“I’m a winner either way,” I said under my breath as a sick feeling took over my gut. Before I lost control, I fumbled with my jacket pocket to pull out the lemon drops.
“What?” Landen asked, helping me by easing a calm through me with his humming touch.
I gripped his arm and focused on everything I’d seen in The Realm.
“When did this happen?” he asked as anger bellowed in him and he glared at Phoenix, who threw up his hands, stating his innocence.
“Madison and I went.”
Landen grasped my shoulders and turned me toward himself. His stare was full of every emotion from rage to grief.
“You know I’m bound. I can’t tell you to do anything you disagree with, but Willow, you cannot go in there unguarded. Promise you won’t do that again.”
“I’m not bound by anything. I’ll tell her: never again.” Phoenix scoffed.
“What is your problem?” I asked, feeling outnumbered. “She said it was a dream. We went to check it out.”
“You walked into Hell next to a neon light,” Phoenix accused.
“Fine. Whatever.” I looked up into Landen’s eyes. “Did you see how he fooled you?”
The rage inside him told me that he did. “This is insane,” he said, pulling me to his chest. I could feel his heart beating violently against my face. I focused on a calm and pushed it through him.
“We know how twisted he is now. We’ll make him weak as hell, then kill him and Donalt. Problem solved,” Phoenix declared.
“Xavier is Charlie’s mark. I’m sure of it,” Landen muttered.
“Maybe so, but those two blokes linger close to one another. We can help each other out and still stay on our own path. We already planned to weaken the guy.”
Landen nodded to agree.
“Charlie’s mark?”
He grimaced. “Her master Escort to contend with.”
“How many are there?”
His eyes fell into mine as a mix of emotions swarmed through him. “Seven.”
My eyes grew wide with shock.
“Donalt; that is where we focus. The others will have their time.”
“Then why did you spend all night trying to figure out how to weaken Xavier? Why was Xavier involved in this night you are trying to work out?”
Landen hesitated, then spoke aloud, “Xavier’s emotion, the one he invokes, is shock. Usually, the biggest shock we face is our own death, which makes sense when you think about what Charlie and the others are naturally drawn to appease. Donalt focuses on fear; he pushes souls to fear living their lives as they are meant to do, which is why you and I are so focused on bringing back individuality in the dimension of Esterious. In the larger scheme of things, shock and fear are usually emotions that are felt close together, a reason why Xavier and Donalt are both enemies and allies. There are seven deadly emotions, and there are people that fate has chosen to fight those emotions. The past has weaved us together in a wicked and unnatural way.” He glanced at Phoenix. “It is important that each of us are afforded the right to claim the fate we feel, no matter how dark the risk is. I don’t care how clear the path seems, because it never is. Only the souls that are charged with that fate know for sure.”
I didn’t fail to notice how Phoenix tensed up during this speech. Landen’s intent was to make sure Phoenix knew that he felt strongly about the explanation he just gave me.
“The seven, the souls that are chosen to fight these deadly emotions, can clearly help each other, though?” I summed up.
“At some point, in some way, yes. But we cannot stop fighting our fate to do that. That is what went wrong in the past: we lost focus and were fooled more than once. We are going to beat this. We are going to bring back balance, and we are going to do that by trusting our own hearts and souls and by not letting the fear of what might or might not happen stifle the fate our life plan has laid before us.”
“All right, then.” I glanced at Phoenix. “I can’t wait to meet the rest of the seven.”
Landen smirked. He knew I’d picked up on the fact that he was lecturing Phoenix as he comforted me.
“All right,” Phoenix huffed. “Now that we feel all warm and cozy about the hell we are chosen to fight, let’s focus. You killed Donalt, and you know exactly where he will rise, if he will fall after this spell. Let’s set a trap. Get ahead of this,” Phoenix said to Landen.
Landen glanced at me. I knew from his intent that he didn’t want me to come, that he thought it was too dangerous. I glanced away, trying to hide how that hurt me.
“Hey,” he thought, turning me and leaning his forehead to mine. “I won’t be gone long—just enough time to get what I need and set the trap.”
“You’re not saying something.”
He grinned as he reached for my chin and ran his finger along my jawline. “Maybe I have a surprise for you, too, and I’m using this breath of absence as an excuse to get it.”
There was truth to what he was saying, and I felt too guilty to push him to tell me. There was no room for surprises between us. We shared too many insights. If he had one, I was going to let him keep it.
“Hurry,” I whispered, pushing him slightly away and blushing.
He pulled me to him and stole one kiss before a rush of warm air caused him and Phoenix to vanish from my sight.
I leaned down and grabbed my sketchpad and started to walk back to the house. I could feel the nervousness of Charlie in the distance, which caused a horrible guilt to build in me. They had no idea what they were up against tonight, and I had no idea if I could protect them.
I sat down on the steps of my porch, debating whether to go over to August’s home and tell them all I knew, allowing us all to decide if this was a good idea or not. I ultimately decided that I wanted someone to look me in the eye and tell me exactly how dangerous this Xavier guy was, how dangerous this could be for Madison and the others.
I closed my eyes, calmed my breath, and thought of Drake’s chambers. A moment later, I appeared there, just behind him...finding him all alone.
Chapter Fifteen
Drake was standing in front of a full-length mirror, adjusting his tie. My eyes drifted over him, taking in how powerful every part of him was, the magnetism I could feel in the air. It caused insane guilt to build in me, but I missed him. I missed having him at my side, untangling the fate that had chased us through eternity.
I was off to the side of the mirror behind him, so he couldn’t see me. But, the deep breath he inhaled, the way his strong, lean body stood at attention, it all told me he felt me. Just as I went to step closer to him, to find a way to talk all of this out, I heard my name being called by the sweetest voice. It made me lose my focus and rushed my soul back to my body, which was sitting on my front steps.
Before me was Preston. His emotions were near peaceful, but his baby blue eyes reflected sadness.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, reaching for his tiny arms.
“Willow, that’s not good.”
“What’s not good?”
“Going there.”
“We shouldn’t go there—like tonight? I need to stop this ball?”
He let out a little sigh and pulled away from my touch, then sat down next to me, bringing his elbows to his knees so his chin could rest in his hands.
“No.”
“What, then? What is bad?”
He tilted his head, which was still in his hands, to look up at me. “You can’t distract him.”
“Oh,” I muttered, reaching for a lemon drop so it could help me swallow my guilt. “I just wanted to talk about some things that were going to happen tonight.”
“He would not have heard your words.”
I blushed. “You’re right. That was stupid,” I said as I thought of how angry it would have made everyone if they knew I intended to carve out a moment or two of alone time with Drake.
“It’s okay to love him, Willow, but it’s not okay not to let him love anyone else.”
That really made me feel sick to my stomach. I squinted my eyes closed until I felt control come back to me.
“I wasn’t trying to do that, but I get it. He is about to go on his first real, formal date with Madison. I would have given him doubt.”
“You give him doubt by existing,” he said with a boyish smirk.
I elbowed him gently, which caused his smile to broaden.
“How did you know what I was up to? Or were you just coming by to see me?”
He scooted closer to me. Thinking he was cold, I unzipped my hoodie and wrapped one side of it around him.
“I felt myself fading,” he whispered.
“I see. So I guess it’s true: this thing between the three of us is hurting you and the others.”
“Not painful,” he promised.
“What do you see when you meditate?” I asked, letting my hand gently glide across his tiny back.
“Nothing, really. Stars, sometimes. When I see the stars, I know it’s getting better.”
“You’re seeing stars now? Did you this morning?”
“I saw more than I did last night.”
“Well, how about this: I will promise to leave Drake be so you can see all the stars you want, so we can help lots and lots of people. Stay focused.”
“You can’t leave him be,” he said, looking up at me. “He needs you. He just didn’t need you at that moment. Everything is too new, happened too fast. It has to settle, but even when it does, it will still hurt some.”
“I don’t want him to ever hurt.”
“It will hurt both of you. We are meant to love everyone and everything, but that is hard to do when you have a body, when the world says one and only one.”
“Very true, little man.”
A long silence passed between us, then I continued.
“So,” I said, nodding my head toward August’s home, “I don’t suppose you have any inside information about what is going on over there? What battle they’re facing?”
“Not your story,” he said with a slight giggle, knowing what I was up to and clearly blocking me.
“True, but I don’t want them wrapped up in something that has nothing to do with them. They have a good family at home that misses them very much.”
“We all do,” he said calmly as he gazed forward into nothing. His words were heavy, with deeper meaning than a first glance would offer. I wondered for a moment if home for him was on the other side of reality.
I didn’t push him for more information. I just let him be a little boy in my arms. We watched the butterflies, the birds, even played a game of tag. It felt so peaceful to be in his presence. I was chasing him through the field, finding it harder than I should to catch him, when Landen appeared in front of him, caught him, and spun him around.
“That’s cheating!” Preston said through his laughter as Landen halted his spin and tickled him while Preston squirmed in his arms.
“Willow and I have to go, but how about a quick ride through the air?”
Preston nodded with insane excitement. At that moment, they both vanished. I spun around the field, looking for where he could have taken him, not seeing anything but a few Jeeps approaching. I guess playtime was over; everyone was dressed and ready for this ball.
“Looking for me?” I heard Landen say behind me.
For some reason, his voice sent a hum down my spine. I blushed as I turned to see him.
“Where did you take him?” I asked as my eyes drank in every part of him: the blue eyes, the flawless jawline that would clench when his emotions became too much, his long, strong arms that I wanted to wrap myself in.
“Mom’s,” he said, returning my hungry stare as he reached for my hand and led me toward the passage of the string.
“How does that zapping thing work anyway?” I asked, just to hear his voice. I could tell he was already deep into this night before us, working out every possible detail.
A sinful grin threatened to expose the dimples I loved so much. “I don’t think I know how to explain it. It’s like what we do with our souls, only with bodies. Takes a bit more energy, but it does save time.”
“Where are we going? Don’t say the ball, because I’m underdressed,” I teased, looking down at my jeans and light jacket.
“Look like a queen to me,” he said, pulling me closer so he could kiss my temple, which made everything in my body tingle. It was like his energy was magnified, prepared for anything. I envied that. “We’re going to make sure they get on that boat. When they do, you’ll need to guide it to shore. Once they’re there, we need to step into the veil.”
“Simple enough,” I muttered.
We weren’t very far in front of the others. Landen had checked a gray passage to ensure that a boat was still there, then led around fifty people from Chara on board. There were already several others that had boarded before we got there.
Olivia and Chrispin, followed by Draven, Charlie, and Madison, were at the end of this entourage. They all looked stunning, like the royalty they were meant to portray.
Olivia hugged me just before she went to pass through the passage.
“I like that color,” I said, noticing the dramatic change she’d made to her appearance. Her dark hair was now a vibrant red. That, along with the dark contacts she was wearing, took any resemblance between the two of us away.
She winked at me to say thank you. Chrispin was just behind her. He’d changed. His hair was no longer blond and was now in a short cut that robbed him of his curls. He looked so much more like his brothers at that moment, dark and mysterious. I doubted they would be recognized by anyone in Esterious tonight. It made me feel good to know they would be there to protect the others.
“Why, Charlie, is that you?” Landen teased, noticing Charlie’s obvious discomfort with being dressed up for this.
“You guys look awesome,” I said as I elbowed him. Did he not feel how nervous they were? I reached for Charlie’s arm, trying give her some calm. “Thank you for this. I owe you one.”
Her immediate intent was to take me up on my offer. I knew then that something serious was going on between her and Draven, something she was terrified to deal with. Almost instantly, Landen had the intent to persuade me to let it be. I would have been furious if I did not also feel his confidence in them to resolve whatever issues they may have on their own. I nodded anyway, telling her that I was here if she needed me.
Madison caught my glance and I reached for her arm, sending her my gratitude and calm. I wasn’t a fool. This girl was totally freaking out, and I doubted it had anything to do with a ball. More likely it had everything to do with Drake.
She gave a slight smile before stepping through the passage, followed by Draven and Charlie.
Brady had helped lead them to us, but he was not going on board, which made sense. He looked too much like Landen.
“Do you need me to do anything besides what we talked about?” he asked Landen.
I glanced around him, knowing I felt Felicity in the distance. I couldn’t figure out why she was in the string. She was calm, and I didn’t feel Allie, so I knew she wasn’t fleeing Chara.
“No. Just make sure his guitars are there, a change of clothes. Set it up to make them feel at home, alone.”
“Will do,” he said with a nod before turning.
“Wait. Why is Felicity in here?” I asked.
He turned halfway to glance at me. “Um...she wanted to go to her home dimension for a little bit.”
“Why?”
Brady tried to hide a smirk before turning to leave.
“Is that bad?” I asked Landen nervously.
“No,” he said, trying to hide a grin. “She’s just helping me with something.”
“Oh...the surprise,” I mumbled, telling myself not to focus too clearly on Felicity and Brady in the distance. “I’m wickedly nervous about this. We just sent them on stage for the dimension of Esterious. We’ve made them clear targets.”
“They’ll be fine. We
didn’t do this. They agreed without hesitation, even helped plot some of it. They would have backed away if they felt it was wrong in any shape or form.”
“Right, but Charlie’s mind is not on tonight. She had the intent to ask me for help. I know she did.”
“She is fine. She just needs some alone time and clearly they know that, too. If they need us, they will do more than set the intent. They will ask.”
“And I will help, with or without permission.”
“I know,” he said quietly. “And if I thought that you would need to, I would have already told you, prepared you for it. They are stronger than what Nana led us to believe. Someone has began to help and guide them, and I don’t want to get in their way.”
Truth. Every single word.
He took my hand and led me down the string. The passage we stepped into led us to the top of the lighthouse I’d used in the past. In the distance, I could see the massive ship. It was no bigger than a dot on the horizon. Landen nodded for me to do my thing. Feeling useful, I focused on a wind and pulled the boat across the ocean with a gentle current. For show, and to prove I had more control than I’m sure he thought I had, I asked the sun to beam across their path, and it did so, parting the distant gray clouds.
I felt the awe of the countless souls and glanced to my side to see the shore lined with curious onlookers.
It wasn’t long before the ship was close enough to shore for another smaller boat to be lowered. Once everyone was on board, I guided it along the ocean, too. Humbly, with a thought, I asked the sun to continue to guide their path.
“How do we get into the veil?” I asked Landen, not wanting to watch their approach any longer. I was a bit jealous, and it wasn’t because of Drake. Charlie was side by side with my best friend, set for a brilliant night, and I was about to walk among the dead.
“It’s thin here, not hard to see,” Landen said as his eyes rushed across my solemn expression, taking in everything he could about what I was feeling. He reached his arms around me, leaned his forehead against mine and whispered, “Hold on.”