Page 60 of Devastation
Chapter Twenty-Four
Lana
Serenity leaves to find her spellbook as I head into the kitchen where our mates are talking. Knocking on the wall so I get their attention without interrupting rudely by speaking over them, I watch their heads swing my way.
"So, Serenity has to go dig up her spellbooks to help find a way to break whatever the barrier is over the demon realm. In the meantime, let's head to the fae realm to make sure everything is in order there."
Serenity's mates look absolutely shocked at the mention of her going through spellbooks, and Seth asks them, "When was the last time she needed those?"
Logan scratches his head, "Fuck, it has to have been over twenty years at this point."
While they discuss that, my mates crowd in closer to me. Pulling my lower lip into my mouth, I suck on it lightly as I attempt to figure out whether I should leave Ash here to train or ask him to go with us like normal.
"Lana...let your lip go," Zedd warns, causing my cheeks to flame instantly at the reasoning behind the warning.
I promptly release it and ask them, "What about Ash? He just found Elizabeth, and we need him to have time to train with her. As much as we can give him before this war begins soon."
"Why don't we leave that decision up to him?" Hale asks with a knowing look on his face.
He's right. I need to stop making decisions for them and allow them to choose their own paths
"You're right, you're right. I just get this ball of anxiety in the middle of my chest thinking about any of us being separated again," I admit begrudgingly.
The twins throw their arms over my shoulders, trapping me between them as they walk me towards the front door. Gentle kisses are pressed to my temples by each of them as they reassure me, "It'll be okay, no matter what he decides."
Zedd opens the front door, and we spill out into their front yard. Ash looks like he's meditating, sitting on the ground, eyes closed, a steady flow of breathing shown in the slow, rhythmic movement of his chest.
The twins' arms fall away from my shoulders as they allow me to approach them alone. Ash doesn't seem to take notice of me, but Elizabeth turns her gaze to me as I close the short distance to them. She holds her finger up to her lips, signaling to be quiet as she climbs to her feet.
Stopping where I am, I let her walk the last few steps to me and explain, "Now that he's accepted the stone, it's bonding to his soul. He's seeing hundreds of memories of previous family members who have wielded it, kind of like a crash course on how to use our powers."
My eyes bug out of my head, "So, it'll show him how to use his powers properly that quickly?"
Maybe we should just wait for him to come out of this before we head out. The thought of leaving him behind without him knowing tears me up inside. I don't want him to think we abandoned him.
"The journey is different for each person, but it has never been known to take less than twelve hours. I will watch over him. You have my promise," she swears while gazing at Ash with adoration on her face.
Fuck, twelve hours. We definitely didn't have the spare time to wait.
Feeling torn on what to do, I look to Hale pleadingly and gesture for him to come over. His long legs close the distance within moments, and he reaches for my arm with concern in his voice. "What's wrong?"
"Ash will be in this state for at least twelve hours. The stone is opening his mind and soul to the powers and showing him memories of previous wielders."
With his free hand, he reaches up and rubs the short stubble on his cheek, "We can't wait, but we can aim to be back here before he wakes up so that he doesn't come out of this state and find us missing."
Part of me knows we have to leave now with the severity of our situation, but another part of me screams to not leave him.
Hale must feel my agony in this decision because he grips my chin lightly and pulls my gaze up to his. "He is in safe hands this time. It isn't the same. Let's go and make sure our people are okay and prepare them quickly, then we'll be back before he comes to."
Inhaling a shaky breath, I nod, knowing this is exactly why I called him over. He's logical and level-headed and won't steer us wrong.
"Okay, let's go."
Turning my attention back towards Elizabeth, I explain to her the severity of the situation, "I'm trusting you with a piece of my soul."
I know that Serenity and her men will look over him as well, but I couldn't help but tell Elizabeth how important he is to me
Her lips curl up in a smile. "He's lucky to have you as his mate."
