Page 44 of Rising Out of the Darkness (Divine Guardians Duology #1)

Elena

I wrapped my arms tightly around myself, trying to stop the shivers.

Our town was quiet, perhaps a little quieter than normal, even at this time of night.

Father and I had been out hunting to feed ourselves and those in town who were unable.

Both of us were exhausted as we walked in silence towards our cabin.

The only sound was the crunch of soil underneath our boots.

That was until the screaming began.

All at once, shouting tore from homes around us. My father’s eyes locked on mine as he reached out to grab my arm and pull me closer. Just as he did, the cabin next to us exploded in a burst of flames, and the people within let out agonized cries.

The streets were filled with Elysians running out of their homes in hordes. They scrambled around as men dressed head to toe in black, heavily armed, chased after them. My body grew numb as air faded from my lungs.

Two strong hands wrapped around my arms and shook. My father was shouting at me, but for the life of me I couldn’t make out what he was saying. He continued to shake me until I slammed back into my body and back into consciousness.

“Elena, go! Find your mother—I need to find the other guards.” He gasped. “You need to run, Lena!”

“I—Father!” Everything was happening so fast that I couldn’t seem to form words.

“GO, ELENA!”

My father shoved me hard in front of him, and I sprinted towards my house. After a few seconds, I mustered the courage to turn around, but he was already lost in the sea of bodies.

I dodged and leapt around the chaos that filled the streets. Finally arriving at our cabin, I made my way around the side when I noticed our door was wide open. The light from inside spilled onto the ground.

Slowing to a stop, I crept towards the door. When I went to reach for my bow, I let out a hushed curse. It must have fallen off my shoulder in my sprint over here, and my new dagger from my birthday was still sitting on top of the dresser inside the cabin.

Shards of rock lay askew around my boots. I wrapped one tightly in my clutches as my heart thumped rapidly against my chest. Inches away from the front door, a muffled cry emerged, followed by a vengeful laugh.

My lungs collapsed, cut off from air entirely. I pushed forward. My grip tightened around the rock, nails scraping against its jagged edges. When I set foot in the doorway, my legs went weak.

Nausea hit me like a tidal wave as I saw my mother standing in the middle of our cabin, hands held behind her back, a sword held against her neck.

“ Elena ,” she mouthed silently. “ Run !” Desperation pleading through her eyes.

So many emotions were flooding into me, and I began to feel the onset of panic. Gods, not now . I needed to be strong. I needed to protect my mother.

But every muscle in my body tightened, freezing me in place as my mind spiraled uncontrollably. As fear took over, I lost control over my limbs, and the rock I was gripping crashed to the floor with a resounding thud.

The hooded man whispering threats into my mother’s ear was alerted to my presence. A gasp escaped my lips as his ferocious, amber eyes locked on mine.

His mask was pulled down, allowing me to see the malevolent smile that rose on his lips. “How the gods bless me today…two stunning ladies under my blade instead of one.”

A growl was all I could muster from beneath my clenched teeth as tears flooded down my cheeks, my body still frozen stiff in the doorway.

Grinning at my discomfort, the man ran his nose through my mother’s gorgeous locks.

My mother winced, but kept her gaze pinned to mine, trying her best to shield me from what was occurring.

“You smell like heaven, angel. Such a shame I have to end your life today.” A wicked smirk flooded his mouth.

He ran his foul lips against my mother’s ear, as he spoke loud enough for us to both hear.

“You don’t mind if I have my way with that one do you?

” His hungry eyes rolled towards mine as bile crept up my throat.

“I’ll be kind and let you watch. Maybe I’ll even let you join in. ”

My mother flinched, and whispered the last words that I would ever hear grace her lips.

“I love you.”

She threw her head back, crashing it into the man’s nose.

Frozen in fear, I watched helplessly as he cursed out loud, grabbing her before she could reach me.

His blade sliced through her neck and he threw her to the ground.

The thud of her delicate body smashing into the wooden floor reverberated all the way down to my soul.

Everything felt too heavy. The shock sent my body crashing to the floor. Sobs rushed out of me and every muscle in my body convulsed as I lay helpless on the floor in our entryway.

Heavy boots echoed against the wooden floor and the smell of leather wafted in front of my face before I could open my eyes.

I felt the sting of his blade as it sliced down the inside of my arm.

Again, all the air fled my body as his boot crashed into my stomach.

I groaned in agony between endless sobs.

The man spit on the ground next to me before stepping over me on the way out the door.

“Pathetic. You’re not even worth my blade.” He hissed and stormed off to find another innocent victim.

I dragged myself over to my mom and slumped down next to her. With the little strength I had left in me, I pulled her limp body onto my lap, rocking her back and forth as I combed through her hair with my hand.

Why, gods … why?

Eyes almost swollen shut, I prayed to the gods that this was a horrible nightmare that I would wake up from soon.

My subconscious knew that indeed it was. Unfortunately, everything that occurred in this nightmare had happened for real and it played repeatedly in my mind as a reminder each night. Biting down hard on my tongue, I tried desperately to wake myself back up. I couldn’t take the pain anymore.

Guilt began to consume me, and the light inside of the cabin dimmed.

An eerie wind blew in from the open door as a deep, otherworldly voice chuckled.

Another hooded figure stormed through the door, this one familiar as well, but I’d never been able to see its face.

Only darkness resided in the depths of its hood. It was followed by a dark beast.

They stood beside me as the beast’s void eyes sliced deep into my soul.

Raising its beastly head, dripping with a foul, black sludge, it howled a guttural howl.

I tried to cover my ears, but a barrage of voices flooded my head.

They were the voices that haunted me—everyone I had lost, everyone I had let down.

“You never do enough.”

“You’re worthless, Elena.”

“You couldn’t even save them.”

“Selfish.”

“Pathetic.”

“Weak.”

Their voices swirled around me in a chorus as my entire world spun. My father’s voice rang out from where he crouched in front of me, his eyes blazing with fury as tears cascaded down his cheeks. He didn’t even look up at me, but he didn’t have to. I could feel the disgust in his words.

“Elena, what happened?” He sobbed, cradling my mother’s lifeless body in his arms.

I let you down. I’m so sorry, Father. I’ll never forgive myself.

Declan

S leep evaded me. Tonight’s events left me tossing and turning in my bed. The memory of her body against my own lingered within my mind, the taste of her lips still sweet on my mouth.

When she’d pulled away, I let my ward down and was bombarded by several waves of her emotions. Elena’s body trembled with fear, guilt and shame, so much so that it had cracked her own ward.

Everything about that moment frightened me, the same emotions threatening to overwhelm my own dynamis. I’d meant every word I said when I told her that I would wait for her. It was a promise I intended to keep. Whether it be in this life or the next, she would be mine.

I was shaken from my thoughts as a bloodcurdling scream echoed off the walls.

Elena.

Fear launched me from my bed. Using my dynamis, I zephyred into her room. Shadows spooled around me as I waved away a stunned Killian and another guard who had barreled through the door at the same time.

My breath hitched as I gazed upon my Wildfire engulfed in white flames.

“Close the door behind you,” I growled. Killian’s wide eyes met mine, and I gave him a nod, reassuring him I could handle the situation. He closed the door behind him and my attention returned to Elena.

Soft, auburn locks of hair floated turbulently above Elena’s head, as if she was swirling in her own personal storm.

Lena’s body was glowing gold and white, and her face was full of terror as she continued to scream.

I had witnessed her dynamis try to take over her body while we were traveling, but this was nothing like that day.

When I bounded over to her, there wasn’t one thought that crossed my mind about what her dynamis might do to me. All that fueled my actions was the overwhelming need to protect her.

Sliding my body behind hers, I caged her lower body between my legs and pulled her close to my chest. Icy skin stung against my own, the opposite of the heat I had expected from the golden glow surrounding her body.

The chill frosted over my cheek as I leaned into her.

Elena needed to wake up before she hurt herself.

“Elena, wake!” I continued to shout while rocking her body, doing anything to shake her out of the deep trance she was in.

“FORGIVE ME!” she screamed as her eyes flung open.

All at once, her entire body tightened and she gasped for breath.

Pieces of my heart tore apart every time that she went to pull in air and nothing but shallow breaths entered her lungs.

She gripped my thighs with desperation. Eyes wide, face struck with fear, she was trying with all of her might to force herself to breathe.

I’d seen this before. Hells, I knew firsthand what she was experiencing all too well.

Shivers ran through my body at the memory of the time my father nearly whipped me to death for succumbing to a panic attack in front of the staff.

No matter how much dynamis I had thrumming through my veins, from that day forward, he would always consider me weak because of it.

Pulling her as close as I could, I kept one arm wrapped around her waist and the other I used to grab her hand and place it over her chest. Placing my palm over hers, I began to guide my Wildfire down from her ledge.

“Lena, it’s me.” I squeezed her body tighter, so she’d know it was me. “I’m here with you.”

Her eyebrows scrunched, as she continued to gasp for air.

“Breathe, Lena.” A short puff of air pulled in, but nothing came back out.

“You can do it. Focus on my breaths, Lena, try to breathe with me.” I emphasized every breath so she could feel the rise and fall of my chest. Desperation began to build within me, and my own chest tightened at the sight of her wild eyes. “Count the stars with me, love. One …”

Gasp.

“Two…”

Another rattled intake of breath.

“Three…” I pressed my palm harder against her chest.

Air flooded into her lungs, but none came out.

“Four.” Panic flooded through my dynamis. “Fight, love, fight the darkness.”

I felt a tiny puff of air finally flow through her lips, and then another. Until I heard the slightest breath whisper between us. “Five ... ”

Relief washed over me. “There you go, sweetheart. Come back to me, back to the light.”

We rocked back and forth, my arms secured around her the entire time. Right now, her thoughts held her hostage, and my job was to tear them away. Little by little, the muscles in her body loosened, finally allowing her to take in deeper pulls of air.

Her head fell back onto my shoulder, and I clenched my jaw as I gazed over her face—eyes red and swollen, her lip bloody from biting it.

Removing my hand from her waist, I swept her wild hair away from her face.

It was drenched in sweat like the rest of her as I tucked it behind her ears.

Finally, her entire body surrendered and she melted into me.

Elena’s head lay heavy against my shoulder.

My hand was still intertwined with hers over her chest. Silence passed between us for a few moments as I ran my fingers through the lengths of her hair.

My lips grazed the top of her head in a tender kiss, and her lips began to quiver.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and everything inside me shattered.

Seeing her cry, seeing her break into a million pieces, left me undone.

As carefully as I could, I folded her body into mine so she faced me and brushed my lips across her wet cheeks.

“You’re safe now, love,” I whispered. The sting of tears pressed behind my own eyes. “I will always guide you out of the dark and back to me.”

Lena’s breath hitched, and her arms tightened around me. “I’m so sorry.” She erupted into sobs.

“Shhh.” I pressed a kiss into her hair. “You never have to apologize for feeling. Good or bad, our emotions are the most authentic parts within us. Never be afraid of allowing yourself to feel them.”

She nodded against my chest as I wiped away more tears from her rosy cheeks.

“Would you…like to talk about it?” I asked hesitantly.

“Not yet—no…I—I’m sorry.” She sniffled, small tremors of panic still rippling down her body.

“No more apologizing. Let’s get you back to sleep.”

After fixing the rumpled sheets, I tucked her body inside. The sound of muffled weeping filtered through the pillow as she curled into herself.

“Could you stay with m-me? Just for a little while?” The plea in her voice wrapped around my icy heart and tugged. There was nowhere else I’d rather be than right beside her.

“Of course. Just give me a moment. I’ll be right back.”

I crossed the floor in three strides and leaned my head out the door to tell Killian that everything was fine.

After closing the door behind me, I slid into the bed behind her.

I slipped my arm underneath Elena’s head and wrapped the other around her middle, pulling her into me.

Everything about this moment felt right.

Every time I was around Elena, I felt compelled to be as close to her as possible.

She drew me in with every sweet smile, every flush of her cheeks, every compassionate part of her soul, and every damn elbow to my gut.

No matter how hard we both fought this connection between us, I feared the invisible force pulling us together was far stronger.

“Good night, Lena,” I whispered, hoping to not wake her.

“Good night, Declan.”

Breathing in the sweet smell of lavender from her hair, I nuzzled my head further into it. As I melted into her warmth, my arms curled tighter around her. Eventually, lulled by her soft, steady breaths, I fell asleep.