The Transcended: They call him Lucius

Part 3: Blood ~ Chapter 13

Zoey lay on her back in the grass and watched the clouds drift over. She'd been outside all day, thinking about everything she'd been through, having only gone back inside for lunch. The fresh air and time in the sun did her good and she closed her eye with a deep, satisfied sigh.

I am finally at peace, she thought. Maybe working here isn't such a bad idea. Probably the furthest away from Lucius I'll ever get to be. She smiled. Yes, that alone is reason enough to stick around. And hey, maybe later I'll go somewhere else. Being transcended and living basically forever might just not be that bad after all. I should make it a goal to visit every country in the world.

She opened her eye again and gazed up at the sky. A gentle breeze caressed her skin.

God, I can't remember when I last felt this content. I should ask Isa if I can have a garden. There's plenty of room. It would be nice to cultivate a field of flowers.

She closed her eye again and imagined the smell such a floral sea would generate.

Oh, how lovely it would be to just—

Her skin prickled from the sensation of being watched and her eye shot open. She turned her head and paled. On the other side of the clearing, one hand on a tree, stood Lucius. Zoey's breath hitched, but then she closed her eye and turned away.

Great, I'm hallucinating again. How does that even happen? I thought I wasn't anxious. She groaned as she thought back to when she saw Lucius when she exited the spa with Gwen. I guess I need to have my blood checked again later.

Still, her heart rate did not slow down. She opened her eye and forced herself to look at Lucius—but he was gone.

See? You're hallucinating. Just calm down. Breathe. Isa said Lucius hated this place. He's not just going to come visit. Remember: he thinks you're dead.

She followed her own advice and was just about to focus on the sky again when she heard something rustle behind her. Adrenaline flooded her system and she sat up straight, but before she could turn around to look behind her, a hand wrapped itself around her throat and another gripped her hair firmly.

She gasped, letting out more air than was coming in. Her head got pulled back violently and she looked up into Lucius' burning gaze.

"Well, well, well, look who I found."

Zoey's eye widened in utter shock. Not a hallucination! Her mind erupted in a chaotic storm of panic and disbelief. Is he really here? How did he find me? I need to get away. He can't be here! Is he going to punish me? This isn't happening! I'm sorry. Let me go!

Lucius pulled her up by her hair and stepped in front of her, his grip around her throat tightening. He released her hair and with just one hand holding her by the throat, he lifted her higher and higher until he forced her to stand on her toes. Her hands clasped around his wrist, an instinctive reaction to try and pull him off her—to no avail.

"Ghost, zombie, or merely transcended?" His livid gaze bore into her soul. "I knew something was off. I just never expected to be betrayed by my own kin." With his free hand, he pulled off her eyepatch. "Did your eye not survive the fall or did they take it?"

Zoey struggled to breathe and her fingers tried to dig into Lucius skin—but her nails were too short to do any damage.

Lucius laughed at her attempt and his grip increased for a moment before he threw her to the ground. Zoey gasped for air—despite the burning sensation it caused in her damaged throat—but before she was able to fully fill her lungs, Lucius kicked her side. Her breathing stocked as pain flashed through her body. He kicked her again and her lower ribs almost snapped. Coughing, Zoey curled into a ball to protect herself from the assault, but Lucius' boot kept coming.