Page 59 of Kingdom of Chaos (Creatures of Chaos #2)

Thirty-Six

When we re-enter the warehouse, I wouldn’t say things are completely resolved with Becks, but I feel better knowing I haven’t lost him.

At least not fully. Becks is a part of me, and if I’d lost him—truly lost his friendship and presence in my life, which was a real possibility—it would have shattered me.

Perhaps beyond repair. And although we have no guarantees about what comes next, at least we’re not carrying the weight of unspoken words into the night ahead.

The moment I walk back through the door, I search for Talon, finding him in the far corner, seated beneath one of the flickering lights, sharpening a blade with slow, steady strokes.

The rhythmic scrape of metal against stone ceases the moment his gaze finds mine.

For a beat, neither of us moves. Then he sets the weapon down and quiet tenderness creeps into his eyes.

I see the question there— Are you okay? —but he doesn’t ask. He just stands and strides toward me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Becks peel off and head toward Titus on the other side of the open room.

Talon casts a brief look his way before meeting my eyes again.

When he reaches me, his hand brushes lightly against mine in a barely-there touch, but it centers me more than anything else could.

“You good?” he murmurs, voice low.

I manage a smirk, though it wobbles at the edges. “Define good.”

Talon huffs a quiet breath that’s almost a laugh, but his thumb brushes mine again, silently reminding me I’m not alone in this.

Behind Talon, I catch Becks watching the two of us, but he quickly looks away when my gaze connects with his. Talon glances over his shoulder and then back at me, but he doesn’t ask how it went with Becks. He’s letting me decide what I want to share, and I appreciate that.

“It was a hard conversation, but we’re all right. Or we will be, eventually,” I say with a sad smile.

“You need to give yourself some grace. You don’t have to make any big decisions right now. You’ll have time for that later,” he says, once again giving me the space I need without having to ask for it.

There’s no guarantee I will have time, but even so, I’m not sure I’ll need it.

I open my mouth to tell him that, but the moment is cut short when Kade and the leaders of the Order step through the warehouse doors.

Kade heads straight for me, while the others make their way to the back meeting area where we gathered before.

Tobias looks jumpy, his gaze scanning the space, no doubt searching for Imogen, as he follows the others.

I can’t help but get a little satisfaction at his discomfort.

“So,” Kade says as he approaches, arms folding across his chest. His expression is all business. “You ready?”

A nervous laugh escapes before I can stop it, and Kade’s brow tightens.

“She’s ready,” Talon answers before I can speak, his voice steady and sure.

It’s not the full truth, but the confidence in his tone wraps around me like armor. And for now, that’s enough.

“Good.” Kade gives a sharp nod and then tips his head toward the back. “Let’s go compare notes. It’s time we took this bastard down.”

The meeting with the Order leaders lasts a couple of hours.

I listen closely, though I don’t contribute much.

Strategy isn’t exactly my forte, and my role in this mission is straightforward: face off against Kerrim and do whatever it takes to get Shadow Striker back.

Still, it’s important I understand what everyone else will be doing, if only for my own peace of mind.

Becks and Titus have been tasked with getting Ensley away from Kerrim and to safety.

Imogen and Talon are my direct backup, along with Kade and a few of his most trusted fighters.

They’ll be hidden near the open field where I’m supposed to meet Kerrim.

The same place the portal from the creature world first opened on that fateful night.

The rest of the Order will focus on concealing the battle from the human world.

Their first mandate is to protect humanity from supernatural threats, and in their minds that includes keeping the public unaware.

If they’re not managing illusions and containment, they’ll be fighting whatever forces Kerrim brings with him.

The meeting breaks a few hours before midnight, final plans made, final words spoken. There’s nothing left but the waiting.

Becks gives me a hug, holding me tightly and whispering in my ear that he believes in me, precious words I’ve been waiting to hear from him for so long, and now I wonder if they’ll be the last I ever hear from him.

He gives me a lingering look before leaving with Titus to collect their weapons and get into their positions in the park.

The warehouse empties out slowly after that, voices fading as everyone prepares in their own way for what’s coming.

I linger near the table, my hands resting flat on the cool metal.

My nerves buzz like static, and for a moment I close my eyes just to steady my breathing.

When I open them again, Talon is still there, leaning against the far wall, arms folded, watching me like I’m the only thing in the room worth looking at.

When our eyes meet, he pushes off the wall and walks over.

“Come with me?” he says quietly.

I nod.

We step outside into the warm night air. The city hums in the distance. Distant traffic, a car alarm somewhere far off, the faint thump of bass from a rooftop party. But here, under the stretch of stars overhead, it’s just us.

Talon leads me to a small unkempt park behind the warehouse. It’s secluded, more paved than grassed, but the kind of place where the world feels like it pauses for just a little while. We find a grouping of trees and sit with our backs against the same trunk, shoulders brushing.

For a while, neither of us says anything. The silence isn’t awkward. It’s safe.

Then he reaches for my hand, his fingers brushing lightly over my knuckles before he laces them through mine. I let him. I need the warmth.

“You good?” he asks softly.

He’s been asking me that a lot today, but I can’t say that I mind.

“No,” I whisper. “But I’m here.”

He gives a slight nod, his thumb stroking gently along the side of my hand. “That’s enough.”

I tilt my head toward him, studying his profile in the half-light. His jaw is tight, his eyes full of things he isn’t saying. For once, I don’t press. I just lean my head against his shoulder and close my eyes.

He adjusts, resting his chin lightly on top of my head.

“I keep thinking about what happens after this,” I say. “If there is an after.”

“There is,” he replies, steady and sure.

“How can you be so confident?”

“Because I have to be.” He shifts slightly so he can look at me. “For you.”

A fragile place inside me cracks open at those words.

“I’m not ready for this fight,” I admit. “For everything I could lose.”

He presses his forehead gently to mine. “Then don’t think about the fight. Not yet. Just take this moment. Take me.”

I blink hard, tears stinging at the edges of my eyes. “I don’t want to go into this afraid.”

“You won’t,” he promises. “You’ll go in fierce. Because that’s who you are, Freckles.”

I nod, and he pulls me closer, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as I curl into him.

We sit there for what feels like both seconds and forever, wrapped in each other and the kind of quiet that doesn’t need words. For this one moment, I’m not a weapon. I’m not a girl facing impossible odds. I’m just Locklyn. And he’s just Talon.

And that’s enough.

When we return to the warehouse, I don’t exactly feel peaceful, but as close to it as possible considering the circumstance.

The only ones still here are Imogen, Kade, and his men.

Ares is among them. He and another fae have been tasked with glamouring my backup team to keep them invisible so they can remain close without being seen.

As I enter, Ares gives me a small smile and a wave, but it’s the look in his eyes that catches me, like he pities me, like he thinks I’m going to lose. I appreciate that he cares enough to look concerned at all, but the doubt in his eyes lands like a stone in my stomach.

I don’t need pity. I need belief. I’m trying hard enough to hold on to my own.

“Time to go,” Kade says with a grim look.

We all go outside, where a set of black SUVs are waiting to take us to the edge of Central Park.

The drive is silent, each of us lost in our own thoughts, our own fears.

Talon sits beside me, close enough that our shoulders touch, but neither of us speaks.

It’s not until the vehicle slows near the 72nd Street entrance that he reaches over, quietly taking my hand in his.

We’re dropped off near the edge of the park under the cover of darkness. A breeze stirs the leaves above us, and somewhere in the distance, a siren wails. The city keeps moving, oblivious to the storm building in its heart.

I’m supposed to go on my own from here, but Talon tells the others to hang back and that he’s going to walk me a little farther. I’m surprised when no one argues with him.

I know there are Order members scattered all over this area, keeping humans away and doing what needs to be done to magically prep for later, but I don’t see a single other soul as Talon and I walk through the trees together.

The deeper we go, the more the noise of the city fades, replaced by the soft rustle of leaves and the chirp of insects.

Eventually, we reach the edge of the tree line on of the open field where I’m supposed to meet Kerrim.

This is as far as Talon can go.

I take a deep breath to ground myself, summoning the courage I need to take the next step.

I remind myself of everything I’ve already overcome and all the ways I’ve proven my strength.

I tell myself I can do this. Not because I’m magically juiced, but because I’m a fighter at my core.

Always have been. Always will be. That’s what will give me the edge over Kerrim.

That’s what’s going to get me, and the ones I love and care about, out of this alive.

I take a step toward the open field, my boot catching the edge of a silver moonbeam, but before I can go any farther, Talon’s hand clamps around mine.

In one swift motion, he pulls me back into the shadows and spins me to face him, pressing me gently, but firmly, against the rough bark of a nearby tree.

I open my mouth to ask what’s wrong, but the words never leave my lips.

Because his are already on mine.

He kisses me like the world might end tonight and this is the last chance he’ll ever get. His hands slide up my sides; his mouth claims mine in deep, urgent strokes. There’s nothing tentative about it. It’s all heat and hunger, frustration and fear, need and knowing.

My fingers find the front of his shirt and then climb up his chest and wrap around his neck, pulling him closer until there’s no space left between us. His tongue brushes mine, and I feel the air rush from my lungs like he’s pulled it with that single touch.

When we finally break apart, we’re both panting as we stare at each other with a mix of hunger and awe.

In the dim light, I catch something wild in his eyes, like shards of ice catching fire, splintering through the blue-gray.

“I needed to do that,” he says, his voice hoarse and low. “For me.”

That probably shouldn’t make sense, but it does.

Reaching up, he brushes his thumb gently across my cheek, his eyes searching my face like he’s trying to memorize every detail, every line, every breath.

“I love you,” he says, and my heart stutters in my chest.

This isn’t an implication or a half confession. It’s real. Clear. Undeniable. And it makes something inside me bloom with joy.

A smile breaks across my face, wide and uncontrollable.

“I—” I start to say, but he silences me with another kiss. It’s swift but sure, and it still leaves me breathless.

Kissing Talon is addictive, and something I desperately hope I get the opportunity to get used to.

When he pulls back, his voice is low, steady. “You can tell me after.”

Will there even be an after? What if this is the only chance I’ll ever get to tell him how I truly feel, and I let it slip by?

“There will be an after, I promise,” he says, and the words are so in tune with my thoughts that I blink at him in surprise.

“Can you read minds?” I ask, half joking, with genuine curiosity. Maybe it’s another hidden power I didn’t know he had.

He chuckles softly, low and warm as he brushes a strand of hair behind my ear. Then he takes a step back, and with it, the warmth of his body leaves mine, making the space between us feel colder.

“It’s just written all over your face,” he says with a small smile.

I take in a breath, worry rising again. “But Talon . . . we don’t know for sure what’s going to happen out there.”

His expression softens as he closes the distance between us again, reaching out to cradle my cheek.

“You don’t need to say it, because I already know, Freckles.

I’ve just been waiting for you to figure it out.

I want to wait to hear it from those beautiful lips when this is all behind us.

When your head is clear and we can finally have the beginning we always should’ve had. No fear. No battles looming. Just us.”

My throat tightens, and I nod, pressing my hand over his where it still rests on my cheek. I want that too.

He gives me one final look, intense and unwavering. Then slowly lets his hand fall away.

I square my shoulders, forcing my feet to move. “Okay. It’s time.”

“Come back to me,” he orders, and I nod.

“I will.”

The look he gives me is one of pride. One that gives me the extra boost I need, because I can tell Talon really does believe in me. Believes I’ll defeat Kerrim and come back to him.

Talon steps back into the shadows, his presence still wrapped around me like a second skin as I turn and walk toward the open field.

The night air is cool, the grass damp beneath my boots as I cross into the clearing where everything changes.

Where it ends . . . or begins.