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“Let’s go back then.” I sounded and to my surprise, the two angry men followed the order, the four of us filing out with the rest of the surviving Divines. We were all worse for wear, but I couldn’t bring myself to worry about the others when the woman who held my heart was missing.
? ? ?
We arrived back at Willow Grove to the entire student body waiting for us. Everyone seemed to be waiting with bated breath, not sure in which direction the attack had gone. Standing amongst the students, the Council stood out, their sharp suits and stoic stares contrasting the weathered eyes of the rest of the crowd.
We all exited the trucks, students running towards their friends and embracing them. Others looking amongst the returned, their expressions falling when they realized their friend hadn’t made it back. A tiny blur came rushing up to me and I felt the tight squeeze of her arms before I could even glimpse her face. Smiling, I returned Kalani’s hug with full force, thankful she was still safe and sound. Letting go of me, Kalani leaned back with her own smile.
“I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Before I could respond, Maeve was rushing towards us, wrapping Kalani in her own embrace. The two sagged into each other, their relief washing over me. Cupping Maeve’s cheeks in her palms, Kalani pressed a long kiss to her mouth, all her emotions spilling out. I wanted to be happy for the two of them, but the sight only reminded me that Halley wasn’t here, sharing this moment with us. As if sharing my thoughts, Kalani pulled away and realized her best friend wasn’t amongst us.
“Where’s Halley?” She murmured, her eyes rounding with worry as she scanned the crowd, as if Halley was hiding amidst the crowd.
I began to respond when Wilder cut in, shushing us all. “Not here. The Council is watching us right now.”
Glancing up, I realized he was right. Nearly every member of the Council had their eyes trained on us, proving that they were keeping a closer eye on Halley than even we realized. And even though it went against everything I believed, at the moment I was thankful we had no clue where Halley was, because we wouldn’t give anything away to them.
Walking towards where the Council stood, everyone gathered around, waiting to hear what was next. With the Hunters out of the way, what did the Council have planned? Councilman Jay called everyone’s attention, his voice booming over the crowd as everyone fell silent.
“We have lived in fear for centuries now. The Hunters always at our back, pushing us into hiding and erasing us from this realm’s history. But today, with the help of many brave Divines, we have defeated the Hunters.”
Everyone around us began cheering, their excitement palpable and brimming over. The five of us stayed silent though, knowing the truth. The Council would be hailed as heroes, the first of our leaders to defeat the enemy. They would be praised and no one would question their intentions. And yet it was all a façade. A way for them to keep their control, making sure no one would ever speak up and wonder why we were still here. Why no one was trying to find the prophecy and bring us home. All they wanted was the power over each and every Divine, never once considering what was best for their people.
“We have been painted as monsters, but the true monsters were the Hunters, the humans that villainized us for simply existing.” Jay continued, his voice louder with each word. “But that time has passed. We will not sit in the shadows anymore. This is our world as much as theirs and its time we take it back.”
This time, the cheers were deafening, everyone excited at the prospect of moving out of hiding. Once upon a time, I would have been cheering alongside them. Bursting at the seams at living amongst the humans and experiencing this world like I’d wanted to since a child. And yet, all I could see was the crazed look in Jay’s eyes. The haunting way his words echoed around my head. He didn’t just want to live with the humans, he wanted to control them. And I feared, under his leadership, we would become the monsters the Hunters deemed us to be.
“We need to find the prophecy.” I whispered and the four around me nodded their heads, the same scared looks on their faces, realizing Jay’s true intentions as I had.
Madden closed his eyes briefly and I knew he was using his ability to get an idea of the whereabout of Knox and Halley. If they were even still alive. I pushed that thought away, refusing to believe I could have lost two of the most important people in my life. Thankfully, it didn’t take Madden long.
“I have their scent. We’ll leave tonight.”
And then we all split up, not wanting to draw more attention to ourselves, knowing the Council already had their eyes on us. Heading back towards my dorm, I glanced towards the Enchanter’s dorm, hoping that wherever she was, Knox was protecting her.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Halley
My feet were aching and yet it seemed Knox had no plans of stopping. We had been walking for hours now, no end in sight. I had no clue what his plan was, the two of us walking in silence except for a simple direction from Knox here and there. Before arriving at Willow Grove, I had been used to walking almost everywhere, but after already being exhausted from the fight against the Hunters, this trek was slowly taking every ounce of energy from me.
“How much further are we going?” I questioned, stepping over a large tree that had fallen across our path. The forest where we were seemed to go on for hundreds of miles, no signs of civilization anywhere to be seen.
I knew we needed to get as far away from the Divines as possible, but all I could think about were the others. If I was in trouble, then so were they. And I had no clue how to get in contact with them at this point. Even if we stopped to rest long enough for my powers to return, I didn’t have any hope for my power reaching so far away.
Knox was leading in front of me, seeming to know exactly where he was going, and he probably did,seeingour destination, wherever that was. Stopping in his tracks, he turned towards me, and whatever he saw in my eyes had his gaze turning soft.
“We’re going somewhere safe for now. I’ve alreadyseenthat the others are safe and will meet us there late tonight.”
My shoulders eased with his words, some form of relief flowing through me. Knowing the others were safe was a balm to my soul. At the moment, it was all I could ask for, all of us to be safe.
Stepping close to me, Knox grabbed my hand in his, lending me the strength I didn’t feel. Squeezing in reassurance, he promised, “We’re almost there and then we’ll all be together again. I know all you want right now is to be with your friends.”
His words, although reassuring, also hurt my heart. I knew my relationship with Knox hadn’t formed into a friendship in the beginning, but I wholeheartedly believed that’s what we were now. And I also knew without a doubt that he would do whatever it took to protect me, just like the others. Needing to soothe the ache in his eyes, I squeezed his hand back, uttering my truth.
“Right now, I am with my friend. And he’s all I need for the moment.”
Staring into each other’s eyes, our hands locked in an embrace, I felt the ripple between us, the emotion of something more than friendship. It wasn’t the unconditional adoration I felt for Eli, or the spark I felt for Madden, but the knowledge that he would be my protector, the leader when I couldn’t see the path forward. The air charged between the two of us and from the way Knox gazed down at me, I knew he felt the same. Felt the change building between us, the one that had been growing over the past few weeks in each other’s company. And yet, just as I thought he would lean down, bringing the charge to an electrifying level, the same determined stare I was used to shuttered over his expression and the tension was broken.
