Her Mortal Mate

Chapter Fifty Six: Consequences

Jadea

The moment we were about a half mile away from Lance's, I could already feel the surge in power. It was a very subtle difference in the air, but it was there nonetheless, which meant there were a lot of powerful immortals on Lance's property. If I had to guess, the entire Imperium Guard was there at least.

When we pulled up onto the property, I saw the large group of immortals in the garden. Most took notice of me and my pack's presence, even if it was only a passing glance. Other than that, they all stayed in deep conversation with each other.

What was going on? What possessed them to come here and bring Balthazar? What had they learned from Chance to make them do such a rash act?

“That’s only presuming it was something they learned from Chance,” Garret noted.

"Garret, can you get any reads?" I asked as Adam and I proceeded to dismount the bike.

"No. I presume the shielder, Alessandra, is nearby."

One could be hopeful. However, if Alessandra was here, it meant Ickarous—Constance's sharp mind reader—was nearby too. "Daddy?" I reached out to Lucien so we could figure out where he was and go to him. Perhaps he knew more about what was going on.

"I'm right here, squirt," Lucien responded behind me.

I spun around and was immediately engulfed in his embrace. I hadn't realized it, but I had needed that hug more than anything. When he stayed behind to fight Leviathan, I had been worried I might never see him again.

"I'm sorry I was so hard on you earlier.” He apologized, his gaze doing a once over. He didn’t miss the bit of blood seeping through the shirt. “A lot has happened today. Tensions are high, and I know that's not a good enough reason, but I know Constance could really use your help. I know it's hard to justify bringing your mate so close to evil after flirting with death. Thank you, for coming." He gave me one last squeeze before letting go. "Adam," he looked past me to my mate. "I'm glad you made it out unharmed. I’m sorry we didn’t have much time to talk earlier," he took Adam's hand and I was surprised my father didn't crush his hand like he usually did to anyone pursuing me. "He's different," my father stated in my mind.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Yes, Adam was indeed different.

"S-Sir,” he stuttered and immediately broke eye contact. He was embarrassed, but there was no need to be. My father knew Adam through me. He had gotten glimpses of the man he was and the kind of torment he had gone through.

"Your children are absolute angels," Lucien continued on smoothly, not at all hung up by Adam's response. His smile was genuine and comforting.

Adam chuckled. "I've h-heard that before, b-but I know they are little hellions."

"No," Lucien's grin turned wicked, his gaze moving to mine and it was my time to squirm. "There are far worse out there, trust me," he winked and I knew my father was going to spend long nights telling Aidan and Anika what kind of trouble their step mother had gotten into.

Lucien easily led the conversation as we walked towards the garden, stopping to talk with Raphael, a demon halfbreed with platinum hair and unsettling violet eyes. His features sharp, face smooth and angular. His knowing gaze landing on mine. “Jadea, it is nice to see you again.”

“Raphael,” I bowed my head respectfully.

“Let me take a look at that,” he reached for the edge of my shirt and pulled it up.

As Adam tried moving closer, Lucien blocked him, continuing to engage him in conversation, distracting him from what Raphael was doing. “Aidan has taken a liking to Ty.” Lucien continued on.

“Remind me who Ty is again?” Adam asked nervously, anxiously trying to see what Raphael was doing.

“My brother,” I smiled reassuringly at him. It was difficult to remember everyone, especially since he hadn’t met Ty. “Raphael is a healer. He’s going to patch me up.”

“Ty is a diehard Marvel fan and has a decent collection going on.”

Adam’s face instantly brightened at the mention of this. “That child absolutely adores Captain America.”

“Yes,” Lucian agreed. “He has hijacked all of Ty’s free time to play superheroes and villains. And Anika spends all her time in the stalls with the horses.”

In Adam’s mind I felt him start to relax with my father. Especially when he was talking about Aidan and Anika. I prayed we would be leaving to see them soon, for his sake and theirs. This was probably the longest they had been apart since the divorce.

Raphael tsked as he assessed the damage. “Whoever did this got you good.” He said, resting his palm against the wound, heat emanating from his hand into my skin. Adam, ever the spectator in my mind, watched on in awe as Raphael worked his magic, healing the internal and external damage within moments. “You’ll still need to consume a lot of blood to restore what was lost, and get plenty of sleep to ensure complete healing,” he stated pointedly, those violet eyes pinning me.

“Will do! Thank you,” I said sincerely, resting my hand on his shoulder.

Raphael’s gaze softened. “Of course.” And with that, he stepped away to do whatever he needed to do.

As we stepped further into the garden, I noticed how everyone was staying to the edges, leaving the middle clear. Lucien led us across the garden to a large open spot. “Before Constance comes out there’s something I must tell you,” he started, turning to look at all of us. “Constance and her guard have learned how to turn back time—

I felt everyone’s shock, though Adam’s and Garret’s was less pronounced.

Lucien noticed my reaction and zeroed in on me. “Jadea?”

I shook my head. I didn’t want to talk about this now. I was sure I would be gaining an audience with Constance. I would speak on this matter then.

“They have used this power only once before and learned a devastating consequence. Fate herself comes for payment that must be made willingly by one soul. That soul, for every life that was saved, becomes Fate’s prisoner. Whoever this soul is will remain in between worlds for however long the sentence is and will not be able to find peace or regenerate into a new body until the time has been completed. No one knows what Fate has them do, but I can only presume it isn’t pleasant.”

“Do they have a volunteer?” I asked nervously. There had to be thousands of lives saved by Constance’s actions. Who would be willing to sacrifice so much?

“Yes, they do. Balthazar.”

“What!?”

“No!”

My pack’s shock was nearly palpable.

“That doesn’t make sense!”

“Why would he do that!?”

“He’s a villain, the worst kind! Why would he willingly sacrifice himself?”

“He has to gain something out of it.”

“He does,” Lucien replied and we all quieted down. We all waited in suspense. Before he was able to tell us what this big news was, Constance, Gabriel and a small procession glided into the center of the garden. Balthazar was heavily restrained with enchanted chains. There were several cuffs going up his arms, chaining them together in front of him. There was a studded collar with sharp points digging into the skin of his neck on both the upper and lower sides. It limited his mobility and range of view unless he physically turned his body.

Several large chains and cuffs bound his wings together and forced them up against his back. More chains and cuffs restricted how far he could step. If anything, he could only shuffle.

Adam shifted uneasily on his feet at the sight of the demon. He was handsome and looked to be in his forties or fifties to any human. For us immortals, however, we knew this meant he was thousands of years old. Balthazar was bald, looked rather fit and buff with striking red eyes. His wings were black, black horns curled out of his head, and he had on simple garb.

Suddenly, a shimmer of light—like that of the northern lights—appeared in the clearing right in front of the procession. Moments later, a beautiful, tall woman stood before Constance. She looked otherworldly as she stood there in a glowing light. Long tendrils of golden spun hair floated around her face. The longest parts almost brushing the ground. There were many small braids pleated in her hair. Flowers and ribbons of every color interwoven with her locks. Her eyes were void of color. They were completely white. Her gown was green, like the earth and simplistic. It flowed like water around her and moved in such a way it looked almost alive. A large, round golden locket hung from her neck.

“Constance, you and your kin have once again defied the laws of time. You know the punishment for such acts of lawlessness,” she stated indifferently, a fierce power hidden in her voice. “Who has decided to give their life in return for all those you have saved?”