Haunting Shadows (Book 2)

Chapter 26

Kalen and Mallory were ushered out of the Wilston mansion soon after my declaration. Everyone in the room had stared at me like I had grown a second head or something, and neither Kalen nor Mallory would believe me. Eventually, they came to terms with it and James all but threw them out of the house.

Natalia was busy drawing me a bath, claiming I still looked like shit even though her father had healed me. “After you clean up and feel more human, I think you and I have a lot of talking to do, little sister,” she said with a kind smile, but there was a layer of something else beneath it, something I couldn’t place. While I liked Natalia, I was still wary of her.

“Thank you, I’ll try not to take too long.”

She waved me off. “You’ve been through a lot and you need to relax. We’ve got time, so don’t rush it. We’ll deal with all these complications over dinner or breakfast, frankly I don’t care which. We’ll talk and confront our father again together, this time robbing him of the shield of company.

I smiled at her. She seemed so kind and caring. Exactly how I imagined an older sister to be. I felt a sudden pang of hurt that I didn’t get to grow up with her and learn to know her as a sibling. This was going to be awkward.

With a gentle squeeze of my shoulder, she left the room and me completely alone. I pulled off my mud-stained boots and got rid of my clothes. It was a relief to finally be free of the dirt and I sunk into the warm water. It burned my skin, but I reveled in the pain. After everything, I was still alive and that was an accomplishment in of itself.

I hadn’t felt myself drifting to sleep, but when the familiar ballroom came into view, I knew I was dreaming. I crossed my arms over my chest as Kalen stepped forward.

“I still can’t believe you’re alive,” he said, his words carrying a hint of awe.

“I can’t believe you ever thought I was dead in the first place! You could’ve visited my dreams, spared me from my nightmares, but never once did you. You just assumed I was dead,” I accused, no longer worrying about keeping that sense of betrayal out of my voice. The situation had been amended: everyone I cared about had betrayed me in some way.

Kalen seemed to fumble for words. “I felt your energy leave this world. I felt your death as if I was standing right there next to you. You cannot blame me for believing you were dead. I tried to reach you, to contact you in the dream landscape, but I couldn't find you. You were gone. Even now, your energy is barely traceable to me.”

“Then explain this dream.”

He brushed a frustrated hand over his hand, disheveling his hair. “I needed to talk to you, so I kept at it until I found you.”

“So talk, I’m listening.”

“Lana, do you have any idea how huge this is? Me, a prince?”

“That was not where I was hoping you’d start,” I said, my eyes narrowed.

Kalen looked confused and again, I felt that stab of annoyance toward him. “Then where would you like me to start?”

“What about you start with why you didn’t support me when I was talking to Mallory about Raphael?” I demanded.

He sighed – my irritation flared. “You expected me to destroy her view of a man she clearly idolized? I’m not that cruel.”

“So instead you left me hanging and looking like a fool. Gee, so kind of you. I had forgotten all about your chivalrous nature.”

“It’s not like that!”