Shadows from the Past - Book 2 of To Be Claimed By Her

Chapter 22

Victor

"What do you mean it's been over forty years!" I roared at Typhon and Gaia. "Where is she, where are all of them?" I demanded as flames rippled across my skin. How could this have happened? It felt like just yesterday when Sang and Erebus threw me in that damn pocket. The only thing that had kept me sane was knowing that somehow I'd find my way back to Eveleen and Gabe.

"Son, calm down," Typhon growled. "We've been searching for you non-stop. To be honest, it was a sheer miracle Gaia picked up on the disruption. You could have been lost for centuries."

I hung my head, falling on my knees to the ground. "Are they alive?" The only mark on my arm was Gabe's. I feared what that meant.

Typhon sighed and sat next to me. "We have no idea. Silas, Raven, and the twins vanished last, and that was almost fifteen years ago." He put a hand on my shoulder, "There's something else you need to know," he paused and I looked up at him. "We didn't just rescue you because you're my charge, but um, well..."

"The Void demands your presence," Gaia spoke for him. "Your path and fate have changed Victor Morgan. To save her, to save them all, you must answer the call of the Void."

I stared between them in utter confusion. "What the fuck does that even mean?"

She placed her open palm on my chest and I felt something twist. "That means you are no longer just a charge, you are an equal. Go and find your answers, child of the Void." I tried to ask a question from the eternally cryptic woman but found myself screaming in pain as some sort of vine sprouted from where her hand had been. I felt as if I were being ripped into a thousand shards and darkness took over.

Morpheus (Sean)

She looked so fragile laying on a cushion in the library. Her nose twitched as she slept and for the first time in decades, I felt Sean pushing through. He ached for her, but was also afraid - afraid she would reject him now, afraid he couldn't save her. I laid my hand against her cheek and whispered, "Go to her, Sean. She will need your light to survive what is to come."

Eveleen

I blinked, sitting up. Where was I? This wasn't Deimos's library. I reached up and felt my hair slip through my fingers, no kitten ears.

"Star." My heart skipped a beat at his voice and I spun around instantly, then froze. He didn't look like Sean, but in my heart, I knew it was him.

"Mo sholas, is that you?" I squeaked, my own voice sounding so small.

He stepped closer, "It's me, love and it's not me." I shook my head in confusion. Sean let out a long breath and sat next to me. "When you and Owen vanished, I broke. My grief was so deep that I, well, I kind of imploded, or at least my light did. I burned up with grief, Star, and somewhere in the nothingness, Morpheus found me. He offered me a chance to continue if I allowed him to use my body as a vessel." I took his hand and squeezed it. He lifted his other hand and stroked my cheek, his green eyes dancing with a darker light now.

"How are you here?" I asked.

"Physically, Morpheus is watching over you in the library. I'm in your mind, Star. I needed to see you, to touch you, to kiss you," he whispered as he leaned over, his lips pressing to mine. "Gods, I miss you," he moaned as he pulled away. "I miss both of you."

I averted my eyes, "Owen is different now too."

A frightening sound similar to a growl but more sinister broke from Sean's chest, "I know, and I swear I'll kill Sang if it's the last thing I do." At that moment, he looked truly dangerous and terrifying. I threw my arms around him and buried my face in his neck. His arms wrapped around me and for the first time in years, I felt like everything would be okay. "I love you so much my beautiful Star," he mumbled against my skin as he planted soft kisses.

"I love you too, mo sholas, and no matter what you say, you are still my light that keeps me focused and safe," I told him, interlacing our fingers as our eyes met again.

He let out a mournful sigh, "You need to be strong, Eveleen. The Fates have changed our paths yet again. You already know of my change and it isn't finished, but more will come. I need you to remember your own magic and strength." He cupped my face with a look I didn't quite understand then said, "Fuck it." He crashed his mouth against mine, his hands roaming over my skin as he laid me on the floor. Our clothing quickly was removed as he centered himself over my core. "I will always be yours, my amazing wife," he whispered, then plunged inside of me. I cried out his name and clung to him as he made love to me, bringing us both to climax repeatedly.

When my eyelids became heavy, he lay stroking my hair and said softly, "I have to go now. I'm sorry I cannot stop what comes next, but I promise you will survive and things will get better. Don't give up hope, Eveleen. I love you."

I kissed him again, "I love you too, Sean. I always will." Then my eyes closed and reopened as I found myself once again a kitten in Deimos's library. 

Author's Notes:  Darkness is coming...

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