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

Chapter 37

Gabriel

"What the fuck, Victor! You can't just walk out on her like that," I yelled at him.

He spun around, flames dancing across his skin, and growled, "She fucking loves the bastard that did all of this to us. Why bother to rescue her or any of them? She'll just hand us all back to him again." He let out a shattering roar, "Fuck!"

"Don't you ever say that again," I said between clenched teeth. "We have no clue what he and the others put her through. They had decades to twist her mind, and you think that just because the Void made you both gods it all magically vanished? Did the shadows just up and leave you alone after Erebus fucked with you back then? I seem to remember you doing some pretty terrible things to the people you loved, but we didn't give up on you!" He visibly shrank at my words, guilt crossing his expression. "We don't get to judge her. This isn't about placing blame, Victor. Hell, this isn't even about winning or losing, it's about getting our family back. Once we are all together, then we can sort out the details and start to heal. Until then, you get to deal with your own bullshit, but you don't get to project it onto her." I put my arm around his shoulder as he slumped. "That woman in there is carrying your son. She loves you, I love you. Don't pull away from us, please."

He cupped my face, "She's going to hate me."

"No, she won't."

"Yes, she will, Gabe, because I swear on my son's life, I'm going to kill the bastard. And when I do, she's never going to forgive me," he said softly. "I know she thinks there is some good in him, and maybe she's right, but I'll be damned if I allow him to live and that threat hang over our heads and the heads of our children. This has to end."

His words hung in the air between us. I didn't know what to say. I agreed that Deimos and Erebus needed to die, but he was right, it might very well break Eveleen. No matter how warped it was, her attachment was real, the mark proved that.

I pressed my forehead against his, "One thing at a time, husband. First, we need to get our errant puppies." I stood and held my hand out to him, "Come on grouchy dragon. You can't sulk forever."

He stood up grumbling, "No, but I can spank your ass red."

"Promises, promises," I taunted as I dragged him back toward our small family in hopes of bringing more of them to us.

North

Queen had broken down crying when Victor stormed out. "It's all my fault," she kept saying as I held her in my arms. Owen, Loki, and I tried to calm her, but it wasn't working.

Victor get your fucking ass in here and deal with this shit before her mind shatters, I roared across the connection.

Seconds later the door opened and he stood, his eyes blazing as he looked at her. He strode to the bed and pulled her into his arms whispering, "I'm not mad at you Jewel. Please, please stop," he repeated as he held her. "I'm scared. I don't care how much magic we all have, I'm still scared - for you, for us, for them," he said, placing his hand on her stomach. "How am I supposed to protect my son if I can't even protect you in your sleep?"

Her eyes met his, "I don't know why all of this has happened and I don't know how it will end, but I love you, Victor. Yes, Deimos placed a claim, but I love you - all of you! I am not letting any of you go," her voice was strained, but determined.

"Good, because Jace and I have an idea," I said firmly. "We have a plan to get Kota, then Nate and Luke back, but we need your help to do it - all of your help."

****

"So you want Owen to go back after all he went through?" Queen demanded.

"If they see him, they won't suspect a thing. Sang is gone, Erebus has no claim on him, and neither does Kaylie. He can guide us to Sang's quarters. Otherwise, we're flying blind, baby," I tried to convince her.

"But Morpheus isn't here to help now," she whispered, her head hanging low.

"Tesoro, we don't need him," Owen said, stroking her cheek. "We have to try."

She nodded reluctantly. "We need to let Selene know as well as Odin. Who knows how they'll react? Wait, where are we taking them to? If we use the Void, Erebus might notice."

"We'll bring them here. That way if we need to move quickly, we can," Victor said.

As we finalized the plans, Queen spoke up. "I...I need to share something. I'm not sure if it really happened or not, but just in case, I need to tell all of you. Just before Victor took me from Deimos, I'd had a strange dream about being a wolf and seeing Cade. The more I think about it, after what Deimos and Owen have said, I'm starting to think Sang and Erebus did something to me." She pulled at the hem of her dress, "In the dream Cade had sex with the wolf, but I think..."

Gabe chuckled, "Love, after everything you've told us, it wouldn't surprise me if it really happened. Why does it worry you so?"

"I guess I'm worried how Kota, um, Cade will feel. It wasn't very consensual, more like feral in my memory," she sputtered.

"Wolves mate for life, Cricket. If Sang did change your form, then Cade marked you as his even if he didn't realize who you were. I understand your confusion, but once he realizes who it was and is, he'll be beyond elated." Jace paused for a second, "Maybe we need to ask Selene about it. Depending on the spell, it's possible Sang inadvertently gifted you with a wolf. Might be worth looking into, especially if it helps get Luke and Nate's wolves back."

"Okay, let's go bring them home," I said.

Author's Notes:  Rescue mission time!