This is the last chapter of this book and there is a sequel but it is currently a work in progress. I hope you all have enjoyed reading Homo-nus Nocturnes and I apologize for being so slow to update. My 2017 was kind of crazy. I am back on track however and the first thing I did was edit the final chapters of this book to upload for you all. I will upload the sequel in batches once this book reaches 10,000 reads :) Thank you to everyone for your support, patience, and subscriptions to this story. Check out some of my other reads and please do not be afraid to comment :)492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqPl6pihaj
When a physical examination didn’t turn up any reason why I hadn’t produced an heir yet, Lucien called for a supernatural examination by one of the scariest women I’ve ever met. It isn’t that she looks scary, she’s actually quite beautiful, but she has an aura of pure evil. She’s an enchantress. I didn’t know they actually existed. Her examination of me found that my reproductive system was bound to Darius by a very powerful binding spell, one she couldn’t undo right away. It would take time and lots of effort. This sent Asher into a rage. He flipped over a table and stormed out of the room. I’ve ever seen him so angry. Only Darius could push someone’s buttons like this.
Asher’s family went after him to calm him down, leaving me alone with the enchantress. “A very powerful enchantress bound you to Darius Draven. Did you happen to catch her name?” She asks.
“I didn’t even know I was being bound to anyone. I have no idea what that even means,” I admit.
“It means that you can only produce children with Darius Draven at the moment. It will take me a while to undo this strong of a spell. Whoever bound you to Darius has some very ancient blood.”
In other words, Asher’s hopes of producing an heir with me any time soon have been dashed. This is equally as damning for me as it is for him. It means his mistress is more likely to produce an heir first, diminishing my importance to him.
Darius knew this when he sent me here, and he in all his cleverness has all but sealed my fate. For a second time I’m sentenced to a life filled with unhappiness and uncertainty. Couple my love for Darius and the fact that I cant readily produce heirs for Asher and I’m expendable.
“Can you see the future?” I ask, curious.
“I’m not a psychic if that’s what you’re asking, but I don’t need to be to see where your life is headed.”
“What do you see?”
“Betrayal, unhappiness and pain,” she replies. Before I could ask her any other questions she quickly walks away.
I go to find Asher whose surrounded by family hoping to calm him down. As soon as he sets eyes on me he dismisses everyone from the room. “Did you know?” Asher asks as soon as everyone has gone.
“No.”
“Don’t lie to me!” Asher slams his fists down on the desk in front of him, startling me. Now I’m afraid to answer. He’s so on edge that he’s looking for any reason to find me guilty of conspiring against him. “How could you not know? Darius put you up to this, didn’t he? He put you up to torturing me like this, didn’t he!”
I’m frozen. I’m physically unable to answer because I’m afraid. In a matter of seconds Asher rises from his seat and moves across the room, pinning me to the wall behind me. I throw my arms up to block my face, but it’s not my face he reaches for. His hand clenches around my throat with his thumb pressing against my windpipe. All I can think to myself is ‘this is it…this is how I’m gonna die.’
“Asher I swear to you, I didn’t know. Darius never told me anything. He never asked for my permission and he never included me in on his plans. I was a possession, I wasn’t privy to the knowledge of the things he had planned,” I explain, gently tugging at the hand he’s wrapped around my neck.
Asher applies more pressure to my windpipe and I struggle to breathe. Finally he releases me. He lets out a deep growl and punches the wall beside my head, leaving a hole in it. The look in his eyes when our eyes meet only makes me more fearful for my life. Whatever game Darius is playing with Asher is a deadly one. I’m the pawn and I’m also caught in the crossfire between two dangerous predators.
Asher backs away from me, but I’m still afraid to speak. He can flinch and kill me if he wants to and I don’t want to do anything more to upset him. I’ve completely stopped breathing. I don’t take another breath until he’s left the room. Darius is going to get me killed.
Anya and Cara come rushing into the room to make sure I’m okay. My nerves still frazzled, I slide down to the floor, wrap my arms around my legs and rest my head against my knees. I’m still surprised Asher didn’t kill me. The fact that he hasn’t has to mean he believes me on some level. Perhaps he’s undecided.
“Giselle?” Cara calls out to me.
I’m grateful to be alive, but now I have Asher’s suspicions to contend with. “I’m fine,” I sigh, “he didn’t hurt me.”
“Did you know Darius had you bound to him?” Anya asks.
“No. I didn’t even know that was possible,” I shake my head.
“I believe her,” Cara backed me up. “Her relationship with Darius was more of a dictatorship. She did whatever he told her too and he’s been known to let her walk blindly into things if it suited a purpose for him. Like giving birth to a child he never intended to let her keep.”
“I’ll talk to Asher. In the meantime I’ll be sending a full staff here to get you ready. My father’s enchantress will break that spell and when she does you and Asher will have children.”
“You mean unless his mistress has given him a child by then,” I scoff.
“Hopefully that won’t be an issue.”
Cara quickly leaves and as promised a full staff of stylists appear to groom me for a second time. Not that I’m in a hurry to face Asher again. He came really close to snapping my neck. I could see it in his eyes.
Guests began to arrive within the hour, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave my room. What if Asher was still angry? What if he invited his mistress along to put me to shame?
It turns out staying locked away in my room isn’t an option. Asher’s mother Aelynn came to retrieve me and brought me down to the party. There are so many people. Some of them I know but many of them are faces I’ve never seen before. A few I know all too well…like my son’s…it takes everything in me not to run to him and wrap my arms around him. I have to be smart, not emotional, if I’m going to survive this. Darius will never publicly acknowledge me as his mother and Asher is watching my every move.
My eyes quickly flicker to Darius who is already watching me like a lion stalking its prey. If he’s watching me Asher must be watching me as well. I feign indifference as I search the room and find Asher watching me along with his father and his brothers. Smiling warmly, I make my way over to him and he goes stiff. He’s still not happy with me. Hopefully I can change that. Before I can make it to him however, Lucien signals for the ceremony to start and I am pulled away from him in a different direction.
I can’t get anywhere near Asher until it comes time for our fertility efforts to be blessed. Our hands are bound by the enchantress using vines as she prays over us to whatever God she worships. Our palms are slit, our fingers are entwined and our blood drips as one into a goblet we both must drink from.
Once the ritual is complete, everyone comes bearing gifts for us. For the most part its either jewels, property or money. All of which I am not allowed to touch. All of it goes to Asher. Viktor grants us the waterfront property where I gave birth to my son. It’s a slap in the face and that’s exactly what he meant it to be. Jackson and William’s gifts are less offensive. They give money and lots of it. Lastly there’s Darius. I hold my breath as he approaches us with Aria on his arm and our son in hers. He gifts us with jewelry that’s clearly meant for me. I can feel Asher go tense next to me. I don’t even have to look at him.
“Last but not least Giselle, is my gift to you,” Asher turns to me.
I’m confused. What gift? He got me a gift? “What gift?”
“Do you remember what I promised you?”
I haven’t the slightest clue what he’s referring to. “No, I don’t,” I sheepishly admit.
“If you were to hold up your end of the bargain and marry me, I promised you something. I promised you someone,” he hinted.
Suddenly it dawned on me. He promised he’d give me my son back. But how? Darius would never give up our son. Our son is his legacy. Before I could ask, screams fill the air. I follow the screams over to Esme who’s plunged something into Viktor’s heart. He quickly turned to stone. William and Jackson take a step in his direction and meet a similar fate as their mates plunge identical blades into their hearts.
I glance back at Asher who offers me a wide grin. Then it hits me. I turn just in time to see Darius drop to his knees. He hasn’t turned to stone like the others, but he’s wounded. Aria holds the end of the weapon used to wound him. How could she? Darius is madly in love with her and she just betrayed him on a level there’s no coming back from.
“NO!” A bloodcurdling scream pierces through the air. It takes a moment to realize that it’s coming from my own lips as I hurry over to Darius, who’s spitting up blood. He’s laughing…he’s laughing. What in the world could be so funny? “Darius! Oh my God!” I shout before turning to glare at Aria. “Have you gone mad?”
“Its quite the contrary,” Aria smiles wickedly, “I feel liberated.”
“He loves you!”
“He wants to keep me like one of his possessions,” Aria waves me off, “besides, my heart belongs to someone else. I told you that. I told him too, but you know Darius…he just has to have his way. My lover was abducted and no one has heard from her since. Rumor is Darius has her locked up somewhere and I intend to find out where that is.”
Darius laughs even harder as blood falls from his lips, “If I were you cousin, I’d kill me and get it over with. If I ever regain my strength I’m going to kill every last one of you,” Darius threatens him.
“Then I guess we’ll just have to make sure that doesn’t happen, don’t we?” Asher smirks. He nods to Aria who hands Liam to me. My gaze flickers from Darius to Aria and back.
“Take care of our son,” Darius’ eyes pierce through mine, “protect him with your life. As long as he’s alive, he’s a threat.”
“What does that mean? What are you saying? What the hell is going on?” I ask, confused.
“What’s going on is a very well played game of chess,” Asher grins, squatting down in front of a fading Darius, “I’ve just taken all of their strongest pieces off the board and captured their Queen. Checkmate.”
“Touch my son and I don’t care if I have to sell what’s left of my soul, or lack there of, to the darkest forces in this world…I will hunt you and everyone you care about down and subject you to a very painful death,” Darius issues one last threat.
Asher smiles, removing a blade identical to the one William, Jackson, and Viktor were stabbed with. He plunges it into Darius’ heart before my eyes and I watch in horror as the love of my life is turned to stone. I can’t breathe and I’m stunned, but I can’t show it. I have to protect Liam. Protecting Liam means loyalty to Asher. As long as I’m within his good graces, Liam is safe. I hope.
“What have you done?” Aelynn shouts, grabbing Lucien by his collar and shaking him.
He’s completely unfazed. His eyes are on Esme who is now free from Viktor’s grasp. Aelynn follows his gaze and hurt fills her eyes. She goes to attack Esme but Lucien has her quickly subdued.
“You said if I helped you do this you’d find Sarah for me,” Aria addresses Asher.
“I did,” he nods. “Here you go, as promised.”
Asher tosses Aria an envelope and she wastes no time ripping it open. “Wait a minute. This whole time you knew where she was?” She asked, surprised.
“I just needed you to hold up your side of the bargain. I needed you to deliver Darius to me. You’re the only one who could get close enough that he wouldn’t expect.”
Aria quickly leaves, wasting no time going to find the love of her life. Meanwhile, mine looks like a porcelain statue. “Now what?” I ask, turning to Asher.
“Now we rule, and you have a decision to make. You can either rule at my side, or you can spend the rest of our life together wishing you had.”
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