Truth: A Valkyrie Saga Book 3

Chapter 6 - Unwanted Interest

Nothing was for sure. We didn't have any proof. But I knew Elijah and I were of the same mind. My brother had just met one of The Hidden. From his description, 'met' was a little strong of a word for what happened, but one thing was for sure. She was a female and she was incredibly strong. What if Ray wasn't as unique as we assumed. What if there are dozens just as powerful as she was living somewhere within the void.

Would Ray finally discover the place that she belongs and leave us?

Dread nearly took my breath away as I considered that possibility. Ray irrevocably changed my life the moment that she stepped into it. I couldn't go back to how things were before. It would be like going back to only seeing black and white once you discovered the beauty of color. I loved her and wanted only the best for her. I just prayed that we were what was best for her.

-Max Nilsen

I pushed us and the SUV into the void so that we wouldn't draw too much attention. Once we were in the void, we could see that Elijah and Max were standing right in front of us. Before I could say or do anything, Derik lunged forward and cupped Elijah's head in his hands, clearly searching for any injuries. Elijah didn't pull away and instead just reached over and placed his hands on Derik's waist. I watched as they shared an oddly intimate moment and the longer that it lasted the more I started to wonder. Were Elijah and Derik a thing? Like did they have a relationship that went beyond just being clan mates?

The more that idea started to grow within my head, the more it made sense. I had never seen either of them with a girl or even heard them talk about anyone they were seeing. They always seemed to be together and worked incredibly well with each other. I had always thought that was because they were linked, but maybe there was more to it. Not that it really mattered, I was just curious. And focusing on their possible relationship status was distracting me from what I really needed to be worrying about. What had happened to Elijah?

I tore my eyes away from Derik and Elijah and looked over to Max. He was standing stiffly and looked worried. Something really serious must have happened. I walked over to him and straight into his arms. Hugging Max was one of my favorite things to do in the world and always made me feel more balanced. More able to face whatever the world was going to throw at me next.

When I started to shake a little because my nerves were getting the better of me, Max talked gently as he tucked my head under his chin. "It's okay. Everyone is going to be okay. We will figure this out and everything is going to be okay."

But the buzz in my head told me that Max didn't really believe the words that he was saying. He didn't think that everything was going to be okay.

"What happened?" I questioned and pulled away from his chest.

It was Elijah that answered, "I was listening to the Queen and Hernan talk when this woman walked into the room. She went completely unnoticed by everyone but me, and she could see me. When we made eye contact she called a Weapon and the next thing I remember was Max waking me up. She must have attacked me somehow."

What? Elijah was attacked inside the void? It was quiet as everyone took a moment to fully digest what Elijah had just told us. My mind was still stuck on the fact that someone else was in the void. Ever since I was a child I had been spending time in the void, and I have never seen anyone else there that I hadn't brought.

"He had a fairly big concussion. Meaning that she hit him in the head, knocking him out. But I didn't see any sign of her," Max told us in a low, concerned voice.

We were in the void now. Were we in danger? The void had always been my safe haven. A place that only I could reach and could take shelter in. Now I scanned the surrounding woods looking for the intruder that threatened that sense of safety. Connor must have been thinking along the same lines because he reached out to take my hand and said, "Let's take this back to the house. I am sick of being at the palace."