Page 104 of Taming the Alpha's Daughter

ChapterSeventy-Five

Marabella

The distant murmur of Lucas’s voice tugs me from my dreams. For a moment, I’m disoriented, the weight of Kyan’s body, his leg thrown carelessly over mine, grounding me to reality. The comforting sensation of his warmth fades as worry about Lucas claws at my insides when I hear his voice down the hall. He's been acting strangely and I’ve been on edge, so for a second I believe I am imagining it. Yet when I hear the whispers again, my heart beats faster, and I know it must be him.

I gently shake Kyan, needing him to wake. He grumbles trying to pull me back, his grip possessive. “What?” he mumbles, the sleep evident in his voice.

“Lucas is talking to someone!” I whisper, urgency lacing my words.

Understanding instantly floods Kyan’s eyes which open alert. Without another word he sits up, the concern evident in him. Next to me, Jonah stirs, his sleep-filled eyes blinking up at us. “Go back to sleep, Jonah,” Kyan commands, his tone brooking no argument.

Kyan and I rush to Lucas’s room. Empty. Despair floods me, but it’s Kyan's growl of fury that truly alarms me. “Kaif! I swear if your son gets mine killed…” he threatens, his voice low and menacing. His rage is palpable, and for a moment, I am frozen in fear wondering if Thomas is a danger to Lucas. Thomas was the son of Kaif on his second reincarnation. He believed he broke the curse and left his four-year-old son with his mother. That story haunts me because I know the guilt that Kaif lives with. He returned to find him drowned in the bath, his nails having ripped from their nail beds as he struggled against his mother, clutching the bath's edge. Kaif realized then the curse wasn’t broken, merely delayed, he waited for her to birth another son and killed her the moment the child was born.

Suddenly realization dawns on me—this isn't like Lucas at all. He's never been the type to go wandering off in the middle of the night. A cold shiver runs down my spine. As if summoned, Kaif shoves forward overtaking Kyan's body, but I can feel Kyan's presence, Kaif having not blocked him out. His anguish is apparent in his eyes but before I can speak, he vanishes.

My instincts scream at me, urging me further down the hall. With each step, my fear intensifies until I reach the pantry. There, in front of me is the swirling darkness of the portal to Hades’s realm—an eerie purple glow illuminating Lucas and Kaif. Panic overtakes me and I rush forward, pulling my son close. “What are you doing?!” I whisper, my voice desperate and choked with emotion.

He avoids my gaze and I shake him gently. “Please, Lucas. Tell me why you keep going there?! It isn’t safe!”

As if in a trance, Kaif extends his hand, fingertips brushing the empty air near the portal. Kaif is staring vacantly at the corner of the pantry where the portal is open, he holds his hand out, and I gasp as his hand closes around air. “You can feel him?” I ask, my voice shaky but full of hope.

He shakes his head, his eyes lost. “No, but he says he can almost feel me.” The pain and concern in his voice is palpable.

Suddenly, Lucas pulls away and runs off. Before I can follow, Kaif’s voice stops me. “Go get him back to bed. I’ll handle Thomas.” His words confuse me, and I turn back to him, about to ask what he means, but the fierce determination in his eyes stops me.

I look at the empty space where his hand is. “What do you mean?” I stutter, alarmed at these words coming from the mouth of my little boy.

“Kyan is right, it's too dangerous for Thomas to be taking him places. I won't risk my living son. I've lost too many as it is,” Kaif says.

“You mean, you're going to…” I don't finish because Kaif's eyes change, darkening; his aura is fierce, daring me to finish what I am going to say and for a second as fear grips me and I take a step back from him.

“I'll go put Lucas to bed,” I murmur, turning to leave the kitchen searching for Lucas when Kaif grabs my shoulder. Suddenly, tingles rush up my shoulder as he spins me around and grabs the nape of my neck and kisses me.

His emotions shift, becoming tender, pulling me close. His lips find mine, the kiss filled with raw emotion. “Not in front of him,” he murmurs, the words echoing in my mind.

Tears blur my vision. “You don’t have to do this. We can find another way,” I plead.

“There is no other way,” he responds, a finality to his voice that breaks my heart. He then nudges me toward the door, and I rush up the stairs to check Lucas.

“Is Daddy mad?” Lucas asks, and I reassure him he is not mad at him when I hear my daughter call out from the other room. I look at the door.

Suddenly, the cries of my daughter pierce the air. “Go check, sissy,” Lucas says. I sigh and pat his knee.

“I'll be right back,” I tell him.

I rush to her, comforting her nightmares, my heart heavy.

After ten minutes, I finally manage to settle my daughter, tucking her in bed, and calming her down. When I return to Lucas’s room, it’s empty. My stomach drops as panic surges once again, my voice echoing through the house as I call for him.

My heart skips a beat, and I look in his cupboard before I call out to him, rushing out of the room and Jonah, hearing me, rushes out in just his boxer shorts.

“What's wrong?!” Jonah asks, gripping my arms.

“Lucas! He's not in his room!” I yell.

“I'll check downstairs.” Jonah says, rushing off downstairs.

I notice someone out of the corner of my eye. A closer look reveals Temperance lurking in the corner. At least it looks like Temperance, but something is off with her. “Temperance?”

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