Running with the Monster's Child :.Book 2 in the Delfunie Trilogy.:

14

When I walked into Lucian's house, it was destroyed. Broken glass on the floor, pictures smashed, paintings ruined. I went to the kitchen and found the bloody knife he had used to kill Ragnar with still on the counter, my blood still on the floor.

"I'll clean up and make some food." Ragnar said, coming up behind me.

"I'm not hungry." I said, pushing passed him to go upstairs.

"Mavis, you need to..."

"I'm not hungry. I just want to go to sleep." I said, more emotion in my voice. He didn't argue with me anymore, he just took my hand and pulled me to him. He just held me until I finally pulled away.

"Hey, I love you." He said before he could disappear.

"I love you too."

I was heading straight to the room that was once mine but I stopped at the door just before it. I knew I shouldn't but I couldn't stop myself from grabbing the door knob and going into Jax's nursery.

I looked around and saw his clothes hanging in the closet, his toys that he never got to play with sitting in the corner and his blanket still in the crib. I walked over and pulled it out as I held it to my face, breathing in my son's familiar scent. I feel the tears escape from my eyes and pour down my face, getting absorbed by the fabric.

I made my way to the window seat and curled up like I did when Jax was sick. I hugged his blanket to my chest as I let out the sobs. The pain the stitches caused was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. I missed my son terribly and there was nothing I could do to ease that pain. I have no idea if he's hurt, if he's hungry, if he's scared. I don't even know if Lucian's taking care of him. I wish there was some way I could save him, get him back, but I knew that it wasn't possible. Not anymore.

"Mavis?" I looked up to see Ragnar standing in the door with a plate of food. "What are you doing in here? I thought you went to bed." He asked. I sat up so he could sit next to me like he did when I was pregnant, after we finished putting the nursery together.

"If I had just stayed in the van." I simply said, clenching my hands into fists around the blanket. Ragnar handed me the plate and I just picked at it.

"What?" he asked.

"Back in Kansas, if I had just stayed in the van while you went to find your kids, I'd still have Jax right now and we'd be happy somewhere." I wiped some tears from my face and looked around the room as I took a bite of a carrot.

"Or you'd be dead. Lucian would have killed you. You know that, Mavis. No one blames you for what happened, you shouldn't blame yourself. Alex tried to help but ultimately, he had no choice, but to hand the baby over."

"I don't blame him Ragnar and I don't blame you. I should have stayed. You told me to stay and I didn't listen. Now look where we are. Maybe if the doctor just let me die in childbirth like I was supposed to, we wouldn't be going..."

"Hey!" Ragnar yelled, making me eyes meet his. "I don't ever want to hear you talk like that again, Mavis. Ever. You're alive because you're supposed to be. Because you survived, I became human again, because you survived, I got my kids back. So, if it kills me, I'm going to help you get Jax back." I smiled and set the plate down before I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"I love you Ragnar."

"I love you too, Mavis."

I woke up the next morning and looked around. Ragnar was gone and the house was quiet. I laid back and tried to smile. Last night, Ragnar tried everything he could to get my mind off Jax. Well, it finally worked after he took me to bed. Now I'm going through the closets, trying to find something clean to wear and I took a shower.

I couldn't place it but something seemed off. I turned the water off and quickly got dressed. I put my hair up and went downstairs. I found my way to the kitchen but what I found nearly stopped my heart and turned my stomach. I found myself vomiting on the floor. I closed my eyes and prayed it wasn't real. It was. Alex was slumped over the table with a knife sticking out of his back. I wanted to scream but nothing came out.

I ran down the hall, looking for Ragnar and praying that he was still alive. I found Lucian's office and slowly pushed open the door. The room was covered with broken glass and bloody papers. I carefully walked in and saw Lucian standing next to the lit fireplace. He was talking to someone in the chair next to him but I couldn't see who it was because it was turned away from me.

"Wasn't that great? You're finally getting the hang of it. The boy was a little sloppy but you'll get better with time." I was confused. Who was he talking to? Where was Ragnar? "Now, we've taken care of those two, let's go get your mother." My eyes widened as the chair spun around to reveal a young man, a teenage with my blue eyes and brown hair. It was Jax.

I shot up in bed, covered in sweat. I fought to catch my breath as I started to realize it was just a dream. I jumped as I felt an arm tighten around me but it was just Ragnar. My hip started hurting so I went to the bathroom and found some aspirin that Ragnar bought.

When I came back to the room, Ragnar was looking for me. I grabbed a large shirt and pulled it over my bare skin.

"Now, why'd you go and do that?" I smiled as I crawled back into his arm and he pulled the blanket over me. "Are you cold? You're shaking." I shook my head. "What's wrong then?" He asked.

"I had a nightmare. A nightmare about Jax." I explained the whole thing about finding Alex in the kitchen and seeing Jax as a teenager. Ragnar just tightened his grip on me and buried his face in my shoulder. It was a while before he spoke up.

"Mavis, I'm going to find our son. I promise. Nothing bad is going to happen to him or any of us. I swear." I just nodded and tried my best to sleep. I know I don't have my son but I will soon enough.