Page 17 of Reign of The Beast (Immortal Passions #2)

17

~Lucian~

“Over my undead, rotting corpse.”

Ryker stilled, halfway to shrugging on his leather jacket, and swung his head my way. He seemed more than a little disgusted by my phrasing.

That was quickly overshadowed by the content of my statement.

Well, it had been more than just a mere statement.

And he’d picked up on it well, judging by the incredulity in his expression.

“Was that an order?” he asked.

I buttoned my black linen shirt at the middle, then folded my arms across my chest, my eyes darkening in warning. “If it must be.”

His expression hardened, his body tensed, and I heard his pulse pick up. His fight or flight response had been triggered.

“It’s a suicide mission,” I pointed out. “You must leave it be.”

He scoffed. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I have never been more serious. ”

“I can’t just leave them. I can’t let the Guardian Movement get wiped out. I was supposed to put up a protection barrier, but then that run-in with Draco happened and protecting you, Mia and Jaxon took precedence.”

“As it should. The Covenant is the key to ending Draco’s path of destruction. The Guardian Movement isn’t.”

“The barrier they erected without me isn’t strong enough. Draco will break through it in moments. They can’t hold it. They need me, need my magic.”

“If the intel they’ve just communicated to you is correct, you are already out of time. You won’t be able to create another barrier. Instead, you’ll be running right into the line of fire of a battle that you cannot hope to win.”

We had barely awoken from a fitful night’s sleep when, ten minutes ago, Ryker had received an SOS report from the Guardian Movement. Draco was coming, headed straight for the compound.

“I won’t just stand by and let them all be massacred by that bastard.” He brushed past me, muttering, “Besides, you’re really underestimating my new power.”

With a burst of speed, I barred the way to the door.

“Lucian,” he gritted out.

“Doing this would mean you breaking your vow to me.”

That gave him pause.

His brow furrowed as he thought on it, clearly trying to find a way around it.

A few moments later, the twinkle in his eye let me know he’d found one.

Or, he believed he had found one.

Surprising me, his demeanor softened, warming even, as he took my hand and told me earnestly, “Lucian, we both know you’re stretching the meaning of that vow in a desperate move to keep me here, to protect me. But you need to get this, get why I need to do this. Hear me out.”

I nodded. How could I deny such a reasonable request? “As you wish.”

“Thank you,” he said.

Straightening and rolling his shoulders, he drew in a calming breath then told me, “With Cornelius and Mia gone, I became the next most powerful magic-wielder in existence. But I wasn’t strong enough. My power still couldn’t compare to theirs. I wasn’t anywhere near the same ballpark as them.”

“Of course not. Immortal blood does not run through your veins.”

“Immortal blood is not the be all and end all.”

I reached out and softly caressed his cheek, telling him gently, “They will always be stronger, Ryker.” If he could not except that, it would continue to cause him a great deal of grief. I feared he would keep pushing until he pushed too far.

“There is what we’re gifted, then what we work for. Our will, basically. And I’m one hell of a strong-willed son of a bitch.”

“Some might call it stubbornness,” I jested, in an attempt to cut through the mounting tension.

“An argument could be made for it, yeah,” he said, meeting my humor briefly, before a gravely serious expression blanketed his face. “I busted my ass to access this higher level of power, Lucian. It’s not something done overnight, not even for the Immortals. It took me months and I know you saw the toll it took on me while I was doing it. Do you think I’d go through something like that just for vanity’s sake?”

“That isn’t what I meant.”

“It sounded like it. But the reason I did it was so I could stand against Draco when the time came again. We were without Immortal allies when I made that decision and we still are now, until Mia gets her shit together. So, here we are, with Draco on his way to decimate the supernatural world’s chief defenders with no Immortal might to speak of. But, I’m here. I can stop him. I can save them. Sitting out a fight when I know I can help because of selfish reasons like my own safety is despicable. I couldn’t live with myself.”

“You conscience and your caring heart are two of the things I love most about you, Ryker and I understand your reasoning. However, it is a great risk.”

“I could’ve stopped Cornelius,” he announced.

I started in surprise. “Excuse me?”

“That night he pulled us into that phantasmal plane , I had the means to stop him.”

I recalled seeing that spark of green lightning that night, the magic that had now become part of his normal. “I saw the lightning. That was the first night it emerged and you realized your true potential?”

“Yeah.”

“I could almost rationalize it happening with Mia, but not Cornelius. He is a full Immortal. You couldn’t have overpowered his magic and the same stands for Draco, as a result, my beloved.”

He grasped my arms and leaned into me, whispering, “It’s not about overpowering them. This new level of power… this new, next-level magic… it’s different. It works in several different ways. One way that is particularly viable when going up against Immortal power is that it can corrupt an opponent’s magic, effectively destabilizing the stream of their energy.”

I couldn’t conceal my utter shock at his revelation. “ There is no known magic-wielder in the world who can do that. This is a brand-new form of magic.”

He grinned smugly. “Damn right it is.” He briefly invoked a spark of his green lightning, eyeing it reverently. “It’s a game changer.”

I took his hand. “It’s still something very new to you. You should practice more, spar with Mia and determine the precise limitations of your magic against Immortal energy.”

He squeezed my hand gently, his expression grave, as he said, “We’re out of time.”

I felt his hand slipping from mine and then his magic flamed into being.

Not expecting it so quickly, I failed to react in time, before he teleported away faster than he had been able to do in the past.

Panic gripped me.

And something I had not felt since I was human.

Fear.

Fear for his wellbeing.

Fear of losing him.

“He'll be all right.”

I started at the sound of the gruff voice.

I’d been so taken in with Ryker leaving and my anxiousness of him running headlong into danger that I hadn’t been paying attention to my surroundings.

I looked up to find Jaxon walking into the room. I gestured for him to have a seat in one of the armchairs in the small seating area in the corner.

He smiled and took the offer.

With a heavy sigh I joined him, slumping down into the remaining one.

“He knows the stakes. He’s not the reckless fool he once was,” Jaxon reminded me. “He wouldn’t go there if he didn’t think he could handle it.”

“Handle what?”

We both swung our heads toward the door.

Mia stood there emanating her usual sophistication in a pair of sleek black leather pants paired with a vibrant-blue lacy blouse that matched the streaks in her hair. Her heels clacked on the hardwood as she shifted her weight, looking on worriedly as she took in the state of us, the tension filling the room.

“Where is Ryker?” she pressed.

Jaxon and I exchanged a look.

She wouldn’t be happy.

In fact, I was concerned about her reaction.

I tensed, my muscles going taut, instinctively preparing to respond if she made the wrong and very dangerous decision of going after Ryker.

Ryker would never forgive me if I allowed it.

At this point, with the way I’d grown to care for her, I wouldn’t forgive myself.

“Well?” she pressed. “Where the hell is he?”

Time for some tried and true stalling tactics.