pass.