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The tunnel finally ends, opening into the horror chamber beneath KnightsGate Manor. I will never forget this place; no matter how many other chambers I enter, this particular one will be etched into my mind for eternity.
Damien breaks off and strides over to the far wall, opening a cupboard built into the stone. He hands me a flashlight. “It won’t be for long, just until the threat passes.”
“No, not down here,” I murmur, my heart thudding against my ribs. “Anywhere but in here.” I glance around, the memories flooding back to me, and my breath hitches, making me choke and sob at the same time.
Alistair’s gaze meets mine, placing his hands on my shoulders. “We’ll protect you, Ever. With our lives if we must. That is what we do. We are your Guardians, remember.”
I shake my head, not following. I remember he said something about Guardians when he half-explained all of this, but I don’t fully understand.
When he gives me a penetrating glare, I nod, not trusting my voice.
Alistair moves away quickly, his footsteps echoing as he retrieves a case from the secret cupboard. The click of the locks snapping open is jarringly loud in the confined space.
His attention is on the weapons laid out before him as he strips off his tux jacket and rolls up the sleeves of his white shirt. I’ve never seen such an arsenal; pistols with silencers, menacing knives, and other gadgets I can’t even name. My stomach twists at the sight. It’s one thing to hear about danger and another to see it armed and ready for war.
“What is this?” My voice is a whisper, disbelief colouring my tone.
“Necessity,” Damien states flatly, his eyes hard as he checks over a large knife and slips a metal contraption over his fingers, which rests over his knuckles. I gulp when the implications of that hit me.
Feeling like a ghost in my own life as Ben methodically straps a gun in a holster. His movements are practised and efficient,yet there’s a softness gone from his green eyes, replaced with a hardness I’m not used to seeing. It scares me.
Charlie loads a magazine into a gun with a click, his usual playfulness nowhere to be found. “We have to be ready for anything,” he murmurs.
I wrap my arms around myself, trying to keep the shivers at bay. They’re doing this for me. The Cardinals, these men who’ve become my protectors, are gearing up for a battle I brought to their doorstep. Guilt rears up, and I know I can’t just stand in here panicking like an idiot. I need to help.
“Stay safe down here,” Alistair instructs. “We’ll handle the rest.”
Handle the rest. As if it’s that simple. As if our world isn’t threatening to crumble around us. I take a deep breath, trying to control the rapid beat of my heart. I should be thankful; they’re willing to risk everything for me. And yet, the walls feel like they’re closing in, suffocating the independence I’ve fought so hard to maintain.
As Charlie pulls up the security camera feed from his phone, I peer at it as well. The night outside is a blanket of darkness, pierced only by the weak glow of security lights that dot the perimeter of KnightsGate Manor. Movement flickers at the edge of the lawn, and my stomach drops—a cat slinking through the grass or a faction member closing in? The thought of them out there, circling like wolves, makes me feel like prey in a trap.
“Can they even get in?” My voice sounds small, even to my own ears.
Ben, his gaze never leaving the screens that display every inch of the estate, mutters, “They’ll try.”
“Why?”
“To get to you. You still don’t get it, do you?” Alistair’s voice is clipped, annoyed, but I’m not sure if it’s at me or them.
“You haven’t really explained it to me. What is True North’s real purpose? And don’t give me some bullshit about being your guiding light. There’s more to this, I know it.”
“Not the time for this, angel,” he grits out, eyes still focused on the screen.
“Fuck that. Fuck this.”
“Trust us, Ever,” Charlie says, trying to defuse my growing anger in the cold chamber.
But trust is a currency that’s hard to come by these days, and I’m not sure I can afford it. Not when my life is supposedly on the line for reasons I don’t even fully know.
“Ever,” Damien says suddenly. “It’s going to be okay.”
I want to believe him—I do. But the doubt is wrapping its tendrils around my heart and squeezing until I can hardly breathe. What if their protection is a gilded cage while they force me away from the world?
“Ever, you have to understand,” Alistair begins, but I cut him off, a flash of anger giving me boldness.
“Understand what? That you get to make all the decisions? That I should just sit here and wait while you play heroes?”
“Fuck’s sake, Ever!” Alistair’s composure slips, and I see the strain etched deep in his features. “This isn’t a game. It’s life or death, and I’ll be damned before I let anything happen to you.”
