Page 27 of Rising Out of the Darkness
Faster than I could blink, Declan was behind me holding my chin with one hand while his shadows wrapped around my exposed neck. I froze with fear. My breaths became shallow and my heart thrummed erratically.
Muscles knotted tightly inside of me as he leaned close to my ear. The scruff of his chin bristled against my temple, eliciting an emotion I shouldnothave during this moment. As he spoke, heat from his breath floated down the side of my neck. My dynamis flared from its slumber.
“Don’t ever speak to me that way again, my lady. Or I promise you will regret it.” Even enraged, his voice poured out like smooth honey. “Be careful, Elena. That mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble one of these days.”
“You can’t talk to me like that.” This time, my boldness only came out as a timid whisper. Even the wild beast within me was terrified of him.
“I am the prince, Elena. I can do whatever the Hells I want.”
Before I could react, his hold against me retracted. The wisp of his shadows evaporated from my neck. My head swiveled, only for me to see him storming off into the distance. Still reeling from the events that just occurred, my mind tumbled over itself in confusion.
For reasons I couldn’t begin to explain, I felt a pull towards this unstable prince, tugging at the center of me. Whatever this feeling was, I needed to shove it down and keep it at bay.
Especially if I had any hopes of surviving this whole ordeal.
Declan
Hells.
This was going to be one long journey.
Stomping over the forest floor, I stewed over the day. From the first moment we’d met, Elena had questioned, disobeyed, challenged me at every turn. This was only day one. How in the Hells were we going to make it through four more days of this?
Shadow nickered at my approach. I ran my hand over the mane of the black stallion and fed him a carrot.
“Enjoy that.” I rubbed his nose as he chewed happily. “I think you’re the only one around here who follows orders from me anymore.”
A familiar laugh arose from behind me. “Having a hard time with our little Light Phoenix?” Liam made his way around a tree towards me. “Perimeter’s all set, by the way. I’ll take my next shift after dinner.” I nodded, as he patted me on the shoulder. “What’s going on now?”
Anger began to rise again as I stepped aside, giving Liam my back as I ran my hands through my hair. “She—she…” A frustrated growl ripped out of me. “She just?—”
“She doesn’t bend over backwards to do everything you ask of her?” Liam raised an eyebrow.
“Yes!” The words slipped out in rage. I glared at the thick, black mop of hair on his head as it tousled about as he shook it.
“Elena is a lot like someone else I know,” he scoffed. I rolled my eyes as I wiped my palm over my face to erase the irritation of his comparison. “Also, have you forgotten who raised her?”
Warren could be one Hells of a broody man. Another one who always challenged me, pushing me to make the right decisions. Yet he loved deeply and every decision was based around making sure that everyone would be safe and secure. The man had endured just as much as I had and continued fighting. My respect for Warren ran deep, and aspects of who I was today were a direct result of him.
“No, I haven’t forgotten.” I groaned.
“Good. Then hold on to those reins, because this isn’t going to be an easy ride. You’re going to have to give her a reason to trust you.”
“Did you just compare breaking through to Elena to taming a horse?”
“Well, seeing as you’re horrible with women and better with horses, I had to adjust my sage advice in a way you would understand.”
Patting my back, he made his way back towards the fire for dinner. Thoughts still intruded in my mind, swirling in a way they hadn’t for some time. Instead of heading towards the fire, I drifted off in the opposite direction. Before I faced Elena again, I needed to get back into the right state of mind.
Chapter 11
Elena
Wind howled around the towering pine trees as I tried to recover from the adrenaline that was still coursed through me. My mind was still trying to wrap together everything that had happened over the past few days. In all my life, I could never have imagined any of this. It was like my nightmares, but this time, I couldn’t wake up.
Sighing, I let my aching body sag into the log. All I wanted to do was curl up inside one of the tents, but the ache clawing inside my stomach forced me to stay out here and wait for dinner.
Hares and potatoes bubbled away in a large pot in another fire beside ours. A few of the guards had gone hunting after they had finished setting up tents. Savory smells drifted through the breeze, causing my ravenous stomach to grumble more.
