Chapter 67

Lukas
He walked into the dining hall after going for a five hour run to blow off steam. He had never lost control before and he was embarrassed. He knew he had a lot of people to apologize to, with his beta being first. He drew up short when he saw a boy sitting with Lily. She was smiling at him and talking to him. Jealousy filled him and he wanted to rip the teenagers head off. Someone cleared their throat behind him and he shook his head. Goddess, what in the world was he doing being jealous over a child? Jo stepped in front of him and he groaned when he saw her still bruised cheek. He leaned forward and licked her face, tending to the injury that he had caused. Someone growled and he looked up. Ethan had his teeth bared and he looked very pissed off. What was going on between these two? He cupped Jo’s face and leaned forward again. Ethan jumped to his feet with his fists balled. Hmmm, interesting. He met Jo’s eyes and reached for their link.
‘What’s going on between the two of you?’
‘Nothing,’ she vehemently denied.
Lily whimpered and he immediately dropped his hand away from Jo’s face when he saw her watching him. The boy touched her arm in an attempt to get her attention, but she shrugged him off. Lukas forced himself to break their eye contact. He walked beside Jo to the front of the hall to the long raised table. Sasha leaned towards him as he sat.
“You know, Lily is feeling the mate bond. You need to tread very carefully.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” he told her.
“That girl of yours has not taken her eyes off of you since you walked in. She has a mega crush on you, brother.”
He turned his attention back to Lily to find her doing exactly Sasha had said she was doing. The boy threw his hands up and stood up. He walked away and Lily never even acknowledged his departure. He tore his eyes away from her to look at Jo.
“I’m really sorry for hitting you. I lost control.”
She waved her hand, smirking. “It was nothing. You hit like a little bitch.”
“Whatever, Jo. Sasha, how are the men that I put down on the field?”
“Fine. Lily was worried about you,” she informed him, bringing the topic back around to the one thing he needed to steer clear of.
He sighed. Well, since she had brought it up.
“Why is Lily here?”
“I had a dream that Tiffany was trying to kidnap her.”
His eyes snapped back to Lily who flushed and put her head down.
“I brought a surprise back for you guys, but I wanted to wait for you, Luke.”
“What is it?”
“Come on, I will show you.”
She began to lead them out of the hall and Lukas slowed beside Lily. He sat beside her. She kept her head down, avoiding his gaze fully.
‘Touch her,’ Gideon begged.
He shook his head. He was determined to let her come to him. He would not force her hand. This had to be her choice. That was the only way he could be happy.
“Lily, look at me, please.”
She shyly raised her head. “Yes, Your Majesty?”
“My name is Lukas. You can call me by my name.” She tried to lower her head and he tipped her chin back up to search her eyes. “Are you afraid of me?”
She looked away from him. “A little,” she confided quietly.
“You're safe with me.” He gestured around at his family. “You are safe with all of us.”
She nodded and he tucked loose strands of her hair behind her ear. Electricity raced over his skin and her eyes jumped back to his. Gideon urged him to kiss her and he froze for a moment, trying to get control back. He wouldn’t do this to her. The ramifications of initiating a physical relationship with her were more than just societal, they threatened his very mental state. He shook his head again and stood up. His jaw clenched when he saw Jo and his sisters beaming. Jo linked her arm with his and dragged him out of the dining hall.
“So, Lukey boy, about the gift I brought you.. You have to be very careful to not lose control, alrighty?”
“Yeah. Fine. Whatever,” he mumbled.
She took them into the dungeons and as soon as they stepped through the doors, they heard the screaming and the threats. Sasha began to laugh and she pushed her sleeves up in anticipation. Lukas turned towards his beta.
“Is that who I think it is?”
“Mhmm. Remember the things I do for you next time you want go all lame ass alpha on me, ‘kay?”
They stepped in front of the cell and Lukas took great joy in the obvious talon marks still on her body. She looked at them and rolled her eyes.
“Let me go,” she demanded.
“In your fucking dreams, Tiffany,” Kalani sneered.
Tiffany met Lukas’ eyes as he leaned against the bars.
“Why were you after the girl?”
She laughed. “You mean your mate?” She sat on the thin cot. “Mom told me who she was and sent me to get her. She thought she could use her to control you.” She looked down at her nails. “Ugly little thing, isn’t she? Mom didn’t tell me she was so deformed. Poor girl looked like she had been chewed up and spit out. Was that your work, brother?”
“Watch your mouth when you talk about her,” he growled.
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Or what?”
“Or I will end you.”
“Whatever. You’re probably just like those other two, all talk and no follow through.”
He held his hand out to the guard sitting ten feet from them. “Give me the keys.”
He caught the keys that were tossed to him and he opened the cell door, closing it on his sisters. He moved over to the cot and before she could react, he had her pinned against the wall, three feet off the ground by her throat. He squeezed tightly.
“You threatened the most important person to me. Do not even let the thought cross your mind that I will not end you. I am, after all, the bringer of death.”
He squeezed harder and her bones cracked. He let her drop to the ground and he went to walk away. She began to laugh, wheezing heavily from the trauma to her neck.
“I was going to eat her, piece by tiny piece. I was going to make her suffer and when I was done.. I was going to send you her heart.”
He froze, before turning around very slowly. Kalani started calling for him, but he ignored her to move back over to Tiffany. He grabbed her hair and forced her back against the wall. He got in her face.
“You are dead.”
She laughed again. “You don’t have the balls.”
His eyes flashed crimson as he leaned towards her. He breathed out and a wave of white flames licked at her face. The air heated drastically as he continued to breathe his fire into her. She began to panic and thrashed. Her face turned pale, then red and then a sickening blue purple. Her body went limp and he dropped her onto the ground. He kicked her corpse once. Twice. Three times, before Jo walked in the cell and gently pulled him away. He stormed away from them and none of them made a sound. He took the stairs two at a time. He had no idea where he was going.
He needed something, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He kept moving down hallways until he got to the wing where him and Jo had been placed during their stay. He suddenly stopped outside a room. He put his hand on it. He could smell her. Just inside the room and she was all alone. He could go in there and nobody would say anything to him. He put his hand on the knob, needing to see her. His heart thudded in his chest.
‘Do it,’ Gideon whispered.
The desire became overwhelming and he pushed the door open. His eyes immediately found her, curled up on her bed. Her damp hair was fanned out on her pillow and her head rested on her hand. Her rhythmic breathing soothed his anger. He knew mates were supposed to have a strong bond, but he had never expected it to be like this. Since he had found her a week ago, his thoughts on a daily basis were consumed by her and all he wanted to do was be around her. Gideon started pushing him to go to her and he knew he had to get the hell out of there before he did something stupid, like listen to him. He shut the door softly and hurried back to his room. Well, shit. How was the devil supposed to not want the only angel capable of saving his soul and how in the hell was he supposed to pretend that she was not said angel to his devil?