Page 38 of A Surrender Of Hope

“Meyer? The Dream Walker Heldakar had with him on his Nuckelavee?” The girl is more than a simple Dream Walker; but it does seem like she holds more Dream Walker traits and magic than any other.

“Creed,” my son corrects, and I blink at him.

“Pardon?”

“Creed, not Heldakar. He’s currently going by Creed or Credence when he’s being an asshole. We are going by them instead of our birth names since they are the ones Meyer knows us by,” he explains, and I nod.

“Very well. DidCreedat least earn the name he’s currently going by?” My son grins, eyes flashing with magic as his teeth sharpen, his Demonic form rising to the surface at whatever memory he’s thinking of.

“If killing the corrupt man whom the name belonged to and ensuring that he had an excruciating and slow death… then yes. He earned it. We all have, well, besides Valen. He hasn't taken a new name.” I grin back and nod in approval, not surprised that Valen has kept his birth name.

Stealing names is a Versipellis thing, granting us more power as we harvest the soul of the person we steal it from. A DreamWalker will use the power of a name to make deals and bargains to escalate their magic and twist a situation in their favor. Valen has never taken a second name and probably never will.

“Right… and you?” I ask, wanting to get all the information I need before my wife storms the throne room and demands her son's attention.

“Lennox and Yannos is Razar.”

“Jesthren?” I ask, curious to know if my oldest has also decided to take one. Lennox shakes his head, and I nod, not surprised. As far as I know, Jesthren has only stolen one name and hasn’t harvested another since. Though, I did suspect that he had based on the sudden increase in magic he attained some years back. “Hmm, speaking of Razar. Do you want to explain whatever that was back there? It looked as if he wouldn’t listen to me… until you commanded it.” I observe my son, happy to see his own curiosity burning in his eyes as he shakes his head.

“No. Razar has grown in strength; ever since Archer’s assumed death, he has been…” he pauses as if trying to come up with the right word. “Darker than before.” I frown at that assessment, not liking it in the least, but before I can ask, Lennox continues. “Mara? Is she alright?” I instantly shake my head, my concern for my daughter returning with a vengeance at the mention of her name.

“No.” Lennox frowns and sighs, lowering his head into his hands as if the idea of Mara’s suffering hurts him as much as it does me. She may be a daughter only by a mating bond, but Mara has been in the family since she was a young girl. She and Archer had a bond from a young age, which is why my wife started negotiations for her to be betrothed to our son.

“The babe?” Lennox whispers.

“Born a few months ago. She’s the picture of health,” I add, smiling as I think of my granddaughter. “She looks like Arch.”Lennox releases a wounded sound and shakes his head at the knowledge.

“Back to our original conversation,” I mutter, trying to move past the pain I now feel coming from my son. I want to comfort him, but I don’t think I can until we know what's going on. “Where did you find Meyer? I had search parties looking for any surviving Dream Walkers. Inanis wiped every one of them from existence besides your brother.”

“She was on Earth. Creed is the one who discovered her.” Lennox frowns as he sits back on his chair. “She was brought to the Castle in North America to be trained as a Hunter since she had the sight. She tested positive as Regalis; her magic had been dormant, and besides her coloring, there was no evidence that she was anything but a Hunter,” he adds. I nod, already knowing her origin the moment my magic felt hers.

“Obviously you found out the girl was more since she’s here,” I point out, and he nods.

“I… she couldn’t heal, and my magic responded to her and healed the injuries without my bidding. I knew then something was up since I don't possess the ability to heal outside of our race, but I…” he trails off, looking embarrassed. “I didn't know she was a Dream Walker at that point. Her magic didn't start showing until after my magic touched her. It must have sparked something and rekindled it,” he says more to himself than to me as he tries to puzzle everything out. “As you stated, we thought Valen was the last Dream Walker. It didn't cross my mind who she might be until Creed mentioned she was talking in her sleep and mentioned Valen’s name.”

My eyes narrow in suspicion at this remark, but Lennox is already shaking his head.

“No, she didn't have anything to do with Valen’s capture, and yes, I’m one hundred percent sure. Valen has all but mated her at this point,” he adds with a growl that echoes through the largethrone room, making me tsk at his lack of control. “He wouldn't tie her to him if she had anything to do with his kidnapping. She had stumbled into a dreamscape and called Valen to her. In fact, Meyer was the key to Valen’s release. She managed to save him before I even knew his exact location.”

“So the girl completed the mission you had taken over a year to accomplish?” I ask, finding it rather humorous when Lennox flushes red but nods.

“Alright. Valen will not be completing the mate bond since it's evident you have stupidly bound the girl to you. I’ll let him know myself to save you the hardship of doing it. I don't want your relationship with your brother affected by this. But you will be the one to tell Vickar and his Legion mate that you are breaking the engagement with his daughter and…” I grind out, “You will handle the repercussions alone. You made the decision to take the girl as a mate, which I highly disapprove of, by the way. So you will be the one to handle the inevitable contention this will bring to our ranks.” Lennox nods, jaw clenched as he stares at me, not arguing with my decision.

“I will be talking with the girl… Meyer, to ensure she will be strong enough to stand at your side,” I add, ignoring the threatening rumble that breaks from my son's chest as I threaten his mate. He’s the one who decided he was strong enough to take a mate; who am I to disagree? But as the King of Versipellis, I will have the final say on who will sit on the throne next to my son. If I have to get rid of the girl, I will. “And you will not interfere with that conversation,” I command, adding a whip of magic to the word and making Lennox flinch, snarling under his breath as he nods in agreement.

“You will not hurt her,” he simply says, not a question but a demand, and I scoff.

“That will depend entirely on the girl,” I answer and shake my head when his nails lengthen into claws. “This shouldn't bea concern to you. You mated her, so obviously, you thought she was the right choice to be your mate and wife,” I point out, relishing the glare he sends my way. “Are you confident in your choice?”

The boy has definitely grown in his defiance in his time away, and I bask in the revelation. As my heir, he must be strong enough to go against even me if required. I’m not raising him to simper and bow at my feet for the rest of his life. I want him to become as strong and as capable as possible.

“I am,” he grinds out while his claws retract, and I nod.

“Good, because your reckless decision may just cost us our biggest ally. Now, let's discuss what happened at the castle the night you believe you saw Archer. I want to go through that before your mother tries to get you. She is still fragile from Valen’s imprisonment and Archer’s death.”

“You haven't told her he’s alive?”

“Of course not,” I snarl, leaning closer to him and lowering my voice. “Do you have any idea what that information will do to her? Your mother and Mara will not be told of it until we know everything and collect all the information. They have suffered enough.” Lennox looks like he wants to argue, but instead, he nods.

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