Galaxy Of Hope

My thoughts were still a jumbled mess. September was almost coming to an end and I was still no closer to finding out who I really was. Or how to save Ethan and get into faerie.

A small part of me doubted he was real or that my dream messages hadn’t been some figment of my troubled imagination. Yet, my heart told me it had been real. That the last dream he had send my way was a very important clue on how to save him.

I spent almost every day in the library. Still not giving up on my Fae quest. Yet, the search came on slowly.

Oak had joined me a few times. I’m not sure he was actually there to help me or goggle over me while I read. He said I looked adorable with my face in a book.

I was able to put my dreaded meeting with Vincent to three Saturdays in the future, due to the Paramore Council being a jumbled mess after Elia’s death.

But there was no escaping it now.

It was happening this weekend. Tomorrow.

Vincent Orion scared me. Not just because of all the stories I’ve been told. It was his aura. He seeped darkness from his pores, which made the hairs on my arms stand up every time I was in his presence.

I was in Maddox Library tonight. Needing to make sure I also cover these books. He had some very rare collectibles that probably had some interesting information.

Vincent wanted to talk to the Paramore’s and me. I had no clue why, though. I would soon find out. Very soon.

The door of the library opened, I was expecting to see Jax but it was Ash who entered. My stomach did a low flip at seeing him—my blood singing. I was always attracted to him and always had been. Probably always will be too. Yet, I hated him at the moment with a roaring fire. I could feel it consuming me more and more with every step he took toward me. His silvery hair shone in the gloom like a light bulb in the darkness. Or maybe it was his presence that did.

‘Sweetheart.’ He greeted me with my nickname. I grant him that much, but solemnly, with not nearly enough spark as he used to. We still had our issues and the biggest one was his dislike of Dosch and my inability to stay out of trouble. Meeting with Vincent had both of those points touched, and we had been fighting over it for the last three weeks. I had no choice though. I needed to talk to Vincent, because he had smelled blood like a shark in the water. If I refused to meet him he would dig deeper and discover my connection with Dosch. He also had been close to Elia and I had my own agenda regarding that little fact. I needed to know if he knew anything else about my case. Yet, I wouldn’t tell Ash that. Oh god, I could never tell him that. He would literally lock me up until he could get rid of Vincent somehow.

‘You are already here.’ I noted and scraped my throat at hearing my scratchy voice. I had not said a word all afternoon.

They were supposed to come tomorrow.

‘Me and Oak are in the guest rooms tonight.’ He cracked his knuckles and flexed his neck, a nervous tick. ‘We figured we might as well come over earlier. Prepare the meeting. Sebastian is also joining us later tonight.’ My musician boyfriend was at a concert at the moment so that made sense he could not be here yet. Here I was having awkward convo’s with one of my other ‘boyfriends’.

I closed my book on ancient Fae Bloodlines and rubbed my tired eyes. I had been here for the last six hours and had seen the sun set. My tea cold. Forgotten in my search for answers. I drank it anyway.

He sat down on the chair in front of me and casually picked up my discarded book. ‘Any luck?’

I shook my head. It was starting to annoy me greatly that between all the knowledge of all these libraries I had yet to discover anything of worth.

He closed it again. Stared at me intently, light blue eyes blazing. We still hadn’t really talked after the cabin trip.

‘Tomorrow.’ So it began but I interrupted him mid-sentence. ‘Ash, you are not-’

‘-would you let me finish?’ he bit back a little harsher than he had intended, I could tell by the widening of his pupils.

I flinched anyway but he decided to ignore that and continued with his rant.

‘You are going to listen to me. I don’t want you anywhere near the guy. You understand?’ he was not messing around. If anything, if Asher Briareve had a bone to pick with you he would not let go of that bone until you decided to yield for him. He was that kind of guy. Always and everywhere, the most dominant person in the room, only outmatched by his twin brother. Which wasn’t saying much, because if it came down to a battle of wills between those two, I would only give Oak half an inch of an advantage at best. Merely due to the fact Oak had hardened in a different way than his younger brother had, because of the loss he had known.

I rolled my eyes at him. He also had to know that I was never going to yield to anyone, any man. He should know that by now. But we have been having the same discussion for weeks, it was starting to unnerve me. Besides our little heated romp in the gym that one night, I hadn’t been close to him at all. My skin ached for him. But my mind wanted to fight the bastard every step of the way.

Him being my mate didn’t mean he could control me. I was perfectly fine with making that point clear. I was not going to bow down to anyone, any man. If he wanted it to be like that, than I didn’t want part of it. Didn’t need it. He damn well knew it and I believed that part of his attraction to me was that I would never comply. He secretly loved fighting with me.

However between Oak and Sebastian I was perfectly content. They understood me and my need for freedom. It was him that made everything a lot more difficult. If he wanted it like that, he could be what Jax was to me. Not a mate, but mated to me and just a bloodbrother. The thought alone made me incredibly sad, not being able to really see that happening if I was being honest with myself but he was not leaving me much choice in the matter. He was weaving this path for himself if he wasn’t being careful.

This man had been my first true passionate love story, I realized that when I was in that sick bed all those weeks ago. I had fell for him like I had never fell for anyone. Not even all of my other mates. Jax had been my first love but I didn’t know what it was like to be obsessed, passionately attracted to someone before I met him. It was like I burned for him, literally. As equally painful as it was heating me up on a cold night. Now I had to live with the scars a love like that leaves behind .

I stood up. Scowling down at the white haired bastard whom I loved so much I couldn’t even put it into words.

He was not giving me any love back though.

‘You don’t own me Asher.’ I spit out. Ready to stomp out of this room and find Oak.

He stood up too. Chair scraping very loudly, it ringing in echo through the silent library. Making me wince and all the hairs on my arms stood up because of it.

‘Why are you this goddamn stubborn, Lux?’ he growled. His all black attire, with that white head of hair, making it seem like his head was floating between the darkness of the bookshelves behind him. He stepped even closer. We were this close to throwing down or kissing, one or the other.

‘Everything alright in here?’ as if he sensed my emotions, Oak appeared in the doorway. I kept staring Ash down though. He stared back. Silently. Angrily. Both of us had our fist clenched. I doubted he would ever physically hurt me but he would definitely hurt anyone else who tried to intervene right now.

Oak stepped closer slowly, as if he was scared to anger us both. At the moment he should be a little worried because I was this close to scrapping down. He felt that though.

He put his arm around my lower back, tipped my chin his way. I had to glance up to look into Oak’s blue eyes.

‘Why don’t we eat some dinner, babe?’ just like that my anger melted. If Ash was my fire, Oak was my calming sea. He had this effect on me like no other of them ever could have.

I turned my head Ash’s way again and his eyes were now fixed on Oak’s fingers on my chin. Nostrils flaring.

‘Yeah, why don’t we eat.’ He dryly stated, clearly aggravated with our relationship still and stalked away from us both.

I let out a slow breath I didn’t know I was holding.

Oak and I held hands and in the dining area a feast had been prepared by the chef. Jax was sitting at the head of the table, with Ash on his right side, already filling up his plate in angry silence. I almost didn’t want to join the table.

I sat down on Jax left, with Oak beside me. His warm hand on my leg. Soothing me.

We ate in dead silence. The mood was so palpable everyone could taste it on their plates. Jax and Oak exchanged some tense glances and Ash just kept staring at me over his plate of mashed potatoes. Shoveling them in like he hadn’t been fed for weeks while burning a hole through my skull with his intensity. After he was done he scraped his chair back again and stalked away from the table.

‘Well shit… that man is pissed.’ Jax wiped his mouth on a red napkin and drank from his wine while grinning at me. As if that man’s mood was all my fault and that made him happy somehow. Well I guess it was in a way. But my mates in the mate bond would need some bonding of their own if this was going to work.

’He really doesn’t want me around Vincent.’ I added dryly before taking a huge sip of my red wine.

Oak said coldly. ‘All of us want you to stay away from Vincent.’

I glanced at him and wanted to punch him in the face. Not you too.

He saw my expression and smirked. ‘But… I understand you want to see what the bastard wants. With all of us around the table there is no way he is going to lay one finger on you.’

Jax snorted. ‘Now that’s an understatement. With all of us there and mated to you. He has no chance.’

I smiled softly. ‘I don’t know why Ash makes such a big of a deal out of this. Vincent has already found me. I will not be able to run from the mob boss forever.’

‘Yeah, we need to face this head on. Intimidate him to back the fuck of.’ Oak stated dryly.

I knew that was what they were planning but still. Hearing it out loud made me scared for their lives. You don’t fuck with Vincent Orion and live.