A Surrender Of Hope (Umbra Hunters #3)

10. Valen

TEN

Valen

T he darkness swirls around me. The never-ending pit of nothing that I’ve been trapped in for far too long goes on and on with no end in sight. I stopped trying to keep track of the time I’ve been stuck here ages ago, resigning myself to the fact that this is all that’s left for me.

When I’m not floating in a perpetual night, I’m in horrendous agony as the bastards who captured me harvest my magic, taking it directly from my blood. It would be almost worth the pain if they allowed me even the faintest flicker of light, but no. I have to suffer through the pain, which is the only anchor I have to the real world while floating in nothingness. Pain is now my life; without it, I wouldn’t know if I still existed. So maybe it’s something I should be grateful for?

Originally, I started practicing my magic, trying to use it up while mastering every spell I put off during my travels with my brothers. That way, I could kill the mortal Hunters who kept me locked away. But I stopped trying after I mastered every spell I knew. I stopped caring that I not only completed some of the most advanced spells that a Dream Walker could perform, but created new ones of my own. Now my only wish was for the darkness to finally end. Even though it would mean my death, at least there would be no more pain and I would get to move on. I would get to do more than just exist.

“Valen, wake up,” a familiar voice says, and I frown, darting my head back and forth. Is someone else trapped in here with me? Had the Hunters captured another poor soul? “Valen! Wake up before Meyer roasts my balls for trapping you in a nightmare. Shit! Come on, man. I was only trying to help.”

As I look around me, I turn my body, the sense of gravity and space completely gone. Something akin to fear strikes my chest, not for myself, but for the man talking to me. His voice is familiar; I don't want him trapped in this hell. Death is a better option, one I would gladly welcome at this moment. When I don’t hear the voice again, I convince myself that my mind has finally cracked, allowing insanity to rule in favor of desperation.

A sudden burst of light makes me gasp, marveling at the bright white of the glow. I almost give myself whiplash as I try to get to the light, the desire to feel sunlight on my face is an indescribable need, one that echoes bone deep. The light grows slowly, encompassing me in a snow-cloud-covered day. I stare up in wonder at the cold snow flakes drifting down from the sky.

My eyes hurt, and tears run down my cheeks as I desperately try to keep them open and ignore the pain as I stare around at my surroundings. Even with the clouds blocking the sun, the light is so bright compared to the darkness.

“Beautiful,” I rasp, hands trembling at the first sense of hope filling my chest. There are pine trees clustered nearby, their branches heavy with pristine white snow, the brilliance of the snow provides a stark contrast to the dark green of the tree. I gasp, my heart beating so hard I fear it may burst. A brisk, cold wind courses through the land, running over me and making me shiver in delight.

“What the hell? Where am I?” I hear a soft voice say, startling me so bad I swear my heart stalls. “W-what? Why am I in a dress?” the feminine voice yells, and I spin to look around, then pause as a young woman steps around the trees, kicking at the hem of a long blue gown, cursing under her breath as she shakes her head and huffs in irritation.

She finally glances up, looking around the snowy landscape, and I inhale sharply at how freaking stunning this girl is; long blonde hair that matches my own, brilliant green eyes, and a curvy figure draped in blue silks and silver armor. The dress style makes me think she is probably a Versipellis Demon, but her coloring? Fuck, she’s definitely a Dream Walker. My magic dances inside me, making me smile at the now-foreign feeling that’s been dormant for so long I forgot what it felt like.

I watch her, stepping closer while ensuring I still have a fair amount of distance between us. I want to go to her, to ask her how she was captured, if she knows where we are, and how she banished the darkness I’ve been stuck in for so long. As I stare at her, something inside me shifts, the longing for death tapers off, replaced with a burning need to help this girl I don’t know. I’ve never met her before, I would remember it if I had. But something tells me this girl… she means something to me, to my life, and I need to do everything in my power to keep her safe.

“I’m going crazy,” she moans, looking up at the tall mountain above us. “I’m losing my freaking mind, and I managed to land myself in a blizzard wearing a damn dress!” I can't help but chuckle, loving her fiery attitude. It reminds me of my youngest brother and makes me long for home.

“But have you?” I ask, casting my voice to trail over the wind, needing to know if she can hear me. She yelps in surprise, and my legs almost give out in relief. She’s real, she can hear me. Her hair shines brightly, and her eyes sparkle as she looks around her. She’s so beautiful, like my own personal sun. “Or are you the only one not blind to the dark?” I ask, needing to know how she brought this light with her.

The vision of the girl wavers, and I frown as the male voice from before comes back to me. “Sorry, dude. But I need you to wake up,” he says, much closer this time, just as something cold and wet fills my senses, blocking my airways and making me struggle to breathe.

My eyes fly open, and I dart up in bed, coughing and sputtering as I choke on the water that was just dumped on my face.

“Thank the Gods,” Creed whispers, his bright green eyes watching me closely as he stands over the bed, hand patting my cheek as he nods and smiles. “Hey, man! Wakey wakey! You good?” he asks once he sees I’m fully awake.

Growling, I shove him hard in the chest, knocking him off my lap and glaring at him as I wipe the remaining water from my face and stare at him in shock. “Creed?” I rasp, then groan, my head throbbing and with the pain, the memories come of the last few months. My brothers had come to the human realm to save me, but Meyer had called me into her dreams. Arch died, the Seniorem was trying to take over, and there is now a civil war in the Umbra Hunters ranks.

I open my eyes, looking at Creed as he frowns and leans closer. “Yeah. It’s me, man. Are you okay? I can go get Nox if you need,” he starts to say just as my youngest brother storms into the room, looking a little flushed and panicked. Once he sees me sitting on the bed, he relaxes a little.

“Sorry. Meyer was asleep; I had to get her to move and didn’t want to wake her and… shit,” he breathes as he runs a hand through his long tangled hair, making the silver charms clink together. “Are you all right? I could feel your panic, but it lessened there toward the end,” he admits, and I nod as my dream comes back to me. It was the first time I had seen light in four years, the first time I saw Meyer and knew she was special.

Meyer… Meyer… I jump off the bed, the visions of Meyer covered in blood, her cold, limp body on the frozen ground, an arrow protruding from her back.

There was no pulse. She didn’t have a pulse!

“Shit! Valen, calm down, brother,” Nox commands, adding a bite of his dominance to his words that do nothing to me. This fucker keeps trying to dominate me, but he forgets I’m his equal in magic. I may have given up my throne, choosing to bind my race to Versipellis instead of rebuilding, but I am still the Dream Walker Prince. Lennox and his magic hold no sway over me. The only reason I agreed to let him lead our Legion is because I respect the hell out of him, but that doesn’t mean I will fold under his command.

I look around for my girl, needing to feel her, touch her skin, watch her smile, and feel her strong, steady pulse under my fingertips. Shoving to my feet, I sidestep Nox, who is trying to reach for me.

“Valen, I need you to calm down. Your heart is beating too fast, and your temperature is rising. You’ll shift into your Shade form, which will be dangerous for Meyer,” he calls after me as I race through the halls, shoving open Razar’s door and scowling when I find an empty room. I run even faster to Creed’s room, following the half-formed Legion bond, pushing open the door, and almost fall to my knees in relief when I see Meyer sound asleep on Creed’s bed. The smell of arousal is heavy in the air, but I pay it no mind as I enter the room.

Striding over, I kick off my shoes and carefully slip into the bed next to her, pulling her close and inhaling the soft scent of fresh air and citrus that lingers around her. Her soft, petite body curves perfectly into mine, and she mutters something in her sleep, eyelids fluttering slightly as she frowns and snuggles into my chest. She’s wearing a different oversized shirt this time, this one smelling of Creed instead of Lennox, and it helps soothe me to know she’s wrapped in the scent of my Legion.

My magic springs from me, unbidden, wrapping around my girl like a cocoon, acting like it’s also afraid she might disappear… or worse, if I let her go. I soothe the anxious energy coming from her, taking the dream she had just started to fall into and banishing it from her mind, ensuring she gets some much-needed rest while she continues to heal.

As gently as I can, I bring up my hand, wrapping it around the delicate column of her throat, marveling at the softness of her pale skin. For the first time since the battle that started this horrible nightmare, I finally feel like I can take a full breath, her strong pulse thrumming under my touch is almost like a lullaby to my senses.

Closing my eyes, I curl more tightly around her, trying to figure out the best thing to do next now that my mind can finally work again. Pressing my lips to her hair, I sigh, knowing my brothers are watching me like I’ve lost the plot, and maybe I have. Maybe there is no coming back from the damage inflicted during my incarceration.

Opening my eyes, I look at Nox, who is glaring daggers at me, dark magic swirling around him like a personal thundercloud. He is probably pissed that I’m curled up with his mate. The fact that Meyer is here and alive only because Nox mated her—effectively tying her soul and lifeline to him—is the only reason I’m not kicking his ass for mating her before I had the chance. I already know he’s going to be a pain in the ass to deal with because of this; his youth and inexperience with personal control are a problem we will have to help him with, but I refuse to let him bully me away from my girl.

I was already planning my life with her, already tied my magic and heart to her every breath and whim while he was bitching about how frustrating she was. Meyer is mine, the only difference now is we will have to include Nox in our plans of adding her at the center of our Legion. Creed and I planned to keep our Legion bond, and we hoped to convince Razar to stay, despite his loud protests about having her in our Legion. I was convinced he would remain simply from the many times I’d found him stalking Meyer in the shadows, watching her every move with a slightly less-than-evil scowl on his face. He’s already as obsessed with her as we are; I only hope it’s because he wants to protect her, not hunt and kill her. With Razar, you never know until his Beast decides to act.

But Nox is a wild card I wasn’t counting on in this game. Sure, I had hoped he would convince our father to let him stay in our Legion, to rule with Meyer and us at his side, but I knew it would be a shot in the dark, practically impossible. As much as I love our father, Orcus is highly traditional when it comes to the ways of our people.

As the heir and future king, Father had told my brothers he would break the Legion bond, tying us to our youngest brother to keep Nox from taming his natural instincts. Nox was to have his own mate, a princess and eventual queen hand-selected by our father who would rule at his side. I look back down at the girl sleeping in my arms and wonder if Nox has told her she is now the Princess of Versipellis.

“What’s our plan?” I finally ask, keeping my attention on Mi Sol, her presence filling me with the light I crave.

“Hey, he’s finally talking. Great. Okay, so now that you’re semi-back to normal,” Creed says, grinning at me as he plops on the bed and reaches out, running his fingers through Mi Sol’s white-blonde hair. “How the hell did you kill over two hundred Hunters and Wraiths? Not to mention the three Beastia still in the clearing. One moment, they were all fighting in the midst of war. Then BAM! Death everywhere,” Creed whispers the last word, making Nox look at him like he’s lost his mind. “Oh, and like, do you need a cuddle or something?” he asks, laying next to Meyer and patting my hand, not trying to remove my arms from around her, which I appreciate. “Things got intense there, and I was worried, bro.” Creed snuggles down, looking at Meyer with almost as much love and devotion as I feel for her, making me relax even more.

This is what I missed most while I was locked away, this sense of family and belonging. “I’m okay,” I whisper into Mi Sol's hair, lying, but Creed can do nothing more than what he is doing now. Being here, being my brother, and not treating me like the others do. Sure, I may be a little different, but I love how Creed still treats me the same. It makes me feel like less of a freak show.

Creed hums under his breath, his knowing eyes locked on me, but he nods instead of pressing the matter. “Okay. So the plan. We take her to Father and have him take the mark off, right?” he asks, looking to Nox, who has started to pace in front of the bed, tossing random looks at the sleeping girl in my arms.

“Yes. Or that’s the hope. I’m not sure what we can do with Inanis’ mark. I’m hoping the priestesses will know how to block the magic and destroy the mark without injury to her,” he murmurs, running his hands through his hair as he stops directly in front of us and growls under his breath. “Fuck this. Scoot over,” he demands, grabbing the blankets and nodding for Creed to slide to the edge of the bed. I almost crack a smile at the complete look of bafflement on Nox’s face as he climbs in the bed beside me and reaches over, grabbing Mi Sol’s hand and lacing his fingers with hers.

“Damn,” Creed whistles low under his breath, propping himself up on his shoulder so he can see Nox. “I thought her hand was tiny in mine. You dwarf it in comparison,” he says with a chuckle.

Nox only squeezes Mi Sol’s hand tighter in response as he lets his head fall on the pillow next to mine, reminding me of a time not so long ago when he was a young child and would climb into my bed and wake me up with sticky hands and a toothy grin. Being so much older than Nox has been an adventure that has had its ups and downs, but I wouldn't change a moment of it. Besides Creed, the rest of us were fully grown adult Demons when Nox was born. Having a little babe running around the castle tagging after us is one of my favorite memories.

“Have you told her?” Creed asks, looking from Nox and Meyer’s twined hands up to our brother.

“Yes,” Nox grumbles, then winces. “No… uh… kind of?” he offers with a shrug, guilt flashing in his eyes. I raise an unimpressed brow at his stuttering and briefly wonder if I can kick his ass without moving off this bed.

“How the hell did you kind of tell her she’s a princess? It's kind of a big deal, man. What the hell?” Creed's amused face falters into annoyance as he glares at Nox. “You did not move your relationship to the next level without telling her she’s essentially your wife, Lennox!”

“I told her! Not in so many words, but I told her she was mine and that there’s no going back. She knows I bound her to me in order to save her.” Creed scoffs and shakes his head.

“You should’ve done more than that, Nox. She’s going to murder you, and I’m going to take great pleasure in watching it.”

“The mating frenzy took over. I could barely get her to keep her damn clothes on long enough to make sure she really wanted it, and it wasn't her Demon’s primal needs taking over,” Nox tries to defend himself, but the guilt in his eyes tells me he’s still concerned about everything.

“How did you manage that?” I ask, needing to make sure he actually did the right thing and ensure Meyer wanted to physically be with him.

“I asked how long she had been wanting to be with me. Made her tell me the exact day. If it had only been since I brought her back, I would have stopped,” Nox rasps, and I nod. I would have still preferred him tell her in full detail about everything between them, but as long as Meyer truly wanted Nox, then he hasn’t broken her trust. It wouldn't have mattered if they had sex now or in fifty years. Meyer is Lennox’s mate. There is no way around that. But if he had forced something she would have regretted after the frenzy wore off, I would have killed him.

“You will tell her everything before we get home,” I command, making him glower at me, his magic straining at the need to put me in my place. He would have every right to magically demand submission from me. I am technically lower in our Legion dynamic, but he won’t. He knows as much as I do that he needs to tell Mi Sol what belonging to him will entail.

“I will,” he says, looking from me to Creed and nodding in agreement. “I already planned to tell her so that Father wouldn't freak her out. He’s going to be pissed, and I’m worried he might take it out on her.” I frown, not having thought of that problem before now. Shit, he’s right. Father is going to be furious, and I could see him testing Meyer to ensure she’s a strong enough match for his heir.

“Fuck!” Creed whispers, eyes widening as he, too, realizes the shit storm Meyer is about to walk into. And there is nothing we can do about it. There is no talking Father down from this. He will have every right to test Meyer. To push her and make sure she will be a strong enough future Queen for his people.

“If I can pull him to the side and explain,” Nox starts to say, and I shake my head.

“No. You need Mum. She’ll get him to calm down enough before he hurts either of you,” I whisper, pressing my lips to my girl’s hair while running my thumb over Inanis’ mark on her wrist, watching it light up a vivid red that makes my stomach plummet in response. I hear Creed exhale sharply and Nox growl at my side, their eyes locked on Meyer's wrist. Fear rolls off of them in waves, and I sigh, knowing I need to set my issues aside for now and help my brothers and the woman I love. “We are going to fix this. It will work,” I say with a confidence I don't feel.

“How?” Nox asks, voice husky and rough with emotion, as he shakes his head and stares at the ceiling above. “The Seniorem has Inanis’ tomb; Arch is alive and, for some reason, working with them. The Devil himself has somehow targeted my mate, and she now holds his mark. Someone other than Father and I is commanding the Wraiths, and the Umbra Hunters are in complete shambles. How do we fix this shit?” he asks as I bite my tongue not to yell at him for the ‘my mate’ comment. It honestly rubs me the wrong way that he gets to claim Mi Sol that way, and I can't yet.

“Um, I hate to butt in here, but wouldn't that be Arch commanding them?” Creed asks, and I shake my head as Nox answers.

“No. Arch never had enough magic to control the Wraiths. He has their protection as one of the Royal family and can typically order them to do specific tasks, but he couldn't sway their magical allegiance to Father. Razar was the twin with the magic; Arch was spared from that burden.”

“Shit, you're right. I totally forgot about that,” Creed mutters, looking slightly frustrated. “I mean, I’m glad it’s not Arch, but it would have at least given us an answer to one of our issues.” The sound of the door opening makes Nox lunge for one of the three knives on the side table as Jesthren waltzes into the room, his dark brows shooting up in surprise when he spots all of us in bed. The large black cape on his shoulders still has tiny flakes of snow, the tip of his nose red as he tilts his head and takes the four of us in.

“Well, this looks cozy,” he says with a smirk as he walks over, yanking the cape from his shoulders and shoving Creed on the shoulders. “Scooch over,” he whispers, looking at Meyer with a slight frown. Creed laughs as Jesthren somehow wiggles his enormous frame on the bed with us, patting his arm as he wiggles even closer to our girl. “Is she alright?” Jesthren asks, nodding at Meyer, who has started to snore softly.

“Yeah. Just a little worn out,” I answer and look at Nox, who blushes at my words and then scowls.

“You shouldn't be in here,” Nox hisses, sitting up and glaring at Jesthren as he reaches over and makes sure Meyer is completely covered with the blanket.

“Why not??” Jes asks in confusion.

“This is not a war council or a royal meeting. It's a family one,” Nox grumbles.

“The last time I checked, my last name was Darakh. I am your family,” he teases, and Nox huffs in annoyance. “Come on, Nox. At least let me try to make amends. I’m not asking to be your favorite; that will come later,” Jesthren adds, and I snort in amusement, making Meyer startle in my arms, and all four of us freeze, staring at her as we hold our breaths. After she settles back down, a snore signaling she’s still asleep, Nox glares at me, and I wince and mouth ‘sorry’ as Creed whacks my arm with a scowl.

“Fine, but you’re not a part of this Legion and are nothing to Meyer, so get the hell out of this bed before I skin you alive,” Nox finally says, voice a deadly cold tone, letting us know he’s not messing around. He will literally skin Jesthren if he doesn’t move quickly. Jesthren must sense the dark magic that has started to swirl protectively around Meyer and springs out of bed, eyes wide as he looks from Meyer to Nox, then at me and raises a brow.

“Mating frenzy setting in nice and hard, isn't it?” he grumbles, crossing his tree trunk-sized arms over his chest as he pouts in the corner of the room. The shadows shift behind him, and a dark-cloaked figure steps to his side, making our oldest brother jump back. A slew of demonic curses spill from his lips, and his blade suddenly appears in his hand.

“Your senses are dulled in this realm. You need more practice,” Razar mutters, stepping closer to the bed, his face shrouded in darkness, wild black hair falling from the cloak of the hood with blood dripping from the ends. He leans over us, looking down at Meyer before he nods and steps back, turning to Jesthren. “Killing you would have been pathetically easy. Do better,” he snaps as he walks toward the door. “Be ready in an hour. I have cleared the path to the rift on the North Ridge. Make sure she dresses warmly,” he growls as he opens the door and leaves without another look back at us.

Jesthren blinks at the door and then looks at Nox, shock and surprise apparent on his face. “The hell was that? How has he gotten that quiet? I’ve never been snuck up on like that before.” He sheaths his knife, and Nox sighs, sitting up and standing from the bed.

“Razar’s been through a lot the past year. Training has been his only source of therapy. Don’t piss him off, or you’re likely to lose a limb. No matter if he favors you or not,” he says, moving to the door and opening it, nodding for Jesthren to leave. “Meet us at the gates in an hour. Don't be late,” he adds, making Jesthren scowl, but surprisingly, he listens as he nods and leaves the room. Nox turns to the bed, looking at Meyer with a pinched expression. “Wake her and get her ready. We need to go while we still have the time. We can’t leave the castle unprotected for long.” Turning on his heel, he follows Jesthren, letting the door shut softly behind him.