Page 27 of Awakened Light

He scoffed. “Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

My eyes widened as I tried to comprehend something more incredible than a dirt bike.

“Come on inside. We’ll find my family and figure out where Annella is. Your legs okay to walk now?”

Even though I didn’t want to pull back out of his arms, I convinced my body to straighten up. The wobbling in my legs had subsided, and I could stand up on my own. “I’m okay.”

“Then come on in.”

We walked side by side to a huge wooden door. Thorne pushed it open and stood aside while he let me go in first. I stuttered to a stop at the entrance. It was almost more than I could process.

The sheer size of the room dwarfed anything I’d ever been in, and it overwhelmed me with its bright, colorful decorations. Beautiful artwork covered the stone walls, and the strange candles that didn’t flicker with flames illuminated the entire room. I’d heard stories of electricity and modern décor, but I’d never imagined it would all be so magnificent.

The door closed behind me, and Thorne stepped to my side. “This way.”

I followed him through the castle while I struggled to keep my jaw shut as I took it all in. Every room we went through looked different from the last and was filled with strange objects I wondered about. Maybe once we found Annella, Thorne could take the time to show me what everything was.

As we walked through another large room with a roaring fireplace, I heard the din of arguing voices coming from the next room.

“I will not let her die!” A baritone voice shouted, and it rumbled right through my gut. “She’s my little sister, and it’s my duty to protect her!”

“And you’re my husband, and it’s your duty to stay with me! I am immortal for you. What the hell am I supposed to do if you’re gone? Have you thought about that? It will kill me. You dying will destroy me.”

Thorne looked over at me and grimaced before whispering, “Things are a little stressful right now. Please forgive them.”

I nodded my understanding before we reached the door separating us from the room.

“I don’t know what to do, Grizella! Of course, I don’t want to leave you, but I can’t just let her die. No one knows where she is, and we are running out of time. It’s an impossible situation.”

“No, it’s not,” Thorne said as we entered the room.

I stepped behind him, surprised by how timid I felt again... and how protected he made me feel. Everything was so new and overwhelming, and walking into a room full of vampires wasn’t doing anything to ease my anxiety.

“Thorne,” a voice I recognized as Aiden said. “Glad you made it back, brother. Please tell me Catrain was able to locate her.”

“She was not. It turns out she can’t locate people outside the barrier around the island unless she’s outside the island as well.”

“Well, fuck,” the deep voice I now recognized as Lothaire said. “We’re out of options. No clan has any leads on Annella.”

“Not out of options,” Thorne said as he stepped aside and slid his arm around my waist, pulling me up to his side. “She couldn’t do the spell there, so Catrain has come here to perform it.”

Swallowing hard, I stood up straight and looked across the shocked faces of the immortals I’d seen once before on our island.

Aiden looked to Thorne and arched an eyebrow as a smirk started on his face.

“Catrain!” Emilia shouted and raced toward me. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the speed that she approached, but before I could respond, she threw her arms around my neck and wrapped me up in a warm hug.

“Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you. We appreciate you coming to help us so much.”

“You’re welcome,” I answered as I patted her back. Hugging wasn’t a usual part of my culture, and it felt awkward at first, but after a moment, I smiled and returned it.

Aiden approached behind her and slid his arm around her waist when she released me. “I can’t believe you left the island to help us. Thank you, Catrain.”

I gave him a brief nod and a small smile. “I’ll do my best to help.”

Lothaire came up with the beautiful woman and the blonde man I’d evicted from the island when they’d first arrived. He reached out his hand and offered it. I took it tentatively, his giant hand encapsulating mine with a squeeze.

“Welcome to our home. You have my eternal gratitude for doing this, Catrain. I’m not sure if you remember us all, but I’m Lothaire. This is my wife, Grizella, and our friend, Mark. Then you know Emilia, Aiden, and of course, Thorne.”