A soft cry broke from my lips, and my heartbeat thundered painfully against my ribs as I tried to convince myself I wasn’t hallucinating.
“Holy shit,” I whispered and stepped deeper into the room.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The entire room was lined with runes, and in the very center of the room was Kahleena’s sleeping body. Her frame was bathed in an ethereal, golden light that sent a sense of otherworldliness rippling across my skin and making my hands tremble. Searing heat burned my eyes as tears turned my vision into a kaleidoscope of different images.
The sound of pounding footsteps rushing up behind me had me turning, only to find Ryder there, frozen in shock. He was staring at our daughter’s weightless body hovering in the middle of the room. Shuffling sounded, and a moment later, Zander and Cade stepped out of the shadows behind her motionless form and smirked guiltily.
“You knew?” I questioned, with pain twisting in my chest.
“Not for sure, but we felt her within the palace since the three of us are connected. Also, before she left, the last thing she told us to do was to guard her body and protect her soul that she’d left behind. Fate is playing with her and Arius, but if she cannot change his path, we’re all doomed. So, she fractured her soul, sent half to him, and left the other half here in the event she cannot change his mind.” Cade shuffled his feet, shoving his hands into his pockets. Zander frowned as worry pinched the corners of his eyes as he looked anywhere but at Ryder and me.
“You didn’t think you should, I don’t know, maybe tell us when we thought she was dead?” Ryder asked carefully. “Why? Why would you not think you could tell us about her?”
I stated with confusion and hurt that they’d thought they couldn’t tell us, or maybe hadn’t trusted us? “You could have thrown us some hints or some shit. For fuck’s sake, we thought she was dead, boys.” I couldn’t prevent the tears from escaping.
Both boys shuffled their feet and avoided looking us in the eyes. I regretted the tone I’d used, but not the words. We were their parents, and they’d allowed us to grieve their sister, knowing she wasn’t dead.
“You don’t trust us?” Ryder asked, voicing the question I couldn't get out myself through my tears.
“It isn’t that,” Cade muttered with guilt burning his cheeks.
Zander’s head lifted. “She said not to tell anyone because, if one of his little puppets were to overhear and report back to him, then she would fail. She didn’t wish to worry you more than was needed, but you should know that she saw what would happen to Faery should she fail. Arius unleashes his rage, and no one is left alive. The only path that stops that is for her to alter his trajectory and temper his anger. You told us that Arius believes the land chose him, but he’s wrong. The land chose her, and she means to protect it, even if it means getting him to agree to set aside his revenge in order to take up the mantle of king and rule at her side.”
“She can’t make that psychopath see shit. He’s an insane science experiment Spyder locked away! How could any of you three think this was the path to preventing a war?” I asked through the horror tightening my chest.
“It wasn’t as if she gave us much of a choice,” Cade offered before exhaling. “Kahleena is rather strong willed, and once she makes a plan, she sees it out.”
“Huh, sounds familiar.” Ryder grunted with a pointed look. “In the future, trust us to help you. You are our children, and we would move mountains to ensure you’re protected and make the right choices. Now, care to explain what’s actually going on and why your sister is locked in this room?”
“Kahleena said she had figured out how to save the realm. In order to be in two places, and not place herself fully in Arius’s hands, she had to fracture herself.”
“She did what?” I snapped as my mouth opened and closed. “That’s not something easily done, nor is it safe. What the hell was she thinking?”
“I don’t know what she was thinking, honestly,” Zander stated. “She only told us she was going to do it, but not when she would do it. We discovered her down here soon after she left, but didn’t know how to tell you. She asked us not to tell anyone.”
“We’re sorry,” Zander said with worry burning in his eyes. “I wish we had told you, but she made us promise. We were wrong not to include you, and we will from here on out.”
“Thank you,” Ryder said as he pulled the boys into his arms, but my focus returned to our girl, who was still in danger even if she was here as well.
Blinking rapidly, I slid my stare to where she slept peacefully. Her long, thick ebony lashes dusted her bronzed cheeks. Gold sparkles glimmered against her flesh, and her platinum-blonde hair is spread out behind her.
“Oh, my sweet girl,” I whispered, afraid to disturb her. Ryder pressed in close to my back, peering down at the child we’d thought we had lost. “When fate whispers, stand firm and cleave your strength against it until it bows at your feet. Remember who you are and who you come from, Kahleena. You are the daughter of a king and queen, and our blood runs through your veins. Our destiny may have been realized, but had we known fate would come for you so soon, we would have altered our own course so we could have stood at your side. You bring that bastard to his knees, and then do it one more time for me. Give him hell.”
“Ian is frantically searching for you, Ryder,” Adam stated, moving into the room, pausing as he took in Kahleena’s form. “That’s not weird, right? Nope . . . not weird at fucking all. Damn, she grew up. Not going to lie, she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve clapped eyes on in a very long time, Synthia. I may need you to make me one of them.”
“She did grow into a very stunning woman.” Spyder chuckled, causing me to spin and glower at where he, Lena, and Lucian now stood. He merely grinned and shrugged. “Hey, she’s fucking amazing, and you made her. Take it as a compliment. Do you know how many pretty people make ugly babies? And since I’m not a total asshole, I will warn you that if that kitty looks my way, I’ll be offering her a ladder to climb.”
“I would keep that fucking ladder in your pants. That’s my daughter, and she’s currently in your creation’s clutches.” Ryder’s voice shook with warning, but Spyder held his hands up exposing the palms. “I’d say she’s probably had enough of bugs fucking with her lately.”
“Simmer down, Daddy. Even with her time-warp aging, she’s still a little young for me.” He snorted while waiting for Ryder to unclench his fists and jaw as the threat of violence eased.
“What the fuck type of ladder are we talking about?” Zander asked, causing both Spyder and Ryder to spin and pin him with a look. “Nah, because when I mentioned it, you thought it was hilarious, but when he said he would offer for Kahleena to climb it, you lost your shit. I’m totally missing something, and I’d rather know now than fuck up and offer to climb that ladder myself.” Ryder and Spyder shared a look before they fought laughter, which appeared to break the last of the tension.
“I’ll take you to get your own ladder someday, kid,” Spyder offered.