Page 187 of Gift from the Source
The darkness behind my eyes unsettles me just as much as my inability to move. For all I know, that cloak of death could already be lurking outside, waiting to pounce on the palace. On my family, my men.
The people I desperately love.
Elementra…
All the discoveries we made last night.
The plans to assemble missions today.
Meaningless.
“Let me go. Let me go right now,”I order.
The restraints holding me hostage snap and I sag in the arms holding me as I gasp for air.
I frantically crane my head around as I begin to hyperventilate.
I’m on my knees right where I was standing between my men moments ago. They’re kneeling around me now with concerned looks crossing their faces and panic pulses through the hands that are keeping me up.
I rush to my feet, tripping over Draken in my haste to run across the room. I brace for impact that never comes as shadows catch then right me.
“Let go,” I beg, waving my hands through them to get them to release me, but they grip tighter. “Please, Cas, let me go. I need to see outside. I need to see where the moon is.”
I don’t turn around to look at them as I stumble as fast as I can to the doors on my balcony.
The bright full moon that’s shedding so much light in the blackened sky only eases mypanic and fear a touch.
“He’s coming.”
“What did you see, little warrior?” Tillman asks.
The tremble in his words tells me he hasn’t read my thoughts, but my reaction and own feelings give it away.
“He’s angry. Angry isn’t even the word. He’s killing his own followers in his rage. The members he left alive, he ordered to prepare the society and the creatures. They’re attacking us here, at dawn.”
“We need to see, princess. Show us exactly what you saw,” Corentin orders as he rushes to the nightstand to grab all the communicators.
Draken crosses to where I am and with a firm grip on my elbow, he pulls me away from the doors. He places me in the middle of them with a growl that chases away the chill slithering up my spine.
When Corentin joins us again and his eyes meet mine, I do just as he commanded.
The tension in the room explodes, yet my men rein it in just as fast and a sense of calm covers them. Their shoulders relax and with a nod to each other, like they’ve rehearsed this a million times, they say, “Full scale protocol.”
Corentin shoves communicators at their chests and my mind swirls as I try to play catch-up. They’re each saying something, but I can’t process any of it.
“Get to the Central foyer now. Full scale protocol,” Tillman barks down the communicator, hanging up and moving to the next. “Will, call your brother, give him the same order you just heard me say.”
Right. I can give an order.
Fuck, where’s my communicator?
I need to take better care of that thing.
“Princess.” With his own communicator to his ear, Corentin passes me mine before I can freak out over it. “Dad, full scale protocol. You’re about to have a lot of people in your foyer. Get dressed.”
“Vince, full scale protocol. Get the boys to Gaster’s office then to the Central foyer,” Draken orders.
Each of their voices continue to echo around the room, and the only one I don’t hear is Cas. When I look at him, I don’t find him on acommunicator. He’s creating and strapping shadow weapons to his body. His eyes meet mine as he senses me staring. The wild mess that’s his hair right now drapes over his face as he hangs his head low for a moment.
