Page 52 of A Surrender Of Hope

TWENTY-FIVE

Creed

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” I call out, rushing after Meyer. I place my hands on her shoulders when she suddenly stops, bends over, and heaves into one of the potted plants that line the hallway. Nothing comes up, and I wince in sympathy as she dry heaves, her stomach rebelling but thankfully empty. After a moment, she groans and slumps forward, letting me pull her into my arms. “Deep breaths, babe.” I slowly turn her so she faces me, her eyes red and glassy as she looks up at me.

“I’m fine,” she whispers, and I shake my head.

“No, you’re not. And that’s okay,” I reassure her, letting her snuggle into my chest. Hell, I’m not the one who just found out that I am a direct descendant of the Devil, and I’m sure as fuck not okay right now. Every thought running through my mind is focused on how I’ll keep her safe, knowing Inanis will want her now that he knows she exists. That my girl's life is in danger simply because she was born.

However, I agree with Dad about not letting her stay here too long. I never liked politics and tried to stay away from Court as much as possible, but if some of the Lords who support the Veilbeing torn down find out about my girl, she’ll be in even more danger here. We need to go home as soon as we can.

“Why does life keep getting more complicated? It was so much easier living in Grampa's cabin and working at the diner,” she grumbles, and I smirk, running a hand up and down her back.

“Easy? Maybe,” I whisper, kissing the top of her head. “But admit it. This is so much more exciting. Plus… you have me. Can't beat that,” I tease, making her shoulders shake slightly with a small laugh. It's not much, but I’m going to take it as a win as she pulls back enough to look up at me, her sad eyes still looking lost, but the small tug on her perfect little lips enchanting me as she presses up on her toes and places a soft kiss on my mouth.

“True,” she whispers against my lips, rubbing her nose against mine playfully before taking a deep breath and nodding. “Thanks. I… I think I’m good. It was all just a lot of information and… Shit,” she groans, looking over my shoulder at the door she just ran through. “Your parents probably think I'm crazy or something.”

“Not at all. I think they’re worried that Nox is going to hunt Inanis down and risk his life. It's completely understandable that you were overwhelmed by all the information. Besides,” I add, moving my hand to stroke back some of her silky blonde hair. “Dad has a way with words. As in, he blurts everything out and makes you feel like a mountain is crushing you in a matter of seconds. A subtle man he is not.”

Meyer smirks and nods, opening her mouth to say something as a loud crash sounds outside, making the ground shake under our feet. Meyer whirls around in my arms, trying to step toward the door with her hand pressed to her chest, but I lock my arms tight around her and shake my head.

“Yeah, maybe just stay here for a bit. Nox is still riding the high of your mating, and the information we all just got is going to make him a little…. Feral,” I whisper against her ear and wince as another boom sounds in the air.

“Shouldn't I try to calm him down?” she asks, looking unsure.

“Nope. Let's let him work out the anger. The only reason he’s allowing himself to do this is because he thinks you're gone. He needs the stress outlet the same as you did. You need to remove yourself from the situation and leave,” I point out, and she nods. “Well, Nox needs this. Let him have some time to have an adult-sized temper tantrum without feeling ashamed that you saw it. He’s still learning control, and I know he will die of embarrassment simply from the fact that you’re hearing it. It will be worse if you go out there.”

The next crash is so loud that even I startle back and start to laugh, tugging Meyer back with me. She shoots me a dubious look, like she’s unsure if this is the right thing to do, before looking back at the door.

“What about Valen and Raz?” she asks, making me grin in response to her shortening Razar’s name down the way I do. I’m not exactly sure what’s going on, but I know Lemon Drop is one hundred percent under Razar’s skin. After walking in on the wrestling match between him, her, and Valen, Razar’s been walking around pouting and acting grumpier than usual, which I didn't know was possible. Mom not only gave him a verbal dressing down about tossing Meyer off the cliff and wall when I mentioned it but made him growl in frustration and hide in his shadows when she said he shouldn't pick on Nox’s mate and be a better brother to her.

I had seen the flare of indignant anger and disgust flashing in his eyes at Meyer being called Nox’s mate and that he was a brother. Not one of us has even the slightest brotherly feelingtoward Meyer. I knew by the glint in Mom's eye after Raz had left in a swirl of shadows that she was only confirming her suspicions about him and Meyer, and I couldn’t help but laugh as I led her from his rooms to the dining room.

“Valen is the only one with enough magic to fix what Nox is currently breaking, and Raz will take Nox down to the fighting pits to spar and get the remaining anger out,” I tell her, turning us to walk further down the hallway and back toward the grand staircase. “It’s just you and me, and I have the perfect idea of how to distract you from all this.” I puff my chest out, knowing my girl needs a mental break, and I’ve been dying to show her my favorite part of the castle since getting here yesterday.

“Oh, you do?” she asks, looking up at me with those bright green eyes that make my stomach twist in excitement.

“Mhmm.” I pick up our pace, nodding to the servants and staff in greeting as she walks past. They stare, not at me, but at Meyer, their mouths open in shock, eyes wide in delight as they see her. I can't blame them; Lemon Drop looks different here. She is still stunning and beautiful, still as feisty as ever, but there's almost a glowing quality to her now. Almost like the air shimmers around her as she moves. Valen is the last Dream Walker, or he was the last Dream Walker. The fact that there is another one in this realm is going to be the talk of the kingdom by tonight if she isn't already.

I move us past the grand staircase and down the long hallways that lead past my parents' rooms. The halls grow larger and more opulent in the King's corridors, and I grin as I feel a rush of magic brush against my skin.

“What was that?” Meyer gasps, shivering in my hold, as I stop at the end of the hall and look down at her.

“The King’s magic. Father has his own magic, but with the title and position of King of Versipellis, he also inherits the magic of the land that flows from our realm and helps everythinggrow.” I look at the dark gray stone wall in front of us, releasing Meyer as I bring my hands up and lengthen a nail into a sharp point, making Meyer raise her brows in surprise as I drag it over my palm, letting bright red blood trickle from the cut.

“I didn’t think you could shift,” she admits, looking at my nail as I let it return to normal.

“I can't. Only those with royal blood can. But I am still a Demon, Lemon Drop. I have demonic traits such as claws, tougher skin, and enhanced strength and speed.”

“Interesting. So you can change them whenever you want? Does your skin turn a different color like Nox’s does when he fully shifts?” she asks, then gasps when I press my bloody hand to the wall and murmur a few words under my breath.

I step back as the illusion Father placed on the entrance falters, then turns to mist, revealing the long tunnel that leads from the castle down to theAmanaCaverns below. The natural magic flows freely around us, and I almost groan at its strength. Being part of the royal family means I have unlimited access to the life force of our magic. It's a gift for which I have always been grateful. It doesn't boost my magic the way it does Nox and Razar’s, but it does soothe me in a way that is impossible to describe. I have longed to be back in these caverns almost as much as I longed to see my parents.

“Oh!” Meyer steps forward, excitement lighting her expression as she bounces on her toes. “That’s… strong.” Grabbing her hand, I tug her after me, loving her infectious giggle as we run down the hall. The light from the castle dims and then fades away as the entrance to the tunnel closes behind us with a rumble of magic.

I pick up the pace when I hear the roar of the waterfall and sigh in bliss as the enormous opalized cavern comes into view. The tunnel lets us out at the side of the oblong crystal cave, softly illuminated with glowing golden orbs of magic that hover in theair around us. They dance and flutter like tiny fairies, making the iridescent walls glimmer in their warm glow. The air shifts and feels cool against my heated skin, the mist of the enormous waterfall that crests over the top of the cavern and pools in the lake about a hundred feet in front of us, keeping the temperature at a comfortable level.

“Oh my God!” Meyer whispers in awe, her lips parted as she slowly looks around the magical cave. “I’ve never seen something like this before,” she rasps, her hand squeezing mine as she steps closer to the lake's crystal clear waters.

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