Page 36 of The Lands Defying
Fall for him.
“I hope they are running free,” I murmur.
He palms the back of my head. “I do too.”
“Are you both okay?” a voice says, and I’m up on my feet and colliding with a body in the next moment.
“Edward!” He laughs as he folds his arms around me, pulling me close.
“It is so good to see you, Rhea.” I choke on emotion as I snuggle into him before leaning back.
His midnight eyes look tired, and his blonde hair is ruffled. When did he start to look so much older?
“Are you—”
A thundering growl comes, and then I’m ripped away from Edward, pushed behind Darius as he grabs him by the neck.
“Darius!” I gasp, fighting his grip on me to no avail, especially when his magic wraps around my waist.
“You are Edward?” Darius snarls at him, and Edwards’s face starts turning a shade of purple.
“Darius, stop. Yes this is Edward.” Is he insane?
“This is Higher Warden,” he growls, never taking his eyes off of Edward or loosening his grip on me.
“Darius,” I growl, sinking my teeth into his arm. He just grunts.
“He is Higher Warden. He goes around the lands and deals with a lot of pack bullshit.”
“I…help...the people…” Edward manages to rasp out, eyes on Darius but he doesn’t even try to defend himself from him.
“Darius, let him down, let him speak.” I say after I lift my teeth from him. He doesn’t. “Vallier,” I say a lot more gently, and Darius slowly lowers Edward to his feet.
When he lets him go, he steps back from him, taking me with him, still holding me protectively.
“I know he’s a Higher, Darius,” I tell him, and Darius swings his eyes to mine as I shuffle on my feet.
He stares at me for a moment, before he explodes.
“You didn’t think it was important to mention that?” Oh, he’s angry. “You didn’t think that was important information for me to know?!” I swallow.
“I didn’t find the right time to…”
“To let me know a Higher has been helping you all this time?” he thunders.
“No. How would I know you wouldn’t endanger him, or, I don’t know.” I point between them. “Try and kill him!”
“He’s a fucking Higher, what do you expect me to do!” Magic swirls around Darius’s feet as his anger gets the better of him. “They hurt you, lied to me. Of fucking course I want to kill every single one of them!”
Okay so he has a point…
“It’s.”Cough. “Fine,” Edward rasps. I look at him with an apology in my eyes, but he waves it off. “I am not the enemy, Alpha Darius.”
“Every single Higher is an enemy, why the fuck aren’t you?!” The ground begins to shake beneath Darius and the breath halts in my lungs.
“I am Rhea’s guardian, I vow it, I am not a danger to her.” His eyes are so sincere, and then he tilts his head to the side, baring his neck to Darius.
My eyes bounce between them, nerves rattling through me. Edward is important to me. He saved my life.
