Anything For Rachel – Episode 47

#Episode_47

 

 

 

 

 

 

“How much longer?” I asked impatiently as I pulled at the strings of the ripped knee on my jeans.

 

 

Calvin looked down at his watch for the fifth time in the last hour and sighed. “Soon.” He replied gently, taking my hand from my lap to stop my fidgeting. “She’ll be back soon.”

 

 

Logan leaned further back in his chair and shook his head. “This wasn’t dangerous, was it?” He asked. “Sending her alone?”

 

 

Renard walked out of the small bathroom, still rubbing his beard. “No, she should be fine.” He said. “It’s a pretty populated settlement, and visitors aren’t that weird of a thing, especially with Castrum de Petra out of commission right now.” He pointed out. “She’ll be fine.”

 

 

“Try not to worry.” I smiled at Logan, but I’m sure he could tell I was worried too.

 

 

Octavia had left as soon as the sun set to go check out the hidden settlement beneath Cambridge. Calvin had assured me multiple times that she would be ok. She knew who she was looking for, and she wasn’t going to draw any extra attention to herself, but even without worrying that she might be caught, I still had the fear that she wouldn’t find out anything. If she doesn’t see the men, she can’t watch them, then she can’t bring back any information, and without any new information, we are no closer to getting to Rose.

 

 

Before any of us could fret any longer, we heard the key in the door and Octavia walked in, making Logan sigh in relief. As she closed the door behind her you could pretty much see all of us lean towards her, waiting expectantly for her to say something.

 

Calvin went to her side, hugging her quickly. He must have been worried about her too, but he hid it well. “Well?” He asked, his eyebrows raised and his forehead wrinkled.

 

 

She brushed her hair behind her ears and looked down at the ground, then took a deep breath before looking back up at him. “I saw one of the men that Pedro described pretty quickly.” She said. “He was working as a front gate guard.” She told us shaking her head. “I don’t think he knew who I was, and if he did he didn’t give anything away.”

 

 

“What about the rest of them?” Pedro prompted, sitting on the edge of the bed in his crisp deep blue suit, his hands on his knees with white knuckles. “How many of the bastards did you find?”

 

 

Octavia messed with her hair and repositioned her weight and then looked over at me before she turned back to Pedro. “I only didn’t see one of the men that Renard described.” She told us. Enjoy more interesting stories @ generalloaded.com

 

 

“The rest of them were there. Mostly in guard positions, but I watched as they took breaks, and they met in a conference room. I couldn’t get too close because I didn’t want to be noticed or seem like I was spying, so I just watched the room from a distance, but there were at least twenty of them in the room.”

 

 

She muttered breathily. “After they all left, I snuck down to the room to see if they’d left anything behind, but they hadn’t. It was just a big room like the one we use for council meetings, but there was a phone out in the middle of the table attached to a speaker, but the recent calls had been deleted.”

 

 

Calvin ran his hands through his hair and Pedro looked around at the rest of us. “You think they were making a conference call to someone?” Renard asked after a few seconds.

 

 

“That’s how it seemed.” She shrugged. “Could have been to the guy I noticed was missing, who I assume is with Rose, or it could be literally anyone else.”

 

 

Calvin started pacing, holding his hands on his head, his dark grey t-shirt raising up slightly. “So all we found out is that the rebels are well placed within the settlement, and we are outnumbered?”

 

 

Octavia pursed her lips, but Cromley shook his head at Calvin. “You’ve been outnumbered before, Majesty.” He said confidently. “I’ve seen you battle out of five armed attackers completely on your own.”

 

 

 

Calvin groaned, stopping to turn and face him. “That was different.” He countered. “And this is at a minimum twenty one men here.” He shook his head and looked up at the water stained ceiling. “We have seven people, five that can fight.”

 

 

It wasn’t the news I wanted to hear. The rest of their arguing back and forth was background noise to the constant worries running through my head. What if they decide to take her someplace else and we miss our chance entirely? How would I be able to force air in and out of my lungs with no idea where on this earth my daughter is and who she is with? I could feel the bile rising from my stomach and I got up quickly and narrowly made it into the bathroom soon enough before the lunch that Calvin and I had gone to get earlier came right back up.

 

 

“Rachel,” Calvin whispered as he held back my hair. “Are you ok?” He asked, rubbing my back with his other hand.

 

I flushed the toilet and lowered down onto the cold white tiles and tried to steady myself. “I need to get to her.” I whispered, shaking my head back and forth. “I need her, Calvin. I can’t be away from her anymore.”

 

 

Calvin scooped me up and held me in his arms against his cold chest and shushed me quietly. “Baby, I will fight all twenty, thirty, or one hundred men by myself if it means getting her back to you.” He assured me. “Why don’t you and Logan go get some air while we discuss our options?” He asked.

 

“You both don’t need to hear all of this. It’s only going to stress you further.”

 

I wanted to say no, but my heart couldn’t take any more bad news, and fresh air sounded good to my troubled mind. “Fine.” I muttered.

 

 

He kissed the tip of my nose and set me on my feet, waiting to be sure I was steadied before he let me go. “Logan,” He called, and I had to shake

 

 

my head at how odd his name sounded coming out of Calvin’s mouth. “Rachel needs some space, can you go with her outside for a while?” Logan narrowed his eyes, but then he sighed and walked to my side, getting the door for me. “Don’t go far.” Calvin called before we went out into the hall and began walking down the strangely squishy carpeted stairs until we got outside.

 

 

The chill in the air cut through my thin white sweater, but it felt good. The coldness helped me to steady my mind, and made it easier for me to focus on something other than the gut chewing despair and longing for Rose. I sighed deeply and my breath hung in the air in front of me, fanning away from me slowly.

 

 

Logan walked out from under the awning that covered the drive in front of the hotel and he looked up at the sky, shoving his hands into his pockets. I followed slowly behind him and mirrored his actions, my hands just barely fitting into the tiny pockets on my jeans. I cursed under my breath and Logan looked down at me, a half smile on his face.

 

 

I shook my head at him. “I just can’t stand that girl’s pants pockets have zero room in them.” I blurted out. “I mean look at yours.” I said pointing at his hands in his slightly baggy sweat pants. “You could fit both of your hands into one pocket, but girl’s pants you can hardly get your fingers in the pockets, much less your whole hands.”

 

 

Logan laughed a little and then shook his head, looking back up at the stars that were losing some of their brightness as the time for the sun to take back over inched closer and closer. “You aren’t really upset about your pockets are you?” He asked and I sighed.

 

 

“No.” I muttered. “I’m upset because I can’t help always feelings like my life is falling apart all around me.” I told him, then shrugged, pulling my hands

 

 

out and pulling my sleeves further down over them instead. “Plus, you know, the pocket situation is a little annoying.”

 

 

“I wish I could be like you.” He said suddenly.

 

 

I pulled together my brows and shook my head at him, my mouth hanging open. “You mean you want to be a total wreck every day of your life?”

 

 

“You are far from a wreck, Rach.” He sighed. “I don’t know how you manage to always keep going.” He said. “Blow after blow, you never waiver under the pressure. I wish I could be so strong.”

 

 

I watched the stars twinkle and I smiled up at them. “People are always saying that to me.” I admitted. “But I don’t feel strong at all.”

 

 

“You are.” He countered.

 

 

I turned to look at him. “Maybe I’m just a good faker?”

 

 

He narrowed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. “Lie to yourself if you want, but you are strong, and that’s how I know somehow everything is going to be ok.”

 

 

“You really think so?”

 

 

“Look at everything you’ve already done.” He smiled. “Everything you’ve been through in your life, and you always come out on the other end, nearly unscathed. You’ll come up with something and probably single handedly save the day.”

 

 

I hit him on the shoulder and he laughed. “You’re just teasing me now.” I laughed. “If I was really strong, I would be able to come up with something.” I said. “I wish I could.” I added after a few minutes.

 

 

“Me too, but I still think you will.”

 

 

“What I really want, is to be the one who saves her, you know?” I asked, already knowing the answer. “I wish I could be the one to swoop in and rescue her; to be able to be the one who she sees first, and grab her up and hold her, and never let her go.”

 

 

“I wish I could be the one to kill anyone who meant to harm her.” He shook his head, balling his hands at his sides.

 

 

I nodded in agreement. “I wish I was that kind of strong, not just perseverance strong.”

 

 

I heard the doors behind us open and I turned around to see Calvin walking towards us

 

 

“You are much stronger than just that.” He shook his head at me. Logan looked up at the sky again one more time before he smiled at me and turned to walk back inside.

 

 

Calvin looked down at me, the marvel in his eyes the same as the one when Logan looks up into the sky and marvels at the stars. In that moment I was intensely happy that I didn’t give in to my own wishes and force Calvin to blood bond with me. I like when he looks at me like I’m the stars in his sky.

 

 

He smiled, his dazzling, knee knocking, stomach flipping smile and I sighed, leaning into him. “You’re freezing.” He whispered, then stepped back for a moment to peel off his jacket and wrap it around my shoulders before he

 

 

pulled me back into him. Even in his jacket my fingers were freezing so I stuck them down into the back pockets of his jeans. “Whoa now.” He chuckled and I gave him a look.

 

 

“Don’t get any ideas.” I fought back a smile. “My hands are just cold.”

 

 

He leaned down to kiss my forehead and smiled again. “Oh, really?” He asked. “And what exactly is wrong with your own pockets?” He chuckled, holding me tighter.

 

 

I pulled out one of my hands to smack him on the butt. “Don’t even get me started.” I told him, shaking my head.

 

 

He reached up to hold my face in between his hands and he leaned close to me as a light snow began to fall around us, little white puffs sticking into his dark hair. “Have I told you today how much I love you?” He whispered just a hair away from my lips. “Because I do.” He said before he pressed his mouth to mine.

 

 

“I love you too.” I whispered breathlessly.

 

 

He lowered one of his hands and wrapped it around the back of my neck. “What about how beautiful you are?” He said quietly, his eyes baring into mine. “Have I told you that today?”

 

 

I shook my head slowly. “I don’t think you have.”

 

 

“I’m ashamed.” He told me. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever had the privilege to lay my eyes on.”

 

 

“You’re not so bad to look at either.” I smiled. “I could do it all day in fact.”

 

 

“Speaking of all day,” He grinned. “I will love you, and tell you so, every day, all times of the day, for all the days of your life.” He whispered, then kissed me again. I could feel his love in my blood like it was a tangible thing.

 

 

“Should we tell people about her, Calvin?” I asked seriously. “If people knew about her, we could get help, right?”

 

 

“You mean announce to the people that there’s an heir?” He asked, surprised.

 

 

I nodded. “Wouldn’t we be able to enlist all of the armies to get her back?”

 

 

“Yeah, we would, but would you want to do that?” He sighed. “I mean, you and Rose would be stuck in Castrum de Petra.”

 

 

“But we’d be together.” I said barely above a whisper and his eyes grew wet instantly.

 

 

“I thought you wanted to keep her separate from this life?”

 

 

I nodded to him. “I did,” I explained. “But I also want her to be here with me and you and Logan, and to be safe.” I told him. “I need our little girl with us, and I want to be with you, Calvin. Every day, all hours of the day, for all of the days of my life.” I laughed. “Let’s be a family.”

 

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Calvin grabbed my face and kissed me hard and I giggled around it and then threw my arms around his neck and he spun me around before he put me back on my feet and kissed me again. “I get to keep you.” He chuckled, his eyes filled with happy tears. “I’ll go call it in right now.” He smiled. “I’ll get a trusted guard, we’ll swoop in and get her back, then we’ll stay away from Castrum for a while until the people have had time to get passed the shock and anger at our secret, and then we can be together.

 

 

 

All of us.” He laughed like he didn’t believe it was happening. “You’re sure this is what you want?” He asked.

 

 

“I want you.” I smiled and he kissed me hard.

 

 

“Come on, let’s go tell the world!” He said happily as he took me by the hand and pulled me towards the hotel.

 

 

Suddenly he stopped walking, and I felt his body still and saw his smile drop. Calvin glanced down at me before he turned around to look out into the parking lot and I turned back to see a tall pretty girl with long dark brown hair and deep brown eyes walking towards us, her lips turned down in a frown.

 

 

“I wouldn’t do that.” Lexton said shaking her head as she got close. “I need to tell you both something.”

 

 

Calvin stretched his arm out in front of me protectively and glared at Lexton.

 

 

“What are you doing here?” He snapped. “How did you escape?”

 

 

 

 

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Story_Continues

 

ANYTHING FOR RACHEL