Page 27 of Beyond the Darkness

“Aerilyn, I have to do these things for my people. I have to protect them”

“You’re so narcissistic that you don’t realize the problem with that statement. You can’t do horrible things and blame it on some bullshit excuse. Own up to it,” her words were cruel and she knew that. She couldn’t hold back these emotions any longer. He was weak at that moment. He didn’t have his full energy to fight back. He was silent, his expression hardening as he tried to hide his emotions.

They sat in silence for several minutes before she finally stood, moving to head into her chamber. The entire room was spinning. Each of her limbs began to tingle and go numb, the entire day finally hitting her. She could feel her magic completely drained. There was hardly a drop left. Her head felt as if the air was growing heavy, weighing her body down. In a split second, she hadn’t realized that her body had gone down. She felt the floor crash into her and everything in her vision went in and out of focus. A pair of hands wrapped around her, one slipping under her head to put a barrier between her and the floor.

“Can I pick you up?” His voice was gentle as he cradled her body into his chest and all she could do was manage to nod. He let out a sigh as he stood, carrying her against his hard chest. Her head fell onto him, trying to fight the thought that he still had no shirt on.

“Aerilyn, please listen to my voice.”

She was unsure of her surroundings before she felt the bed beneath her. His arms grasped onto her tightly, his hand stroking along the length of her hair. “It hurts, make it stop” she whimpered, grabbing onto his bicep as she looked up at him. “You used too much magic. I didn’t mean to drain you, I didn’t realize how much you’d already used,” he shook his head, moving his hand onto her cheek. “Don’t let go of me, okay? Hold onto me, doll,” he squeezed her tight before calling out for help. She gripped him tighter, using the feeling on his skin beneath her palm to ground her.

Aerilyn could hear the door open and the loud boots hitting the marble floor. “I need a healer, she’s completely drained” he paused, his gaze going between her and the man standing in the doorway. “And get Everett,” he added, but his voice began to fade. She could feel him shaking her body, could hear his words calling out to her, but it all became too distant to hold on to.

Chapter Thirty Eight

Everett

The attack continued to replay in his mind while he paced the hallways outside of the ballroom. Aerilyn had wanted him to get to safety and he hated that he hadn't continued looking for her. The sea of people had separated them and he was unable to find her in the chaos. If he would've had a weapon on him, he would’ve told her that she was insane and refused to leave her side. He would've fought to find her. He knew that was a reckless idea without any form of proection. To stay in the ballroom with the hounds with no way to defend himself was a death sentence.

Instead, he helped others get out of the room and find safety. Many young children and women were all panicking trying to escape and had convinced him to help. He wasn’t sure why he did it, but he did. After everything had finally settled,he decided to go back to his room to search for Aerilyn. He was unsure if he had missed her, but he hadn’t seen her face in the people who left the ballroom.

He finally decided that maybe he had missed her walking by and left the ballroom behind. The prince had walked back into his assigned room and stepped through the threshold of the doorway when he heard a voice behind him. “Sir, you’re needed in Miss Kiliana quarters. She drained her magic and is currently unconscious,” the man spoke and with the words, Everett’s world began to blur. He didn’t think before he ran past the guard, running faster than he knew he was capable of. Within seconds he was pushing through her bedroom door. The man couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt for someone the way he felt for Aerilyn. She had brought something out of him, a compassion he didn’t know existed. He couldn’t lose the one person that cared for him.

Aerilyn lay in the middle of the bed, her white hair falling on the pillow around her making her look like an angel. Her skin was more pale than usual, the only color was the pink flush that clung to her cheeks. His stomach twisted in pain as he took three long strides, grabbing her hand tightly as he stepped up to her bedside. “Aerilyn I’m right here,” his voice was soft, his mouth growing dry as he tried to pull himself together. He’d seen her injured before, but something about the way her unconscious frame barely moved with each breath made his heart pound with worry.

“The healer said she’s going to be alright. She might stay asleep for a few days to allow her body to recover,” a deep voice came from the corner of the room, all of his attention turning to the source of it. Azazel stood with his hands tucked into his pockets and leaned against the wall. Everett hadn’t realized the man had been standing there, the sight of him making his free hand clench into a fist.

“You pushed her into this, didn't you? You had her healing all ofyourpeople from the attack,” his voice felt foreign.

“Everett, I didn’t ask her to do anything. She decided to help them on her own. She saved my own life, therefore I’m now in debt to her.”

“Yet you’ve still kept all of us here. You’ve put us through so much. She had to kill one of her friends because you decided we had to prove ourselves to you by killing each other. It’s disgusting,” he spit out each word, his anger beginning to consume him. “I would advise that you watch your tone with me, Prince,” Azazel pushed off of the wall to approach the foot of her bed. “If I stand correct, this ismykingdom and the only reason you’re still breathing is because I decided to allow it. Don’t mistake this for weakness. I will not be spoken down to within my palace walls.”

Everett had hated his father more than anyone or anything, but the king of Korth was a close runner for that top position. Especially as he saw Aerilyn look so horribly drained. He sat on the edge of the bed beside her, trying to reign in his anger so that he didn’t lash out at Azazel more than he already had. He ran his hand over her arm soothingly, studying the rise and fall of her chest to confirm that she was still breathing. “You did this to her, Azazel. Whether you can admit that or not doesn’t change anything,” he spoke softer this time, but nothing in his voice showed kindness. If the king had not kept them here, none of this would’ve happened. He could’ve handled it himself, but seeing the pain it brought Aerilyn is what destroyed him. He knew that she tried to put on a brave face and act like she was strong, but she had a sensitive side to her that she didn’t share with anyone else. He wanted to be the strong one for her, but he also knew he had to let her make her own choices.

“That isn’t my problem, prince. Aerilyn is alive and breathing, be lucky that I was here to save her while you wereoff hiding from the monsters,” Azazel’s tone was dripping with sarcasm. The words made Everett’s fingers curl into a fist, anger bubbling on the surface of his skin. “Don’t act as if you’re so perfect, don’t pretend to be a hard ass. I know you care for her. You’ve favored her in all of this. I am thankful that she’s alive, but I will always blame you for the trauma you have caused her. Just remember that the reason she has nightmares and cannot sleep is because of you,” he finished the conversation, shooting a look of daggers at the man who had pushed himself from against the wall. “At least I’ll be the one in her dreams instead of you,” he chuckled before he exited the room without looking back. His blood boiled every time the man was near him, especially when he opened his mouth.

Everett tried to push away every negative thought that clouded his mind. It was loud with screaming voices. He felt conflicted at every corner. One part of him felt the desperate need to run after Azazel and plunge a dagger into his back while the other half of him refused to leave Aerilyn’s side. He knew the latter was the better choice. If Aerilyn had been awake, she would’ve told him as much. For that, he stayed. He held onto her hand, feeling the coolness of her fingertips. After all the deaths they experienced, he refused to let her be added to the list. He hated himself for leaving her side. He felt pathetic that he had run when she told him to. He had allowed her to fight the battle without anyone to protect her.

He looked around the dark room, only the stars shining beyond the window to give him comfort. He knew those stars now contained two of his companions. He knew that Bastian and Brinley were watching this moment. He could almost hear the girl’s worried tone yelling out for Aerilyn. The lack of sleep was beginning to weigh on him and cause him to feel delusional. He swore to himself, feeling his heart pulsing beneath his skin. He had pushed away anyone close to him for that exact reason.The pain of losing someone he cared about was something that Everett had not yet truly experienced. He wasn’t sure how to handle any of it.

Everett delicately crawled into the bed beside Aerilyn, pulling her sleeping body against his. He didn’t make any attempt to even remove his shoes, craving the closeness of her. The coldness of her skin continued to seep into him as he ran his hand over her back in a soothing touch. She made no movements to awaken. Her body was frozen in a dream-filled state. The only thing Everett prayed for was that her dreams were filled with light instead of the darkness that always seemed to consume her. That was the only thing on his mind when he finally slipped into his dreams that were filled with darkness.

Chapter Thirty Nine

Aerilyn

Four days.

That’s how long Everett had told her that she’d been asleep. She had been completely unconscious for the entirety of that time. The thought of being so vulnerable like that made her feel a slight bubble of panic. He had explained to her that he hadn’t left that entire time. He had stayed by her side and kept her safe through it all. She could tell that he was telling the truth by the way darkness consumed the space below his eyes. He hadn’t gotten much sleep in the time she’d been unconscious. She hated that he’d done it for her, but she was forever grateful for the man.

When she was fully awake, Everett had asked Marianna to bring her a meal which was swiftly delivered. Her entire body felt heavy as she tried to force her muscles to work once again.Everett seemed to notice her struggle and offered help with each spoonful of the warm soup. It felt like every muscle in her body had been frozen, only slowly thawing now that she was awake. It was odd trying to regain feeling in each of her limbs. She disliked feeling so weak but was grateful for Everett’s presence. He didn’t speak of her weakness, he stayed quiet as she sipped on the soup.

“Is Blaise safe?” Her voice was hoarse still. It felt odd to even speak. “He’s safe, though he’s been really worried about you. He stopped by a few times to make sure you were still breathing. Marianna seemed to also be extremely nervous about the whole thing,” he explained to her, his voice softer than usual. “That young girl from the dinner also stopped by, she begged Marianna to let her brush your hair. I have no idea how you got so close to her, but that child adores you,” the story he explained made her heart warm. Rose had visited while she had been asleep. Not only that, the small child had even brushed out her hair. The thought alone made her smile as she recalled the night Rose had begged her to do her hair.

“Thank you for staying by my side. You have no idea how much that means to me,” she reached out, cupping a palm over his cheek. Her hands were shaking and her movements weren’t as smooth as usual. His face leaned into her touch as if he were savoring every moment of it.

“I’m sorry I ran away. I wish I had argued and stayed by your side. I can’t help but feel guilty for what happened to you.”

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