Page 9 of Fate of the Fallen

In our time, every man wanted a son—one he could teach to be strong and fearless. However, life experience had taught me to be grateful with fewer conditions. Whether Evangeline carried my son or daughter, I simply wanted him or her to arrive in this world safely.

Tobias rolled his eyes with a laugh, maybe acknowledging how blatantly macho Declan’s statement had been. “Girl or boy, we’ll be overjoyed,” he assured me.

Beside him, Declan shrugged before defending himself. “Of course we’re happy just to add to the family,” he quipped, but then leaned in with a grin to say more. “But Father always believed it was the work of arealman that made a boy,” he laughed, slamming a heavy fist to my bicep with the joke.

Evangeline smiled, but I didn’t miss the redness that spread across her cheeks.

Caleb reached for her hand, placing a kiss to the back of it. The adoration in his gaze was apparent when he all but bowed to her. “Forgive the crassness of the others,” he smiled. “We’re just excited.”

Evangeline’s smile broadened at his words.

“Thank you,” she stated. “I … honestly think I’m a little excited, too?” The comment left her mouth as more of a question than a fact. Her gaze was riddled with surprise when she turned to me. As if feeling this way was a shock to evenher.

The confession made my heart sputter inside my chest, hearing that this news hadn’t been all bad in her eyes. I wasn’t sure that would be the case at first, especially because she’s been under the illusion that what she remembers is all there’s been to her life. But it was now clear I underestimated her growth, her maturing perspective.

Delicate fingers slipped between mine and I squeezed them, feeling the closeness we shared grow even deeper.

“We’ll wait for you outside,” Josiah concluded. “Dallas would like to talk strategy while we travel. He says the Council’s holding a meeting tomorrow and we’d like to be prepared,” he added.

“Sounds good,” I nodded, feeling like I was being tugged in two different directions as they walked away. On the one hand, I knew the importance of getting out in front of whatever stunt Sebastian might try to pull next. On the other, I wanted to be here, wanted to finish the discussion.

I glanced down at Evangeline before bringing her close. “We’ll finish sorting things out in the morning,” I promised.

Her cheek tensed against my chest with what I guessed to be a smile. “Okay,” she replied, “but I still won’t change my mind.”

Even if she hadn’t said as much, I wouldn’t have expected anything else.

I gripped her tight, bringing a laugh out of her that fueled my very soul. “We’ll see about that. I can be pretty persuasive when I need to be.”

She didn’t miss the hidden meaning behind the words when I buried my face in her neck, kissing her one last time.

“Be safe and don’t try to be a hero,” she said with a smile.

It took a moment, but my hold on her eventually loosened and I tore myself away.

‘If you need me … foranything,” I clarified,‘don’t hesitate.’

Her smile grew at the sound of my thoughts echoing inside her head instead of speaking them aloud. Maybe because she missed that part of our connection as much as I had.

‘You have my word,’she promised.

Chapter Three

Liam

“Fellas, I think it’s time to consider we might have a traitor within the clan,” Dallas breathed, staring straight ahead as Richie drove.

We were eleven deep, packed into the bed of a pickup nearing the outskirts of Seaton Falls. Until now, it’d been a quiet ride with several miles ahead of us before reaching Ridge Borough, but Dallas had just changed that. He opened the floor to discuss something I think we had all considered and simply hadn’t said aloud. My reason being that I still wasn’t sure who could be trusted, who might be the mole leaking information to the Sovereign.

Richie glanced over his shoulder from the cab, clearly interested in Dallas’ theory. “Took the words right out of my mouth,” he grumbled.

“It’s the only thing that makes sense,” Dallas went on, resting his elbows on his knees as the truck shook and swayed over uneven terrain.

“I thought it was just me,” Ben chimed in.

Dallas shook his head and shared more. “Think about it. The likelihood of it being brought up in a Council meeting that the Elders were planning to use the excuse of a faulty dam to evacuate the town, and then within a couple days that very thing happens … it’s a pretty big freakin’ coincidence,” he concluded.

“Any thoughts on who it could be?” Tobias asked, glancing around to see who might answer.

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