Page 81 of Rising Out of the Darkness
Another rattled intake of breath.
“Three…” I pressed my palm harder against her chest.
Air flooded into her lungs, but none came out.
“Four.” Panic flooded through my dynamis. “Fight, love, fight the darkness.”
I felt a tiny puff of air finally flow through her lips, and then another. Until I heard the slightest breath whisper between us. “Five...”
Relief washed over me. “There you go, sweetheart. Come back to me, back to the light.”
We rocked back and forth, my arms secured around her the entire time. Right now, her thoughts held her hostage, and my job was to tear them away. Little by little, the muscles in her body loosened, finally allowing her to take in deeper pulls of air.
Her head fell back onto my shoulder, and I clenched my jaw as I gazed over her face—eyes red and swollen, her lip bloody from biting it. Removing my hand from her waist, I swept her wild hair away from her face. It was drenched in sweat like the rest of her as I tucked it behind her ears. Finally, her entire body surrendered and she melted into me.
Elena’s head lay heavy against my shoulder. My hand was still intertwined with hers over her chest. Silence passed between us for a few moments as I ran my fingers through the lengths of her hair. My lips grazed the top of her head in a tender kiss, and her lips began to quiver. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and everything inside me shattered. Seeing her cry, seeing her break into a million pieces, left me undone. As carefully as I could, I folded her body into mine so she faced me and brushed my lips across her wet cheeks.
“You’re safe now, love,” I whispered. The sting of tears pressed behind my own eyes. “I will always guide you out of the dark and back to me.”
Lena’s breath hitched, and her arms tightened around me. “I’m so sorry.” She erupted into sobs.
“Shhh.” I pressed a kiss into her hair. “You never have to apologize for feeling. Good or bad, our emotions are the most authentic parts within us. Never be afraid of allowing yourself to feel them.”
She nodded against my chest as I wiped away more tears from her rosy cheeks.
“Would you…like to talk about it?” I asked hesitantly.
“Not yet—no…I—I’m sorry.” She sniffled, small tremors of panic still rippling down her body.
“No more apologizing. Let’s get you back to sleep.”
After fixing the rumpled sheets, I tucked her body inside. The sound of muffled weeping filtered through the pillow as she curled into herself.
“Could you stay with m-me? Just for a little while?” The plea in her voice wrapped around my icy heart and tugged. There was nowhere else I’d rather be than right beside her.
“Of course. Just give me a moment. I’ll be right back.”
I crossed the floor in three strides and leaned my head out the door to tell Killian that everything was fine. After closing the door behind me, I slid into the bed behind her. I slipped my arm underneath Elena’s head and wrapped the other around her middle, pulling her into me. Everything about this moment felt right.
Every time I was around Elena, I felt compelled to be as close to her as possible. She drew me in with every sweet smile, every flush of her cheeks, every compassionate part of her soul, and every damn elbow to my gut. No matter how hard we both fought this connection between us, I feared the invisible force pulling us together was far stronger.
“Good night, Lena,” I whispered, hoping to not wake her.
“Good night, Declan.”
Breathing in the sweet smell of lavender from her hair, I nuzzled my head further into it. As I melted into her warmth, my arms curled tighter around her. Eventually, lulled by her soft, steady breaths, I fell asleep.
Chapter 31
Elena
Groaning, I tried to open my swollen eyes. Every muscle in my body felt sore as I tried to sit up in bed. Pain radiated throughout my body, and my head fell back onto the headboard with a grunt. Today was my first brunch with the king’s dignitaries, and afterwards another grueling training session.
Declan.
The spot next to me was vacant, but the sheets still felt warm to the touch. He must have stayed the entire night. I threaded my fingers through the ends of my hair, twisting around and around as I lost myself in my thoughts.
Declan’s words from last night felt ingrained in my soul. My heart ached from the heaviness of them. For someone who had recently inherited monumental amounts of dynamis, at this moment I felt completely powerless.
