Chapter 26
Xavier's hands snapped into fists as another scream left Rye's mouth. She sat on her hospital bed with her arms wrapped around his midsection as she screamed over and over.
"I want my baby!" Fat tears ran down Rye's face as she pulled at Xavier's shirt. "Xavier! She has my baby. Please, please...I want my baby!"
Exton watched helplessly as his mother slowly lost her sanity. His eyes watered hearing the pain in Rye's voice.
Xavier bent down and cupped Rye's face. Her skin was still pale from all the blood she had lost. His heart shattered into millions of pieces as Rye's bottom lip trembled.
"My mavi," she whispered. "Bring me back my Mavi."
"Baby," Xavier lowered his forehead to her's. "Please, I will bring her back but you need to calm down. Please, baby. You lost a lot of blood, your body can't handle the stress right now."
Rye's eyes snapped up at him. She pushed him away with her good arm and then ripped out the IV in her hands.
"Rye!" Xavier shouted as Exton dashed forward.
Rye yanked the needle out of her skin and got off the bed.
"Exton, get the doctors." Xavier told his son.
As Exton ran out of the room, Xavier caught Rye's falling body. She could barely hold herself up.
"I'll find her myself!" Rye said in anger. "Don't tell me to calm down! She has my baby."
As Xavier held her, the doctors rushed in with a sedative. They wasted no time in injecting it into Rye's arm.
"No!" Rye yelled from Xavier's arms. "Please, I have to find my baby. Xavier," she turned to face her mate. "Xavier, please. Bring her back...she can't fall asleep without her green blanket. She needs her blanket...my baby..."
Xavier held Rye until her eyelids began to close. He scooped her up in his arms like he had the night of their wedding and placed her on the bed. He held her hand as the doctor attached a new IV into her veins.
Exton hovered by the door, his eyes never leaving his mother. He watched as his father ran a hand through her hair and kissed her forehead.
A moment later, Xavier tucked Rye in and turned to face his son. His face was serious and deep with anger and sorrow.
"I am going to kill her if anything happens to my girl." Xavier said.
Exton remained expressionless. Xavier knew he should not say anything to his son about his mate, but he has had enough. He pushed past Exton and mind-linked all of his councilmen and shamans to gather.
By the time he reached the throne room, they were all present.
"I need to meet with the faiths." Xavier jumped right into business.
"The faiths do not open their doors to everyone," Charles said looking around.
"I don't need them to open the door for me," Xavier said through his teeth. "I'll break it open myself. Tell me where to find them."
"In the veil," The head shaman said. "The gatekeeper will guide you. The faiths live in the veil."
"Call Caspian," Xavier turned to walk out of the room. "I want a portal within the next hour."
The councilmen and the shaman didn't waste any time. They informed Caspian and he arrived immediately.
As Caspian opened the portal to the veil, he looked over to Exton at the corner of the room. Exton avoided all eye contact.
Xavier slipped through the portal and landed in front of the gatekeeper. He was in no mood to chit chat or waste time with tea. His stern expression and demand to see the faith rattled the woman. Suddenly, she wanted him gone more than anything.
With a swift move of her hand, she opened a portal for Xavier.
"The faiths await," she said to him as he slipped through.
Xavier walked through the second portal of the day and landed in a field of green grass. There was nothing in sight for miles and miles in every direction. The flat grasslands stretched before him like the endless sky. In the distance he spied three figures and a boulder.
As he approached them, he noticed the woman all stood with a different colored fox in their arms. Orange, white, and gray. Their faces shifted in his mind. It was as if he could see them but he would forget what they looked like just as quickly.
And they were all strangely familiar...his mother, Rye, and Mavi...
"We are your past, your present, and your future,"
Xavier heard a voice in his head.
"Welcome, Xavier."
"You know who I am?" Xavier asked the women.
"Yes," three voices replied back.
"Do you know why I am here?"
"Yes."
"Will you help me?"
"It is not her time to die yet," One of the women said. "She has a long life."
"I don't care," Xavier said. "She has my daughter...and I know you want her dead as much as I do."
The woman remained quiet. They looked at each other and then back at Xavier.
"You would be messing with her destiny...there is a price to pay for that." One of the women, who looked like an adult version of Mavi said.
"I would be doing you a favor," Xavier challenged them. "She disobeys you...how many lives has she claimed that you did not tell her too?"
"Too many."
"And she's not done yet," Xavier warned them. "Give me what I need and I will take care of her for you."
The three women remained unmoved for what seemed like forever. Xavier feared they may have turned into stones.
"Go home, Xavier." The women all said together. "We will send you what you seek."
_____________________________
Azazel, send her back. Gemma begged.
"Shhhh," Azazel whispered. "I can't send her back...I love her."
She has a family! Gemma was exhausted from fighting Azazel, but she couldn't give up. She watched from her own head as Azazel played with Mavi's hair.
"Eggs," Mavi said pouting.
"She wants eggs?" Azazel tilted her head to one side.
Gemma knew what Mavi was asking for, she wished she could tell the dear girl that she too wanted Eggs.
I think she's hungry, Gemma said slowly.
"Well, let's go feed our little darling," Azazel smiled.
Gemma perked up as she felt Azazel's strong grip loosen just by a fraction. Hope blossomed in her chest. Could it be...
Look at those curls, Gemma pointed out to Azazel.
"I love them," Azazel laughed. "I always wanted curls."
She is so beautiful, just like her mom...and those eyes.
"Her eyes are so stunning. I can look at them all day...but you my dear," Azazel turned Mavi in her arms. "You have to go feed."
Let's get her someth-
"Oh no, Gemma. Don't you worry. I got this."
Gemma watched in horror as Azazel opened a portal.
What are you doing? She asked.
"I'm keeping her safe." Azazel waited with Mavi in front of the portal. "Her father and brother must be on their way here right now...I can't let them take her back."
Gemma forgot how to breath as she watched a pair of arms reach out from the portal and pluck Mavi out of Azazel's arms.
Azazel smiled and closed the portal back up.
Where did she go?? Gemma demanded.
"She is safe. That's all that matters."
Gemma's mind raced in a panic. She needed to disarm Azazel's defense. She was grateful for the sheer luck that Azazel couldn't read her mind. Her mind raced to come up with some way to gain back control of her body.
As she tumbled through her mind, an idea popped into Gemma's head.
Azazel? Gemma spoke. Did you ever want children?
"Yes," Azazel smiled fondly. "I always wanted a little girl, a darling with rosy cheeks and little pink li-"
Hector would have made a great father.
It was a slip. Just the tiniest slip of control from Azazel at the mention of Hector's name was all it took for Gemma to take her body back.
Gemma! Azazel roared as Gemma pushed her to the back of her mind. She knew she didn't have much time before the evil thing eventually threw her out again. She needed to move fast.
Gemma summoned a portal to the palace and stumbled through it. She found herself in the empty halls.
Don't be stupid Gemma! Azazel snared at her.
But Gemma didn't listen. She ran down the hall in search of Exton.
"Exton!" She screamed once she reached the stairs. "Exton!"
By the time Gemma had reached the bottom of the stairwell, Exton had dashed out of the throne room with Caspain at his heels.
"WHERE IS MAVI?" Exton demanded. His face was red hot, his nostrils flared and his eyes grew dark.
"Exton," Gemma ran up to him but he stopped her.
"Tell me what you did to my sister?"
"Azazel has her," Gemma rushed to explain in a frenzy. "She sent her through a portal. I don't know where she is."
"Enough, Gemma!" Exton yelled. "Enough!"
Gemma stilled.
Do you think he's mad? Azazel teased Gemma.
"Stop with the lies...It wasn't Azazel. I saw your eyes. It was you!" Exton shook with rage.
Gemma shook her head, "No, no. Exton-"
Exton pulled out an iron dagger from his back pocket and pointed it to Gemma's throat, causing her to gasp.
Caspian leaped forward but Exton shot him a glare and told him to stay back.
When he turned his eyes back to Gemma, they were filled with rage.
"My mom almost died today," Exton said through his teeth. "You hurt my mom and then you took my sister....Why Gemma?"
"It's not me," Gemma tried to explain. "It was Azazel! She wants Mavi to be her new host! She knows I am being too difficult so she wants to have Mavi prepared."
Exton moved the blade closer to Gemma's skin. "Don't fuck with me."
"Exton," Gemma begged. "Believe me."
As Gemma's courage withered at the tip of Exton's dagger, she felt Azazel stir inside of her.
"No, no, no, no." Gemma shook her head as she tried to take a step back. But Exton grabbed her arm and jerked her forward.
"You're not going anywhere," Exton hissed.
"Listen to me," Gemma could feel Azazel breaking down her walls. "Tell Tobias to find Hector."
Exton looked at his mate in confusion and irritation.
"Find Hector, Exton." Gemma pleaded before she felt Azazel rip through her mind like a wildfire.
Exton watched as Gemma's eyes pulsed gold once and then twice before finally settling on gold.
He knew this had to be some kind of trick. Gemma was capable of doing anything...
Every part of his body screamed at him not to, but his rage urged him forward. Exton pressed the iron blade against Gemma's throat and watched the skin sizzle.
He bit down on his jaw as he could literally feel his mate's pain.
Azazel hissed. She struggled against his grip.
"Where is Mavi?" Exton demanded.
Azazel brought her knee up and hit Exton in between his legs hard.
Exton let go of her in pain before quickly regaining his footing again.
But it was too late. Azazel had already summoned a portal and slipped through.
Exton growled in rage and flung the iron dagger in his hand. The blade bounced off the walls like a boomerang.
"Open a portal!" Exton demanded as he turned to Caspian. "I am done playing her games!"
"Breath," Caspian advised as he approached the boy. "You can not go after her without a plan. She has your sister. Like it or not, we are at her mercy."
Exton growled. He felt his wolf claw from the inside. He needed to shift and let his rage out.
"We have to tell Tobias about this Hector," Caspian said. "Why do you think she wants us to find Hector?"
"She's playing mind games with us," Exton spit. "I don't trust her."
"Exton..." Caspian hesitated. "That was Gemma..."
Exton turned to the merman in anger, "And?"
"She's your mate...you do trust her, don't you?"
Exton snickered.
"She's not going to fuck with me this time," He said as he turned and walked away from Caspian.
What do you think will happen next?