Their Light

Special Chapter - Kent Meeting Hadley

Kent

"Where is she?!"

Finn's voice was clear. We had just returned from Domu. Upon entering the Statio, the voice of my younger brother was the first thing we heard. Relief filled me. He was here. He was alive. All sorts of scenarios had been running through my head ever since we had gotten word he was taken. I shared a look with Ryder, and we moved to the stairs.

"What do you mean? Maybe she's downstairs." Caspian sounded sleepy, as if he had just woken up. It was pretty early.

I pushed down my confusion. I needed the facts. Finn had been missing, but now he was here. And there seemed to be a mysterious girl that they were concerned about.

"She feels far away." Ryder sped up at the sound of Peter's voice. I followed his lead. I didn't understand what Peter meant by feeling her. It could've been part of his ability. He could lock onto people, but they had to be very familiar to him. He mostly used locations to teleport.

"I feel it too," Finn added just as we turned the corner into the hall. My theory fell apart upon hearing his words. There was no reason Finn should be able to sense anyone.

I surveyed the corridor. They were clustered around the guest bedroom. I focused on Finn immediately, scanning him from head to toe. My relief continued to grow. He appeared uninjured.

"You're okay," I stated. I could practically feel Ryder's glare. He stared them down, focusing on Caspian.

"A message saying so would have been nice." Caspian winced.

"I forgot to send it," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. He straightened and pointed at us. "You should be happy that's the only thing I forgot. You are never leaving me in charge again. I can't take it. I found a gray hair last night, gray!"

I ignored his tirade and focused on the guest bedroom. Why were they standing in front of it? Vaguely, I was aware of Ryder approaching Finn. I knew he would need more than just visual assurance that our younger brother was okay.

"How the hell did some Malum catch you?" Ryder asked, glaring at Finn.

"I forgot my sabers," he admitted in a small voice. He straightened and motioned to the room. "But that's not the issue here."

"Extra hour of endurance training for the next two weeks," I told Finn, turning to face them. Ryder nodded. I expected Finn to argue, but he didn't.

"Fine," Finn replied before turning back to the bedroom. "Where the hell did she go?"

"Do we have a visitor?" Ryder asked, glancing between the guest room and Finn.

"Technically, yes," Peter replied, following Finn into the room.

The first thing that caught my attention was the window. It was wide open, curtains blowing in the morning breeze. The covers on the bed were disturbed. Someone had slept there last night. An empty plate sat next to the open window.

Finn stormed into the bathroom, catching my attention. He didn't find what he was looking for if his disappointed look was anything to go by. The others followed us inside. I focused on my hearing, letting the sounds in. It was like unlocking a lock.

Like the wind I could feel from the window, I moved through the house in mind, sorting the various sounds. I could hear the heartbeats and locations of my entire team. There wasn't anyone else on the property.

"There's no one in this house but us," I said after a moment. Ryder nodded, probably having used his hearing as well.

"Was she taken?" Peter asked, horror filling his eyes.

"She ran," Zeke stated.

"She wouldn't do that," Peter said, but his words were weak. I could see the doubt in his eyes.

"Who the hell are you talking about?" Ryder snapped. My twin had little in the way of patience. Our younger brother didn't either. Apparently, I had gotten all the calmness and patience in the family. Finn took a deep breath and began explaining.

"Long story short, I got captured by some Malum. Met a Probus who knows absolutely nothing about what she is. We convinced her to come back here after the others rescued us, but now she's gone." He blurted, the panic apparent in his words.

"You forgot the part where you and Peter touched her and got Affinitas markings," Isaac said, appearing in the doorway. His words flowed straight into a yawn.

I blinked and blinked again. I understood their words, but comprehension hadn't set in. Ryder moved forward, shaking his head. He pulled Finn's shirt down. We stared at the black marking on his neck in shock. Immediately, Ryder turned to Peter and did the same. Identical impossible Affinitas marks.

"What the fuck! We were only gone three days!" Ryder exclaimed. I was getting a headache. I rested my forehead on my hand, rubbing my temples.

"How do you lose a Probus?" I asked, feeling defeated. What would the universe throw at us next? Thinking about my twins' words, I agreed with him. We were only gone three days. How does this much happen in that amount of time?

"We can explain more later, but we need to find her. Something's wrong," Peter said, placing a hand over his mark. The seriousness of the situation snapped through my shock. We had a missing Probus to find. I could focus on that.

"Fuck, okay, Peter," I said, looking at him. "If you are Affinitas with her, you should be able to sense her location and use that to teleport to her."

Affinitas was the ultimate connection between people in our society. Before now, it was a connection solely reserved for Probus. The familiarity I thought about earlier didn't matter anymore. Affinitas overrode the need for that. There was nothing more familiar than one's soulmate.

All eyes in the room found him. He froze for a moment. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. We needed to find her. I had to focus on one step at a time. I had to, or I would get overwhelmed.

"I've got her," Peter said without opening his eyes. Ryder stepped forward and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"I'll send you the coordinates," he said, meeting my eyes. "Let's go."

Before I could say anything, they were gone. I cursed my jump first, think about it later, twin. I felt the need to save the Probus just as much as he did, but we didn't know what we were walking into. Turning on my heel, I rushed back down the stairs.

"To the car, now," I ordered over my shoulder. I felt the others following me. I drove as fast as I could. Ryder sent us the location almost immediately, thankfully. We pulled up in front of a large warehouse right as they were exiting.

A young woman walked with Peter and Ryder. Ryder carried a bleeding, whimpering dog in his arms. I didn't know what had happened, but like always, Ryder hadn't waited for backup. At least they all appeared to be okay. Well, everyone but the dog. I winced hearing it cry.

Finn headed straight for the Probus. "You just find all sorts of trouble, don't you?"

She laughed and then groaned in pain. I focused on her at the sound. My eyes enhanced automatically. I took back my earlier assessment. She was not okay. She needed a healer. I glanced back at the warehouse, wondering if there was someone we needed to take care of in there.

"Open the back for the mutt," Ryder huffed.

"Thank you," she said, looking at him. "I'm Hadley."

"Ryder."

"The other identical brick wall is Kent," Finn told her. I glared at him, but he just smirked back.

Caspian opened the back, and Ryder laid the dog down. Hadley surged forward. Instinctively, we formed a wall at her back. I was shocked when she placed her hands on the dog and began healing him. I looked around, making sure there weren't any curious eyes.

A beaten Probus' first concern was a dog who appeared to have been shot. It was unbelievable, but I was seeing it with my own eyes. I prided myself on being logical and thinking with a clear head. I couldn't deny what I was seeing. Even in pain, she introduced herself to mere Kustos and laughed with Finn. This Probus was a conundrum.