Curse of Ash

Chapter 4

Reeves was twenty when he met her.

Lani.

She was everything a young man could want in a woman: caring, kind, beautiful, intelligent.

She came from a decent upbringing, a nice family. Their union would make a great match for themselves, and their families, and even anyone associated with them.

Lani was an only child, her parents' pride and joy, and their only chance to better their lives.

It was a chance encounter that Reeves bumped into Lani on the streets of Freyhaven that day. A slight nudge, and Reeves had fallen in love.

What he didn't know was that it was the beginning of the end for him.

Lani was his undoing.

But he loved her. He loved her as deeply as any man could love a woman.

When they were married, it was the best day of Reeves's life.

When Lani found she was with child, Reeves thought he could never be happier.

It all ended too soon.

—

Alyvia threw open the door to Jenner's bedroom with a bang. She didn't even bother to watch her brother shoot up in his bed, grabbing at the dagger he kept under his pillow and throwing it in her direction. She merely kept moving to the dresser on the other side of the room, not even flinching at the deep thud of the knife impaling into the doorframe behind her.

"Get up now," Alyvia demanded. She opened the dresser, grabbing the first shirt she found and tossing it to her brother who was already having his legs into his pants.

"What's wrong?" Jenner took a look around the room as if he would find the answers there. Then he asked as realization dawned on his face, "Where is Reeves?"

Because of course, if one of the Lebrees were not present when panic ensued, then there was real trouble being stirred up.

"He's gone," Alyvia said, striding back out of the room with Jenner on her heels.

"What do you mean gone?" Jenner asked. When Alyvia looked over her shoulder, Jenner had just peeked his head into Reeves's room, coming out with his brows furrowed, shoving a hand through his sleep mused blond hair.

"I mean gone, Jenner. He wasn't in his room, and I—" Alyvia paused. She had only ever told Reeves about her drams of that magical forest and the creature that always slept within in. She had never told Jenner, not for a lack of trust or thinking he wouldn't believe her when she was sure they weren't just dreams, but she never told Jenner because he wouldn't understand, not the way Reeves always did. Not the way Reeves would in the sense that he was the only real parental figure Alyvia had. Jenner was her goofy, older brother who taught her how to handle a sword and take a punch. But Reeves was her strong and resilient caretaker who taught her how to read and tell time and held her when she was scared or sad.

Reeves was the one who wiped her tears away when Jenner pushed her down.

Reeves was the one that showed her the constellations when Jenner had long since fallen asleep.

Now Reeves was missing, and something inside Alyvia was starting to crack at the emptiness.

"We've just got to figure out where he went and get him back."

Focusing on figuring out what happened was the first step, and she couldn't stray from that.

Jenner was now beside Alyvia, matching her rushed strides with his easy long ones. "Did you check outside? You know he likes to look at the stars late at night."