Let Them Kneel (kaelani and Julian) novel Chapter 109

The road stretched endlessly beneath the tires, painted silver by moonlight and the occasional wash of distant headlights. A low hum filled the car—engine, wheels, wind—but inside, it felt like silence.

Julian sat in the passenger seat, body stiff, eyes locked on the passing blur of trees and asphalt. He hadn’t spoken since he’d woken up in a cold sweat over an hour ago. Hadn’t moved much either. Just stared out the window like the night might offer answers.

Jace kept his focus on the road but glanced at him every so often—like he was checking to see if Julian was still breathing.

Outside, the world was sleeping.

Inside, Julian was anything but.

Finally, Jace cleared his throat and spoke. “We should be there right before sunrise.”

Julian gave the faintest nod. Barely a movement. His jaw was tight. His hands rested uselessly in his lap.

The silence lingered again, stretching thin before Jace dared to break it.

“Look…” he began, cautious now. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I have to ask.”

Julian didn’t look at him.

“You still want to do this? Even after she told you to stop looking?”

Slowly, Julian’s head tilted toward him, eyes shadowed and unreadable—but alive. Fractured, maybe. Flickering.

“You didn’t feel what I felt, Jace.”

His voice was hoarse. Quiet. Like it had barely survived whatever hell he’d just come from.

“When he spoke to me—when he was in my head—it wasn’t just words. It was like… like something dark was draped over me. Heavy. Cold. Ancient. Like a presence that didn’t belong in any living world.”

He swallowed hard.

“He wasn’t just showing off. He wanted me to feel small. Powerless. He wanted me to know he could take her… and I couldn’t stop him.”

Julian looked out the window again, his voice barely a breath now.

“And for a second… I believed him.”

Jace tapped the steering wheel lightly, eyes flicking from the road to Julian’s profile. “He’s an Unseelie fae, Julian. We read about this. Manipulation, illusion, psychological warfare—it’s what they do. It’s who they are.”

“If I could go back… gods, I would. I’d do it all differently. I’d fight for her the first time. I’d never walk away. But I can’t. That chance is gone.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, regret clawing at his insides—vicious and unrelenting. And yet beneath it, something worse: the quiet knowing that she had given him more grace than he ever deserved.

“He was right about one thing—I don’t deserve her.”

His voice cracked—just once.

“But I’ll be damned if I stand by and let him twist her mind into something she’s not. I may not be worthy of her love… but I’ll burn before I let her be used.”

Jace gave him a long look. “Kaelani’s smart. Independent. You know that better than anyone. She’s never needed anyone to save her.”

Julian’s body tensed. “That’s because she’s never had anyone to count on but herself.”

His voice grew rough—quiet, but ignited.

“Garrick sure as hell never stood in her corner,” he said bitterly. “And from what that Fae prick said… sounds like her mother wasn’t any better.”