Page 31 of Beyond the Darkness

Her head was pounding as she tried to let the information settle. Azazel looked just as confused as she was. It seemed that this was all news to him as well. It was much worse than discovering the kingdom of Korth. Other people being alive beyond Orissia’s walls was much easier to believe than anything that she was now hearing.

“You are special, you’re going to save us all,” the man’s hoarse voice pulled her back to the reality that she now had to face. His breaths were fading, his groans of pain making her heartache. She glanced at Azazel and he only frowned, his brows pulled together in confusion. She reached out, rubbing the man’s arm soothingly. “You must be mistaken, I’m sorry,” she whispered, not wanting to give him any false hope as he died. Part of her wanted to feed into his delusion so that he could die in peace, but she couldn’t find it in herself to lie to a dying man.

“You’re the mistaken one. The Queen even said as much, you're the Chosen One. You’re the only person who is capable of defeating them. You are the only one, Aerilyn Kiliana,” the stranger spoke her full name. Her eyes widened, knowing that nobody had said her full name in the presence of this man.

“How do you know my name?”

By the time the question left her lips, the man was gone. His chest no longer rose and fell with shallow breaths. He died, leaving her with too many unexplained questions.

Chapter Forty Three

Everett

The journey back to Korth was full of silence. Nobody could process what they had experienced in that cave. From the woman who claimed to be a queen to the dying man who had once been a hound. It was all news that they didn’t understand. Nobody spoke their questions out loud. It felt like the group was full of silent tension that only made things more awkward. The worst of it all was the silence that consumed Aerilyn. Her expression was blank, he was unable to read her then. She was the most impacted by the entire encounter.

The Chosen One.

It didn’t make any sense to him. Who was the man referring to when he said that she was the only one who could defeat them? He couldn’t help but wonder if he had beenreferring to Azazel, but that hadn’t made any sense since Azazel stood beside them as he died. There had to be another threat out there that they didn’t know about. He knew the queen they’d seen was a part of the threat. The way the hounds didn’t attempt to attack her. Instead, they seemed to almost listen to her. That didn’t seem possible when she didn’t hold any weapons. She didn’t have the Sword of Aleksi, so he was unsure how she would have control over the creatures.

The moment they made it back to the palace, he knew that he needed to get Aerilyn alone so that they could discuss everything in private. She had been off since the entire thing and he knew the situation was something they needed to talk about. The other thing in the back of his mind was the message that had been brought to them. Roman needed his help. His brother had begged for his return after the hounds had attacked Orissia. Something in the world was changing and nobody could deny it any longer.

Once they were in the palace walls, everyone seemed to split in different directions to return to their posts. Aerilyn didn’t say a word as her hand took Everett’s already heading back to where they had been staying. He heard Azazel call after her in protest, knowing the king also was desperate for a conversation with her. “Not now, Azazel. I need rest,” her voice was even tired as she spoke. He seemed to understand and nodded his head once. That was the only protest he had before they found their way back to their room. Everett felt his skin crawling with the need for answers, but he didn’t speak until the door was shut and they were finally alone.

“What the hell just happened?” He whispered before her arms flew around him, hugging him tightly. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, sliding his arms around her as he returned the hug. Her body was shaking, he noticed as he grasped her small frame tight to his own. He hated that thisentire thing had happened. He constantly hated that he couldn’t turn time back so that she had never experienced the entire journey since they’d left Orissia. She didn’t deserve any of it.

“I’m not special, Everett. I have no idea what that man was talking about. I can’t be some chosen savior. That isn’t me. As much as I want to be strong and save everyone from these fucking hounds, I’m not the one who’s going to end it all,” the raw emotion in her tone was like a knife to his gut.

“I’m not sure what that man meant or where that queen came from, but you are special Aerilyn. I saw it when you saved all those people. Your powers are different. I’ve never seen anything like it. There’s something different about you that we can’t deny. I’m not sure what type of war that queen meant, but whatever happens you won’t be doing it alone.”

He tried to do everything he could to reassure her. He knew that her fear wasn’t simply going to disappear, but he had to try to help her in whatever way he could. “I didn’t ask for any of this,” she whispered, her grip on him only tightening as they continued to speak. His mind was running too fast, trying to consider all of the thoughts within his chaotic mind. He didn’t know how to solve the problem that was laid out before them. It was all out of his control at that point.

“Whatever happens, we’ll face it together.”

Aerilyn pulled away just enough to look at him and the moment their eyes met he wanted so badly to take away every ounce of emotion that was consuming her. Her pain had become his and he had no idea when that had happened. He spent his entire life with a fortress around his heart, refusing to let anyone in. His void of emotions had left a hole deep within him. She had been the one to fill it. She’d been the missing piece that made him feel full again.

“We should return to Orissia. My brother’s message has been weighing on me and now that the trials are over we mighthave a better chance at escaping. We’d be safer there within the walls,” he began, trying to convince her of the importance of leaving the enemy kingdom. Her lips pressed together in a tight line and he could see the debate in her mind. “He’s never going to let me leave. Now that he knows I’m some secret weapon, Azazel isn’t going to let me go,” he hated the words that left her lips. He knew it was true, but it was a truth that he wasn’t willing to accept.

“We can find a way, Aeri. We have to. We can’t stay here. It’s not safe anymore and Orissia needs us.”

Aerilyn’s eyes lowered, her emotions being concealed quickly. He wanted to keep talking, to keep trying to convince her, but he knew she needed a moment to think over what he was saying. For her to return to Orissia meant that her entire life would change. She would never be able to go back to the person she used to be. He would have to beg his father to allow them to even return to the kingdom without the sword. He knew the information that they had was going to be more worth to the kingdom than the damn sword at that point.

“I agree. We need to get back to Orissia. As much as I despise your father and his actions, the kingdom needs to know what is happening outside of their walls. If they can find a way to get past the borders of Orissia, they could start another kingdom away from your father’s wrath. This entire world could change,” her voice was full of a new tone of hope. Her eyes finally lifted back to his again and he could see the emotions changing in her expression.

“We can be the ones to fix this. You and I are going to save them all,” he whispered, lifting his hands to her cheeks. She leaned into the touch and he felt his heart warm. “You’re going to sit on that throne beside me. I want you to be my queen. As long as you’ll accept that position,” his smile grew as he tried to put aside everything bad that was happening around them.

“I never expected such a title, but if it means that I get to spend the rest of my life at your side then I will take it,” she bit her lower lip. The motion made his chest tighten. He tried to hold himself back, wanting to tear all of the clothing from her body.

“I never realized that before you, I wasn’t living. I felt no emotion, I was empty. When I left the walls of Orissia I was expecting to end up dead. I had never once thought that I would fall in love. You’ve brought light into my life, no matter how tragic it has become. You are special, little thief. You were sent here to breathe life into me.”

He let all of his feelings finally go. He had told her he loved her in the moments he thought he was dying, but he didn’t allow every emotion out. He wanted to be completely transparent with the woman and explain to her everything that he was feeling for her. The way her face only seemed to light up led him to believe that her feelings were similar.

“I was alone in Orissia. I woke up every day in a building that was falling apart with no food or money in my pockets. I had no purpose before my name was called. I didn’t expect to survive this long. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to. You gave me a purpose. You showed me that there was more in life than I had expected,” her feelings fell from her lips and he felt his knees growing weak. Her weight leaned into him as he watched her eyes move to his lips.

“I’ve never loved before. You gave me a reason to take down my walls. I love you, Aerilyn.”

He couldn’t wait a second longer, clashing his lips into hers. She didn’t take any time to kiss him back, their lips locking in a vicious fight. The times they’d kissed before had never been full of the urgency they experienced then. One of his hands slid through her hair, gripping it tightly to keep their mouths pressed together while the other hand slid over her lower back to pull herbody against his. Her hands roamed his chest, making a shiver run down his spine. He could feel her fingers fumbling with the bottoms of his shirt, tugging at them all until his shirt fell open exposing his chest to her.

Everett took her bottom lip between his teeth, biting down as he tugged on it. She let out a soft groan that only convinced him to keep moving. He let go of her body, yanking his shirt off. He used the moment of their lips being apart to unzip her leathers and pull the top over her head. She stood in her bra and bottoms, half of her body exposed to him. As much as he wanted to stand and admire her, he couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He closed the space between them again, yanking her hair to expose her bare neck to him. He dragged his lips along her throat, letting his tongue move along with each delicate kiss. Her chest rose and fell quickly with harsh breaths and he knew from the movements that she was just as desperate for this as he was.

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