Chapter 66 The First Light

Chapter 66 The First Light
The cave was quiet now. The loud noise of the "Steel-Wolf" robots was gone, replaced by the soft snap and crackle of a small fire. Kieran had built it using pieces of dry wood he found in the corners and bits of the robots' broken wires. The smell in the air was bad it smelled like burnt oil and hot metal but the warmth of the fire was the only thing keeping Lila from shaking.

Lila was wrapped in the silver-threaded blanket.

She held her son so close that she could feel every tiny breath he took. The baby was very quiet. Most babies would be crying their lungs out, but not this one. His small golden eyes were wide open. He watched the way the firelight danced on the stone walls, moving his head just a little bit. He seemed to be listening to the wind outside, his tiny hand gripping Lila’s finger. His grip was so strong it made Lila’s skin turn white.

Kieran sat across from them. He looked like a man who had died and come back to life. His black shirt was torn into rags. The deep cut on his side was still leaking red blood, making a dark puddle on the dirt floor. His face was covered in black dust and dried sweat. He didn't even try to wipe it off. He didn't seem to feel the pain in his body. He just stared at Lila and the boy. His eyes were full of wonder, but behind the wonder, there was a deep, aching sadness.

"He looks like you," Kieran whispered. His voice was so rough it sounded like he had been swallowing sand.

Lila looked down at the baby’s hair. It was the color of a silver coin, just like Kieran’s. "He has your hair, Kieran. But look at his eyes. He has the Thorne light in them."

Kieran looked away quickly. His jaw became tight, and the muscles in his neck stood out. He opened his mouth to say he was sorry to beg for her to forgive him again but the words got stuck in his throat. He just looked at his hands. He stared at his fingernails and the blood under them. These were the same hands that had hunted her through the woods like she was an animal. The guilt in the room was heavy. It felt thicker than the smoke coming from the fire.

Kieran picked up a piece of cloth and tried to dab at the wound on his side. He flinched, his teeth clicking together from the sting, but he didn't make a sound. He didn't want Lila to see how much it hurt.

"The Memory Eater is a curse, Kieran," Lila said. She didn't have to hear him speak to know what he was thinking. "It wasn't you. The man sitting here now the man who fought those robots and stood over us that is the man I love. The other one was just a ghost."

Kieran looked up. His eyes were wet, and a single tear made a clean line through the dirt on his cheek. He crawled closer on his hands and knees. He moved slowly, his body stiff because of the hole in his side. He stopped just a few inches away from her. He didn't touch her. He just waited, his head hanging low, waiting for her to tell him it was okay.

Lila reached out and touched his chin, lifting his head. She nodded.

Kieran finally reached out. His hand was shaking as he touched the baby’s tiny, soft cheek. The moment his skin touched the child, something happened. The baby’s hand let go of Lila’s finger and wrapped firmly around Kieran’s big thumb. A bright spark of gold light flickered in the baby’s eyes.

Suddenly, the mark on Kieran’s wrist the mate bond he thought was dead began to glow. it was a soft, beautiful purple light. It pulsed in time with the baby's heart.

The bond was healing. The baby was the bridge that was bringing them back together.
"What is his name?" Kieran asked. His voice was tiny, like he was afraid of waking up from a dream.
Lila smiled. It was a small, tired smile, and her eyes filled with tears. "I didn't name him yet. I waited for you. I wanted us to name him together, the way it was supposed to be."

Kieran looked at the boy. He thought about the Blackwood family the kings of the forest. He thought about the Thorne family the queens of the gold light. He thought about how this little baby had survived a war before he even took his first breath.

"Leo," Kieran said. "Leo Thorne Blackwood. Because he fought like a lion to stay with us."
Lila leaned forward. She was so weak she could barely hold her head up, but she pressed her forehead against Kieran’s cold skin. "Leo. It’s perfect."

Leo squeezed Kieran’s thumb tighter. He made a small sound in his throat, as if he knew his name had been spoken. For a few minutes, the cave didn't feel like a prison. They weren't a King and a Queen. They were just a father and a mother watching their child.

But the peace didn't last.

Outside, the wind began to roar. It sounded like a giant animal was screaming at the mountains. The red dust of the Dead Lands started to swirl at the mouth of the cave, blowing inside and landing on the blankets. Kieran’s ears twitched. He stood up fast, even though the movement made more blood run down his side. He stepped in front of Lila, his body moving into a protective stance.
"The storm is getting worse," Kieran said. His voice was not soft anymore. It was sharp and serious. "The red dust will cover everything soon. And the SOC... they will not stop. When they realize their first squad is gone, General Vance will send the heavy tanks. We cannot stay here."
"I can't walk yet, Kieran," Lila said. She tried to move her legs, but they felt like they were made of heavy stone. She looked at her feet, feeling the exhaustion deep in her bones. "I am too weak. My body is empty. And Leo is so small..."

"I know," Kieran said. He looked at the red blood on his shirt. He was losing a lot of it, and his head was starting to feel light. But he was an Alpha. He was the protector. He would carry them across the whole desert if he had to.

He began to move around the cave. He gathered their small bags and the silver blanket. He picked up the heavy metal plates from the broken robots. His muscles groaned as he lifted the metal, but he jammed the plates into the mouth of the cave. He piled rocks on top of them. He knew it wouldn't stop a tank, but it would hide the light of their fire so the drones in the sky wouldn't see them.
When he finished, he sat back down next to Lila. He pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. He felt like a furnace. His body was burning with a fever from his wound, but he used that heat to keep her warm.

"Sleep," Kieran commanded gently. He tucked the blanket around her and the baby. "I will keep watch. I will stay awake. At dawn, we have to find the Rogues. They are the only ones who know the hidden paths out of the Dead Lands. If we don't find them, the sand will bury us."

Lila leaned her head on his shoulder. She was so tired she could feel her heart slowing down. But with Kieran’s arms around her, the cold wind didn't feel so sharp. She felt safe for the first time in a very long time.

"Kieran?" she whispered. Her eyes were already closing.
"Yes, Lila?"
"Don't let go. Please."
Kieran kissed the top of her head. He stared at the metal plates at the cave entrance. His eyes turned cold and hard, like grey stone. He knew the journey back home would be a nightmare. He knew General Vance was just getting started. He knew that even if they escaped the desert, the people at the Shadow Moon estate people like Dara would try to take his son away.

"Never again," he promised. He tightened his grip on her. "I will burn the whole world to ashes before I let go of you again."

Lila fell into a deep sleep. Kieran sat there in the dark. He didn't close his eyes once. He watched the shadows move on the walls. He kept his hand resting on his son's head, feeling the warmth of the baby's skin.

The SOC thought they were hunting a broken woman and a tiny child. They didn't realize they had just woken up a monster. Kieran Blackwood finally had a reason to live, and he was going to make sure anyone who touched his family would never see the sun again.