Chapter 36

Queen Luna Aria’s POV

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The short plane ride is quiet. Stefan and I are both well aware of the danger in front of us, and I have this growing anxiety building as I am faced with seeing my son for the first time. I have cried every single day since the day I let him go, I have thought about what he looks like, how his voice sounds; if he’s funny or serious like his father. I have mourned them both for eighteen years, day in and day out, and now I’m going to see my boy. I just hope he can forgive me for sending him away.

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“I have a car picking us up and ready to drive us to the house,” Stefan breaks the silence. He looks at me and sees my tears and quickly undoes his seatbelt and comes beside me. “Luna Aria, I will give my life for your son, and you, I will make this right. We are going to get him back.”

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I look at the man in front of me, and I could so easily be hateful towards him, but I know that Eric has tortured him as well. I place my hand on Stefan’s cheek and he leans into it.

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“I know you will,” I say and the plane touches the ground.

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We climb into the car and it doesn’t take long before we pull up the long driveway and see the building. It’s a thing of nightmares. An ominous mansion made of smooth black marble with blood-red flowers planted outside. There are no windows in this sprawling home, and the exterior creates a reflection of the flowers and forest around it, as well as the awful fountain out front that no longer works, but is home to a statue of a woman who looks like she’s screaming, dead in the center of it.

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“It’s just as hideous as the first time I saw it,” I comment. Eric built this for Augusta in hopes of gaining some kind of praise, but it reflects the worst in humanity. Extravagance that is so grotesque, and it sits atop of a system of tunnels and cells that I wouldn’t put the worst of our enemies in. Eric told Augusta that this was what our enemies deserved. We would live in every luxury while our foes would suffer horrific punishments below us. It disgusted my husband and we never returned here, I honestly didn’t know it was still intact. I think of those tunnels and the dirt prisons with all of the chains and devices Eric had installed and it gives me the chills.

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And my son is down there. My stomach turns at the thought.

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We reach the top step and the door opens, Eric is standing before us and he has a smile on his face that only evil can produce.

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“Aria, my wife, welcome home,” he says with a smirk.

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“Where is he?” I don’t have any patience for his shit. I want to see my child. “Where is my SON!”

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“It’s been nearly eighteen years, what’s another few minutes?”

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“Eric, I want you to take me to him right now,” I say impatiently, but Roman’s words suddenly come back to me. Remain calm, don’t get emotional. Don’t do anything rash.

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“Well, I guess we should get to it, why postpone the day I’ve waited for.” Eric guides us to a door that opens to a spiral marble staircase. I have only been down here once and it was over twenty years ago, but I remember the smell like it was yesterday, rotted mushrooms and sulfur. We descend into an open cavernous room and there is a single pathway that is lit by oil lamps.

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“I see you still like the dramatic effect of fire over more practical lighting,” I say as we walk down the dimly lit path but Eric doesn’t comment back. As we walk I can feel the floor beneath me change and soon we are no longer walking on the hard marble and I feel dirt slip under my shoes. The walls have changed too, now rough clay versus the ornately decorated walls we left behind.

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We pass cell after cell, all empty, and my heart is racing out of its chest knowing I am going to see my child for the first time. We get to the end of the walkway and there is another tunnel that veers off to the right. It’s darker, and I can see a figure standing at the end of it. A woman’s face gets clearer the closer we get to the end, and Eric abruptly grabs my arm tight.

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“Before you see your son, you should know that he would have been better off dying than living the life you forced him into. I would have killed him quick, a merciful death. Instead, he suffered his entire life, and he will now suffer in his death, all because of you.”

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He drags me by the arm and then opens a dimly lit cell and throws me into it and quickly slams the door shut. I glance at Stefan and he hangs his head in shame because he sees what I have not looked at yet.

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“Make preparations for us to leave. When I’m done here we’ll toss his body into the pits behind the garden and head back to our pack house immediately.” Eric gives direct orders to Stefan and he doesn’t hesitate to rush from the cells.

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I turn and I see my child for the first time since his birth and my heart explodes in anguish. He’s crouched on the ground, his arms stretched above him in irons, and his head pressed against the wall, mumbling something I can't decipher.

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I get closer to him and see his dark curls, just like his father’s. I approach carefully, so terribly wanting to pull him into my arms.

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“Leo?” I try to reach out to him but the moment my hand touches his head he flinches back. The real pain strikes my heart when he looks up at me, his brilliant eyes staring at me, and filled with sorrow.

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“I promise I’ll be good, I swear it. Can you please let me go? I won’t tell. I won’t tell anyone,” he practically sobs and I drop to my knees and try to pull him into my arms but he stiffens like a board and tries to get away from me.

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“Don’t touch me!” He shouts and I stumble back and rage sprouts in my belly so strong that I can barely breathe.

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“What have you done to him?!” I ask, barely able to control my anger. “Answer me!”

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“I didn’t do this to him, you did,” Eric spits back at me as he opens the cell door and walks to Leo. He grabs his hair and forces his head up to look at us. “YOU did this the day to tried to hide him from me. He sits in anguish because he is stuck inside his own memories. He doesn’t even know where he is. He’s in a perpetual loop of his own past, one I might add that was horrific from what I’ve been told.” He pushes Leo’s head down and my poor child starts to tremble and pulls and tugs at his arms trying to get free.

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“With the help of my lovely new ally here, we were able to subdue my dear nephew by trapping him in his darkest fears.” Eric stands beside a haggard woman, but I recognize the colors she wears and the insignia tattooed onto her neck.

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“I thought your kind had been destroyed long ago.”

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“There are only a few of us left, but we will rise to power again. Eric here has made a deal he couldn’t refuse, and that young man over there is the key to unlocking the power that we need.” She taps Eric on the arm and smiles wide.

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“So, Eric, what are you waiting for? Put the child out of his misery once and for all.”

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Lucas’ POV

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We are near the coastline and I hear Roman’s phone buzz.

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“Stefan,” he says and opens the text message and holds it so that we can both read it.

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Stefan:

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He’s going to kill him today.

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Possibly within the hour.

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You need to get here fast.

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I don’t know if I can stop him.

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I grab the phone and furiously type back.

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Lucas:

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You better find a way to protect him or I’ll rip your fucking head off.

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Where exactly is he?

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Stefan:

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In the cells beneath the house.

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The code to the back entrance is 21845

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You need to move fast.

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Once the boat is docked we shift and run through to the location of the house with incredible speed. Gia and Odette instruct their warriors to take out the outside cameras, and once they’re taken care of, I watch as Roman enters the code.

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“We need to proceed with caution,” Roman instructs as we quietly head into the house. Stefan meets us and raises his finger to his lips to ensure we keep quiet and then shows us a staircase that looks like it goes down forever.

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“Wait over here, out of sight, I’m going to convince Eric that he needs to come up to do a few things before we leave. I've redirected his security detail to his airplane hanger to get things ready. I’ll bring Leo to you once he’s gone.”

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Izzy grabs my arm as Stefan disappears down the staircase, “Leo is under a heavy spell, if we take him and the spell isn’t broken, I fear he will remain as he is.”

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“We can deal with that once he’s safe,” Roman says sternly, but Izzy shakes her head in disagreement.

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“You don’t understand, this spell is strong. If we take him back and he’s still trapped in this witchcraft, he may never return. It’s a life worse than death. I don’t know that I can undo it. I don’t know what can break it.”

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“I’m going down there,” I can’t sit here any longer. I need to know what’s going on and I still don’t trust Stefan.

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“Don’t be impulsive, Lucas. I want Leo safe as much as you do, but we can’t just rush into things. Stefan will come through.”

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“You don't know that! Look, I won’t do anything crazy, I just want to make sure we aren’t being played.” I don’t wait for Roman to say anything else and I dash quietly and quickly down the stairs. I creep through the tunnels and follow the voices until I can see shadows and I get close enough to hear what they’re saying.

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“Grab the girl as well, she needs to come to terms that she is nothing more than a breeder now. She will produce kings.” I hear Eric’s voice and I assume he’s talking about Jonathan’s sister. I mind link Roman to remind him that we need to get her as well.

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“Just leave her here, the quicker you handle this the faster we can get the hell out of here and back to our pack. Plenty of other girls you can torment.” Stefan’s voice sounds cold, void of any emotion, and it makes me question his intentions.

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“She is Alpha blood, she comes with. Whatever is needed it better be quick,” Eric says as he turns and starts walking towards me. “Lock the cell up and leave the bitch in there with him, he’s passed out anyway. When we finish getting things straight I’m ending this.”

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The woman and Eric pass me, and as soon as they are out of sight I dash down the hall and find Stefan with his arms around Aria.

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“I’m sorry my Luna, I had no idea what he was doing to him,” Stefan says, and as soon as Aria sees me she grips me tight.

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“Please, please help him!” she cries and I look over and see my poor Leo, filthy and still dressed in his suit from the ceremony, huddled in the corner. I gently move Aria to the side and drop down in front of the boy, quickly unlocking his wrists from the chains and he slumps down into my arms.

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“He passed out a few minutes ago, I tried to wake him. Lucas, please tell me you can help him.” Aria pleads.

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“Leo, please, wake up,” I try and shake him gently, and for several minutes he doesn’t move. “I’m taking you home, home to Elise. She’s worried sick and she needs you to come back. We need you to come back to us.”

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For a few long excruciating minutes, there’s no response, but finally, his eyes flutter open and he is looking at me with pure terror. He backs away from me frantically and presses himself into the corner.

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“No, no please, no more,” he begs and he raises his arms up over his head, protecting himself from some phantom.

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“Leo, it’s me, it’s Lucas,” I try to get closer to him only for him to cower tighter away and I hear Aria let out an anguished cry watching.

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Forcefully I hug him tight and then I place my hands on either side of his face and force him to look into my eyes. “You have to fight it Leo, I’m right here and I’m not letting you go. Find me in the darkness, listen to my voice and come back.”

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He stares at me and I can see a battle brewing behind his eyes.

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"They're watching me, they'll know," He whispers.

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“It’s not real, Leo! COME BACK!” I yell. “Gideon, find your way to us, I know you’re in there!” A few moments pass when finally the vacancy in his eyes starts to disappear and his focus shifts more intently to my face.

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“Lucas?” His voice cracks, barely audible.

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“I'm here son, I'm here,” I say and he blinks his eyes rapidly trying to get a better look at me, and then he wraps his arms around me tight and I can feel him shudder against me.

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“You found me, you came for me,” he says between breathless sobs, and I can’t help but hold on to him tighter.

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“I will always find you Leo, you are my family and I will never stop protecting you.”

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“I’m so sorry, I thought I could kill him on my own. I thought I could end all of this.” He says as pulls away wiping the dampness from his cheeks and taking a moment to look around.

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“Where are we?” He says.

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“We are in the tunnels beneath Eric’s home. He dragged you here and you were put under a spell to trap you in your fears. He’s coming back. We need to leave.” I help Leo up and he gets himself steady, and then he sees her, and I know that he knows exactly who she is.