Perilous Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #2)(24)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

Know that I love you and will forever.

Calvin

I knew I’d have to meet him. It had been far too long to resist the urge to see him, even if only for a moment. I could trust him. If he planned to kidnap me, he wouldn’t have bothered with a letter.

“What did it say, Charlotte?” Monty didn’t even try to beat around the bush.

“It’s private.” I didn’t want to hide the truth from him, but there was no way he would ever let me meet with Calvin alone.

Liam flinched, and I felt a little guilty. I didn’t know if the movement was because of what I said or because he knew I was hiding something. I tried not to worry about it. Instead, I began obsessing over what it would be like to see Calvin again.

***

The rain started unexpectedly. As the storm worsened, we took shelter in a small cave buried deep in the woods. I spent most of the late afternoon glued to the fire. By nightfall, the storm had passed, but we decided to stay put for the night. As glad as I was that we had found the cave, I worried Calvin wouldn’t be able to find us so far off of the usual path. I hoped he was right and we could sense one another.

We all went to sleep early, and James agreed to take the first watch. I pretended to sleep, while really waiting for my chance to slip out. My eyes grew heavy, and several times, I almost fell asleep. If I wanted to see Calvin, I would have to use my abilities. I remembered seeing an old tree leaning close to the side of the cave. Closing my eyes, I pictured the tree and willed it to bend until it snapped.

“What the…?” James jumped up from his spot by the fire and hurried outside. Quickly pulling on my boots and wrapping my cloak around me, I didn’t waste any time. I stuffed my pillow and extra blanket into my sleeping bag, hoping James wouldn’t notice me missing in the dim firelight. I headed for the cave entrance, praying James would still be out searching for the cause of the noise. Glancing back momentarily, I thought I saw Liam stir, but I kept moving. He didn’t call out, so I assumed that he had fallen back to sleep. The cold hit me when I walked out into the open air, and my cloak did little to help. I pulled the fabric closer around me, but the wind still tore in. The ground was wet, almost saturated, and I was glad that my Energo wardrobe included boots. I moved away from the cave without running into James.

Before I could even reach out to Calvin’s presence, he had his arms around me. I started to speak, but a hand gently covered my mouth. Even in the pitch black, I knew the hand belonged to Calvin. I instantly recognized the feel of his arms, his smell, and the way it felt to be pressed against him. My body almost went limp, I was so relieved to be near him again. It was as if I could finally let go of all of the stress and fear I had bottled inside over the past year. As I let him lead me further away, I wondered if he felt the same way. A small part of me knew I should be fearful. I could very well be walking into a trap, but I just knew I was safe.

We walked further in silence; Calvin tucked me perfectly against his side. Eventually, I noticed a faint light, and realized it came from a lantern on the ground next to a horse. Calvin helped me up before mounting in front of me. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I held on tight as we rode through the night. I probably held on tighter than I needed, afraid that if I loosened my hold he would disappear. The only other time I had been on a horse had been with James when he first took me to Bellgard. The contrast of the experiences was extreme.

Calvin stopped the horse suddenly, and I squinted in the darkness to see where we were. When Calvin held up the lantern, I realized that we were in front of a single stable next to a small house. He helped me down, tied up the horse, and swept me off my feet without warning to carry me inside. The house was one large room, but I barely took in the surroundings. In the low light of the single lantern, we watched each other for a moment before he kissed me. It was like the first time all over again; I was overwhelmed. My hands moved up and twisted themselves in his thick black hair, pulling him closer to me. All of my anger melted away, and it was only us. Calvin lightly put me down on the bed and lay down next to me. I made myself pull away so I could look at him, but his kiss had left me breathless, and after a moment, I rested my head.

“Charlotte,” Calvin breathed, positioning himself on one elbow so he could look down at me. He played with my hair as he smiled, seemingly at a loss for words.

“Calvin,” I said slowly when my breathing had calmed enough to speak.

“You came.”

“Did you doubt it?”

“I feared you were still too angry to see me. After you left me… Charlotte, I do not know how much more I can take.”

“I love you, Calvin. I have thought of you almost constantly this past year. I didn’t want to leave you, but I had to.” All plans of yelling at him had disappeared the moment I found myself back in his arms. I didn’t know how much time we had together, and I wasn’t willing to waste it.

“Your loyalty to your family is admirable.” Calvin sounded so formal. By the expression on his face, I gathered he would rather we not have to use words at all. His eyes told such a different story, filled with happiness, relief, and even lust.

“It’s not just to my family.” I didn’t want to discuss politics, but my decision to leave had been the best decision for all of Energo.

“I will not pretend to fully understand what made you decide to leave, but I believe you are right about Blake.” Calvin’s gaze never left my face. His eyes pleaded with me to believe him.

“You do?” I struggled to sit up, and Calvin helped me, letting me lean back into him.

“Blake refuses to abdicate authority. I thought at first it was my inexperience with Bellgard policies, but I can tell now he has no intention of turning Energo over to us.” Calvin emphasized the last word. He made me realize that, with all of my doubts, the bond between us had never been questioned; we were a couple whether physically together or not.

Still leaning against him, I picked up his hand and traced designs across it. Even though Calvin had not worked in a field for well over a year, his hands were still calloused. It would have been so easy to lose myself in the moment, but we had to finish our conversation, even if Blake was the last thing in the world I wanted to discuss.

“Calvin, he’s planning to attack the Resistance, we have to stop him.”

“I know, and I will do all I can. But I have to be careful.” Calvin pulled me tighter to him.

Although Calvin’s letter had suggested he was on our side, hearing him say it was incredible. Not only would it be wonderful to be close to Calvin again, it also meant a strengthening of my power.