Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
“How’s Sol?” I asked Zephyr, unable to see him.
“He’s bleeding a lot, but the knife didn’t puncture anything important,” Zephyr replied. He carefully carried me down a path leading away from the foot of the mountains.
Theo and Sol hobbled behind us. Sol’s complexion was turning paler, but he gritted his teeth and fought through the pain and blood loss to the best of his ability.
Once we made it a decent way from the catacombs and reached the edge of the woods, we stopped to check on Sol. Theo lowered him down to the ground carefully, helping him lean back against a tree.
“I wish I killed the bastard,” Sol grumbled beneath his breath as he stripped his shirt off and pressed the bloody, bundled cloth against his stab wound.
Zephyr set me down so that I could crouch in front of Sol.
“Please tell me you’re going to be okay,” I whispered as I reached out to place my hand on Sol’s cheek. He couldn’t die. I finally made it out, and I wanted to be with all of them again. I needed to tell each of them how grateful I was because they risked their lives for me.
Sol smiled softly as he placed his slightly shaky hand over mine.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he assured me. “I finally got you back.”
I smiled back, stroking his cheek. At least he was in good spirits. As long as he kept the bleeding under control, he could easily be stitched up and healed soon. Things could’ve turned out so much worse, and I was just glad that we all made it out with our lives intact.
Theo and Zephyr sat down on the ground where all three of them circled me. I didn’t feel intimidated, though. I felt protected. Though, it was strange seeing all of them together without being at each other’s throats.
Plus, it was incredibly surprising to see Zephyr in my rescue party. We hadn’t been on good terms in a while, and I thought he didn’t care for me at all anymore. He wouldn’t risk his life for me if he didn’t care, though. Something must’ve changed.
“Did I miss something while I was gone? Because I can’t remember a time when all three of you worked together without fighting,” I questioned them as I glanced between the three of them.
“Well, there was some fighting,” Zephyr said with a smirk. “But we do share one thing in common.”
I gave them a questioning look.
“Our love for you,” Theo told me with an adoring look on his face. “We would rather put our… disdain for each other aside and save you.”
My eyes widened in surprise. I couldn’t believe that I managed to get three sworn enemies to team up just to save me. It honestly touched me, and I couldn’t remember feeling so happy in a long time. I thought that none of them would ever get along, which made being with one or the other so hard because I knew the other wouldn’t be happy. Maybe that wouldn’t be a problem any longer.
“Thank you for risking your lives to save me,” I told them sincerely.
“We’d do it again if we had to,” Sol assured me.
“But hopefully you stay out of trouble,” Zephyr lightly teased me.
I cracked a smile and nodded, feeling the tension that had clutched my body for days finally start to melt away. It was relieving being able to feel happy and amused again. So badly, I wanted my life to return to normal, but had my life ever been normal since I came to Stormcloud?
“I can’t promise you that because our work isn’t done yet,” I pointed out. “We still have to deal with Arvo.”
The mood shifted at the mention of him. I didn’t mean to kill the happy atmosphere, but we had to face reality. Now that I was free, I wanted to help protect Stormcloud and taking down Arvo was at the top of my list. He would only be angrier and more hostile when he found out that his father was dead.
“He’s probably terrorizing the new Kings he’s trying to train,” Zephyr muttered as he shook his head. “He’s ready to take over Stormcloud. He’s been preparing for this longer than I realized, and his father has probably been guiding him the whole time.”
That wasn’t a surprise to me. During the time I reluctantly spent with Edward, it became clear to me that he still wanted to have influence on the current Kings and the school. His expulsion didn’t stop his crazy ambition. It only made him more driven to take back control.
“Where’s your father?” Theo asked Zephyr as he glanced around.
Zephyr shook his head in disappointment.
“He fled right after we killed Edward,” he muttered. “I’ll hunt him down after we take care of Arvo.”
“Did he help you guys find me?” I asked. It seemed like Peter had been in on some sort of plan, and he was the one who brought the boys into the catacombs. I couldn’t think of any other way for them to know where I was other than Peter. Edward certainly didn’t share the location with them.