Darkness Revealed (A Loki Love Story) Book 2 in Darkness Series

Darkness Revealed- Part 1

(His point of view)

I am standing just outside of the iron gates of the temple. It feels so wrong to be here without her.

Thunder rumbles angrily overhead. I feel the faint droplets of water pelting down onto my exposed skin. Their coolness is a welcomed sensation against my heated and aching body.

I reach out my wrist and graze it over the lock just as I have seen her do so many times before. I almost smile in relief as the faint sound of a click echoes through the air around me. The gates swing open slowly, creaking and moaning in an eerie voice. Instead of mounting Darkness, I keep his reigns in my hand and lead him in behind me. As we come to the ornately antique doors of its entrance, I suddenly find myself feeling nervous. I have never been in here without her, and I honestly have no idea what to expect. I pray with all that is within me that she presents herself to me.

I tie his reigns to a thick branch of a nearby tree that offers sufficient coverage from the now steadily falling rain. I double check the knot that I have tied before feeding him a handful of oats that I had stashed within the confinements of one of the cloak pockets. Then, I pat his nose one final time before pulling the hood of the cloak up over my head. Finally,  after taking in a deep breath, I begin to make my way inside.

As I close the doors behind me, I remove the hood from covering my face. I make my way forward until the glorious altar sits just at my feet. The aura of this place stuns me each and every time I am in its presence. I look around, feeling awkward and unsure. It is so quiet, but unlike most silences, it is somehow comforting and settling. Despite all of the horrific events of late, I feel an odd sensation of peace beginning to creep into the pores of my skin. For a moment, it seems to settle my rising nerves.

As I scan the base of the altar, a disturbing thought comes to mind. Normally when I am here, she is at my side, leading me along.

The emptiness in my chest doubles as I find myself remembering the very first time she had brought me here. The day that I received my sacred mark.

I sigh, fighting the uncomfortable tightness that is building within the confinements of my rib cage. I avert my eyes from the altar's steps up to the enormous stained glass window just in front of me. The very same mark that brands my skin is identical to this one as it is encrusted within the precious confinements of glass. It is a marvel in its colorful beauty. I take in another long breath, gazing up at the riot of color whist feeling more lost than ever. I have no idea what I am doing.....

Finally, I decide to follow Christine's example as I had seen her bow so many times before. It seems that this is the only thing I can come up with to do. I kneel down, bowing my head, all the while feeling more anxious with every intake of breath. Perhaps I should....pray?

I close my eyes. The silence around me only grows in intensity as I focus on my inner most thoughts. My desires. I want to have her back here with me. Safely in the embrace of my arms. I want her to be happy, far away from any more despair or pain. I want to see her face smiling up at me in its tender, loving care. I want to hear her laughter echoing throughout the garden's foliage as I chase after her. I want to hear her soothing voice as it reads stories of medieval romance out loud to me.

The tightening grip in the void space where my heart once peacefully rested aches in a terribly irregular rhythm. I can see her face so very clearly in my mind. Those burning, green eyes as they search into my soul.

Adrielle, if you can hear me....I beg of you....please....tell me what I must do to bring her home. Please.....tell me that there is a way.......