Chapter 24

Lily POV

The eagle circled overhead; its piercing gaze fixed on the retreating soldiers.

I stood frozen, my heart pounding in my chest as I watched them disappear back into the forest. Then the eagle landed gracefully beside me, its feathers ruffling in the wind.

“Thank you,” I whispered, knowing who it was.

Suddenly, a sleek car pulled up beside me, its engine purring softly. As soon as the car stopped, the eagle made a funny noise and flew into the sky. Celeste leaned out of the window and shouted ‘thank you’ before she leaned across the passenger seat, pushing the door open.

“Get in!” she called out with a smile “There’s somewhere we need to go to urgently,”.

I didn’t need to be told twice, I slid into the passenger seat, the leather cool against my skin. I let out a long, shaky breath as Celeste pulled away from the curb.

“Thank you,” I whispered softly, my heart still racing from the encounter with the soldiers. “I don’t know what I would have done, what would have happened, if y