Page 21 of Fate of the Fallen

Elise opened up and, right away, her gaze turned watery, as if she’d been holding it all in until this very moment. There were a number of things I could have said, but every word eluded me and all I could think to do was hug her.

My arms went around her neck and the emotions she kept hidden came rushing out like a flood.

“ … I wish I could fix it,” I whispered as we embraced.

It was true. If I could have taken all these bad things away and given her the one thing she always wanted, no strings attached, I would have in a heartbeat. Her heart and intentions were so pure. Nothing would have made her happier than to have a normal life without worrying it’d all be taken away from her in the blink of an eye.

On that point, we were of the same mind.

“Where are my manners,” she sniffled. “Come in.”

I followed her inside and the door was latched behind me. She made her way across the room to her bed where I was invited to take a seat on the lavish, champagne-colored duvet. Cool silk met my fingertips when I eased down onto it.

Long lashes blinked over Elise’s eyes as she searched for words.

“How’s Liam?” she asked, not surprising me in the least. She was the embodiment of the word‘mother’,always thinking of our wellbeing before her own.

“Fine,” I assured her. “He went back up to Hilda’s workroom to be with Ivan and the others.”

That seemed to be the response she expected.

“You’ll have to forgive me,” she began, her voice quiet and strained. “I know you’re probably here to discuss Ivan’s condition, but … if you don’t mind, I’d rather not. My heart’s just … it’s so heavy,” she admitted. “Having just come through this with Liam, I …”

Her voice trailed off and I understood completely, because I felt the same. We’d just watched another loved one fight for his life and these circumstances were too fresh, her emotions too raw.

I offered a dim smile. “Then we’ll talk about something else.Anythingelse. You pick.”

Her dark hair shifted over her shoulder with a nod. “Well, to start, how are you feeling?” she asked. “There’s been a lot to take in in a short amount of time. How are you coping with … yournews?” she said next.

Right away, I felt self-conscious. What an idiot she must have thought I was. Because, being honest, I’d already been thinking it myself. I mean, I hadno cluewhat was going on with my own body until Nick made it abundantly clear.

Because of this, I wasn’t sure how to answer. My condition made us more vulnerable as a unit. Everyone would, no doubt, be hyper-vigilant when it came to keeping me safe.

Maybe at the expense of others.

Maybe at the expense of themselves.

There was nothing I could do to change that. Even centuries apart from my brothers hadn’t lessened the fact that I was still their sister and they would always regard me as such.

I locked eyes with Elise and replied, “I’m … fine.”

I had such a way with words.

Taking a deep breath, I said more. “I’m sorry about how this could affect everyone. It was stupid, I know.” My palm pressed to my forehead when I went on. “Liam and I should have been more careful under the circumstances. We were just swept up in our emotions, I guess. Nearly losing one another may have clouded our judgment and we weren’t thinking and…”

My rambling was cut short when Elise all but snatched me into another embrace, one so tight and heartfelt I knew I’d been wrong.

“Evangeline … this child is the miracle we all need right now. A light in a world filled with darkness.”

At those words, my smile stretched wider. She hadn’t been thinkinganyof those terrible things. As usual, nothing but love emanated from within her, transferring to me the longer she held on. I quickly realized how much I needed this, a hug from her.

My mother.

It was beginning to feel less strange thinking of her in that light, as the one who’d given me life.Twice,at that. For so long, I kept her at arm’s length, clinging to the idea that I could only ever have regarded one woman as‘Mom’—Rebecka Callahan. However, the more I was able to see Elise’s heart and realize the depth of her love, the easier it became to accept her role in my life.

My arms cinched tighter around her, and I exhaled with relief.

“You could not have made me happier,” she added to her already kind statement. Her eyes gleamed even more when sharing her next thought. “We’ve got so much to prepare for. So much tobuy.”