The Last True Female (Lexie) (by Sylvia Vance) novel Chapter 57

Chapter 57

“We’re heading back, or do you expect us to wait for that shameless wretch Kaelen to climb ashore and whisk Lex away?” Arthur said.

He swept Lexie up in his arms, muttering complaints as he strode off.

“That bastard dared to seal a bond with Lex behind our backs and leave his shoddy contract mark on her. If I hadn’t taken precautions beforehand, Austin would have uncovered Lex’s true identity just now.”

Watching Arthur’s retreating figure, William, who had been standing by, couldn’t contain his confusion. “Dr. Cole, why didn’t you tell Marshal Drake about Lex’s real identity? If he knew, wouldn’t he be able to protect her better?”

Arthur shook his head. “He can’t protect her. As Marshal of the Empire, Austin bears a burden far too heavy for him to shoulder.

“With all that weight on his shoulders, once he finds out Lex is female, he’ll be forced to make a terrible choice.

“First, he could keep Lex’s identity hidden and guard her safety in the shadows. The second option, however, would be to treat her like Amya, a tool to stabilize his rule.

“Given Lex’s innocent nature, that kind of life would break her. Until she’s truly grown strong enough to stand on her own, I won’t let anyone take advantage of her. For now, nothing matters more than letting her grow up happy and carefree.”

With that, Arthur carried Lexie onto his mecha and flew off toward home.

After Arthur’s departure, William stood rooted to the spot, stunned for a long moment. Then he shifted into his beast form, snatched up the giant seashell with his claws, and raced after them..

Upon their return, Arthur laid Lexie in the scanning pod. When the scan revealed she was unharmed apart from having formed a mate bond with Kaelen, he finally allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief.

Seeing his relaxed demeanor, William frowned in confusion. “Arthur, aren’t you worried now that Kaelen has bonded with Lex?”

“Worried about what?” Arthur asked, looking genuinely puzzled.

“Kaelen has formed a mate bond with her! Aren’t you afraid he’ll blab about her true identity to everyone? Besides, he’s a mermaid–do you really think that’s an appropriate match for Lex?” William exclaimed.

Arthur nodded firmly. “I think it’s fine.”

William gaped at him. “Why?”

Noticing William’s bewildered expression, Arthur’s gaze softened as he looked at Lexie in the scanning pod, his voice turning grave. “Kaelen and Austin are two completely different kinds of men. Unlike Austin, who is shackled by duty, Kaelen lives entirely for himself.

Chapter 57

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“If something matters to him, he’ll fight tooth and nail to protect it. No one and nothing can coerce him into doing something he doesn’t want.

What’s more, mermaids are famously loyal. Now that he’s bonded with Lex, he’ll guard her with his life from this day onward.

“And there’s one more crucial point–Kaelen is handsome, wealthy, and incredibly powerful. A man like that is more than worthy of Lex. That’s exactly why I gave my consent to their bond.”

William bit back the retort on the tip of his tongue, the words dying in his throat as he remembered how Kaelen had tossed him into the sea and left him to nearly drown.

When Lexie woke again, it was already the next day. She had slept for a full twenty–four hours.

After waking up, she drank a nutrient fluid listlessly, stumbled into the shower, and then trundled over to the mirror. The sight of the faint mark glowing faintly on her chest jolted her fully awake in an instant.

Lexie reached up to touch the spot. As her fingers brushed against the mark, the tiny fish–shaped emblem seemed to stir to life, swimming in small circles on her skin.

She gasped aloud. “It’s alive?”

She pulled her hand back abruptly, staring at the moving mark in the mirror.

An idea struck her, and she pinched the skin around the emblem, trying to grab hold of it. However, her fingers passed right through as if it wasn’t even there.

She fumbled with it for several minutes, but the mark flickered in and out of sight, eluding her every time. Reassured that it posed no harm to her body, Lexie got dressed and turned to head outside.

When she stepped into the bedroom, her eyes widened at the sight of the enormous seashell bed standing by the wall, piled high with jewels that glinted so brightly they nearly blinded her.

She froze and thought, ‘Where did all these jewels and this giant seashell come from?‘

She rubbed her throbbing temples, gazing at the opulent seashell bed and its glittering contents. Suddenly, the memory of that breathtakingly beautiful face from the day before flooded back to her.

She recalled seeing a mermaid with a black tail inside a seashell. At the time, she had been so captivated by the mermaid’s stunning features that she couldn’t remember anything that happened afterward.

Lexie was still standing by the bed, racking her brains for answers, when a knock sounded at the bedroom door.

“The door’s unlocked. Come in,” she called out.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Arthur and William stepped inside one after the other. They glanced briefly at the giant seashell bed in the corner before walking forward to stand in front of Lexie.

“Lex, Marshal Drake came to see you yesterday with Ryker. You were unconscious at the time as you’d just finished bonding with Kaelen, the Merman King. They left some things for you and then took their leave,”

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Chapter 57

Arthur explained,

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Arthur’s words were simple enough on their own, but when Lexie pieced them together, she found herself completely lost.

“Marshal Drake and Ryker were here yesterday? And I bonded with Kaclen, the Merman King?” she repeated, her voice rising in disbelief.

“Dr. Cole, are you really talking about me? I missed a chance to meet Marshal Drake, and I bonded with a mermaid?” Lexic pointed to her own nose, staring at him in shock.

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