Taming Her Beastly Mate
Chapter 70

Aken grabbed onto Alexis’ shoulders and spun her around to look at him. He stared into her eyes and in a firm but gentle tone he commanded, “Let me in. Please get rid of the mental barrier. You are blocking me from your thoughts.” His eyes softened as he frowned. “Please Lex. Don’t shut me out. I’m here with you. I’ll kill or destroy anyone you ask me to, but I need our connection. I know you have a large family filled with people you would die for. But I only have you when it comes to that. If you are going to plunge into darkness, again take me with you.”

Alexis swallowed as she saw the raw pain in his eyes and heard it in his voice. “I’m sorry, Aken… I won’t leave the barrier up. I’m not shutting you out. I’m not turning back into Xi.” She gave him a weak smile. “But your thoughts are overwhelming and loud. And right now, I need to focus on my connection with Micah.” She leaned into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. “I’m not leaving you, Aken. I need you with me too. But don’t fool yourself. We both know that you would risk your life to save Micah. You don’t just have me… not anymore.”

Aken pulled her in close and took her mouth with his. He kissed her hard and urgently. He lifted up barely from her lips and whispered against her mouth, “I love you, Lex. We are going to replace him.” He didn’t care that her father was standing right there. He knew what it meant to have a mate.

“I’m coming with you,” Levi said with a sigh. “We still have time before the cloaked army arrives and I’m going after my son.” He watched him grow from the age of five. Rhea had always wanted Micah part of their family and he adopted the attitude as well. Micah was part of their family. He turned and looked up at Bella and Brian. “Brian, let your father know what is going on and to be on standby just in case. The fairies should be able to handle this on their own if it is just dark fairies. But we don’t know what else there is.”

“No,” Aken said looking up at Levi. “If Erebus is behind this, he wouldn’t be expecting the dragons to be there. Send the dragon army to Elysium. That way if we have to deal with Erebus there will be another powerful army there to help.”

Levi nodded his head. “That isn’t a bad idea. Yes, Brian see if Titus will go to Elysium with his army.”

Brian chuckled. “Dad will go. There are no two ways about it.”

“Brian, you go to Ryker, and I will go to your father. We can meet in Elysium.” Bella could see Brian beginning to protest. “Ryker might need your help. You shouldn’t delay getting to him.”

Brian sighed and nodded his head slowly. “I… I wish I could help look for Micah too. I guess I can’t be everywhere at once.” He had grown up with Micah also. He wasn’t just another stranger but was more like a brother to him.

“We are going to replace him,” Aken said confidently. “Go do what you need to do.”

Brian walked up to Alexis and hugged her. “He probably just followed whoever came here. Don’t get too worked up. I’m sure he is fine. He is a guardian remember?” He let out an airy chuckle and forced a smile. “I’ll see you soon. When we get back to Elysium, we will let everyone there know what is going on.”

“Be safe.” Alexis finally said and Brian winked at her with a cheeky grin.

“You be safe.”

Alexis watched as Brian and Bella left. She closed her eyes and began to feel for Micah. He was alive. His light still was shining bright inside of her. She just needed to track it down. It was something that had never been done before but for Micah, she was going to try it. She was going to try to connect to the light inside of her and feel the pull for him. She was going to try to track him with it.

Micah and her had a special bond since he was her guardian. But there was more to it than that. He was her friend, confidant, and rock. She often understood his thought process and she was drawn to him. She could replace him easily in the castle. It was like she was always led right to him. And she was hoping she could do that now.

The light and dark swirled simultaneously inside of Alexis. At first, she did have a fear that she would lose herself in her darkness. She was afraid she would become Xi again. But the light and dark twirled together harmoniously. It was almost like they both accepted their claim on her. Both powers wanted to get their guardian back.

Alexis had to get him back. She couldn’t live without him. Gods, she didn’t even want to think about that. She couldn’t think about it because she knew something inside of her would break without him.

She felt his light spinning inside of her and she pushed her own light into it. Entangling her two energies with his. She could feel it… it was faint, but she could feel it. She could feel his heart beating and his body ached. He was in pain. She blinked her tears away and embraced Micah’s light. Who the hell dared to hurt her guardian?!

Aken and Levi watched as Alexis closed her eyes. She appeared to be meditating. It was all they could do to remain still and quiet. They knew she needed to focus, and they didn’t want to be a distraction. Alexis was so focused on Micah that her shield lowered again. And Aken was able to feel her connecting energies. He was quickly trying to analyze the lights and see if he could get a grasp on the location. If they could just replace Micah…

__

Micah gasped for air as he surfaced from a dream and back into reality. He was amazed at how vivid the dream had been. Even as he sat up, he could still see images of Alexis on the ground dying, her body covered in b***d. The intensity of the dream was so real that a tear ran down his cheek. He let it flow as he tried to let go of the disturbing images. He had no doubt that it had been just a dream. Even though it felt like it had been a memory. So real. The images of her dying were too vivid and clear. His arms were shaking as he tried to gain his bearings and remember what had happened. Then he remembered…

He glanced up in the darkness and let out a low terrifying growl. “Quit messing with my mind you bit.ch!” He was in some sort of dungeon. There was no light. No windows. He was surrounded by solid stone and there was just an enchanted iron bar door in front of him. On the other side of the door, an old woman stood and quietly cackled to herself.

“I’m going to kill you when I get out of here.” Micah growled as he approached the iron bars. The nycrops had known he was in the swamp. He didn’t know how she knew but she did. And she was prepared. Some sort of dart was shot into his neck and it was instantly lights out. Whatever it was it was powerful enough to make him unconscious. Since then, the nycrops had been playing with his mind while he was in and out of consciousness.

The nycrops began to laugh and clap her hands. “You think you can kill me? Think again, guardian.” The words dripped from her lips venomously. “You are still breathing only because I want you alive.”

“So, you are Meryl.” Micah curled his lips up at the disgusting creature in front of him.

“Oh, I see the demigod told you about me. Such a shame you are stuck here instead of by her side protecting her. You know Erebus plans to chain her to his bedpost where he can take her anytime he pleases.” Meryl’s lips curled up poisonously as Micah attacked the bars in front of him shaking them forcefully.

“If anyone touches her—”

“You’ll what? Those bars are magically reinforced. You aren’t getting out of here.”

“What do you want with me?!” Micah growled as the old woman laughed loudly.

“I’m. Going. To. Break. You.” She hissed out each word through her curled lips. “I’m going to mentally break you down until…pop! You snap and let that darkness inside of you out.” Meryl cackled quietly. “And you will break. I have all the time in the world to break you. This will be fun.”

Micah glared at her as he paced back and forth in front of the bar doors. He wouldn’t be kept in here. He was going to get out and rip her undead throat out. He suddenly slammed his body into the door making it g***n and hiss in protest.

“Hmm… perhaps it is best to weaken you down some first. That will be quite fun in itself…” Meryl lifted up her bony finger and pointed it at Micah. A dark purple mist appeared around him and began to blacken his skin. Micah doubled over as his body began to shake violently. The purple smoke crept into his pores and created an excruciating burning pain in his skin. He clenched his jaw tightly and his face was taunt. He wasn’t going to give in. He wouldn’t give this bit.ch the satisfaction she was seeking.

“Shall we begin our mental breakdown? We start simple, but we will get more complex as your mind weakens. And for your mind to weaken we will weaken your body too.”

Micah was a prisoner. Meryl was going to torture him until he broke. The pain was unbearable. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be made to live in this excruciating pain for days. Weeks. Months. He wasn’t sure how long he could out from this torture. But he was going to try… he couldn’t let that crazy bit.ch break him. But the darkness inside of him caressed him. As if it was beckoning for him to let go.

Suddenly a bright light erupted from Micah and smashed through the enchanting bars. It belted against Meryl sending the purple smoke back into her.

Meryl was slammed down to the ground. Her body trembled as drops of black b***d pooled from her body onto the stone floor beneath her. Very few things shocked her but that did. She was not prepared for something like that. And she was fascinated by this connection. She wondered if it would work both ways. Perhaps she should send a message of her own… She slowly lifted her head up revealing an ugly grin at Micah.

“So, your princess likes to play rough?” Her white eyes glowed as they looked at Micah. Black droplets of b***d dripped from her mouth. Had that magic not gone through the enchanted bars she wouldn’t be standing right now. Luckily, it mitigated the effects of the attack. “Okay princess… let’s play.”