Their Light

Chapter 18

Kent 

It didn't take me long to get the reports typed up and sent to Domu. I wondered if ours was the only district seeing an increase in activity. I hoped it was just us. Numbers like this would overwhelm us if the trend continued.

A part of me wondered if it was connected to Hadley. It was an odd coincidence, meeting her and this increase in Malum activity. I hadn't included her in my reports. Not yet. There was no telling what the Praeses would do.

I heard squeals and running from downstairs. Glancing out the window, I watched Hadley run into the yard, a smile on her face as she darted away from the others. She was finally opening up to us. My heart felt lighter at the sight.

At first I felt apprehension about the bond, but the more time I spent with her, the more my opinion changed. Her interactions with the others merely sealed the deal. It was like she was made for us. All of us.

I hadn't given much thought to Affinitas. It wasn't a possibility for me before now. I never imagined it felt like this, though. I had seen Probus interact with their Affinitas before. It was hard connecting those interactions to the connection I now felt with Hadley. There was something there that seemed off to me. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, though.

My twin was definitely not of the same opinion. He wanted to run as far as he could and let his self-doubt ruin this for him. I would not let that happen. I would make him see the truth, whether he wanted to or not.

Heading downstairs, I searched for my twin. He and Finn had gotten back from patrol mid-day. Peter was cooking lunch for everyone. It smelled amazing, just like usual. I pulled Ryder aside, and we headed up to the office. I closed the door behind us.

"What did Fischer say?" I asked him. He glared at nothing in particular.

"He can't find any records of this happening before, and the Praeses has never granted permission to sever a bond." I felt that there was more he wasn't saying.

"But?"

"But he couldn't find any records before the end of the dark ages. It's like nothing existed before that. He couldn't find any originals either from that time to now. Everything has been digitalized. It could be nothing," he said, his voice trailing off. I knew neither of us believed that.

"Do you really want to sever the bond?" I asked him, getting to root of what had been bothering me.

"We do not belong with her," he growled at me. Being his twin, his growl did little to intimidate me.

"Why?" I wouldn't budge on this.

"A Kustos doesn't deserve a Probus. We're poor excuses of Kustos anyway," he said. "She deserves more than us." I walked in front of him, making sure I had his undivided attention.

"When are you going to stop spouting their words?" He blanched before recovering. His glare hardened. "Affinitas comes from Fato de Sorte. Who are we to question fate?"

He said nothing, moving his glare to the floor. I rested a hand on his shoulder. He shuddered once, letting me see just a glimpse of that vulnerability he hid so well. Without another word, he turned and left. I knew he would think about my words, though.

Days passed in the same routine. Training in the morning, patrols midday, some of us getting to spend precious time with Hadley. She learned more about our society each day. Every new tidbit of information she gleaned from us seemed to just increase her frustration, though. With us and the society as a whole.

I didn't disagree with her points, but to say so in my position would be foolish. The idea of her being on the Praeses one day, though, allowed me to feel hope for something that I had long since dismissed as impossible. Hope that things would change. Hope that Kustos rights may come to fruition.

I observed something else that I thought was impossible. Ryder began opening up to Hadley. Not a lot, but it was a start for both of them. They were similar in many ways. A hard shell to protect them from getting hurt, from people getting too close.

A knock sounded on the door, bringing me out of my thoughts. I yelled for whoever it was to come in. A small head of blonde hair peaked around the edge of the opening door.

"Hadley," I greeted warmly. I had a few reports to finish up, but her company was always welcome.

She smiled at me before turning to the bookcases that lined my office. She still looked at them with such wonder. I remembered the first time she had found this place. It was the same day Isaac, Caspian, and Zeke had chased her into the yard.

____________

I had stepped outside of my office for just a moment to use the bathroom. Entering again, I froze, shocked to see Hadley standing near the fireplace. She stared at the bookcases, eyes wide. I knew a look like that anywhere.

Glancing around, I took in my office with fresh eyes. The room was large for an office but still had a cozy feeling to it. The walls were completely covered in floor to ceiling bookcases overflowing with books. A large wooden desk sat in the back of the room, covered with papers. Two large comfy chairs sat in front of the fireplace off to the right. I made a noise as I entered, drawing her attention. She startled, obviously lost in her own thoughts.

"You like to read?" I asked her, though I was confident I knew the answer.

"I love reading," she admitted, looking more shy than I think I'd ever seen her. "But I haven't had much access to books recently."

"Well, now you do." I motioned to all the shelves. "Feel free to come in here whenever, read whatever, borrow them, keep them."

"Oh, I couldn't take them. But I won't pass up the opportunity to read them," she said. "There's so many, though. It would probably take quite a while to read them all."

"Sounds like you should stay awhile then." She glanced at me before looking away just as fast.

"I'm not going anywhere at the moment."

We looked through the books together, pointing out our favorites or ones we had always wanted to read but never had the time or the chance. She picked out a Jane Austen novel and curled up in one chair. Joe laid down at her feet. I swore if that dog wasn't following her around, it was Ryder's shadow.

"Thank you for sharing your space with me," she said.

"Anytime."

I went back to work, but I kept sneaking glances at her. She was in another world. I think a bomb could have gone off outside and she wouldn't have noticed. I watched as she chewed on her lip lightly as she read. It was adorable how her nose twitched and sometimes a smile would play on the edge of her lips. I could've watched her forever.

___________________

Picking out a book, she curled up again in what I've begun to call her chair. I finished my reports fairly quickly and went to leave, wanting to give her some quiet time to enjoy the book. I knew I needed some peace and quiet sometimes, especially when living with these guys.

A scratch at the door caught my attention. Joe pushed the door open and looked around the room. Silently, he made his way to Hadley and curled up again at the foot of the chair.

"If you need anything, just let us know," I told her, moving towards the door. She glanced at me and then the empty chair and then back at me.

"Wait, wo-would you like to join me" she asked. I could tell she was embarrassed, but I didn't care. My heart was racing, jumping for joy, you name it. It was going crazy. The effect this girl had on me. It was astounding.

"I'd love to."

Feeling like my smile would no longer fit on my face, I sat in the chair across from her, picking up a book of poems as I went. We said nothing. We didn't need to. Enjoying the companionable silence of the library, we immersed ourselves into the fictional worlds of our books and for just a while everything else melted away.

***Their Light is complete on my Patreon! The first chapter of the sequel Their Hope will be posted tonight or tomorrow!! Happy Reading!