Chapter 136 Decided - Craven's POV

Chapter 136 Decided - Craven's POV
I couldn't breathe as I stood in the middle of the yard, staring at nothing. My hands clenched so tightly that my nails pierced my palms.

Blood dribbled from the wounds steadily, though I couldn’t feel any pain. Nothing mattered anymore. There was only silence to greet me.

I reached for her again, but felt…only emptiness. She was truly gone. The bond was severed and I couldn’t make it coming back, even when I searched harder.

My chest tightened. I knew she was alive, but I couldn't feel her. It had been three days and I was at the brink of losing my mind.

A hand settled on my shoulder. I didn’t bother turning to see who it was.

“It’s ready, Craven. The boat is ready,” Darren murmured. “There is a spot for you at the bottom of the boat to keep you from the sun while we travel.”

“And Mira? The ring still isn’t ready, is it?”

He groaned. “She wants you to try it again. It would help if it worked, but if not, we’ve prepared a way for you to go without burning.”

I sighed heavily. There was one problem. The shores were probably guarded, though I couldn’t be too sure. I had glanced back once before being knocked out to be brought to the Isle. I had seen so many guards near the water that I was certain they had increased the patrols.

They never wanted anyone to escape the Isle.

“If I don’t have the ring, it won’t help you much if we land in daylight,” I said softly. “From what I remember before being knocked out, there were guards along the shores.”

He rolled his eyes. “I remember very little as well, but swore I saw guards at the shores. Who knows how long they stayed though? I figured it was just to see me off.”

I turned my head slightly, finally looking at him. Darren was looking back at Mira’s home.

“That was a long time ago, my friend.”

“Yes, it was. The Demon Kingdom was a bit different than yours, but just as violent.” He shrugged. "I was unconscious for most of the journey until we got close to the Isle.”

I looked back at the trees. The sun was about to rise. We wouldn’t be able to leave until nightfall.

“So, we leave once it’s dark again.

Darren's head snapped toward me. "Tonight?"

"Yes."

"Craven, I hate to say this, but maybe we should wait for the ring,” he mumbled. “You can’t be serious.”

I finally looked at him. "I have never been more serious in my life."

His expression tightened. "We don't know what's waiting for us."

"I know what's waiting for me."

"Adele,” he said simply. Darren sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "You're going to get yourself killed."

"Perhaps, but—”

"And you're taking us with you,” he replied. “We’re all going to die.”

I glanced at him. "You don't have to come. She’s my mate and I take full responsibility for getting her back, even if it means facing my brother and killing him.”

He stared at me, then he laughed. "You're an idiot."

“Why do you say that?”

“We’re her loyal guards,” he sighed. “We’re going with you no matter what. It doesn’t matter if she only chooses you. We chose her.”

The words settled over me. We chose her.

I looked at Darren for a long moment, then I looked away. I didn't know what to say to that.

I had known they cared for her. I had seen it every day since she had arrived on the Isle. I had watched the way they hovered around her, the way they protected her, the way they had slowly become a family to her despite none of us ever saying the words aloud.

But I had never thought about what it meant for them to lose her too.

They had lost their queen. I had lost my mate. And now, all of us were standing on an island that refused to let us leave.

"I don't expect you to fight my brother for me," I said quietly.

Darren snorted. "Good, because I don't intend to."

I looked at him and he just shrugged.

"I'll fight him for her."

Something twisted inside my chest. I didn't like it. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand, because I did. Adele had changed something in all of us. 

She had become ours. She had chosen us. And now someone had taken that choice away from her.

My claws flexed. "Then we'll get her back."

Darren nodded. "That's the plan."

"The plan is simple."

He raised an eyebrow. "Is it?"

"Get to the mainland. Find Adele.”

He looked up at the sky as it lightened. “Well, getting to the mainland is simple. Finding Adele…is going to be—”

"That part might be more difficult. She’ll be at the castle, but getting there will be horrible with the guards.”

He immediately raised his hands. "You have that look again."

"What look?"

"The one that says you're about to do something incredibly stupid,” he murmured. “Is there anywhere else your brother would take—”

"I've already decided to leave the Isle without the ring."

"There’s the stupid,” he replied. “Without the ring, though, you won’t be able to travel in the day. It’s going to be hard if he has whisked her away to somewhere else.”

I ignored him. My gaze drifted toward the trees. The first rays of sunlight were beginning to break over the horizon.

Three days had already felt like an eternity. Three days of reaching for something that wasn't there. Three days of waking in the middle of the night convinced that I had heard her voice. Three days of searching for her in my dreams only to wake to the same emptiness.

“He won’t,” I said, my voice barely audible. “He wants me to come, so we can finally settle this.”

Darren was about to say something, but Mira interrupted him.

“Craven, it’s ready for you to try again.”