Trust From Within - Book 3 Daughter of a Monster Series

Chapter 22- Heavy Hearted

The destroyed room is lain before me, my eyes raking over everything. We've cleaned a lot of it up, but it's rather hard to clean up three different rooms, all of them crumbling. I walk through the rubble, examining everything. There must be something we've missed. This can't have happened for no reason.

I spot a piece of paper partially under some rock.

How did I not see it before?

I walk over to it, wedging it out from beneath the rubble, slightly ripping the edge. Handwriting covers it, and it's addressed to me.

Jade of the Nether

Hello, Princess. What's it feel like to be so scared? To be so frightened for your loved one's lives? Well, now you know how I've felt before.

I have plans for your father, and for that hot mate of your's, but, I will happily cancel them if you meet me in the meadow outside the portal at dawn, tomorrow. Yes, I was here today, and yet no one noticed. That's why you only found the note now.

Either meet me there, or your dad won't wake up from that coma, instead there'll be a new hole in his chest. From an Imorphia drenched knife. He won't be able to love you without a heart. And don't tell anyone, or Nathan gets a knife across the throat. You won't be able to heal him from death, you're not Notch.

Oh wait, he's dead too.

Bring no weapons, only yourself, and tell no one, or you know what happens.

That's all it says, and I already feel my stomach drop, my throat clenching.

"Jade, are you okay?" Nathan's voice asks into my head.

"Uh, yeah I'm fine, just looking at the rubble, that's all," I lie back. I teleport to Dad's room, stuffing the note in my back pocket. Nate instantly swamps me in a hug.

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

I need to make this right, it's my fault everyone got hurt. They would've been targeting me, or Dad, but probably to get to me. Whoever they are, they obviously want me, so they can have me. If it means keeping my family safe, I'll do anything.

Even if it means I join Notch.

I look over at Dad and I see his eye twitch. It's probably nothing.

But then his other eye twitches, his breathing picking up. "Nate," I whisper, pushing at his arm and he looks over at Dad, moving over to him quickly as he starts taking vitals. The monitor tracking his magic starts beeping faster, and for the first time in months, I can feel his magic, weak and tired, but I feel it.

"He's waking up," Nate breathes out and I instantly go over to Dad, holding his hand as his eyes scrunch up.

He groans something unintelligible, slowly opening his eyes with a cough wracking through his body. His hand clenches mine as he opens his eyes so that he's squinting, the chocolate brown swirling. "What the..." he groans out, his voice barely audible.

"Dad?" I whisper and he moves his head slightly to look at me, his eyes not focussing on anything.

"Jade? Is that you?" he breathes out.

"Dad!" I exclaim as happy tears push forward, my arms swamping him in a hug as he chuckles lowly. "Holy shit, you're awake, you're awake," I cry.

"I'm here, baby girl, I'm here, it's okay."

I hear the door open and two different gasps. I look up through teary eyes to see Karn and Steve at the door, Karn's hands over his mouth and Steve just stares in awe. "Brine?" he whispers.