The Light In The Shadows (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter Three

Ryder's POV:

I laid back in my chair with a sigh. It was the third anniversary of my brother's disappearance. I was drowning my sorrows at my cabin in the mountains of Colorado. You would think that because of my money, I would be happy, but the saying is true: money can't buy happiness. I felt like there was a missing part of me, a gaping wound left by the disappearance of Robert. He had claimed he found his "soulmate" and left with her to a place far away. He left 3 years ago on this day and I never saw him again. Everyone told me that I should move on, that there's no getting him back. People kept telling me I needed to let him go, but I refused to believe that he was gone forever. I lived with the hope that one day he would come back and tell me all about his adventures. He'd have a perfect explanation as to why he was gone for so long. But deep down, I knew things wouldn't ever be the same.

Baillie's barking woke me up out of my stupor.

"Baillie! Down, girl! Relax!" I yelled, covering my head with a throw pillow I had carelessly tossed on the couch. There was something off about the way she was barking though, it was urgent, as if there was something I needed to do, before it was too late.

"Alright fine!" I groaned into the pillow. "Jae!" I yelled to my assistant. "I'm gonna go see what Baillie's fussing about." He responded with a huff and a sigh, but he seemed glad I was getting up after moping around all day.

I couldn't help but squint as I walked toward the front door. There was an unusual amount of light coming from outside, especially for such a dreary and snowy evening in Colorado.

"What the--" The light was getting brighter and brighter the closer I got. I lifted a shaky hand to cover my eyes and I wrenched the door open. What I didn't know was that what lay there would change my life forever.

3rd Person POV:

Little Raelynn looked around, confused. She blinked, trying to figure out what the flash of light had been that she had seen moments before. Tiny white snowflakes blew around her. She reached her hand out, almost as if to try to catch one in her hand. The cold shocked her as she immediately withdrew her hand, pulling it tight to her chest. The bitter cold stung her eyes as she shivered. Looking around, she realized there were huge mounds of snow around her. Shivering, she reached down and picked some up in her tiny, bare hand. She had never seen snow in such a massive amount before. Every year, there were a few flurries that swirled around the fae realm during the Winter Solstice, but nothing more.

She was still in shock after what had happened. Her grandmother, her Avia, was gone. Gone. Tears clouded her eyes. The poor toddler couldn't handle the pain. This was the second time something like this had happened to her. She just wanted her Avia to smile at her and tell her everything was going to be okay. But she knew that would never happen again.

Suddenly, an icy gust of wind pushed her backwards. Teeth chattering, the young girl regained her balance and pushed her long, golden blonde over her shoulder. Thankfully, her dress had long sleeves and covered all of her body, so she wasn't completely freezing. Her tiny brown boots were starting to get wet from the snow, and the frosty melted snow was starting to creep its way up her thick stockings.

Hugging herself, she looked around once more, this time paying more attention to where she was.  The raging snow storm blocked her vision, but she could make out a few details. A big wooden house sat in the snow to her right. To her left, trees lined up against the cloudy, pale sky. She heard a man's voice, shouting something and she looked toward the door to see who it was. Maybe it was Adryan? Was he here to take her back home from this strange place and tell her it was all just a dream? He would hug her tight to his chest and she could bury her face into the place right where his armor met his clothes. She would feel like she was at home. He would hold her close and tell her that everything would be okay.