Arman was pacing back and forth in his study after word had reached him, via Kaleb, that Vander had taken Lucy from the club and was no longer reachable with his mindlink. There were only two possibilities for that: A) He was in another country and didn't want to be found or B) Vander had magic canceling cuffs slapped on his wrists. Either way, Arman was worried about his son and his newest daughter. Lucy might not be part of the family by blood or paperwork but she was kin to Cristoff and Emzadi, plus she was slowly making her way into each of his other children's heart, so that made her part of his family. Arman had sent word to a couple of friends in several close countries to notify him if they happened to see Vander with a blonde woman, one of the perks of being an ambassador for so many years.
He was waiting for the rest of his children and those that had gone to the club with them to return to the estate. Mr. Elan was preparing snacks for everyone as well as breaking out some spiced peach vodka because they were all going to need a shot whether something bad had happened or not. Vander had always been the one to get into the most trouble as a child which followed him closely into adulthood. Arman had lost count how many times he had to smooth things over with a noble, governor, King or Queen, but the requests to have Vander as a promised from the upper class in several countries still came in. His youngest son had the hardest time with his magic and conquering the void demons within the shadows. Arman had always wondered if there was a way to permanently keep the voids from trying to latch on and eat his soul, acquire his magic, and gain access to this realm. Maybe one day he'd find the key to keeping his son safe, but for now, he'd make his way down to the kitchen where he knew everyone would be coming to regroup.
"Sorry we took so long to get here dad. It took a while to get Laxus calmed down and for Kaleb to work his magic on the patrons," Emzadi said giving her father a kiss on the cheek, plucking a green grape from the vine and popping it in her mouth before sitting in a chair. "Any word from anyone in your network yet?"
"Unfortunately no," sighed Arman as he elegantly sat down in a chair beside his daughter. "I wanted to give them a few hours to get the word out and give their people a chance to look around."
"Presca is back from a job so we can always enlist him to help us track Van down as well," Kaleb offered. Presca was an amazing energy mage that often partnered with Vander on missions for White Sea and the Steel Council. They were the best known trackers in all of Bosco and Kaleb was fortunate to have both in his guild. Presca would be able to track Vander's magic signature over vast distances so at least they would be able to have piece of mind.
"Two hours. I will give my contacts two more hours before we ask Presca for his help, but for now how about we sit down and have a midnight snack?" Arman asked and on queue Mr. Elan started bringing on several trays of assorted meats, cheeses, and crackers with the fruit already laid out for them.
"Do you honestly think they're in trouble?" Xally quietly asked the table.
"I don't," Bickslow answered first. "Vander is a reckless shit and lives in the moment, but he isn't stupid. Lucy sure as fuck isn't, so if he hasn't checked in within the hour than I guarantee you that Lucy will."
"You are quite right Mr. Bickslow," a feminine voice said from behind him, scaring the seith mage out of his seat face planting into the floor.
"Dammit Virgo! How many times have I told you not to scare me?" Bickslow closed his eyes to briefly get his magic under control.
"Several Mr. Bickslow. Punishment?"
"No Virgo, but can you tell us where Lucy is at?" Bickslow set his chair upright and sat back down.
"Princess and Mr. Vander are currently visiting Chesapea Bay in Minstrel. They had landed in the capital to eat and then took off with Princess to show her a surprise there. Princess wanted to make sure everyone knew she was safe and asked if I would ensure you knew."
"Thank you Virgo. Is there anything else?"
"No Mr. Pradesh, that is all." Virgo poofed back to the spiritual world leaving everyone sighing in relief.
"Do we wait for them to come back or do we go get them anyways?" Evergreen asked the table. She was still concerned about Lucy since she had a very large target on her back still.
"Leave em," Laxus' burly voice sounded throughout the room as he stood in the doorway. "Lucy doesn't know she's my mate, the other fucker is fully aware and will deal with me once he returns, but I won't spoil her night now." Laxus sat down beside Cristoff and helped himself to some food.
"Accepting it finally?" Cristoff asked narrowing his eyes at the lightning slayer, not fully believing this miraculous turnaround.
"Working on it. I still have a hard time understanding why she's my mate and everything else, but I can't keep denying that she is," Laxus answered his dragon kin. "I'll work on the rest as I go."
"Do we even know if Lucy wants to stay in Bosco?" Farron asked as he and Freed entered the kitchen hand-in-hand.
"No. I've been trying to sit down and talk to Tink about what she wants to do, but some busybodies keep monopolizing her time," he glared at the three women in the room.
"Don't blame us you overgrown snake. You could have easily asked Lucy for ten minutes of her time at any point," Evergreen retorted looking over the tops of her glasses while Cobra glared back at the fairy mage but didn't say anything because she was right. "You're afraid that she'll leave you, leave Bosco, and run back to Magnolia in hopes of reuniting with her team, but she won't."
"How do you know fairy freak? She could literally do anything she wants so why would she want anything to do with a cretin like me?" Evergreen smiled softly at the poison slayer.
"I know because her heart is here, in Bosco," Evergreen patiently replied to the snarky man. "Her new family is here, and while we may not be the original family she had, we are the ones who have stuck beside her. Lucy won't forget you so stop being dramatic, that's my job." Evergreen smirked at the maroon-haired man, who was smirking back at her.
"Eat, sleep, and wait to see what time Lucy drags Van's ass back to Bosco?" Bickslow asked while his babies chanted, "Drag Van's ass."
"Sounds good. Pass the spiced vodka this way," Laxus grunted. If he was going to have to wait for Lucy and Vander to show back up he might as well have a couple shots to take the edge off and maybe he could sleep which was doubtful.
Hestor was waiting for Rakeshi to return from his scouting job and to inform him where Vander and the blonde had disappeared too. He was eager to get his plan into action and start terrorizing the family of White Sea's guildmaster. He had been in a light guild long enough to know how they operated using that to his advantage when he started his dark guild. He had been born in Minstrel and raised in Bosco so he saw himself as a Boscan and preferred that way of life. His parents were happily living in Pelerno, but after he had been stripped of his rank and thrown out of White Sea they refused to talk to him, to acknowledge his presence. One tiny miscalculation in his plan had screwed everything up for him.
However, now he had amassed a large following of dark mages from Bosco and Minstrel with some very talented mages in his group. Mages that would help him bring the cocky Master of White Sea to his knees and into Hestor's bed where he belonged. He had a metal mage amongst his team that had worked for Princess Kurino of Bosco helping her with creating the manacles that held Kaleb and Cristoff's enormous powers at bay. Even if plan A didn't work, then plan B definitely would and Kaleb, plus his guild, would be his for the taking. The flashing glow of his com caught his eye, grinning with the fact that his plan was about to be set into motion.
"Master Hestor," Rakeshi's thin face appeared. "I have located Vander and his blonde friend."
"Very good Rakeshi. Ensure that he doesn't leave without our present, yes?"
"Of course Master." Hestor's com went dark and he smiled at nothing in particular in the dimly lit office.
Lucy was having an amazing time with the flirty shadowquip mage who had taken her to Chesapea Bay where they were swimming with a family of hippocampus. Vander told Lucy of one of his tracking missions for White Sea had led him through the bay this time several years ago where he happened upon the family of three swimming leisurely. Vander had been curious about them so he wandered into the water and waited patiently for an hour before they large male decided to approach him, cautiously. Its wet muzzle had blown hot air into his face before it nuzzled him in acceptance and Vander was able to stroke its elegant rainbow scales. Every year he would make several trips to visit the family which had now grown to five mated pairs and their offspring.
Lucy had never seen anything like them before but they had stolen her breath away. Their multicolored scales glowed in the moonlight but camouflaged well with the water, making them nearly undetectable. These sea creatures had the head of a horse with a long, powerful body that trailed down to its tail and had two sets of flippers to help them swing at astonishing speeds. They all had coal black eyes that seemed to sparkle with laughter whenever the babies splashed her with their tails. Lucy was standing knee deep in the water in a solid pink bathing suit, thanks to Virgo who had swapped her clothes, splashing back whenever they slowed down enough for her to do so.
"This is amazing Van! How come you haven't brought Xally here? She'd go nuts," Lucy laughed when water hit her face from one of the more rambunctious babies she was playing with.
"I've thought about it, but she'd want to study and research them before feeling obligated to report their location to some lame organization. They'd probably never come back once a bunch of dorky marine biologists came along. Fuck to the no was I letting that happen and having them run off." Vander loved Xally greatly, but her ideas on the preservation of wild species could be toned down a bit. Don't get him wrong she had done amazing things to help the Kelpie Sea Horses from the poachers that seemed to come by every year, but until he was worried that something may be wrong she wouldn't be any wiser.
"Who else have you brought here?" Lucy asked turning to face Vander who was just getting into the water now.
"Presca was with me on the mission, but other than that no-one." He hadn't wanted to share this place with anyone until meeting Lucy. The way her light shone through her chocolate orbs had him trying anything to keep it there. He still couldn't understand why he was drawn to her but whatever the reason he was more than happy to have met her.
"Did peg you for one to get tattoos." Vander grabbed both her wrists in his hands and looked at the marking she had on them, the one seemed really familiar to him.
"They're my kin markings. Cobra and Cristoff," Lucy wiggled each wrist that was in his grasp when she said the names of the slayers. "I also have Ezmzadi and Xally on my ankles with Xally's being a tattoo that I made magical."
"What does one have to do to earn a spot on your skin? I'm down for anything so let's see your kinky side," Vander waggled his eyebrows at Lucy making her laugh.
"Doesn't work like that," giggled the celestial mage. "Let's head to shore and change and I'll explain it to you."
"Luuuucy. I just got in the water."
"Then play with your friends before coming home honey," Lucy smiled while gliding out of the waters to the sandy shore. Lucy called Aries out and asked for a wool towel before asking if Virgo sent her with any clothes. The shy pinkette handed Lucy a simple black halter dress and underwear and then created a wool barrier for her to change and once she had helped her Princess she returned home. Lucy felt a shiver go up her spine and spun around looking at the treeline that was forty feet from her. Someone was watching them, she was positive.
"Hey, Van I think that we . . ." Lucy heard a high pitch whistle before Vander was struck with a dart in the side of his arm. He collapsed onto one of the hippocampuses alarming Lucy who called Leo and Capricorn out to watch her back as went to gather Vander calling Taurus to carry the large mage to shore.
"Princess," Leo addressed as she came out of the water. "Are you hurt?"
"No Loke," Lucy shook her head. "I am fine. Whoever it was wasn't after me, which is an oddity in itself. Can we get Serpens to figure out what's in this dart, please Capricorn?"
"At once Miss Lucy."
"Leo I need you to go back and get Cris. He can try healing Vander and teleport us back to the estate. Please hurry!" Both spirits went to do their keyholder's bidding as she held Vander who was starting to shake slightly in her arms. Tears were gathering in her eyes but she stubbornly pushed them back. She had to be strong for him and ensure that nothing else happened while she waited. Please hurry Loke.
Back at the Pradesh estate, everyone was having a grand time talking, drinking and eating the scrumptious food that Mr. Elan had prepared. Laxus was actually having fun and thought that the night wasn't a total bust afterall. Apparently he thought that too soon as he watched Arman slump forward in his chair followed by all of his children leaving Cobra, Freed, Evergreen, and himself to gape at the family. They rushed around checking everyone's pulses thankful that they were all breathing.
"What the fuck is going on!"