Chapter 19
Author's Note: Here's another chapter! I don't know about you guys, but I'm excited to get the Trials out of the way! I'm still struggling a little bit from writer's block, hence why I've only been posting one chapter a week. As you know, I'm making this story up as I go and none of this is pre-written. Since the Trials are finally here, I really needed to figure out where the rest of this story is going to go. After this chapter, I think I have a pretty good idea of how things will pan out, but I'd really like your input. PLEASE review and let me know what you guys are thinking! Thanks again for reading and enjoy the weekend
The Trails (Part II)
As soon as Bo entered the dark and eerie room, her body was struck by a massive solid object, knocking her forcefully across the room and into a cement pillar. She could hear the crowd above her gasp as she rolled to her side and attempted to stand up, only to be forced back down by a sharp stabbing pain in her side. Taking her free hand, she slowly patted around the side of her body close to her ribs, trying desperately to find the subject of her pain. As her hand slid over her ribs, she felt a long, thick object sticking out of her. Unable to tell what it was, she quickly pulled it out from between her ribs as a guttural whimper escaped her lips. Hearing the creature approach her rapidly, Bo stood up from the ground as quickly as she could, finally able to glance at the mysterious item in her hand. She studied the object for a second before swiftly side stepping, letting the creature stampede by her before he slammed himself into another pillar.
"A Minotaur…you've got to be kidding me!" Bo yelled up at the Elder Fae as she held up the horn that she had pulled out of her rib cage. She scanned the balcony furiously until she located the Morrigan. She was planning on throwing the horn directly at her face, but when she saw what she was holding in her arms she chose otherwise. The Morrigan was standing tall with her arms wrapped around Lauren in front of her, both of them leaning over the railing to look down at the now enraged succubus. Even though Lauren had an extremely concerned expression on her face, the Morrigan gave her a cocky grin while she moved Lauren's hair away from her neck and kissed her tenderly; loving the way the succubus eye's burned a radiant blue.
"Bo, watch out!" Lauren screamed in warning when she saw the Minotaur charge at her mate aggressively.
Without looking, Bo quickly grabbed her injured side and barrel rolled out of the way in order to avoid another collision. The Minotaur flew passed her, but stopped himself before colliding into the concrete wall. As he turned around to face her, Bo was finally able to get a complete view of the ugly Under Fae. He was extremely large, definitely over seven feet tall at least. The only article of clothing he wore was ripped jeans and tall black biker boots, leaving his enormous chiseled chest and arms completely exposed. From the neck down he looked pretty good looking, but as soon as you worked your way up to his face, you quickly realized that his head was that of a bull.
"Looking for this?" Bo taunted as she shook his missing horn at him. "Come and get it you ugly cow!"
The Minotaur snorted out his fury while he crouched down on his hands and feet, taking a full charging position. Knowing what was about to come, Bo threw the horn to the ground and gripped her sword with both hands. As the Under Fae approached her at a rapid pace, Bo widened her stance, raised her sword and glared directly at him with glowing eyes. When the Minotaur was feet away, he pounced off the ground and lunged himself directly at the succubus. Taking one fast step, Bo swung her sword forcefully at him until it slammed into his neck. Not stopping her motion, the sword gracefully sliced through his neck in one swift movement, sending the now headless Minotaur stumbling to the ground.
Bo looked passed Lauren and held the Morrigan's gaze as she strode effortlessly up to the decapitated Under Fae. Maintaining eye contact, Bo stepped over the Minotaur and gave Evony a sly smile as she dove the tip her sword into his back.
"You should spend more time choosing your competitors than running your disgusting hands all over Lauren." Bo bellowed from below, earning gasps from the crowed above.
The Morrigan glared down at her before spinning Lauren around her arms and planting a heated kiss on her lips. Unable to control the amount of fury the began running through her veins at the site of her mate kissing some else, Bo hastily ripped her sword out of the Minotaur's back and quickly ran towards the pillar connecting to the Evony's balcony. As she reached the pillar and attempted to climb it, she felt something cold and slender creep up the back of her neck towards her head. Startled by the unwelcomed feeling, Bo turned around hurriedly only to be met with a bald, skeletal looking man wearing a black robe. Not wasting anytime, the dark figure latched his extremely long fingers onto her temples and forced Bo into his dream-like trance.
The dazed succubus was awoken by the sound of crashing waves and the feel of her smooth skin being surrounded by hot and coarse sand. Opening her eyes slowly, she raised her hand above her face, effectively blocking out the blinding sun that was beating down onto her leather clad body. Wincing slightly at the sharp pain in her side, Bo gently sat herself up and observed the vacant beach, and ocean that seemed to stretch out for miles in front of her. She was about to stand up and figure out where the hell she was when she unexpectedly saw Lauren and Evony walking side by side at the waters edge, both smiling adoringly at the bundled up object in Lauren's hand.
"What the fuck?" Bo gasped out while she stood up and brushed the sticky sand off of her body.
"You're awake." A voice spoke from behind her. "I was beginning to get worried."
"Who the hell are you?" Bo asked, spinning around frantically to view the cause of her startled state. "And where the hell am I?"
"My name is Astor, I'm here to help you." He informed Bo calmly. "We are on a beach in Cape Cod, Massachusetts…a beach that's not far from Evony's and Lauren's vacation home."
Bo stared at the old man flabbergasted. There was absolutely no way that Lauren and Evony owned a house together. She raked her eyes over the short man who was draped in a long brown cloak and bared a matching long brown beard, in hopes to find some kind of clue as to why this random guy would say such a horrific thing.
"You better have a good reason for making such a ridiculous accusation, dwarf." Bo growled while taking a step towards the short man. "The gorgeous blonde woman over there is my mate, and there is no fucking way she would ever be with Evony, never mind owning property with that awful woman!"
"It's not an accusation, it's the truth." The old man replied, obviously not affected by the succubae's advances. "And I'm not a dwarf, I'm a pain-eater. Kenzi sent me here to help you."
"Last time I checked, I just killed a Minotaur during the Trials and was about to kill her-" Bo said, pointing an accusing finger at Evony, who was now kissing Lauren gently on the lips. "So, how the hell did I get here? Why is my MATE kissing the Morrigan? And Kenzi would never send someone to help me; she would come get me herself!"
At this point, Bo was enraged and confused all at the same time. Deciding not to waste anymore time with the old Fae, she turned on her heels and charged directly at Lauren and Evony. Once Evony was in range, she picked up her pace and lunged directly at her. As her body tore through the air, she closed her eyes right before she was about to tackle her. Instead of feeling body to body contact, she felt cold salt water smack her in the face along with chunks of muddy sand, as she crashed head first into the water. Frantically catching her breath and trying not to get hit with another wave, Bo stumbled out of the water and collapsed on her knees right in front of Evony and her mate.
Hair soaked, leather ruined and ribs throbbing, Bo focused her attention on the pair in front of her. She couldn't help the jealous pain that shot through her body when she realized how happy and carefree Lauren appeared to be. Her mate looked so content in her white summer dress and bare feet. Her curly blonde hair was pulled back into a loose bun, exposing her slender neck, soft brown eyes and high cheek bones beautifully. She followed Lauren's gaze when she looked adoringly at Evony before looking down at the bundle in her arms with the same expression. Incapable of controlling the emotions and curiosity that was consuming her, Bo slowly stood up and took a step towards the couple in homes to get a better look.
"A baby?" Bo whispered out while she stared at the small child cradled in Lauren's arms. The baby was absolutely gorgeous with dark brown hair, soft hazel eyes and fair skin. Bo could tell the by the baby's eyes that it was definitely Lauren's, but nothing about the child resembled Evony in the slightest.
"Why can't they see or hear me?" Bo asked in almost a cry. "I can't even touch her…"
"This is your future." The older Fae said from the other side of Lauren and Evony. "I brought you here to show you what is to come if you resume this relationship with Lauren."
"This isn't a relationship; our souls are bonded." Bo responded, letting her tears run freely down her salt stricken cheeks. "They have a baby together?"
"The baby girl is yours, young succubus. You and Lauren will produce a child together, one that will not only be the first hybrid in the world, but one that will become the most powerful species in the world." Astor explained. "That is why I was sent here to help you."
"I don't understand…" Bo said, looking between Lauren and their baby. "If that's our baby…why is Evony with Lauren and not me?"
"When you performed the soul bond with Lauren, you did so unknowingly. The bond was performed during the throws of lust and passion, much like how this child was conceived." Astor went on. "You're a succubus and succubae's are not meant to have one mate or a family. You feed off sexual energy, being monogamous goes against your nature, especially with a human. Once Lauren becomes pregnant, you will lose the desire to be with her and you will start feeding elsewhere. Lauren will naturally want to protect herself, no one wants to raise a child in a house where her partner is never around and is constantly bringing home someone new every night."
"That's not true!" Bo yelled, stepping around the couple in order to stand next to Astor. "I love her. I would never abandon her or our child."
"I'm not here to hurt you or relay false information." Astor advised. "What I have said will happen; it's your future if you choose to stay with Lauren. Once Lauren has the child and realizes your true nature, she will go to Evony. As much as you care to ignore it, Evony does love Lauren. She is a good leader and can support and protect the child and Lauren."
"A good leader!" Bo yelled. "She erased all of our minds! Part of the process even back fired, so she doesn't even remember who Lauren or I are! I can support and protect Lauren and OUR child much more than she can!"
"You still have much to learn." Astor replied calmly, gesturing to the two empty chairs on the beach. "Please come sit and relax. It's best we talk about this when you're not so upset."
Bo looked over at the chairs and then back at Astor. As much as she hated to admit it, she was mentally and physically exhausted. Her wet leather was now completely weighing her down and the wound in her side had only gotten worse. She didn't know how much more of this she could take, especially with Evony all over Lauren and her baby. With every word, Astor confused her more and more. Bo couldn't tell what was true and what wasn't any longer. Holding onto her side, Bo limped to the vacant chair and carefully took a seat.
"Evony did what she had to do in order to protect her kind." Astor huffed out while he took a seat next to Bo. "She had stumbled onto a prophecy that could not only end the Dark, but the Light too. She is power hungry, but there was a lot more at stake at the time. Taking over the Light in this territory, altering their memories and uniting the Fae under one leader is the only way she could stand up to the prophecy and what was to come."
"What's coming?" Bo asked concerned. "What prophecy?"
"Your child is coming." Astor confirmed. "The prophecy pertains to you and Lauren's hybrid child. She wanted to join the Fae and separate you and Lauren before the first part of the prophecy was fulfilled…the soul bond. She had no idea that you and Lauren had already bonded before she erased your memories. Obviously her plan went even more south when her memories were altered, and Dyson and Trick were able to get you out before your mind was implanted with false memories."
"Does Evony know about the prophecy now?" Bo asked. "What will happen to our baby?"
"She knows that a prophecy exists pertaining to you and Lauren. The information that I gave you regarding your mate, your soul bond, and the events that occurred during the memory altercation; she is unaware of. The reason she is unaware of them is because I just pulled that information out of your mind." Astor answered. "If you have this child with Lauren and attempt to be in her life…your child will become a powerful and uncontrolled hybrid, and will bring nothing but destruction for Fae and humans. If you have this child and Evony raises it along with Lauren, it will become a powerful and intelligent leader, altering the world as we know it."
"…and if we don't have a child at all?" Bo whispered out, feeling completely defeated and useless.
"The Dark and Light Fae will continue to fight each other until one becomes strong enough to take over the other. By that time, many Fae will have lost their lives." Astor responded while taking a small syringe out from beneath his robe. "If you choose not to have a child with Lauren, the ache and need to have a family will never go away and will ultimately destroy your bond. If you have a child and Lauren and Evony raise it, you fall into turmoil and hurt everyone you ever cared about, also breaking the bond. Either way Bo…your future is going to be lonely and has no meaning besides giving Lauren and Evony a child."
"I thought you were here to help me…none of what you're telling me is helping me." Bo looked at him angrily. "What the hell is that in your hand?"
"If you inject yourself with this, it will make all your problems go away. You will forget Lauren and everyone else that you have reconnected with. You can start your life over and never feel pain or sorrow." He said, handing the syringe to Bo. "I feed off pain; if you let me…I can take away yours forever."
Bo took the syringe out of his hand and looked at it with a longing expression on her face. Being able to start a new life, free from all of this Fae drama definitely had a ring to it. She would be able to hopefully live a normal life and not hurt anyone that she loved. The hardest part about leaving Lauren, Kenzi and Dyson would be remembering them and how much they meant to her, but this injection promised no memories what so ever. Taking her eyes off the syringe, she looked up to see Lauren dunking the baby's feet into the cold ocean water and laughing with Evony when the baby started flailing her little feet, causing the water to splash everywhere. They looked so happy together, Bo had no right to deprive her of that.
Making her decision, the succubus placed the tip of the syringe on her arm, right over her vein. Just as she was about to inject herself, a realization hit her like a freight train.
"You said the baby could change the world and make Lauren happy…" Bo said angrily as she stood from her chair and tackled him onto the sand, holding the syringe against his neck. "Lauren isn't pregnant yet! If I injected myself now, the baby would never be born!"
"Yes, but if the baby isn't born…the Fae will just continue to fight each other like they have for centuries." Astor coughed out. "No new harm would come."
"If I inject myself and forget everyone and everything, what will happen to Lauren?" Bo growled. "Just because I forget everything and start over, doesn't mean everyone else will! Kenzi, Dyson, and Lauren will all think that I abandoned them!"
"You're abandoning them for the greater good." Astor whispered, unable to catch his breath under the succubae's strong hands. "They'll eventually get over you."
"I'm not leaving my friends and my mate without speaking to them first! My child may be powerful and destructive in my presence, but I'm going to try my best to raise her and support her to the best of my abilities! If I fail then I will leave on my own, I love Lauren too much to destroy her life! I WILL NOT ABANDON MY MATE AND EVONY WILL NOT BE RAISING MY CHILD!" Bo yelled as she slammed the syringe into the Under Fae's throat, injecting the fluid into his blood stream.
Bo watched his body wreath underneath her before collapsing onto the sand beside him, letting darkness engulf her entirely.