Alex Wales: Promise

our walls? The only one who can freely wander in and out whenever he pleases?” The calculating look in her eyes made Alex shiver.

“It’s because of my connection to the arcane,” he answered with a shrug.

“No.” Aleena shook her head, making her hair sway like a wave. “Damon, you’re the only one who can connect to the magic holding our fortress together, because the sorcerers who made it were your parents. They gave their lives so I could save ours.”

“So, you killed them?”

“I took you in and raised you as my own. You replaced the son I lost in Ulric. Don’t you think thatwas payment enough?”

What the hell was this lunatic saying?

“Are you really my mother?” Ulric winced. Aleena had been a much better shot than Elroy-she’d burned a hole right through Ulric’s chest.

“Yes, I am. I promise your sacrifice won’t be in vain.”

“What sacrifice?” A vein in Damon’s rigid jaw pulsed as he glared at Aleena.

Alex couldn’t believe she’d fallen into a planet with an outward appearance of peace and serenity, paid for with vicious lies and cover-ups. Maybe her mother wasn’t the only bitch in the galaxy willing to do whateverit took to secure her own position of power. No matter what the cost.

What Aleena had called Damon’s parents kept echoing inside her head: sorcerers. Sorcery was a completely different thing than magic. Her father had told her about it only once, claiming all sorcerers came from a long line of gypsies who travelled the stars and lived all over the place. They were nomads who spent most of their lives moving from one place to another, selling their wares or smuggling what wasn’t theirs. They also had use of something he called the Arcanae- the force of energy they believed flowed through all of creation and could be accessed via ritual.

The only reason he’d confided this in her was because they’d once crossed paths with a female sorcerer who cut him up pretty bad, without laying a hand on him.

Her heart sank. I can’t believe I didn’t put this together before. Damon had referred to his use of magic as arcane…

She turned to look at Damon, with his gorgeous, caramel skin and glowing, green eyes. If he carried the blood of sorcerers, did it mean her father did, too? Her mother had often referred to him as a ‘gypsy’, but Alex never thought anything of it. She couldn’t believe her life was clicking together at the same time as Ulric and Damon’s.

“Aleena, what are you planning?”

“Hush, Damon. It will all work out. You’ll see. My son can’t stay on Eden, and now that he knows the truth, he can’t go back to his space station, either.” Aleena looked at Ulric with a sad smile curving her lips. “Do you understand why you’re here? You were never supposed to leave your home. I thought your parents made sure of that.”

“They did, but I sneaked out. Besides, they’ve been dead for years.” He paused, licked his lips, and trembled. “I just wanted to surprise her.” He closed his eyes. “It burns so much. Why did you shoot me?”

“Because I knew you would never accept this fate willingly.”

“Accept what fate?”

“Your life is worthless. You have to forfeit it for others,” Aleena answered. “There might not be a prophecy, but the ritual that’ll permanently seal us off from the dangers of the planet is very real.”

“I won’t help you,” Ulric whispered.

“You’re going to stand up, now.” Aleena continued, as if he’d never spoken.

Ulric didn’t resist when his mother dragged him up with her. “I don’t want to die. I can return to Anteris with Alex and forget any of this happened-”

“No, you can’t. I warned them about this.”

“Who did you warn?”

“I told your adoptive parents that if you ever returned, your fate would be sealed. It’s where I got the inspiration of the dark-haired traveler who would lead us to salvation.” A dry chuckle escaped her. “I never imagined it would come to be.”

“I don’t understand,” Alex whispered.

“It’s simple, really. The sorcerers used some of Ulric’s blood to forge the energy to fuel the barriers, then they used their own to close it.” She dragged Ulric by his arm, forcing him to move on unsteady feet. “I knew we would never be completely safe until I used the blood of my own son, and that of the sorcerers’ son to seal it. It’s the only way.” She lowered her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re not taking Damon with you,” Levi said.

Alex looked at Damon. She couldn’t believe this insane woman was willing to kill both men in order to succeed in this insanity. Damon met her eyes with a determined look and offered her a small smile. When she looked away, she found Ulric staring at her. Even in human form, his eyes glowed like an animal trapped in the dark.

He looked so sad, but she couldn’t bring herself to show any empathy toward him. None of the crazy stuff had been his doing. Still, she couldn’t help but blame him.

Ulric broke eye contact and turned to peer into the hole in the ground. “Okay, I’ll go willingly.” His toes skimmed the edge of the light. He turned to look at Alex again, and mouthed, “I really do love you, Alex. I’m sorry you couldn’t love me back.”

She took a step, ready to tell him things weren’t that simple. There may never have been love between them, but the desire which brought them together in the first place hadbeen real.

“That’s a good boy, “Aleena said proudly. “You’ve finally given me something to be proud about.”

Ulric didn’t turn to face her when he said, “Alex, find the bracelet I gave you. It’s out in the jungle, somewhere near your ship. Plug it into your computer and you’ll see just how much you mean to me.”

Alex didn’t know what he meant, but she didn’t get a chance to dwell on it.

Ulric wrapped an arm tightly around Aleena’s waist. “I’m ready.”

“What are you doing?” The Priestess squirmed in his grip, her broken hand caught between them.

“You want to save your people so badly, then youcan do it with me.”

“No, let me go. Damon, stop him!”

Damon didn’t do or say anything.

Ulric took a step forward and fell into the abyss, with Aleena still in his arms.

The light engulfed and sucked them down, leaving a mist of blood in its wake.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Even when Ulric felt the flesh being torn from his body one layer at a time, he kept a tight hold of the woman who claimed to be his mother. Everything she’d said to him was true-his parents hadtold him he wasn’t their biological son, and they warned him about the bad things that would happen to him if he ever left Anteris.

He’d listened to them for most of his life, until falling in love had caused his life to unwind and brought him to the place where it all began.

Everything he’d achieved had been for nothing.

So, taking the person responsible for giving birth to him seemed just. This woman-Aleena-had evil plans, and he refused to let her follow through with them. He wouldn’t let her kill Alex, which she obviously had