Page 3 of Evading Darkness

I was one day shy of 18 when I ran from Rogue. My only belongings were some clothes and a few mementos that were stuffed in a backpack and placed on the escape route Maxton, my boyfriend, and I planned on taking. We wanted to start our lives together, free from the politics of the secret society we grew up in. We never got the chance.

When my 18th birthday drew closer, my father began having conversations with me about the duties that would be requiredof me. He told me when I turned 18, I was to marry Damien Michaels. Some 28-year-old man whom I don't have any memory of ever meeting. He is the firstborn son of my father's second-in-command, Barry Michaels, and has been living with one of our international chapters for the last 10 years. When I asked around about him, nobody who knew of him had any kind words to say. Apparently, he caused a lot of trouble in his late teens with members of the guard and was sent away, unofficially, of course.

One of the guards I asked said that he beat his brother to near death when he told Damien he couldn’t bring some random girl onto the compound with him. Another guard claimed he broke his nose because Damien decided he looked at him funny.

I’ll never understand why my father agreed to marry me off to someone as barbaric as Damien sounded, but then, my father was no stranger to cruelty. I spent a good portion of my late teens being told how worthless I was and that I would never be prepared to rule his people. He would say, "Women have too many emotions. A real leader should know how to be cold and calculated." No wonder he wanted me to marry Damien. That man sounded perfect for the job.

Historically, within Rogue's bylaws, there was nothing stating a female couldn't hold a position of power in our society. They just never considered it would actually happen. A typical man's way of thinking. Men rule men, and women play the role of doting wives who get the privilege of wearing fancy dresses and holding dinner parties. When it became apparent there would be no male successors from any of the founding families, thecouncil had no choice but to accept me as their next leader. Of course, they added stipulations to my leadership because why the fuck would a woman be held to the same standard as a man?

Together, with my father's influence, they decided I needed a husband. I would marry the son of my father's second-in-command to ensure I could adequately uphold the needs of Rogue. Upon taking leadership, my husband would become my second-in-command. From there, if the council ever deemed that I put my own needs over the good of the society, I would be forced to step down, and my husband would step in my place until our child was old enough to take over his rule.

They also assumed I wanted children because that's what every woman wants, right? In their minds, it was a perfect solution. Being married to Damien would reassure the community that a female leader would not change anything, and the needs of Rogue would continue to be placed first and foremost. I was making a sacrifice by getting married, and they would respect me more for it. Everyone wins. Everyone except me.

At the time, I was hopelessly in love with my boyfriend, Maxton, and my father was well aware of this. I always thought there would be some way to change his mind and prove to him and the council that I didn't need to marry Damien to put the needs of the society first. I should’ve known better. My father doesn't have an ounce of kindness in his heart. Why would he give a fuck about my feelings?

One night, my father commanded me to his office, and I begged him to call off the wedding. He told me, "Callie, I know things don'tseem fair, but you will marry Damien. Your little infatuation with the Maxton boy ends now. As it currently stands, you are betrothed, and it's a shameless act for someone who is to be married to be fucking around on her fiancé. You don't want your future husband to think you are a whore, do you?"

The fact that he could completely disregard my feelings, force me into a marriage, and then belittle me was the determining factor in my decision to leave.

"Callie?" I hear someone say my name, but I’m so lost in this memory that I can't focus on it. "Callie? Are you okay?" Julian's voice pulls me back to reality as a tear slides down my cheek. I quickly wipe it away.

"Sorry, I got a little stuck in my head. You know birthdays are hard for me. What were you saying?" I smile, reassuring him.

Julian doesn't know the details of my fucked-up childhood or the society I’m hiding from. He doesn't know that I was almost forced to marry. He definitely doesn't know that my mother and boyfriend died on the same day, right in front of me, or that my father was the one to pull the trigger. How the hell would I even explain that to someone? Talk about baggage.

Julian doesn't know any of it. He is such a kind-hearted man. How can I drag him down with the mass of problems that are associated with me? When he asked me about why I struggled with the day, I told him I went through something traumatic, and because he is who he is, he never pushed for more details.

"I was just saying, I think we should go for a walk to the waterfall after dinner," he says, "I know you love it there."

I clap my hands in front of me, and a huge smile crosses my face. “Is that my surprise?”

“Part of it, yes.” He chuckles.

Braxton Falls Park is one of my favorite places. If anyone ever questioned what the town was named after, it wasn't hard to figure out. The park's waterfall was one of the things that drew me here when searching for a place to relocate. I always tried to find towns with waterfalls when I moved. Something about sitting at the edge of the rocks on the river shore and listening to the roar of thousands of gallons of water rushing over the edge of a cliff at one time brings me so much peace. It's the one place I always go whenever I need to clear my head to think or just try to calm my nerves.

"I love that waterfall! Of course I want to go," I tell him, grinning from ear to ear.

"Good. I don't like seeing you so sad on a day that should be celebrated. My sweet girl should always be smiling." He reaches over and grabs my hand to comfort me. "I plan on making it my personal goal to change your mindset on your birthday! We should be doing all of your favorite things." He winks.

"Oh, there is still plenty of time for us to do all my favorite things tonight." I give him an alluring smile and bite my lip while raising my eyebrows at him a few times. He just laughs.

"Come on, let's finish up and head over to the park." He flags the server over to grab our check, and a few minutes later, we are in the car and driving down the road.

Chapter 2

Callie

Julian turns into Braxton Falls Park and pulls the car into the parking lot. There’s a short walk down a paved path, and it's still early enough in the evening that the sun is still up. We should get to the falls just before sunset. The view we’re about to see is going to be insanely beautiful. Showing up here right now was all timed impeccably. It's the perfect ending to what is normally a hard day for me. If only I could get my mind to stop wandering back to the past.

As if he could feel my brain starting to shift into overdrive again, Julian grabbed my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine to ground me and bring me back to the moment. We walk down the small path and with every step, I hear the roaring water getting closer and closer. As we crest the hill, the falls come into view, and he grabs me by the waist to pull me into him, kissing my forehead and resting his chin on top of my head for a few minutes. I'm the perfect height for him, with my face snuggled right into his chest. I wrap my arms around him to let us share in this moment.

The sound of the gushing water drowns out all the noise in my head. I love this man. After a few minutes, Julian pullsback, looks down at me, grabs my hand again, and nods over to the picnic area to our left. I glance over to the table, which is usually barren of anything besides insects and maybe a few leaves from the adjacent trees. How the hell did I not notice this when we walked up here?

Tonight, the table is covered with a white satin tablecloth and a sign with words I can't quite make out, although I have a pretty good guess based on the vibe of everything else. A row of candles and rose petals lined the walkway to the table, making it so much more beautiful than it already was with the sun beginning to set. I look over at the man walking beside me, and understanding begins to set in. My gaze drops to the ground. He wants me forever. Am I ready for this? Maxton wanted to be my forever, too.

I met Maxton at 16. We bonded over our birthdays, only a few days apart. He was the first person I chose to love and everything I could ever dream of. He was tall, with eyes as blue as the ocean on a summer day and short brown hair that he liked to keep buzzed. He was a little lanky, but I knew that as we got older, he would grow into himself and be the kind of man every girl wants. The best part about him was that he was mine, was being the keyword.

We spent most nights together since his family also lived on the compound. His father was a member of the guard and an elected council member.

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