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.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR
Reiya gripped Hunter tighter as the darkness lunged for them, cutting right through their purple energy. Of course. What were they expecting? Hunter had sparred against Leviathan with two guardians and a dragon king. They didn’t even have a chance. So what could they do now? How could they even stand a chance against this darkness?
Slayer was upon them, and his darkness came down onto them violently. The energy surrounding Hunter and Reiya suddenly became infused with another shade of blue, the combination becoming indigo as it lashed out at Slayer viciously. Its body went flying backward, stopping and hesitating after that. The indigo energy leaped after him, lashing over its darkness.
Hunter felt a new energy form inside him. A light similar to his sister’s began to swirl around, similar to how all of his family’s energies existed, only it was stronger and brighter. When the indigo light sprung out toward Slayer again, it began to retreat, deciding this was not the easy prey it thought it had found.
Hunter peered into the darkness as he felt the sinister energy slip farther away from them. Reiya then fell forward, slipping from his grip, and he caught her right before she fell.
“Reiya, what have you done?” Hunter lifted her up into his chest. “Are you … Are you …?”
Reiya smiled weakly. “I guess this necklace doesn’t work as well when she decides to use all the energy up in one go.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “You’re going to be an uncle times three.”
His silver eyes looked down at her with a mixture of emotions: happiness, concern, and anger. “Did you know? You knew, didn’t you? And you fought anyway.”
Reiya gave him a sheepish smile. “I had to.”
“Dammit, Reiya. You’re going to be in so much trouble when Levi finds out,” Hunter growled.
“Oh no I won’t. He owes me. He unlinked our bond without telling me.” Reiya smiled as she bit her bottom lip.
“I can’t believe you would do something like this without telling your mate,” Hunter scolded.
Reiya smiled softly at him. If he only knew his mate had done the same. She had a feeling that once they made it back safely, neither of the men would be upset. But they had to make it back to them first.
“I’ve never heard of something like this before. I think your unborn daughter just saved our lives.” Hunter couldn’t believe the strength that came from the baby growing inside Reiya. Of course, since Reiya was the fairy princess, she was guaranteed to have a daughter first. It was how it always was with fairies. Except for his mother, who gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. “How are you feeling?”
“Well I had an amulet that stored energy from Lee in it, but that was all sucked away. I guess this little girl is going to be incredibly strong. I can’t believe I feel this depleted already.”Reiya’s arms felt heavy and her feet felt heavy as extreme fatigue blanketed her. At least the pain hadn’t started yet.
“We need to find this Endymion and get out of here before Slayer decides to come back again. I think we took him by surprise this time, but he will be better prepared next time.” Hunter hoisted Reiya higher up in his arms. He was incredibly worried now, knowing she was pregnant. “What if we can’t make it out of here?” He shook his head as he started walking toward where the energy was pulling them.
“Well, actually … umm, that Ken … the reason he can help us find our way back is because he’s linked to my daughter, as her mate,” Reiya whispered.
“Wait … what?! Well, what about you? What about me? Are we linked to our mates the same way?”
“No. I don’t feel myself being pulled toward Lee. I can feel her energy pulling toward Ken now, but I don’t understand why. Maybe it’s because she’s a demigod and he’s a deity?” Reiya wasn’t sure what the reason was, but one thing was certain. The connection was already strong between them. She wondered what Lee would think about all this.
Hunter shook his head in disbelief. “So we’re all having kids. And Chasen’s daughter is spoken for, your daughter is spoken for, and if I have a daughter, she will be spoken for as well. Brody’s baby is the only one not matched up yet.” He let out a dry chuckle. He had to laugh. This wasn’t just coincidence, right?
“And they’re all powerful mates,” Reiya said as she mulled it over. “I hope there isn’t another war coming that they’re preparing for.”
“Please, no. I think our family has been the chosen ones long enough. I want a vacation.” Hunter laughed and grinned down at Reiya.
“As the Werewolf King, I don’t think you have the privilege of taking breaks.” She giggled up at him.
“Reiya.” Hunter peered ahead at a small glow in the distance. A light was pulsating in rhythm with their own, and moving closer to them.
Reiya felt a calmness from it, and she could feel Hunter relax as well. It had to be Endymion. They had already encountered Slayer, and there was no other presence in the black hole but Endymion.
As they got closer, they saw a tall, lean, toned man walking up to them. He had a tired smile on his face.
“I guess Selene finally managed to get you here to me. I’m Endymion.” His voice was kind and gentle. He looked at Reiya and frowned. “Are you alright?”
“We had a small encounter with your Slayer. She’s okay, just tired,” Hunter said as he studied the man in front of him.
