Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance (Legacy #3)

24. Axel

24

AXEL

“ Y ou should drink some,” Theon said, holding the bottle of blood out to him.

“No,” Axel said tightly, looking anywhere but at the bottle. It simultaneously made him want to vomit and chug the whole thing.

When Gia had deemed Kat safe to move, Theon had carried her to a point where Tristyn said he could Travel. They’d taken her to Axel’s room in the Arius manor where she’d apparently been staying. Corbin and Lange had a room across the hall, and two doors down from them was where Razik and Eliza were staying. He’d been given the barest of details on what had happened since he’d been gone, and quite frankly, he couldn’t have processed more than that anyway. He’d showered, put on clean clothing, eaten proper food, and then he’d slept for nearly an entire day.

In another room.

Every part of him had rebelled at the idea, but he didn’t trust himself enough not to wake up and immediately lunge for her.

Because warm blood, fresh from the source? That was far superior to the chilled blood Theon was currently offering him. It was intoxicating. A drug he wanted to lose himself in over and over again.

Axel squinted at the setting sun that was shining in the room. Walking over to the window, he pulled the curtains closed. He’d become so used to the muted light of the Underground, the sunlight physically hurt his eyes right now.

He’d been told Cienna had been here while he’d slept and checked on Kat. That had made him feel a little better, but he wanted to talk to the Witch personally. And not just about Kat. Gia had said he needed to speak to her.

“I need to go check on a few things at Arius House. Tristyn is taking me,” Theon said, capping the bottle of blood. “Do you want to go along? Or am I still waiting to inform mother you’ve been found?”

“Don’t tell her yet,” Axel said, sitting back in the chair at the foot of the bed. Not too close, but close enough to be able to see her. He hadn’t said a word to anyone about the possible child. Another thing he wanted to speak to Cienna about.

“I’ll give it another day or two, but then you need to go see her,” Theon said. “She’s been beside herself with worry over you and father.”

“Yeah, all right,” Axel muttered.

“Then I’m going to go. You have your phone if you need anything, right?”

He looked up, startled. “What do you mean go? You can’t leave me alone with her.”

Theon blinked slowly. “I’m not, Axel. Corbin and Lange are downstairs. Razik and Eliza are down the hall. They stay holed up in their rooms unless we are researching something together, but they are a formidable pair.”

“But someone else should be in here with me at all times to make sure I don’t?—”

He couldn’t say the words. At least someone had helped her clean up and change into fresh clothing. They’d told him she’d only been awake for a few minutes here and there though, and that was his fault. So much blood. He’d taken far too much from her.

“The fact that you are sitting here worrying about this tells me you are in the right mind,” Theon said. “Your power wells are replenished. Don’t use your magic, and you’ll be fine until I get back in a few hours. Tristyn will stop in, and Cienna will be checking in on Katya as well.”

Axel nodded, but he wasn’t fine with this in the slightest. Something dropped into his lap, and he looked down to find his earbuds.

“Listen to some music,” Theon said. “Put together a new playlist, yeah? Only the very best songs you can find.”

Axel nodded again, a part of him settling at the thought. It was Theon who had taught him to use music to stay calm and drown out the world when necessary. He’d said those same words to him when he was younger, on a day their father had been in a particularly nasty mood. Theon had given him his best pair of earbuds and told him to find him the very best songs. That was the first time he’d truly understood what Theon was protecting him from.

He slipped the earbuds in, flicking through songs on his phone, but he wasn’t focused in the slightest. Bree had let him go. He knew he should be suspicious of that, but he hadn’t told Theon any of that yet. He was too busy just trying to…survive? Wrap his mind around everything? Figure out what he was going to do about Katya and a child?

Axel bent forward, his elbows on his knees as he pushed both his hands through his hair before clasping them behind his neck. It wasn’t until movement caught his eye that he realized he still had the earbuds in, music still flowing through them. But he hadn’t heard her wake up because of it.

Katya was struggling to get out of bed, a hand clasped over her mouth.

“You shouldn’t stand,” Axel said, tossing the earbuds aside while he rushed to her. “Seriously, Kat. Stay in bed.”

“You don’t want that,” she said in a rush. “Because I’ll be sick all over the bedding.”

“It’s fine. I’ll change it.”

She shook her head, still attempting to get to her feet, and rather than fight her, he took her arm and helped her.

“I’m fine, Axel,” she rasped, trying to shrug him off.

“You’re clearly not fine.”

“I’ve been doing this for a while now. I promise I’ll be fine.”

He knew she didn’t mean it as a verbal jab, but it sure as fuck hit like one. Releasing her arm, he stayed close as she quickly made her way into the bathroom.

“Please don’t follow me in here,” she groaned, dropping to her knees before the toilet.

“Not going to happen,” he answered, pulling her hair back as she retched. Not that there was much to vomit up.

After another round of heaving, she said, “Can you please go get Eliza?”

“Eliza?” he repeated in confusion.

“She’s staying in the room down the hall.”

“I know where she is staying. What I don’t know is why I’m fetching her.”

“She is one of five people who know about this child,” Kat answered, still hovering over the bowl. “I guess six now that you know.”

“But why?—”

“Please, Axel.”

And she sounded so utterly exhausted that he pushed to his feet, not wanting to argue with her.

Moving quickly through the room and down the hall, he stopped outside the door. While he knew of them, he hadn’t actually met Eliza and Razik yet. This was going to be more than awkward.

He knocked twice before shoving his hands in his pockets and waiting. He heard the light footsteps a few seconds before the door opened. A female with flowing red-gold hair stood there, her grey eyes narrowing as they looked him up and down.

Leaning her shoulder against the doorframe, she said, “You must be the brother.”

Unsure what to say to that, he rubbed at the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah. Axel. Eliza, right?”

She nodded, crossing her arms. A black Mark stood out on the back of her left hand, tendrils of the Mark winding down three of her fingers. She wore long-sleeves, but another Mark peeked out from the top of her shirt. Source Marks, maybe?

Yeah, so this was definitely awkward.

“Listen, Kat says you know about… She asked me to come get you,” he finally said when the silence stretched on.

She straightened. “Is she all right?”

“She’s vomiting, but?—”

She was already shoving past him, down the hall, and into his room before he’d realized what was happening. Axel followed, the bathroom door shut when he entered the bedroom, and not knowing what else to do, he sat on the edge of the bed.

It had to be at least twenty minutes before the door opened, Eliza emerging. She left the door open, the sound of the shower running echoing her footsteps.

“She’s fine,” Eliza said.

“Should she shower by herself?”

Eliza gave him a confused look. “Why shouldn’t she bathe by herself?”

“Because she’s… She said you knew.”

“She’s pregnant, not an invalid,” she said flatly. “She can do whatever she likes while carrying a child.”

“I know, but I…” He cleared his throat. “Thank you. I don’t know what you’ve done to help her, but thank you.”

Eliza nodded, watching him. It was unnerving and made him feel like he needed to keep talking.

“Kat said only a handful of people know about the babe,” Axel said.

Eliza nodded again. “Outside of us, only Razik, Cienna, and Gia know.”

“Cienna and Gia know?” He wasn’t even sure why he asked. Of course they knew.

“Yes,” Eliza answered.

“And you know because…?”

“Because I was there when Katya realized it. We were in the Underground with Cienna for a period of time while Kat was staying there. That’s where Tristyn hid her.”

Well, that was smart. No one could find Cienna so they wouldn’t be able to find Kat, but that meant that?—

“Tristyn knows Cienna?” Axel asked.

“They’re siblings.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

Eliza blinked at him. “I don’t think I understand that saying from your realm.”

“I’m just shocked is all,” Axel muttered.

The awkward seconds continued to tick by until Eliza said, “Can you feel her?”

“What?”

“Can you feel her?” she repeated. “Her emotions or discomfort?”

“No,” Axel said carefully. “We don’t have a Source bond, so I wouldn’t be able to feel her emotions or physical well-being.”

“They haven’t told you yet?”

Now he was getting irritated. “Sorry,” he drawled. “I’ve been recovering from bloodlust-induced mania. I’m still getting caught up on the fuckery of everything that’s happened since I’ve been gone.”

She smirked at that, and a minute later, a male was entering the bedroom.

Axel had to do a double take before he said, “Holy Arius.”

Because he looked remarkably similar to Luka.

“Yeah, yeah. We know,” the male grumbled.

He was broody and irritable like Luka too.

“Razik, Axel. Axel, Razik,” Eliza said, gesturing between the two. “Yes, we know they are likely related. No, we do not wish to discuss it right now. What we need to discuss is the fact that the female carrying your child took a Mark to find you, and if you don’t take the same, she’ll?—”

“Calm down, mai dragocen ,” Razik cut in. “You’re scaring him.”

“He’s one of the people who force the Fae to serve them,” Eliza argued, gesturing angrily at Axel. “He needs to understand what she did to find him.”

“Okay, first of all, I didn’t force Kat to do anything,” Axel cut in, his own irritation and anger growing. “In fact, I tried to talk her out of…all of this multiple times. I’ll admit I shouldn’t have let it get this far, but it was like we couldn’t help it.”

“Because you’re drawn to each other,” Eliza supplied.

“Because you’re twin flames,” Razik added.

Eliza slid her gaze to him, unimpressed. “You say ‘let’s not scare him,’ then you just say that ? By the gods, Razik.”

Razik just shrugged before sitting in the chair Axel had been holding vigil in.

“Can one of you just tell me what a twin flame is?” Axel cut in. A bond had been mentioned before, but it was one of the things not yet explained to him.

Eliza held up her left hand with that Mark. “I’m assuming you saw the Mark on her hand?”

“Yes, but I haven’t had time to talk to her about it.”

But while Katya showered, Eliza and Razik told him all about twin flames. What the bond was. How it worked. How the Legacy of Devram had taken that bond and twisted it into something abhorrent. Katya emerged as they were explaining how she took the Mark in the hope it would help her find him, and all he could do was stare at her.

His mouth was dry, the words gravel as he said, “You took that Mark for me not knowing what it would do?”

She smiled weakly, but she looked better. There was more color in her cheeks. She was moving a little faster, and when she reached for a glass of water, he rushed to grab it for her.

After she took a drink, she said, “Look what you sacrificed for me. I could handle a Mark.”

“A Mark that will slowly drain you if a companion Mark isn’t taken,” Axel argued.

She shrugged. “I guess I had to believe it would work. I had to believe I would find you, and you would take the Mark. Because you’re a sliver of good in this world, Axel, and if I couldn’t believe in that, then what is the point?”

Axel blinked back the moisture threatening to pool in his eyes before his gaze dipped to her stomach. “You are sure? About…”

Her soft smile was back. “Yes. Cienna confirmed it. Eliza has been helping me hide it from everyone.”

“How?”

“There is a Mark that masks the scent of the child,” Eliza offered. “It fades every few days though, so it must be reapplied. I am trained to draw Marks.”

“Are you a priestess?” Axel asked, still staring at Kat’s stomach.

“What’s that?”

“We call them Witches in our world. Descendants of Zinta,” Razik said.

“By Anala, no,” Eliza said. “I can draw Marks because of my earth Fae lineage.” Before Axel could question that, she added, “Don’t ask. I’m not telling you my life story.”

She was kind of…rude.

“And you knew of this particular Mark because…?” Axel asked, helping Kat back into bed now.

“I’ve used it in the past,” she answered tightly. “Again, I’m not telling you my life story.”

Taking the strong hint that the discussion was over, he said, “Then you can give me this twin flame Mark, right?”

“I gave Kat hers,” Eliza answered.

“Then let’s do that. Right now.”

“Axel, you can think about it first,” Kat cut in.

“There’s nothing to think about, kitten,” he answered, bending to press a kiss to her brow. “We’ll figure the rest out later.”

He turned back to Eliza, who was already holding a scion. “Left hand,” she said impatiently.

Axel held out his hand, his eyes fixed on Katya the entire time. “So when this is done, I’ll be able to feel her emotions and hear her thoughts?”

“And sense her physical location,” Razik answered while Eliza worked. “The bond itself is pretty instantaneous, but it strengthens once the Trials are completed and the bond is Anointed.”

“How long does that take?”

“Each pair is unique. Some complete the Trials within a year or two. Others take longer. The Fates decide,” he said.

When he felt the scion pass over the same spot for the fifth time, Axel finally looked at his hand.

Where there was nothing.

“What’s wrong?” Axel asked.

Eliza’s brow was furrowed in concentration as she pulled the scion across the back of his hand again, Axel gritting his teeth against the burn. “I don’t know,” Eliza said. She looked over her shoulder at Razik. “Why isn’t it working?”

He leaned forward to see before rubbing at his jaw. “I don’t know. Twin flames are rare enough, we don’t know everything about them. There’s not a lot of texts about them, and certainly not in this realm. But I can see what I can find.”

“Thank you, Razik,” Kat said. When Axel started to protest, she reached out and squeezed his hand. “We have time, Axel. Let them see what they can find.”

He didn’t like it, but he didn’t have much of a choice.

“We’ll let you know as soon as we find something,” Eliza said before she and Razik filed out of the room.

He turned to face Kat fully, taking her all in. Her dark hair already coiled tight as it dried. Her amber eyes, tired but bright. Her warm skin. He winced when his gaze slid to her throat. There was no scarring—not even a faint mark—but he knew what he’d done. That was enough.

“Will you sit with me?” she asked, noting his stare.

He should say no. He didn’t know if it would set him off or not, but just like the moment he first laid eyes on her, he couldn’t deny the pull. It was a need to touch her. To pull her close. To know she was safe.

His to have.

His to protect.

His to love.

He climbed onto the bed next to her, and she immediately snuggled up to him. Her head rested on his chest, her damp hair seeping into his shirt.

“Are you upset?” she asked quietly.

“Upset?” Axel repeated. “What would I be upset about?”

“The babe.”

“Are you…” He paused, using his finger to tip her chin up. “Are you asking if I’m upset you are pregnant?”

“Yes.”

“You know it took two to fuck and make that child, right?”

Her unimpressed glare had him huffing a laugh. Everything felt right as he relaxed more and more with each passing minute.

“Shocked, yes. Upset, no. I’m only upset that you’ve been going through this alone,” he replied, pressing his lips to her temple. “Like I said, we’ll figure this out. Theon will help us figure this out. He always knows what to do. He’ll come up with a plan.”

“I think I know how it happened,” she said, tracing patterns on his shirt.

He huffed another laugh. “Me too, kitten. I was there.”

She lightly smacked his chest. “Not that,” she scoffed. “I mean, there was so much going on with Tessa and the Selection and all the other chaos, I wasn’t given my seasonal contraceptive injection.”

His fingers had been stroking up and down her arm, and now they stilled. “Gods, Kat. I’m so sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?”

“Because I should have made sure that was done.”

“So you are upset?”

“No, but I take responsibility for not making sure you were taken care of. How long after I sent you with Tristyn did you know?” Axel asked, resuming the soothing strokes down her arm.

“A week or so. It was probably the best place for me to find out. I was sick one morning. Gia took one look at me and went to get Cienna,” she answered around a yawn.

“And no one else has suspected anything since you came back?”

“No,” she murmured. “I always go off by myself. It wasn’t out of the ordinary. Unless I was at classes or researching with Theon, I was in your room. Researching or resting. The sickness comes and goes. Eliza said that never really goes away.”

“She’s kind of terrifying,” Axel mumbled.

“She is,” Kat agreed, stifling another yawn.

“You need to rest,” Axel said, pressing yet another kiss to the top of her head.

“Mhmm,” she agreed in a sleepy murmur.

In less than five minutes she was fast asleep on his chest. He was a little chilled, and she was so warm with that fire in her veins. He didn’t realize how much he’d missed just having her close. His hand slid to her stomach, and he pressed his palm to it, still unsure how there was a child— his child—growing in there. Well, he knew how , but it was still… Something he didn’t have words for. He didn’t care if this went against the laws of Devram. Theon would help them figure this out. He would get his blood cravings under control, and this, right here, would be his world.

The door opening and closing drew his attention, and a minute later, Cienna came into the bedroom. Her violet eyes went from him to Kat’s sleeping form, and something akin to sympathy flashed across her face. It was something Axel had rarely, if ever, seen from the Witch.

“I’m told you’ve been tending to her for weeks,” Axel said as she approached the bed. “Thank you.”

She hummed an acknowledgment while she held her hands over Kat, faint light emanating.

“Is she healing all right? I took a lot of blood from her,” Axel asked, the relaxation immediately replaced with anxiety.

“She will be fine,” Cienna said tersely.

“And the babe?”

“Is fine as well.”

He nodded, pushing out a breath of relief. “Is there anything I can do? What should I know? What can I do to make this easier for her?”

Cienna rounded the bed to his side. “Fae pregnancies are hard. Just like all magical being pregnancies are difficult. It is the cost for bringing more power into the worlds,” she answered. “Katya is strong. She will be fine. Your job in this is to keep her safe and protected when she is vulnerable.”

“Of course,” he muttered while Cienna reached out and took his face in her hands, turning his head from side to side. Unsure of what she was doing, he went on, “They told me about the twin flame bond. Of course I will take that. Eliza said it will help to have the bond.”

“It would,” Cienna agreed, stepping back from him. She was rubbing the tips of her fingers together as she watched him, and to be frank, it was making him incredibly uncomfortable.

“She, uh, tried to give me the Mark, but it wouldn’t work. Maybe because I’m still recovering? Razik was going to see what he could find, but I thought you might know something?”

“You can’t take the twin flame Mark, Axel,” Cienna said, a thread of sadness in her tone.

“What? Why not? They said it was a bond between a Fae and Legacy,” he said, trying to keep his voice low to not wake Katya.

“Yes,” Cienna said. “A twin flame bond can only be between a Fae and a Legacy. Twin flames also cannot physically harm each other. The bond does not allow it. But you were already on an edge and hadn’t taken the Mark to initiate the bond. Even if you managed to take it, it would fade. Just as hers will.”

He had harmed her.

He had nearly killed her.

“I told you it could not be undone,” Cienna added.

He was shaking his head at the words. “No,” he said. Then firmer he repeated, “No. This isn’t— My father had me locked away. I was a prisoner. They wouldn’t give me rations. I didn’t do this.”

“I know, Axel.”

“I didn’t do this,” he said again. “I didn’t do this!”

“I understand,” she said calmly.

“I can’t be— You’re wrong,” he said, lifting a hand and letting his shadows free. “I still have my magic.”

“And it will slowly slip from your soul,” she replied. “In a week, maybe two, you will no longer be a Legacy. Your skin is already cooler to the touch, and I would guess you find the sun a little too bright.”

“No,” he said, shaking his head again in fierce denial. “That’s because I was locked in the dark for weeks. I’m still adjusting. Recovering. I’m not— I don’t feel any different. I still have my fucking power!”

Katya stirred beside him, and he looked down at her. Perfect and soft. Innocent and good . Carrying his child.

His child.

“The babe?—”

“Was conceived before this. He will be an Arius Legacy,” Cienna said.

“He?” Axel repeated hoarsely.

She nodded once.

And he wouldn’t be here for any of it.

He wouldn’t be here to see him born.

Would he have his eyes or hers? A darker complexion like her warm skin or the perfect mix of both? Would he be studious like her, or love music and chaosphere like him?

He wouldn’t be here.

He wouldn’t be here to see his first steps and hear his first words. He wouldn’t be here when his power emerged to help him learn to master it. He wouldn’t be here to play chaosphere or give him music or watch him grow. He wouldn’t be here to see what kind of person he became.

He wouldn’t be here.

Because he would be a danger to his mother.

Forever.

There was no swallowing the emotion this time. Tears spilled over.

Hot and angry.

Sad and agonized.

Raw and brutal.

He couldn’t stay here.

He couldn’t stay with her.

He looked up at Cienna again, finding her still watching him.

“Many are on the receiving end of injustice every single day. A choice was taken from you. It’s not right, and it’s not fair. But you get to decide how to move forward. That choice is still yours. You get to decide how it shapes you. You will not be the same on the other side of this,” Cienna said. “But you get a choice on who that person will be. Your path is not yet decided. Fate waits to make her final choice for you. Choose wisely.”

With those parting words, the Witch left.

Choose wisely.

She’d said those same words to him months ago in the Underground caverns, and look where he was now. Exactly where he’d feared he’d be.

But he could make sure his worst fear didn’t come true.

He could make sure he wasn’t a threat to Kat ever again. That he never took from her in a moment of weakness. That he never watched the life dim from her eyes.

Happy, safe, and whole.

That was what he needed her to be.

That was what he’d sacrifice anything for.

Because she was his.

His to have.

His to protect.

His to love.

With another press of his lips to her brow, he slipped from the bed. He placed a blanket over her, letting his palm linger on her stomach.

He didn’t belong here. Not anymore.

He quickly scrawled a note on some scratch paper, leaving it on the nightstand. Then bent to kiss her temple one last time.

“I can’t keep all my promises, kitten,” he whispered against her skin. “I can’t come back for you, but I need you to keep yours. I need you to try to be happy, and I promise to keep you both safe.”

Another soft kiss.

Then he left to make his way to the Underground and back to the people he now belonged with.