Chapter 353

Third Person POV

The shadow region was darker than most, and it was exactly how Daisy Baldwin imagined it would be. It reeked of rogue and an unsettling magic that drifted through the air. Daisy’s tampered dress was dragged through the mud, and her normally flawless skin held dirt from her walk through the forest that took her to the neutral territory of the second-largest empire in the world.

A shadow lurked around the corner, but Daisy wasn’t afraid. She probably should have been, but these last few weeks for her have not been easy. Since she stole the Moon Gem from one of the only women she saw as a mother figure, the only one she could consider a friend, things have not been pleasant for her.

She hadn’t been able to show her face back at her home. She had been on the run ever since; she ran into various rogues and witches, none of whom were pleasant. But she held onto the hope that things would be different soon enough because she was promised a better future if she was a “good girl” and did exactly what she was told.

Working with the most prestigious family in the world wasn’t easy, but it would be worth it soon enough.

“You came,” a female voice said from behind a tree.

Lila Blackwell stepped around the corner, her blonde locks tied in a long braid down her back. Her pretty blue eyes stared back at Daisy with almost a kind sincerity, though Daisy knew that Lila was anything but kind. She was as vicious and vindictive as they came. She played everyone in her path, and only Daisy knew the truth about her.

“Did I have a choice?” Daisy asked, already knowing the answer.

The corner of Lila’s pretty pink and very plump lips tipped upward.

“No, you didn’t,” she replied simply. “Unless you want to face my brother…”

Daisy’s cheeks burned.

She was very familiar with one of Lila’s brothers, Noah. He was her eldest brother and was in line to take over the entire empire once their father, Zachary, retired. However, that won’t be for a very long time. Zachary wasn’t one to give up his business that easily… not without an actual reason. He’d rather die than hand over the reins.

It was because of Noah that Daisy ended up in this mess to begin with. He was handsome and a huge flirt, capturing her attention from the moment she first laid eyes on him. The relationship began with just sex, and that’s all Daisy and Noah initially agreed upon, but then it evolved into so much more. She had no idea what she was getting herself into at that time in her life; she was young and dumb. However, she ended up in a situation she couldn’t escape.

She reached up and touched her mark; it still throbbed, though it had been years since he had given it to her. She covered it with makeup so no one else could see it, but she could always feel it. It had its own heartbeat; it was warm beneath her touch, and if she stepped out of line in any way, such as bedding another man, it would cause her such severe pain that she wouldn’t be able to stand straight.

Daisy was nothing more than a pawn in the Blackwell games, but Lila assured her that she could get her out of it if she desired. At this point, Daisy would do just about anything to break the bond that connects her to Noah.

She spent years getting close to the Landry family, and then, the moment Donna Landry trusted her enough to show her the heirloom that the Blackwells were seeking, she had her chance.

Daisy expected to return to Noah like the good pet that she was, but he told her to stay away until he called for her. He didn’t want a trail to return to the Blackwell Empire.

Daisy suffered in silence, feeling the pain of the mate bond as she did nearly every night since he marked her… feeling him as he bedded other women, disregarding the bond he already had.

She already knew another woman was living with him as a constant, and that was the main reason he didn’t want Daisy to return.

She was done being his pawn… she suffered in silence for far too long, and it was time she took back her life. So, if she needed to use his sister to get that, she would.

“Let’s not bring up your brother,” Daisy said, her eyes narrowed.

Lila smirked, knowing she had Daisy right where she wanted her.

“Do you have the sage I requested?” Lila asked.

Tonight was the full moon, and in order to do the ritual required to activate the Moon Gem, they needed a special sage. Lila didn’t want to take any chances by being seen, so she sent Daisy to do her bidding for her. Once the gem is activated and Lila’s true powers are unlocked, she can break the bond between Noah and Daisy and even give Daisy the power she needs to start her life over and be protected until the end of her days.

Daisy reached into her cleavage and pulled out a small baggie of sage, holding it up for Lila, who smirked.

“Perfect,” Lila said, taking the sage and walking towards the little circle she had already created. She placed the sage in the center of the circle, sprinkling it with her fingers inside.

Daisy watched, a nervousness weighing in her chest.

Lila grabbed a match and stepped back. She lit up the match and dropped it in the center of the circle, lighting the sage on fire. The flames crackled, causing Daisy to take an unsteady step backwards.

Lila lowered herself so she was only inches from the flames; the rays of the full moon penetrated her, focusing only on her at that moment. She pulled the Moon Gem out of her cleavage; it was on a necklace. She undid the clasp of the golden chain and held it towards the flames.

Truth be told, Lila wasn’t entirely sure how to activate the gem, but she heard that this was a typical ritual for anything spiritual. A witch once told her that she would also need a drop of her blood because the key to anything is Blackwell blood.

“You have the pin as well?” Lila asked without even looking at Daisy.

Without a word, Daisy pulled a pin out of her dress. It was sharp enough to draw blood. She carefully handed it to Lila, who immediately and purposely poked her finger. A drop of red blood beaded at the tip of her finger, and she hovered it over the flames, warming it before she pressed her finger against the cool surface of the gem.

They both waited with bated breath, not sure what it would look like once it had been activated, but after a moment of no changes, they frowned.

“Maybe you need more blood?” Daisy suggested, her nervousness squeezing painfully at her chest.

Lila poked her finger even more, drawing out more blood. She practically coated the stone in her blood, but once again, there were no changes.

Lila pressed her lips together, not sure what it meant. This gem was meant for her from her birth. She was told that her true powers were locked away inside because her infant body couldn’t handle the amount of power she had, so a witch took her magic and put it in the gem for safekeeping. But then the Landry’s had stolen it right under the Blackwell’s noses.

“Why isn’t it working?” Daisy asked, panic seizing her.

“Shut up for a minute and let me think,” Lila hissed, aggravated.

Without a word, she threw the stone into the flames, causing Daisy to gasp. All she needed was the magic inside the stone, not the stone itself; she couldn’t care what happened to the stone. She deepened the pin in her finger, wincing at the sting, and then she hovered her hand above the flames and allowed her blood to pour.

The ground began to shake, and the skies, which were already dark from night, grew even darker. Clouds circled the skies, covered the full moon and the stars, giving it an eerie feeling.

“What’s happening?” Daisy asked as she struggled to stand on her feet.

Lila’s eyes were wide as she stared at the sky and then at the Gem, which remained in the fire, untouched. The Gem had a faint, red glow to it, almost as if it were angry. It wasn’t what she expected. She didn’t feel any different, like the powers were seeping into her, but she could feel the raging energy surging from the Gem.

The ground shook even more.

“Lila, watch out!” Daisy screamed through the swirling wind that began.

Lila looked up in time to see a large tree falling, almost about to crush her.

Without thought, she grabbed the moon gem out of the fire, ignoring the burning feeling of the flames that engulfed her hand, and she jumped out of the way, just in time for the tree to fall onto the flames, burning them out.

With a guttural breath, Lila released her hold on the gem, her hand scorched from the heat. She stared down at her hand, seeing the faint outline of the gem that burned into her, along with the blisters from sticking her hand in the fire in the first place.

“What the hell was that?” Daisy asked, rushing towards her.

The gem lay beside Lila, no longer tinted with the angry red glow. It was back to normal… untouched, unbothered. Lila didn’t feel any different; nothing was awoken… nothing was released.

“It didn’t work…” she whispered in a shocked daze. “I don’t understand…. It was supposed to work.”

…..

Judy’s POV

My head felt heavy as I sat outside the villa; I needed some fresh air. My anxiety has been high all day today. When it got to a point where I literally couldn’t breathe, Irene suggested that we step outside for some air.

I leaned against the patio table, feeling a wave of dizziness washing over me. It was night, and Gavin hadn’t returned home from work yet. He was out on patrol with Beta Taylor, and for a moment, I tried to reach him through our mate bond so he could come home early.

Something was seriously wrong… I just didn’t know what it was.

I pressed my hand to my belly, my heart racing with pent-up nerves. I prayed to the Moon Goddess that it wasn’t my baby.

Then, it was like my feet had caved entirely, and I could no longer hold the weight of my own body. The dizziness grew more intense, and the wind nearly knocked me out as I fell to the ground.

The last thing I heard was Irene yelling my name.

“Judy!”