Page 31 of A Seduction Of Death (Umbra Hunters #4)

THIRTY-ONE

Lennox

“ Y ou need to calm down,” Father says, leaning his hip on the wall, arms crossed over his fighting leathers. I growl under my breath while pacing in the dungeons, eyeing the wall the Wraiths destroyed and made it through before Victor had stopped them. The big Umbra Hunter is standing next to Orcus, eyeing me with the same disapproving look that my father is, and I can feel my anger rising with every breath I take.

“Calm down? Why the hell are you not more upset? The castle was breached for a second time, and we have no idea why. Why is Jesthren trying to break in here? Arch is still alive; they didn't make a play for Meyer. There is no other reason! Why is he doing this?”

“Because Inanis is telling him to, son. You are looking at this with logic when Inanis is anything but logical. There may be something Jesthren knows that we don't, and that’s why he’s trying to get in, or Inanis is playing with us. You have no idea how many wild chases he led Varack and me on that year before we finally caught him. Eighty percent of them made no sense and had no purpose. This is his game. He likes to play with people's minds, and if he can’t get past their mental shield to manipulate them, he’ll make them crazy trying to figure out his next move.”

“That's ridiculous,” I growl, and Father nods.

“That may be, but it doesn’t make it any less true.” He looks around the destroyed dungeons, eyes flicking to where Archer lies in a cell, unmoving and deep within the grip of his and Valen’s magic. “But we can be glad your brother is still alright, though I fear his mental state is deteriorating.”

“It is. We will need to act soon. I know you are searching the libraries for a way to remove Jesthren's magic without harming him, but we have a day, or two tops, before the magic overwhelms him. I can only keep it at bay, not remove it, and I can feel it eating away at his mental walls. He’s fighting it, but he’s losing strength. With how long he’s been under Jesthren’s control, I’m surprised he’s still there. I don't know if I could even fight Jes for that long and survive the mental toll. And my magic far surpasses Arch’s,” Valen admits with a defeated look in his eyes.

“He has someone worth fighting for,” Father whispers, looking even more upset than Valen as he moves over the dead bodies of the Wraiths that managed to make it through our shields and steps into Arch's cell.

“Two someone’s,” I rasp, hating the thought that my brother has a child… a beautiful baby girl that he’s never met. He’s been stuck in a mental prison this entire time and has missed the first part of his child's life. Plus, his mate thinks he’s dead, something I’m sure Jesthren managed to manipulate with his magic.

I know female Demons don't feel the mate bond as strongly as the males do, but Mara should know Arch is still alive, and she doesn’t. Jes not only messed with Archer's mind but also the mate bond between him and Mara. Hopefully, it's not permanently damaged.

“I found them,” Creed says, taking the stairs down to us two at a time, clapping his hands as he nods at Father and then looks at me. “Raz decided to have a little fun out in the woods. I just tucked them in for the night.”

“The woods? Did he…?”

“Mate her? Oh yeah. She’s going to be out for a bit and might need to be cuddled a little for the next few days,” Creed says with a smug grin, chuckling to himself as he wiggles his brows.

“He did not. Outside in the snow?!” Valen asks, mouth parting as he turns on Creed, his hands fisting at his sides. “She’ll catch a cold!”

“Nah, she looked pretty warm to me. Plus, he had her in his cloak.”

“A cloak? That's not enough! She’s been cold enough. You have no idea how close to hypothermia she has been in her dreams, and Razar said she was the same when he found her up on the mountain. By the gods!” Valen snaps, turning to leave the dungeons, no doubt to find Meyer and check on her himself, something I’m dying to do but can’t due to the fact that Father’s here, and I need to appear as if I care about everyone. And I do… just not as much as Meyer.

“Valen, you stay. Creed, please reassure your brother that your mate is alright,” Father drawls, looking mildly amused as he watches us bicker.

“Well, duh,” Creed grumbles, flipping off Valen, who looks seconds away from shifting into his Shade form. The mate bond must be riding him hard. “I wouldn't have left her side if she wasn’t. Raz was losing his shit, though,” Creed admits, and I frown. Why would he be freaking out? “If I knew he wouldn't kill us, I would add him to the cuddle pile, but I love my life a little too much for that, so maybe keep an eye on him as he goes through the mating haze.”

“Jesus Christ. Are all Demons this bad? Isn’t mating basically marriage? Why are you lot so dick drunk all the time? And growly? I swear you all growl more than you breathe. That one damn near tore my hand off when I helped Ranger Smith up to her feet while training the other day,” Victor snaps, nodding toward Creed as he turns to stare at the Umbra Hunter in surprise.

“Oh, hey, man! Sorry, I didn't see you there. And I didn’t tear your hand off,” Creed argues. “I asked you nicely to release my mate.”

“Before you tossed me halfway across the training mats!”

“You didn’t let go of her hand! Only Ranger Drakos and Jennings can touch our mate. We warned you about that!”

“I was only making sure she was steady on her feet! I was just about to let her go!” Victor snaps back, glaring at Creed, his anger strengthening and making my head pound even more.

“Demons are more in tune with their primal side. Take every emotion you’ve felt, and then quadruple it. Tell me how you would act in that case,” I mutter, running my hand over my face, my eyes heavy and body tired. “There is a reason we warned you about it. Your views are Human, or rather Hunter, since Hunters are a little more possessive than humans are. But we’re Demons. The fact that Creed left you alive after asking you to let go means he likes you.” Victor arches a disbelieving brow, and I nod. “Yeah. It's a lot and a complete overreaction on our part. But there is nothing we can do but practice self-control. You were a practice moment for Creed.”

“One that should have been apologized for,” Father adds, looking at Creed with that stern ‘dad’ look and making my brother wither a little under his attention.

“Sorry,” Creed grumbles, and Victor nods, though he doesn't look any happier about the subject.

My head throbs again, and I almost groan at the pain. Fuck, Why can I heal everyone's headaches but my own? All I want to do is go upstairs, find my Little Demon, and snuggle in bed with her for a few days, but I don't have time for that. I haven't had time for that since we got back, and it’s starting to wear on my nerves.

The fact that I keep having to put her protection in the hands of my brothers has me practically shifting into my Demon form so that I can steal her away and keep her to myself. Protect her from all this shit that's happening. Yes, I trust my brothers with my mate. She is theirs as much as she is mine. However, I’m in charge of our Legion. I’m the one who should be keeping everyone safe, and I feel like I’m severely lacking in that department.

“You need sleep,” Father says, startling me from my self-loathing, and I shake my head.

“I’m fine.”

“Don't fucking lie to me. Go to your mate and get some sleep. You're useless to me as you are. Tomorrow, you can step in and continue your mission.” Creed opens his mouth, probably to ask to join me, but Father shakes his head.

“No, I need you with Arch while Valen and I search the dungeons. There is a reason the Wraiths broke in here twice, and I need to find out why.”

“They took Inanis’ tomb the first time,” I remind him, and he nods and scowls.

“I know.”

“So why hasn’t Jes opened them if he has both halves? He’s Inanis’ son, correct? Doesn't he have the ability to open them? Why isn’t the Devil pounding on our door and trying to wreak havoc on the realms?” Creed asks.

“Because it takes a life to open his physical tomb,” I whisper, and Father nods.

“Yes, but it also takes two blood descendants. Which is why I had been so hesitant to allow Jesthren to come to this realm, even before I knew of his betrayal. I didn't want to risk someone taking him for his blood and magic.”

“Ow, fucking hell, Jord,” a loud voice says, and footsteps thunder down the stairs in our direction.

“Stop pushing!” another one snaps, and I sigh, closing my eyes and pinching my nose between my thumb and forefinger. Here we go.

“Then get out of my way!”

“Just because you’re the next Senior of the Castle doesn't mean you're special. Damn, your head has gotten big.”

“You like my big… ooof! ” Theo grunts as he stumbles down the last two steps, arms out in front of him as his eyes grow wide. The damn kid would have fallen on his face if Victor didn’t reach out and snag him by the back of his shirt, preventing him from falling to the ground.

“Boys! Behave,” Victor snaps, making Jordan smirk and flip Theo the bird as he walks down the remaining steps and stands beside me. Father chuckles, stepping out of the cell that holds Arch, and walks over to me, hand falling on my shoulder as he leans close so only I can hear his words.

“Stop stressing, Lennox. I’m here to help, not because I don't think you can handle it, but because I worry about my sons and want to be here. Your mother would be as well if I didn't need someone to watch over our kingdom.” I snort and look at him, knowing that was only a partial truth, and he shrugs.

“Tell me you wouldn't leave Meyer in a well-guarded castle if you had a choice. I’m honestly surprised she hasn’t snuck into this realm yet.”

“Where is Angry Girl?” Theo asks, standing up straight and brushing off his dirty fighting leathers. The boy is covered in dirt and grime, and I wrinkle my nose at him. How the hell did he get so messy? Glancing over to Ranger Jennings, I find him in the same dirty state and almost laugh. Looks like someone decided to take a roll in the mud together.

“In bed,” Valen provides, and Jordan frowns, looking around the room, his finger pointing to us as he counts to three and shakes his head.

“But you three are here? O-Oh!” he whispers, a smile tugging at his lips as he looks at Theo, grins, and mouths Razar’s name.

“No, shit!? Damn, Angry Girl has a big set of lady balls! Ow!” Theo whines, rubbing the back of his head as he glares up at Victor. I shake my head at his theatrics, nodding to Creed and Valen before stepping around the Rangers and moving upstairs.

“You don't talk about other Rangers like that, especially female Rangers. It's disrespectful,” Victor chides.

“But it’s only Meyer,” Theo complains, and I roll my eyes as I move up into the main area of the castle. Gods, I can’t even imagine how insane the Umbra Hunters will be with Theodore Drakos running the show. It’s a good thing he has such a level-headed mentor to step in and guide him until he’s old enough to take over.

“Senior Regalis?” I still when I hear the soft voice, my heart giving a painful lurch as I turn and watch Cali rush toward me, her red velvet gown swaying around her ankles as she smiles and waves at me. The girl looks so much like Elaine that it's like a physical blow every time I see her, which isn’t often, because I go out of my way to avoid the poor girl. It's nothing personal about her, I actually feel like shit doing it, but the pain I feel whenever I see her is something I’m having a hard time handling right now.

Elaine was my friend… my best friend—the first one I had besides my brothers. Everyone in the Demonic realm is kind to me, and I have several Demons I would consider friends, but none like Elaine. She was there for me when I almost died, saw the corruption of the Seniorem, and chose to help. She was there whenever I needed guidance, always willing to console me and not afraid to tell me when I was wrong.

Over these last two weeks, I have turned to find her, to search her out and ask her for help… but she’s gone. And the very thought that she’s no longer alive guts me.

“Cali,” I offer her a slight nod of greeting, and she bows back, just as graceful as her mother had been, as she smiles hesitantly up at me. “I can't find Vic. He was supposed to check in after the fight, but he hasn’t shown,” she says, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth as she looks around us.

“Ah, yes. Well, that would be because he is down in the dungeons with my father,” I explain.

“The King?” she asks with a whispered voice, and I smile.

“Yes. Would you like me to escort you down?” I offer her my arm, and she shakes her head.

“Uh, no. It’s… um dark down there.” I watch her shift on her feet, trying to come up with more lies, her small hands twisting together in front of her as she looks away from me. I know my presence makes the girl nervous, something I have tried to combat with soft words and a smile, but she has her guard up high. Father, however, scares the hell out of her. Whenever she is in the room with him, her anxiety sends me into an uncomfortable panic attack, no matter how hard I attempt to block her emotions.

“Very well,” I let my arm drop and try to smile with a little less teeth. The last time I gave her a full smile, she practically ran in the other direction. Skittish little thing, but only around Demons. I’ve seen how she holds her ground with the Hunters and Rangers here. She puts them in their place with an ease I wish I possessed, and her skill with a short blade is admirable. Elaine did well with her daughter despite not being with her as much as she would’ve liked. “I do believe they were almost done. Your brother and Ranger Jennings had just shown up when I left.”

Cali snorts and shakes her head. “Those two finally decided to come up for air, huh? I saw them sneaking into the stables about an hour ago. They're lucky everyone is so busy and distracted by the fight and Dragon, or Vic would be stringing them up by the balls.”

I laugh this time and nod in agreement. “Okay. Well, thanks,” she says, waving once more as she walks away and leaves me to my thoughts as I move through the bustling castle, happy not to have another interruption.

I make it to the Ranger Barracks in record time and open the door to Razar’s room, careful not to let the hinges squeak as I silently step inside, letting the door latch behind me with a quiet click.

My eyes slowly adjust to the dark as I look around the room, wondering if I should leave Raz be and go to my own bed. But the need to see my Little Demon, to hold her in my arms, has me stepping further into the room. I freeze when I see the bed, blinking in surprise at the scene before me.

Meyer is naked and starfished on Razar’s bed. He’s tucked blankets and pillows around her, keeping her in a small cocoon, and she has a content smile on her face as she sleeps. I smile at her, loving how beautiful she looks, even with her hair a tangled mess on top of her head. But then I frown as I look down, finding an equally naked Razar lying between her legs, arms wrapped around her torso, head resting on her stomach, sound asleep.

I reach up and scratch my head as I stare at my brother; he has a blanket over his ass, at least, covering all his important bits. So that's nice since I plan on sleeping next to Meyer. But I don’t recall a time I’ve been able to enter a room without Razar knowing. And trust me, I tried. As a young boy, I made it my mission to sneak up on Raz, going to extreme lengths to slip past him, but it never worked. The fact that I walked in here and he’s still asleep tells me how tired he is.

Sighing, I shrug out of my clothes and toe off my boots, making sure I fold my clothes and set them in the chair next to a purring Milo before walking over to the bed. Razar is a neat freak and hates things out of place. He’s already going to be upset that I slept in his bed without him knowing about it. I don't want to add to his anger by leaving my dirty clothes on his floor.

Pulling the covers back, I push a pillow out of the way and slowly lie down next to Meyer, making her moan a little and crack an eye open.

“Nox?”

“Shhh,” I whisper, shuffling closer to her and wrapping my arm around her waist, careful not to whack Raz. Meyer has one hand tangled in Razar’s long hair, the other out at her side. She smiles and shifts a little, reaching for me and cuddling close, making the ache in my chest settle. “Are you alright?” I ask, knowing Razar would never hurt her but still not trusting his beast.

“Mm-hmm,” she whispers, then tips her head up and lets me press a kiss to her swollen lips.

“Good. Get some rest, love,” I say, my lips moving against hers as she sleepily kisses me back. She hums again, and her eyes flutter shut, her free hand moving to mine and lacing my fingers with hers, and I finally allow myself to close my eyes and sleep. Whatever tomorrow brings, I’ll be able to handle as long as I have her by my side.