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The men nodded in unison.
Lily peered at the island with Gabriel looming over her. What she saw reminded her of a puzzle. Ones that kids would do on rainy nights before TV existed, hell, even adults when they wanted something challenging for their brain. But the puzzle before her was only four pieces. It should have been more obvious than it seemed at first glance.
They all studied it while the sun snuck over the horizon. What made the pieces identifiable was, without a doubt, their celestial glow with an unmistakable hum. There was the handle, the beetle bulb that Lily had helped obtain, and two pieces of curved glass. Lily imagined pressing them together to form a jar-shaped container, but there was no bottom, nor was there anywhere for a light source to emit its luminescence.
She once again felt like she had a thousand questions but wasn’t sure if she should pose them in front of his men. They were all looking a little haggard, anyway, with a wave of yawns spreading throughout the kitchen.
“Go home, all of you, and rest,” Gabriel commanded. “I am going to send out another team to search for Lucas. The pieces will remain here while information is gathered. Come on, get going.”
They all listened to their alpha and walked from the kitchen to head outside. When the last of them was gone, Lily turned to Gabriel with a perplexed look.
He lazily raised an eyebrow.
“What is it?”
“There’s no way for this to fit together,” Lily said, captivated by the glowing pieces of relic on the island. “I mean, unless you glue it. And does it just glow on its own?”
Gabriel sighed, then kneaded his fingers along his jawline. Maybe her questions could wait until the two of them got some much-needed sleep.
And other extracurricular activities also.
“There are elements of these ancient relics that are still a mystery to us. We won't know the full story until it presents itself to us.”
Lily smiled, raising his hand up to her.
“Magic,” she whispered.
He grinned. He looked sapped of energy, yet his eyes glowed with the same quiet hum as the relics beside them. She could swim in those pools for eternity and forget all about the stupid object.
“Yes, magic,” he whispered back.
Lily kissed his hand, then heard the front door swing open. She felt nervous for a brief second until she heard a familiar, serene, and enticing tone.
“Gabriel, Lily, you are back.”
Claire came into the kitchen. She stopped suddenly, the smile slipping off of her face.
“Lily, are you pregnant?” she asked.
Both Lily and Gabriel burst into laughter. Claire held out her arms to them, and they came, all three of them held close in a familial embrace.
But Lily also felt something off coming from the matriarch. It was a nearly phobic reaction that she was having, hovering away from the marble island and imploring them to celebrate outside of the kitchen.
She was afraid of the relics.
SIXTEEN
GABRIEL
Gabriel was thrilled to be distracted from the thought of his missing beta with the conversation about Lily's pregnancy. He did notice that his mother was particularly reluctant to enter the kitchen where the pieces of the relic lay, but it made sense to him. She had known about the Lantern's Eye long before he was ever born. The lore of its possibilities was sinister and devastating.
Claire stayed only for half an hour to discuss the procedures of confirming the pregnancy with the healer. She knew they were tired from their time searching, as well as the emotional whiplash of losing Lucas. It had just passed eight p.m. when she left, giving Lily and her son a kiss on each cheek.
“Be sure to see the healer first thing tomorrow," she said before heading out. “And try not to worry about Lucas. That boy has a way of wrangling himself out of difficult situations." She gave Gabriel a quick wink, then walked down the porch steps.
He was exhausted in so many ways. His spirit was dented, the excitement about the baby somewhat muddled from the worry about his friend. And the presence of the glowing, humming relics in the kitchen was enough to make his soul ache.
But looking at Lily and the splendor of her existence was enough to lull him into slumber.
