Beckoning Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #1)(35)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

“Well done, both of you. I think this serves to remind us of how natural a calling the Essence and Gerard are.” Blake stood uncomfortably close to us, and I tried to suppress a shiver.

“Yes, we will fulfill our duty proudly,” Calvin said, still beaming. His pride and bliss seemed limitless, and it made me feel guilty for being out of sorts.

“I am sure you will. Your power and strength will only increase the more you are together. I look forward to watching you flourish. But Calvin, may I borrow Charlotte for a moment?” I noted that Blake didn’t ask for my permission.

Calvin looked hesitant, but walked away, keeping me in his line of sight.

“You did well, Charlotte. I had little doubt that you would, but I wondered if it would work the same way since you were raised outside our borders.”

“Blake, I have done what you asked of me. When can I go home?” The words were hard, and I hardly realized I was saying them. I hadn’t even been thinking of home before Blake joined us; I had been so lost in the feeling of contentment I felt with Calvin.

“Home? Charlotte, your home is here. Do you not want to be with Calvin?” Blake looked pointedly over at Calvin, who was eyeing us curiously.

“Yes, but I also miss my family. I’m sure they are starting to get worried,” I argued, standing my ground.

“I would be happy to send word to them for you, but for now you must stay here. Think of what poor Calvin would do if you left now, before you even got to know one another?” Blake was clearly trying to make me feel like the bad one, but I didn’t fall for it.

“He would understand. He could come with me, of course,” I told Blake firmly.

“Your place is here. The sooner you accept that, the easier it will be. It is time to grow up; you are not a child anymore. We would not want you to meet the same fate as your mother, now, would we?” Blake asked icily, and with that, he walked away into the crowd.

Calvin immediately appeared at my side. “Charlotte, are you all right? You look a little pale.” I felt anger welling up inside of me. I could hardly breathe, my anger was so intense. I reached toward Calvin, knowing that his touch would calm me. Just as my senses had improved after the Ceremony, Calvin’s presence had an even stronger effect on me.

Calvin took my hand in his again, and I started to feel better. “Your eyes are so beautiful, Charlotte,” he said suddenly.

“Thank you.” I accepted the compliment without blushing as much as I expected.

As soothing as being with Calvin was, I still felt off. I suddenly started to rethink my time at the castle. Had I been blind to Blake this whole time? Had I not realized how mean he could be? Telling me to grow up? The way I saw it, I had been handling the events of the past few days very well for a fifteen-year-old. With the way he had mentioned my mother’s fate, I started to get a sick feeling that he had something to do with her death.

“Calvin, I’m suddenly very tired. Would it be all right with you if I went to bed?” I asked, hoping he wouldn’t be disappointed. At first I had been tempted to share my fears about Blake with Calvin, but I couldn’t ruin this event for him. Calvin looked happy enough to burst. Still, I knew that I couldn’t celebrate anymore.

“Of course, may I escort you to the stairs?” Calvin clearly wasn’t upset by my request.

“Please do,” I responded, and he smiled.

Calvin held onto my hand as we walked down the long hallway. The foot of the stairs was dark, with only a few sconces lighting the stairway. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me lightly on the lips. I felt a jolt of energy and warmth. He pulled away slowly, as though reluctant to lose the touch.

“Goodnight, Charlotte, my love. I hope you have the sweetest dreams. I know that I will be dreaming of you tonight like I do every night,” he whispered.

“Goodnight.” I hugged him before I reluctantly started up the stairs. It was hard to say goodbye to him, feeling anxiety and a sudden emptiness at leaving him, but I knew that I had to get away from the party.

I looked back down the stairs as I neared the top and saw that he still stood watching me; I waved and walked down the hallway to my room. At the door to my room I found an armed member of the Bravado standing guard. He nodded, and I entered my room.

Tara was already waiting. She offered to help me change, and I agreed, appreciating her help getting me out of my dress. Afterward, I told her she was free to go to bed. She left quickly. As soon as the door closed behind her, I heard a key turn in the lock.

Chapter Nineteen

Kevin

The air felt humid when I awoke the next morning. I thought I was used to humidity after growing up in Charleston, but this was even worse. The weather in Energo was full of extremes. The air had felt dry when I went to sleep the night before.

My sleep had been fitful and full of dreams, most of which involved Charlotte running away from me, always a few steps out of my reach. Monty insisted we take some time to train, but I felt like I was failing my sister by taking so long to get to her. Wasn’t I supposed to be the strong one, the fast one? I started to feel like a weakling who couldn’t even protect his own sister.

I tried to shake the dreams as I quickly finished the water and bread given to me by Tomas. I looked over at Monty and Liam, who both seemed as out of it as I did. Monty looked more worn than I ever remembered seeing him, or maybe more than worn, he looked scared. I got the feeling that if Monty was scared for Charlotte, then we were in trouble.

After breakfast, we quickly cleaned up and changed into different clothes. Liam and I weren’t thrilled about it, but Monty convinced us that we didn’t need to call any unnecessary attention to ourselves. Dressed in our new clothes, we followed Tomas into a huge open space at the back of the cave. My jaw dropped when I saw that Percy wasn’t alone; he was standing next to a girl in her late teens. She was tall, with her blond hair pulled back, and she wore boots that only emphasized her height and her unbelievably long legs. She looked directly at me, and I tried to act disinterested. I quickly shook myself; my sister was missing, and her safety came first.

“Gentleman, this is Samantha. She will help with the training.” Percy gestured to the girl beside him. I tried to hide my surprise. This girl was going to help us train?

“Samantha was brought here as a young child after her parents became prisoners at Bellgard. Luckily, she has agreed to accompany us on our rescue attempt, and I assure you she will be an important asset.” Percy looked at her with pride.