Page 114 of The Lands Defying
I wish I had some magic left, but I gave it all to Kade, to the smog that covered his mind.
I felt it.
It was dark. It was evil.
I just hope I did enough to clear it, enough to save him, even if it cost me my own life.
I don’t regret it, but as green eyes with silver flecks flash through my mind, I regret not spending more time with Darius.
We could have worked things out, talked more, I could have told him that forgiveness is hard, but I would let him earn it and I’m okay with that. That I am willing to give him that time if it meant that maybe… maybe I could have someone for my own in this life.
And I can’t see anyone but him.
I never expected Darius, and I want more time with him, and right now, it feels like another thing that was stolen from me.
How we started to what we could become is something that I would never have thought would happen. How he cares for me, how he looks at me, how he makes me feel.
He can be my peace, I realize.
When I’m in his arms, that’s my peace.
And now I won’t have that.
It seems my life wasn’t meant to get its happy ending, and with that realization comes a feeling of defeat that I have never experienced before.
To have the potential to have everything, only to then realize you never even stood a chance, is more soul-crushing than to have never had it at all.
The wolf nudges me gently, and two large, bright, violet eyes shine within the darkness. I make a surprised sound, and the wolf stands at my side, his stance protective as he faces whatever it is.
The eyes move closer, and a shape finally appears. His head first, large and surprisingly darker than the wolf beside me. He stalks forward, his paws silent on the ground and my heart beats so wildly within my chest that I feel like it’s going to give out from overuse.
I try to move my body, trying to get up and move away, but it doesn’t listen.
I can’t move.
I look at the wolf beside me, more tears slipping out of my eyes as the massive wolf comes closer, wanting him to leave, get out of here before he’s hurt.
He can’t fight that, he’s at least over eight feet.
He’s a giant.
But he doesn’t move from his spot besides me.
I move my head to face the violet-eyed wolf as dread slithers down my spine.
This is it, isn’t it? This is the last thing I’m going to see before I die.
As he comes fully into view, I suck in a sharp breath at the chains wrapped around his body, pulsing with untold magic. Not only that, what looks like spears are sticking out of him in all sorts of places and I swallow roughly.
The massive wolf stops just beyond my feet and tilts his head to the side, his eyes roaming over me before he looks at the two-tailed wolf. He makes a low sound, not friendly but not exactly threatening I don’t think, and the two-tailed wolf looks down at me.
I watch them both, my eyes going back and forth, wondering what is going on.
Then, the violet-eyed wolf lowers his head and I hold my breath, wanting to close my eyes and not see his teeth come for me, but I can’t look away.
His eyes now this close, they look to have the night inside of them, with tiny dots that look like glittering stars.
My fingers twitch at my side as his mouth gets closer and closer, and my breaths come faster and faster.
