Thomas slowly pulled her shirt up, gently caressing her skin, drawing a line with his finger from her stomach to her chest. His gentle touch sent tingles through every nerve of her body. She pulled his shirt off and continued to kiss his lips. Had it not been for that, she would have not been able to take her eyes off him. His body was so perfectly defined and absolutely flawless, except for the scar on his chest, but she didn’t care. In a way, it only made him more beautiful.
Piece by piece, clothing was stripped off, until there was nothing but skin tangled in skin. With the excitement and the adrenaline rushing through their veins, they could not stop themselves. Lyla could feel every muscle in his body, and he could feel every curve of hers.
They spent the rest of the day in the cave like they had planned. They had no worries or a care in the world. It was just them and their eternal love intertwined.
For now, Lyla did not have to worry about Damien or the other Demorites that still remained on earth. She was caught in a sweet moment that she never wanted to end, but unfortunately it would have to sooner or later.
Her next move was to find Damien, and stop him before he caused more destruction. Ryan was right when he said “The battle is won, but the war is not yet over.” When the time came, she would be ready. The next time she had the chance, she would kill Damien for sure.
Damien sat in his throne room back in the Dresden castle. It was very similar to the castle back on earth, but with a few minor differences. He was slouched over, and had one leg hanging over the arm rest.
“What am I going to do?” he said talking to himself. “Those snotty brats think they are smarter than me? Well, guess again. There is much more at work here than they realize.”
There were two Demorites by the large doors ahead of him. They each pulled one side of the door open and a Demorite walked in. Once he reached the throne, he bowed.
“Your Majesty,” said the Demorite. “He is here.”
“Well, send him in! What are you waiting for?”
“Right away, Your Majesty.” The Demorite bowed once more and left the room, sending another man in. The man walked to the throne and bowed, just as the Demorite before him had.
“You have disappointed me,” Damien said.
“I’m sorry! I did everything I could, Your Majesty.”
Damien rose from his throne and stood in front of the quivering man before him.
“I asked you to do one simple task for me,” Damien yelled. “One simple task. All I asked of you was watch the girl. How hard could that possibly be for a man in your position?”
“I was watching her, but she noticed me lurking from behind the trees both times.”
“Did she recognize who you were?” said Damien.
“No, but...”
“Then I don’t want to hear your excuses. You must learn to be more discreet. If you were not so valuable to me, I would have you executed, but I won’t, because I still need you.”
“What would you have me do, Your Majesty?”
“Something a little more…hands on.” Damien smiled.
Damien told the man of his master plan, and about the new role the man would play in it. The man didn’t seem confident in what he was asked to do, but he would not defy Damien or question his motives.
“I will send word when I need you to do as I have asked, but there is something I need to do before we set our plan into motion,” said Damien. “Return to Armoria, and keep a close eye on the Langston twins.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The man bowed before him, turned, and left the throne room without another word. He was replaced by the same Demorite that had entered before.
“Ready our forces,” said Damien. “At dawn, we leave for Erilyn.”
Acknowledgments
A special thanks to Whitney, my twin sister, who inspired me to write this novel and helped me every step of the way. When you read the rough draft of Aftermath, you were not afraid to tell me what worked and what did not. Now, here we are with the finished product. I could not have done it without you.
To my family who has been nothing but supportive through this entire venture: thank you for always encouraging me to pursue my dreams and fight for the things I want most in life.
To my love, Kody, who endures me every day through the best and worst parts of me: life isn’t a fairy tale, but you will always be my prince.
I love you all.
Thank you to all the people behind the scenes that made this novel possible: the editors, design artists, and everyone else involved. Nicole Banes, you have been very helpful throughout the entire process of making this novel come together.
To any reader who picks up this book: thank you for giving it a chance. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Most importantly, I thank God for His never-ending love, His guidance, and all His blessings
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