Costin,” I whisper in total awe of this moment with him.
“Our love brought back the light, Princess.” He leans in, placing a gentle kiss on my neck, inhaling deeply. When he lifts his head from my shoulder with a small smile, I can see everything shining back through his tear-filled eyes. Every emotion I was sure I, alone, felt. All of our past. Our love, loss, struggle, pain, laughter, tears, and now… there is more. A future. A promise. Now we can have more, together. Because there, in his loving gaze, is something I should have seen from the beginning. The truth. I was never alone. The Knight didn’t really abandon his Princess. He sacrificed himself just as he predicted he would. I’m his…
“Always.” We say together right before our lips meet again. This is where I will rebuild. This love will survive. This man is my future.
Chapter Twenty-One
Andrew
The Laporte house has gone silent. I know Douglass was the one responsible for leaking my information to the authorities. He knew about my daughter, hurt those kids, and used his son’s love for Eliana to get close to me. He played both sides, finally settling on the losing end. He knows I am coming for him. He is the reason I can’t be with my daughter. Not that she wants me there. I can give her this, though. I will free them and make sure Douglass suffers for what he has done. Eliana ended Richard. She is stronger than I ever imagined, and she is a fucking vision. I know they could handle him, but what can I say… I have always enjoyed the screams.
I creep into the house silently and head down the hall where I hear harsh whispers.
“Put down the knife, Dame. It’s okay now. It’s over. I’m okay. See?” A clatter that I assume is the knife falling echoes through the room, and I slowly open the door, looking in. The man wraps her in his arms, both covered in red, and Douglass Laporte lays motionless at their feet in a pool of his own blood. Well, I’ll be damned.
“It’s okay. You’re my girl, Lilabelle Fayre Maxfield. I am so sorry. You and me. Forever. I love you, Dame.” He rocks side to side with her in his arms, humming softly. Costin was right; they are enchanting. Covered in blood, the pull is even stronger.
“There you are.” Kendrick smiles down, kissing her gently when she finally stops shaking. “We need to go, Dame. We can’t stay here.”
“No, you can’t.” I step into the room.
“Get back!” Kendrick yells, grabbing the knife from the floor and stepping in front of her.
“I won’t hurt you. I came here to…” I gesture to Douglass.
“Oh yeah? Why do you suddenly care now?” he spits.
“My daughter. Eliana. You know her, don’t you?” They both nod solemnly.
“Is she okay?” A soft voice floats from behind the man, and though he attempts to move her back, she ducks under his arm, still peeking at me.
“She is. Are you?” I ask, the vulnerability in her gaze reminding me so much of my Poppet’s the night I found her that I want to take her and shield her the way I failed to do with Poppet. But it’s too late for both of them. The damage is done.
“I am. That box is for her. They are Joshua’s treasured memories. He showed me a picture of her from it once, and I knew he would want her to have them. Nothing good should be left in this place,” she replies firmly, tipping her chin up and stepping around Kendrick to pick up the small box from the floor. He grabs her arm when she steps towards me.
“Lilabelle, no.”
“Listen to him, little dancer. You need to leave here. Trust no one, especially not me. And I can’t take that.” I nod to the box. “The police.” I chuckle, thinking about the man hunt… if I didn’t have the friends that I have, I would be fucked. It pays to know people… well, it pays to know shit about people.
“Tell you what. I will handle this mess, make sure none of this is traced back to you, and you can take that to my daughter?”
“You said not to trust you,” Kendrick snaps.
“I did, but this is mutually beneficial. I have the connections you need to make this disappear, and you have the access I have been denied.”
“Okay,” Lilabelle whispers, taking Kendrick’s hand.
“Clean up first. You can’t go anywhere looking like that.