Loving the Fallen

Chapter twenty three: familiar

Eren's point of view

"She probably meant that she'll be back extremely late." I mumbled with furrowed eyebrows.

Orion and I were still trying to figure out just what exactly Laelynn had lied to me about. She said that she would be back soon, what could the truth be?

Why would she lie in the first place?

Orion shook his head, "What if she meant that she won't be coming back at all?"

I felt my body freeze, yet my heart doubled its speed.

No. She won't do that to me. To us.

"She's finally started trusting me. I don't think she's going anywhere." I said, almost certain of my words. Orion looked at me doubtfully, which made my heart slightly ache, "Unless you know something I don't." I added after a moment of hesitation.

"I told her I wouldn't say anything, but I think she's doing it tonight." He told me with a deep sigh. I blinked at him in confusion, waiting for his explanation.

"She was planning to escape when she first got here. She is probably taking that risk tonight." He said to me. My stomach dropped, which has never happened before.

Clearing my throat, I looked away and kept my eyes on the closed window. The blue curtains left a gap between the window, and I could see a small part of the moon peeking through the window. I didn't believe that. At least I didn't want to. Laelynn has been here for a while, I'm sure that she changed her mind a long time ago.

Surely, she realized how I felt about her. Why would she leave if she felt the same?

Unless she didn't...

There was a knock on the door before I could form any coherent thought, and I rubbed my forehead as Orion went to open it. I didn't like any of this. The idea of her leaving me hurt me more than it should.

I heard a growl coming from Orion, and I spun around to look. I frowned when I saw the human man that apparently wanted to mate with Laelynn. Blonde, short and scrawny. Why would Orion be threatened by this?

"What the hell do you want?" Orion questioned menacingly. I walked towards the door, and as soon as the man laid eyes on me, he sighed in what sounded like relief.

"Lord Ries, I've been looking for you everywhere!" He said, all of his relief melting into panic. I could smell Laelynns honey and mint scent on him, meaning that they had touched tonight.

A far too possessive growl left my throat. "Why do you smell like her?"

I roughly pulled him inside by the collar of his shirt and grabbed his neck, shoving him against the wall. If he dared to have done anything to her, I would break him with my own hands.

"P...please. T-there is no time." He choked out. My grip around his neck tightened.

"Find out what he's talking about, Orion." I said. He nodded, using his gift on him. After a few moments, his brows dipped in a furrow, and he looked back at me, shaking his head.

"His thoughts are jumbled and hard to read. It's because he's panicking, but I'm certain I heard Laelynn's name."

My woman.

I let him go, and he slid down the wall, coughing loudly. He wheezed for a few seconds, rubbing his sore throat. I gave him no time to fully recover as I attacked him with questions, "Where is she? What did you do to her?"

The man looked up at me fearfully, his eyes watering. "Please, you have to stop her before it's too late. She's gone... She's escaped."

I felt like a dagger had been shoved into my heart.