The Primordials: Lustless Prides (Book Three)

Chapter XXVI: Jaded (Pt.3)

Hi, my lovely niece,

Do not be alarmed by my disappearance. I have decided I am done with all matters relating to Primordials. Fighting a war was not what we were meant to do—we were meant to serve as peaceful counselors to guide the divine, to help them coexist with humans. Now, each branch of the Watchers has been wiped out, and I was nearly killed with them. I must admit that fact has terrified me. I had faith in the Primordials; I—no, many of us—believed they would protect us, but that was not the case. I would have wished for you to leave with me, but knowing Viraa resides within you, I must face the reality that you are, and may always be, intertwined with the Primordials. That is your inescapable fate, one that my dearly departed brother and I have realized recently. With that in mind, I have chosen to leave you and that world behind me and ask that you not search for me. I know it is cowardly, but I do not have the heart to say goodbye to you and would likely find myself staying instead. So, I leave you with this letter as I go on to start a new, mundane life.

­–With love and regret, Aunt Lunette

      I looked out the bedroom window. The early afternoon skies were clear wherever we were, and nothing was around the house for miles. The setup reminded me of Tymon's place. In a way, I suppose they both wanted a place away from others.

      Wanting to stay strong, I blinked away some tears I felt rising. I understood where my aunt was coming from. Nearly dying was a traumatic experience, after all. I was just happy someone lived—that, in a way, I wasn't left alone. The fact should help keep me strong. I exited the room and made my way back down to the others, this time using the elevator.

      When I got there, the others were silent and looked at me as if they had been waiting.

      "What," I said, looking at them.

      "There's something I want you to see," Michael said softly as he moved aside to show me Trik's ruined body lying on one of the beds. "I found him next to you when I saved you."

      "What's the meaning of this?"

      "You need to grieve properly," he replied from behind me as I moved past him.

      I grabbed the sheets of the bed and yanked them hard, causing Trik's heavy body to fling to the floor with the loud clanking of metal hitting metal. Then, I dropped the sheets on top.

      "It's an empty shell," I growled, turning to him. "He's not in it, so why are you showing it to me?"

      Then I pushed past him and stormed off to the room I'd woken up in, where I silently struggled to get the image out of my head. At some point Naomi knocked on the door to inform me that they were about to begin their meditational healing, which would take a while in case I needed them for something.

      That was over an hour ago. Now, I was so desperate for a distraction that I chose to push past the argument and speak to Viraa.

      Hey, Viraa...

      Yes, Lisa.

      ...the other day—in the warehouse—you mentioned something about my body becoming more like a klevonian's. Why would the JANUS mixed with your DNA be changing me into a klevonian if you're a pneumarian?

      Viraa remained silent, but I could tell she knew.

      I have my suspicions, but you are in no state to hear them.

      What does that mean?

      You know what that means...

      I didn't respond. Instead, I rolled over in bed and closed my eyes—eventually falling asleep until I slowly awoke a few hours later. Getting out of bed, I moved to the door and noticed the pain in my back was gone. Did Michael heal me while I slept? The scar on my chest was still there, indicating so were traces of Verin's energy. I suppose without transforming, it's not something he could easily remove. That was as good as I was gonna get for a while.