Chapter 46
“What is this about demon energy and Lucie?” Hunter growled as Aedan and Jasper walked back in together.
“The energy isn’t doing anything to her, is it?” Aedan asked, feeling anxious that Abaas might be hurting his sister.
“No. It seems to be protecting her. Overly protecting her. It won’t let your mother and grandmother reach her. What do you know about it?” Hunter watched as Aedan looked over at Jasper.
“I don’t know if we should focus on this issue right now,” Jasper said quietly.
He knew this would be a sensitive topic.
“As a general idea, I had a djinn inside me, and Lucie bound the djinn to herself and another. She made herself the master and the other the servant.” He looked at her with a faint smile.
“She protected me … when I’m supposed to be protecting her.
She couldn’t stand for me to be bound by the master-servant relationship. ”
“Djinns are very loyal to their masters. But who would agree to become her servant like that?” Jin asked, a bit confused.
“That is a topic for another day,” Aedan said firmly. “We don’t need to add more to this situation.”
“Well, we can have the servant lower this energy so we can try to reach her.” Lita watched as Aedan shifted his weight, looking at Jasper.
“If we have to, but her servant is recovering now, too,” Jasper said.
“I heard it can take a while for a servant to adjust to the new relationship,” Jin added thoughtfully.
“We’ll wait to see if we need him first.” Aedan frowned.
“I don’t know what to do about Derrick, though.
I want to believe in him. I want to trust him.
I know I’ve been sounding really against him.
I don’t want to give the wrong impression here.
I really like Derrick, but … I don’t know what to think.
Right now I can’t just trust him, not when it comes to Lucie. I need to protect her even more now.”
“Jasper won’t like this, but we’ll be handling Derrick when he gets here.” Xander’s voice was terse and agitated. They would get to the bottom of it, no matter what.
“I’m telling you, he would never—” Jasper growled but was immediately interrupted.
“That isn’t good enough for us, Jasper.” Hunter growled lowly.
“I need to have a chat with him before he comes anywhere near my daughter. She needs help, but I won’t commit her to a life of misery.
We just need to hear what he has to say about all of this so we can make a wise decision moving forward. ”
“A wise decision?” Jasper asked curiously.
“Lucie is in bad condition. The type of pain she’s in … if the guardians weren’t helping her …” Freja shook her head, unable to continue.
“We won’t let her die. In case Derrick does have someone else, we need to think about our next steps.” Hunter’s worried eyes landed on Lucie. She was pale and still sweating, even through Alexa’s ice magic. How long could her body withstand this, even with the guardians?
“Dad, are you saying …” Aedan squeezed his hands into fists and pursed his lips.
“Would you take her as your mate to save her life?” Xander pinned his gaze on Jasper, who looked at him, his eyes wide. “As of now, you, Brian, and Mikah are our options. But taking Lucie as a mate would mean giving up on your fated mate.”
“Which brings me back to how Mikah would be the best candidate for marking Lucie,” Alexa said as she swirled more ice crystals over Lucie and Grayson.
“I don’t have a fated mate out there,” Mikah said with a shrug.
“What happened with Chasen is a fluke of nature because of some Werewolf King playing cupid.” He winked over at Hunter.
“Look, I love Lucie, but it’s not the love of her fated mate.
But like I said, I won’t let her die. If the situation seems dire, I’ll do what’s necessary.
Hey, maybe that’s why I’m so strong. Maybe it’s to look after not just one but two troublesome fairy princesses. ”
“This is all just a misunderstanding,” Jasper said, though there was uncertainty in his voice.
If it was a life or death situation, he wouldn’t hesitate to take Lucie as his mate either.
But that would cause a huge rift among their families.
They would divide into two royal lines. It would almost be like declaring inner war among the vampires. Everything was a mess right now.
“Don’t worry, Jasper. You only need to worry if he’s playing with my niece.” Chasen snarled as he moved to the bed. “Alright, old man. I’ll take the next shift.”
Grayson eased Lucie against Chasen and smirked slightly at Chasen’s shocked face.
“What, little cub? Too much for you?” He wiped the dampness from his forehead and laid on the floor.
“I know one thing. If we can’t fix this soon, we’re going to need to recruit more guardians.
” He chuckled dryly and rested his eyes.
“Mikah is the strongest. He should be able to last longer, right?” Alexa asked, looking up at her guardian. His strength was almost at a scary level, and his skills were constantly growing.
Mikah nodded his head. “After Chasen is at his limit, I’ll see what I can do for her. Maybe … I’m Alexa’s guardian, so I can connect with her energy flow. Maybe I can do something with Lucie’s.”
“I can’t see her energy at all. It’s blocked. Justice probably can, but he’s too inexperienced right now.” Chasen gritted as he endured the crippling pain.
Derrick wiped the dark blood off his forehead, along with his own perspiration. They’d been trying to find the witch’s location but had been kept busy fighting off various small bands of the voidless. He looked up as Chaz tossed the last of the bodies into a pile, lighting them on fire.
It had been a while since he’d seen Lucie, since he’d seen her smile, since he’d smelled her scent.
It was driving him crazy. He longed for her constantly.
It was unbearable being apart from her. And today, he felt restless.
He felt like he needed to go to her, but he didn’t know why.
Today was the welcoming ceremony, and then she would be heading to the dragon kingdom.
She was fine, right? He just missed her so much, his body was trying to force him to return to her.
And he would, soon. He needed to see her again.
There was some unfinished business between them.
“Hey Ryan, you look like you’re far away.” Zach patted him on the back and smiled. “Go to her, man. We can handle things here.”
Derrick chuckled. “I’m going to have to see her soon. I’m drowning here.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
Suddenly, a man appeared in front of them. The man’s cool blue eyes scanned over everyone before landing on Derrick.
“Who here is Lucie’s mate?”
Derrick felt his heart stop beating, and panic hit him. “Is she alright? What happened?!”
The blue eyes narrowed on him and a low growl escaped his throat. “No, she isn’t alright … and depending on your answers, you might not be alright either.”
Derrick looked at the man in confusion. “What are you talking about? My answers?” He shook his head. “Where’s Lucie? What’s wrong with her? You’re Leviathan, aren’t you?”
Levi growled again and took long, commanding strides, his icy blue eyes staying fixed on him. “You’re coming with me” He looked around at the other vampires. “You may not be returning for a while. Maybe not at all.”
“Easy, Zach,” Derrick said, seeing his friend tensing up. “You and Chaz are in charge. You know what to do.” He nodded his head to him and Chaz. His eyes met the deity’s. “Take me to her, please.”
Lucie watched as a man stood half-hidden in the shadows, his gaze fixed on her great-grandmother.
The scene unfolded around her like she wasn’t just witnessing it but standing inside it.
She could feel Alice’s fear as if it lived beneath her own skin.
It coiled tight in her chest, urging her to run, to hide, to escape something she couldn’t fully see.
At the same time, another emotion pressed in, just as strong, just as consuming.
She could feel Abaas’ pain and desire. It crashed through her in waves.
Fear and darkness. It was like being torn between two souls at once.
Her heart pounded.
Her chest ached.
It felt real. Too real. Like she wasn’t just watching the past but reliving it.
The images flickered faster, blurring at the edges like a reel spinning out of control, moments slipping through her grasp before she could fully understand them. Then, just as suddenly—
Everything vanished. Darkness swallowed her whole.
Lucie gasped, her body trembling as tears streamed down her face, the weight of everything she’d felt still clinging to her. The silence pressed in around her, thick and endless—
Until a soft white glow began to form in front of her.
She heard a sweet voice speaking to her. “It’s better in here. You aren’t feeling the pain while locked inside yourself.”
“Are you the one keeping me locked in here?” Lucie asked.
“Yes and no.” A woman with shining hair appeared, a soft white glow emanating from her.
“The Moon Goddess?” Lucie asked, though it was quite obvious. The woman nodded her head slightly.
“Did you show me those visions?”