The Three Who Chose Me
Chapter 59: The Things We Can’t Explain

Chapter 59: The Things We Can’t Explain

Kiel

I woke up with a jolt, heart pounding in my chest like I’d just surfaced from drowning.

At first, I couldn’t place what had woken me. There was no sound. No light. Just a quiet that felt... wrong.

Then I reached out.

The other side of the bed was cold.

My hand grazed the empty sheets, brushing over rumpled fabric that held no warmth, no trace of her. My stomach twisted into a hard, ugly knot.

"Josie?" I called out softly, my voice rasping against the silence.

Nothing.

My throat went dry.

She was just here. She was curled beside me. I remembered her breath on my skin. The soft weight of her body pressing against mine. I remembered whispering something to her. Maybe an apology. Maybe a promise.

And then darkness.

And now—this.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood. The blanket dropped off my shoulders like dead weight. I barely felt it.

There was a split second of stillness.

Then Varen’s voice slammed into my head through the mind link—sharp, breathless, and panicked.

"Kiel. Where the hell is Josie?"

My blood turned to ice.

I froze halfway to the door. "What do you mean where is she?" I fired back. "She’s with you."

But even as the words left my mouth, I already knew I was wrong.

I was already running.

Bare feet hit the cold floor hard, my heart thundering against my ribcage. My mind screamed every possible terrible scenario at once. Kidnapped. Hurt. Wandering alone. Her body wasn’t ready—none of her was ready.

Why the hell hadn’t I woken up?

I’d told myself it was safe to close my eyes because Varen was with her. I’d let myself believe he’d stay alert.

I flew down the stairs, not caring how reckless I looked or sounded. Every second felt like a blade carving deeper into my chest.

Varen met me in the hallway, damp hair clinging to his neck, his chest bare, and a towel still draped over his shoulders. His eyes were wild.

"You were supposed to stay with her!" I shouted, grabbing his arm hard enough that he staggered. "You were the one awake, Varen! I passed out—what the hell were you thinking leaving her alone?!"

"I went to take a damn shower!" he barked, yanking his arm free. "I was gone five minutes. She was lying there—quiet. I didn’t think—"

"Well, you didn’t think right! She’s gone!"

His face twisted into a snarl. "Don’t start with me, Kiel. Not now. Where was the last place you saw her?"

I didn’t even answer. We both turned and split in opposite directions.

The house was too big. Every room echoed with emptiness. Every hallway looked the same. I threw open doors, tore through guest rooms, lounges, bathrooms, closets.

Nothing.

I sniffed the air like a feral wolf, trying to catch her scent. It was there—faint. Lingering. A trail I couldn’t follow. It led nowhere.

"She’s not here," Varen growled through the link. "I’m in the west wing. Nothing."

I slammed my fist into the wall beside me. The drywall cracked.

"Shit!" I hissed. My heart felt like it was about to explode.

The last thing she said before she drifted off was, "Just don’t leave me."

And we did. Both of us.

I don’t know what made me turn toward the patio, but something did—a breeze, a noise, instinct maybe.

And then I saw her.

I froze.

She was standing by the pool, on the far end where the edge curved out in a crescent. Her arms hung limp at her sides. Her feet were bare. The long white shirt she wore fluttered in the breeze like something out of a dream—or a nightmare. Her hair spilled over her shoulders, wild and tangled from sleep.

But her face...

Her face was empty. Her eyes were wide, blank. She didn’t blink. Didn’t move.

She looked like she was sleepwalking.

No, not sleepwalking.

Gone.

"Josie," I whispered, barely able to breathe. "Varen. She’s outside."

He was beside me in seconds, following my gaze. His jaw clenched so tight I heard his teeth grind.

"She’s too close," he muttered. "The edge’s slick. If she slips—"

"I’m calling Thorne."

"No!" He grabbed my arm. "We don’t have time to bring in a damn committee. One sound and she could fall. We handle this. Now."

I hesitated. "We don’t even know if she can hear us. What if she’s... not herself?"

"She’s not hurt," Varen said quickly. "Just dazed. I’ll get her. Quiet and fast."

And then he was gone—vanishing into the dark, staying low, moving like a trained predator stalking his target.

I stayed back. My heart beat a brutal rhythm in my ears. My fingers twitched, my body tense and waiting.

I didn’t know what to do.

I took one cautious step forward.

Josie lifted her foot.

She was going to step into the water.

"No," I whispered. "No no no—Josie, please—"

And then the world changed.

Wind exploded around her in a tight circle, whipping her hair and shirt around like a storm. The surface of the pool began to rise—yes, rise—pulling upward like a column of water coiling into the sky.

My jaw dropped.

The ground beneath her feet pulsed. I heard the groan of roots twisting, the creak of trees bowing.

Vines burst from the earth, thick and dark green, snaking toward her like living ropes.

She didn’t scream. Didn’t react at all.

The vines reached her. Touched her.

And then... lifted her.

Lifted her clean off the ground like she weighed nothing. I staggered back, watching as she floated across the pool, carried by the trees and water like she belonged to them.

My knees almost buckled.

The vines placed her gently down on the other side.

She swayed for a moment.

And then she collapsed.

All at once, the water slammed back into the pool with a splash. The vines retreated into the soil. The air calmed.

Silence.

I was still standing there, rooted in place, mouth parted, chest heaving.

I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t blink. Couldn’t understand what I’d just witnessed.

She had called the world—and it had answered.

"Kiel!"

Varen’s shout broke through my trance.

He bolted past me and jumped over the pool edge to get to her. I watched, numb, as he dropped to his knees and scooped her into his arms.

"She’s burning up," he muttered, pressing his hand to her forehead. "Dammit, her pulse is erratic—we need to get her to the hospital. Now."

I didn’t answer.

I couldn’t.

He stood, Josie limp against his chest. "Let’s go," he snapped, glancing at me. "Kiel, move!"

Still nothing.

I could hear the blood rushing in my ears. My limbs felt heavy, like they didn’t belong to me.

I didn’t know how to move.

"Kiel!" Varen growled. "We don’t have time for this. She needs help!"

I lifted my eyes to meet his.

And I whispered, "I... I can’t move."

Varen’s face twisted in disbelief. "What?"