It didn’t add up; if Quincy didn’t see the future about Lionel, it meant he didn’t see into the future, and if he didn’t see into the future, then he didn’t know Lionel would undergo any unmarking; hence, his words to her had nothing to do with his unmarking, but the pattern he had noticed with Lionel.
It meant Lionel’s state wasn’t a result of the unmarking but rather a result of himself. It made sense why Ivan couldn’t tell what had happened.
What could Lionel have done to himself to bring him to the place he is now? She had come here hoping for an answer, and now that answer had thrown her into a sea of further confusion.
“That means he wouldn’t be able to help with Lionel’s condition,” she mumbled to herself.
“I am sorry; I wish I could have been of much help, but this is all I can do.”
She smiled and shook her head. He had helped more than she expected.
He picked up his pen when she spoke up. “If Quincy is a watcher, has he seen anything about me and Zion?” He paused, dropped the pen, and gazed up at her.
His eyes remained on her for a few seconds, not sure if he was going to answer the question or not. “Yes, he knows Zion has the blood of a werewolf flowing through him, but he still remains friends with him because, according to him, Zion has a pure soul.”
She was alarmed that Zion’s identity wasn’t so hidden anymore, yet grateful to hear such comforting words about Zion.
He continues to speak, snapping her out of her thoughts. “He also knows you’re a sage, and your husband, Mr. Hart, is a werewolf with the blood of an alpha.” He concluded.
The discussion she had with Davine stayed in her mind all day, even when she got home. She met Aaron in a cheerful mood with Zion, and the two were in the kitchen cooking, and whatever they made smelled delicious. Aaron must have picked up her scent because less than twenty seconds later, Zion ran out, yelling, “Mommy, Mommy, welcome home!”
For a moment, she forgot everything negative and focused on Zion’s cheerful look. A smile came to her face.
“Well, hello, you. Did you miss me?”
He grinned. “We did.” He answered, and looking up, she found Aaron at the door with the kitchen towel on his shoulder and a smile on his face.
“Hey,” he said.
Her smile stayed on her face when she replied, “Hey.”
He stepped over to her and kissed her lips. “Welcome; we are making dinner.” He told her.
“Go shower. I’ll serve the food.”
She nodded, placed Zion down, and went in to quickly freshen up.
She stripped out of her clothes and hit the shower. The water descended on her, and she sighed, and her eyes fluttered as she felt at ease.
Her eyes fluttered open much later, and she found Aaron at the bathroom door, staring at her.
She wanted to ask what he was doing, but she already knew her eyes were doing the questioning.
“I came in to get my phone and then met the door open. My curiosity got the better of me, and here I am,” he said.
He stepped into the bathroom and unzipped his trousers, which made her eyes widen. Her mind immediately went to Zion and what Aaron had done to him before taking such a reckless move.
“Don’t worry, Zion will be busy until we return downstairs,” he assured her, taking off his trousers before doing the same to his shirt.
“As long as you promise to not do anything more than take a shower,” she cautioned him, and he nodded.
Aaron was more than happy to help when she asked him to bathe her, and if she could see the future, she wouldn’t have done that.
He was an unapologetic lover, and every chance he got to show her that, he did.
He was buried in her in under two minutes of bathing her, and she couldn’t even refuse at this point; she wanted it. She needed it; she needed him.
The rest of the day, after dinner, she spent beside Lionel at Ivan’s quarters at the estate. He was still unconscious, and today was the fourth day. Unlike the other times she had been here, Ivan wasn’t alone. He was with Xoe, the red-haired lady he came with to Zion’s birthday party over a week ago. He had told them she was his friend and a wise one, just like him.
“Any news?” she asked.
“Not from my side, but Xoe believes it might have something to do with his bloodline.” Ivan said.
Her brows furrowed into a frown. “How do you mean?”
“He has the blood of a hunter flowing through his veins.” Ivan answered, and that didn’t help to make things better.
Zera’s frown increased, but her gaze remained on Ivan. “What has that got to do with anything?”
“Well, if that’s the case, then it would explain a few things, including why Ivan’s magic doesn’t work on him and why he’s in this state without a prior trigger.” Xoe explained, and Zera’s attention moved to her: “This could also be his incubation period, and he might soon experience his awakening.”
“I do not understand what you’re trying to say. Awakening into what?” She said, her eyes darted between Ivan and Xoe.
“Into a hunter,” Ivan said. “It’s all a hypothesis. There is no concrete backing for any of it yet, but if this is it, it would explain a lot. He has had the blood of a hunter all his life; it stayed dormant, and what he went through in the past month had given rise to his awakening. We could be wrong, and he might just wake up normally or pass, but this is another probability. A hunter’s sleep, however, lasts for a week, and this is the fourth day.”
She turned from them to Lionel on the bed.
“The old Lionel and the new.”
Could that be what Quincy meant?
It would make sense, but there was no telling.
She didn’t care, though; as long as he’d wake up, she would be happy.
She reached for his hand, held onto him, and didn’t let go.
After three hours of being in Ivan’s quarters, she knew it was time to leave. She knew Aaron was probably looking forward to her return, but didn’t want to seem inconsiderate.
Xoe had taken her leave an hour ago. She had pack duties, and she hugged Ivan and bade him farewell. Zera knew if she wasn’t here, they would have shared more than a hug, but she was, and they couldn’t.
Ivan saw Xoe off and returned not so long after. “Do you think he will wake up?” She asked as soon as he stepped into the room. She rose from beside Lionel and moved to Ivan.
“I don’t know. I hope he does, but I can’t be certain. We only have hope that he wakes.”
“Hope that who wakes?” Lionel asked from behind.
Zera’s heart skipped a beat, and she turned around so fast that she almost lost her balance on the floor.
The awakening of Lionel came as a surprise and a relief at the same time. The look on her face when she turned around and found him awake and seated in bed was surreal. She wondered if what she was seeing was the truth, but after blinking and finding him still awake, she knew what she saw was true. He was awake, and it wasn’t a dream.
“Lionel,” she gasped in disbelief, and she rushed over to him on the bed. She threw her arms around him and engulfed him in a tight hug, as if he would run away if she didn’t. “Oh, Lionel!”
He chuckled, and his arms went around her, returning her hug. “What happened?” he asked, still holding onto her. She pulled back from him and took his face into her hands, her face filled with gratitude as she beheld him. “Did something bad happen?” he asked, the smile on his face diminishing and a more worried look setting in.
“You’ve been unconscious for days, Lionel. Today was the fourth day.”
“What?” he asked, not because he didn’t hear what she said, but because he didn’t want to take her words as true. His gaze travelled to Ivan, who was in the room but had been quiet since he woke up, but his eyes, although less filled with emotions, held the same level of seriousness. “The last thing I remember was being unmarked and becoming dizzy, but that feels like only moments apart.” He told her, his eyes filled with confusion.
“I am just glad you’re back with us.” She stroked his face before hugging him again. She was grateful that he was back with them, and that was the only thing that mattered.
“And the unmarking?” he asked, his eyes moving to Ivan again.
At his question, Zera realised she never got to ask about the success of the unmarking. Not when Lionel’s life was on the line. Ivan had spoken briefly about it after she came in to find Lionel four nights ago. She never got to ask, and so she never knew of its success.
She turned to Ivan as well, awaiting his response.
“It was a success. You no longer have the mark of Sesi,” he answered. “How do you feel, though?”
“I don’t know, but I do not feel the ache I used to feel at the thought of her.” He answered.
“How do you feel?” he asked again with a raised brow.
Lionel’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“He and another wise one had a theory,” Zera began, and Lionel’s eyes came back to her. “There was no reason behind your unconsciousness, and it wasn’t because something went wrong, because nothing did. So, they thought it might be because you have the blood of a hunter.”
Lionel frowned. “What has that got to do with my unconsciousness?”
Zera opened her mouth to speak, but Ivan beat her to it. “Because a hunter’s incubation period is between four and a week of unconsciousness.”
“So, I am a hunter now?”
“There is no way to know, but you might still be a human for all we know. Yes, it has been four days, but if we are to count it down from the days, then it isn’t a complete four days yet.”
“It doesn’t matter what you are; I am glad that you’re alive and here with us, your family. Zion still has his uncle, and I still have a brother.”