Chapter 55
“So, my dear …” His brown eyes were almost smiling at her. “Do you know who I am?”
Lucie knew that this was the man she saw in her premonition, but he didn’t know she knew who he was. Only that she knew he didn’t belong here. She held his gaze with confidence. “Judging from your energy, I only have one guess, and that is you are the one they refer to as Wicker.”
The man chuckled darkly. “I hate that nickname. It was given to me by the demons. Of course, I am no demon. But you already know this, don’t you?
” He arched his brow slightly, a smile still resting on his face.
Meanwhile, he continued to twirl her across the dance floor.
“No matter. My name is Erebus. I am the god of darkness. So while I am not a demon, it does feel more like home around them.”
“And to what do I owe the honor of this visit? You here to bring me to the witch?” Lucie asked sweetly.
He let out a genuine laugh. “Oh, how adorable. No, I only want one thing from that witch, and that is her soul. She made a deal with me, and upon her death, I will devour her soul. The faster she dies, the better, but I can’t physically harm her because of the agreement.
The last thing I want is to assist her. No, I’m here for a different reason.
I heard the fairy princess was here and that she was the vampire prince’s mate.
” His eyes narrowed on her, trailing to her neck. “Now, how is that possible?”
“How is what possible?” Lucie felt his intense gaze on her. He was studying her. And a realization hit her. He didn’t know there were two fairy princesses, since it was rare … unheard of, actually. It had NEVER happened before.
“I was under good authority that the fairy princess had another mate.” Erebus’ voice trailed low as he studied the magic around the girl in front of him.
“Yet, there is no denying that you are the fairy princess. I feel like I’m missing something important here.
I guess that’s what happens when I stay in the dark for too long.
Things that happen in the light escape me.
I guess it’s possible that you have two mates. ”
Lucie wanted to mindlink someone to warn them, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t feel Derrick either. Her mind was being blocked from reaching out by a strange energy. Her eyes stared back at his as he continued to look at her.
“I wanted to break you. I wanted him to see you broken. Of course, if you’ve taken another mate, he must be pretty broken already …” Erebus mumbled to himself, seeming somewhat disappointed.
“Break who?” Lucie asked innocently.
“Your other mate. The one who’s pretending that you aren’t his mate.
Well, maybe I got my sources wrong, because you aren’t exactly what I was expecting.
I thought the fairy princess was … different.
Hmm. I’m going to have to think about this.
You know this is his fault.” Erebus looked upward at his hairline with a scowl.
“My hair used to be darker than ebony. You could get lost staring into its darkness. But that damn Kraken … he destroyed something I loved, so I must return the favor.”
“Wait … you wanted to break me because of what he did to your hair?” Lucie continued to play her part.
“I don’t love much. But I loved my hair. I suppose I might have another reason. In either case, you seem to have already ruined my fun.” He pursed his lips together and stared at her. “What to do now?” He clicked his tongue as he twirled her out and back into his chest.
Lucie felt like a mouse being played with by a cat, helpless as he batted her around. She didn’t stand a chance against him; all she could do was try to think. She wanted to alert the others, but at the same time, she didn’t want them getting killed.
He stared back into her defiant eyes. Where was her fear?
It aggravated him. She should be trembling in his arms, and yet she looked at him with those damn confident eyes.
Whatever happened to the days when the fairy princess would shriek in fear of demons?
He wasn’t one, but he was still part of the darkness.
She challenged him. And he felt annoyed.
“Let’s play a game.” His lips curled upward, a cruel smile appearing on his face. “Yes … a game. That’s what we’ll do.”
One second, Lucie was dancing in a ballroom surrounded by others, and the next, she was whisked away.
She blinked, disoriented, her heels now planted on rough, uneven ground instead of polished marble.
Ancient gray stone surrounded her on every side, the blocks worn smooth by centuries, their crevices thick with creeping moss and dark patches of lichen.
The space was small, suffocating almost, with no door that she could see—only a narrow window carved into the far wall where pale light bled through.
The air was heavy, damp, carrying the stale bite of mildew that coated the back of her throat.
But beneath it, something else. Salt. The distant crash of waves echoed off the stone, rhythmic and relentless.
He released her, and she crossed to a small window on unsteady legs, gripping the rough ledge as she leaned out.
Nothing but water. Dark, endless ocean stretching to the horizon in every direction, the surface churning gray beneath an overcast sky.
She turned back to Erebus, searching his face for an explanation.
“What kind of game is this?”
His arrogant smile remained on his face. “Let’s see if someone finds you. If someone finds you, I’ll let you go. Simple. Just like that.”
“You’re trying to lure out the man you said is my other mate … the Kraken.” Lucie watched his eyes flicker as he looked at her.
“Even if you’ve taken another mate … if he is your mate, he should come for you.”
“And what does that do?” Lucie was trying to figure him out, but she was in real trouble here.
She had a feeling escaping would not be an easy task.
How would she escape from a deity? He would just appear again, right in front of her.
She couldn’t fight him, it would be impossible. So how could she get out of this mess?
“I want to see his pain.”
“Are you planning to fight him?”
“I’m not collecting souls for no reason. It’s a nice little power boost to give me the edge over him. But I’m not quite ready for that yet. No … right now, I just want to see his pain.”
“What if someone else comes for me?” Lucie asked. His eyes trailed over her slowly.
“If someone comes for you, you have my word that you are free to go. No matter who comes for you. But my lady … who would find you out here?” Erebus nodded his head toward the window.
Lucie clenched her hands together tightly and turned back toward the opening. She peered outside. There was no land. She was in a tall tower in the middle of the ocean. What the heck was this place? But she was a fairy, so she could call the marine fairies for help, right?
“Oh and another thing …” Erebus said with a chuckle. “You can’t use your fairy magic in here. There’s also a barrier outside the window. Can’t have you jumping out now, can I?” Erebus chuckled as Lucie’s green eyes met his gaze.
“You planned all of this just to capture me?”
“Don’t look at me like that. I have eternal life.
What is time to me? And you, a future vampire queen.
What is an eternity for you? You haven’t even tasted life yet.
” His dark eyes bore into her. His eyes traveled over her body and the black dress she was wearing.
“I can see how you would have been fitting as a deity’s mate.
Maybe the Kraken just wanted to make sure you were immortal.
Yes, that must be it. Ken isn’t about to let anyone take what is his. It isn’t in that lunatic’s nature.”
“You call him the lunatic, yet you abducted me,” Lucie said with a quiet chuckle.
“You have spirit, fairy. I wonder how long that fire inside you will burn before it’s extinguished.
” His arrogant smile returned as he rolled his shoulders back.
“Let’s see how you handle isolation. I wonder how long it will take for Ken to find you out here.
He will find you eventually, though. Oh, and don’t worry.
I’ll send food and drink to you. I need to keep my precious prisoner alive.
Well, I’ll check on you soon.” Erebus gave her a smug grin before he vanished from her sight.
She ran to the window and tried to push through it, but she hit an invisible barrier.
He wasn’t lying about the shield. She looked around the round stone room.
There were no doors. No way out but the window.
But … maybe he only shielded the window.
She walked up and touched the cold stone wall.
She would have to break through the wall and hope there wasn’t a barrier on the other side. It was her only chance.
Damn. I really am in a situation here …
Loud gasps echoed in the ballroom the moment Lucie vanished.
Derrick spun his head in the direction where he had seen Lucie last and discovered she wasn’t there.
He heard the murmuring of voices and the words that the princess vanished.
Derrick looked around frantically, dropping the hand of the girl he was dancing with.
He rushed over to the other end of the room and met up with Aedan, Justice, and Ryan.
“What happened? Where is she?” Derrick asked in a panicked voice.
“She vanished. The guy she was dancing with just vanished with her.” Ryan shook his head. “Damn it, it’s my fault. I didn’t recognize the guy. I shouldn’t have let him—”
“Shit. Who could have done something like this?” Justice looked up at Aedan’s dark eyes.
“To bypass the vampire army, only a high-level demon or deity has this type of power.” Derrick clenched his teeth. “Abe!” Derrick growled, and the man appeared in front of him. “Can you feel her? Can you use your connection to go to her? She’s been taken.”
“I …” Abe shook his head. “I can feel her. But the connection is muffled. I can’t get an accurate reading. I won’t stop. I’m going to look for her,” Abe said darkly as anger flashed over his eyes.
“Wait. We need to think about this. Whoever took her … what if it was Wicker, and he took her to the witch? Ryan, I need you to go to the front line and find out how things are going with Jasper. If the witch has her now …” Derrick felt his heart racing. He couldn’t lose her.
“If a deity has her, there is only one person who can help.” Aedan looked at Derrick. “Where did Lucie put her piece of the pearl? We need to get to Uncle Levi.”
“Wait, I’m coming with you. I’m going to have my father put out a high-alert distress order. My mate has been taken. This is not something we can take lightly. I will have him send his armies to the front lines. If she has her …”
“No matter what, we need my Uncle Levi. Dispatch your armies, but have them wait with Jasper. We will consult with the others and form a plan. We need to think this through.” Aedan knew his family was experienced in these matters, so it was best to seek their counsel.
Plus, no one else could fight on par with a deity or an upper-level demon.
“You guys sit around and think things through. I’m going looking for her.
” Abe growled and vanished. To hell with waiting.
He wouldn’t wait for something bad to happen to her.
He would follow their connection the best he could.
Maybe he could map out a general area of where to search.
He had to find her. No matter who had taken her …
it didn’t matter to him if he was risking his soul. All he wanted was her safety.