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Gray POV

Stella frowned at me as if I did something wrong. Maybe she thought I did, but I was sure I didn't. I knew exactly what I had to do next. "No, I don't know. Please tell me why you want to stay in a place that gives you little regard," she said with sass and irritation.

The answer was simple. Even if the people here rather me gone, Churchwell was where I was from. It was my home and because of that, I would defend it until the end. "Because this is my home." As I said that, more screams filled the air, causing me to walk out of the room.

I knew my father would make his attack soon enough. I knew his attack plans because he trained me in them. First, he would send the Darklings then he would come when all hope seemed loss. It was easy for him that way, but the first steps in his plan wouldn't be so quick.

"If you aren't going, I'm staying too," Stella spoke up.

Fear filled my body as I turned to face her. Churchwell wasn't a safe place for her in a peaceful time. Imagine now, I couldn't risk that. But the look of determination was strong on her face, which would make it nearly impossible for me to convince her to leave without me. "You have to go, Stella."

She shook her head as the power went out. "No."

"Gray, Gray, are you down here?" Else's voice rang out with concern.

"I'm here!" I called out to her, hoping she would come and take Stella away from me.

In a second, she was running towards us with panic in her eyes. "Gray, you're here, good." Else hands were blackened with Darkling blood and there was a gash across her face. There was a fear in her eyes that I couldn't shake off. Whatever that was happening above us was terrible. It was war.

"What is happening up there?"

"Your father is making his attack. Darklings have already made it into the ground. He removed the protection spell, and they are swarming around the castle. We have barricaded the doors and windows but it's only time until they break through them."

I looked at Stella as fear filled me even more. In a middle of a battle, getting her out of here would probably be impossible now.

"The Royal family is coming with increased guards, but we don't know how long we can hold them off without their help. We really need all hands-on deck."

"Even mine?"

She nodded. "I will always fight beside you, Gray. There is no one else I trust more."

I smiled lightly at the compliment, knowing she meant it. My attention then turned back to Stella, who was my main priority. "What are we going to do with her?"

Else frowned at her, as if not liking that I brought her up in the discussion, then looked back at the stairwell as someone screamed. "Nowhere is safe in the castle. I would keep her close. I think that's the safest."

I looked back at Stella with worry. She just improved from the poison and getting out of the clutches of death; I couldn't throw her in harm's way once again.

"Come, we need to get up there and help defend the castle," Else said, as she handed me a dagger.

"What about me?" Stella protested, not liking that Else didn't give her anything to defend herself.

"I only have one extra," Else frowned as if she wasn't happy that Stella was here to begin with.

"How will I defend myself?" she asked with concern.

Stella did have a point. Even if she was untrained, she needed something. How would she defend herself if something came after her? Silently, I handed my dagger to her, then turned back to Else.

Hatred for my father only intensified knowing that he let Stella stay here when a battle was starting. He told me he didn't want to kill her, but I was having a hard time believing that. Once we captured him, I needed to see him and speak with him before anyone else a chance. "Do you know where my father is?"

"We don't know."

The statement caused me to frown even more. With the royal family coming and he was nowhere to be seen, I could only imagine he was waiting until they came to show his face. "I think he is trying to kill the Royal family."

"I had my guesses about that."

I thought back to the information he told me before I freed him. He wasn't a pure blood, so maybe that was his motive. My father was once close to the Royal family, but one second that seemed to change all because his blood was mixed. It sounded so extreme to believe. "Why does he hate them so much?"

Else frowned as the lights flickered on again. In the dimly lit hall, I could see that she struggled with telling me the truth. Something held her back from telling me, I wasn't sure if it was fear or regret, but even in the midst of war, she didn't want to share the truth. "Because they tossed him out once they found out he was a half-breed and banished him. Not even your father knew this information, but they went behind his back and tested his blood. When it didn't come back pure, they sent him away. That was when he started hating them. That was when he started his personal war against them."

"That means I am not a pure blood either."

Else nodded as she looked around us, making sure the coast was still clear. "Fear of your father wasn't the only reason why you were forced to stay away from Churchwell."

Anger sank in like pennies to the bottom of a fountain. For all this time, I thought it was because they didn't want me to be like my father. I thought they were keeping me away because they thought I would be like him. For years I thought I had to prove myself, to show them I was better than him. But with this information, I realized I would never be enough for them. They would never see me as a valued member of Churchwell all because of something I couldn't prevent. I knew my father wasn't a saint, but the Royal family was not good. They were just as terrible as my father.

My father was once a valued member of high society, and once he got tossed out, I was not surprised that he went against the Royal Family. He was just trying to secure his rightful place, and a part of me couldn't blame him for that.

Else never talked much about the Royal Family even when I brought them up. I always thought she was holding secrets because I was too untrained to know, but now I realized why she kept this information from me. This information was blood boiling. Keeping them unspoken was like having them nonexistent, like a figurehead and nothing more. But the more I heard about them, the more I hated them. Who were they to make such repressive rules?

"And that was why you told me to stay away from humans, don't fall in love with them. I thought I was dangerous, and this world was dangerous. But you were just trying to protect me," I said as I started connecting the dots.

She nodded. "And your future children."

The commotion of upstairs was just a distant worry in the back of my mind. In the chaos of it all, Else was completely honest with me and I wanted to know everything she had ever kept from me. "If he is half gate keeper, what is the other half?"

Else shrugged with a frown. "I don't know. Not even the Royal family will tell me that." She looked up at the ceiling as we heard something crash above us.

So I wasn't the only one in the dark. Else was just as much in the dark as I was. But how was she ok with that? Secrets bury people, they would bury her, and she was letting them. "The Royal family doesn't tell us a lot of things."

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She frowned, but knew I was right. "Everyone has their motives."

If that was what she told herself to sleep better at night, it was a pretty poor justification. "And theirs is terrible."

"You don't know that for sure."

Maybe I didn't, but she spent more time with them. She would have a better idea than anyone else. "But do you?" I asked, giving her a pointed look.

She stayed silent, as if she really didn't know.

I shook my head as anger consumed me like a burning bonfire on a summer night. I didn't understand how she could put up with such things. "Do they just expect everyone to quietly obey them? Like lambs?"

"It's not that simple."

"I think it is and you just want to give them excuses."

"There are rules for a reason."

"But don't you think that maybe there are too many rules or too much control? My father told me they made the Darklings for control and look where that let them."

"They didn't mean for the Darklings to become such a problem. They were made to help control other monsters from the dark woods. Darklings were supposed to save lives."

But they didn't do that. I had nothing but frustration forwards everything related towards Churchwell. The more Else talked, the more resentment I felt towards this place. I couldn't believe that I thought this place was perfect growing up. "I think that's what they think with everything they do. They didn't think my father would be such a problem either."

Another scream was heard above us, causing all of us to look up. As much as this conversation was needed, it wasn't the most amazing time to discuss it. We all knew that we had other things to do, but before I moved, I needed to know what I was defending and if it was worth it. Was the Royal Family worth stopping my father for? For years I thought I knew the answer, but now I was conflicted in the crossroads as a train came speeding towards me.

"Gray, I will tell you everything you want to know, but now is not the time. We need to go," Else said as she pulled my hand forward.

I nodded as I allowed her to pull me towards the stairs. Quickly I grabbed Stella's hand and with my mind in battle, we went to see the battle above us. I just hoped that I could at least sort out my thoughts as I fought the Darklings.