What the Heart Seeks

Chapter 1-1

Chapter 1

A rich, earthy scent surrounded Layne as the ground cradled him. The exposed soil sank beneath his fingernails. He paid little attention to its grittiness or the way it cooled his palm as he clutched the edge of the cliff. Nothing mattered but the hundreds of trees covering the valley below.

Those same trees had caused Heaven to vanish from his view.

Was this a dream? Maybe if he waited long enough, he’d regain consciousness. Then he would find the woman who stole his heart lying across from him. He would hold her close, breathe her in, and savor every second for the rest of his life.

He refused to accept her death. Their connection still smoldered. It wasn’t the inferno Layne had grown accustomed to, but he sensed her energy. Perhaps Heaven hadn’t hit the ground yet. If that were the case, he could still save her. He would cast another fiery rope and lasso her body.

The first one he’d hurled toward her hadn’t helped. It circled her waist but evaporated soon after, unlike the instance in Cleveland. The Bender who’d shot the arrow into his heart had remained suspended in the air as he burned to death. The flame had been tangible. So why hadn’t his flame suspended Heaven?

Only one explanation made sense. Heaven was immune to his fire because she was part of it and it was part of her.

Another conflagration shot from his hand. It lit up the tops of the trees, burning the leaves in an instant. Yet he saw no sign of Heaven. The charcoaled limbs broke away, erasing any evidence of whether she’d hit them during her descent. Lower branches hid his view of the ground, and possibly her body.

The mere thought tore his heart apart.

“Heaven!”

His voice rang over the valley, blending with the battle behind him. He didn’t know which side was winning, nor did he care. Nothing mattered if Heaven…

Something jolted through his arm as if he’d leaned against a live wire. He shifted his body to the side and viewed Dylan.

Dylan’s gaping mouth spoke of his pain and horror in watching Heaven slip from his grasp.

“She’s gone,” Dylan whispered.

“No, she isn’t.” Anger blazed through Layne as he gritted the response. “We have to search for her.”

“Layne, let her go.”

Shaking his head, Layne glared at Dylan, resisting the urge to beat the life out of him. None of this would have transpired if not for his friend’s actions. Had Dylan not ordered Heaven to vacate the cottage the night before, she would have been with her daughter.

Still, Layne felt just as guilty. His and Heaven’s love for each other had destroyed Dylan, right along with their friendship. None of it would have happened if Layne hadn't left the house after learning about Faith and Jerry. He’d put Heaven and himself in that situation.

Still, Dylan already knew the truth about their marriage being fake. And instead of telling Heaven and letting her make her own decision, he’d tried controlling the situation. All it had done was backfire. Now Heaven was…

Layne rose to his feet, focusing on his anger. He fought the urge to engulf Dylan in fire. His palms warmed from newly formed flames. If he cast an orb at Dylan, his former friend would be dead in an instant.

Dylan’s set jaw said murder was on his mind too. Perhaps Dylan would summon another bolt of lightning and take out the rest of the cliff. Why not? At least they’d both be dead. Someone had to pay for what happened to Heaven. Both he and Dylan had failed her. What was the point in existing?

Adalyn.

Layne’s duty as the baby’s temporary Keeper hadn’t changed. Despite the pain eating him alive, he owed it to Heaven to keep her daughter safe. Heaven’s loss doomed the world.

Unless saving Adalyn somehow saved humanity.

Even if Adalyn saved the world, Layne didn’t want to exist after she had. He’d make sure she grew up and found her true Keeper. His responsibility would lift, and he could do what he wanted most—join Heaven.

A future without her proved unfathomable. Knowing her, defending her, loving her was his purpose. She understood him and knew him better than he knew himself. No matter how many times he screwed up, she forgave him. Her unconditional love was a reward. She trusted him to keep her safe.

Funny how she was the one who’d saved him. Twice.

Now the tides of life tossed him about, spinning him into an abyss of confusion. He had one mission—protect his Seeker.

He’d failed.

Though he wanted to blame Dylan for this, he couldn’t. Not without owning up to his own part in the tragedy. Arguing wouldn’t get them anywhere. It wouldn’t bring Heaven back.

No. He refused to accept she was dead. Instead, he clung to the hope of the branches breaking her fall. She could still be alive—severely injured—but alive.

The thought disappeared as maniacal laughter echoed from behind. Layne noticed Dylan turn around before he did the same. Nate came into view. Layne had expected no one else, but seeing his friend’s father reignited his hate. Nate was a dead man. If Dylan didn’t beat him to it, Layne would burn him alive.

Nate deserved no mercy.

Standing near the edge of the crater, Nate smirked at them and then nodded toward the cliff. “That was phenomenal. Thank you, my son.”

“For what?” Dylan asked in a voice filled with hatred.

“The Regency will never imprison you for what just happened. It was an accident. For me, it would have been murder. You did me proud, Dylan. I knew I could count on you.”

Something snapped inside Layne’s chest. “What the f**k? You were in on this together?”

One nod from Nate confirmed Layne’s decision. He would kill them both.

As an orb of fire formed in Layne’s hand, he aimed it in Nate’s direction. Before he could hurl it, Dylan shot another bolt of lightning. It wrapped around Nate, zapping his body with such force, he shook like a rag doll.

“Liar!” Dylan’s voice rumbled with the thunder in the distance. “You did this, not me.”

When the current disappeared, Nate collapsed inside the crater. A twinge of jealousy fed Layne’s anger. He wanted to be the one to end Nate’s life. Heaven was his Seeker, his Twin Flame. It was his right to avenge her death. Dylan had stolen his chance.

Or perhaps not.

Another round of eerie laughter resonated from the crater. Nate was on his feet, though his dirt-covered face and singed hair hinted at his weakening state. “My, my, son. Your abilities are most impressive. You’ll be such an asset to me, as I will be to you.”

“I’ll never choose your path.” Dylan took a wide stance and raised his hand toward his father. “I warned you not to mess with my family.”

“But she wasn’t your family, was she? I made sure she didn’t become your wife when I had my men steal the marriage certificate from the pastor.”

Dylan sent another bolt at Nate, who dodged it and continued taunting Dylan. “You’re so predictable.”

“I missed intentionally,” Dylan said.

Malice blazed in Dylan’s eyes. Layne never noticed so much contempt in his friend, even after Dylan had learned that Layne and Heaven had slept together.

Dylan honestly hated his father.

Good. That made two of them.

Nate stumbled inside the crater. His strength continued to wane, but it didn’t stop him from goading his son. “Maybe you don’t know how to control your abilities.”

Crackling sounded from every direction. A third bolt shot toward Nate, but this time, it didn’t come from Dylan. It stretched from the sky and struck a tree near the spot where Delia, Garrett, and Zeke battled a few of Nate’s men.

The trunk split.

A limb dangled above the trio, but all were oblivious. Delia stood behind their new allies, barking what Layne assumed were orders. Garrett had two Benders encased in a watery orb, drowning them, while Zeke slammed giant rocks against another’s head. Layne wasn’t sure if it was the Bender’s skull exploding against the rocks or the limb splitting that caused the cracking sound.

A moment later, the tree crashed to the ground.