Page 101 of Rising Out of the Darkness
“And who told her?” I growled.
“Eloise.” They chuckled.
“Hells. Is there anyone left who doesn’t know?” I huffed, wiping my swollen eyes as I stood.
“Elena, apparently.”
They rose to stand beside me. My mind whirled as I struggled to figure out my next step.
“I love her.” I sighed. “But, gods, I don’t know how I’m supposed to keep her safe from me. From all of this. Bringing her into my life could shatter every remaining bit of light inside of her, and I would never be able to forgive myself.”
“You deserve to be happy, to feel loved for the person you are.” Killian embraced me, releasing me just in time for Liam to do the same.
“She’ll never look at me the same way after today.” Emotion swelled in my throat once more as I tried to shove it down.
“You need to give our little lady a smidge more credit. She fought like a wild terror just to get to you, even after we warned her against it. Elena was still willing to walk through fire to get to you.”
The bond tugged against my ribcage as Liam spoke, nudging me to acknowledge the truth in his words.
“Take care of her while I’m gone?” My voice was strained by the reminder that I must leave.
“Of course, brother. We do this together, always.”
Chapter 39
Elena
The throb inside my head beat in time with the drips of water leaking through the crack within the ceiling of the cell. Cool stone stung the side of my cheek.
Moss and dirt crumpled under my fingertips as I wrangled my body into a sitting position. Cobwebs hung in the corners of my stone-lined room, and the air was musty. The faint smell of something metallic elicited a shiver down my spine. I forced the fear building inside me back down.
At the end of the hall, a door swung open with a thud, followed by two sets of footsteps. When Clara wrapped her fingers around the bars of the cell, I almost fainted with relief.
“You can leave us now, Ryder.”
The guard, whose nose was now bandaged, grumbled beside her and didn’t budge. I had to lower my head to shield the smirk.
“Would you like to tell the king why you wouldn’t leave the Royal Healer alone to heal the Light Phoenix?” Clara crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her toe against the damp stone floor.
He leaned in close, trying to intimidate her into submission, but the Healer remained as solid as a rock. With a huff, he blazedpast her, grazing her shoulder. The door slammed behind him, and the guard was gone as quickly as he’d come.
The clang of iron reverberated against the cell door as Clara unlocked it and swooped down to embrace me. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said breathlessly, tossing the keys aside.
“What was all that about?”
She gave me a perplexed stare, so I nudged my head toward the door.
“Oooh, that,” she chuckled lightly through her nose. “Scorned lover. Easy on the eyes, but the emotional range of a turnip. I love my men like I love my onions—sweet, spicy and full of layers.” She gave me a tiny wink. Only Clara could bring a smidge of humor into this disastrous situation. “How are you feeling?” she asked, rubbing her fingers over the tender spot where Ryder had struck me.
I winced. She scooted closer, placing both hands on my shoulders. Warmth spread through my limbs and over my cheek, healing me from the inside out. If only her dynamis could erase the pain, fear, and worry that still dwelled inside me from today’s events.
“And now?”
“Better.” My voice cracked, the worry crawling its way out, clouding my eyes with tears.
“Oh, honey…” She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me in. “He’s okay. What we saw was”—she paused to clear the sorrow from her throat— “horrifying…”
A shudder rippled over my body as unwanted images of this morning flashed before my eyes. “What happened to him?”
