Descending Darkness (The Prophesized #3)
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Authors: Kaitlyn Hoyt
Text copyright © 2013 Kaitlyn Hoyt
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This novel is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to peoples either living or deceased is purely coincidental. Names, places, and characters are figments of the author’s imagination. The author holds all rights to this work. It is illegal to reproduce this novel without written expressed consent from the author herself.
All Rights Reserved
Cover Design by Victoria Faye
For the readers
I want to thank everyone who has read BlackMoon Beginnings and Scorching Secrets. You all have made this whole process worth it. Your continued support does not go unnoticed, so this book is dedicated to you!
Thank you all for believing in me and downloading this book!
I want to thank my family and friends for their support. Without them, I may have never taken to leap to actually publish any of my books. I also want to thank Krista, Sara, and Elizabeth for helping me edit this book! You girls have been amazing at catching all the small details I missed. Thanks for everything!
Also, though he’ll never see this, I want to thank Josh Groban for having amazing music that has kept me calm during this process. I definitely needed that.
Colton is gone. He’s dead.
How could I have let this happen?
I lean forward and sob into his chest. It’s completely still…totally unmoving. This can’t be real. Logan tries to heal him one last time, but nothing happens. This can’t be happening right now. I look behind me and see a room of unconscious people. They are lying on the ground, looking as lifeless as he does, but in their case, I know looks can be deceiving.
I turn back and look at those standing around me. David and Tom are silently standing in the corner. David’s lips are set in a straight line, and he is shaking his head while Tom pats his shoulder. His brother is gone. To lose both Colton and Claire in such close proximity to each other…Neither one of them are looking at Colton. Logan still has silent tears streaming down his face. Liam looks to be on the verge of tears as well. Bragden is consoling his brother while Larkin stands near the door, making sure no one comes in.
“I was supposed to change this…it wasn’t supposed to happen this way.” I lean forward and rest my head on his chest again. He’s supposed to be here for me. He’s supposed to be yelling at me for doing something stupid or laughing at my poor attempt at humor.
How could you leave me like this?
I pound against his chest. “You weren’t supposed to leave me! You promised to wait for me!” I bunch my fingers in his shirt and cry harder. The fabric beneath me is soaked with my tears. Someone reaches behind me and starts rubbing my back. It isn’t reassuring at all. In fact, it makes me sadder. “You’re supposed to be here.”
“Ryanne, we need to go. They’re going to wake up soon,” Logan says. “We have to get out of here.”
Without lifting my head, I whisper hoarsely, “I’m not leaving him.”
“Ryanne…”
“I’m not leaving him!” I yell and choke on another sob. I push myself up and move toward his head. Leaning down, I whisper into this ear, “I love you, Colton. Please come back to me. I
need
you.” I lean my forehead against his and push my thoughts toward him. “I need you here.” I keep repeating those lines in my mind. I know that my magic won’t work in here, but I want to make sure he knows that. He has to hear me.
I move back and look down at him. I need to see those green eyes looking at me in amusement again. I need to hear him speak to me. I need to hear his laugh. My lip starts quivering when nothing happens. I sit up and look around the room again. Everyone is watching me with Colton. I don’t want to leave. I love these guys, but it seems pointless to fight without Colton there beside me. We have our disagreements, but there’s always been something pulling me toward him. Without him, I don’t want to fight Dravin anymore. I want to curl up in a ball and cry myself senseless. I want it all to end.
I go over to his side and look down at the wound. I can’t believe that I couldn’t stop this. I remember what it felt like to get stabbed in the stomach. I remember the pain of the sword ripping through flesh and muscle. I vividly remember the coldness spreading through my body as my limbs gave out. I remember it all. Knowing that you’re going to die and having absolutely no way to stop it is a horrible feeling. Colton didn’t even know he got stabbed; he didn’t know he was dying. He was watching me die when Dravin stabbed him. I reach down to move his shirt, so it covers the wound. I don’t like seeing the evidence that he’s gone.
“Ryanne,” Logan tries to get my attention again, but I ignore him. If Colton doesn’t come with us, I’m not leaving this compound. I will not have another life on my conscience. I can’t handle that.
When my hand is near the still bleeding stab wound, it starts to vibrate. My magic doesn’t work in here…so what’s going on? I gasp and pull it away. My hand doesn’t look any different, so what was that? I look toward Logan; he’s the healer after all and may know what is happening. He starts nodding at me. I stare into his blue eyes for a few seconds confused as to what he’s trying to tell me. Wiping the tears off of his face, he motions for me to continue.
I reach out again and place both hands near the wound this time. Logan continues nodding, so I must be doing something right. The vibrations start again. The closer I get to the wound, the more violent they become. I almost pull away because it is starting to hurt when I notice some of the blood disappearing. I let out another cry and place my hands fully on Colton’s side. My hand is soaked in his blood in a matter of seconds, but I don’t care. Something is happening. David and Tom come over and bend down near me, but I don’t look at them. My eyes move from the wound on Colton’s side to his face. I don’t know what is happening right now, but based on everyone’s reactions, it must be a good thing.
I keep my eyes on Colton. My hands are throbbing, but I keep them on his side. It feels like all my magic is being pushed into my fingers. It’s similar to the electric shocks I get when I start to lose control, but I know this is different. I glance back down at the wound and find it a lot smaller than it had been. I gasp again and sit up on my knees putting more pressure on the area.
I keep glancing between my hands and Colton’s face. Besides the wound being smaller, there are still no other noticeable differences. He’s completely still and isn’t breathing. His heart still won’t beat. I push down harder. I look up at Logan, who is checking vital signs. With a heartbreaking sigh, he moves away from Colton. Shaking his head, he looks up at me. My heart breaks all over again at the sadness in his eyes.
The vibrations in my hands start to lessen as the magic leaves me. I’m leaning all of my body weight into Colton’s side begging him to come back. I keep the pressure on the previous wound spot until my hand stops vibrating. The magic is gone.
He
is still gone. I pound on his chest again. The wound is closed, but he is still gone. “Dang it, Colton!” I lean down and rest my head on his chest again. I don’t want to leave him. I can’t.
I close my eyes and let the tears start flowing again. He is gone. He left me. “Ryanne,” Logan starts again. I shake my head.
“I’m not leaving him.” I
refuse
to leave him here. I hit him again and cry into this shirt. There is nothing else I can do. Dravin killed him. I know that if I had my magic right now, I’d probably need Liam to knock me out. My emotions are too strong at the moment.
Thump.
I freeze. Did I actually hear that?
Thump.
I jump back and stare down at him. He still looks the same. I lean my head against his chest where his heart is.
Thump. Thump.
It is slow and faint, but it is there.
“His heart’s beating,” I whisper.
Larkin who is standing at the door says, “Guys, we really should be leaving. They’re starting to wake up.” I look behind everyone. He’s right. The two men that I knocked out before Liam and Colton came into the cell are starting to stir. Soon, they’ll all be awake. “Ryanne, you have to get off of him,” Liam says. I instantly start shaking my head. I’m not going to leave him here. There’s no way that’s going to happen. “We need to carry him out of here. We need to go
now
.”
Liam helps pull me up while Bragden and Tom bend down and support Colton’s weight between the two of them. Colton’s head falls forward limply, and I choke on another cry. I can feel the silent tears still falling down my face. Liam keeps an arm around my waist as he pulls me out of the room. My eyes connect with Larkin as we pass him. He doesn’t have his usual cocky countenance. In its place is a sad, caring expression. He nods at me.
Liam ushers me into the hallway with Bragden and Tom following after us. David and Logan take up the rear. Liam turns left once we get out of the cell and starts pulling me down another hallway. I’m not sure how, but he seems to know exactly where to go. The blinding lights above me are starting to hurt my eyes. He turns right and then stops. The arm around my waist disappears as Liam rushes forward to fight off some of the Gadramicks blocking us. When the walls in the hallway start to tilt, I close my eyes and back up hoping to lean against the wall. I hear the sound of punches being thrown, and someone rushes past me. I trust the guys around me to protect me. I can’t fight right now anyway. Grunting resonates through the hall and then it gets quiet again. “Come on, Ryanne,” I hear David say while someone grabs my hand. I let him blindly pull me along.
Opening my eyes, I glance behind me at Bragden and Tom. Colton is still limp between the two of them. They are fully carrying him down the hall. I stifle another cry as I feel a cool breeze. I stop and look around me. Where is that breeze coming from? Blinking the tears out of my eyes, I see that I am standing outside…surrounded by trees. Larkin runs up to me and tries to grab my hand. I shake my head and point to Colton. Larkin needs to get Colton out of here first. Agreeing with me, Liam tells him to go. Larkin walks over to Bragden and Tom and reaches for Colton. They let go of him, and Larkin transports away.
Walking over to the closest tree, I lean against it and try to catch my breath. Moving too much hurts my stomach, but I don’t want to mention it to anyone. I know that Liam knows. He keeps glancing at me. Everything starts to spin around me. The events of the day are weighing me down. I grab my head, slide down the tree trunk, and sit on the ground. I can hear the footsteps around me as I succumb to the darkness.
Is she going to be okay? I really need her to wake up, so I can heal her. I can’t believe they got to her. I never want to hear her scream like that again. She accepted it.
I grab my head and concentrate on pushing their thoughts back. I see each individual’s strand and gather them together, creating a bundle of thoughts. I push them into my mental box and turn the lock, shutting them in.
Opening my eyes, I look around me. Everyone is looking at me. I sit up and then cry out as pain moves through my stomach. I lift my shirt up slightly and cringe at the large dark bruise covering the entire length of my abdomen. It is the exact shape of an arm. Logan rushes over to me, grabs my arms, and starts healing me. I feel the dizziness fade away, the swelling in my face goes down, the aches in my arms and legs dissipate, and finally the pain in my stomach disappears.
Logan opens his eyes and looks up at me. My face feels stiff from all the tears that I’ve shed. I reach up and rub my eyes. I look behind Logan and see Emma standing with David. Emma keeps looking to her right and then back at me. I follow her gaze and gasp when I see the man sitting in the chair watching me.
I jump off the couch and stare at him, mouth hanging open. Turning so that I am facing him, I take a couple steps backward and start shaking my head. This isn’t possible. I can feel the tears well up in my eyes again. He slowly stands and walks over to me. I cover my mouth with my right hand, not caring about the dried blood on it. My tears fall over the hand streaking through the blood.
“How?” I finally choke out when he stops in front of me. “I saw you…die. I felt your heart stop beating. You were gone.” I start sobbing again. He reaches out and pulls me against him.
“You healed me.” I start shaking my head. This isn’t real. I’m imagining it. I saw Colton die. He was dead. “
You
healed me, Ryanne.”
I fist my hands in his shirt, letting it dry my tears. His chest moves beneath my fingers. He’s alive and breathing. Colton really is alive. “That’s not possible.”
“It is possible for…” he stops talking. I take a step away from him and look into his eyes. His gorgeous green eyes are looking back down at me. Colton is looking at me…because he’s alive. What is he trying to tell me?
“For?” I ask.
Colton opens his mouth to reply at the same time as I feel the familiar pull of my visions. I close my eyes and lean forward as I am pulled in again. I feel his arms wrap around me as my body goes limp.
Colton
Ryanne slumps forward, going limp in my arms. “NO!” Emma yells. I glance over at her as she stomps her foot on the ground. “Ugh, she always has the worst timing. She had to pick
now
to go into a vision.”
I bend down and pick up Ryanne and carry her over to the couch. I don’t let her go though; I still need to prove to myself that this is real. I reach out and brush her hair away from her face. Then, I slowly wipe the tears from her face. I need to clean the blood off of her hands. My blood off her hands. As if Liam can read my mind, he hands me a wet washcloth. I grab her small hand in mine and wipe it clean of any proof of what happened earlier.