Elyse~
The room smells of lavender and woodsmoke, too soft, too clean, like a dream I can't trust. I'm on a bed in Kael's castle, the sheets crisp against my bruised skin, a world away from the grime of Zane's club. My eyes are heavy, my body a leaden weight, the ache in my bones a reminder of last night—blood, claws, Kael's roar tearing through my nightmare. My heart pounds, a trapped bird beating against my ribs, and I clutch the blanket, my fingers trembling. Safety's a trap, a lie men weave to cage you. I've learned that over twenty years in Zane's grip, my spirit battered but unbroken. Yet Kael's touch was gentle, his arms steady when he carried me, and it's unraveling something inside me, a thread I'm terrified to pull.
Lila's face haunts me—her fierce hazel eyes, her smirk that dared the world to break her. My twin, my fire, torn from me six months ago when Zane split us to crush my will. I see her in every shadow, hear her voice in the quiet, urging me to fight. Is she alive? Hurt? The thought twists a knife in my gut, guilt and fear tangling like thorns. I was too weak to protect her, too broken to keep her close. My breath hitches, a sob I swallow, and I press my palms to my eyes, willing the panic away.
A soft knock pulls me back, and Mara enters, her brown curls bouncing, her blue eyes warm as sunlight. She carries a tray of soup and bread, setting it on the nightstand with a care that makes my chest ache.
"Hey, Elyse," she says, her voice gentle, like she's coaxing a wounded animal. "Thought you might be hungry. It's chicken noodle—Mom's recipe, not Kael's, thank the gods. He'd burn water."
I blink, caught off guard, and a faint laugh escapes, sharp and unfamiliar, like a crack in ice. But it fades fast, Lila's absence swallowing any warmth. I pull my knees to my chest, my hands still trembling, and stare at the soup, its steam curling like a ghost.
"Thanks," I mutter, my voice hoarse, scraped raw from screams I never let out.
Mara sits on the bed's edge, careful not to crowd me, her smile persistent but not pushy.
"This place is overwhelming, I know," she says, tucking a curl behind her ear. "When I first came to Ironfang, I got lost in the halls for days. Swear the castle's got a mind of its own. Ever been somewhere that feels… alive?"
I glance at her, my guard up like a wall of thorns. Her kindness is disarming, but I've seen kindness turn cruel too many times.
"Not really," I say, my tone flat, my eyes dropping to the blanket. Lila's smirk flashes in my mind, and my heart clenches—she'd know how to handle this, how to charm or fight her way out. I'm just… lost.
Mara doesn't flinch at my curtness, her eyes bright with determination.
"Fair enough," she says, leaning forward. "But you're here now, and that's something. Want to tell me about yourself? Favorite food? Horrible habits? I bite my nails, total disaster. Kael says I'm a menace with a fork."
Her chatter is light, like she's trying to weave a net of normalcy around me, but it grates against the raw wound of Lila's absence. My fingers dig into the blanket, my voice sharp.
"I don't do small talk, Mara. Not now."
She pauses, her smile softening, not deterred.
"Okay, no small talk. Something bigger, then. What brought you here? Not just Kael's heroics, I bet. You've got a story, Elyse. I see it in your eyes."
Her words hit too close, stirring a memory—a festival, firelight, my mother's laugh, a cloaked figure with a knife. It's fragmented, like a shattered mirror, but it burns, and with it comes Lila's face, her hand slipping from mine. My throat tightens, a wave of guilt crashing over me.
"You don't know me," I whisper, my voice trembling, barely holding back tears. "You don't know what I've lost."
Mara's eyes soften, and she reaches out, hesitating before touching my arm.
"Then tell me," she says, her voice steady, earnest. "I'm here, Elyse. I want to know."
I flinch at her touch, my body screaming danger, but her hand is warm, not cruel, and it cracks something in me. Lila's name slips out, a desperate prayer.
"My sister," I say, my voice breaking. "She's… she's out there, with Zane. He took her from me, to make me weak. I need her back."
Mara's eyes widen, her breath catching.
"Your sister? Gods, Elyse, I didn't know. Why didn't you say sooner?"
"Because I don't trust you," I snap, then wince, hating how harsh it sounds. "I don't trust anyone. Not after…" My voice falters, memories of Zane's club—rough hands, cruel laughs—flooding back. I lock them away, focusing on Lila, her defiance my anchor.
Mara nods, her expression serious but kind.
"I get it," she says. "Trust is hard. But Kael—he's different. He'll move mountains for you, Elyse. Let's tell him about your sister."
Before I can respond, the door opens, and Kael steps in, his presence filling the room like a storm. His green eyes, sharp with a scar slashing his jaw, soften when they find me, but there's a tension in him, a coiled energy that makes my heart race. He's massive, 6'5" of muscle and raw power, but his movements are careful, like he knows one wrong step could break me.
"Elyse," he says, his voice a low growl, warm yet rough, like thunder after rain. "You okay?"
I nod, clutching the blanket, my throat tight. Mara stands, her voice urgent.
"Kael, she's got a sister. With Zane. He took her to break Elyse."
Kael's eyes flash gold, his jaw tightening, and the air crackles with his rage.
"A sister?" he repeats, his gaze locking on me. "Why didn't you tell me?"
I flinch, my hands shaking, Lila's absence a weight crushing my chest.
"I couldn't," I whisper, tears burning my eyes. "I was scared. She's all I have."
Kael crouches, his eyes level with mine, intense but steady.
"You're not alone anymore," he says, his voice firm, a vow carved in stone. "I'll find her. I swear it, Elyse. Zane won't touch her again."
His words hit like a lifeline, and I want to believe them, want to cling to the hope in his eyes, but fear chokes me.
"You don't know Zane," I say, my voice trembling. "He's a monster."
"Then I'll kill him," Kael says, his voice low, deadly, and I believe him, even if it terrifies me. My heart lurches, a strange warmth blooming amidst the fear—his certainty, his protectiveness, it's something I've never known.
Mara touches my shoulder, her smile gentle.
"See? Told you he's stubborn. Also, he's terrible at chess, so if you need a win, challenge him."
I blink, a faint smile tugging at my lips despite the ache in my chest.
"Good to know," I murmur, my voice steadier. Mara's persistence, her warmth, is chipping at my walls, and Kael's promise is a spark in the dark.
Kael stands, his gaze lingering on me.
"Rest," he says, his tone softening. "We'll start looking tonight. Rowan's got scouts ready." He glances at Mara, a silent thank-you passing between them, and she nods.
"I'll stay," Mara says, settling back on the bed. "You go be the big bad alpha, Kael. Don't break anything."
He snorts, a faint smirk breaking his intensity, and it's disarming, like a glimpse of the man beneath the storm.
"No promises," he says, then leaves, the door closing softly behind him.
Mara turns back to me, her eyes bright.
"He means it, Elyse. He'll find her. But you need to eat, okay? That soup's getting cold, and I'm not above bribing you with cookies."
I glance at the soup, my stomach twisting with hunger and fear. Lila's out there, and I'm here, in this cage of kindness, torn between hope and dread. A strange sensation stirs—a flicker of something, like a dream where I'm running, my senses sharp, the world alive with whispers. It's gone as fast as it came, leaving me shaken. I pick up the spoon, my hands steadier now, and take a sip, the warmth grounding me.
For Lila, I'll try.
For Lila, I'll fight.