He’s in the garden at the back of King Raphael’s mansion, which suits me. I’ve been soaking up as much of the sun as I can. Being pregnant drains my energy so much faster, and the sun is a great natural battery charger.
We find Adrian observing hummingbirds drinking from the bird feeder attached to a tree. His hands are clasped behind his back, and he seems to be in a different world. Even though he’s wearing modern clothes, he still looks like he doesn’t belong to this century. It’s not that what he’s wearing doesn’t suit him. I suppose it’s his aura that’s at odds with our current time.
“Good afternoon, Adrian,” I say to get this attention.
He looks over his shoulder, and I’m struck by how pretty he is. Of course I noticed last night that he was attractive, but in broad daylight, he’s even more stunning. It’s not a surprise that King Raphael looked at him the way he did.
“Hello, Vivienne. It’s good to see you again. You too, Karl and Cheryl.”
“How are you feeling?” Karl asks.
“Overwhelmed, lost. Take your pick.” He shrugs.
“I was hoping we could talk more about your time in the Valley of Lost Souls,” I cut to the chase.
Adrian’s easygoing smile vanishes from his lips. “I’m afraid I won’t have much to tell you. My memories of my time there are fading fast.”
Shit. That isn’t good.
“To be honest, mine too,” Karl admits. “I wish other memories would fade as well.”
He must be referring to the time he was my mother’s prisoner. Every time I think about what they went through, the rage simmering in my gut grows larger. I don’t want to feed it more—it’s probably not good for the baby—but it’s hard to contain my emotions sometimes.
The baby kicks, and I wince, covering my belly with my hand.
“Is everything all right?” Adrian walks over, concern etched on his face.
“Yes. Just Baby Gael being extra active today.”
A sharp pain flares in my side, making me lean forward. Whoa. This was different. Adrian reaches for my arm, and the moment he touches me, a golden chain with a medallion appears around his neck, and he starts to glow.
“Oh my God. What’s happening?” Cheryl asks.
“It’s the Magna Vis,” Karl says in awe. “You had it this whole time, Adrian.”
Adrian’s blue eyes are wide and shining with confusion. “I didn’t know.”
I feel a strange compulsion to touch the medallion. When I do, a blinding light explodes from within, and then the world vanishes.
LUCCA
I wake up with a start, all thanks to the sharp pain in my chest. I reach for Vivi, but her side of the bed is empty and cold. Hell. Where is she? The ache in my heart won’t go away, though, not even when I massage the area. I get out of bed in a hurry and go search for her. Something isn’t right.
I rush down the stairs, reaching the ground floor just as Karl and Cheryl burst through the door. They don’t need to say a word for me to know something happened to Vivi.
“Where is she?”
“We don’t know,” Karl replies. “We were with Adrian in your uncle’s garden when the Magna Vis reappeared, hanging around Adrian’s neck.”
“Vivi touched it, and there was a blinding light like an explosion, and then they were gone,” Cheryl adds.
“No!” The scream claws out of my throat. I grab Karl’s arms, digging my nails into his skin. “How could you let that happen?”
His green eyes turn wolfish. “It happened in seconds. There was nothing Cheryl and I could have done.”
“Lucca, release him!” Manu pulls me away from her mate, and I see the crimson marks I left on his arms.
“What did King Raphael say?” Ronan asks.
