Ellora's Sun

Chapter Nineteen

Eventually Stefan and Christoph convinced Adelaide to get some sleep. They weren't going to find James in the middle of the night, and she needed her rest if she was going to get better.

She tossed and turned all night, but finally managed to get some rest. By the time the sun started to rise, Adelaide had been asleep for hours and started to wake up to the light beams coming through the open windows in Stefan's room.

The guys had all camped out in Stefan's living room, insisting that she needed the room to herself. Adelaide managed to get herself out of bed and crack the door open enough to sneak through. She saw Lorenzo and Christoph fast asleep on the two armchairs in the living room, their mouths wide open as they snored. She didn't see Stefan anywhere on the other couch, but when she finally made her way to the kitchen, she saw him sitting at the table. He was sipping on some coffee, and when he saw her enter, he stood up to pour her a cup. He placed it on the table in front of her as she took a seat, but she didn't drink any of it.

"How are you feeling?" He asked quietly as he busied himself in the kitchen. He popped some bread into the toaster, glancing back at her as he waited for a response. Adelaide shrugged and gave a half hearted smile. Her body still ached all over, but it paled in comparison to the anxiety she was feeling. Her chest was tight and her mind was racing with thoughts of her brother.

"We'll find him." Stefan assured her, sensing the panic she was feeling. Adelaide nodded, but couldn't bring herself to fully believe the words. The pessimist in her was always considering every worst case scenario.

Stefan pulled the finished toast onto a plate. He added some peanut butter to one slice, and grape jelly to the other slice. Then he turned towards the table and placed the plate down in front of her.

"Oh, no thanks, I'm not very hungry." Adelaide told him with a soft smile. Her stomach revolted at the thought of food. She wasn't sure if it was still from her injuries and blood loss, or if it was just her anxiety.

"I know." Stefan told her, pushing the plate closer to her. Adelaide looked up at him, ready to argue, but the look on his face left no room for compromises. She took a reluctant bite of the peanut butter slice, and was surprised by her stomach's sudden grumble for more food. She was hungrier than she'd thought.

"They're probably going to try and reach out somehow to tell you how to find them. They want you to find them, so they're not going to make it too hard," Stefan explained as she took bites out of the toast, "and when they do, we'll be ready."

"Okay...even if they do that, how are we going to fight them? There's four of them, and only three and a half of us since I'm essentially useless. Not to mention how much stronger they are than us..." Adelaide responded, trailing off as she thought more about how unmatched they were. The only way they'd made it out of the clearing in the forest was because of Adelaide's unpredictable, uncontrolled magic, which they couldn't count on happening again.

"We'll do more treatments today - now that you're awake I can do them more frequently and you'll heal faster. And in between, I'll teach you more about magic and how to fight," Stefan explained with a shrug of his shoulders, as if his answer was obvious. He slid into the seat across from her as he spoke, "and then when they reach out, we'll be ready to all show up and fight to get James back and then get the hell out."

Adelaide didn't respond. She took another bite of her toast, chewing it slowly as she stared down at the table. She wished she had the same optimism James always had.

"Adelaide," Stefan's voice was low and serious, and when she looked up at him she saw his dark, stormy eyes, "we'll get him back, okay? Trust me."

She searched his face for any hint of doubt or worry. There wasn't any. His jaw was set, and his dark eyes were so focused on her. Adelaide felt like he was looking into her soul, and analyzing every part of her brain. She wasn't sure how or why, but she believed him. Every ounce of her being knew he was going to help her get James back.