A Surrender Of Hope (Umbra Hunters #3)

7. Lennox

SEVEN

Lennox

“ H ow is she?” Elaine asks, rushing down the hall at my side, not once complaining at my brisk pace. Hunters and Rangers alike give us a respectful nod when we pass, their eyes moving to Elaine rather than me, with a faint scent of fear drifting in the air around them.

“Alive,” I manage to say, the ache in my chest constricting increasingly the longer I’m away from my Little Demon. I managed to stay away long enough to shower off the blood I still wore from the battle and to change, but it almost killed me to do it.

“The mark on her wrist?” she asks, stepping closer to me and keeping her voice so low that I have difficulty hearing her.

“Still there.” My fury triples at the reminder that the devil himself has a mark on my mate. “I need to bring her to my father,” I admit, not knowing what else to do. The fact I took a mate so young will cause a commotion, and my stomach sinks at the realization that I will disappoint my parents. I didn't get approval for my mating from my father, which will cause a fight, not only with me but with the Brakatise Legion since I was promised to their eldest daughter. As heir, my mate was selected for me.

Mother always said she would never force an unwanted mate on me, and that if I chose someone for myself, she would stand by me. But I know how important it is to keep our political alliances, especially the one with the Legion, who owns most of our kingdom’s weapons and blacksmithing forges.

But what’s even worse than all of these concerns combined is the fact I don’t know how to protect my mate. Knowing that she’s in danger, and yet there is nothing I can do. It makes me feel like fucking dirt, the lowest of scum. I need to get her to Versipellis and see if anything can be done about the mark on her wrist.

“I figured. With what happened and your brother showing up,” she adds, making me grind my teeth so hard I’m worried I may crack one. “I thought you would have already left.”

“I need to ensure the castle is secure before we leave, and we’ll only be gone for a week’s time. I don’t want the Seniorem to return while the castle is defenseless.” Elaine snorts at my words, and her tiny fingers wrap around my arm, forcing me to stop and look down at her.

“The castle is fine, and with the Russians here, I have more than enough Hunters to defend it. The enemy lost far greater numbers than we did. Take your girl home and make sure she’s okay. You lot will be worthless to me otherwise,” she says softly, her words blunt and to the point, which is why I like her so much.

Trying not to cringe from the feeling of her hand on me, I gently pull my arm away from her, ignoring the twist in my stomach from a female who is not my mate touching me. If this is what mating is like, the ache in my chest, the aversion to touch from anyone other than her, I’m not sure I want it.

“The crypts were breached, and the walls are still being repaired. Not only did the enemy win, but they somehow had my brother working with them and even took the sarcophagus of Inanis! I don’t think I need to reiterate a gain how detrimental that is for not only the Demonic realm but the human one as well. Everything that happened that night was a miserable failure on our part, and I don’t see how you’re staying calm right now,” I hiss between my teeth, trying to keep the growl from my voice but failing miserably if Elaine’s unimpressed look is anything to go by.

“Watch the attitude, Nox. You may be a Prince back home, but you rank below me here,” she snaps, crossing her arms over her chest, her simple black velvet gown swishing around her ankles as she steps closer. “I understand the last forty-eight hours have been trying for you,” she continues, and I have to hold back an eye roll. Trying is a lackluster word for the last two days, but Elaine doesn’t deserve my anger or fear, and that’s what this is.

Anger and fear.

Anger that the Devil himself has somehow come back from an exile that should’ve kept him locked up for an eternity. Fear that my family has not only been ripped apart by Archer’s betrayal, but that we are divided on what to do next. I need to get Meyer to the Demonic realm to ensure she’s okay, but Archer is out there somewhere, and I know Razar is itching to find him.

“I’m sorry,” I manage to get out, then turn and point at Valen’s room. “Your boys are in there,” I say just as something loud crashes on the other side of the door, and I freeze, my heart lodging in my throat as I hear raised voices.

“What in the world?” Elaine says, rushing forward before I throw myself toward the door and make sure Meyer isn’t in there. Elaine throws the door open, gasps, and ducks just as a hurricane lamp flies directly at us. I manage to catch the damn thing before it hits me, but only just. If Elaine hadn’t been quick enough, it would have crashed into her.

“You’re being ridiculous!” Elaine’s son shouts, holding a pillow in front of his face like a shield as Ranger Jennings reaches for the small brush on the side table next to him. The brush is launched through the air in the next moment, the injured boy throwing it with a strength I didn’t think he would possess, considering he’s still healing.

“I’m being ridiculous? You’re fucking kidding me, right? You’re the one who was keeping secrets!”

“Boys!” Elaine shouts, standing back up. The air around her simmers with power, making me chuckle when the boys stop arguing and look at her with white faces. There’s a reason I selected Elaine to lead the Hunters. Her magic is incredibly strong for an Umbra Hunter. “What in the world are you doing, Theodore?” she hisses, striding into the room, anger blazing as she grabs the pillow her son is holding before whacking him over the head with it. “Jordan is still healing. Why are you upsetting him?”

“Me?! He was trying to kick me out of his room! You said not to leave him alone,” Elaine’s son snaps, pouting as he rubs his head.

“Right, well, it looks like your hands are full. Good luck with that,” I say as I set the lamp on the ground and grab the doorknob, nodding to Elaine when she sighs and waves me off. Shutting the door, I rush back down the hall, flexing my fingers and letting my magic creep forward, knowing I’ll need it for dealing with my Little Demon.

Opening my door, I pull up short when I see Valen sound asleep with Meyer sitting on the bed beside him. My brother’s pale skin has a bit more color, and I heave a sigh of relief, knowing Meyer is doing more for my brother than I ever could. It was a lie when I said Valen was in control of his Shade form earlier. Not only had Valen gone silent the moment after he eradicated the enemy on the field, he withdrew.

One of my gifts is emotions. As the heir and eventual King of Versipillis, I have the ability to not only feel others’ emotions but control them as well. They hover around the person like a halo, brightening with the happier emotions and darkening with the bad. Valen’s emotions went from despair, pain and panic to anger. After that, there was nothing. He was a blank slate. It’s like he turned everything off, and I can’t find a glimpse of his feelings.

“How did you manage that?” I ask, nodding at Valen while shutting the door quietly behind me.

“I knocked him out,” Creed admits, and Meyer flips to look at him so fast I’m worried she might snap her neck.

“You what?!” Creed leans away from her anger, looking slightly worried as he eyes her.

“Well… yeah. He was pacing the floor in front of you, and I swear his eyes crossed twice, and his fingers were sparking green with his magic. I think he’s had a total of an hour of sleep in the last forty-eight hours. He wasn’t going to sleep without some help. It was a simple spell, is all.”

“He gets night terrors,” Meyer whispers with concern, and I frown. I look at Valen and wonder why he hadn’t told me about that. “What if he has one and can’t wake up?”

“He does?” Creed rasps the question, brows furrowing as he looks down at a peacefully sleeping Valen. I reach out with my magic, thrilled that I can feel Valen a little more than I had been able to an hour ago. Whatever shield he has up is still in place, but it’s slipped slightly in his sleep, allowing me to monitor him.

“I’ll watch his emotions until he wakes. The first hint of distress, I’ll let Creed know to wake him. This is the most relaxed he’s been since…” I trail off and inhale a shaky breath, deciding not to finish that sentence. No one here needs the reminder of her death and how it affected us. “This is the safest and best thing for him right now. My magic can't heal exhaustion. Let him sleep,” I tell her, moving over to her side, the physical urge to be next to her is so strong I have to grind my teeth and fold my arms in order to not scoop her up and hold her against me.

The need to soothe and remove the confusion and fear I feel drifting from her is palpable. I have to remind myself that messing with her emotions without her permission isn't something I can do.

Not yet—not until she knows what I’ve done and understands the primal needs and urges I have to care for her. Unfortunately, for male Demons, completing the mate bond makes us more territorial than normal. It’s worse the younger we are—when our power is still new to us—so most males wait until they’re older. My arrangement with the Brakatise’s daughter was made the moment I was born, but it wasn’t to be fulfilled until I reached the age of one hundred and twenty-five. Not because that’s what our families wanted, but because that’s the age most males have enough control over their physical urges to not be a menace to their mates and people around them.

I knew it was going to be hard. Father said he waited until he was over the age of two hundred to mate Mother, but this… This is like a living hell. I simultaneously want to care for my brothers, while also wanting to tear their limbs from their bodies to beat them with. And that’s with our damn Legion bond in place!

The absolute willpower I had to use when Meyer reached out to touch Ranger Jennings stole my breath from my lungs. I hated myself for being so damn weak in that moment. She hadn’t even done something that would normally set me off. The flirting I normally witness between her and the two young Rangers has been more than a little trying to watch, but I’ve been able to control myself. Now I fear I’ll have to talk to Elaine and warn her about this. The last thing I want to do is kill her boys in a fit of jealous rage.

“Thanks,” my Little Demon whispers, giving me the smallest smile, and I can feel my insides melt like a damn sap. I always teased our father for the way he rolled belly up the moment Mom batted her eyelashes, but now I understand. I’m pretty sure I would tear my heart out and gift it on a damn silver platter if Meyer asked it of me.

Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck! This isn’t good. Ignoring her thanks, I frown and hold my hand facing up toward her.

“Hand,” I demand, knowing I sound like an ass, but not able to apologize for it as black magic sparks in my palm. I have too much to do, too much at stake to let this Little Demon distract me right now. I need to control myself and get our problems out of the way in order to give her a life where she can not only live, but thrive. The world as we know it now will chew her up and destroy her, and I simply can’t have that. I have to keep Meyer at a distance and make sure things are handled in the correct way before I can do anything about the mate bond thrumming in the air between us. For her safety and those of this realm and my own.

Meyer frowns, but surprises the hell out of me when she listens and places her hand in mine. Her sudden shocked expression tells me the move surprised her as well, and I brace myself for the anger I feel boiling up in her.

“Why are you always an ass?” she asks, voice calm despite the anger I feel from her. “Just when I think you might have some redeeming qualities, you flip a switch, and bam , asshole Lennox Regalis is back in all his glory.”

I bite my tongue, refusing to play into her verbal battle, knowing I deserve her anger as I let my magic flood her body. I almost groan as I clasp her small hand in mine, my eyes threatening to close in ecstasy as my magic fills her. The action is something I’ve done multiple times—since this damn girl can’t seem to stop getting hurt—but it’s changed since mating her; the feeling has become almost intimate in nature.

I feel her tense as a wave of arousal courses through her; her breath hitches, and her tight nipples pebble against the fabric of my shirt. I can’t help the smug smirk that crosses my face as I look from her hand to her face, cocking a brow at her before gesturing down to her hard nipples. And despite knowing I shouldn’t, I can't help but tease her. I want to get that fiery reaction, the fight that I crave most—the battle between us I’ve grown to love so much.

“I don’t think you mind too much. Do you, Little Demon?” I ask, keeping my voice low as I lean forward, making her eyes widen in surprise as she jerks back, trying to keep space between us. That, unfortunately, triggers my fucking caveman side; before I can think rationally about anything, I growl at her, the sound is low and threatening, demanding her submission. Meyer’s eyes light up, the green color brightening, and I inhale sharply at the flare of suddenly powerful magic that cords around my own, challenging me to back down and making me flinch in response.

“Meyer!” I warn, my eyes shifting to that of my Beast as she glares up at me with zero fear or hesitancy in her eyes. Dammit, if that doesn’t turn me on more than anything else.

“Let me go,” she snarls, trying to yank her hand out of mine before I even have a chance to heal the rest of her weak and sore muscles. I shake my head, desperately trying to grab at the fading strands of my control, hating how my mate wants space, yet loving her free and powerful spirit.

“Uhh, maybe…” Creed starts, but his concerned voice is merely an annoyance I ignore.

“Never,” I rasp back, the word is not a threat, but a fucking promise. When she tries to yank out of my hold again, my control snaps like a weak, pathetic string. Meyer shouldn’t want space from me! She is mine, and I am hers! Fuck space and fuck keeping her at a distance. Clasping her hand tighter, I yank her to me, tugging her off the bed and into my arms where she fucking belongs. I love the outraged screech that falls from her soft pink lips from the action.

“Nox,” Creed hisses in warning as Meyer’s face flushes, her knee rising in defense. I barely shift in time to miss a blow to my balls, and I glare down at her, the fury in me is so damn hot I feel like I’m about to shift!

“Get out!” I bellow at Creed when he dares to move toward us.

“Get fucked!” he shouts in response, taking another step forward, as his fingers inch toward the blade at his side. I scoff and dart out a hand, my big fingers wrapping around Creed’s throat before he can react, but the move doesn’t faze him in the least. As brothers, we have fought countless times, and it’s only been a few years since I started to win every time. Up until about ten years ago, Creed would kick my ass in every fight we had.

I glare at him, adding my magic into it to ensure he submits, hating the disapproving glint in his eyes. He knows I would never harm Meyer. Even if I wanted to, which I don’t, I wouldn’t be able to now. This back-and-forth thing between me and her is none of his business, and he needs to keep his nose out of it.

“Get out,” I repeat, letting the dominance of my position overwhelm him until he curses and yanks his eyes from mine. My triumph is short-lived, however, as my Little Demon goes absolutely feral in my arms, her tiny nails raking across my arms as she leans toward the bed, grabs a pillow, and starts pounding me over the head with the damn thing.

“You overgrown… whack …rat bastard… whack … damn infuriating Viking,” Meyer yells, the surprisingly strong hits with the pillow jar me more than I thought they would. She’s definitely stronger than she was only a few days ago, and there is a wildness surrounding her, reminding me of Razar when he gets mad. I snarl at her, unable to yank the pillow out of her hand as Creed blinks in surprise at her sudden outburst, then starts roaring with laughter, my hand still wrapped around his throat. “Get your damn hands off him!” Meyer continues to yell, her eyes darkening until small sparks of red flash from their stunning depths.

Creed’s laughter dries up the moment he spots the red magic within her eyes. I curse, letting Creed go while keeping Meyer clutched to me, despite her efforts and insistent whacking to be set free.

“Watch him!” I command, pointing to Valen and grunting in approval when Creed nods, no longer arguing with me. The fear radiating off him mimics my own as I storm from my room, trying and failing to get Meyer under control, all while ignoring the shocked looks of the Drakos Rangers I stride past on my way to Creed’s empty room.

“Enough,” I grind out as I kick his door open, stepping into the room and tossing the feral woman in my arms onto the soft bed in front of me. I slam the door shut, letting my magic take over, encompassing my skin as I stride forward and grab Meyer’s hand. The red glowing symbol of Inanis flashes with dark magic, making me hiss in anger at the sight.

“Stop manhandling me, Lennox!” Meyer snaps, yanking her hand from me as she raises up to her knees on the bed. The oversized shirt falls off one of her creamy shoulders, and like a love-sick fool, my attention is immediately drawn to it. Her long, blonde hair falls down her back, making it look like she’s encompasses by a silver halo.

She reaches up, tucking back the tiny braid Valen wove into her hair, making the small silver protection charm he added sparkle in the sunlight. She looks so soft and delicate in this moment, a complete contradiction to the fiery power and anger in her beautiful eyes. Growling, I shake my head, gritting my teeth and hating how undone I am. I need to keep her safe, but that’s not going to happen when I’m near her.

Frustrated, I reach for her again, needing to feel the magic inside her with my own in order to figure out what I should do next. But I spring back the moment our fingers touch, because the red magic attacks, making red-hot pain shoot through my hand and into my arm.

I look down at my hand, mouth agape at the burns Meyer inflicted without uttering a single word. There’s a brief moment of tense silence as Meyer stares at my burnt hand, and then she’s up on her feet, rushing toward me with a gasp on her lips.

“Oh, my god! What… what did I do? I felt it… him. Nox, there’s a man, he’s been in my dreams… in my mind! And I can see things better at night, and my temper is getting worse. Like a lot worse! Creed mentioned a girl seeing him naked when we were sparring a while back, and I wanted to…” she trails off, probably not wanting to admit she was contemplating murder, and I arch a brow in surprise at all that information. By the sounds of it, she’s been scared of Inanis for longer than I thought, and if I’m not mistaken, her Demon traits are making an appearance. “Shit, I’m going crazy, aren’t I?!” she rasps, staring down at my hand and then the glowing red mark on her wrist.

I can feel her panic bubbling up as her eyes lose the red sparks and return to the normal dark green I love so much. She hesitantly reaches for me, then stops and shakes her head, afraid to touch me again.

“Meyer,” I whisper as her heart starts to thunder in her chest. Her eyes dart from me to her wrist to the door of the room, and I know she’s about to bolt. I step forward, gathering her tense body into my arms, and shake my head. “I don’t think you are, Little Demon,” I whisper into her hair and swallow hard when she slowly softens into my hold. “I think it’s time I tell you a few things about our realm… and us,” I add, hoping like hell she’s in the mood to listen and not kill me once I’ve told her everything.