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Chapter 2

Lily

She wrapped her arms around her sobbing daughter, murmuring softly to her. Lukas sat behind them, holding her tight on his lap. Lucy clung to him while Jo and Ethan paced angrily a few feet from them. She rubbed her back again.

“Sweetheart, talk to us. What exactly happened?”

“I went to dance with Daddy and I got hungry, so I went to find Joshua to eat and he was gone. Corey helped me look for him and when we couldn’t find him, he offered to give me a little blood until we found him. We went to a classroom and when we walked in he… he was screwing her a-against the w-wall,” she cried.

“Shh, baby. Shhh. We’ll figure this out,” Lukas murmured, trying to comfort her.

Joshua put pressure on her link and she bared her teeth. What fucking nerve that boy had to try to link after what he had done to her daughter. She opened it to yell at him, but his pain-filled, remorseful voice flowed through immediately.

‘Aunt Lily, can you come help me, please? I swear I can explain everything.’

‘Where are you? And it better be fucking good explanation to have my daughter so upset,’ she snapped, ready to rip his head off his shoulders.

‘I promise you that when I do, you will want to kill someone and it won’t be me. All I ask is that you be aware she can never do it again and I want to be the one to end her life.’ He paused. ‘I just want her to confirm what I tell you first. I am at the school in the gym classroom. And if you speak to Lucy, please, tell her that I’m sorry and I would have never done that to her willingly.’

‘I’m not telling her anything until we speak. I will be there in five. Stay put,’ she growled.

Lukas watched her curiously as he rocked. ‘What’s up, Lils?’

She held up a finger as she reached for Lani’s and Aja’s links along with his. ‘Can you two join me for something right now? Meet me in my foyer. This is about Lucy and her mate. He was caught cheating and just begged me to help him. I might need y'all to keep me from killing him.’

‘On the way.’

She kissed him softly and Lucy looked up at her.

“Where are you going?,” she asked distraught.

She grabbed her mother’s hand. “Please, don’t leave me.”

She kissed her cheek and gently removed her hand from Lucy’s. “I have to go do something, baby. I’ll be back in a few.”

She buried her face back in her father’s chest and Lily touched his cheek before hurrying out of the room. She leaped the banister and Gemma’s wings came out to slow her descent. She landed gracefully on the ground floor in front of Kalani and Sasha who raised her eyebrow.

“You’ve gotten really good at being a dragon, Lily.”

She bared her teeth. “Let’s go see if Irina needs to eat this asshole.”

“Where to?”

“The gym at Lucy’s school,” she growled.

Sasha opened a portal and they all stepped through. They landed on the other side and all of the kids in the hallway scattered anxiously when they saw them. Lily marched purposefully down the hallway, following her nose to the hallway. She thrust the door open and stomped in. Corey took one look at them and hurried out of the room.

“Sorry, bro, you’re on your own. She brought back up,” he called over his shoulder.

Lily crossed her arms over her chest. “You have 30 seconds to explain yourself before I hurt you,” she warned.

He walked over to them and handed her teeth. She moved them around in her hand. “Whose are these?”

He pointed over his shoulder where someone lying on the ground could barely be seen. Lily walked over and knelt beside Marybell. She checked her pulse before checking her mouth. She frowned at him.

“You just killed her, taking her teeth.”

He bared his teeth. “She’s lucky she’s even still breathing,” Apollo hissed.

“What in the hell happened?,” Lily asked.

He came over to kick Marybell in the leg. “Stupid fucking bitch compelled me.”

He knelt in front of Lily and tilted his neck to show her the bites on his neck. He lifted his shirt up and she saw the nail marks on it. Lily looked up at Sasha and Kalani.

“A little help?”

They walked over and Kalani reached for him while Sasha stood there with an attitude. Lily raised an eyebrow at her. She bared her teeth.

“I’m not fucking healing him until I know that he deserves it. Lani, let's go.”

Lily felt herself being tugged forward and immediately let herself enter Joshua’s mind with her sisters. They quickly moved through his memories from the last hour. Lily basked in the love and happiness that he had felt when he was with Lucy. She was amazed at the intensity of devotion he felt for her.

When the memories turned to one of a confused, hesitant haze, she wanted to kill Marybell. He had fought her antivenom so hard. Apollo knew that she wasn’t his mate but she had renewed her antivenom every time he gained leverage. When Lucy had walked in, his immediate grief was unmistakable. A tear rolled down her cheek and she pulled him into her arms.

“Oh, Josh. I’m so sorry. We’ll fix this. I swear to you, we will.”

He clung to her. “I didn’t mean to, Aunt Lily. I swear I didn’t. I love Lucy.”

She rubbed his back. “I know, baby, I know. Come on, let’s go home. I’ll put Marybell in the dungeon and will go talk to Lucy. We’ll fix this.”

Lani took them all back to the classroom and Joshua wiped his face. Sasha reached for him and he pushed her hands away.

“No, I want to remember.”

“Let me at least take your pain away.”

He shook his head. “No. I just want my Lucy. She’s the only thing that can heal this for me.” He turned sadly to look at Lily. “Please, Aunt Lily, help me.”

“Let’s go home.”

Sasha opened another portal and they all hurried through. Joshua started heading upstairs towards the castle and Lily darted around him to stop him from entering.

“Joshua, no. She is so upset right now. You need to let her calm down.”

Marybell floated by with Sasha behind her, chanting. Joshua kicked the post at the bottom of the stairs.

“Fuck!” He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Tell her I love her, please.” He gripped Lily’s face. “You have to make her understand that I only love her. I only want her. Please.”

She patted his cheek. “I will do my best.”

She watched him leave the grounds before Kalani and her went upstairs to find Lucy. Lukas paced outside her door. Lily walked over to him and wrapped herself around him.

“How is she?”

“She’s asleep right now.”

“Good. I need to go to my mother. I’ll be in our room.”

He picked her up and carried her to their room. He kept his arm tight around her.

“Go ahead.”

She groaned. “It’s been 16 years, Lukas. I’m not going anywhere.”

He put his chin on her shoulder. “Can you just humor me?”

She rolled her eyes, smiling. “Mother!”

Seconds later, the Goddess appeared in front of them, smiling. “Hello, daughter.” She laughed when she saw Lukas holding her. “What’s wrong?”

“I need to know something.”

“If I can, I will tell you.”

“Joshua and Lucy, are they ever going to recover?”

“I can’t tell you that, but I will tell you that the best thing you can do right now is let her do whatever she wants. Don’t push her to do anything or you all will lose her.”

Lily sighed. “Can you at least make sure she stays safe?”

She smiled softly. “When she leaves, I will make sure the right person finds her.”

Lily pulled away from Lukas to hug the Goddess. “Thank you.”

She smiled at her. “Of course, my dear. When you wake up, she will be gone, but I will be watching over her. I promise you she will be safe.”

The Goddess left and Lily went back to Lukas to lean against his chest. He put his cheek on the top of her head.

“So, what do we do, Lils?”

She sighed again. “I guess we go to bed and pray for the best.”

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