Her Mortal Mate

Chapter Fifty Eight: Fate's Bargain

Jadea

"Absolutely not!" Balthazar snapped furiously.

Lilliana turned her head slightly towards Balthazar, her expression neutral. I barely felt the vibrations in the air as she conversed with him telepathically.

Had they really let her make a bond with him!?

"Wow. I'm not sure how to feel about that if that's what really happened," Garret stated, beneath his tone there was a definite undercurrent. "It seems so... Irresponsible and wrong on so many levels."

"Guys," Briar interjected. "If what Fate is saying is true, their bond may not need to be sealed in blood. Like Constance's and Gabriel's bond. You guys do know their story, right?"

Yes, we did. It was one of those tales that had been told time and again across the immortal world.

"Still, you would think Constance would have forbade her daughter from interacting with the demon," Derrick said.

"Shh," I commanded as Lilliana turned back to Fate.

"I will hear you out," Lilliana stated, her back straight as she stared impassively at Fate.

Fate nodded her head. "Find the one who betrayed you in your past live, for he still lives. When you find him, summon me. At which point, I will make a trade. Balthazar's life, for his. You have until the day you turn twenty one to find him. Once found, and turned over to me, you will have one year to save your mate's soul. To revert it back from the darkness, as your mother once did for your father. If you succeed, you both will be able to live out your lives freely. If you fail, both of you will be tied to me until the sentence is complete."

Such an interesting offer. For some reason, I had this inkling Fate didn't offer such bargains.

"That will be nearly impossible, finding the one who betrayed me," Lilliana stated. "Even though I know who he is, however he is an illusionist. He can shift into any form or being."

"I never said it would be easy," Fate said dispassionately.

Where would Lilliana even begin? I mused to myself. Thousands of years had passed between Renata's death and her being reborn in Lilliana. The illusionist she was seeking would have surely have changed his form every couple hundred years to stay hidden. He was just as old as Balthazar, which meant there weren't many who would know who he truly was, if any.

Fate sighed. "I will give you one lead," she relented. "Someone in this meadow is his descendent."

For some reason, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. My gaze shifted around the garden and I saw how the others were pondering over who could be the descendent. An uncomfortableness settled over me as it felt like I was being watched. My gaze collided with Balthazar's and a dread gripped my heart at his intense stare.

Constance's gaze also moved to me and I was left wondering why I was suddenly being singled out by them.

"If we agree to take this offer, and we fail, you will have gained three souls when you only require one to pay off the debts owed to you when time is tampered with. I expect our sentence then, to be cut by a third," Lilliana bargained.

My pack and I were surprised by her bold negotiation. She had to be roughly around the age of thirteen, if I had to guess. She seemed very capable, bright and strong willed considering her age.

"Half," Fate countered.

"No," Lilliana shot without hesitation. "That is not good enough." She hung her head for a moment before turning to face Balthazar. I presumed she was going to say her final goodbyes to him.

"You have a deal," Fate's crooked smile split her face and she looked positively wicked.

"Will you give us a minute?" Constance stepped forward, resting her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

Fate bowed her head to Constance in respect and stepped away, allowing them a few moments of privacy.

Constance, Gabriel, Obsidian and Balthazar surrounded Lilliana. The air vibrated intensely and I knew they were having a very charged conversation. The one who seemed the most animated, though, was Balthazar.

Constance suddenly knelt before her daughter and looked up into her face. She brushed the backs of her fingers across Lilliana's cheek, tears in her eyes. "This is your choice, Lilliana. Whatever you decide, we will support you." Gabriel and Obsidian moved behind Constance and rested a hand on each of her shoulders. They also reached out to Lilliana, connecting her with them. Balthazar was the odd man out, a clear statement that they hadn't accepted him.

"How can they be okay with this!?" Garret shot incredulously.

"If I were Constance, I would use my controller powers to force her to forget Balthazar," Derrick grumbled.

"Right? He's too far lost in darkness to ever be saved. She's being set up for failure, doesn't she know that?" Garret continued.

I had to agree with them. How could Constance stand behind her daughter like this? How could she be okay with her giving up her life, her very soul, for this malicious villain? He didn't deserve redemption.

"We are the only ones who feel that way," Briar murmured in my mind. While Garret's mind reading abilities might have been hindered, Briar's gift of empathy, however, wasn't hindered. It was harder to shield emotions.

What didn't we know that everyone else did?

"They would be ruined if this was made public. There would be riots. The people would see Constance as another Victor," Garret murmured. As he said it, I could feel his own feelings towards Constance and her Imperium Guard shifting.

"We don't know the entire story," Briar reminded gently.

“How does that matter!?" Garret demanded.

"Garret?" I asked, concerned over his outburst. Why was he so angered by this?

Blocking out everyone else, I fully merged my mind with his. I knew his history, at least I thought I did.

"Balthazar is the reason you lost everyone," I murmured in his mind as I saw it all laid out. Garret was a couple years younger than me, even if he didn't look it. His family had been lost in a war. His family had been killed before his very eyes and there had been nothing he could do about it. While he had given most details, I realized now he had kept a few hidden. If I would have told him about my time at the stronghold sooner, perhaps he would have been comfortable sharing more with me. "Your family was a hunting pack," I stated, already knowing this. "What happened?"

"They were called upon to help," he started. "By Constance. And we answered that call. Since the world was in such chaos and turmoil, my parents didn't feel safe leaving me or my older sister behind. We gathered at the demon stronghold, and that's when Balthazar attacked. It was ruthless and merciless. The entire pack was lost." There was more he wasn't saying, but I could feel the edges of his memories fracturing, as if he was having a hard time remembering the details.

The pattern of fractured memories reminded me of the way my pack’s memories had reacted surrounding the events that happened during the time of the earthquake in LA. It was like the memories had been ripped apart and the frayed edges forced together even though they didn’t fit.

Had time been tampered with back then too?

It made more sense now as to why he hated Balthazar and he didn't want to see him given a second chance at life.

I had to agree, Balthazar had done a lot of bad in the world too. It was hard to justify what was happening.

Yet, I had to wonder what good he had done as well, especially if Constance was willing to allow her daughter to fight for him. What had happened before he fell? Who was he like? Had he once been a soul worth saving?

I reached out and gripped Garret's shoulder comfortingly, letting him know he wasn't alone.

I knew his family had been murdered in a war, I just hadn't known the details. When Balthazar struck the demon stronghold for the second time, my family had already left. Sent on a different errand for Constance.

My heart broke a little more for my beta.

"It needs to be bound by blood," Lilliana pressed, her voice ripping my attention back to the center of the garden.

Fate nodded her head once. Raising her left hand, a knife of shadows and mist formed in her hand. Wrapping her right hand around the blade, she slit her palm and held it out to Lilliana.

Lilliana turned to her mother, and Constance passed a dagger to her. The ritual of the blood pact played out before us. "It is done," Fate stated triumphantly, waving a hand and Balthazar disappeared. Lilliana looked disappointed, but did not say anything aloud. "I look forward to the future." Bowing her head, Fate faded away in mist.

"Obsidian, take Lilliana back to the stronghold. We will wait for your return before we start discussing our next steps," Constance ordered, her gaze shifting once more to mine. "Jadea, if you and your pack will come with me," she ordered, spinning on her heel to glide back to the house. Gabriel was right behind her, along with Ickarous.

For some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling it had something to do with the descendant of the betrayer.

Adam took my hand and squeezed gently. He might not understand what was going on entirely, but he had gotten the gist that we had just watched history unfold before us. And what was to come could determine the future for so many involved.