My Last Breath (Book one of The Portal Series)

Foul Play. CHAPTER FOURTY-ONE

A brief goodbye with my lover was more than just a tragedy, where I concealed my emotions and left my words unsaid. The last moment I removed my eyes from the beautiful blond angel, they became heavily glossed over with tears.

I began to drag my feet the whole way, only until my chaperone indicated I was stalling and was hindering us from arriving on time before the star rise. With immense sadness I obeyed, looking over my shoulder countlessly with the hopes that Perry would appear out of thin air.

As the time progressed and my tear ducts dried up, I became numb, standing on my front porch unannounced with a castle guard as my escort. The front door is swung open abruptly, revealing my alarmed uncle who's frantically asking about the stranger next to me.

"He's a castle guard." I admit, initially expecting to sneak into the home during these early morning hours alone.

He gestures me inside and only thanks the guard, which is abnormal behavior considering he will talk a man's ear off. His reaction puts me on high alert and I follow promptly understanding something is off.

I'm invited inside to complete chaos with Luke in the entryway of the home. He's notably disturbed, with dark circles under his eyes and hair that sticks up on end. He stares at me for a few seconds while the door shuts and locks but then goes back to wandering through the front of the home.

He puts his hands on anything, repositioning decorative pieces on shelves, picking up randomly placed objects, and examining the woodwork of the home. He wanders by the front door, scanning out the window carefully then retreating into the living room to do the same.

I break down immedietly as the terrible news is revealed to me by my uncle. My numbness has dissolved, making me overwhelmed with this furious emotion. I'm more agitated than I've ever felt before.

I don't want this situation to be a reverse boy who cried wolf but seriously how many instances has Koda left unexplained and not come back reasonably? I should have known Koda would come up missing!

Thinking there's foul play is hard to believe and I suspect he's left on his own accord with Estelle but what if that isn't the case? A foreseen fear is that we'll convince ourselves he will come back as always, but then maybe this time he won't and we'd be too late.

I'm informed that my grandparent's have taken little Jarin to their beach house on the coast of Elyria to prevent him from discovering the truth. The truth that Koda and Estelle went out two days ago and never returned.

Since then, Uncle Marek has been staying up to survey the home incase of intrusion. Luke has been refusing to leave his father's side, staying up on his own accord for a second set of eyes and hands. They fear the Hunters will come for the rest of the family, showing a ptsd like symptom of anxiety from past events.

They reveal that a search party has been assigned to go through the Province City, and that they'll contact my aunt as soon as possible with any information. Though under his breath my uncle comments that the Hunters very well could be behind this.

Having to say goodbye to my lover forever was a tough feat, but I didn't expect to come home to a distressing panic. My family is emotional, angry, and confused, causing an anxiousness inside of me to build. Now, I don't have Perry to calm me and it makes me unable to contain my parrinoia.

Can't nothing ever go well? I just got back from a dramatic trip and now instead of succumbing to my bedroom to cry like I'd planned, we have to be on high alert and pray to the heavens they're found.

My eyes start becoming droopy of exhaustion and I wish to sleep but I can only crawl into my bed, sitting in the fetal position. I'm unable to be comfortable, recalling my last slumber when Perry held me tight in his arms. His body against me was heavenly, making me feel this buzz I'll only experience with him.