AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Why don’t you all sit for a second. You have a long trip ahead of you.” The rest of us in the room sat on the furniture littering the living room, Kalani and Maeve squeezed together on the love seat, while Madden and I took up almost the entire larger couch with our size and distance from each other.
“I’m sure you all already realize this, but what you are doing will have repercussions. I’ve had my theories for a while that the Council was hiding the prophecy for a reason. They don’t want to give up their control and they won’t take kindly to you all messing their plan up. You aren’t fighting against Hunters any more, you’re fighting against people with the same exact powers as you all.”
Hank met each of our eyes, his words seeping into us, making sure we understood the severity of this decision. The Council were some of the strongest Divines in the realm, older and more trained than any of us and would do anything possible to keep their control. They had killed off an entire Sector of Divines, they wouldn’t bat an eye at ridding us from this world.
And yet, even as I saw the fear and apprehension in Kalani and Maeve’s eyes, I didn’t feel an ounce of it. And I knew Madden wouldn’t either. We were fighters, through and through, and I wouldn’t cower from a group of men and women that felt high and mighty by standing on their people’s necks. If the Council wanted to stop us, prevent us from giving the Divines a better life, then I’d stand in their way until my last fucking breath.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Halley
A warm and familiar hand on my cheek woke me from my sleep. Fluttering my eyes open, intense blue eyes met my own, spearing me with emotion. Eli smiled down at me, cupping my cheek and pressing a soft kiss against my lips, his adoration running through me.
Sitting up, I felt a weight fall off my waist and realized that sometime in the past few hours of sleeping, Knox and I had rolled together, his arms engulfing me, as if protecting me from anything that dared to come my way. The gesture warmed my heart. And when I looked at Eli and only saw a small smile as he looked at his best friend and I tangled together in bed, I felt some of my worries fade. Eli made my life shine brighter; Madden helped ignite the fire in my veins, but Knox, Knox was the one who could calm my soul, who I knew would always be there to protect me at my weakest, like he did yesterday.
“Is everyone here?” I whispered, not wanting to wake Knox quite yet, his face so much gentler in sleep when the worries of the world weren’t pressing down on his shoulders.
“Yeah, Halls, everyone is here. Hank says we need to leave as soon as possible so I wanted to come wake you both.” Eli responded, his hand smoothing into my curls.
Sitting up further, I stepped out of the bed, my movements stirring Knox awake. His eyes tiredly blinked open, confusion in his gaze as if he wasn’t sure what he was doing in his childhood bedroom. When his stare found Eli and me standing next to the bed, clarity came back to him and I watched as his features swapped from drowsy sleep into focus.
“Is it time to leave?” Knox asked, his deep voice gravelly from sleep.
Eli nodded, explaining to Knox what Hank had told the rest of them. Knox nodded before leaving the room, telling us that he was going to go get ready to leave. Grabbing a handful of clothes, Knox left the room, leaving Eli and I alone.
Before I could say a word, Eli yanked my body into his and pressed his mouth against mine, holding me as close as he could. Immediately, I opened up, our tongues tangling together and emotion crashing over us as my shield lowered to let him in. I knew he could feel exactly what I felt whenever we were together and instead of fearing letting him see my most vulnerable side, I welcomed the ability to be closer to someone than I ever had before.
I arched into Eli as his hands wrapped around my back, pressing me to every inch of his body. The heat of his body lit me up from the inside and part of me wished the rest of the world would just fade away so I could just be here, in the arms of the man I was pretty sure I loved. Unfortunately, the voices from the living room trickled into the room and I knew we couldn’t just sit here and enjoy the moment. There were more important things at hand.
Pulling away, Eli looked down at me, his features formed into an expression I had never seen before.
“I didn’t know where you were. I knew you were in trouble and I couldn’t get to you and it fucking wrecked me Halls. I can’t imagine a world without you in it.”
Eli’s words hit me deep in my soul, not even realizing how much I needed to hear them. Know that I mattered to someone. For the past ten years, I knew that if something happened to me, there wouldn’t be anyone who knew, let alone cared. And yet now, I knew that even outside the door, there were multiple people who would miss me, just as much as I would miss them.
Cupping Eli’s face, I pressed one more gentle kiss to his lips before smiling. “I’m okay. Knox made sure that nothing happened to me. You have one hell of a best friend.”
Eli’s serious face vanished, his endearing smile taking up his face as he nodded at my words. “I do, don’t I? Once I realized he was gone too, I knew you’d be okay. Once Knox decides you’re an important part of his world, he’ll do anything for you.”
As his words sunk in, I wondered when the shift happened, when I became an important part of Knox’s life. But I realized, it wasn’t a specific moment, it was all the moments in the past few months that led up to the new feelings that swirled inside my chest when Knox was nearby.
“Was anyone else injured during the fight?” I asked, worried about the other people that were worming themselves inside my heart.
Entwining our fingers, Eli led me out of the room, responding to my question. “Everyone is okay, just a few scratches and bruises but no serious injuries. You can check for yourself though.”
Walking into the living room, Knox had joined the group, standing next to Hank, while the rest sat on the couches. Kalani jumped from her seat when she saw me and ran to wrap me in a hug. I squeezed her back tightly, understanding how she must have felt while we were all gone and she could do nothing about it.
“I was so worried about you. From now on, you’re not leaving my sight.” Kalani murmured to me and I laughed gently.
If she only knew I felt the exact same way, not wanting my best friend to ever be in harm’s way again. And if that meant leaving her behind, it was a sacrifice I was willing to make. As Kalani released me, Maeve took her spot, gently hugging me as well. Besides the scratches and bruises Eli had mentioned, she seemed okay, and I was glad, knowing that Kalani would be heartbroken if something had happened to Maeve.
Pulling away, I met Madden’s stare and the intensity burned through the distance between us. Madden may be a man of few words, but with his look alone, I could understand everything he wasn’t saying. When I had called to him as I was taken, I knew he had done everything to get to me.
“Glad to see you’re still alive princess.” Wilder’s dry words broke the connection between Madden and me and I turned towards him.
Annoyance zipped through me at his sarcastic words, but it quickly faded when I saw what he was desperately trying to hide in his gaze. Even if he couldn’t actually admit it, a part of himwasglad I was still alive. Even if it was only to make sure the last Enchantress lived, he didn’t want me to die.
“It’s time for all of you to leave. Desiree and I packed some things for you to take and the car is ready. With the drive ahead of you, it will take a couple days to make it there and the Council will be tracking you by the afternoon.”
