Page 87 of Rising Out of the Darkness (Divine Guardians Duology #1)

Elena

“ I ’m a part of the Light Phoenix bloodline?”

Bri fidgeted with her hands, and my father fiddled with a piece of grass beneath his fingertips, as the sound of the babbling creek next to us filled the silence.

“And you’ve known this my entire life, and didn’t think it was pertinent for me to know?”

The cool stone of my feather necklace rubbed against my fingers, and I paused, realizing this was more of a symbol than I had originally thought. It was a damn declaration of my bloodline.

“So Mother was a part of this bloodline as well?” I asked another question before my father had time to answer the first two.

“Yes.” My father smoothed a palm over his chin, then looked around him as if to make sure no one was close enough to hear what he was about to say. “I was sent to watch over your mother. I’m a part of a secret order of protectors of the Light Phoenix bloodline.”

My mouth gaped wide as my father continued.

“The first Light Phoenix left behind a daughter. Her existence was kept secret for fear she might one day succumb to the same fate as her mother. Her survival became a top priority, and thus the Guardians of the Light were born.” He exhaled, his shoulders relaxing, like he was relieved to finally release the tension of keeping this secret for so long.

“Go on,” I mumbled, anxious to know more.

“We were trained as protectors, our identities kept secret as well as our mission. Over the centuries, Guardians were sent to look after the descendants of the bloodline, all awaiting the awakening of another Light Phoenix. They would watch and protect them through their Ascension, and if the descendant did not possess the Phoenix dynamis, then they would train another guardian to one day watch over their heirs. Over the years, one thing was consistent with all the female descendants—they were all given the dynamis of an Empath.”

He paused, waiting for me to absorb his words.

“So, my mother…she was really an Empath?” I breathed.

“Yes, she was,” Bri said softly next to me.

My mind whirled. “How is that possible? I watched her heal so many people.”

“When Queen Lenora discovered the truth of our dynamis, she began testing her theories on me and her sons. I was close with Lenora, because my father was the High Priest, and the King’s advisor.

” She paused, as my lips parted wide. “Your mother had opened up to me about her bloodline in secret, and I began to teach her as well.” Her lips tilted upwards from the memory. “Healing came naturally to her.”

“Does Declan know?”

She shook her head. “I plan to explain it to him when we get to Oria. The only person who knew of your mother’s secret was the queen. That’s why she entrusted me with the potions—she hoped that her vision would come true.”

“Her vision?” I breathed.

“Two days before her death…” Her eyes began to gloss over, and my father placed his palm over hers. “When I had learned of my parents and my Sían’s death, Lenora told me she had been collecting samples from the gods’ tree when she began to hear voices.”

Air fled my lungs.

“She said a voice spoke to her and told her a light was coming.”

“That same day, your mother told me she was pregnant,” my father whispered.

“She thought I would be the Light Phoenix.”

Both of their eyes met mine as they answered in unison.

“Yes.”

A shudder ran through me as my head fell into my palms with a groan. “She hoped the potion would unlock my dynamis enough to let the Light Phoenix dynamis break free,” I mumbled through my hands.

“Yes, and I gave the second vial to Will so that you wouldn’t have to be alone in your unsuppressed dynamis.” Brietta scowled. “A decision I now regret.”

Anger boiled to the surface. I had tried to stay calm this entire time, but the hurt of being sheltered from the truth all these years infuriated me. “It still doesn’t explain why you didn’t tell me. Or why you felt you couldn’t trust me with any of this.”

“I trusted you, Elena, I just?—”

“Then why, Father? Why did you hide this from me my entire life?” I seethed.

“Lena—”

“No!” I shouted. “Don’t you dare try to placate me!”

“Elena, you need to breathe.” He reached out his hand toward me, to which I shoved away.

“I’m breathing. You don’t get to tell me to calm down right now, I have every right to be upset. My entire life has been a facade, and I want to know why.”

“You’re right, Lena,” my father whispered.

“Talk!” I growled.

A small smile tugged at the side of his lips.

“Are you seriously smiling right now?”

My outburst caused a chuckle to exit his lips, to which he slapped a hand over his mouth in effort to smother. I rose to my feet, suddenly overheated with anger.

“No, no…Sunshine, I’m sorry.” He chuckled again, raised both hands in defense.

“You just remind me so much of your mother right now. She had a fire within her, just like you, Lena. Whenever she thought I was about to do something wrong, she let me have it. Which usually happened about three times a day.” He smiled sheepishly at me, as a bit of my fury fizzled out.

“I should have listened to her all those years ago when she told me you were strong enough to handle the truth. Althea always knew you were meant for greatness, Lena, and I should have had more faith in you. For that, I’m so sorry.”

He reached out to grab my shaking hands. This time I allowed it. When I met his gaze, his eyes were clouded with tears.

“I’ve made some irrevocable mistakes, Elena, but everything I did was to protect you both. Everything.” He whispered the last word, and a tear slid down his cheek as I choked back a sob.

He pulled me into his arms and we cried until the frustration and the fury melted away. It was one thing to be angry with my father, it was something else entirely to watch the stoic man in front of me fall to pieces as well. Guilt weighed heavy on my chest, once again awakening my dynamis.

As I pulled back to wipe my eyes, something golden flickered between us.

“Elena…what is this?” My father rubbed a rough hand over my now glowing bond on my wrist.

Pulling my hands out of my father’s grasp, I opened my mouth to speak when a deep voice behind me beat me to it.

“It’s a mating bond, Warren. The one I tried to tell you about a week ago.”

Declan’s arms wrapped around me, and my teeth crushed against my bottom lip as my father’s wild eyes scanned over Declan’s wrist as well.

My father tugged me out of the way and grabbed Declan’s tunic until they were face to snarling face.

“Warren!” Bri shouted at the same time I yelled at my father.

“I told you to stay away from her!”

“And I told you I loved her!”

“You’re dangerous!” my father snarled.

I’d had enough. “So am I!” I seethed, blasting my dynamis towards both, making them fall back on their asses. “Now listen!”

Declan bit his lip to hold in a smirk, while my father’s face couldn’t decide whether it wanted to be angry or proud.

“I am a grown woman, capable of making my own decisions!” I shouted towards both men.

Bri waved her fingers for me to continue.

“I love this man, and I know very well what the consequences could be now we’re together.

There are so many unknowns and fears about what could happen, but you know what? Damn them all!”

Declan and Bri both chuckled into their fists, and my father still sat with his mouth gaping wide.

Taking a calming breath, I tried to quell some of the fury. “Declan makes me a better person, Father. He’s helped me learn to love myself and taught me how to find the inner strength that has been hiding within me for so long.”

“I can see that,” my father breathed.

“I love him because he loves every part of me, broken and all.”

Declan’s gaze drifted towards me, and the bond tugged inside my chest. “ I love you too.”

“When you love someone deeply, nothing can stand in your way. Sometimes, it’s worth the risk, right, Father?”

His throat bobbed up and down.

“I’m sure that the Guardians of the Light aren’t supposed to fall in love with those they’re meant to protect, right?”

Declan’s brows furrowed. “Who?”

“Later,” the three of us said in unison, and his mouth shut tight.

“You’re right, Lena. Althea and I took a very big risk, but it’s something I will never regret doing, because it gave us you.”

Tears welled in my eyes once more. From how much I’d cried this past month, I was surprised there was anything left.

“Sometimes we have to take risks for the ones we love.” My father looked towards Declan, who hadn’t taken his eyes off me since I began talking. Father’s cold expression melted, and a smile cracked through.

He rose to his feet and extended his hand to help Declan up. The air in my chest halted.

Declan wrapped his palm around my father’s. Father pulled him up into his arms. “I’m sorry, son. Welcome to the family.”

Dec’s smile beamed, and even though he tried to fight it, his eyes began to gloss over as well.

“The promise still stands though.” My father pulled back, resting his palms on Declan’s shoulders. “Anything happens to her, I’ll kill you myself. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”