24. Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

Lexia

I've spent the day in bed, working through my anger and hurt. Being in bed makes me feel better. Safer. Like nothing in here can cause me pain. Everything that causes pain is out there, in the real world. In my bed, tucked under the blankets, it's safe, cozy, and warm.

Maybe I'm being dramatic, but I don't care. I'm not only tired, I'm annoyed and hurt. Betrayal sucks.

Vesperon and Lumen keep taking turns to check on me. When I hear their footsteps, I pretend to sleep because I don't want to talk. I'm not sure if they know what's going on, but I'm not ready to talk about it. Problem is I have to talk about it soon because we're supposed to leave tomorrow for the Underworld. And Slate is the one who was supposed to show us where it is.

So now what?

When Vesperon followed me into the room last night, he told me Lumen was talking to Slate. It's possible Slate shared what happened. It's possible he told him the truth. Or he made something up. He could have told Lumen that what I saw wasn't really what I saw. I don't know him enough to guess what he would say. I feel like I don't know a damn thing about anything—it sucks. I'm just glad Lumen and Ves listened and kept Slate out. There is no way I could face him right now.

There is a soft knock on the door, and this time, I don't have time to pretend I'm sleeping.

"You're awake," Lumen says with a smile. "Good. I brought food."

"I'm not hungry," I mumble, pulling the blankets higher.

"You still need to eat."

"Don't want to."

"I don't care. You need to."

Lumen sits on the end of the bed.

"Come on. Sit up."

With a huff, I do as he asks. He isn't going to let this go.

I frown down at the plate of food. "Is that chicken tenders and macaroni and cheese?"

He grins. "Thought you might like something simple for a change."

My shoulders relax, and I reach for the plate. Lumen brings his legs up and scoots beside me so we're touching. He doesn't speak while I eat, but I can tell he has something to say. When I'm done, he hands me a glass of cranberry juice. I drink half before handing it to him.

"Just say it," I say, huffing out an annoyed sound.

"Say what?"

"I can tell you have something you want to say."

"I don't want to upset you."

"Not sure I can get any more upset than I already am." I scoot down just a little, not wanting to lie flat after eating. It's so warm under here. I don't want to leave.

"In that case, maybe it'll make you feel better. In a sense…"

"Did he tell you what he was doing?" I snap.

"Yes."

"And you're not angry?"

"Oh, I'm angry. But he explained what was going on. So, beneath my anger, there is understanding."

"And that makes this okay?"

He shakes his head. "I did not say it was okay, Lexia. But you know as well as I do that we need him. We can't do this without him."

"I don't have to forgive him for that."

Lumen sighs. "If you hear the truth, you may change your mind. Vesperon didn't go after him when he learned the truth."

I guess that's something. Had Slate done something really wrong, Ves would have hunted him down. But… I know what I saw!

"Maybe Ves is sick," I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Oh, he's sick alright. Sick in love with you. It's pathetic."

I frown at Lumen, but his smile has it flipping the other way.

"Is he gone?" I ask, resting my head against his arm.

"Yeah."

"Is he coming back?"

"I told him to come back this evening. I'm sure he'll be here in an hour or two."

"Wake me up when he gets here. I want the truth from him."

I scoot down the bed and roll onto my side. Lumen leaves the room. A sigh of relief leaves me as I consider maybe things aren't as bad as I thought. That maybe he will have an explanation that I'll understand. Maybe this is forgivable.

I toss and turn for a long time. Anticipation is killing me. I'm waiting for Lumen to come here and tell me Slate is here. I haven't been watching the clock, but I'd bet it's been over two hours. When my bladder is threatening to explode, I use it as an excuse to check in with the guys. After using the bathroom, I find them on the patio. Just Lumen and Ves. Glancing at the clock, I realize it's later than I thought.

I pull the door open, gaining the attention of both guys. Ves gets up and kisses me on the cheek before leading me to the chair he was sitting in.

"Well?" I say to Lumen.

He shrugs, staring out toward the pool.

"He hasn't showed."

"But he said he would?" I question.

"Not exactly. I told him to come back, and he didn't argue," Lumen explains.

"Not returning is a sign of guilt," Ves states.

Lumen frowns. "He'll be here. I'm certain his apology was legit, and he didn't want to leave."

"Of course he didn't want to leave. He had a job to do," Ves argues.

"A job to do?" I question. "What does that mean?"

Lumen glares at Ves. "She doesn't want to hear what happened, Vesperon. She wants an explanation from Slate."

Ves gestures around. "It seems she will not get one. He was supposed to be here, and he is not."

"I told him to come back late evening. Maybe he's taking that literally. Something you'd likely do too."

"It's already after ten," I say quietly.

"Meaning it's late, but it could still be later," Lumen says.

I'm not sure why he's fighting for Slate so much. Their first introduction didn't go well, but almost immediately his attitude toward Slate flip-flopped. At first, Ves was the one who didn't seem to care, and again… that quickly changed. Only there were reasons. It seems when Slate started acting strangely, Ves caught on to it and chose to not trust him, while Lumen wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Maybe I've been blind from the beginning, but I never got any bad vibes from him. Even when he was being weird, nothing in my gut told me he was doing something wrong. My head and my heart could never agree when it came to Slate. But I had to make a decision. One that was swayed by this prophecy, and I can't say I regret it. Regardless of what happens to us after, we need to complete this task. I needed to sleep with Slate to save the world.

And oh, my stars, that sounds terrible, but it's the truth. In the moment, it felt like more. It felt like there was something between us. But that isn't something I can focus on right now. My feelings have to be put on the back burner because this isn't about that.

"Say he doesn't show," I finally say. "Then what?"

"We cannot continue," Lumen says.

"That is not true," Ves adds. "She needed to mate with him, but nothing was said about him accompanying us. We can go to the Underworld without him."

"How do we know where it is?"

Vesperon keeps his gaze on Lumen, who finally sighs. "He told me the location of the entrance."

"Really?" I ask.

Lumen nods.

"If he was telling the truth," Ves mumbles.

"He was," Lumen snaps.

I get up, not wanting to be in the middle of their arguing any more. I will not sit out here and wait for Slate. If he shows up, he can come to me.

"If he doesn't show, the plan stays the same. We leave for the Underworld first thing in the morning," I say, then go back inside.