Dark One- The Khiara Banning Series Book 1

Thirty-One (End)

My phone rings at exactly midnight.

Cael and Vicky passed out as soon as we got inside, Vicky on the couch and Cael in his bed, refusing to let go of me. So here I am, my phone blasting Cara's ringtone and vibrating on the night stand, desperately trying to get to it before it wakes Cael up.

When I'm finally able to wrestle away from the sheets – and Cael's arms – I grab the phone off the night stand and whisper, "Cara please tell me you know about the weird shit going on."

"I don't just know," she whispers back. "I'm fucking living it. Patty called me, I gave her my number, and she told me to meet her at this clearing just outside of town, but I dunno, man. I'm kind of nervous to go. They say the Battle is soon, and we have to prepare, whatever that means...and Tristan is all screwy, saying he has to come with me. We're in the car...I should probably get off the phone before I kill us."

"Wait a clearing?" I ask. Why does that feel so familiar?

She replies, "Yeah, I don't know. I'm on this long dirt road right now. I'll call with updates later." And with that, she hangs up.

I move to place my phone back on the night table, but Cael stirs in his sleep, and mumbles something in Angelic before waking up and looking at me as if he's not sure I'm real. He reaches over, slowly, almost tentatively, and cups my face in one hand.

"Sweetheart, get some sleep while you can." he whispers, his voice thick with sleep. "I love you."

"Love you too," I say, kissing his cheek and settling down in the bed. "I'll try to get some sleep. Promise."

Four hours later, I awake in the car, Cael next to me in the back, and Vicky driving. "It's time," he says simply as I blink blearily at him with my still sleep-heavy eyes, and take in a surprisingly wheezy breath.

"My head hurts," I hear myself whisper.

Cael nods, and brushes aside some hair that's fallen in my face. "You had a bad nose bleed before, it probably caused the headache."

"Oh," I've been getting them more and more, but yesterday I hadn't had one, and I began to forget that they were even a thing that was happening. I forgot that my body is falling apart.

"Where are we going?" I ask, and Vicky replies, "Not sure. We'll know when we get there. Also, there's a breakfast sandwich in the front seat for you, Romeo insisted we make you one before leaving. It's probably cold now."

She says it like it's somehow my fault that the sandwich is cold, but I know it's from her nerves.

"Thanks," I say, as Cael reaches into the front seat to get the sandwich for me.

My stomach growls, right on time, and as soon as he passes me the bacon and egg sandwich, I stuff it into my mouth without thinking. Cael's eyes crinkle when he smiles at me, and suddenly I'm transported to our first date, when I did the exact same thing.

"Good thing you find this endearing," I say conversationally, through the food.

"You could take a shit and he'd find it endearing," Vicky says. I can see her roll her eyes from the rear-view mirror.

"Gross," I mumble after swallowing.

"He wouldn't find it gross. That's the whole point!" I can see her fighting a small smile.

Ten minutes later though, the car has fallen into an uncomfortable silence. Ten minutes after that, I suddenly recognize the road we turn on.

"We're going to the clearing Cara was talking about...I've...been there before?" I turn to Cael and he nods his head.