Angelfall (Skyfall #2)

Ch.38 Soul's Solace

The smile on Posey's lips vanished in an instant. Her eyes grew a bit wide and her skin paled, "What?"

"Kia..." Kiara said slowly. "Lyla's mother. Where is she? Is she a demigod?"

"Lyla's mother...." Posey's voice was almost a whisper.

She stood with her eyes wide and her heart pounding in her chest. Kiara waited for her to answer, never lifting her gaze from the woman's face. She had so many questions and all she wanted was just a few answers.

"What happened to Lyla's mother?" Kiara asked, tilting her head to one side.

"She....." Posey's lips moved. "She's....."

Kiara waited patiently.

"She passed away," Posey blurted out.

"That's not what Killian said," Kiara frowned. "He said she left."

"Isn't that just another way to say someone passed?"

"It didn't seem like that's what he meant."

Posey slowly took in a deep breath and pulled on a smile, "I think I should get started on dinner."

"What about our walk?" Kiara looked at the open french doors.

"I just remembered we invited a few friends over for dinner," Posey began to head for the kitchen. "I need to let the kitchen staff know."

"Alright," Kiara said from where she stood on the stairs.

The house grew silent once more as Posey disappeared around the corner. Kiara watched her until she could no longer see her. She took a step down and shifted her attention to the garden. Killian was still outside with Lyla. If she went out, she could see the baby. But she would also have to say something to Killian. Kiara had no idea what she would say to him. He made her so nervous and she didn't understand why.

So instead of enjoying a stroll in the garden with the bees and the baby, Kiara turned on her heels and rushed back upstairs. Her heart strings tugged and begged for her to walk out into the garden, but Kiara couldn't think past the loud beats of that same heart. She felt overwhelmed with emotions as Posey's behavior ran through her mind over and over again.

What were they hiding? Where was Kia? Was she really dead? Was that why Killian's eyes had no light?

A lump began to form in Kiara's throat as each question rose in her mind. She rubbed her forehead in hopes of relieving some of the pain, but it didn't do much. With each beat of her heart, the throbbing grew and grew, making Kiara feel lightheaded. There was an odd restlessness in her, as if she had to be somewhere. She felt as if she was running late, but she had no idea where she had to be.

As Kiara walked around the halls aimlessly, she found herself in front of Killian's room. Her body stilled as she looked up and lowered her hand.

The door was slightly ajar. Kiara could see hints of a bed and a few bookshelves inside. Sunlight poured in through the balcony as the curtains blew in the wind. Taking a small step forward, Kiara placed a hand against the door and pushed it open. She looked down the hall and up the hall to make sure no one was around as she slipped inside and closed the door behind her.

The room carried Killian's scent of his soap and cologne. The bed was neatly made with empty photo frames on the nightstand table. A small bassinet was set up to the side of the night Lyla stayed in with her father. But other than that, there was nothing in the room to give away who the boy was.

Curiously, Kiara walked into the room, ignoring the way her head swayed. She walked over to the bed and ran her hand along the soft sheets before turning and walking over to the desk. She read the book titles on the shelves and examined the empty notebook he had tossed aside. Her curious fingers ran over the wood and came to a smooth stop on the handle of the drawers.