Chapter 29 #2
After an agonizing pause, he releases me, but echoes of pain surge back through my body, and a desperation wells up inside me. “Don’t leave me,” I plead, my voice raw and raspy. “Don’t let go. Please, stay. Just stay.”
He runs a soothing hand down my cheek. “I’m not leaving. Never,” he replies shakily. “I’m here. I’ve got you. I’ll always come for you.”
A flash of pure white catches my eye, and I turn to see that the world around us has transformed into a mesmerizing cocoon of pure starlight, swirling and twisting on an ethereal breeze.
With a tenderness that steals my breath, he lowers his head to mine, inhaling deeply as if drawing strength from my very essence. He pulls me into his lap as though I am the most fragile thing in the universe, something precious and irreplaceable that he cannot bear to relinquish.
Moments later, the starlight begins to fade, leaving me to wonder if it was all a beautiful illusion conjured to shield me from the agonizing reality.
My entire body aches, and a heavy weight of exhaustion settles in, mingling with the numbing aftermath of pain.
Have I died? The thought flits across my mind, unsettling yet oddly calming.
He reclines back, cradling me against him, holding me close as if the simple act of touching me will ward off all the lingering darkness. “Not dead,” he coos softly, his voice a gentle balm as he brushes a tender hand down my arm, anchoring me in the here and now. “I’m here.”
I hadn’t realized I had spoken my fears aloud.
My body trembles against him at the mere thought of experiencing that pain, that suffocating darkness, that evil again.
As if sensing my unease, he shifts onto his side, pulling me close so our bodies align perfectly.
In this moment, I am blissfully detached from everything—my fears, my memories—like the gods themselves conspired to send him to me just when I needed him most.
My thoughts blur and dissolve, leaving only the warmth of his embrace as my anchor.
I rest my head against his heart, feeling the erratic thump lulling me into a deep sleep and into a realm bathed in warmth and starlight, far removed from the gaping pit of emptiness that filled me before.
Exhaustion settles over me like a heavy blanket, and I willingly surrender to it, letting my consciousness slip away.
I find myself floating on an undulating sea, the sky above a breathtaking tapestry of muted colors as trillions of stars twinkle like diamonds, casting soft glimmers upon the water’s surface.
So many worlds beckon to be explored out there, yet I remain cradled by the gentle waves, feeling an overwhelming sense of safety that envelops me.
I surrender to the much-needed rest my body demands.
But like whispers carried across the water, I hear the voices of Trysten and Kellan, cutting through the peaceful silence.
“RaeRae,” Kellan whispers, and the concern lacing his voice has me turning my head toward that voice.
“Are they alive?” Trysten rasps.
I can hear the fear in his voice, but I keep drifting.
My heart aches for a moment at the thought of them worrying, but the comforting weight of exhaustion pulls me further into this dreamlike sea.
I want to reassure them that we’re fine, but the tide of sleep keeps rolling in, lulling me deeper into forgetfulness, where the demands of reality cannot reach me.
“Raea,” Ciara’s voice echoes faintly from far away.
“We need to leave now,” Kellan warns. “I’ll carry Ryker. You carry Rae.” His choice to lift Ryker instead of me surprises me momentarily, but then again, I don’t care. Not when I feel so warm, so safe, like I can just forget.
My quiet vision of warm waters lapping gently at a starlit shore is violently shattered when unfamiliar hands seize me, yanking me away from Anders’. Something inside me snaps, a fraying thread of composure giving way to raw desperation.
A primal instinct surges within me, compelling me to claw and scream, to fight back. Not helpless. I must get back. Back to Anders, back to that feeling of safety I so desperately need.
Panic grips me like a vice as the arms around me tighten. Trysten’s voice cuts through the confusion, barking insistently for me to calm down, but I fight with every ounce of strength I have, recalling that time I was cornered and how that felt. I refuse to be taken against my will again.
I will not be weak.
My sole focus narrows to getting back to Anders.
“Raea,” Kellan admonishes, his voice strained with exasperation.
My vision blurs, the harsh light around me colliding with the throbbing headache that pounds in my temples. In a desperate attempt to escape the brightness, I slam my eyes shut.
My screams pierce the air as I throw my elbow backward wildly, feeling more hands restraining me. “Let me go!” I shriek, kicking and clawing, desperate to escape.
Phantom claws pierce me as chains wrap around me, restraining me in the depths of hell. A sob breaks free from my lips, a plea escaping as I thrash beneath the weight of outstretched arms.
Distantly, logically, I know it’s not the shadows, but my body and mind have been so thoroughly wrecked that I can’t make it all make sense. Suddenly, the grip holding me falters, and before I fully comprehend, a pair of strong, comforting arms envelop me.
The familiar scent of warm ocean water and a hint of citrus envelope me like a tether in the frenzy.
I stop fighting, surrendering to the warmth radiating from him as he lifts me effortlessly, cradling me against him.
Sobs wrack my body as he whispers over and over that I’m safe, calming the fire of panic.
I breathe in his scent, relaxing into him.
Safe.
Safe.
Safe.
“I’ve got you,” he whispers softly.
As the last bit of my energy slips away like sand through fingers, I surrender once more, drifting back into a peaceful sleep among the midnight waves and the glow of the endless stars above.