CHAPTER ONE OH THREE

Lysander's POV

I lost her, again. I was too late.

"This is bullshit." Bastion growled, pacing the nursery with his child on his hip.

We tried our best to get to her in time, but we were ambushed by a mage and several of my father's dark angels. I thought she would be safe at the ARIA. I didn't think they could get to her so fast. I didn't know that they were hiding in the shadows, waiting to pounce.

My priority at the time was ensuring Bastion and the twin's safety. If Bastion were to be killed, Aria would never forgive me. She would be destroyed.

Thankfully, both he and the kids were safe. Rory and his group gave up their fight as soon as Aria was in custody, leaving with a fifth of what they came with in a cloud of smoke. Damn S Class Mages.

"I know. But we'll get her back. They can't just take our Queen and expect us to turn a blind eye." Bastion glared at me for a split second, but softened his face when his baby girl whimpered. I knew he was still bitter about the affair. It wasn't like I blamed him for that.

It was my fault he lost her.

"What the hell are we supposed to do? We don't exactly have the resources for a full blown attack on the palace, and all our men and women are scattered across the fucking-sorry Lil- freaking coast." I ran my hand across my face, having already washed it of blood.

"Yea, I know that." I thought for a moment. They were going to kill me for this. "We do have one option left, but I'll need you to trust me." He scoffed, shaking his head.

"Sure, man, no problem. Trusting you has never bitten me in the ass before."

"I know that what Aria and I did was fucked up, okay? But this is bigger than that! Do you really think that my father will let her live peacefully like Rory claimed? He may allow her a day or two, but his true colors will show soon enough." His face paled, his grip tightening on his child.

"You don't think he'd kill her?" My solemn expression was enough to motivate him, and he set Lilly down beside her brother, crossing his arms across his broad chest. "Alright. What do we have to do?"

"Brace yourself. We need to see the Firsts."

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I called the meeting, in Atlantis as per usual, and within a few short minutes, all four of us were on our way to the depths of the ocean. I decided it best to bring us straight to the conference room, so Bastion wouldn't be as freaked out by all of the other supernaturals staring at him.

Not that it was much better bringing him directly to the Firsts. As soon as we touched down, gasps filled the glass-enclosed room. Genedier shot to her feet, her eyes darting between the two of us.

I glanced over to see Bastion frozen in place, hugging James tighter to his chest for protection as he scanned the room of strange species. Naturally, Genedier was the first to speak, straightening her shoulders.

"Lysander, would you care to explain why King Bastion and his children are in my palace?" She stated calmly, but her eyes were raging, flitting to the wolf.

"What the hell are they?" Bastion muttered to me, but I ignored him, stepping forward to my seat, inviting him to sit beside me.

"We came to ask for your help. Queen Aria has been taken by my father and her royal."

"Wow, you really know how to pick 'em." Sicily sniggered, crossing her arms. But she flinched when Bastion's low growl cut across the room.

"Watch it, rainbow freak." He snarled, and I swear I couldn't have laughed harder at the scowl on her face.

"Enough." Genedier commanded, redirecting our attention back to her. "How did this happen? I thought you were protecting her."

"I was. She lost her temper, though, and somehow used my power to teleport herself." Another series of gasps sounded. "We were ambushed and I couldn't get to her in time before they took her."

"How the hell did she do that? I thought you said you didn't give her that much power."

"I didn't." I snapped back at Sicily, my fangs extending.

"Okay, so what is it exactly that you plan on doing?" Genedier broke us from our glaring contest, and I rolled my eyes, turning to face her.

"I need you to protect the twins while Bastion and I retrieve the Queen." My voice was confident, but I knew that there would be opposition. Coree finally spoke up, the seat creaking beneath his weight.

"That's a suicide mission. They'll kill him immediately, and probably have you locked up with your sister."

"He's right, Lysander. You can't just walk in there. Even if you try to sneak in there, they'll be expecting a rescue attempt. They'll find you long before you reach the Queen."

"Well we don't have enough men to launch a full scale attack." I argued back. After a moment of us silently sorting through our lack of options, Bastion's quiet voice offered a solution.

"What if we do both?" When we cocked our heads, he continued. "I can find her regardless of her being hidden to Lysander because I can track her scent. If you guys can get me in, I can find her and get her out of there. While I work, we can launch a small scale attack on the palace grounds."

"A distraction. A fake rescue attempt."

"Exactly."

It was a good plan. My father would probably jump at the opportunity to watch his angels and mages destroy us. They would be easy to distract.

"I can get you in." Coree volunteered, his deep and raspy voice determined.

"I can make sure you don't get caught before you get inside." Genedier added, and all eyes flashed to Sicily, who rolled her eyes, leaning her chin on her fist.

"Fine, I get it. I can make sure you don't raise suspicions while inside the palace."

"Get her into the courtyard and I'll teleport us out. Could you do that?" He nodded curtly, shifting James to his other leg.

"Fuck yea. Let's get my baby back."

"Give us some time to get our fighters together. I happen to know of an easily persuaded group of hunters in the London area who would love the opportunity to kill supernaturals in the palace." I shivered at the sinister look in Genedier's cold eyes, thankful to be on the same team. Her hypnotism would have those humans following her every whim. I just hoped she could recharge her power enough to be ready for the real battle.

"Alright. We move tomorrow night, then." I confirmed, and everyone nodded in agreement, Genedier pressing the button to her left atop the desk. Within a second, a young mermaid, maybe fifteen, stepped inside.

"Lori, please show King Bastion to the nursery." I noticed the way he flinched in uncertainty, and I stood up, Lilly cradled softly in my arms.

"I'll come with you."

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"Can I ask you something?"

I leaned back against the nursery wall, resting my forearms on my knees where I sat.

"Sure, go for it." This could go one of two ways, and I hoped I was prepared to handle a massive black wolf.

"What's the real reason you didn't mention the affair to Aria?" He tensed, his hands gripping firmly onto the clear enclosure where his children played.

"I already told you."

"And you lied. You knew Aria wouldn't leave you. So why didn't you bring it up?" He grunted in annoyance, crossing his arms as his hazel eyes met the floor.

"Because I could see how happy you made her. And the kids. When Rory left, she wasn't herself, but somehow you brought her through it when I couldn't. It sounds pathetic, but I didn't mind her cheating if it meant she could smile again." Damn. I scrubbed my hand over my face, spotting the sorrow in his features.

"It doesn't sound pathetic. It sounds like you love her selflessly, as she should be loved." I took a long needed deep breath before continuing. "Which is why I've decided that I'm going to break things off with her once she gets back." His head darted in my direction, his eyes falling to the floor where I sat.

"What the hell are you talking about? Didn't you just hear what I said? You make her happier than I can." I was already shaking my head in denial by the time he finished speaking.

"That's not true. She loves you, Bastion. You are enough for her. It was my selfishness that got in the way. I had no business loving her in the first place. I'm going to go back to rarely showing myself. Don't worry, I'll still be around to protect her, but our relationship will be back to how it was supposed to be. I'm her 'god', nothing more."

Just like that, a tension left the room. Bastion's pulse slowed, and he smiled for the first time since her kidnapping.

I knew that I was making the right decision. I had promised long ago that I wouldn't get in the way, but that was exactly what I did. I just hoped that Aria would see it that way. Bastion was the only man worthy of her love.