Page 43 of Royal Beast (Royals of the Underworld #1)

DARCY

I can’t sit still. I’m pacing the hallway outside Clary’s room, my hands shaking as I try to hold myself together.

The rhythmic beep of the machines attached to her is the only sound filling my ears, and it feels like it’s slowly driving me mad.

Every time it beeps, I imagine something else is wrong with her, and my heart drops all over again.

I try to calm my breathing, but it’s no use. Every second that passes feels like an eternity, and the longer I stay here, the harder it is to control the rage and fear building inside me. They’ve done this. Whoever took Rose—they’re doing this to us, to me. I can't just wait any longer. I can’t.

Clary needs me. But Rose needs me more.

I turn on my heel and walk down the hall, past the nurses’ station, past the sterile white walls and fluorescent lights. I know where I need to go. I’ve been avoiding it, hoping I wouldn’t have to face him, but there's no more time for hesitation.

Liam is standing guard outside Max’s door, his posture rigid, like he’s just as on edge as the rest of us. His gaze flickers to me, and for a moment, he doesn’t say anything.

But I don’t have any more patience left to give.

“Liam,” I snap, my voice sharp, echoing down the hallway.

His expression tightens like he’s trying to keep something from spilling out. I know he doesn’t want to tell me anything more than he has to. I know it’s been hard on him too, staying here while his brothers go to fight their enemy. But I can’t wait. Not anymore.

“Where is she?” I demand. “Where’s my daughter?”

He looks hesitant, his jaw clenched. But I won’t let him off the hook.

“Liam,” I say, this time quieter, but no less intense. “I need to know. Now.”

After a long, unbearable pause, he exhales a shaky breath, his eyes darting to the door behind him, like he’s checking for anyone who might overhear. Finally, he meets my eyes again, his own filled with guilt and frustration.

“We think we know where she’s been taken.”

I feel my heart slam in my chest. “What does that mean? Where is she?”

Liam shifts uncomfortably, but he doesn’t look away. He’s trying to protect me, but I don’t need protecting anymore. Not from him, not from anyone. I need answers.

“They’re keeping her at the old shipyard,” Liam says, his voice low. “The one on the edge of town. We didn’t know for sure until just now.”

I freeze. The words hit me like a punch to the gut. “I need to go there. Now.” I don’t care that he’s looking at me like I’m insane. I don’t care that there’s a part of me screaming to stay safe and wait for backup. I won’t. Not when I know where Rose is.

Liam opens his mouth, likely to try to stop me, but I don’t let him. “I’m not asking, Liam. I’m not going to sit here and wait anymore. I need my daughter.”

He looks torn, like he knows I’m right but is still trying to keep me from rushing headfirst into danger. Finally, he relents, giving a sharp nod.

“I’ll get you the exact location,” he says, voice tight. “But Darcy… this isn’t something you can handle on your own. It’s too dangerous. They’ll kill you without a second thought.”

“I’m not asking for your permission,” I snap, cutting him off. I don’t care. The only thing that matters right now is getting Rose back. Whatever it takes. I’m coming for you, Rose . And nothing is going to stop me.

Taking off, I drive like hell to get across town in record time.

Once I get there, I slam my car door behind me and barely take a second to breathe before I’m moving toward the shipyard.

My hands shake, but I can’t focus on that right now.

All I can think about is Rose, her little face twisted in fear.

Wondering if she’s been hurt, if they’ve done something to her.

The place is eerily quiet. I don’t see or hear any of the Russian men anywhere, but the signs of a recent fight are everywhere.

Crates are broken apart, bloodstains smeared on the dirt, and too many signs the fight didn’t end well for anyone.

My heart skips a beat, panic rising in my chest, and I call out for Rose before I even realize I’m doing it.

“Rose!”

My voice echoes in the stillness, and for a moment, it sounds like the only sound in the world.

I take a few more steps forward, my eyes darting from container to container, trying to figure out where they might’ve hidden her.

I don’t know where to start, but I can’t stop moving. Every second feels like an eternity.

That’s when I hear it.

“Darcy!”

I freeze.

I know that voice. It’s Kellan, but it’s not quite right.

He sounds like he’s been through hell, but when I turn toward the sound, I don’t see the bloody, broken version of him I feared.

He’s harried, his clothes torn, but he’s standing.

Not as bad as I imagined. Still, there’s a weariness in his eyes that makes my heart ache.

“Kellan!” I run toward him, my pulse quickening, relief crashing into me like a wave.

“Don’t freak out,” he says quickly, hands raised as though to stop me, but his voice is tight, his expression strained. “I’m fine. I’m fine,” he repeats, but I know that’s not entirely true. He looks past me, scanning the area. “Rose is still here. They put her in one of the shipping containers.”

I glance around at the men gathered to help look for her. Lucky and Rory are already moving toward a row of containers, Brody and Miles close behind them. They’ve all split up, combing the place like this is some kind of sick game, and we won’t stop until we win.

I follow Kellan to the nearest shipping container. He wrenches the door open, the metal groaning under the force, but it’s empty. My stomach drops. This is worse than I expected.

Kellan doesn’t stop. His jaw tightens and his eyes are already on the next container. “We’ll find her,” he mutters, and I can hear the resolve in his voice.

We don’t waste time on the next one, or the next. We tear through the containers like we’re searching for a needle in a haystack. But with every door that opens to reveal nothing, my chest tightens further.

“Rose!” I scream, my pulse thundering in my ears. I close my eyes for a second. She has to be here. I can’t lose her.

I turn back to Kellan, who’s already pulling at another container. His face is tight, his body still, but there’s something in the way he keeps moving forward, the way his hands grip the metal doors with purpose. It’s the same fierce energy in his eyes. He won’t stop. He won’t give up on her.

“Rose!” I call out one last time, my voice trembling as I fight to keep it together.

“Mommy! Daddy!”

I freeze.

Rose.

It’s faint at first, but then louder, stronger. My breath catches in my throat. I whip my head toward the sound, adrenaline flooding my veins.

“Kellan did you hear that?” I don’t wait for him to answer. I’m already moving, racing toward the direction of her voice. My legs are shaking, but I can’t stop. I won’t stop.

Kellan’s right behind me, just as desperate. “Rose!” he calls, urgency lacing his voice. I can see the same frantic hope mirrored in his eyes.

The next container I pass, I rip the door open, almost too fast, too recklessly. It’s empty.

But the voice calls out again, stronger this time, more certain.

“Mommy! Daddy!”

Kellan reaches the container just a moment before me, and with a force I didn’t know he had left, he throws the door wide open.

There she is.

Rose is curled up inside the container, her small body huddled in the corner. Her face is streaked with tears, and she’s trembling, but the sight of her—alive, breathing, still here—makes my heart soar.

I rush to her side, falling to my knees in font of her.

“Rose,” I whisper, my voice breaking as I pull her into my arms. “Oh, my God, baby, I thought…” I don’t know what I thought. All that matters is that she’s right there. She’s alive. She’s here.

“I was so scared, Mommy,” she cries, her little hands clutching onto me like she never wants to let go. Her sobs are ragged and desperate, and I hold her tighter, trying to reassure her that she’s safe now.

Kellan kneels beside us, his hands on Rose’s back, his touch gentle as he strokes her hair. His voice cracks when he speaks. “We’re here now, sweetheart. You’re safe. We’re not going anywhere.”

Rose pulls away slightly, looking up at us with wide eyes. She’s pale, her face flushed from fear, but she’s still here. She’s alive.

“Mommy,” she says again, her voice still small, barely above a whisper.

“They told me to stay still or they’d hurt me.

They put tape over my mouth. And around my hands.

” Her eyes dart down to her wrists where the tape is still stuck, but I can see it’s starting to peel off, the sticky edges barely holding on.

My stomach twists in pain, but I swallow it down. I can’t fall apart now. Not when she needs me.

“I remembered what you said,” Rose continues, her voice trembling as she glances up at us, her eyes still full of fear, but there’s something else there now, a kind of strength that seems oddly familiar.

“You said to yell really loud when it was safe, and break the tape like this.” She demonstrates on the torn tape.

Something bubbles up in my chest and I laugh, half-hysterical at how wonderful Rose is, how brave and clever.

“You were so smart, sweetheart,” I whisper, cupping her face in my hands. “I’m so proud of you. You didn’t give up.”

“I was so scared,” she says again, her voice cracking. “I thought you wouldn’t find me.”

“Oh, baby,” I say, choking on the words, the lump in my throat making it hard to speak. “I’ll always find you. We’ll always find each other.”

After that, we head straight for the hospital. The doctors immediately rush us through, making sure Rose is checked over as quickly as possible. She’s tired and drained from the ordeal, but the only thing wrong is a little dehydration. I almost collapse from relief when they tell us.

“You’re one tough little girl, Rose,” the doctor says as she checks over Rose one last time. “You’re going to be just fine.”

I’m so overwhelmed, I don’t know whether to cry or laugh. Instead, I just smile at the doctor, nodding in agreement. “She’s my hero,” I whisper.

Kellan’s beside me the whole time, standing just a little too still, his eyes constantly moving between me and Rose. I can tell he’s keeping it together for her, but I can feel the tension in his body, the aftereffects of the fight still coursing through him.

Rose is sitting up on the bed now, finally drinking the water the nurse gave her. She looks a little more like herself with every sip.

When they finally leave us alone for a moment, Kellan takes my hand, squeezing it tightly. His touch feels comforting in the midst of the storm we’ve endured.

I look down at our daughter, marveling at her. She’s so small, so fragile, yet she’s so strong. I can’t believe she remembered the stuff we taught her.

As I watch her, something builds in my chest, a thought that rooted inside me ever since I found Rose. She could have died and Kellan would have never known the truth. I have to tell him.

“Kellan,” I say, my voice low, almost hesitant.

He looks up at me, his eyes searching mine, a question in them.

“I have something to tell you,” I add, a lump in my throat.