Broken Trust(Devastation Duet #2) - Winter Paige Page 0,56

not good.” She lifts her hand, placing it against his cheek and wiping away a tear with her thumb. “But she is a wave, too, Abel. I saw it in her eyes, and she’s not alone. He loves her so much you can feel it.”

I lift a small notecard taped to the top of the box she left, addressed to E, and smile, reading the short message.

"Read this, Abel.” She hands the card to him with a smirk. “Seems I was wrong about her being a wave after all. Turns out she’s a damn storm, and she will need your help before she’s done.”

‘One down. Three to go. If my father really wants to help me like Andrew claims he does, then tell him to come find us.

It’s time we fight back,

Loreley and Azrail’

“The names?” Abel questions.

“They have taken back their lives. They are no longer victims, Abel; they are the bringers of death. You want your daughter? Find her and help her end this.” She presses a button reclining the head of her bed with a small sleepy smile.

“We’ve beaten worse, Abel. You aren’t alone in this. We will find her,” Jaxx promises, striding up and placing a hand on Abel’s shoulder.

“Together,” Eliana whispers.

“Together,” we promise.

“Always.” I smile at her.

My beautiful strong Princess. Through it all, she is still pure light. I may have hated Joshua for having her when I couldn’t, but he was right about one thing. She was worth the wait.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Eliana

I take in the dark room, listening carefully to make sure my guys are all asleep, and then place a hand on the box still resting on my lap. I can’t put it down, but can I open it? Should I? I just let Costin back in. Would it hurt him?

“You can look, Princess. It’s okay.” I jump when Costin speaks.

“Shit! You scared me, Cos. You could have told me you were still awake,” I hiss, pressing my hands to my chest.

“Oh… yeah… I’m still awake, E.” He chuckles, standing and walking over to the bed. “Scoot over. My ass is numb from that chair.”

“Super creepy to watch people sleep, Cos.” I laugh as he carefully helps me move over a bit, making room for him.”

“Huh…” He shrugs. “I thought girls found it romantic.”

“Maybe if you were gazing lovingly while lying beside her, but you were sitting like a pervy bushwhacker in a dark corner.” I do my best to keep a straight face.

“A bushwhacker?” He chuckles.

“You heard me, creepo. Doodling your Baby Fetcher while watching me sleep… you should be ashamed.”

“Doodling my Baby Fetcher?!” He laughs.

“No? How about Sex Pistol? Pleasure Pump? Excalibur? Lap Rocket? Oh! Your Love Dart!” I nod quickly. “That one’s gonna stick!”

“It’s far too manly to be called a love dart.” Costin laughs, sticking out his tongue and scrunching his face.

“Too late, what’s done is done.” I laugh enjoying the lightness of the moment.

Sighing, I shift slightly, leaning my head on his shoulder, but tip the small box over on its side, and sober, noticing some of its contents have spilled out.

“Cos-” My voice wavers. “I love you, but his absence… it still hurts. Why did this happen to us?” My tears spill over, and I look into his eyes, begging for answers I know he doesn’t have.

“I don’t know, Princess. It’s not fair, and I wish I could fix it. I’ve tried. But we can’t change what happened. All we can do is move forward and make the most of what we have now.” My heart sinks with the thought of leaving Joshua behind, but Costin surprises me when he slowly leans forward, pulling my necklace from my shirt, and tenderly places the ring, urn, and locket against my chest. “You can take his love with us, Princess. He once promised me that he would love you enough for us both, and he kept that promise. Now, I’ll do the same for him. I’m going to give you the future you wanted, and if you let me, I’ll help you remember him. Just don’t hide from me, okay?” He brushes his thumb gently across my lip. “I love you.”

“There’s my brave knight,” I whisper. This is the Costin I fell in love with. He’ll let me hide when I need to but never alone. “I love you, too. Always have.”

I lift the envelope addressed to me in the same script as the note to Abel and place it on the table beside my hospital bed.

“Jaxx can have that. I