Luke gripped Riley's hand returning to her side yet again. He was completely drained, unable to keep the illusions at bay any longer. She was struggling, sweat lined her face as she whimpered in her forced slumber living out whatever nightmare his father had planned. Her skin was on fire, the whole bed soaked with sweat. Poor Riles really was fighting hard. Luke gasped, watching as cuts broke out all over her beautiful arms resembling the moody boy's whenever he healed someone.
"What are they doing to you?" Luke cried as he squeezed Riley's hand between his.
"Impossible," Wren muttered appearing in the doorway as he studied Riley.
Luke frowned, he didn't need Cosmo pestering him. The dumb ass was supposed to be resting in his own room, not up moving around snooping.
"Go away, Wren," Luke snapped.
Wren ignored him, coming into the room anyway.
"Wow, you really are an idiot," Wren smirked.
"And just when I thought I had make a breakthrough on you," Luke groaned.
Wren chuckled shaking his head amused as he stood beside Luke, his brown eyes studying Riley.
"I'm just surprised you didn't realize that spell is 100% elf," he admitted.
Wren was eying the familiar pattern on the Sorceress's arms. Of course, the boy wouldn't be familiar with elf magic. That wasn't exactly taught at school.
"Elf?" Luke questioned picking up on Wren's thoughts, narrowing his eyes as he studied the smug man before him.
"Yes, it is a bonding spell," Wren grinned.
"Who the fuck bonded with her?" Luke snapped gasping as the signs clicked into place.
"Shit, Marcus is an elf?"
"It appears so. Why does he pose as a human?" Wren quizzed.
"Unless-"
"He doesn't know the truth!" Luke gasped interrupting Wren.
"He is the elven prince Riley must protect."
"Well, I'll be damned," Wren grinned, "that's some useful information."
"You are correct, Wren," Michael Noble smirked, stepping into the room.
Luke whirled around groaning at the sight of his father. At least he didn't bring Spell-master Bitchton with him this time. Wren gulped, averting his gaze from the man, positioning himself behind Luke in fear.
"Why are you here?" Luke snapped.
"I came to check in on Wren," he replied, "I see your weak ass is standing again."
"Yes, sir. I apologize for my failure," Wren mumbled as he averted his gaze from the man.
"No, it was my own lapse in judgement," Michael Noble sighed.
"Daddy dearest admitted to something wrong?" Luke sarcastically replied.
"Yes, because Derek should have been the one I killed all those years ago, not Kasim," His father grinned.
"You monster!" Luke cried jumping up from his seat.
Michael Noble held his finger up, shaking it and his head at the same time, making a tsking noise with his tongue, "if you do recall, I hold your friend's lives in my hands. Like right now, in retaliation for your buddy's actions, another had to pay. Unfortunately, it was Marcus."
"What did you do?" Luke snarled.
"Why I just blew up the Egyptian Council and blamed it on the Resistance," his father grinned, "it is rather unfortunate that I hadn't realized Marcus's lineage until after the fact. Oh well, I still have their queen."
"You are the reason for the elf queen's disappearance?" Luke growled.
"Yes, boy, I am. Though at the time, I didn't realize she was the actual queen," Mr. Noble snapped.
"Where are you holding her?" Luke asked.
Mr. Noble chuckled shaking his head, "like I'd tell you, boy."
Wren placed his hand on Luke's shoulder, silently shaking his head warning Luke to not push the man further. Luke frowned, taking a step back, clenching his fist as he glared at the man he despised most in the world.
"Ah, Wren, I see you have made friends, lets hope he hasn't swayed your allegiance," Mr. Noble snapped.
"No, sir. My mind and heart fully support you. Whatever you need me to do, I will gladly do it," Wren sighed.
"Good, because with such strong ties with the fairies, I am proposing for you to marry my daughter, Anna whenever she returns from her little sightseeing trip in the past."
Wren solemnly nodded his head. He was well aware that if he refused, Michael Noble wouldn't think twice about killing him right then and there. Anna and he hadn't always gotten along, but he could tolerate her if the situation required it.
"No, you can't force the man to do that!" Luke shouted. "Anna is in love with Devan, and has always been!"
"She can't marry a dead man."
"Wait, what?" Luke gasped
"After his trial, he will be executed," Mr. Noble snapped.
"Anna will never agree to it. Plus, I doubt the Fae would be swayed to your side if Anna was to marry Wren. They haven't had a change of heart with him working with you."
Mr. Noble paused, thinking the idea through in his mind. Yes, maybe Anna wasn't key to his immediate power, but anther girl in the room, was. If Luke was so adamant about saving his sister, then maybe he should be the one to suffer. However, his feelings for the girl wouldn't make the boy suffer much.
"Fine, then Anna won't marry Wren; but instead, you will be married."
"Ok," Luke shrugged, "though it would be a bit difficult to produce a heir with a dude."
"You fool, not me!" Wren snapped.
"Then who exactly are you proposing to?" Luke asked.
"Why, boy, who better to marry than our very own, Riley Towers? Though, she will believe she is Mary Rogers upon awakening," Mr. Noble smirked.
"No, I'll marry Anna," Wren sighed, stepping forward.
"No, Wren. Its ok. I can marry Riley. Really, don't worry about it," Luke sighed, "plus, you have Leona. While I have nobody."
After his betrayal to Chelsea, and switching to his father's side, Chelsea had ended up breaking up with him making sure that he was well aware that never would she think about even kissing the boy again. Luke knew the consequences to keep her safe, and if it meant her survival and potential happiness, he was willing to be miserable the rest of his life in order to save the girl he really loved.
"Luke, are you sure?" Wren questioned.
Luke smiled, nodding his head though his eyes remained full of sadness, "yes, Riles and I have always worked well together. She may be soul mates with Kenny, but its ok. I don't expect her to ever truly love me as I won't ever be able to give my heart fully to her either. But eventually, I know the two of us would love each other if its in the name of protecting our friends."
"God, such a sappy child," Mr. Noble spat, pulling out a ring box from his pocket and tossing it towards Luke.
"This was supposed to be for Wren to give Anna, but Riley can have it instead."
Luke nodded, opening the box, tears welling in his eyes at the sight of his mother's former engagement ring. He couldn't believe his father was willing to part so easily with the thing, a ring that had been passed down through the generations. His father had a tendency to hoard all the objects collected from his ancestors, with his newest pursuit being Riley's wand. Unfortunately, Riley didn't even have her wand in possession at the moment. Leila had borrowed the heirloom after her own had been snapped in half that one time she intervened between his father and him at school.
Luke sighed, examining the royal blue velvet box, holding what he thought was his father's most prized possession inside. He slowly opened the box, smiling at the beauty of the ring. Delicatly, he removed the ring from its protective enclosure, twirling the beautiful creation of a rose shaped diamond masterpiece around on his finger, admiring how perfect the ring was. He gently lifted Riley's left hand, slipping the ring onto her ring finger. The ring was a perfect fit as it slid into place, Luke squeezing her hand with a forlorn look in his eyes.
"Sorry, Riles but it is to keep everyone safe. I hope you will be able to understand," he whispered, kissing her forehead before turning to glare at his grinning father.
That grin sent chills down his spine, the sadistic glint in his father's eyes and the menacing smile plastered across his beautifully sculpted face. His father really was a cunning devil. Forcing Luke into marrying Riley had been his father's plan all along. He just knew pretending to sacrifice Anna and Wren would make Luke accept the challenge a lot easier than out right ordering Luke to do his bidding.
"You do have one dilemma," Luke snapped.
"Which is?" Mr. Noble snapped.
"Riley isn't eighteen yet. She will need permission from a guardian to legally be married," Luke grinned.
Luke knew that Riley's father had been sent to Iceland to be safe by the Giant community. Her mom stayed by his side, working alongside the giants to find more gates while being kept safe from harm.
"Oh, if you do recall, Riley's parents legally signed full guardianship over to the Cleveland family when they moved to England. Though I may not have Marcus Cleveland, his wife is still my captive," Michael Noble grinned.
He conjured the documents in his hand revealing Mrs. Cleveland's signature sprawled along the bottom of the page. Luke's face paled, realizing his father wasn't playing around. He had made sure all his ducks were aligned before acting out his plan. Now, Riley could legally be married even if she was still seventeen.
"My guess is you are pushing this wedding to happen pretty soon," Luke sighed.
"Why, yes my boy, I am. I have already chosen your groomsmen and her bridesmaids, so no worries there. Lineas has agreed to give her away and Leona is willing to be her maid of honor," Mr. Noble grinned.
"You are having to much fun planning this wedding," Luke snapped, "Maybe you should have chosen wedding planner as your career path instead. We would have been so much better off."
"Watch your mouth, boy," his father snarled, "this is the wedding that will bring about the Resistance once and for all. They fight in the name of Riley. Riley's on my side now, their followers will tuck tail and submit."
"I don't think Derek would submit that easily. If you do recall, he is more insanely crazy than me. He would willing destroy a whole world to get his way."
"Yes, that is why plans have been made to execute him," Michael Noble grinned, "I sense he is going to make a move on rescuing his brother the day of the trial. What perfect time to ambush him then when he still is weak from the last battle?"
Luke sighed, shaking his head. He hoped Derek would find a way to survive. Marcus was gone, leaving Derek the only strong face left in the Resistance. Luke needed Derek to be strong too.
"Expect wedding preparations to be coming full swing as soon as she awakes," his father chuckled before apparating from the hospital.
Luke groaned, falling into the chair besides Riley's bed, tears streaming down his eyes. He glanced over at Riley, frowning at how weak she look just lying there forced into a fate she couldn't resist.
"I'm so sorry, Riles. I wish I could save everyone. Please don't hate me," he cried.
"Hey," Wren snapped squeezing Luke's shoulder causing him to look up to determined eyes.
What, Cosmo?" Luke snapped.
"You know I hate that nickname," Wren sighed, "plus I don't have green hair."
"I know, its still funny." Luke grinned.
"I may be able to help, but I don't know how well he will carry out the task," Wren sighed.
"One of your pets?" Luke questioned, suspicious of Wren's idea of a plan.
Wren nodded, Yes, one of his pets.
"At this point, I am willing to try anything to make sure nobody else dies," Luke sighed.
Wren nodded, clearing his throat as he screamed, "AMON, I SUMMON THEE!"
The lights flickered and black smoke filled the room as the demon appeared, an angry expression in his eyes.
"What is it this time?" Amon snapped.
Luke frowned at Wren's choice of demons. Amon liked war a little too much. Plus, being such a high rank, he was a bit harder to control compared to the lesser demons. Luke would have rather had that big beast Derek nicknamed Ratshit appear, at least he wouldn't talk back or act on his own free will like Amon was prone to do.
Amon's eyes fell on Luke, a sadistic grin forming as he spoke, "now this one I can defeat. Is that what you wish, my lord?"
"No, I have another request," Wren sighed, rolling his eyes.
"If it has to do with that other boy, I'm out," Amon snapped as he brought forth smoke, ready to disappear.
"I need you to warn him that Michael Noble is planning to ambush him at his brother's trial," Wren pleaded.
The smoke stopped forming as Amon paused, contemplating the command.
"As long as I don't have to fight him,I am willing to perform the task," he grinned, disappearing from view.
"Wait, where did he go?" Luke cried.
"To go warn Derek," Wren sighed, "I hope."
~~~~~
What are your thoughts on this chapter? Who else is surprised that Michael Noble's quest for power goes as far as keeping Riley alive just to strengthen his own bloodline? Also, will Amon be able to complete his task?
Don't worry, you will learn Marcus's fate soon, but until then stay tuned for next chapter where we dive into Riley's mind and see what is really going on! ;)