Page 50 of The Hidden Falling
Here we go.
He saunters toward me at his full height, a sexy grin spreading over his face as he leans down and shoves his face in my neck, taking a deep breath. I shove his face away, scowling at him. “I can smell it a little,” Sebastian hums, his eyes lazily traveling over my body. “Are you finally going to let me see you through your heat?” His eyebrows wiggle suggestively as he speaks, and I don’t even hesitate in my reply.
“Not a chance.” He asks me every year. And every year, I turn him down.
“It’s early,” Josh says to himself, ignoring Seb’s flirting. “Your heat is in winter. We are only just nearly hitting summer. Why is it so early?”
I’ve been racking my brain at the very same thing. Since my eighteenth birthday, my heat has always come the last week of winter like clockwork. Not once has it changed in all these years. So why now? The only thing that has changed is the Elites turning up. Darius turning up.
“I know it’s early, Josh, but I can’t think of a reason why.”
“Maybe your heat is being brought on by the other females. They do all tend to sync up,” he grumbles, running his hand through his hair that’s not in a bun for once. In fact, he doesn’t look put together at all. He looks as agitated as me.
“But why now? That’s never happened before.” I blow out a breath. Generally, females go into heat once every three months. I only have mine once a year, and that’s never changed. “Well, either way it’s early, so I’ll be gone for a day, maybe two, when it hits. You guys will be okay handling the Elites, right?”
Hudson grunts from the seat to the left of me, with Colten on the floor by his leg, looking at some papers on the low table in front of him. “They’re still looking for Sarah, you know.” Hudson says, running a hand over his shaved head. “I heard some of the Elites talking about there being a time limit or something, but didn’t catch enough of their conversation to know what they meant.”
“Why do they have a time limit?” Colten wonders, pausing in his reading and looking up at Hudson who shrugs in response.
“Could they need to get back for something?” Taylor offers next to my office door, his bulky frame taking up space.
“Maybe, but what?” I ask them.
“Does it really matter?” Josh shrugs. “The sooner they’re gone the better for us.”
“Did you forget the part where they know about Eridian and that I’m going back with them? Darius won’t have it any other way.” I stare out my window, refusing to feel the fear that knowledge sends through me.
I never thought I would have to leave my home. I thought we were safe here. I thought I would live the rest of my days in our little corner of Vrohkaria.
Going back and seeing the Highers… seeinghim.
I shiver.
It’s for Eridian, for my family, I tell myself.
For Kade.
Taylor huffs before saying in a deadly voice, “Do you really think we’ll just let him take you to the Highers?” His amber eyes turn hard at the thought, and I smile internally at his words. Unfortunately, it won’t make a difference. We are way outnumbered.
“How have we known each other for so long and you don’t know?” Josh says, shaking his head at me. “How could you think we’d just let you leave here to be taken to trial by the Highers… and then what? We just stay in Eridian and get on with our lives? What about Kade?”
“You have to. I’m asking this from all of you and Kade is my chosen Heir for Eridian. He will take over.”
“He’s unstable,” Josh bites out.
“He’s still the next Alpha of this pack,” I snap back at him, feeling my eyes flash as Runa comes close to the surface. Kade will be fine, he must be. “He needs a bit of healing, and I know you all will guide him. Solvier will also help him.”
“I don’t think he will heal,” Seb tells me in the most serious voice I have ever heard from him. “That’s a wound that will never heal.” I don’t want to think it never will for Kade, but I know Seb is speaking from his own experiences.
The room is silent at his words, pain noticeably on Seb’s face, and I want nothing more than to go over to him and offer him comfort. Seb will be Seb though and either flirt or joke it off like it’s nothing. When it’s everything.
I know I can’t bring Kade’s mate back. But that just can’t be it. Surely the Gods wouldn’t be so cruel to have those who lost their mate suffer until the end of their time. I won’t accept Kade suffering for the rest of his days. There has to be something.
“Anyway,” I shift in my seat, diverting the conversation back to the topic at hand. “Bottom line is, I will be going to the Highers if I can’t convince Darius otherwise. Which, at this rate, is looking like there is no hope in it.”
“The Highers will know as soon as they see you.Hewill know,“ Josh whispers, his face dropping at what that means.
“Maybe not if I don’t reveal it,” I say stiffly. “I haven’t in all these years, and I don’t intend to, okay?” He nods, but I can see he’s not convinced, and neither am I. The silence in the room lets me know the others aren’t either. “I will do my punishment and come home,” I say with false confidence.
