Chapter 16: Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Lukas Takes Collateral

Lukas

He dried off quickly. He wanted to get back to his office as soon as possible. He hadn’t spoken to Lily in a month and he wanted to be there if she called. He had called Luis everyday, trying to speak to Lily. He missed her voice and he missed seeing her, but every single fucking time he had called, Lily supposedly wasn’t there. He had been told she was out on dates or out with Sommer. It infuriated and devastated him to think that maybe she really didn’t want to talk to him. He tied his shoes and jogged back down to his office. He opened the door and an angry growl was ripped from his throat when he saw Cadence and Joseph sitting in his chair behind his desk.

“What the fuck are you doing in my office?,” he snarled.

“I- I’m sorry, Your Majesty. The other phone didn’t work and I needed to make a call. We were just about to leave.”

He shut the door behind him, glaring at them. They gulped. He knew they were scared. He had doled out harsh punishments for even looking at him wrong lately. He took great pleasure in rousing a high level of respect and obedience out of his subjects, even though it was currently based in fear. These two would learn that lesson today. He stomped to his desk and snatched the phone out of the cradle. He scrolled through caller 1.d, and his heart started pounding when he saw Luis’s name. Lily. He immediately pressed redial and waited anxiously for someone to answer.

“Your Majesty? Good afternoon. How are you?,” Luis said.

“Where’s Lily?”

“Your Majesty, she is right here.

“Put it on speaker,” he ordered. He waited until he heard the button being pressed to speak. “Lily, how are you doing? Are you okay?”

“Hello?”

Her voice sent shivers down his spine and he sank to his knees holding the phone tight. “Lily, baby, I’m so sorry 1 upset you. Please, let me make it up to you. I’ll take you to a movie.”

“No.”

“Why not? I just want to see you. Please, tell me I can come.”

“I have a mate,” she said.

“Lily, Lukas is your mate,” Luis said.

“He’s not my mate. I know he’s not,” Lily yelled.

Lukas closed his eyes as every cell in his body shattered. “Lily, don’t say that. I love you.” He took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. “Why do you say that, baby? We are mates. Nobody else. Me and you, just us.”

“I just do.”

“Lily, stop that nonsense. You will go to live with him soon and you are going to have to accept him as your mate,” her mother told her.

Lukas growled. They were not going to force her to do anything. He would make her see. He had to.

“Mom, no. I don’t want to go live with him.”

“Lily, please.”

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, she walked out. Please, forgive her for her rudeness. She is just a child and doesn’t understand.”

He hung up the phone and stood up. His anger and Gideon’s feeling of betrayal made him the deadliest man on the planet. He picked up his desk, computer and all and threw it across the room. It exploded into a million pieces. He turned his furious gaze on the couple still sitting in his chair. He smirked at them, his lips pulled back over his teeth. He reached for Cadence and she flinched, trying to move out of the way. He wrapped his hand around her throat and pulled her closer.

Chapter 17: Lukas Takes Collateral

“You always wanted to take her place, didn’t you, Cadence?”

She struggled in his grasp to no avail. He squeezed her throat harder.

“You thought you could be queen. You thought you would be enough for me. You thought you could weasel your way into my bed and I would just forget about my mate.”

“Your Majesty, it wasn’t like that I swear. Please, let me go. I’m sorry,” she pleaded.

He pulled her towards and pressed his lips against hers. Her mouth opened when she tried to talk and Gideon breathed out a spark of fire. Her body got hotter until her skin blistered and began to bubble. It melted off of her bones, before her bones disintegrated into nothing. His head snapped around to look at the trembling boy in his chair who immediately sank to his knees.

*Please, Your Majesty. Please, let me speak. I have information you need to know, Just, please, don’t kill me and I’ll tell you.”

Luke knelt in front of him and tilted his chin up. “You have three seconds to tell me something worth your life.

“Cadence pretended she was fooling around with you. I don’t know who she was talking to-”

Lukas ripped his throat out. He had heard enough. He kicked the boy’s corpse.

ough to keep y

“It wasn’t enough

you alive, boy, but it was enough to kill you

He stormed out of the castle. Jo was outside sitting in Ethan’s lap. She leapt up the second she saw his face.

“Lukas? What’s wrong?”

“Lily,” was all he said as he took flight.

Gideon’s wings flapped harder than they had ever done before. He was going to hurt somebody and it might just be that mother fucker Luis if he wasn’t careful. He landed on the ground and stamped into the castle.

“LUIS! MARTHA!,” he roared.

Lily’s parents hurried out of the living room and bowed to him…

“Where is she? Where is my mate?”

“She is in her room, Sire.”

“Stay here!,” he ordered.

He sprinted up the stairs, following her scent. He stopped outside of a room where her scent was the strongest. He flung the door open and took a step back. Lily was asleep on her side with that bay from the mall behind her. His arm was around her and he frowned at Lukas.

“What the hell are you doing in here?,” Lukas hissed.

The

boy smirked. “Taking a nap with my

mate, Your

Majesty.”

“Lily!,” Lukas called to her. She didn’t move. “LILY, WAKE UP!” he yelled.

She opened her eyes a little, squinting at him. “Lukas?”

His heart thumped wildly in his chest. “Lily, please, come here.”

She pushed herself up on her arm a little to

forward. He held out his hand to her.

stare at him u

at him. Her eyes were red and her nose was, too. She wiped her nose on her sleeve. He took a step

“Lily, please. Come with me. Let me take you away-”

She looked away from him. “No. I don’t want to go anywhere with you.”

Chapter 17. Lukas Takes Collateral

His jaw clenched. “Lily, listen, what you heard wasn’t me.”

She closed her eyes. “Go away. Just leave me alone. I get it.”

“Lily, listen to me.”

“No! Just leave, Sire.”

He walked over to the bed and cupped her face. “Baby, please”

She pulled back, removing her face from his touch. The sparks died down and he reached for her again. Her eyes opened and she stared at him.

“You are a liar and…” She looked away. “I hate you,” she whispered.

He stiffened. “Don’t say that, Lils. You don’t.”

She wrapped herself up in her blankets, “Go home. Leave me alone.”

“Lily, we belong together,” he murmured softly, trying anything and everything to get her to come with him. He needed her and he loved her, but he wouldn’t force himself on her. He touched her shoulder and she flinched. “We are mates.”

She shrugged his hand off. “No. You would say anything to get me to sleep with you. Go away.”

“Lily, please. I’m begging you.”

“Sire, she wants you to leave. You should do as she asks. This wouldn’t look good if it was found out you took her this young”

He glared at Luis. Something was going on here. He didn’t know what, but he was determined to find out. The last time he had seen her, she had wanted him so bad. This was not his Lily. His Lily wanted to feel their sparks. His Lily smiled a lot. His Lily was happy. He stormed past Luls who closed the door and followed him downstairs. He glared at the woman waiting for them. Lukas paced hack and forth in the foyer, thinking. If she wouldn’t talk to him, maybe she would talk to Jo. School started next week, maybe by then she would calm down enough to speak to her. He eyed her mother who stood under Luis’s arm,

“Do you love your mate, Luis?,” he asked. Luis nodded. “Good!”

Lukas grabbed the woman’s arm and tugged her to his side.

“If any harm comes to Lily, I will kill your mate. Jo will be here to take Lily to school. I swear to the Goddess, that if even one hair on her head is touched, you will not have to worry about death. It will come for you, but not before your sons and every single living creature in your kingdom is killed in front of you. I will dismantle every building here, brick by brick. Do not ever forget who she belongs with. She will be mine and everything you take pride in will burn if anything happens to her.”

1

He dragged the terrified woman out of the castle. He shifted and picked her up in his large clawed hand. He started flying back towards his kingdom when he stopped. He landed on Lily’s balcony and burned the doors down. He walked in and she scrambled up on the bed. Her terror was very apparent and he hated himself for scaring her, but he had no choice. He pulled her mother behind him as he walked over to the bed. Adam cowered on it and tried to shrink into the headboard. He sat down on it, facing her.

“Lily, I’m going to ask you again. Please, come with me.”

He sighed. “Then I’m sorry

rry about this.”

He leaned over and she moved back. He wrapped his hand in her hair and pulled some of it out. He pressed a quick kiss to her lips before leaving with her mother.

“Jo, meet me at Javier’s place.”

“Is everything okay, Lukey?,‘ she asked through their link.

“No. I need you to come get this bitch. I need to speak to Javier

Chapter 17: Lukas Takes Collateral

“What bitch?!

‘Lily’s mother.‘

Alright. How far out are you?

“An hour.”

“I’ll meet you there. Leaving now.”

An hour later, he landed and thrust a horrified Martha at [o. He didn’t bother knocking. He didn’t have to, Javier was his kingdom’s resident witch. He did whatever Lukas wanted without question. The ancient looking man looked up from the book he was reading. He got to his feet.

“King Lukas, what can I do for you?”

“I need you to do a protection spell for me.”

“Who is it for?,” he asked as he gathered candles and herbs.

“My mate,” he answered, holding out Lily’s hair. “She’s in danger. I just know it. I need her safe until I figure out what to do.”

“Yes, sir. I will watch over her.”

Lukas patted his shoulder. “Thank you.”

Chapter Comments

Shaanam Day‘

poor Lukas, his parents got played and now they are playing with his relationship with his mate! poor little Lilly is so confused. heart

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