“Yes,” he mumbled.
We stared at each other in awkward silence.
Halo was alive, after all these centuries. He was right here in front of me, and yet I didn’t know how to feel. Was I still angry? Was I happy to see him? Could I be both at once? The amount of thoughts and emotions swirling in my mind made my head throb.
But with cold dread, I realized something was missing.
“Where is Angel?” I demanded.
Halo’s eyes widened again a moment before he burst out into a terrible, gutwrenching sob. He folded over, head in his hands, crying as his body wracked with effort.
Terror gripped me like the dead of winter. “Halo? Where is she?”
He trembled as he shook his head. He was too choked by tears to respond.
I grabbed him by the shoulders and rocked him before I could stop myself. “Halo! Answer me!”
Halo winced and curled into himself. I felt guilty for scaring him, but right now my only priority was learning the truth about my daughter. If she was dead, I could never forgive myself - or Halo.
“Just answer one thing,” I said firmly. “Is she alive?”
Halo nodded. Quietly, he said, “Yes.”
A massive sigh of relief left my body. “Thank the gods. Is she safe? Where is she?”
I forced myself to pause, then waited for Halo to collect himself. I’d never seen him so distraught. It was like someone had forcibly ripped the soul from his body. Where was the proud, strong mate I once knew? This wasn’t like him at all.
As difficult as it was, I quashed the urge to question him again. It was only upsetting him further. If I wanted the answer, I had to wait.
I clenched my fists impatiently.
Finally, Halo caught his breath and lifted his head. Dark rings circled his eyes, like he’d been crying for a long time before I even showed up. I felt the slightest pang of sympathy, but right now my focus was my daughter, not him.
Halo opened his mouth to speak. “Kass, she’s - ”
The door flew open. The slam nearly made me jump out of my skin. Halo recoiled against the chains. I stood and whipped around, bracing myself. A low, deep growl came from beyond the threshold. A dragon.
A shift took place, and a man replaced the beast - a man I recognized.
Silas stepped through the door, his brows raised and his expression a mix of confusion, wariness and surprise.
“Captain Kassius,” he said slowly, giving me a wide berth. “You’re alive?”
“I am.”
“I’m surprised to see you.”
“I can say the same, Silas,” I admitted.
My mind suddenly raced to put the pieces together. The two figures I saw earlier - the one in chains was Halo, so the other must have been Silas. The familiarity of the scene stunned me. The Knight with the cornered mage. It was like four centuries had barely passed.
Silas is alive. Halo is alive.I’malive.
We were right back where we started. How was any of this possible? What was the point of all the time that had passed? Time was supposed to heal all wounds, not just gloss them over.
Maybe this is all just a bad dream,I thought miserably.
Silas stepped closer to me, eyeing me like he wasn’t sure how I would react. He reached a hand out to touch my arm in a cautious but friendly way. “How have you been all this time? We were all so worried. We thought you... might have passed away.”
