246

Lucy

My eyes were already welling with tears. She didn't say anything, just leaned back, lifting her head and murmuring to herself. Tears slipped down her cheeks, and I shook my head, not wanting it to be true. Not knowing what it meant.
Trent got to his feet as she slid to the ground, sobbing. I followed, not believing that it could be true. I dashed into the room, my heart pounding with fear and uncertainty. My eyes burned with tears.
He couldn't be. He couldn't be gone.
"Scared the hell out of us," Trent said, his voice gentle.
Another woman wept quietly in the corner of the room, yet the image that met my eyes was one I had been yearning for. David lay on the bed, his pale and weakened form still, but his eyes were open. The darkness was slowly receding back towards the wound in his shoulder with little flickers of flame of different colors flickering in the open wound. His eyes were glowing. Instead of that usual purple, there were threads of every color there, like a kaleidoscope. His eyes were half open with pain, but they were looking at me.
"David!" I cried, my voice trembling with emotion. I rushed to his side, my hands shaking as I reached for him.
"Luc--" I cut him off, pressing my lips to his. He grunted, but he reached up, pulling me closer as we kissed. Tears fell from my eyes, and I gasped into his mouth. The relief that dragged me down onto the bed was impossible to resist. I just wanted to be closer to him, so close that we'd never be parted again.
If I ever had a doubt about how much I cared for David, if I could love him, if I could let myself be with him, it was gone.
"D-Don't ever do that again," I sniffled. "I don't even know what y-you did, and I--"
He pulled me down, thrusting his tongue into my mouth. His kiss felt different somehow, hungrier and just more. His grip grew stronger the longer he kissed until Trent cleared his throat.
"Glad that you're feeling lively," he said. "But Blue is going to want to come in here and fuss soon."
He stroked my cheek and nipped at my lips. "We'll talk more later, hm?"
I sniffled and nodded, burying my face in his uninjured shoulder. He stroked my hair.
"How long have I been out?"
"Since late last night," Trent said as I curled up to him. "Amos has already started the investigation, Lucy has told me a bit. We can talk later."
"No," he rasped. "Now. While it's fresh."
He chuckled, stroking my hair and kissing my forehead. "I'd really like to sleep for half a week afterward, though."
"That can be arranged," Trent said.
"It was definitely partially Ignisblood," he said. "I... I think your theory about my lineage is right, too."
I eyed the flickering flame in his shoulder. It turned colors, but the darkness in his skin kept retreating. He shifted me closer and let out a low, rumbling sound that made my stomach clench.
"We need the evidence for the legalities, but I already know who was behind it." He chuckled. "We had a nice... chat."
He looked down at me. "Remind me to start your training on dream walking... Though you were marvelous, a real warrior princess, Lucy."
I blinked at him. There was something odd about the way he was talking. I bit my lip, worried a bit. Was this a trick by Selene, too?
He kissed my forehead again. "Are you alright?"
I swallowed, meeting his kaleidoscope gaze. "Are you... Are you really, David?"
His eyes widened. Then, he smiled. "Do I seem so different?"
I bit my lip. "I'm not sure."
"Ask me then, something only I should know."
I worried my lip. "What's on the shoes?"
He laughed. "Butterflies, and you still haven't worn them. Are you saving them for the Festival?"
I flushed. "I don't think wearing gym shoes would make sense."
"After the ball," he hummed. "Though maybe... putting butterflies on your heels wouldn't be bad. I'll ask Stacy."
He squeezed me closer. "Easy, Lucy. I promise I'll explain it all."
I snuggled closer, listening to the sound of his heartbeat.
"There was a lot," David said. "I had a vision of the past, to the Moon Wars."
"For fuck's sake. You died," Trent hissed.
"So he said."
"D-Died?"
He hushed me. "I'm alright now. It was necessary."
Trent groaned. "You... went through some sort of blood rite?"
David hummed. "My dad called it the Trial, but it comes with perks."
"I'm sure we'll get to those perks," Trent groused. "What else?"
"I got to see the end of the Moon Wars when Fenris beat Oren in combat, and Oren went back on the agreement."
"Oren?" Trent asked. "You're sure of that?"
"Him and Selene are a thing, but Dad says that he's little more than a pawn for her. He thinks that I should tell him that when it best suits me. I think she's got her sights set on someone to replace Oren." He smirked, vicious and cold. "Yet, I don't plan on letting him live long enough for that to matter."
Trent chuckled.
"That's good enough for now," Trent said. "And you know that I'm fully behind his death. Rest now," Trent said, brushing a strand of hair from his face. "Lucy's going to keep you company. No funny business, hm?"
He laughed. "I promise."
Trent tugged the blankets down and pulled off my shoes. He put the blankets over us.
"For future reference," Trent said. "Elves cry when they're happy, not sad."
I let out a scoff of laughter as he left. David turned toward me, pulling me closer. He closed his eyes, and a small sigh of relief escaped his lips.
"You don't have to stay long."
"I want to."
He squeezed me tighter. "I'm glad."
As he drifted back to sleep, I let the rhythm of his breathing soothe me. His body heat poured into me, making me relax until I was asleep.

The darkness parted. My heart started to race, fearing I was back in that dreamscape, but instead of a forest, I was in the cozy cafe we had been in before that woman had come up to us. Soft light from the street lamps filtered through the windows, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air.
"Hey," David said, his voice almost deeper in some ways. He grinned. "Let's get a table."
David had two cups in his hands and nodded towards a cozy-looking booth near the window. We sat, and I couldn't help but smile at the familiar setting.
"What are we doing here?" I looked around. "This... is a dream, isn't it?"
He smiled. His kaleidoscope eye met mine, and he spoke with a warm and reassuring tone. "I was thinking that since our evening got interrupted, I should make it up to you. What do you say we have a redo?"
I grinned, my heart fluttering with joy as I nodded. "Sounds great."
"Not worried I'm a trick still?" He asked, setting my cup in front of me.
I shook my head. "You're... acting in character."
He nodded. "I have to warn you, though... I'm not exactly the same way I was."
I swallowed as he took my hand and explained what his father told him about the black wolves--the Fenris wolf.
"It comes with memories that I still have to parse through, and instincts." He glanced at me. "That doesn't mean I'm a totally different person, just that I might be more... intense than usual. I don't want you to fear me or worry about what that means for us. The rules haven't changed."
I squeezed his hand. "As long as you are still you. I'll be fine."
He grinned. "I am... mostly."
I laughed. "You were there, weren't you? When I was on the cliff?"
He nodded. "For future reference, anytime there's an abyss in a dream that's not of your making, it's usually the way out."
I nodded and frowned as I looked out the window.
"Is that why it's so dark out there?"
"Yes, it's your own mind's way of protecting you."
I nodded. I'd keep that in mind. "What happened after you... sent that lightning bolt?"
He grinned viciously. "I had a great deal of fun fucking up Selene's little forest. Pissed her off and almost ate her."
My eyes widened as he laughed. His voice took on a darkness behind the amusement.
He stopped and winced. "Sorry... One of those... intense moments."
I shook my head. "It's okay... What happens now?"
"I rest," he said. "I'll probably grow a bit, and then it's back to preparing for the Festival."
His eyes flashed. "Are you certain you won't be running naked?"
My face heated. "David!"
He grinned. "I thought you might like to learn to shift... What were you thinking?"
I scowled at him. He laughed, and it was infectious. We left the cafe and went for a walk. The streets gave way to the shore of an ocean I had never seen. He took my hand as the ocean seemed to glow.
He leaned close to me, his voice soft and filled with warmth.
"Lucy, you mean the world to me, and I want to protect you, always." He kissed my hand. "I'd walk through thousands of more Trials for you."
I smiled.
"And you mean the world to me, David." I smiled. "What about hundreds of thousands?"
He chuckled. "Millions of millions, too."

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