“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 toconsent to the marking. It should be enough to break her from this state, though.”
