I push my way through him, ignoring how he calls out to me. Kyzen, Amick, and Riven get in the way of him coming after me. Their whispers are harsh.
My head jerks in both directions as soon as I pass through the arena threshold.
“Creed,” I call out.
He steps from around the corner, and Laney pops her head up off his shoulder.
“Thayla.”
He sets her down. I run.
I crash to my knees, chucking Creed’s sword a few feet away as soon as she’s in arm’s length of me. I wrap her in the realm’s tightest hug, and her little body shivers and shakes against me. My soul shudders.
“You were so brave, my sweet girl. I’m so proud of you. Let me see your neck.”
I grip her shoulders and gently pry her off me just enough to where I can see. The cut is only about a half an inch long and not deep at all, but I still have to breathe through the red that tints my vision.
“I’ll get you all fixed up soon, okay?”
“I want to see my mommy.”
A cold chill breaks out through my entire being. It’s swiftly followed by an unforgiving heat flash. I force my breathing to slow, and I swallow the shards of metal stabbing me in my throat down.
“H-how about we go see Lambrit first? How does that sound?”
She thrashes her head back and forth.
“No. I want to go home and see her. W-when Mellcom and Jeremiah got me, those…those.” Tears well in her eyes as she tries to get the words to come up. “The bad guys went into my house. I watched them.”
“I’m so sorry, sweet girl. We’re going to go see Lam—”
“No!” she screams, stomping her foot. “Why can’t I go home?”
Gods. I don’t have the strength to do this.
How can I be the one to break her heart?
“You promised,” she yells once again. “You promised you’d never lie to me. Why can’t I go home?”
Her tear-streaked face turns furious as she waits for me to break my word. Her little life flashes before my eyes.
I remember the first time I held her.
Mrs. Armend made me sit on the couch with pillows surrounding me so I didn’t drop her. I was twenty-one years old. I thought she was being a tad ridiculous, but I kept my opinion to myself.
Her overprotectiveness faded eventually.
Soon enough, I was carrying Laney around on my hip like she was my own. We’d pick wildflowers and I’d stick them in her hair or twist them into a headpiece for her. We drove Lambrit absolutely crazy.
She was my shadow.
My sweet, innocent, perfect for her age, little Laney.
I lock my power down so nothing bleeds into her.
“Laney girl.” My voice cracks as I hold her hands and bring them to my lips. I kiss each knuckle before I look into her eyes again. “Mommy and Daddy are in the stars with the Valories now.”
Her face falls pale and completely blank for a long moment.
