~YULIA
I felt a bit light headed as those words left Deucalion’s mouth.
Helena Craven was the first child of light. But it still did not explain why she wanted me dead. Or what she needed my blood for.
“I think I need a drink,” Andrea broke the silence and went to her father’s cabinet. Iris had a distracted look while Leia just kept quiet.
“How did she lose her powers?” Issa asked.
“She was born with those powers, Issa. And she could do amazing things with them. She could burn anything to a crisp just like Ms. Moonshadow here almost did to Iris,” Deucalion said. “And if we are going to continue this discussion, I think you should tell her what her real name is and her family.”
He said this to Issa. I looked at Issa. “What is he talking about?”
“That is between me and her, Deucalion, not in front of your daughters,” Issa replied curtly.
‘I will tell you everything when we get home, not here,’ he mentally told me.
I understood his precaution. The less the craven sisters knew about me, the better.
“Where is Mother right now?” Leia asked abruptly.
We all turned to Deucalion who just shrugged.
“You know where she is, Duke, she is your Luna and you are both bonded so do not lie to us.” Issa said.
“I do not need to lie, Issa, I have no reason to. I just cannot bring myself to tell any of you.” Deucalion said. “I could not if I tried.”
“All those people,” I said, recalling the corpses that had been laid out in school, in the public park and even at the house. “Killed for nothing.”
“I was behind that,” Deucalion replied with a shrug.
This had to be the millionth shock of the day. I stared at Deucalion in disbelief. I had no idea what to believe or say.
Issa shut him in a dangerous stare. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why would you do all of those things? Why did you kill them?”
Deucalion lifted his head high and I saw a look that I could not understand in them. He suddenly looked different strange even. “I needed you to be distracted so I could get to Yulia, but she always followed you around everywhere. And that cursed Detective was always watching her.”
Jamal was always watching me?
“Do you know that he parks a few blocks from your house and just stays there for hours watching?” Deucalion asked in disbelief.
Yet it was the way that he was casually speaking that got to me. He was acting as if he didn’t just reveal a sinister plan and kill people.
Issa released a shaky breath and I felt the temperature in the room drop drastically.
“You mean to say that you’ve been in cohorts with Helena this entire time… That you’ve been trying to harm Yulia this entire time?” Issa demanded and I could hear the betrayed tone in his voice. “I thought we were friends…”
Deaucalion said nothing. He did not even defend himself of the allegation.
Issa balled his hands into fists. “You realize that this means war.”
“War is nothing new to us,” Deucalion replied softly.
I could not believe what I was hearing. Here sat an Alpha who was admitting that he wanted me dead for his wife. Was that love? If it was, then it was the most fucked up kind of love.
“I am surprised that you are doing this willingly,” I said in disgust. I looked at every one of his daughters and shook my head. “Are you a part of this too?”
“I am a lot of things,” Andrea said. “But I am not a murderer.” I believed her but that did not mean that we were friends.
“I want you dead,” Iris said coldly. “But only on my terms, not on the whims of a mother who abandoned us.”
“Did not expect any less from you,” I muttered.
“This is all too much for me,” Leia said. “I need some time to deal with all these.” She ran out of the room with tears streaking down her eyes.
I felt sorry for her.
“I am assuming you are going to keep coming for me,” I said to Deucalion.
“Unfortunately, yes, I do not have much of a choice.”
“Is it because you love her?” Issa asked. “Because I will have no choice but to put you down myself if this continues,” He added menacingly. “Hell, I am fighting the urge to rip out your throat right now.”
“I would not blame you if you did, but your threats change nothing, Issa. Yulia will not be with you for long.” Deucalion declared with cold assurance.
Issa moved forward and I stepped in his way. “Not here, we are in his territory, it will only add more to the problem.”
“We will be ready for you when you come for me,” I said to Deucalion as I felt rage pulsing beneath my skin.
“I have already done so, Yulia. The council demands your uncle’s presence and when he is found guilty, no one is going to be there to protect you from me since you are not actually related to the Frostwoods in any way except through adoption papers. Which is not admissible in the court of the council. Blue Lake Pack owes you no allegiance, you will be easy for the picking,” Deucalion boasted.
“You bastard!” Issa growled.
I held on to him and shook my head. I turned back to Deucalion and glared at him. I had been feeling a pulse of magic on him ever since the first time I laid eyes on him. It was a very faint pulse but now I was curious to know what it was.
“I knew there was something suspicious about the council demanding that I see them, the timing was just too perfect.” Issa said as he glared at Deucalion with murder in his eyes. “Do not think for once that you will get away with this?”
I used my sight of the Light to gaze upon Deucalion and there on his chest was a soft pulsing swirl of magical thread moving about.
“You are under a spell,” I said to him and he frowned. “I knew that you were not doing this willingly.”
“What do you mean?” Iris asked me with a frown.
“I think your mother has cast a spell on Deucalion, he has no choice but to obey her.”
“Is this true?” Andrea asked, looking at her father.
Deucalion cursed. “It is true, daughter, I am oathbound, Helena tricked me into a promise bound by magic.”
“What did you promise her?” I asked, already dreading the answer that I suspected.
“To help her regain her lost powers through any means necessary.”