The Lotus Trials

Chapter XXX

Gemma's POV:
After the night had settled a bit it was acceptable for Zeke and me to slip away. It was almost eleven, but I was wide awake. "Run time?" he asked me as he went into his bathroom, leaving me to change alone in the bedroom. Someone had already moved my possessions, likely a family member thrilled that we had announced things.

"Sounds good," I called. "But who's staying here with Selene?"

"Darien ends up crashing here half the time instead of his own place. He thought I'd need some company since..."

"Yeah."

He opened the door, coming over to me. "I'm sorry she keeps popping up. It's not fair to you."

"Zeke, don't be ashamed of your memories. You were happy with her. I'll never fault you for loving your first mate." My phone pinged and I reached down to check it. Opening the chat with Kyle, my brother's beta, I found a new message under the string of worries I had responded to when I woke up.

Hey, Your Highness! Future queen or not, you're coming home tomorrow. You still get a celebration like everyone else.

Kyle, you are one of the last people I want calling me a fancy title. Don't worry. I'll start packing.

"Everything okay, Gem?"

"Yeah. But, you'll have to take that run alone tonight. I need to pack a few things for a trip back to Eclipse. You and Selene are welcome to join me. It's a little celebration we have if there are any Eclipse trial victors. I'm guessing I'll head out with Zander and Sienna unless you're planning on coming."

"Well, I'll have to bring some work along, but I think a day or two away from home is safe enough. I'll pack for Selene in the morning. She'll be excited, seeing a new place."

"Everyone's going to adore her."

He moved behind me, gently unpinning my hair. It's the little things he likes. Something about that made me very happy. Maybe just because I felt cared for in a new way. Simply and intimately. "So, you kind of rain-checked me earlier." Pushing my hair to the side, he kissed my neck. "I can't wait to mark you. I can't wait to marry you and have you at my side for real."

"You have me now, Zeke, though I can't say I'm not looking forward to the future, even if it seems a bit questionable at the moment."

He frowned. "Still thinking about that dream?" I nodded. "Gemma, I was too lax through the trials. I'm not making the same mistake twice. We've been sharing this prophecy and your dream for this long. We're going to get through this together."

"Maybe it isn't all bad," I mumbled, trying to sound optimistic. "I mean, it said there would be joy when the crown is taken. I wouldn't call you the worst king the world has seen."

"Who's the north born, then?"

"My pack's north of here. Soon enough you'll crown me queen."

"Maybe. But the rest of it is all about death and darkness, so I'm not clinging to that snippet about finding joy." He sighed. "I feel so blind with this. I hate it."

I just gave him another nod, pecking his cheek before starting to search for the bag I had come to Lotus with. We now shared a walk-in closet and it's safe to assume my annoyingly tall mate or his equally tall brother had tossed it up on a high shelf. Unwilling to ask for help and admit to my shortness I jumped a few times, of course only succeeding in pushing it back farther.

"Gemma, sweetheart, this a moment where pride won't help you." I snatched the duffel bag out of his hand, scowling. He chuckled. "You're welcome."

"You did that on purpose. You like mocking me."

"Actually, Mom and Darien brought your things over earlier, but my brother can be mean enough to set up little inconveniences. Or you can consider you won't need to pack often and the bag was up out of the way."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Gemma, do you think Selene's going to be okay?" I turned to face him, startled by the subject change. "I mean tomorrow. I'm sure everyone in Eclipse is amazing, but with the empathy work being so fresh, I wonder about that overload you were worried about."

I nodded. "It was hard for me when I first started. I had to spend a lot of time alone or in small groups. Eclipse can be kind of rowdy, but I'll be able to explain and get people to settle down. And if it's just a matter of trying to push out so many average emotions I can take her out of the room for a while. I won't call her out on it. We'll just take a few minutes for girl time." He still seemed concerned. "Zeke, do you trust me with her?"

"Of course."

"Then trust I know what's best for her, empath-to-empath. She won't develop her gifts properly if she tries to hide away from new people."

"Of course," he repeated. "This is your wheelhouse. I just wanted to make sure. She's my little girl, Gem. I want life to be a breeze. I'm scared for her future. And that vision... Your dream, it isn't helping."

"I know. And like you said, once this visit is through the security can—" I was cut off by a blood-curdling scream. Zeke and I were down the hall in an instant. He pushed through Selene's doorway first, shaking her awake as she let out another shrill cry. Finally her eyes snapped open, though she seemed unfocused, her eyes a bit dilated as if she had a concussion. "Selene?"

I managed to catch her attention and she launched herself into my arms. "Mommy."

My breath caught in my chest. Yes, she had asked to call me that, but kids say all sorts of things on the weakest impulse. She had kept calling me Gemma since then, so I thought an impulse was all it had been. "Sweetheart, can you tell Daddy and me what happened tonight?" She clung to me tighter. "Selene, can you tell me if anything hurts?" She shook her head. "Do you want to talk about your nightmare? Can we try to help with that?"

"She was drowning you in the pack lake. The lady in black." I tried not to let my body language change. When I met Zeke's eyes I saw only horror. The woman over his grave? "And then Daddy." She sobbed. "And then me. And then the baby."

Baby? Well, there's a piece that doesn't fit. "It was just a dream, sweetheart. You're safe. We're all safe tonight. No one is going near the lake, alright?" She sniffled, trying to nod. "Good. Can you try to lay down again? Daddy and I are just down the hall." This felt so normal. I didn't feel strange saying a word of it.

"Zeke said he looked for a mother before a queen," Raya put in. "She's our pup now. Nothing's strange about loving your pup."

"I want to sleep with you."

"Selene," Zeke began. I'd let him set the rule on that. He sighed. "Alright. Come here, baby girl."

She untangled herself from around me and snuggled into him, falling back to sleep just seconds after he stood up. He hesitated in the doorway. "Zeke, don't make her wake up alone. It's one night."

He nodded. "Reason number one why she likes you more. Pushover."

"You let her drag you around the forest in the middle of the night because she felt someone blue. Do not call me a pushover when it comes to that child."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."