Page 90 of A Luna’s Dynasty (Celestial #1)

P ain. The first thing she felt when she started coming around was pain.

She squinted her eyes, trying to put together the foggy pieces.

Asher! She shot up, wincing from the pain as she did.

Her body was healing but wasn’t fully healed yet.

This pain was different, though. This was pain past the point of exhaustion.

She had been away from her mate for too long.

She was wearing a long shirt, and someone had put shorts on her.

She glanced around, spotting Rosa and her two boys.

They were safe. She felt arms on her and turned to look. It was Caspian.

“Lita? How are you feeling?” Caspian’s calm voice called out to her.

“Where’s Asher?” Lita looked around. He wasn’t there. Grayson and Caden were also gone. She winced as she felt a rippling pain inside her body.

“We haven’t found him yet. Caden and Grayson are still looking. Rowan and his mate are searching the rivers while Caden and Grayson are searching both sides of the riverbank.” Caspian’s voice was quiet. He was worried about Lita, knowing she needed Asher.

“Caspian, undo the block.” Lita looked at him and then noticed his worried look.

“Lita, I … I already did.” Caspian’s voice was barely above a whisper as Lita held her hand up in a gasp.

She couldn’t feel him. She couldn’t hear him. Maybe he was unconscious, but she should still be able to feel him.

“Maybe he’s too far away.” Caspian tried to reassure her, seeing the distress in her eyes.

“Momma!” The two boys echoed out as they ran into her arms.

Lita scooped her arms around Chasen and Brody. “I bet you two were so scared. I’m so glad you’re all right.”

“Rosa kept running and running and running. She was really fast!” Chasen said excitedly.

“She ran until she couldn’t anymore. Then she climbed us up a cliffside and hid us in a small hole. She said we had to stay there no matter what. Even if she left us, we had to hide there. Then Caden finally came and brought us back,” Brody explained to Lita.

She smiled as she rubbed their backs. Pain was coursing through her body, but she refused to show it. She didn’t want them to worry.

“Is Daddy dead? Did we lose another daddy?” Chasen finally whispered out what he was afraid of.

“Why would you say that? Your daddy’s strong.” Lita felt her chest tighten as her voice constricted with her words.

“That’s what I heard them saying. They don’t think Daddy made it.” Brody looked over at the centaurs and wolves in the distance.

Lita squeezed her hands in anger. How dare they give up on him?! He was fine! They didn’t even know how strong he was. He was out there waiting for their help, and they had given up on him. She snorted out an angry gush of air.

“Don’t worry. Your daddy is fine. In fact, Mommy is going to go and bring him back. You be good boys and stay with Rosa. I’ll be back soon.” Lita motioned for Rosa. “Please watch over them a bit longer.” She kissed both boys on their heads and gave them a gentle push into Rosa’s arms.

“Lita, you still need to rest. On top of your injuries—” Caspian began but was cut off hard.

“I know about my condition, Caspian. You think it’s going to get any better just sitting here waiting for him? It won’t.” She then softened her voice. She didn’t mean to lash out at him. “Caspian, if I was missing … if Merida was missing … would you be sitting here waiting around?”

“What if we miss them? What if while we’re out looking, they find him and bring him back? Then we’re out there searching while he’s back here,” Caspian protested weakly. He knew he would be out there looking, too. In fact, he wanted to be out looking for Asher, but he needed to be by Lita’s side.

“Surely we can be reached by a mindlink. Honestly, anything is better than waiting around here. I can’t not look for him.

He’d be looking for me. You know he’d be out there looking for me.

He’s always keeping me safe …” Lita frowned as her bottom lip began to quiver.

She walked away and out toward the river.

Caspian stayed at her side. “He’s always protecting me.

The one time he needed me, and I couldn’t be by his side. I don’t even know where he is.”

The soft sounds of clopping came up behind her. “We don’t heal as fast as you guys do. A lot of my men are wounded. I’m good enough to help you search, though.”

Lita turned and looked at Brad. He had cuts and bites on his legs and was in no condition to help search for Asher. She gave him a thankful smile. “Please, just keep my boys safe. I’ll be back as soon as I find him. I’ll feel better knowing you’re here with my boys.”

He sighed. She was protecting him now. He nodded to her with a smile. “I’ll make sure they’re safe.”

“If we aren’t back by tomorrow, take my boys home, please.” Lita wanted them back in the safety of her pack’s territory.

“Okay, but then we’ll come back to help you.” Brad turned and walked back to their camp.

Lita took in a deep breath and started walking down the river’s edge.

Caspian carried a pack of supplies as well as food and drink for them, just in case they found Asher.

He reached his arm out and clasped it around Lita’s waist. She looked at him but didn’t protest. He knew she was exhausted and in pain.

Without Asher being around, she wasn’t getting recharged.

He didn’t need her collapsing, so he would keep a supporting arm around her.

Asher … where are you? Lita echoed the call in her mind, hoping that he could hear her.

Pain shot through her like bolts of lightning.

Her body was feeling limp and unresponsive.

She cursed her body. Her mate needed her, but because she was pregnant, her body refused to give her energy.

Instead, it devoured it all for her little princess.

They heard a noise in front of them, the soft snapping of twigs. Then, they caught Grayson and Caden's scents.

I have Lita with me. You guys aren’t far ahead of us, Caspian linked to Caden.

What?! Why isn’t she back resting? Caden growled in his head.

The sounds closed in on them. Grayson came through the brush and immediately lifted Lita away from Caspian and into his arms.

“You are in no condition to be walking around,” Grayson growled out, though his eyes looked over her gently.

“I have to find him, Grayson.” Lita smiled at him weakly.

“I know, I know. We’ll find him. We’ve scoured the area.

He must have gone further down …” Grayson frowned.

He and Caden had searched both sides of the river without finding even a trace of him.

The kelpies hadn’t reported anything either, which was actually a good thing.

It meant they hadn’t found his body in the water.

“I can’t feel him, Grayson …” Lita frowned as she leaned her head into his chest.

His heart was breaking for her. He glanced at Caspian and Caden, who also looked distraught.

A mate not able to feel the other was very serious.

Either he was that far away, or … he didn’t want to think of 'or'.

Asher was about to have a baby. He had to be there to see her.

Asher had a pack to lead, and he had Lita, who needed him.

She needed Asher while she was pregnant.

How would she get through the pregnancy without him?

It would be so painful for her. Mentally … physically …

Grayson held her close as they continued to trail the river. Suddenly, Lita gripped at his chest. “I can smell anise. It’s faint, but it’s there.”

He smelled it too.

“Over here!” Caden yelled from the river’s edge. Someone had washed up to shore over there.

“It was Abaas … you can smell his scent. It looks like he wandered back into the woods.” Caspian looked at the trail. It was old. Still … there was no sign of Asher.

“If Abaas was able to make it to shore, then Asher must have, too,” Lita said confidently. She felt the warm arms of Grayson tighten around her as he held her to his chest.

“I’m sure he made it too, Lita.” Grayson smiled down at her. “Let’s keep searching.”

It had been days. There was just no sign of him.

The centaurs had joined in the search. A fresh, healthy herd of them had shown up to help.

Lita had sent Caspian back to let her parents know what was going on.

Lita refused to leave. She could not head back to the Black Ice Pack without him.

Grayson had to carry her everywhere because she was extremely weak and in pain.

Her wounds were all healed, but her pregnancy was taking a toll on her.

A few hippogryphs screeched in the air and landed nearby. Alice, Nathon, Caspian, and Dylan all hopped off and walked up to Grayson and Lita.

“Lita, my dear baby. Look at you. You need to rest. This isn’t good for you.” Alice reached up and stroked her daughter’s hair.

“I won’t leave him out here.” Lita shook her head.

“Lita … by now, his wounds would be healed.” Nathon’s eyes met with his daughter’s.

He watched her green glow pin against him, a rage building up behind them.

“I know you don’t want to hear it. Dammit, Lita, I know, okay?

I’ve been through it. I’ve lost my mate before.

Can you feel him? Can you sense him? It’s been days now. If he was alive, he would be here.”

“Then, where’s his body?” Lita spat back angrily.

“Lita … Abaas probably took the body with him. The fairy prince’s body would be quite the prize.

” Nathon looked down the river. There were so many people looking for him.

Caspian had filled them in on everything.

“Between the kelpies searching the water and everyone searching up here … baby, I’m so sorry.

You know it’s true. You all know it’s true.

” Nathon’s hands shook slightly as he watched their eyes fill with tears. He was gone.

Lita felt something warm dripping onto her cheek.

She glanced up to see a steady stream trickling down Grayson’s face.

She looked at Caden and Caspian, who were crying as well.

No … no … no … I won’t believe it … I can’t believe it.

I need him. Lita bit her bottom lip and stared at everyone.

They all were telling her that Asher, her mate, the love of her life … was dead.