You’re going to need my help until the other soldiers come.Jasper looked at Derrick.I’ll come back and take Lucie to the vampire kingdom right after the situation is under control, but for now, you’re going to need me, so don’t argue or I will pull rank on you.Jasper gave him a serious look. They didn’t know that Derrick was the prince and only the prince could outrank Jasper, besides their king and queen.
What is everyone doing currently?Derrick asked Lenny.
They’ve broken up in groups of two and are trying to eliminate as many as possible.
Derrick nodded.Go.He looked at Jasper and nodded again.Go too. I’ll catch up.
Jasper and Lenny both blurred away while Derrick turned to face Lucie. He could see the concern in her eyes. He wished they could have had their moment together first. He tookcommanding steps toward her and took her hand, pulling her to a more secluded area of the house.
“Baby, I’ve got to go.” He cupped her cheeks and looked into her eyes.
“What’s wrong? What’s happening?” Lucie pleaded with her eyes as she felt her stomach drop. For him to have to leave like this, it must be something big.
He rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs and smiled. “Everything is going to be fine. The voidless are spreading out and heading for other packs. It’s a trap to lure your family out. I’m certain of it. We’ll take care of it. It isn’t more than we can handle. But I’m going to have to personally see to this.” The look in her eyes was breaking his heart. He could feel how much she wanted to go with him.
“But what if?—”
Derrick leaned forward and pressed his mouth against hers, silencing her. Their lips moved together as he enjoyed the quick taste of her.
“Listen to me. When Jasper comes back, he’s taking you to the vampire kingdom. Please, just go with him for now. And after the ceremony, you can head to the dragon kingdom. I will see you soon.” He squeezed her against him tightly with one hand while the other tilted her chin up to him. He crashed into her lips again, urgently and desperately. His last taste of his mate before he would have to leave her. “I love you, Lucie. Stay here and wait for Jasper …”
Lucie couldn’t breathe, experiencing a mixture of both their strangled emotions. She could feel her eyes watering slightly, which caught her off guard. She didn’t imagine she was going to feel this way when they had to part. Though to be honest, this was very unexpected. She squeezed her fingers into his shirt. “I love you. Please … be safe, and come back to me soon.”
He brushed his lips against her forehead and inhaled her scent deeply. He then squeezed his eyes shut and pulled away from her. When he reached the door, he turned to Aedan. “Take care of her for me,” he said, his voice cracking slightly. His eyes met with the watery emeralds of his mate. He felt like his heart was shattering. It was taking everything in him to fight against his instincts in order to leave her. He forced a smile. “I love you … my little mate.”
Lucie watched as he disappeared from the room. Sam left as well, shutting the door to give her privacy. She felt Aedan’s arm wrap around her shoulder as tears spilled down her cheeks. She felt a heavy pressure on her chest. Her nose and eyes burned. The farther his scent trailed away, the heavier the pressure became. Part of her soul was gone, and it was a painful feeling.
“Let’s binge movies all night. We’ll set up a fort in the living room and fill it with snacks.” Aedan knew he couldn’t do anything to help her, but he could at least stay by her side. Seeing his sister’s tears hurt him, because he couldn’t fix this. He looked up at the closed door with a frown, “Come on, Lucie,” he said gently as he led her away.
CHAPTER 35
Lucie woke up on the couch, a fuzzy blanket covering her. She wasn’t sure at what point she fell asleep, but there was morning light streaming in from the window. She looked over and saw Aedan sleeping on the recliner next to her. He’d stayed with her all night. She smiled at him. He was a really good brother. He did his best to keep her distracted last night.
Inhaling deeply, she sat up. This was unnatural. She needed to be by her mate’s side, helping him fight. She wasn’t the type to sit idly by while the guy, her mate, saved the day. Neither were her parents, though, and they were planning to stand down for now. She didn’t know much except what she’d been told about Meryl, Beryl’s grandmother, but her parents were being cautious.
Inside, she felt a hole that never existed before. The absence of her mate was something she had never experienced in the past. And even though she wouldn’t do it, she wanted to bringthe barriers up again. She missed him. Missing him was a shallow way to describe the depth of her feelings. She hoped he was alright.
“I need foooooood. Pancakes, Lucie! Pancaaaakkeeess,” Aedan whined, his eyes still closed.
Lucie giggled and shook her head. He was still trying to distract her by making her cook. “Alright, I’ll whip us up some pancakes.”
“Eggs and sausage too. Oh, and wheat toast,” Aedan mumbled and turned his head to the side, his eyes still closed.
Lucie smiled as she quietly walked out of the room. Usually, she would chastise him, but not this time. He had a poor night’s sleep just so he could keep watch over her. And even though he was going to benefit from it, he was using cooking as a distraction. Even asleep, he was still aware of her. At least cooking was comforting to her. It was therapeutic and would keep her distracted, for now. She couldn’t wait for Jasper to come back and give her a full report.
Soon, the aroma of the different foods she was cooking filled the air, the scent waking Aedan up and beckoning him into the kitchen. “Banana pancakes and chocolate chip pancakes? And is that stuffed French toast?” Aedan eyed a plate she was dusting with powdered sugar.
“Yes it is. Just my little way of saying thank you for staying with me last night.”
“Well, I expect this every day now, since I’ll be staying with you every night for a while,” Aedan said with a wide grin.
“Cute, Aedan, but consider this a future down payment as well.” Lucie raised a brow at him with a grin, stacking the pancakes on a plate.
“Eh, I’ll take it. You think you made enough?” Aedan looked over all the different plates of food.
Lucie giggled and shrugged. “Guess there’s plenty.” She and Aedan set the many plates at the table, her brother filling his plate up with a bit of everything. Soon, he was shoveling food into his mouth.
“Mmmm, these are fantastic, Lucie.” Aedan was in pure heaven.
