The Story of the Trees - Sword, Ring, and Crown Book One

Chapter Thirty-Four

I dashed more tears from my eyes and looked at the empty gateway where Luis had stood.

"Luis!" I stumbled forward in the snow and fell back onto my knees.

"Madeline, you cannot go after him. The snow is too deep!"

My eyes were wild as Luke helped me to my feet. "He's out there alone! I have to explain that you were comforting me. I have to explain!"

"What is there to explain? Look!"

He held up something, and I gasped. It was a green jewel, the color of peridot with streaks of copper running through it. A gem—another one. My heart dropped as tears burned my eyes.

"What does that even mean?" I turned away from him and the stone, but the truth was already sinking in. I knew exactly what the stone meant, but it seemed impossible. I shouldn't have fallen for Luke—not like this. Not just because he took me to see my mother's grave. I couldn't let this be real.

But it was.

 "It means..." Luke's voice softened, but he wasn't letting me run from this. He held the stone as if it explained everything. "This jewel is a symbol of your rightness. It means, Madeline..." His voice lowered, taking on a husky edge that sent shivers down my spine. "That you are everything I hoped for. That you will be the one who saves us. And that you'll be my family..."

"If I lose even Luis," I whispered hoarsely, "it means I can lose all of you. It means I can lose you. I need to find him."

Luke's expression grew more tender, and before I could protest, he swept me off my feet, cradling me against his chest as though I weighed nothing. "What you need," he said, voice firm yet gentle, "is to get home and stop blaming yourself. You did nothing wrong. I am your husband, same as he is. If the dog is not back by morning, we will search for him until we need to leave for the trial."

"Stop calling him a dog, and put me down." I glared at him, but there was no heat behind my expression. I sniffled and hit his arm, as his reminder rang in my mind like the sound of the stone at the Becoming ceremony.

Husband.

Luke was my husband. He spoke of inevitabilities once the Becoming ceremony happened.  

I wasn't ready to accept that the second person to give me a stone was Luke. He'd been the one to grab me from my comfortable world into all this madness. 

But he was also the one that was giving me answers to questions that Luis knew but never shared. 

I closed my eyes, trying to steady my breath. I still needed Luis. Despite everything, I needed him to make sense of this chaotic world.

"Put me down," I whispered, my voice catching, and I began to struggle again. I wasn't sure I could hold on to all of them without falling apart.

He started walking with me firmly held in his arms. "Stop struggling, or I shall put you over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes." He looked down at me with a brow creased with worry. "You are frightening me, Madeline. Please let me help you. It is dark outside, and it would be difficult to find him right now. I swear, in the morning, we'll go looking."

I surrendered, knowing he was right but no happier about it. He took me back to the mansion and deposited me in his study.

Adrian came in, looking concerned. "What's going on? Where's Luis?"

I shook my head, unable to say the words. "He ran off," I managed after a moment, my voice hollow.

Adrian's face tightened with concern. "Why?"