Chapter 45
“Is he still avoiding you?” Reiya asked as Lee appeared in front of her.
“That bastard keeps giving me the slip, but I’ll track him down.
He can’t hide from me forever. I need to talk to Ken and get all of this figured out.
I have a suspicion as to who this Wicker might be, but I need to talk to that idiot.
” Lee growled in agitation. He pulled Reiya into his chest, wrapped his arms around her, and leaned into her neck, taking in his mate’s scent to calm himself down.
Ever since the premonition, he’d been looking for the Kraken, Ken, but he kept managing to avoid him.
Yet there were times he felt like he might be close by.
“You need to face it. You’re getting old, papa bear.” Xander, the Dragon King of the West, chuckled as he and Reiya’s brother and guardian Brody walked into the room. Brody rubbed his shoulder and grinned.
“I’m not getting older … I’m getting better.” Brody looked up at his sister and looked around. “Are you bored without Lila and Chelsie around?”
“No, I’m outnumbered.” She giggled. “At least Chelsie will be back today. Lila will be visiting her brother for a few more weeks, right?”
Xander pouted and nodded his head. “They’re getting things organized for the mating party that’s coming up.
We’re not hosting it this year, but she’s helping to organize and plan events with Ciana.
” They didn’t have to worry about planning the mating party this year.
That would fall to Dex, the Dragon King of the North, and his mate Ciana.
“How is Justice doing with his training?” Reiya asked Brody and Xander.
“He’s doing good. His training has come a long way, and surprisingly, he is able to control himself very well.
He’s now giving Mikah a run for his money.
Knowing how strong Mikah is, that’s saying something.
I think Mikah has been the most natural, raw talent the guardians have seen.
He’s incredibly strong … And you know I have my theories on that.
I think because of Alexa being a demigod, her guardian had to be stronger.
” Brody was certain this was the reason Mikah was so strong.
Fairy magic was peculiar that way. It adjusted to its owner.
A portal opened before them, and through it, the sound of screams belted into the room. Aedan walked through carrying Lucie, and Jasper hurried through beside them before Aedan closed the portal.
“Oh no …” Reiya ran up to Lucie, running her hand over her forehead. She was pale and her eyes were squeezed shut.
“Hand her over. Xander, go get Justice, quick!” Brody pulled Lucie from Aedan’s arms and was shocked that he was able to connect to her so easily. Almost as if she was his charge, but the connection wasn’t as strong.
“It just happened.” Aedan sounded almost frantic as he raced in front of Brody, who carried Lucie down the hallway.
“Where’s her mate? We need to send for her mate.
She can’t continue to endure this pain. It’s worse than I expected.
” Beads of sweat dripped down Brody’s forehead as he eased himself and Lucie on the bed.
He held her tightly against him while he tried to control his breathing.
He could see her pain lessen slightly, but she was still in excruciating pain, and so was he.
“No,” Aedan growled angrily.
“Now Aedan, wait …” Jasper said, but Aedan shot him a dark look.
“I don’t trust him right now. I’m not bringing someone in who might have another woman,” Aedan growled angrily.
“What?!” Levi’s voice was dark and lethal. If someone was messing around on his precious niece, he didn’t care who the person was. He didn’t fear the vampires.
“I trust the prince. It was a misunderstanding, I’m certain of it.” Jasper tried to reason with Aedan.
“Look what it’s done to her! Do you think this just randomly happened? This is the stress from her mate not being faithful,” Aedan snarled, balling his fists up.
“Okay, Aedan. Go get your parents. They should be here right now,” Reiya said calmly as the door burst open. Xander, Alexa, Brody’s daughter Raine, Brian, Mikah, and Justice all ran into the room.
Justice sprinted to the bed. He looked up at Brody, who was squinting in discomfort, and then down at Lucie, who looked pale and exhausted.
She was whimpering quietly. He reached for her, pulling Lucie into his arms and against his chest. He immediately felt like he was being cut apart with liquid fire.
It burned his skin and stabbed him internally.
This wasn’t pain … this was torture. How was she even managing to endure any of it on her own?
Brody sighed and looked up at Mikah. “We’re going to have to take shifts among the guardians. It’s too much. I’ve never felt anything like it. Somehow, I was able to connect with her. I think all of us guardians should be able to.” He looked at Reiya. “Why is it this intense?”
“I don’t know. We need to get my parents here as well.
Raine, if I open a portal for you, can you go to them?
” Raine nodded, keeping her eyes glued to Lucie.
“Okay, good. Aedan and Raine, you two need to make haste. We need to know how to proceed here. And we’ll need Grayson and Chasen’s help with Lucie. ”
“I’ll go see Grandpa Sage.” Xander turned quickly and jogged down the hall as two portals opened up. Aedan and Raine each vanished. They wouldn’t be gone long. Just enough time to tell the others what was happening.
Alexa walked to the edge of the bed and watched the sweat pour from both Lucie and Justice.
“It isn’t much, but it’s all I can do.” Her eyes watered seeing them in pain, but all she could do was offer some comfort.
She moved her hands slightly and a cold chill flowed around them.
Small, sparkling blue crystals glistened and flickered in the breeze she pushed around them.
“Good thinking, Lex. Your ice element will be perfect here. Keep it flowing evenly, and don’t overexert yourself.
” Reiya watched as Lucie continued to tremble.
But what was concerning was that it seemed like Lucie wasn’t able to maintain consciousness.
She was able to cry out in pain, but she wasn’t responding to any of them. “Lucie. Lucie, can you hear me?”
“Right before we went through the portal, she quit talking. It was like she fainted but she didn’t. Is she going to be alright? I never knew werewolves had heats like this.” Jasper walked near the bed, his hands trembling. “I can’t do anything. I can’t help her, and it’s killing me.”
“Easy, Jasper.” Reiya patted his shoulder. “This isn’t normal. Werewolf heats can be painful, but I’ve never heard of anything like this.”
“Maybe it’s her new fairy powers causing conflict?” Alexa looked over at her mother, who seemed to be at a loss.
“I’ve never seen …” Reiya looked over at Brody, who still was recovering, and then at Justice, who was doing his best to alleviate the pain for Lucie. “It’s draining the guardians.”
Almost simultaneously, two portals opened up, and the room was crowded with people. Freja and Hunter ran to Lucie. Chasen and Jin went to encourage Justice while Lita, Asher, and Grayson stood nearby analyzing the situation.
“Brian, Jasper, Raine, and Aedan, why don’t you go and get something to drink?
We’ll call for you if anything changes.” Reiya’s voice was gentle, calm, and commanding.
There were so many people in the room and everyone wanted to help, but it was best to leave this in the hands of the guardians and leaders, level heads with experience that could come up with a solution.
Jasper and Aedan stood there as the other two left, reluctant to leave her.
“Why isn’t she responding?” Freja turned to look at Hunter. For the first time in a long time, there was real fear in her eyes.
“We need to get Derrick here.” Hunter sighed as Aedan growled menacingly.
“No!”
“Aedan, we’ll work out the details with him after we get him here, but …” Hunter looked back at Lucie and shook his head. “I’ve never … even when Susan went into heat …”
“She’s locked inside herself. Her lycan’s heat is different from a werewolf’s,” Lita said quietly.
“I’m sorry, her what?” Jasper looked up, dumbfounded. This was the first time he’d heard about this.
“Aedan, please take Jasper out and explain this to him. We’ll take it from here,” Hunter said calmly, but his silver eyes meant business. He watched Aedan begrudgingly pat Jasper on the shoulder, and they walked out of the room together.
“As I was saying, her lycan’s heat mixed with her fairy powers.” Lita rubbed Lucie’s arm gently. “There’s something else there too … a strange green energy that seems to be protecting her. It won’t let me enter. I don’t think we can reach her. But a soulmate can.” She looked at Hunter.
“Bring the boy here. But we’ll have a nice little chat with him before we allow him to see Lucie,” Asher said.
Lee chuckled darkly. “If he has wronged Lucie, you won’t have to worry about there being any vampires to make a treaty with.”
“Now you can’t go and kill all the vampires, Lee.” Reiya swatted his arm. “But I wouldn’t be opposed to just the prince.”
“That’s my girl.” Lee chuckled. “Let me find him. It shouldn’t take me long.”
Hunter nodded his head. “Thank you.”
Lee kissed the side of Reiya’s head. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Then he vanished from the room.
“Alright. Let me see what we’re dealing with here.
” Grayson sat next to Justice on the bed.
He chuckled when he saw Justice was unwilling to hand Lucie over.
Guardians became naturally protective and possessive.
It was their nature. “You can’t keep this going.
It’s best that we take shifts with her.” He reached out, and Justice reluctantly handed Lucie over to him.
“Shit.” Grayson grimaced as his arms shook. “What the hell is this?”
“That bad, gramps?” Chasen chuckled as he helped Justice over to a chair.
“Yes. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before.” Brody looked at his brother with worry. There was no way Lucie could survive this on her own.
“It doesn’t make sense. A heat is supposed to help with a mate. It isn’t supposed to be this dangerous.” Freja growled.
“But for a lycan, it is severe,” a gentle, old voice said from the door as Grandpa Sage and Xander walked back in.
“Lycans don’t exist anymore. Aedan and Lucie have magically become these stronger versions of werewolves.
For self-preservation, the heat for a lycan is intense because the need for her to reproduce is dire.
But Lucie is also a fairy princess now, where an heir to the throne is also desperately needed.
The storm created by these two rarities has put her in a deadly state, and I am not saying that loosely.
We aren’t even guardians, but all of us can feel it. This could kill her.”
“Hunter …” Freja whimpered as she squeezed Lucie’s hand. Hunter’s hand landed on Freja’s shoulder and gripped it lightly. “What are we going to do?”
“We’ll talk with Derrick first.” Hunter frowned as he listened to his daughter’s cries. One of the most painful things in the world is watching your child suffer and knowing there’s nothing you can do to ease it.
“And what if it’s true? What if he does have someone else but he’s the only one who can help her?” Freja tilted her head back to meet with his silver eyes.
“If he marks her, will the heat stop?” Alexa asked as she continued to cool Lucie and Grayson with her ice.
“No,” Hunter said quietly.
“He needs to mark and mate with her,” Grandpa Sage said.
“But she’s unconscious!” Alexa said, outraged.
“We would make sure she consented and was awake.” Freja smiled and looked at Alexa. “But she might not be able to consent to the marking. It should be enough to break her from this state, though.”
“He’s the only one who can wake her? So what happens with all of this if …” Alexa looked at her mother Reiya, mortified.
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out.
” Reiya looked over at Hunter. “Maybe someone else can mark her and be with her, if she can’t have her fated mate.
I’m not about to hand her over to anyone who doesn’t know what a special treasure she is.
She deserves the best. I can’t just hand her over to him if he plans to keep a mistress. ”
Mikah growled. “What about Jasper? Couldn’t he help her instead?”
“Do you think he would mark his prince and cousin’s mate?” Hunter shook his head with a frown. “I don’t think he would, and I couldn’t ask that of him.”
Mikah listened as Alexa’s voice entered his head and he chuckled slightly. He rubbed his forehead and looked back at Lucie’s pale face. “Don’t you think that’s problematic?” He arched his brow at Alexa, who shook her head.
“What is it?” Reiya asked.
“I asked if Mikah would do it. If her mate isn’t someone who will take care of her, if he would …” Alexa looked at him, almost pleading with him.
“I think honestly the next best choice would be Brian.” Mikah looked up at Xander.
“I’m Alexa’s guardian. It would be a bit of a conflict for me.
But Brian could. He’s unrelated.” He shrugged a bit.
“But I won’t let her die. There are options here.
We don’t have to force her fated mate on her. But we would need to reach her …”
Freja gripped Lucie’s hand tightly. She could feel her daughter’s body trembling from the pain. She couldn’t reach her because of the green energy emanating from her. It was troubling, and a realization hit her.
“That light, Lita … the energy.” Freja’s eyes met Lita’s. “It’s demonic.”
“Yes, I think so too.” Lita nodded slowly.
“What the hell happened to her in the vampire kingdom? Get Aedan back in here!” Hunter growled.