Page 46 of Rising Out of the Darkness (Divine Guardians Duology #1)

Elena

S unlight spilled over the dark oak floors of the hallway as I approached the library doors. One was ajar enough for me to hear the stern voices within, and my legs stiffened. Rocking back and forth on my heels I contemplated turning around until Declan’s voice barraged through the open space.

“Damn!”

I leaned against the smooth wood of the door. The fury within his tone should have stopped me from eavesdropping. Instead, it stirred an unavoidable need to stay.

“I warned him, Killian! Numerous times we’ve told my father and Alastor that these beasts were roaming the outer walls of the city.

” The slam of a fist reverberated against a hard surface inside.

“Those miserable bastards. Hells! One almost killed Elena, and now three families must mourn the loss of their children—children, Killian…Gods,” he breathed. “Please forgive us.”

A heavy sigh shuddered, followed by an uncomfortably long silence.

“The guards on duty were ours.” Killian’s voice sounded strained, and my curiosity ran rampant with what he meant when he said “ours.” Weren’t all the guards theirs?

“Damn the Hells!” Declan seethed as another crash came from within.

“They said one moment they were awake, and the next they woke up lying on the ground, the sounds of screams in the distance. You know it had to be him.”

Who?

“After one attacked Elena, I should have foreseen this.” A groan slipped from Declan, and though I couldn’t see it, I imagined he was probably running his palms through his hair in frustration.

“Dec, you know this is not your fault, right?”

Inching closer to the opening, I strained my neck to hear Killian’s hushed voice more clearly.

“Dec—?”

“It’s entirely my fault!” He interrupted with a snarl. “Don’t deny it, Killian. If my mother and brother were still here, things would be different. They wouldn’t have let this get so out of control.”

“Declan, no one knows where our paths will take us. Their lives could have easily gone down the same one as yours.”

“I know I’ve made a mess of my life, but I refuse to ruin the lives of everyone else in this kingdom more than I already have. These people deserve a better life…we all do.”

Slow steps treaded across the floor, pausing for a moment before Killian’s voice strained through the silence. “We’ll add more guards to the city wall, as well as more patrol shifts. We do this together, brother. You don’t have to walk this path alone.”

The endearment tugged against my chest. Killian and Liam might not be blood, but it was easy to see that they had formed their own bond of brotherhood, just as strong, with Declan. It warmed my heart to know that this trio of men were looking after each other.

Footsteps padded once more, but this time it was headed towards me. Panic bristled through me as I tried to shuffle away from the open door and not get caught.

“Freckles, whatever are we going to do with you?” Killian stepped through the open door and leaned against the wall beside me.

“I—umm—I just—” The words jumbled out of my mouth, none making any sense at all.

Killian towered over me, his arms folded in front of his chest. Slowly a smirk danced across his face, his honey eyes filled with the faint glimmer of amusement.

“Take care of him today, will you? That man is going to need every bit of your light today.” He patted my shoulder has he passed, then left me behind without another word.

As I faced the open door, my nerves bundled themselves into knots.

This would be my first time seeing Declan after last night’s events.

Last night’s version of Shadow Lord had been tender, caring.

When I stepped into this room, however, I might encounter the quite the opposite. Gathering my courage, I stepped inside.

Nothing could have prepared me for the sight I beheld before me.

Resplendent light illuminated the room, filtering through the floor-to-ceiling glass wall.

Rows of bookshelves lined the remaining walls, filled with thousands of books in every shape and size.

Smaller shelves sprinkled throughout the room, also overflowing with books.

Inhaling the heavenly smell of parchment and leather, I sighed, letting the calming scent wash through me.

Declan hadn’t noticed that I had entered the room. Lost in his thoughts, he stood staring at the ceiling, as if silently praying to the gods to give him the strength to keep going.

Cautiously, I crept over to him. His shoulder was slumped against the side of a bookcase, his broad back facing me.

When only mere inches separated us, he shoved himself from the bookcase, both hands combing through his thick, chestnut waves.

Then he let out a roar so loud, the entire space rattled.

Grabbing the closest chair, he launched it over the floor. It splintered into a thousand pieces.

I flinched, my arms wrapping around my body.

As if he sensed me behind him, he abruptly turned, hands clenched in fists.

Wild eyes locked onto mine, and the fury that raged within in them began to melt. His breathing evened, while his fingers began to unlock from fists. Then a look that I had never seen on Declan before flashed across his face.

He slid his palm over his glossy eyes as his head tilted towards the floor where it remained. Shame was written all over his body, but it was also floating through me. My heart pinched at the sight of him. Eyes swollen from exhaustion. Defeated. Broken.

One way or another, I would find a way to get my revenge on the king and Alastor.

“Elena—I didn’t mean for you to see—” He paused, his throat bobbing up and down.

“Dec…” I said softly. “I believe it was you who told me last night, ‘Never apologize for feeling.’” Closing the gap between us, I grabbed one of his hands and rubbed my thumb soothingly over the top.

“What happened wasn’t your fault. Deep down, Declan, you and I both know who is truly responsible for what happened to those children. ”

His forehead scrunched.

“I, umm, overheard it all,” I said sheepishly, biting my lip. One corner of his lips tilted up and the smile spread across his face, which I considered a victory. “Don’t carry this weight on your own.”

He opened his mouth to interject, but I raised a hand to silence him. “How about tonight we go to those families? We can say our condolences. Together, we can tell them that we will avenge their children.”

There was no way I would let him bear the weight of this terrible situation on his own. The baggage that this man carried on his shoulders already seemed heavy enough. Though I didn’t have to know all that he carried, it reflected in everything that he did. It was a feeling I knew all too well.

Perhaps we’d been brought into each other’s lives to help each other understand the burdens we carried on our shoulders were too much for one person to hold onto. Just maybe, we were fated to teach a lesson to each other on the importance of letting others in to help and letting the past go.

He sighed, taking in my words. From this point forward, like Killian had said, we would do this together.

A smile grew on his lips as he stared at me longingly. “You just keep surprising me.” He spoke so softly the words floated in a haze surrounding us.

I shrugged my shoulders. Lightening the mood felt needed at this moment. “I could say the same of you, Your Highness.” I winked.

“Ah, I’m back to being Your Highness again? I believe I already told you, Wildfire, I like the sound of my name on your lips.” He stepped closer, his eyes darkening with every move.

“If you’re lucky, maybe I’ll surprise you again.”

“Let’s hope the gods bless me with such luck soon.” His eyes roamed over my ensemble. “That’s a lot of feathers.” He covered his mouth with his fist, trying to conceal the laugh that was bubbling through.

I rolled my eyes dramatically as I did a little spin. “In place of real wings, your father thought it best they be plastered all over my body.” I snorted.

Declan extended his arm towards the table with books on top of it. “I figured after last night, we could do some less strenuous activities today. Today’s training involves strengthening the mind. There’s also something I’d like to share with you.”

We both sat down at the table, and he slid the books he had selected over to me.

Giddily, I started pulling them from the stack, reading the titles as I went.

There were so many, but a few caught my eye, like The Histories of Ehora, and A Complete Guide to Elemental Magic.

Excitement hummed through me as I thought about diving into each one of these books by the fire in my room tonight.

Declan laughed quietly, and I peered over the open book I was holding long enough to see his eyes sparkling down at me.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“What’s so funny, Declan?”

“Something about watching your entire body light up when you are looking at books makes me unable to draw my eyes away from you. If I’d known it would cause this enchanting reaction, I would have brought you into this library on the first day.”

Warmth spread over my cheeks. “This library is incredible, Declan. I think the only thing I love more than books is…food.”

“You sure that’s the only thing you love more?” His eyes darkened as his gaze roamed slowly over me.

“I’m sure.” My voice faltered. It came out more like a question than a statement.

He tilted his head away from me. However, I could still see a smile forming on his lips.

“Alright, Shadow Lord, say what you need to say so I can lose myself in these books for the rest of the day.”

H e pulled his chair closer to mine. When his knee brushed mine, it sent shivers across my skin and my heartbeat accelerated.