A low, lethal snarl crept from Jasper. “I want the truth.”
Stella tilted her head to the side and took her phone back. “I’m sorry. Were you interested in me? I’m sorry … but I am with Ryan.”
The noise in the area began to fade. Flashes of the pictures of Stella and Derrick entered Lucie’s head. And then the sound of his voice saying he loved her on the video. She felt sick. Physically nauseous. A storm slowly raged inside her, but she couldn’t seem to navigate her way out of it. She was becoming lost inside herself. Doubt seized her. Did she really know Derrick? She wanted to know Derrick. She wanted to trust Derrick … but could she?
Lucie’s fears surfaced as anguish took refuge in her chest, soon crashing against a wave of rage. An emotional storm brewed inside her.
Was it all pretend for the sake of the treaty? Did Derrick only tell her what he thought she wanted to hear? What he could feel she needed to hear? She didn’t have any experience with relationships. She was naïve. She thought she could have love … but at the end of the day, it was just an arranged marriage. Derrick had already found his person and he loved her. Something inside her cracked, and she felt a stabbing pain. Her vision blurred and it became harder to breathe. She wanted to think logically about everything, but the emotions were suffocating her.
Lucie felt arms embrace her, and then in a flash, she was inside the castle. She blinked and then looked at the person retreating. His dark hair and dark eyes slowly came into focus. He looked at her with concern.
“Deep breaths,” Abaas said soothingly.
“Am I … broken?” Lucie’s breath staggered, and she felt her insides being torn apart as another wave of nausea hit her. This time, she swallowed the bile down, and it burned her throat. She looked up to see Abaas’ legs trembling slightly. She remembered he needed to be resting, and he’d used his energy to teleport her inside. “I told you to rest.”
“You needed me.”
She nodded her head with a smile. She relied on others too much. She needed to be more like her mother, the huntress. She didn’t need anyone. She relied on no one. She never had to feel herself being destroyed, not after the loss of her parents. “I’m weak aren’t I?” She looked up at Abaas’ dark eyes as hers watered. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to believe. How can I be this weak? Why can’t I just believe in someone? Why do I have to doubt? Why is this fear gripping me, and why am I saying all of this to you?” She bit her bottom lip and inhaled a deep breath. “You need to go rest. I’m going to go to visit my family now. Thank you for pulling me away from that situation. Really, thank you.”
Her nose and eyes burned but she blinked the tears back. Jasper would probably be coming soon. She needed to bury her feelings like she used to. She didn’t want to feel any of this. A strange numbness began to creep through her body.
“Don’t do this to yourself, Lucie.” Abaas’ voice was gentle. He watched her shift her gaze back to him. She looked broken. But he knew where that road could lead. “Don’t lose yourself. You could end up down a very dangerous path that spirals out of your control. Trust me, I know.” He met her gaze and gave her a small smile. “Having someone to lean on is a strength. One that not everyone has. Use that strength, Lucie, and discover what the truth is. Once you have the undeniable truth, go from there.”
A single crystal trickled from her right eye. She reached up and slowly wiped it away. “It’s so hard being apart from him. I find myself doubting the bond the longer we’re apart.” She reached up and touched her bare neck. “Was it real? Did I really feel it? I have nothing to prove it’s there. What if it wasn’t real? What if it was a clever spell? And what if … what if I’m not who he wants? I don’t like this.” Her voice was an icy whisper, and she hated the person she was being right now.
“Don’t do this to yourself. I … I understand how this all feels. It’s painful. To wonder why you weren’t good enough. To wonder why you couldn’t be the one. And why someone else ended up being the right one. Why them? What’s wrong with me? You aren’t even given a fair chance, and then the poison latches onto your soul, and before you know it …” Abaas looked away from her. “Before you know it, you’re no longer the person you were. You’re the poison you create.” He looked back at her. “All I know is he always talked about you. I wasn’t always around him when he was here, but when I was, his focus was on you. Don’t fall into darkness. We have enough demons in this world. We could use more fairy princesses. I know things seem bleak right now, but search for the light. And if you can’t find it, then create your own.”
Abaas had a chance to kick her further into darkness, and instead he ended up throwing her a life preserver. A faint smile spread across her lips. The pain was still there, and she still needed to sort through her feelings, but she wasn’t going to shut everyone out. She wouldn’t lock away her emotions. “Thank you.” She stared into his eyes. At one point, he was evil and deserved the death he got. But this soul of his had to be different. Maybe this was who he could have been if he would have chosen a different path.
A sharp pain tore across her stomach. It was like being ripped apart by a hot sword. She threw herself backward,clutched her stomach, and slid down the wall, a whimper escaping her lips.
“Shit. I was afraid of this,” Abaas said as Aedan came running in.
“Lucie … Oh HELL!” Aedan shook his head and muttered a string of curses. He walked up to Lucie and put his hand on her shoulder.
“I think the shock of everything plus her new fairy powers is the cause of this.” Abaas shook his head angrily. “You need to get her to a guardian.”
“Lucie! What happened? Abaas, why did you take her?” Jasper ran down the hall with Ryan at his side.
“What’s wrong with her?” Jasper asked as he slid down to her side. He watched as she curled into a ball on the floor. A cry escaped her lips as her body shook in pain.
“She’s in heat.” Aedan squeezed his fists together. “This is why she should have been marked already. After finding her mate, and the shock of everything that’s happened …” Aedan looked at Jasper angrily. He was livid with Derrick. And he would personally see to his cheating self for hurting his sister.
“It isn’t true.” Jasper shook his head adamantly. He looked down at Lucie. “It isn’t true. He never … he wouldn’t ever … I know…”
Lucie couldn’t even look at him. Her eyes were squeezed tight as she tried to weather the pain. She had two storms meeting together, and they were forming a massive hurricane inside her. She felt Aedan tenderly scoop her up into his chest.
“We’re leaving. Now. She needs to get to where someone can help,” Aedan said coldly.
“Her mate can help … I can send?—”
Aedan growled loudly, baring his fangs at Jasper. “We’re leaving. I don’t want HIM anywhere near my sister.”
Jasper grit his teeth and exhaled loudly. “I’m coming with you guys. Give me one second to grab a bag.” He sprinted off and grabbed their things. He wouldn’t push the Derrick issue right now while emotions were so sensitive. He wouldn’t believe it. Yes, the evidence was damning … but it couldn’t be true. Not Derrick. He refused to believe it. His cousin had been in love with Lucie since he was a kid. There was no way there could ever be anyone else. Never. He needed to talk with Derrick and figure everything out.
CHAPTER 45
“Is he still avoiding you?” Reiya asked as Lee appeared in front of her.
