“Samuel?” I spat out.
I wanted to know what had been done with my traitorous half-brother, since he’d been the vessel to release the Seventine into Brace.
“No one has seen him since the battle.” Lucy’s voice was strong. Her expression did not fall. “And if I happen to be the first one to see him I’ll gladly drive a stake through his heart.”
It looked as if Lucy’s previous obsession with vampires was rearing its head. And she had a legitimate reason for all the hate. Part of Samuel’s betrayal plan had been to convince Lucy they were true mates.
“Word, Luce,” I concurred.
“I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe my son could do something so heinous.” Lallielle was still in shock, her pale skin chalky white, her full lips almost blending in as they trembled.
Samuel was not Josian’s son. He had no Walker genes. Maybe it was this power he’d sought when he’d defected to Que’s side of the war.
Unable to stand her pain, Josian scooped Lallielle up. My parents were a true mated pair and were more in love than any couple I knew. I had to turn my head away, unable to watch their utter devotion right now.
But of course they wouldn’t let me hide.
After they had finished their own consoling they moved to me. Their familiar arms surrounded me, blocking out all else. I’d only known my parents for a short time, having spent most of my life lost on Earth, the one planet where Walker powers were muted, but I already loved them dearly.
“We’ll get Brace back, darling. I promise you. We’ll not let him fight the Seventine alone.”
I hated more than anything that I was safe right now and Brace was out there, his body no longer his own, a virtual prisoner.
These thoughts and Lallielle’s soft words once again had wailing screams trying to claw their way up from my chest. I gulped in large puffs of air. But it couldn’t be stopped. I closed my eyes and opened my mouth, letting the agony free. It echoed through the cavern, extra loud with the rock acoustics. My parents held me until I had no more breath, my throat aching and hoarse. It felt like forever but eventually my screams ceased and for that moment I could breathe again.
Later that day Lucy visited my room carrying two new shirts and chocolate-chip cookies.
“I figured you’d want something comforting,” she said, holding out a shirt with Chuck Norris on the front. The slogan read, When all hope is lost, Chuck can do it.
I had to laugh. “Despite the fact Chuck is your comfort, I appreciate the effort.”
“Come on,” she scoffed, “you’re going through a really tough time right now. You need the best, not that show-off you love.”
I gave her a gentle shove. “Don’t you be talking smack about Bear. If we were lost in the Arctic, you’d want his help.”
“No way. Chuck would have built a sled out of ice and wrangled ten wolves to escape by the time Bear got his pants on in the morning.”
I had to laugh. She made a good point.
“So what tee did you get for comfort?”
She held it up for me to see, and I almost cried again.
“How did you find that?”
It was a vintage band from the eighties. One we both loved. In fact their songs were some of the last I’d heard before the radio music channels were silenced on Earth. We’d had the best times dancing and singing to their hits.
“Josian,” she said.
I smiled. Of course. He always knew where to find obscure things.
“Alright, it’s time to get your butt up. You need to get out of this room and explore.” She threw the shirt, some clean underwear and shorts at me.
Apparently these caves had everything, even our clothes. Exploring was the last thing I felt like doing, but moping wasn’t going to change anything.
“Alright, let me get dressed, and then you can show me around,” I said, getting out of bed.
It felt good to be back in our shirts, just hanging out, like the old days. Everyone left us alone, for which we were both grateful. The cavern was massive, filled with a variety of large rooms, including lounges, a kitchen with a hot stone fireplace, and lots of bedrooms. There was also an underground mineral spring which was apparently warm all year, and a small forest. The roof of the cave opened in this section, allowing light in and food to be produced in the garden. The entire cavern was self-sufficient.
I hadn’t asked what was outside the caves, or where in the universe we were, mainly because Lucy had imparted enough information that I wasn’t that curious. It was simply an uninhabited planet, small and mostly unexplored. Through the years my Walker family had instilled protections to keep these caves concealed. It was the perfect hiding place.