Chapter 247
Weeks passed, and in that time, I made the remaining people do what needed to be done. They fixed up the building Candido and I were in. While they couldn’t get the water or electricity working, there was a roof and the floors were cleaned. They brought me food when they came to check on Candido and busied themselves with trying to contact whoever else might be alive.
“Miss Hedy.”
I looked up, glaring at them. “How many times have I told you to call me luna?”
The man lifted his head. “Until the king confirms it, I would never disgrace the position that way.”
I glared at him. “Then, I suppose you’ll be tried for treason, then.”
His eyes narrowed as two people entered the room.
“You’re supposed to be regent, right?” The woman asked. “You have some authority.”
I lifted my head. “I’m luna.”
She pointed at the man beside her. “Then tell this man that I want nothing to do with him and he should leave me alone.”
“We’re mates!” He growled. “You’re not going to leave me.”
“There is no mark,” she growled at him. “The marks are gone, and for the first time since meeting you I can see what a terrible person you are!”
She looked at me. “You have authority? Then use it.”
“Just because your mark is gone doesn’t mean you are no longer mates,” I said.
Her eyes widened in horror. “You would tell me to stay with this man despite how terrible he is.”
“Moon marks are sacred,” I said. “Mates are forever. Maybe if you were a bit more devoted to your mate, you wouldn’t have so many problems.”
She blinked at me and turned. The man went after her. I heard arguing outside, but I didn’t care. I turned back to look at Candido. The barrier had vanished. He hadn’t moved at all. His fur continued to pulse with light as it seemed to drain out of him and into the dirt, but every time I tried to have him moved, I was pushed back.
When they left, the only remaining doctor came in. My injuries had mostly healed though my shoulders were still sore. The doctor was an older woman who looked between me and Candido suspiciously before leaving. That night, I went to sleep curled up to him and tried to reach for him in his dreams. I felt nothing, not even the faintest flicker of him on the other side. I didn’t even feel like there was another side.
I sat up with frustration, growling at the ache between my shoulders before I looked over at Candido and my heart stuttered.
I realized then why the doctor looked at me so suspiciously.
The mark on my chest had long since gone, but the mark on Candido’s chest was still glowing, distinct, and visible, even through the fur.
I felt the panic starting to settle over me. Would she say something? Would she do something? How many people would find out? I had to figure out a way to keep her quiet and keep this a secret for as long as possible.
I had to find away to get my connection back, especially if Estella was going to try and take him from me.
I swallowed and tried to think back. Candido had made it sound like the only reason I had a mark was because I had been drinking his blood, so maybe that would help?
I bit my lip and shook my head as I felt the barrier around him appear again. I had no chance of getting some of his blood. I stood up and left the house. It was night time when I left. My only hope was to get the Heart of the Moon to make it happen, or force someone over there to give me a solution. I left the house and headed towards the mountain’s base, searching for a cave.
No matter what Cillian or Ian said, I knew I could get through. If the vampire king cared so much about me, he wouldn’t leave me on this side. He would help me. I could convince him to, and if not him then Cillian or Raven would.
No matter what either of them said, I knew they were lying.
I reached the edge of the city as a truck rolled past with a few people in the back and something covered in a large tarp. I’d figure out what that was later. As I reached the bottom of the mountain, I pressed my hands against the stone, searching for the spot that Wren had come through, but I couldn’t find it.
I growled and turned back. I headed to where the jeeps and trucks were all parked and went searching for someone to give me a set of keys.
The woman looked at me strangely. “We barely have any fuel as it is.”
I thrust my hand out. “When your luna gives you an order, you’re supposed to obey me. Give me the keys.”
She eyed me. “Do you even know how to drive?”
My face flushed. “Just give me the keys!”
She scoffed. “Take it up with the key master. I don’t have any keys to give you.”
“You’re going to regret lying to me,” I said and brushed past her to where men were getting down from the truck.
I saw the open the tailgate and start to haul whatever it was inside.
“Gently, he’s pretty badly injured.”
I stopped and looked as I saw the hauling another large, golden body off the truck. Then, I realized, it had to be Van.
I rushed over to look at him. He looked just the same as he had been all that time ago.
“Where did you find him?”
“In another old town. We thought it was a trap, but there were a few survivors there.”
I licked my lips. “Get the doctor to take blood from him to give to the king.”
They frowned and looked at each other. “Are they related?”
“They’re cousins.”
They nodded. “We’ll ask her about it.”
“And give me your keys.”
He frowned. “For what.”
“Because I need them.”
He shrugged and handed them to me. “You’re not going to go far. You’d be better off walking.”
“What does that mean?”
“The tank is empty,” he said. “We barely made it back.”
I tossed the keys at him. “What use is an empty tank to me? Why is it empty?”
“Because there’s no gas,” he said looking at me as if I was crazy. “Weren’t you around and listening to all the debriefs? The vampires used most of the gas reserves to blow up whole cities.”
My eyes widened. “What?”
“For someone who is supposed to be luna, you seem a bit clueless,” another man said.
I growled at him. “You’ll regret talking to me like that.”
My eyes dropped to the mirror that was in the truck. I grabbed it and stalked off to try to call. It didn’t crumble in my hands, but the surface of the mirror didn’t change no matter who I tried to call. This couldn’t be happening.
Hadn’t someone said something about a pool in Lunae that would help Gilgamesh? I needed it for Candido. The screen flashed.
“It’s about time you—” I broke off as I realized that no one had answered. Instead, there was just a map with a flashing dot that indicated where I was.
I bit my lip and followed it out of town.
It had to have been at least an hour when I reached the place that the map indicated. I expected a cave, but instead, it was a dark clearing where the trees blocked out all the light and the ground was covered in a thick layer of stone. I looked around trying to figure out where I had been taken. Then, I noticed a tall stone and felt a rush of wind drifting out of it like the caves used to.
I ran to it, but before I could even touch it, my body froze. A spark of light shoved me back. I tried again, but each time it repelled me. On the fourth time, I felt something reach into me and squeeze. It yanked me back and I screamed.
“You can’t do this!” I screamed to the sky. “What does it matter what Cillian wants or Ian? Candido needs that pool. He has to wake up. He’s—”
The ground seemed to vanish beneath me and I fell.
The air turned cold and damp. Then, I landed on something hard. It was so hard I swore at least one of my legs was broken. Everything hurt. It was like I had been slammed into a wall of sharp hard stone, but not stabbed through.
It was so dark that I couldn’t see my hands in front of my face.
Then, I felt the world tilting. I slammed into something else hard. Then again and again before I was dropped onto something solid and light streamed over me.
I looked up and saw a doorway that looked onto a vast field of flowers and soft-looking grass. I crawled over to it, but the doorway wouldn’t let me pass. I could only press my hands against the invisible wall that separated me from the scene.
Then, my heart sank. A few feet in front of me, Candido and Estella lay side by side in the grass, seemingly asleep.
