remained with her eyes closed, her hands trembling against his.
“Kianna,” he called, his voice soft.
She only pressed her eyes harder and shook her head.
“All right.” He had an idea. “Just … hang on.” He picked her up in his arms.
She gasped but didn’t open her eyes. “What are you doing?”
“You’ll see.” Holding her in his arms, he took her somewhere safe. He put her down and after making sure she was steady on her feet, he said, “You can open your eyes now.”
Slowly, Kianna’s eyes fluttered open. She glanced around, but recognition shone in her eyes. She stared across the lake, to the manor sitting atop of the hill on the other side.
She took in a shaky breath. “I can’t,” she whispered, before her legs gave out.
Devon reached for her and held her by the elbows. He softened her fall, helping her sit in the tall grass. Then, he scooted back several feet, still afraid of what she thought of him.
This morning, she had seen too much. Her mind was probably reeling. He needed to give her space, but he wanted to be here to answer her questions. He didn’t think he could answer them all yet, but he would do his best. For that, he didn’t even shift out of his warrior armor. He wanted her to see it, to realize what happened was real, and not a nightmare.
Seated on the ground, Kianna stared at her shaking hands as if they were foreign to her.
“Are you okay?” Devon asked. She obviously wasn’t, but he needed her to say something. Anything.
“D-did you see what happened?” she asked, her voice trembling as much as her hands. “Did you see what came out of my hands?”
“Yes,” Devon told her, willing his voice to stay even and calm for her. “You can wield darkness, Kianna.”
She lifted her eyes to him. “W-what?”
“You have darkness inside of you.” He hated himself for saying those words. “But your heart is pure, the purest I’ve seen in a long time. You can control it. I’ll help you.”
Slowly, Kianna lowered her hands. “What about you?” Her pained eyes rummaged over Devon. “Your armor, your weapons. What are you?”
Devon took in a long breath. “The only thing I can tell you is that I’m here to protect you.”
Kianna’s delicate brows curled down. “Is that why you’re here? Why you came to us?”
“Yes,” he confessed. “But it’s not why I want to stay.”
Kianna’s bright blue eyes filled with tears. “Don’t say that.”
Devon scooted a little closer to her. “But it’s true.”
“Aren’t you afraid of me?” Kianna shook her hands. “Of the darkness in me?”
“Not even a little,” he said, shaking his head. “Are you afraid of me?”
Kianna stared at his armor, at the weapons on his back, and finally into his eyes. He held her gaze, unyielding, unfaltering. He needed her to see that he wasn’t lying. Perhaps he couldn’t tell her everything just yet, but he wouldn’t lie to her anymore if he could help it.
“No,” she whispered, her shoulders relaxing. “Not anymore.”
Those simple words clutched at his heart and warmed it.
There was still hope for them.
Present
Kenna
Thankfully, Lia didn’t object when I told her Sabrina and Kevin would be staying with us for a few days—I didn’t tell her it was more like indefinitely. The only problem was that we had to pretend to be mother and daughter twenty-four-seven now.
The next day, I took Sabrina and Kevin to the bus stop and promised them to be there when they came back. And by the way the sky was darkening with heavy clouds, I would have to come with umbrellas.
“I won’t let anyone take you from me, okay?” I whispered, hugging them both. Then, I ushered them inside the bus.
I dragged my feet back to the house, just as Lia was exiting the front door.
“Are they okay?” she asked, walking to her car in the driveway. She had seen them briefly this morning when everyone was getting ready for the day.
“I think so.” I halted by her side. “Sabrina didn’t want to go because of the bruise on her face, but I covered it up with some makeup. I told them to call me if anything happens.”
“Good.” Lia nodded. “I’ll try to get home on time this evening, so we can have a nice family dinner.”
I smiled. Then, the smile was promptly gone. “Oh, but we need to buy groceries.”
“Oh, shit.” Lia glanced at her car. “I guess you can take me to work, then go grocery shopping.”
I nodded. “I