Enduring Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #3)(37)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

“We are all putting ourselves in danger. My daughter is still out there. My husband and our brother are missing. Surely I can afford to put myself on the line when I may have caused all of this.”

Theodore leaned over her. “You did not cause anything.”

Emma rested her hand on the worn wooden tabletop. “The past is the past. We need to focus on the future.”

“So we wait another day for Charlotte?” I asked.

Emma leaned back in her chair. “Yes. We wait… but not for long.”

Chapter Nineteen

Kevin

We left Mom and Theodore talking and walked outside to get some air. I needed a break, and I was grateful that Samantha had come with me. “You’re older than me.”

“So? Does that matter?” She watched the dragons fly off to hunt for food. I’d been worried the dragons were leaving, but Samantha seemed pretty confident that they’d be back.

“No. I just assumed we were the same age. I’ve never dated an older girl before.”

“Kevin.”

“Yes?”

“I am a year older than you. That is not much.”

I smiled. “You’re robbing the cradle. Completely robbing the cradle.”

“If you are uncomfortable with it…”

“Not uncomfortable at all.” I moved to sit next to her on a rock. “Very comfortable with it.”

“I cannot believe my mom united with a man from the lost world. I always imagined they grew up together.”

“Maybe the women in your family have a thing for exotic men.” I wriggled my eyebrows.

“You are an Energo man. You just did not realize it.” A look crossed her face that made me wonder if she actually believed what she was saying.

I laughed. “All right. Well, you’re exotic then.”

“I like knowing I have some of my father’s memories in me.” She looked wistful. “It is like I know him a little now.”

“It sounds like he was a pretty cool guy. Moving to another world and all.”

“I wonder why Percy never told me any of that.” Percy, Ruth’s Gerard, had raised Samantha from a young age. Samantha never talked about his death, but it had to have been hard on her.

“Most likely Ruth told him not to. The Source probably didn’t want you to know until the time was right.”

“You say it so much more naturally now.”

“What?”

“The Source. You really believe in it now.”

“How could I not?” My arm brushed against hers. “I’ve been living it.”

“I cannot imagine life without it.”

I thought about that for a second. “I think it was always there for me. It’s kind of like fate or destiny or something like that.”

“But the Source is more.”

I tried to come up with a comparison. “It’s your religion.”

“Religion?”

“You know what? Never mind.” My parents always warned me about discussing religion and politics. It wasn’t worth it.

“The Source is what guides us. I used to doubt it. My life seemed empty. I do not doubt it anymore.” The way she looked at me had me struggling for air. The look said so much more than the words ‘I love you’.

“What does it mean to unite?”

“I thought we had to wait until we were done before I told you?”

“I want to know.”

“It is a ceremony. We bind ourselves as a partnership for life.”

“Who does the ceremony? Like who presides?”

“An elder. I always thought Percy would do mine if I ever met someone. Now I do not know.”

“We can worry about that later.”

“Yes, we can.”

I kissed her. It wasn’t a passionate kiss, it was light, but intense in its own way. We’d been through so much together, and I knew I never wanted us to be apart. We may have been from different worlds, but we were so alike. I sensed that she needed me as much as I needed her, and I liked it. I wanted things to always be equal with us.

She broke the kiss and rested her head on my chest. “If we make it through all this, will you live in Bellgard?”

“That depends.”

“On?”

“Where do you want to live?”

“With you.”

“Yeah, that’s my answer, too.”

“And I was right.” She pointed at the distant outlines of the dragons. They were coming back.

“I guess you were.” I watched her. Her eyes were so big. “You want to keep them, don’t you?”

She smiled. “Am I that obvious?”

I laughed. “Just a little.”

“Do you think we can?”

“Keep them?” I pulled on a thread that had come loose from her shirt. She’d already changed back into her usual Energo clothes. I liked that she was more comfortable that way. She wasn’t trying to be anyone else.

“Yes. You think we can convince Ollis?”

“Yeah. I think we can.”

She took the tiny thread from me and tied it into little knots. She had some seriously good fine motor coordination. “We could do some great traveling with them.”

“I’d like that. There are so many nations to see.”

She smiled that breathtaking smile of hers. “I cannot wait.”

“Just remember all of these plans when things get crazy. Don’t give up, and don’t get hurt.”

“We will have the chance, Kevin. We are going to make it.”

“I love so much about you, but your conviction is pretty high up there.”

“I will stay positive then.” She stood up. “Let us get the dragons settled. We should probably get some rest.”

“Do you think Charlotte will make it back tonight?”

“No, but not because she is hurt. Calvin knows better than to travel too great a distance at night. Blake has the undead on his side. They would have the advantage in the dark.”

“The undead… how could I forget?”

“I hope that is a joke.”

I just smiled.

***

I was far too worried to actually fall asleep that night. I played it cool with everyone else, but my mind raced with the possibilities of what could have happened to Charlotte. After hours of lying awake, I bolted from my bed when I heard a commotion outside. I grabbed my sword and ran out of the cave.

Calvin held Charlotte in his arms. She was shivering even though wrapped up in a blanket. I pulled her from him, not really thinking about whether I had the right to that anymore. Energo customs didn’t matter when it came to my sister.