Page 152 of Rising Out of the Darkness
Sitting up quickly, I wrapped the sheets around me. “How long?”
“Warren’s been a part of it since we began. He wanted to tell you himself, he just thought you needed time to adapt to your dynamis first. He just wanted to make sure you were safe, Lena.”
“He had my entire life to tell me, Declan.” I grumbled.
His head dipped, and I knew that he agreed with me, but I started to get the sense that there was a deeper connection between my father and him.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“No more secrets. That’s a promise I intend to keep.”
His lips brushed the top of my shoulder, and I let myself melt backwards into his chest. “Why have you never left?”
The words floated in the air between us before he finally answered. “My mother left me a letter. She begged me to hold on to hope, to keep fighting for my father…” I could feel his jaw clench against my cheek. “She knew that there was still light left in him, and she knew I was the one person who might be able to break through to him. The one who understood the dark and the light, and how to find my way through it.”
I turned myself in his arms so that I could face him. “Do you still wish to stay?” I breathed.
With a heavy sigh, he held my head in his hands. “No, love, he’s too far gone in the dark. It’s time for me to go. We leave tonight.”
I embraced him tightly. “Let’s get ready then,” I mumbled into his neck.
Chapter 61
Elena
Before we even made it out of the door, we were bombarded by a group of captains and one panicked Eloise.
“Clara’s gone. We’ve searched everywhere.” Nayla spoke as Killian paced across the floor, threading his fingers through his hair.
“Hells, do you think—?” My wide eyes locked on Nayla. The hand that covered her face was enough of an answer.
“Tell me.” Declan approached the two of us.
“We took Clara to heal the small farm community beyond the w-wall.” My voice quivered, as the weight of her disappearance lay heavy on my shoulders. “On our way back, we ran into a group of Nightshades.”
“Hells!” he shouted, joining Killian in his pacing. “If my father or Alastor discovered this—” His chest rose and fell rapidly. “We need to find her quickly.”
Shoving us all out of the door, he gave orders us to stay in pairs. Nayla and Eloise would round up those in the Rebellion inside the walls, then start their journey towards Oria. They argued at first, but Declan shot them down by making a promise to find Clara.
“You two take the east wing of the castle.” Liam and Killian nodded as Declan delivered their orders. “Lena and I will take the west, and if we need to we’ll make our way down to the dungeon.”
That was the last place I wanted to be. I shivered at the thought.
With quick embraces, we parted ways. Grabbing Killian’s biceps, I pulled him next to me. “We’ll find her, brother, I promise.”
His eyes glossed over as he tugged me into his chest. I’d been an only child my entire life, but it just felt right in that moment to tell him that he was more than just a friend to me.
They all were.
Over this past month I’d become so close to these Elysians, I considered them like family, and I wanted him to know he could trust me to find Clara.
“Thank you,” he whispered against my forehead, and then released me to catch up with Liam, who had paused ahead to give us a moment.
“I love your compassionate soul,” He spoke tenderly as his thumb brushed against my cheek. “Let’s find my cousin.”
We’d searched everywhere, and my pulse had become erratic. Declan was doing his best to hide his fear, but the veins strained against his neck. I was about to say something to soothe him when a familiar voice halted my entire body.
The sound wafted through the crack in the door in front of us. Declan placed a finger over his mouth, motioning for me to stay silent as we eased towards the opening. When he peered throughthe door, his brows furrowed at what he saw, and he held up his fingers to signal just two were in the room.
