Before the Dawn

Chapter Fifteen

A half an hour later, Wade pulls up in a sleek black car with the Academy's logo on the passenger door. I throw one last wistful glance over my shoulder at the phone booth before opening the car door and sliding in, trying to banish all thoughts of my Warrior from my mind. Wade's eyes immediately start flitting over me worriedly, searching for any sign of harm.

"Gods, Laila," he signs once he's satisfied with his inspection. "Way to give a guy a heart attack. Why didn't you call me as soon as you decided to leave the Underworld? I could have been there to pick you up."

I sigh as I buckle my seat belt, not looking up until I hear a satisfying click. Wade puts the car in drive and pulls away from the curb, still waiting expectantly for my answer. I look away from him, out the window to hide the pain etched in my face.

"I left in a rush. Declan and I got into a fight and I left. Then Theo kidnapped me and-"

"He what?" Wade yells furiously, cutting me off. 

"He kidnapped me and tried to get me to dump Declan and choose him instead," I admit with disgust coloring my tone. I shiver as the memory of Theo's blistering hot skin on mine invades my thoughts.

Wade curses under his breath and squeezes his eyes shut tightly. When he opens them again, he sends me another worried glance.

"Are you okay? He didn't-"

"No," I cut him off quickly. "I ran before he could do anything to me."

Wade's shoulders droop as he lets out a relieved sigh, obviously having feared the worst.

We sit in silence for a moment and I take the moment to try to calm my racing heart. Trying to be discreet, I glance at the rear view mirror, afraid that I'll see Theo following us with one of his fiery smirks as he hunts me down.

"So what's up between you and Declan?" Wade asks conversationally. "The last time I saw the two of you, you were avoiding him and now you're staying in the Underworld with him."

My lips curl up into a small, rueful smile as I remember how I'd tried to avoid him. I'd been so stupid. I could never cut my warrior out of my life. He means everything to me and even though we've quarreled, I still miss him dearly.

To Wade, I say, "Declan is my warrior. His true name is Arawn and he has been my husband for thousands of years. He took me to the Underworld because that is the one place that he can protect me the best. He's so worried about protecting me that he would rather Theo destroy the world than put me into danger."

Whatever Wade was expecting, it wasnt' this. He stares at me in awe, as if trying to wrap his mind around it all. He opens and closes his mouth, as if trying to find the words to say.

I turn from him, giving him time to let everything sink in. I stare out through the window into the night and know that Declan is staring up at the same midnight sky, searching for me.

"So how does Theo fit into all of this?" Wade asks, struggling to find the connection.

Sighing, I look away from the night sky and back at my friend.

"Theo and I were sort of together before I met Declan. It only took one look and I knew that Declan was who I was suppose to be with. I accepted his Warrior's Oath and stayed in the Underworld with him.  I didn't have a second thought about Theo, but he was still  my friend and I missed him. I recently found out that he'd tried to visit me but Declan wouldn't let him. All of that sent him into some kind of love sick delirium and he came up with this plot of killing off the gods so that I would become a demigod and he could try to get me to love him instead of Declan." The story rolls off my tongue in an almost numb way. It still hasn't sunk in, the weight of what is happening. It doesn't feel real yet. I keep feeling like I'm going to wake up in my bed and realize that it had all been a dream.

Wade nods slowly, eyes glued to the road. He rakes a hand through his sandy blonde hair and blows out a breath. Then he laughs.

"You know, sometimes, I wish that I wasn't a demigod. It seems like all of this gods stuff just brings a whirlwind of shit but, if I hadn't become a demigod, I wouldn't have met Seraphina," He slides a troubled glance my way and sighs. "Laila, can I ask your opinion on something?"

"Of course."

He hesitantly goes on, "I'm thinking about . . . asking Seraphina to accept my Warrior's Oath."

I start in surprise and gape at the demigod. He looks back at me seriously, gauging my reaction.

"A Warrior's Oath is a very serious thing, Wade," I start off slowly. "It's not something that you can end if you don't like it. It's forever. If she dies, you die."

Wade nods solemnly with unwavering eyes.

"I know and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love her and I would die a thousand times over if it meant that she would be safe. I would do anything for her," he says passionately as a fire ignites in his eyes.

I stare into his ocean blue eyes in wonder. The look in those eyes is the same look that Declan gets when he's protecting me; the look of a warrior. It's a look of a fierce protector shielding his love from danger.

"Then do it," I say, completely sure of my words. "You're ready."

Wade nods, taking this in. We ride the rest of the way in silence, both lost in our own thoughts. When we arrive, Wade waves for me to go ahead, telling me that he wants to go let Seraphina know that he's back.

I rush to the room I use to share with Amora, needing to tell her everything that's happened. I push open the door, mouth open to call out for her. My mouth snaps shut, however, when I flick on the lights.

I find her curled up in a ball on the ground, sobbing as Beauty looks at her with a forlorn expression. I rush over to her, dropping to my knees beside her.

"Amora, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

She looks up at me with eyes red from crying and chokes out another heart wrenching sob.

"It's Aphrodite," she cries. "She's dead."