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The night plays out in my mind as she talks. I see the destruction not only from then but also in the months that followed, as Draven came back time and time again; only this time, he wasn’t just set on revenge.
“Draven’s only objective was to destroy, and his beasts were here to carry out his commands. We were unprepared, and for a moment, it looked as if he would succeed.”
I look at Serena. I’ve dreamt of that night so many times it’s as if it happened only yesterday. The fear I felt for our kingdom and people sits in my stomach like a lead weight, but it pales compared to what I felt knowing Serena was alone.
The thought is enough to make my stomach turn, and I have to push the memories away to stay standing as my knees threaten to buckle under the weight of the memory.
I thought she was going to die. I’d run the length of the castle to try and get to her, ready to demand to be let out so that I could find her. Because what was life if she wasn’t in it? Ultimately, it didn’t matter that I wouldn’t reach her in time, and shifting would have slowed me in such a small area. So much was different back then. Now, I would level the castle to get to her, but that wouldn’t have worked out before. I wasn’t strong enough, big enough, or fast enough.
Never again.
I’ll never be less than what she needs again. It was a promise I made the day she was ripped from me, one I intend to keep no matter the cost.
“He didn’t know about Serena, though.” My mother's eyes soften as she looks at her, and I know she’s seeing the same scared little girl I am.
It tore her apart when my father sent her away, but it was the best way to keep her safe.
“Serena wasn’t well received by the village. While Mother did everything in her power to fix the devastation the last king left at her feet, fixing their fear and hatred was harder than expected, especially when there was no exposure to them. Those born with shadows were lost to the realm for a long time, but when Serena washed ashore, it was as if their fear returned with it. They were cruel and hateful because their fear told them she was bad.”
Storm’s arms tighten around Serena, and I feel the tension as it bleeds into the rest of them. The idea of someone treating Serena as less than is enough to set them on edge, even after everything else we’ve told them.
Serena is our center.
“We worked against it, but it’s sown deep and takes time. Serena had no real control over her shadows at first, and the fear from others was enough to cause unrest.” I hear the annoyance, but her eyes are sad. Mother never wanted Serena to deal with that. She believed Serena could change their minds and show them the errors of our history. She still does, and I can’t help but believe that as well. If only they would give her a chance.
“I hid away here in the castle or with Garrett in the forest. We hid my shadows away, but it didn’t matter. They still hated me.” Serena’s voice is so quiet, even with my enhanced hearing, I have to strain to make out what she says.
“The day he attacked, I’d been in the forest. Garrett was here, practicing his fire with the king. Sometimes, I sat in on the lessons, but sometimes, it was too hard, and I would go to one of our spots to wait.” A smile pulls at the corner of her lips at the mention of one of our many hiding places. Growing up, we had dozens of them. I knew she loved to get away and feel free from the watchful eyes of the kingdom. All she had to do was say the word, and I was ready to go.
Hell, she could say it now, and I’d take her.
Her smile melts away as she continues, and it feels like the warmth is sucked from the room.
“I’d never heard the alarms before, didn’t even know we had them, but when I heard them, I knew something was wrong. I ran back as fast as possible, but I didn’t think I would make it.” Her eyes find mine, and I see the panic, feel it all fresh the same way I did that day when I begged for her to survive at any cost. “Garrett begged me to use my powers, but I was afraid. Everyone already hated me, and I hadn’t done anything wrong. What if I used them and made everything worse?”
We’re all quiet as she takes a moment to collect herself. I could step in and tell it from my point of view, making it so she doesn’t have to relive this, but even as I open my mouth to do it, I can’t make the words come out.
“In the end, I gave in. I didn’t want to die, and I wanted to save the people I loved. I didn’t want to leave you…” Her words trail off, but it doesn’t take a genius to know they’re for me.
Something inside me snaps, and while I know she needs space and time, I can’t make myself stay away right now. Not when she’s looking at me like this, not with her soul bared for me and the pain shining in her eyes.
I close the distance in just a few steps, intent on pulling her from Storm’s arms if I have to. I don’t have to, though. Shockingly enough, he releases her a moment before I get to her, taking a step back with a nod that feels strangely respectful.
Serena doesn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around me and return my hug. The feeling of her in my arms is beyond words, and I can’t help but hoist her off the floor and spin her around. She giggles, her head buried in my chest, and I wish I could make her laugh like this all the time.
Some day.
The next few days are spent trying to navigate and understand being here and what that means moving forward. It’s confusing, to say the least.
Going over everything that happened while we were apart took forever. Even then, they made me tell them over and over, looking for an explanation as to what could have caused me to black out like that. I’d hoped they would catch something I missed, but after the first time, I lost hope. I know they wanted to help, but I don’t think whatever happened was because of an outside factor.
Worse still was admitting to them that I’d somehow lost my beast. It felt almost shameful. These guys were alpha predators and had spent most of their lives swearing that even though I was prey, I was worthy, now I was nothing. I felt like I was a disappointment.
It’s silly to worry about in the grand scheme of things. We’re in another realm. They followed me to another realm, but somehow, I can’t seem to kick the feeling that I’m not good enough.
Even with the guys here, I couldn’t help but ask about going back. Asher and Talia might not be my biological parents, but that doesn’t make them less. If anything, it only makes me love them more. They took me in when they had zero obligations to do so and loved me, even when I probably wasn’t the easiest to handle most of the time.
Asher’s health had slowly been declining over the last few years. Nobody knew what it was or why he was sick. Mother had taken him to doctor after doctor in hopes of finding answers, but everyone said the same thing. According to the tests, they could find no reason for his declining state. By all means, he should be healthy and fit, but he wasn’t. It was one of the reasons we stayed close to home for college or the reason I had, at least. The guys didn’t have to, but they did for me.
