Page 270 of The Lands Defying
Every step has it crunching under my feet, the cold wrapping around me as I continue until I reach the lilk trees, all still in bloom.
I stop and wait for Kade to catch up as I admire them.
It doesn’t take long until he stands beside me, both of us looking up at the trees and feeling the subtle caress of the invisible barrier in front of us.
“It’s really been a long time since you first crossed here to get Sarah,” he says, and I nod my head.
“It changed everything that day.” It was the start of what could be the end.
“I still wonder if it’s for the better.”
I watch as the branches move, the orange and pink coloring the white of its background, as snow clings to them.
“It has to be for the better,” I tell him. “We do not know what will happen today, or the next, or another moon cycle.” I turn to him, and he does the same. “We cannot just lay down and roll over anymore.” I lift a hand and cup his cheek, smiling at thefeeling of the small hairs there. “We have to do better, be better. Nothing will change otherwise.”
“There is only us,” he says, looking down to the ground.
I pull him to me, my hand going to the back of his head. “It starts with one, Carzan. It just starts with one.”
“I won’t let anything happen to her,” Darius says as he emerges from the trees. I knew he was there for once, the connection thrumming between us.
I give him a thankful glance, and Kade looks at him.
After a moment, he walks towards him, and I tense, wondering how this will go.
I keep out of their way when they spar, and interactions when I have been near have been civil. It still causes worry in the back of my mind, though.
They stare at each other for a moment, the air tense and I pull my cloak around myself, nerves wracking through me.
Kade is the one to eventually breaks that silence.
“She has to come back. Come home.” Darius nods, eyeing him. “Vow it to me.”
Darius raises a brow at him as Runa can be seen with Drax, plodding around in the background.
“Will you believe it if I do?” Darius asks him.
“I will.”
“Then I vow it,” he says without hesitation. “She will come back home.”
Kade nods, shuffling on his feet but Darius, again, waits him out.
“Take care of my mom,” he says, I inhale a breath, closing my eyes and cherishing him calling me that.
When I blink my eyes open, Darius is watching me, seeing the emotions play on my face and his jaw ticks.
Still, he looks back to Kade and says, “she is mine, which means.” His hands flex. “You are also mine. So I will protect her,like I will protect you.” Kade and I both seem to freeze at that, lost for words. “However, I will kick your ass if I need to.”
I huff out a laugh, and Kade follows, shaking his head. “I know. I…I would hope you would. If I need it.”
Runa comes out of the forest then, Drax on her tail and she goes to Kade, licking his face and almost purring into him. Drax comes to me, inhaling at my neck and my arms wrap around him, holding him close.
“Arbiel canna,” I say.
“Arbiel canna,” Kade echoes nuzzling Runa.
We look to Darius, who looks extremely uncomfortable, but still, he says, “arbiel canna.”
