Page 39 of Rising Out of the Darkness
A burst of laughter launched the ginger candy out of my mouth somewhere into the depths behind us. Declan’s head flew back from the sight, laughing so hard tears leaked around his eyes.
For a moment, I paused and took all of him in. Dimples formed across both cheeks, quite the opposite to the stoic face and harsh attitude that he paraded around daily. It made me wonder if this man—the one who was kind, combed my hair to help me fall asleep, and had a beautiful roar of a laugh—was the real Prince Declan.
After he wiped his eyes, he caught my lingering gaze. I turned back around, taking a long swig from the waterskin. I could hear him rustling again, and not too shortly after, he handed me another ginger candy.
“I noticed you lost yours somewhere back there.”
“Thank you, Declan. I really hope it helps, because my head is killing me.” At his wide eyes and smirk, I winced, realizing I’d just called a royal by their first name.
Gods.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”
“No apologies necessary.”
The tension in my shoulders eased.
“Actually—” He drawled, in a deep velvety tone. “I enjoyed the way my name sounded rolling over your lips,” Declan whispered against the sensitive shell of my ear.
Once more, a twinge pulled at my chest, and my body became tense all over. The control I had over my dynamis snapped, kindling to my internal flame. Every inch of my body ignited in a warm, bright glow.
My dynamis pulsed greedily throughout my body. No spot was left untouched. Even the space between my now clenched thighs throbbed from the power inside me begging to be released.
Another jolt of dynamis sent my hair flying in the air all around me. Power hummed through my entire body, thrashing against my skin, trying to force me to release it into the world.
Oh, gods.
I’m in trouble.
Every muscle in my body constricted, leaving me feeling as though I was about to rip at the seams. My eyes felt like hot coals as my dynamis swirled behind them. I could almost hear the sizzle of my tears as they evaporated instantly on my cheeks from the heat. This was too much, too powerful, too emotional.
Every feeling that coursed through me created a storm inside of me—a turbulent pulse of fear, worry, anxiousness and something that felt an awful lot likedesire. At first, I assumed these emotions were entirely mine. It was as if they were calling me to action, whispering silent commands to me. However, some of the emotions had a signature feel to them, unique to only one other’s I’d felt before.
My dynamis instinctively targeted the foreign emotions threatening my body. The small hairs on the back of my rose. Another tug of my chest and I was suddenly hit with the answer.
Declan.
I was pulling emotions from the prince as well as struggling to maintain my own.
Great godsabove.
Ears flicking back and hooves clomping, Declan’s horse whinnied. The stallion reared back on his hind legs, and the two of us crashed onto the dirt road beneath us.
Pain radiated through my body, but I couldn’t even force myself to stand up. Instead, I lay helpless in the dirt, and relived an unwanted memory of my past that I wished could be wiped free from my mind.
Before panic completely consumed me, blackness flooded every inch and crevasse around me. Aroundus.
In my moment of insanity, I had forgotten that the Lord of Shadows had also fallen off the horse.
“Control your dynamis Elena! Find your calm.”
I tried to respond, but a high pitch cry tore out of me instead.
Darkness enveloped both of us. Swirling shadows secured themselves around my waist, but not in a menacing way. Instead, it felt more like a protective caress. Up and down. They cascaded over my arms, intertwining with my hair, which whipped wildly above my head. They continued their efforts to calm me as I continued to fight against my dynamis.
That was when I heard it.
Smooth and rich with emotion, a deep voice rang out from behind me. Another tug of my chest, this time more painful than the others, as my body arched. It felt like my dynamis was trying to tear me away from the luscious, melodic sounds dancing around behind me. Clawing my hands into the dirt, I tried to force my dynamis back to where it resided.
