Perilous Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #2)(13)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

William liked to remind me of it. “From the beginning you have let her make all of the decisions. Is it not time for you to take over?” He stared at me with a stony expression.

I had thought about going to her room after leaving the celebration. I even got close enough that the guard offered me admission, but at the last second, I decided not to disturb her sleep. Everything was so new to Charlotte, and I did not want her to think that my appearing in her room so late at night implied any expectation for her to do anything she was not ready for. I understood that she was not prepared for a physical relationship, and I was patient.

“William, as much as I desire to see Charlotte, she will not be taken as a prisoner. I will wait for her to come to me.” I just did not know how much longer I could wait. As if in answer, a sensation of heat flowed through me. I stopped speaking and let my sword fall to the ground.

“Calvin? Are you ill?” William asked with genuine concern, his frustration from earlier slipping away.

Looking up at William, I was almost unable to speak the words. “She is back.”

“Speak again? Charlotte is back in Energo?”

“Yes, I can feel it.” My entire body reacted. It was as though a part of me long dormant had been turned back on. An image of Charlotte flashed before my eyes. In the momentary glimpse, I noticed her long brown hair was pulled back, and the sadness on her face was unmistakable. My body jolted. I could also sense where she was. When I had given Charlotte the rose pendant the night after she was released from the dungeon, I had not expected to need it so soon. I never imagined she would leave my side. The rose allowed me to track her within Energo. All Gerards gave similar tokens to their Essences. I had felt some guilt when I realized she did not understand its significance, but it had to be done.

The time apart made my physical reaction to Charlotte’s return incredibly strong. I never anticipated it would be so clear. I often fantasized that the power of the crystal rose failed, and Charlotte would walk through the doors of the castle to find me. Shaking off my thoughts, I let myself breathe in the realization that Charlotte had returned.

“Do you want me to bring her to you?” William asked.

“Not yet, but soon.” As tempting as it was to have him leave immediately, I reminded myself of the words I had spoken to him earlier. It had to be Charlotte’s will.

I recognized that Charlotte was back in Energo for reasons other than a reunion with me. She had returned to help the Resistance. Blake had consulted with me on a plan to take out the Resistance, since he had discovered their base. I did not like to think about the kind of death toll that would bring to my people. Even though I refused to bring Charlotte to me against her will, I needed to see her. If for no other purpose, I had to make sure she was safe.

“Tell me when, but once again, I stress you should not wait long.”

“I understand your view, William.” I struggled to keep my voice steady, but the thought of how close Charlotte was unnerved me. “Do you not have other work to attend to?”

“Of course.”

After I sent William on his way, I allowed myself a moment to close my eyes and imagine what it would be like to be with Charlotte again. I could almost feel her body in my arms, the taste of her lips. I could picture the way she looked at me as though I were the only man alive. As hard as it was to pull myself out of my imaginings, there was work to be done. I put my thoughts of Charlotte away until the evening, when I could be with her in my dreams.

Chapter Seven

Kevin

We left the caves at dawn. I didn’t look forward to the journey, and I was exhausted before we left. It was difficult to say goodbye to Charlotte, after only one day together, we were going our separate ways. For years, it had just been us. Up in Alaska, Dad had never been around, and as much as we got on each other’s nerves, we were close. Leaving her to go away to school was hard enough; walking away from her knowing that she could be captured at any time was terrifying.

Samantha caught up to me as we headed to the shores of the Lenia Ocean after a long morning of hiking. “She is going to be fine. She can take care of herself; she is the Essence.”

“I know she’s the Essence, but she doesn’t understand her abilities, and neither do I.” No matter what anyone called her, Charlotte was still my little sister, and I wanted to protect her.

“Whether she understands or not, the power is within her. Hopefully, she will find your mother and get proper instruction. But that is not what is really bothering you, is it?”

“What do you mean?” I searched Samantha’s face, looking for a clue as to what she was implying.

“You do not want anyone else doing your job. But the truth is that Monty, Liam, Lawson, and James can protect her as well as you can.”

“That’s not it…” I started to argue, but then stopped. When I thought about it, Samantha was dead on.

“Do not even try to deny it; I am always right. You will figure that out one day.” I thought she was being serious for a second, until she laughed. I had never heard Samantha really laugh. I liked it.

“So what was your year like? Did you really train recruits the whole time?” I struggled to make conversation, a new experience I didn’t enjoy.

“It kept me busy, and I was glad to help. This is the first time I have been away from the caves since you left.” Samantha fidgeted with the straps of her pack. It was such a normal action that it made her seem less intimidating somehow.

“So you didn’t mind staying put the whole time?”

“No. Not really. I have spent most of my life at the caves. I know that I am good at teaching combat, and I did my job well. When you believe in the cause, no sacrifice is too much.” Back in my world, hearing a gorgeous girl make a comment like that would seem off, but it seemed so natural coming from Samantha that it didn’t surprise me. In a world full of traditional women, I’d managed to fall for a warrior chick, maybe because I liked a good fight.

Henry caught up with us. He had fallen behind for a while, probably trying to give us space. “We are getting close. We need to veer right.” We were supposed to meet up with Naomi at the shoreline. She had gone ahead to make sure the path was safe and to find us a boat. Having someone in your group who could shift into a cat came in handy when you wanted to stay under the radar.

“Great, we are making good time.” Samantha picked up her pace, and Henry and I matched her.

“So is the place we’re going like Energo?” I asked.