⚜Guardian⚜

Chapter Seventeen

“Where are we going?” Lacey questioned. Theo didn’t answer, preferring instead to drown out her question with the roar of his motorcycle. He pulled up at what looked like a Ghetto version of Starbucks. Inside, there was the Unseelie Queen. She sat alone at one of the ratty booths near the back, her posture stick straight.

“Lucifer,” She declared with a warm smile. She stood up and hugged Theo. When her eyes found Lacey, her smile faltered.

“You associate with the odd blood?” The Unseelie Queen questioned.

“You see, that was what I came to speak with you about. You all keep mistaking her for a supernatural creature when, in fact, she is the last of the Grail bloodline. She is a descendant of Cain,” Theo grinned. The Unseelie Queen turned to gape at Lacey in shock.

“But she is so fair skinned! She is so blonde! She looks nothing like Cain!” The Queen protested. Theo shrugged.

“Traits lost among generations of bloodlines. The point is, she is our salvation! We just have to get her to swear fealty and we can finally declare war against Heaven.” Theo exclaimed excitedly. The Queen’s eyes lit up, and she looked at Lacey with a new reverence.

“Doesn’t the prophecy state that she will swear fealty upon her own volition? That she will be damned upon and so forth she damns?” The Queen declared. Lacey swallowed. What had she gotten herself into? She realized now that this had been a bad, bad idea.

“I haven’t figured that out yet. Maybe I’ve found her too early?” For a fleeting moment, both the Unseelie Queen’s and Lucifer’s eyes were both cast upon her. Then the Unseelie Queen shrugged.

“I guess we can take turns trying to figure that out,” The Queen declared with a wink. Just then, a pulsing headache attacked her skull. She bent over, a gasp escaping her throat. Someone was probing her mind once again, trying to find information.

“Damn!” Theo cussed. He sprinted to grab a napkin to tie around her eyes, but it was too late. Glass rained from the windows, and Lacey bent to shield herself. The pounding headache continued, and she let out a wail. Someone scooped her up into their arms.

“No! Damn you!” Theo screamed, letting out a wail. Theo pressed a sweaty hand to her forehead, extracting something from her mind. She opened her eyes just in time to see him flicker out of the restaurant. The Unseelie Queen was already gone. A bunch of people she didn’t recognize were chanting intensely at the same time in a language she didn’t understand. It was only then that she realized Asher was the one carrying her. Lacey let out a loud scream.

“Let me go!” She shrieked. He set her down on her feet, but her freedom was short lived. Asher tied a tight rope around her wrists, tying it so efficiently she knew there would be no chance of escaping. He tied her arms so they were backwards, as if she were a prisoner. Lacey had refused to breathe a word to either Isaiah or Asher as they took her to her hotel room and packed her bags for her. Asher came across his brown book, strewn across the floor where Lacey had left it. Surprise flickered across his face, the first emotion she had seen on him all day.

"I thought I lost this," he remarked in shock. Lacey glared at him mutely. She used every ounce of willpower she had to keep herself from crying.

"Why did you take it?" Asher asked. He was not even mad; he was just genuinely curious. Lacey was so angry she wanted to kick something. How could he best her so easily? Lacey felt no more surges of adrenalin. Her body was like an empty shell of exhaustion. She felt her eyelids grow extremely heavy. There was a disastrous pain in her chest, and she struggled against the bonds.

"Can't..." Lacey tried, but she felt herself collapse to the floor. The sweet thick darkness was welcome now, and this time, she had no visitors.

Unfortunately, she had only fainted for a couple of seconds, or so she thought. She felt the darkness retreat, and she was in the one last place she used to yearn for the most- in Asher's arms. Her gut wrenched painfully as she felt his strong arms hold her up. TRAITOR, TRAITOR! Her mind seemed to scream at him. He noticed she was awake, and he seemed to be a little relieved. Lacey felt a pulsing headache take place and she groaned. She moved to rub her temples, but her arms were still bound. She closed her eyes, her face a perfect picture of frustration.