The Sun's Shadow

Chapter Twenty-One

Before it was too late.

Her hand reached out to him in desperate hopes of ceasing his desire to become a killer. Even if she could pinch a thread on his shirt to leverage him, she believed she could stop him. That belief manifested deep within her heart and ushered forth a dormant power within her.

When she went to grab his arm that was now out of reach, a spark shot from her fingertips and into the empty air between them. Kaanan paused his harrowing pursuit mid-step.

Ele manifested it once more and this time trusted in the energy that wanted to be set free. Light crystallized around the pads of her fingers, encompassing her hand as well. The feeling of little pinpricks coursed through her hand and all the way up her arm.

Power. A wonder she's never possessed.

She raised her hand with her palm out, aiming the light and channeling all her willpower into stopping Kaanan. He could feel the sensation licking the back of his neck and turned to face it, accepting it only because she wielded it.

They both knew he could have dodged to avoid it... Raced up to her to snap her neck and end this frivolous strike. His eye twitched in the millisecond that he decided he'd stand his ground.

Ele released the buildup of light that had grown too immense for her to control any longer. It hurled towards the intended adversary and blinded all in sight, even the Queen had to pry her eyes from the unexpected explosion of pure sun on this dark night.

When the blast subsided, all that remained was the Prince. Her Prince. Limp on the ground. His wings had dissolved in the flash of light and what remained was just him. Ele rushed to be at his side but, with her speed, his mother got there first. To interrupt them felt wrong, so Ele hovered back. He recovered fast and the first signs of him blinking made her shoulders relax.

The Queen, however, did not take this lightly.

"Are you okay? Where are you hurt? Can you feel your legs? Speak to me!"

If only she'd give him a chance to speak...

"You!" She spat at the girl who saved them all but looked at her with reproachful eyes. "You caused all of this!"

Charles put himself between the females, unsure of which one he protected more. He stood there, cleaning blood off his hands with the hem of his shirt and talked some sense into his Queen.

"Would you have rather she didn't get involved and allowed your son to kill the King?"

"He wouldn't-" Even as she tried to argue it, reality dawned on her and she sucked in a shaky breath. "Oh, the gods hate us."

Charles looked back at Ele, who now looked down at her hands as they trembled.

No one expected this quaint faenix to have the archaic ability to channel the sun gods, especially in the dead of night, with so much animosity and darkness engulfing her. The once docile girl turned into a formidable foe against the vampires now.

"Child? Are you alright? None of this was your fault, if anything..." He trailed off as the apology got stuck in his throat.

Ele, always the kindhearted savior, crossed her arms and tucked her hands under them so they could do no more damage. Then she smiled. He felt so undeserving of her kindness that he felt sickness rise in his stomach. Either it was her doing or all the alcohol he consumed to drown his sorrows...

Kaanan looked beyond his mother and to the now-smiling girl that saved him once again. How dare she smile in a time like this? How dare she stand there, still in the presence of monsters, and smile.

His lip twisted in disgust and the Queen jumped back, expecting the darkness to resurface. All eyes snapped to him, even his slowly healing father tensed.

His uncle came forward, hands raised cautiously. "Kaanan? Do you think you can stand and walk yourself back to your chambers? I'll meet you there shortly. I'll personally see to it that Eledorah returns to her room safely, if that will ease your mind?"

Everything was a question. Every word hovered on requesting permission to even move a muscle. And even the doctor's normally steady voice shook with fear.

Kaanan couldn't bring himself to look at her again. If he saw her sweet face approach him, he might have to really scare her into running away. The beast within delighted in the thought of instilling fear into his one weakness.

Chase the girl away and he'd never have to hide his true form.

He nodded, deliberately scooting himself back and away from everyone before standing. He did not dare make eye contact with a single soul on the way to his room. With each step he took, he felt the untethering of his connection to the one who anchored him.