Retreat into Darkness

Chapter 58

Allaura Aislinn

"Allaura?"

I turn away from my friends and see my father.

"Dad." I smile brightly and run into his open arms.

"I'm so glad you're safe." He says and places his cheek on my forehead.

"Me too." I mumble and let go of him. "It's finally over dad. We can get mom now." I suggest and his face lights up.

"Yes, yes we can." He grins and kisses my cheek. "I'll go ask Alek how he traveled." He squeezes me one last time before disappearing through the sea of bodies.

The ground is piled up with dead bodies, bodies of our soldiers and Diona's. We've covered Katlynne with a large cloth, giving her some type of peace.

It doesn't feel real, having her gone. Even Katlynne. . . I killed Kate, but I didn't have a choice she would have killed Dominic and I couldn't have lived with that. But I took away her life, a life that I used to be in—she was my best friend. But Diona got to her, brainwashed her and now i've lost two of my close friends.

"Hey." I hear Caspian say softly, touching my shoulder. "You alright?"

I smile up to him, seeing his light brows eyes staring intensely into my own. "I am." I say truthfully looking directly at him. "I am." I say once again and smile to him.

I'm okay because he came back home to me.

"I was so scared." I admit and he frowns. "I felt something weird in my chest and it pulled me to you, and when I saw you-" I shake my head when the memories rush back. "I never want to have to see that ever again."

"You won't." He says. "Because you did it, you ended this war, Allaura. You did. We are all alive because of you."

I look at the covered bodies of my two dead friends. "But at what cost?" I whisper.

"I'm so sorry they are gone. But you cannot put the blame on yourself, do you understand me? Aura, look at me." He grips my chin softly and turns my head to him. "It isn't your fault. You saved us all, war comes with loss and i'm so sorry that you were the one who had to endure that loss."

"I didn't want to kill her." I shake my head. "But I didn't have a choice, she was going to kill Dominic and I—I couldn't have lived with that. I asked her to stop, I screamed for her to stop but she—I just,"

"I know." Caspian takes my head in his hands. "I know, Aura love." His thumb brushes my cheek and I lean into his touch. "But you still have me, you still have us." He jerks his chin over his shoulder, directing my attention to Dominic, Landon and Jo. "And you won't be losing us anytime soon."

I nod and push my tears away before bringing his face down onto my own, and kissing him.

It's a long, deep and breathtaking kiss. He pulls me by my waist and presses our bodies together.

"Now is not the time to have a quickie!" Jo's voice yells from behind Caspian.

He groans when he tears his lips from mine. "Shut up." He says over his shoulder and brings me to his side.