30. Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

Lexia

"It's been three days, and he hasn't woken up," I say.

"There is something I could try, but it will have to wait for the night," Vesperon says casually.

"Something you just thought of?" I question.

"Yes."

I narrow my eyes at him, not sure I believe that. But Vesperon has never lied to me, so maybe it's the truth. It's no secret he doesn't like Slate, so maybe he hasn't been trying his hardest to help us figure out what is wrong with him. I can't be mad at him for that, can I?

I mean, it's not like the entire existence depends on it or anything. Obviously that's sarcasm, because if I find out Vesperon was keeping information from us, I'll be pissed. We have a prophecy to complete. This is much bigger than our own feelings.

"Are you lying to me, Vesperon?" I say, putting my hands on my hips.

"The shadow, lying?" Lumen cuts in. "No way."

Vesperon looks at him, then at me. I glance at Lumen.

"Shadows do not lie. Especially this one. He wouldn't lie to you." Lumen throws his arm around me and leads me toward the sliding door. I glance back at Vesperon, who is watching me with a guilty gleam in his eye.

He never answered the question.

Still, I let it go and sit on the patio with Lumen. He made fresh lemonade, and we drink that as we sit in silence and soak up the sun.

Some time passes before Lumen goes inside to start on dinner. Dinner means it'll be dark soon. Meaning Ves can work on whatever it is he feels he needs to do to help Slate, who is still unconscious. He doesn't seem to be getting better, but also doesn't seem to be getting worse either. So, that's something, I guess. It doesn't help us at all because we need him to be awake. We don't have the option to go to a doctor and see what is wrong with him, and we don't have any way to get into contact with another grey, including my father, for help. If I only knew how to get in contact with him, I would, even though Lumen has urged me to let it go. Every time I bring it up, he shuts me down, and I don't understand why.

Whatever Ves thinks he can do is our last option.

I close my eyes for a bit, enjoying the heat of the sun.

The whoosh of the sliding door has me opening my eyes, and I see Lumen walking out with a plate of food in his hand.

"Do you think Hades needs Slate awake?" I ask.

Lumen frowns. I realize how ridiculous that sounds when the words leave my mouth. I take the plate that is covered in spaghetti, sauce, and one giant meatball.

"I'm not sure," he finally says. "I guess we could try taking his body with us, but it'll be risky. And tiring, considering one of us will have to carry him the whole way. I can't just pop into the underworld."

I nod, getting comfortable so I can eat. Lumen takes my glass and goes inside to fill it up. When he returns with it, he places it on the ground where it was, then strips.

"For someone made up of something that doesn't go well with water, you sure love the water," I say.

Lumen smirks, dropping his shirt to the ground. I nearly choke on my pasta when he bends over, shoving his pants down.

He's too beautiful for words.

Once in just his briefs, he dives into the pool. Sitting here, eating dinner and watching Lumen swim almost feels normal. It makes me think of what our life will be like after, and not for the first time. I find myself daydreaming of it often. Imagining the four of us living in a place where we are all comfortable. We'd all get along, especially Ves and Slate, who put their differences aside. It makes me happy to think of how our life can be. Late mornings in bed. Spending nights under the stars. Swimming. Dinners with my father. My mother, maybe? Will she ever come back again?

That thought makes me sad because I don't know the answer. But it's the next thought that pops into my head that has me nearly sick.

What happens when I die? I'm only human. My mates aren't. They've already lived for thousands of years and will live for thousands more. I get maybe sixty to seventy more years with them… and that's it. I push those thoughts away because I don't want to think about that. Not at all.

"What will we do after all this is done?" I question, hoping Lumen has some good ideas.

He stops swimming and wades through the water until he's at the side of the pool. He rests his arms on it. "What do you mean?"

"Will you go back to your realm?"

His brow furrows. "Is that what you want?"

"Well, no, but if it's what you want…"

"It's not," he says with a firm shake of his head. I cut into my meatball as I wait for him to answer. "I'm pretty sure you can't go to my realm. Vesperon certainly can't. Why would I go back?"

"Because that's where your job is. Your duty, or whatever," I say, avoiding eye contact with him.

"Being a Guardian of the Light is not more important than being with my mates, Lexia. I want to stay here with you."

"And what will we do? How will we live? Survive? Pay bills? The only one who can get a job is me, and I can't support all of us. Vesperon can't survive in a lot of places, and the places he's comfortable in, you're not."

I groan internally at myself, because damnit, I was trying to keep this a light and fun conversation, but somehow it went the wrong way. I've been so bitter and negative lately.

Lumen pulls himself out of the pool and kneels down in front of me. He takes my plate, putting it on the small table beside us and takes my hands between his.

"Darling, why are you worrying about this? Don't you think we will figure it out when the time comes?"

"I don't know, I—" I bite my lip, emotion hitting me like a freight train.

"What? Just tell me."

"I guess I just want to make sure all of this is worth it," I admit.

He smiles softly. "I think us being together is worth everything. The little details will be figured out along the way. It's not something we need to worry about now. We have so many options."

"Like what?"

"Well, we could become bank robbers, for one." I smirk. "Move to Texas, get some horses and hold up saloons like the old days." I laugh at that.

"Texas is too hot for Ves," I say.

"Okay, then we'll go up north. They have horses too. No tumbleweeds or anything, but I could do without those."

"But you like the heat."

"I like the sun and that is everywhere. All I need is light, which I get plenty of when I'm in this realm. As long as there is daylight, I am fine. But besides all of that, what about you, Lexia? What do you want?"

"A simple life," I say without having to think about it. "That's all I want. I don't care where we are, as long as we're together—all of us. I just want it to be simple."

Lumen kisses the tip of my nose. "Simple is good." He hands me my plate. "Eat."

I take it back gratefully, though my mood is still in the dumps. Maybe I just need to wait and see what happens. It'll all work out in the end, right?