Page 41 of Royal Beast (Royals of the Underworld #1)

DARCY

M y mind runs wild, spiraling with one terrible scenario after another. Each one is more horrifying than the last. I see Rose in my head, my baby, my precious little girl. Hurt. Crying. Bleeding out. Or worse—God, I can’t even think it without feeling like I’m going to be sick.

Anxiety churns in my stomach, twisting tighter and tighter until I’m convinced I’m going to throw up. My legs feel like jelly, and my breaths come short and sharp, but I can’t let myself completely lose it. Not now. Not yet. I need to hold on, just a little longer.

The clock on the hospital wall ticks with agonizing slowness, the seconds dragging like hours.

Every tick feels louder than the last, mocking me with how long this is taking.

Where is Kellan? He said he’d be here soon, but time feels warped, stretched unbearably thin by my panic.

I know the hospital is on the way between his office and the crash site, but the wait is unbearable.

The thought of Rose, of my sweet little girl being somewhere out there, scared or hurt, makes my chest ache. I can’t stop the awful images that flash through my mind, no matter how hard I try to push them away. She needs me. She needs her mommy. And I’m sitting here, completely useless.

Finally, headlights sweep across the hospital’s entrance. My head snaps up, and I bolt to the sliding glass doors as Kellan’s car screeches to a stop. He jumps out, and the second I see him, my legs almost give out from sheer relief.

“Darcy!” he calls, his voice sharp but steady.

I rush toward him, my hands trembling as I grab onto him like a lifeline. “Kellan, we have to go. Please, we have to go now.”

“We’re going,” he says firmly, wrapping an arm around me and guiding me to the passenger side. “Come on, let’s get you in the car.”

The moment I’m buckled in, he’s back behind the wheel, the engine roaring to life as he pulls onto the road. My hands shake in my lap, twisting the hem of my sweater until the threads threaten to unravel.

“What do you know? Have you heard anything?” I ask, my voice breaking.

He shakes his head, jaw tight. “Nothing new yet. But we’ll find them. We’ll find her.”

The determination in his voice keeps me tethered, keeps me from losing my mind. I cling to it, even as my mind threatens to spin out of control.

When we pull up to the crash site, the scene is a flurry of flashing red and blue lights, shattered glass, and the wreckage of what used to be Clary’s car. My breath catches in my throat as I take it all in, the chaos almost too much to process.

Rory is already there, his tall frame hunched over Clary, who sits in the back of an ambulance with a paramedic hovering nearby. Blood streaks her temple, staining her pale skin, but she’s alive. She’s talking, her hands moving as she speaks to Rory, who looks like he’s barely holding it together.

Kellan barely gets the car in park before I’m out, running toward them. Rory glances up as I approach, his expression grim.

“Where is she?” I demand, my voice cracking. “Where’s Rose?”

Rory’s silence answers before he does. “She’s not here.”

“What?” My legs almost give out. “What do you mean, she’s not here?”

Kellan catches up to me, his hand gripping my arm to steady me. “What the hell is going on?” he growls, his tone sharp as he addresses Rory.

“She’s missing,” Rory says, his voice low. “The responders haven’t found her. Clary doesn’t know where she is either.”

I turn to Clary, who looks up at me with tear-filled eyes.

“A big, black SUV started tailing us. It wouldn’t stop.

They were right up on our bumper. They forced me to run the light,” she stammers, her voice shaking.

“I tried to keep control, but when they tried to ram me, I ran the red light to get away. I got hit…”

“Where is Rose?” I demand again, desperation making my voice shrill.

“I don’t know,” Clary says, her face crumpling. “When I came to, she wasn’t there. I don’t know what happened to her!”

The world tilts on its axis. My knees buckle, and I would’ve hit the ground if Kellan weren’t holding me.

“Stay with me, Darcy,” he orders, his voice steady.

“She’s gone,” I whisper, tears blurring my vision. The world wobbles around me.

Kellan’s grip tightens, and I feel the tension radiating off him. “We’ll find her,” he insists again, his voice low but fierce. “Whatever it takes. We’ll find her.”

The ambulance lights cast eerie shadows across the scene as Kellan and I stand frozen, trying to make sense of the chaos. Clary sits on the edge of the ambulance bed, her hands trembling as she recounts everything she remembers.

“I didn’t see much,” she says, her voice shaking. “It all happened so fast. The SUV came out of nowhere, rammed me into the intersection, and then… after the crash, I was in and out of it. But…” She hesitates, her brow furrowing as if something has just occurred to her.

“But what?” Kellan demands, his voice sharp.

Clary shakes her head as though trying to clear the fog in her mind.

“When I was at the hospital earlier today before I picked Rose up, there was this man. He had dark hair and was standing near the nurse’s station, just watching.

At first, I thought he was waiting for someone, but now that I think about it… ” She trails off, her face paling.

“What?” I press, my heart pounding in my chest.

“He was wearing sunglasses,” she says slowly, the realization dawning in her eyes. “I thought that was weird. And when I left with Rose, I swear I saw him again, outside, near the parking lot.”

A cold chill runs down my spine, and I look at Kellan, who’s already piecing it together. His jaw tightens, his expression darkening with each passing second.

“The Russians,” he says grimly.

My stomach drops. “What?”

“They must’ve known Max was in the hospital,” Kellan says, his tone heavy with realization. “And they knew you were there too.”

“And that I sent Rose with Clary,” I whisper, my voice barely audible.

Kellan nods, his face hard. “They were watching. They targeted Rose.”

The world feels like it’s crumbling beneath my feet. My knees buckle, and I clutch at Kellan’s arm to keep from falling. “No,” I gasp, tears blurring my vision. “No, they can’t. She’s just a little girl. Why would they take a little girl?”

“To send a message,” Kellan says darkly, his voice tight with anger. “They think taking Rose will give them leverage. They’re trying to break us.”

A sob rips from my chest, and I turn on him, my fear morphing into desperate anger. “You were supposed to protect us!” I cry, anger surging inside. My hands fly out, slapping him across the face. “You were supposed to keep her safe! I trusted you!”

Kellan catches my wrists, holding them firmly but gently as I fall apart. “Darcy,” he says, his voice low and steady. “I’m going to get her back.”

“You don’t understand!” I sob, shaking my head. “What if we never see her again? What if she’s?—”

“Stop,” he says, cutting me off. His hands move to my shoulders, gripping me tightly enough to ground me but not enough to hurt.

“Listen to me. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to protect Rose.

Nothing . Do you hear me? Even if she isn’t my blood, she’s mine.

I think of her as mine. Darcy, I will tear this city apart to bring her home safely. ”

His words cut through my panic, anchoring me. The conviction in his voice, the raw emotion in his eyes are undeniable. For the first time, I see how much he truly loves Rose and how fiercely he’s willing to fight for her.

I draw in a shaky breath, his words settling into the cracks of my fear. But they also awaken something else inside me, the truth I’ve been holding back. A truth I’ve been too scared to tell him until now.

“Kellan,” I whisper, my voice trembling.

His brows draw together, concern flickering across his face. “What is it?”

The words are there, teetering on the edge. I should tell him. I need to tell him. But something inside me locks up.

Instead, my breath catches and I blurt out, “Please, just find my baby.”

Kellan’s eyes soften, though the determination remains. His hands stay on mine, keeping me steady as though willing his own strength into me.

“I will,” he promises, his voice low. “I will bring our child back. I swear to you.”

I nod, the lump in my throat making it impossible to say anything more.

“You need to go with Clary to the hospital,” he insists. “You’ll be safer there, and I need to focus on finding Rose without worrying about you.”

“Kellan, I can’t leave,” I plead, clutching his arm like it’s the only thing keeping me upright. “I won’t get in your way! I can help, I need to help!”

He grips my shoulders gently but firmly, forcing me to look up at him.

His eyes burn with determination, though I see the same fear I’m choking on mirrored in them.

“Darcy, listen to me. Trust me. Please. I will find her, but you have to go with Clary. She needs you right now, and I need to know you’re safe so I can focus. ”

I want to argue, but the conviction in his voice cuts through my panic. My chest tightens as I glance toward the ambulance where Clary sits, pale and shaking. She doesn’t even look up, her head bowed as though she’s caving in on herself.

“Kellan…” My voice cracks.

He presses his forehead to mine for the briefest moment, his grip still solid on my shoulders. “I promise you, Darcy. I’ll bring Rose back.”

My legs feel like lead as I step back, letting him go, my arms wrapping around myself as though that will stop me from falling apart.

A paramedic helps me into the ambulance, and the doors close behind me with a heavy finality.

Through the window, I watch Kellan as he stares after me, his jaw set, his phone already in his hand.

The ambulance lurches into motion, and I force myself to look away, pressing my forehead to the cool metal wall. The seconds stretch endlessly as I try to steady my breathing, though my mind is racing a thousand miles a minute.

Suddenly, Clary gasps beside me, jolting me from my thoughts. Before I can ask what’s wrong, Kellan’s name pops up on my phone’s screen.

My heart leaps into my throat as I answer. “Kellan?”

His voice is clipped, urgent. “It’s Brody. He thinks he might have a lead on where Rose is.”

Everything inside me freezes, my grip tightening on the phone until my knuckles ache. “Where?” I choke out, the single word a prayer.

“I don’t know yet.” His voice is tense, like he’s holding himself together by sheer willpower. “Stay at the hospital, Darcy. I’ll call you as soon as I know more.”

The line disconnects before I can respond, leaving me staring at the phone, trembling.

A lead.

Please, God, let it be true.