131. Aurora

CHAPTER 131

Aurora

Mother fucking bat-faced, deadhead bastards stole Lia. I swore to protect that sweet little baby girl, and I fucking failed her. Frustration boils within me like a cauldron, fueled by the bitter taste of failure. The knowledge that Lia, the innocent child I swore to protect, has been snatched away by those vile creatures stirs a storm of rage within my soul. With each step I take, the room feels like it's closing in on me, suffocating me with a sense of helplessness.

My senses are heightened, every nerve tingling with adrenaline and fury. The urge to unleash my pent-up aggression is overwhelming, a primal instinct clawing at the edges of my consciousness. But I know that giving in to that impulse will only lead to further chaos and despair.

As I pace the room, my hand instinctively drifts to my swollen stomach, a reminder of the new life growing within me. The weight of responsibility presses down on me like a heavy burden, a constant reminder of the stakes at hand.

Amidst the turmoil raging inside me, the scent of my approaching comrades wafts through the air, carrying with it the promise of sustenance and companionship. The tantalizing aroma of various meats and desserts fills the room, igniting a primal hunger within me. My guys return with a massive assortment of food to eat, and my stomach begins to growl in response.

Quickly, I start to dig in and eat a little bit of everything that's in front of me. I stab a raw steak and get ready to eat it, and the smell makes me nauseous. Furrowing my brows, confused, I try again, except this time my stomach turns to the point I can't stop. I roll to my feet and head straight to the garbage can and promptly lose my lunch. Up to this point, I have been able to eat everything I wanted to. Pouting, I look back to my lunch and sigh. I'm so hungry, and now I'm worried about eating.

Klaus and Dimitri rush to my side in a second, one rubbing my back while the other holds me steady. Jayce slowly approaches and offers me cold ginger water. I sip at it slowly and enjoy the cool, refreshing taste. Several minutes pass before my stomach settles; I sigh softly and feel relieved. How in the hell am I supposed to save this little girl when I can't eat?

Dimitri kisses my temple and pulls me to him. "Shh, love, all will be okay. We just need to figure out what this litter needs." He gently cradles me and keeps kissing my temple, trying to soothe me.

Klaus grabs ahold of my hands and holds them tightly. "We'll do whatever you need us to do. Just tell us." Klaus smiles and then kisses my lips gently. I'm so lucky to have so many good and loving mates.

Alaric brings the food tray over to me, minus the raw meat. So far, so good. I remain in Dimitri's lap and eat my lunch there. We move to the couch and watch a movie while waiting for my father's arrival. It's around four in the evening by the time he gets here. Alaric brings him up to speed while I use Dimitri as my personal pillow.

Father lays out an intricate plan in front of us. He is trying to pinpoint the exact location of the Strigoi without me having to tap into the scale. I know this plan isn't going to work. I know what I'm going to have to do to succeed. I wait and hear them out, just making sure that we haven't missed anything important up to this point. Lia's parents are in the room with us, listening. Both parents are still crying hysterically, just wanting their child back.

I look over at my own two children, and to be perfectly honest, I can't wait. I extend my hand out to Alaric and then to my father. Hesitantly, they both approach me and grab my hands. Within moments, I'm reaching through time and space, using the astral plane to locate a part of me. The signal is weak, but it's still there. I know that the little one is being held north of our position by about ten miles. There's a series of caves that run along the mountain base just on the other side of the lake. I give everybody the coordinates, and off goes both of my dragon guards on their mission. I sit back, a little more exhausted than I would have liked to be.

Jayce is at my side within seconds to give me a protein shake and ginger water. Dominik pulls me into his lap, taking me away from Dimitri. He's trying to cuddle me and make me feel better. I should be the one on the mission, not sending two of my guards. I slowly rub my stomach, calming my babies. These two little ones are taking a lot out of me, more so than the twins. I wonder if each litter is going to be different to this point. I can't eat my raw meat. I can barely stomach the smell of it, and it's my favorite. The mild amount of power that I exerted has exhausted me.

To my surprise, Arnulf is the one that comes and takes me away from Dominik. He carries me through the house to the upstairs bedroom and lays me down. He strips me bare, and here I think I'm going to get a little action. Instead, he decides to start massaging my muscles, trying to help me relax. All I know is my lids are getting heavy, and I can't fight the sleep that wants to take me.

I awaken several hours later with Arnulf and Jayce in bed curled up around me, tightly holding onto me. There's a flurry of activity downstairs that draws my attention. I wake both boys up and get dressed quickly, then head downstairs. Apparently, Dante and Edgar were successful; little Lia has returned home. Quickly, I wiggle free from the guys and get dressed in a comfortable blue gauze summer dress.

I go and sit in front of her, smiling. "You found me, Alpha, you found me," the little girl says, smiling before she wraps her arms around my neck. Tears of joy streak down my cheeks as I hold her tightly to me. Her tiny Lycan rumbles softly to me.

"I told you I always would. You keep this locket close to you at all times." Gently, I touch the locket. "Don't ever leave it at home," I say before I kiss her forehead and snuggle her tightly to me for a few moments.

Her parents promptly come and take her after I've checked her over; they can't stop thanking us enough for what we did. Motioning to Dante and Edgar, I stand and raise my fist to my chest. Bending deeply, I honor them and thank them for their service. Both males blush profusely and bow in turn to me. Slowly, I straighten up and wave goodbye to Lia and her parents.

I look at Dante and Edgar and then tilt my head to the side to go to the war room. Each one of my mates, I give them a slight nod and also the same head motion. I'm not using the bond, as I don't need others to know that we can all connect that way.

Once inside the war room, I click the lock and sit at my place at the table. "So, how many were there?" I ask as I look to Dante and Edgar. My eyes narrow as I prepare to brace for the worst possible answer.

"My Queen, there were only six. Though the cavern smelled far worse than that," Dante says as he moves over to the whiteboard and starts drawing the cavern's layout that they found Lia in.

Edgar moves up to the whiteboard next and draws the exterior of the area around the cavern. Apparently, the Strigoi had been busy changing the environment a little bit. Most of the area around the cave appears to be dead and/or rotting. Edgar crosses his arms over his chest and looks at me, shaking his head slowly. "We found the bones of many beings outside of the cavern. By the looks of it, there should be at least a dozen of those leeches in there." Edgar motions to the picture that Dante has drawn of the network of the caverns. "I believe the majority of them are deep within the cavern system. If we could take a Black Dragon or two and flood the tunnels with acid, that should help." Edgar moves and goes to take his seat at the table.

I walk over to the white board looking at everything they've drawn for me. As I do that, Alaric has the cavern map system out on the table. It's the map of what was done during Klaus's grandfather's time. I compare the two drawings and notice that additional tunnels have been drawn. "Gentlemen, it looks like the leeches have been in there for longer than we have suspected. We must reach out to the other dragon families and alert them."

I circle the differences on the whiteboard. "They need to check the caves near the strongholds to make sure they're empty. Apparently, the leeches aren't as dumb as we thought." I pace back and forth between the whiteboard and the map on the table, comparing and contrasting the two differences.

Since we moved here and I'd taken over as alpha and queen, I require all homes to dig bunkers just in case. My eyes raise and lock on Klaus's. "You need to alert all the families here; they need to go to ground tonight and lock up tight. I believe the leeches will bring the war to us."

I walk around the table again, then rest my hands on Dante's shoulders. "I need you to get Marco back here. Have him and his team lay a thick layer of acid around the perimeter." I flip the whiteboard over to the map that we have drawn of our small town. Then I take the green marker and draw where exactly I want the acid traps left.

"I know these bastards will dig underground and pop up out of nowhere. We will be ready for them." I say those words with all finality and seriousness. The guys nod at me and then take off to go start preparing.

I stand before Dimitri and look up into his hazel eyes, and smile. "I need you to gather all the unmated males, the ones without children and families. They will stand with us and fight tonight." I draw in a deep breath the lower my eyes. "Any who have children will not be in the fray." He nods his head at me and then bends down and kisses my lips

"As you wish, beautiful, but do not expect us to sit on the sidelines when there's a war to be waged," Dimitri says, crossing his arms over his broad chest, making himself look large and imposing.

My teddy bear cannot keep a serious face as I look up, smiling at him. "As you wish, handsome. But that means I get to play too," I say, and all the gentlemen start to protest. I raise a single hand and look at them all.

"What's good for the goose is good for the gander. If I'm supposed to be okay with you guys fighting, then I expect the same respect." I stand tall and proud at the head of the table. Both hands flat on the tabletop, and in my agitation my frost starts spreading upon it.

"I may not be able to shift and fight, but I have other weapons at my disposal. I'm two months along; it doesn't mean I'm dead yet." I move around the room and kiss each of my mates that are still present, and then leave promptly. I need to rest; I need to feed. Tonight, I believe hell itself is going to break loose.