CHAPTER 70
The miles increased from the car and each of them brought him closer to the change of everything in the face-to-face meeting. But as doubt and fear threatened to overwhelm him, Elijah focused on one simple truth: This was where he was needed most especially by his daughter. But this time around, he would not let her down.
The drive to Rosa’s house felt like hours but at the same time, the moment he finally reached there it seemed as if he was hardly driving for any amount of time. All the same, collected, Elijah found a comfortable spot and stopped right in front of the doorstep of the small suburban home. The neighborhood was rather calm and serene – which is exactly what Rosa had craved in an environment once she decided to turn her back on the life she used to live
With all the courage he can muster, he took a deep breath then came out of the car and walked towards the front entrance. Thanks to his high sense of hearing he could hear people moving around inside – footsteps, low conversations. For a moment he wavered, standing there with his knuckles lifted in mid-air poised to knock. Was he doing the right thing, pulling Rosa into the middle of all of this once again, back into a world of risk and entanglement with things she had left behind?
But the sight of distressed, lonely Amelia being unaware of danger made him determined to save her anyway. He rapped on the door with the knuckles hard; his heart was racing in his chest
The main door swung open and Elijah’s eyes met Rosa. She was as lovely as he recalled although years had aged her; crow’s feet evidenced fine lines around her eyes and her hair was partly grey now just as it was the last time he was here not long ago.
Rosa gaped at Elijah in shock and then began to look at him with scant trust. “Elijah?” she said and her tone contained both wonder and suspicion. ‘Why are you here?’
Rosa still had the upper hand on Elijah before the man stepped from behind her and placed his arm around her slim waist. Kevin and Elijah smiled at Rosa’s human husband.
“What do you think honey?” Kevin questioned, maintaining his stare at Elijah’s face.
Going by the expressions that they passed for some time, Elijah knew the moment Rosa decided to join him. Pausing for a moment she spoke to her husband. They remained silent for a while
Kevin raised his brows in surprise but did not turn his face aside as probably most men would have done. He didn’t embrace him physically but went with his hand to Elijah. , “It’s nice to see you again,” he said, but he didn’t disguise the frustration in his tone.
Elijah then took David’s gloved hand into his own and felt the strong grip, before making a mental note of the fiery gaze in the man’s eyes. That was a man who loved Rosa and that man has forgiven her for the past and everything that she has hidden from him. At this, Elijah experienced a bare tolerance from the adversary.
“I am sorry to intrude. ” He said in a very serious manner reminding me of the seriousness of the situation. “But I have some news about Amelia,” he said in dismay “Can I come in?”
Rosa’s face became as pale as milk although she spoke and nodded after Elijah entered, moving to a one-step distance from him. When they sat down on the couches in the living room, there was tense silence with backstory between them.
“What has occurred?” Rosa questioned fearfully, which was evident in the way she said the words. “Is Amelia…?”
“She’s alive,” Elijah spoke fast calming her down. “But she is in danger. Ema has found her. ”
"Her friend Ema? That should be good right ?"
"No, it's bad and it will be even terrible If she gets to her first" Elijah replied
Rosa had sprung up; she clapped one hand to her lips and felt a choking sensation in her throat. The two men were still alive and for a moment David looked from one to the other not in the least comprehending why. “wait sorry, what are you talking about and what kind of danger are you referring to?”
Elijah looked at Rosa and after getting her nod he proceeded to try and explain. With that, she gave him a nod, then indicated to Kevin for him to turn towards her. “Ema is a werewolf and the main enemy of the story, she is the hunter and Amelia’s enemy because of the latter’s mixed blood background. ”
It suddenly came to light in Kevin's face. Looking at her, he spelled it out simply, “Because she’s a hybrid. ”
Surprise consumed Elijah’s face. “You know?”
Rosa followed the action thought for a moment, then she stretched her hand towards David and embraced it. ‘I opened up to him,’ she said. “I literally could not keep it a secret since you last came over. ”
A swift, wordless conversation occurred between Rosa and Kevin and, somewhere in Elijah’s chest, he felt a twinge of what can only be described as green. But he refuted the feeling. There were more crucial things on the agenda.
“We’ve found Amelia,” Elijah forged ahead to say as if the pause was deliberate. Currently, she is still in Seattle and is a worker at a bookstore But Ema’s rogues have located her too We are pressed for time.
His clenched fists relaxed and his gulp was audible when the fury flying from Rosa’s eyes reminded him of the old days. “What are we going to do now?” she asked roughly. “Protect her from what Exactly?”
Elijah found comfort in Rosa’s eager willingness to put her life on the line to help with the rescue. Nevertheless, the years apart he could not forget about the key features of her character: she remained a protective mother.
The guy proceeded to say, “I have pack members already on their way to Seattle. ” “They will watch and will spy on them. But we have to be cautious here; If Ema’s rogues see us coming, they will kidnap Amelia before we get to her. ”
Kevin who had been closely listening interrupted. “Humanity’s fight against adversity is endless, but this is a perfect time for mankind to ask: what can we do to lend a helping hand?”
New respect appeared in the eyes of Elijah when he was observing the human man. Here he was, living in a world of werewolves and vampires and while being treated with hostility, his reaction was to help.
“For now we wait,” Elijah said. “But we have to be prepared to leave as soon as we get the word. Rosa, you left this life and I understand that but…”
“I’m coming with you,” Rosa said interrupting me In a tone that did not allow for any sort of argument. “She is my daughter, Elijah,” Rosa said, determination ringing in her voice “I can’t just watch from the sideline while she is in danger. ”
Kevin nodded in agreement. “We are both going, she is part of the family, regardless of her Hispanic descent,”
Elijah heard their footsteps moving away from him, then he had the strange feeling he ought to be grateful for something–he was. Whatever their past, whatever complications lay between them, they were united in this: She simply wanted to protect Amelia.
A faint, “Thank you” replied in a whisper. “Both of You. We are going to require every soldier that we can find. ”
And as soon as they started to think about specific strategies and planning, there was a ray of hope in Elijah’s heart. Rosa and Kevin were with him now, packed around him and for the first time they could bring Amelia safely to her mom.
However, the darkness settled upon the two after the sunset and the immensity of the job in front of them dawned upon Elijah, he couldn’t help but worry. Perhaps, Ema was thinking, contriving her strategy out there. And there was Amelia their beautiful, unique daughter going about her life completely ignorant of the fact that deadly peril was lying in wait for her.
Time was running out. The game to save Amelia had started in right earnest. And Elijah knew that before this was over, they would all be tested as he could not conceive or foresee.
