Chapter 27 Thorne
THORNE
Exhaustion clings to me like a second skin. I’ve never felt so debilitated in my life, but I only have myself to blame. It was for a good cause. Unfortunately, I’m now feeling the consequences of burning out my magic to nothing more than a wisp.
It was worth it, though, and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. We weren’t prepared for Jude’s ambush like we should have been—another impossibility with everything else we’ve had going on—but it simply meant we had to act fast, and err on the side of caution afterward. Just like now.
Tucked away in Institute Thirteen, we have a moment to compose ourselves.
Which we all needed, even me. Especially after the carnage of fighting off the other students, projecting my magic as a shield to block us from the madness, and even now, as we rest, I channel my strength into the entire institute for added security instead of simply protecting our room.
I’m beyond drained.
I know there are still students outside, baiting us out, but I’m confident they won’t enter.
Since Elodie and Kael are up in the vault together while Rion eats and Ocean obsesses over one of her witchy books, I can finally take the moment to rest and recharge.
Yet I can’t bring myself to fall into bed.
Instead, I stand just inside my bedroom door, staring at it.
Dragging a hand down my face, I sigh, recalling how close Rion was to death.
All I could do was shield us while Ocean and Elodie worked together, saving him from dirty magic.
I don’t want to see one of my friends—or Elodie—that close to the end again.
We all have an important role to play in making our lives complete.
We can’t let anything happen to us. We’re a unit; a family.
My head pulses, desperate for rest, and I can’t deny it any longer, stumbling toward my bed in a flurry before I crash against the sheets, my head barely making it to my pillow before darkness consumes me.
It’s soothing for a while, cajoling me as I slowly edge closer to full health, but when I pry my eyes open, it’s not the shadows of my bedroom that I find, but the familiar air of the Shadow Realm.
My heart lurches as I stare at the derelict grounds, the castle standing lonely and worn as I recall the last time I was here.
What I saw. What I felt. What I learned.
The main door still sits ajar, drawing me closer, and I can’t help but follow the alluring air that entices me.
I don’t feel as fearful as I was the last time, but something still weighs heavily on me as I approach.
It’s only when I’m a few steps away that my heart pounds along with the sound of soft sobs, and I freeze.
I consider forcing myself awake, never ready to face that vision again, but I refuse to crumble beneath my vulnerabilities. True strength comes from overcoming your weaknesses and fears.
Taking a deep breath, I swallow the flood of panic threatening to consume me as I insist on learning more. Moving toward the sound, ready to face another vision, I stumble over my own feet as I come face to face with a person instead.
Eyes collide with mine and I stumble, my back connecting with the door frame as I blink at the man before me.
“Odie,” I rasp, my pulse whirring in my ears as I stare at the same man who was in my last vision. He kneels on the floor, in the exact same spot I had seen him before, only my father’s lifeless body isn’t beside him. Instead, he’s nestled among the broken picture frames.
His eyebrows furrow in confusion as he rakes his gaze over me from head to toe, slowly shaking his head as he pushes up onto his feet.
“Thorne?” he questions, disbelief thick in his tone, and I nod.
The room moves in a blur as we charge at one another, falling into each other’s embrace.
His arms around me feel like my father’s, warm and tight, as he pats me on the back, filling me with a strength I didn’t know I needed. But I bask in it, absorbing him with every inhale as tendrils of my childhood flood my memories.
Time warps around us, each second fusing together as our breathing evens out.
When we finally tear away, he drapes an arm around my shoulder, a broad smile on his face, with sad eyes leaving his cheeks damp. He leads me outside, the air lighter, yet the atmosphere feels heavier as he takes in the sad state that remains.
I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe he’s here. With the chaos surrounding Elodie, I hadn’t considered that he might be here once they found somewhere safe.
I feel fortunate.
“It’s been a long time, Thorne. I’m relieved to see you,” he breathes, standing at my side with his arm still locked around my shoulders.
“I’m stunned to see you,” I admit. “I was certain I was alone in this world, but here I am, with you. It doesn’t feel real.”
“I’m sure it doesn’t,” he agrees, frowning at the neglected lands before us. “How was this once our home?” he breathes, more to himself, but I answer him regardless.
“It’s sad, but it’s not a representation of who we are now.”
His eyes widen as he turns to me, sad amusement curling the corner of his mouth. “I should be consoling you,” he states, and I shrug.
“Maybe, but I’m also aware of how hard it is to arrive here and see it like this. It took me a long time to dare step inside those walls,” I admit, pointing over my shoulder, earning a sad smile from the man beside me.
“I’m sure it will be back to its former glory one day,” he says, clearing his throat as he pats me on the back before dropping his hand to his side.
I shake my head, staring at him. “How can you be so sure?”
It’s only grown worse with every passing visit.
He takes a step forward to stand in my line of sight, a whimsical air to him as he nods.
“When a new heir is expected, this place will flourish, finding itself on the map once again.” My brows gather in disbelief at the nonsense he’s talking, but he turns away from me before I can question it.
“I’m glad to see you’re okay.” He glances back my way, making sure I’m real.
“And you’re okay? Kael mentioned you were being taken somewhere safe, but he didn’t know where.”
His eyes widen as my question lingers in the air. He blinks three times before his tongue remembers how to work. “Kael… you know Kael?”
“Yes, he—”
He grabs my shoulders, eyes like saucers as they bore into mine. “So you know her too?”
Understanding washes over me as his fingers tremble against my biceps.
“Elodie,” I rasp, and he stumbles back, his hand clapping over his mouth as his cheeks turn pink and his lashes collect a layer of tears too afraid to fall.
“He wasn’t lying?” he clarifies, and I tilt my head at him.
“Why would he lie?”
Sniffling, he shakes his hands out. “I didn’t think he would, he just… I didn’t know how to believe him,” he admits, swiping at his face with the back of his hand, drawing my attention to the dark marking around his eye.
“Have you not been treated well?” I ask, pointing at it, and he quickly waves me off.
“Don’t worry about that. Tell me about her.”
It’s as if my mind short-circuits at the mere mention of her, one thought swirling in my head, insistent on being released into the world.
“About that,” I mutter, scrubbing a hand over the back of my neck.
“What?” he asks cautiously, eyeing me nervously as I clear my throat, trying to find the strength to speak. So I blurt it out before I change my mind.
“She’s my mate.”
My pulse rings in my ears waiting for his response, but his lips don’t part before his knees buckle and he falls before me. Dust disturbs the air as he stares down at his hands, joy illuminating his features as he blinks up at me.
Quickly needing to keep the connection, I fall to my knees with him, and he reaches for my hands.
“Imagine your father knowing this,” he croaks, bewildered, and I smile back.
“I like to hope that he does,” I admit, and he exhales slowly, unshed tears lining his lashes once again.
“I’m going to see her again with my own eyes,” he whispers, and I nod.
“You’re going to have to answer some questions too. She’s curious as hell, just like Ellie,” I admit, making his smile spread wider.
“I would expect nothing less. It’s all my fault, though. We left to give her a chance in this world, when I should have known it was safer to hand it to her myself.”