Night Visions (Night Series) (15 page)

"She's tough, Ian. She'll come back to you."

Sam's indrawn breath drew his attention. Her vacant eyes returned to their original color.

He held her tight against his chest, letting his lips rest against her forehead. "You've gotta stop scaring me like that."

"What happened?" She rasped out.

"You touched Abigail and passed out."

Sam shook her head, her brows pinched in confusion. "That's never happened before. I mean touching something has never brought on a vision."

"What did you see?" Ian asked, adjusting Sam in his lap. He lifted her until her head rested on his shoulder.

Her eyes drifted from his to the coffee table in front of them as if playing it back in her mind.

"I saw a man on a horse. It was bigger than Storm. The man was dressed in some sort of armor."

So this wasn't a premonition. Maybe she was starting to unlock the past.

"I saw the woman in white, too." A wistful smile teased her lips. "They were together."

"So this vision is new?"

She tore her eyes from the coffee table, casting them back to his chest. Unshed tears shimmered inside. "Yes, it's a new one. I've never seen the man before, but I could tell that they were very much in love. The way he looked at her…"

"What is it?" He tipped her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"There was another man with them. He had this…raw powerfulness about him. Like a dominant presence. He didn't want them to be together. The crazed look in his eyes said as much. So he started a war. There was so much blood and bodies everywhere."

He pulled her head down, resting it against his chest. He smoothed his fingers through her hair. "It's over now."

"Sure. The vision is. But I can't shake this feeling, Ian. This knot in my stomach. The man on the horse…" The moisture in her eyes broke free. It spilled onto her cheeks, continuing a damp path down until it dropped on his shirt. "He died trying to protect her," she whispered.

Guilt consumed him. The moment he had avoided for six years had now arrived. And he would be lying if he didn't admit he was terrified of her reaction.

"I know, Sam."

She stilled in his arms, then pushed herself away, her red-rimmed eyes stared at him warily. "What do you mean
you know
?"

"Everything you're telling me. I know it's true. Because the woman in your visions…her name is Adirah. And you're her descendent."

* * *

The mention of Adirah's name awoke the voices from their slumber. Massaging her temples, she shoved them away, afraid they would confirm the madness that spilled from Ian's lips.

"A Goddess?" Sam repeated.

Ian nodded his head in confirmation.

She stared at him in disbelief as she swung her feet to the floor. This was some kind of hoax. Jason put them up to this. Any minute now he would spring into the room laughing. “Where have you been for the last six years? In a padded room?"

“It's true, Sam," She followed Trent's voice, finding him standing in the doorway. The somber expression covering his face mirrored Ian's. He crossed the room, taking a seat on the cream colored chair across from her.

She waved her hand between them. “Oh, so that's how you two met…you were roommates. Did you share a straitjacket or each have your own?" She didn't know what kind of game they were playing, but it wasn't funny. "And I suppose you're going to tell me that Vampires and Werewolves exist too?"

Trent and Ian exchanged a look but clamped their mouths closed.

"You expect me to believe that I'm the descendent of a Goddess? I write books about mythology and lore. It's called fiction for a reason. Because it's just that. Fiction."

Sensing her rising panic, Ginger stood from her position at Sam's feet, letting her head rest in Sam's lap. Sam stroked Ginger's fur, the back and forth motion soothed her raw nerves.

"Sam, think about it." Ian said. "You've seen the same woman over and over. Each time, she's tried to tell you something. She wants you to remember. You should have remembered long before now."

"If what you say is true, why would I need to remember anything?" She didn't want any of this to be true. Didn't want to remember her dark dreams. Because that would mean someone was going to die and she had no idea how to prevent it.

"Because you aren't just any descendent. You bear the mark of the True One."

"What mark?" Sam asked warily. "And true what?"

Ian leaned over and lifted her hair, His thumb rubbed the crescent shaped mark just behind her ear. Goosebumps rippled across her skin at his touch. Her hand lifted to the spot he vacated.

"No. That's just a birthmark."

"The same mark that Adirah had. None have carried it since."

As Ian's words tickled her ear, she snapped her eyelids shut. "It's not possible. I don't
feel
any different." She couldn't continue. Not when she knew what she'd said wasn't exactly true. In the diner, when the waitress flirted with him. And the man who tried to attack Ian. She did feel different when dealing with them. Stronger. Bolder. Powerful.

"The vision you had when you touched Abigail came from Adirah's memories." Ian folded his hands over hers, leaving them in her lap. "The man on the horse. His name was Tregan. He was Adirah's mortal lover. The Gods didn't have many rules, but being with a mortal was forbidden." The tips of Ian's fingers caressed her hand, circling her wrist as he took a breath. "Another God, Casimir wanted Adirah for himself. She didn't love him. Or his cruel ways. When he found she chose a mortal over him, his jealousy exploded. It started a war that would carry over to our time."

So many questions sprung into Sam's head. She winced as each one beat against her brain. She should feel relieved to know that she wasn't certifiable. But she still felt like something was missing. That they were holding something back.

She searched Trent's face, waiting for him to look at her. Ian's face showed no expression, except for his eyes. Something there said he would tell her anything she wanted to know.

And she wanted to know
everything.

"How do you know all of this?"

Ian held her gaze a second more, then squeezed her hands before focusing on them. "The night I left… When we kissed. I saw something."

Sam felt a flush stain her cheeks. She dropped her head, unable to meet his eyes.

"I saw the woman in white. Adirah," he continued.

Her attention snapped to Ian, disbelief fueling the anger consuming her. He'd known about Adirah all these years and never said a word. Let her think she was going crazy.

"She told me to stop Casimir or you would die."

"Die?" She broke free of his hands, poking her chest with a finger. "Why would I have to die?" The fight was between Adirah and Casimir, not her. Why was her death so important?

Ian flashed Trent a glance. When Trent nodded, Ian faced her again, blowing out a deep breath. "That's what I went to find out."

The more he revealed to her, the more her anger built. "This still doesn't explain why you couldn't tell me. Damn it, Ian. I've been a walking target for years. A clueless walking target. How could keeping me in the dark protect me?"

He winced at the roughness in her voice before he stood from the couch. Taking two steps, he spun around to face her again. "Jason and I thought we should look into it first."

"Jace knew?" she cried. No. He wouldn't keep something like this from her. They didn't have secrets. But hadn't she done the same by hiding her visions? Maybe if she had told him the truth from the start, she would have saved herself the years of speculation.

"I'm sorry, Sam." Ian closed the distance between them. When she looked away, the heat of his body returned to the couch, then her knee as his hand rested against it. "We didn't want to alarm you if it was nothing."

The urge to flee the room snaked through her body, but she shoved it aside, refusing to let it overpower her. "You should have told me, Ian. I could have handled it."

When she met his eyes again, she noted the pain they contained. He swallowed hard before moving his lips. "We made a mistake. I see that now. But we thought we were protecting you."

Yeah. They did. From everything but herself.

"So why am I here?" She waved her hand about the room, looking back and forth between Ian and Trent. Did Jason even want to meet her here? Or was that a trick to get her to leave home. "You could have told me this at home."

Trent leaned forward, bracing his arms on his legs. "We think Casimir is looking for you."

Sam glared at Trent. "Why would a God want me?"

"Because he wants to finish what he started."

At least Trent was honest. He didn't waste his time or hers, trying to
protect
her feelings. Too bad her brother and Ian didn't do the same. Yet, even with Trent's honesty, unease churned inside her. "And that would be what exactly? You said the war has carried over into our time. What good would I be to him? I know nothing about battles."

"You know more than you think." Trent's eyes moved toward Ian, who stood from the couch. He waited until Ian placed a hand on her shoulder before he continued. "We think he wants to claim you as his own. And with your powers, his army would be unstoppable."

Sam held up her hand. "What powers?"

It was hard enough accepting that her great grandmother
, however many times removed, was a goddess. They expected her to believe that those same powers were passed down to her?

Ian walked toward the front window, bracing his hand against the wall. "That's what we've been trying to figure out. When you've been extremely upset, your eyes have changed color. Shifted from brown to violet. Like Adirah's. It happened in the diner with the waitress and at th
e motel when you woke from your dream."

Shaking her head she looked from Trent to Ian. "Why would my eyes change colors?"

"It must have something to do with your connection to Adirah. Jason thought he found the answer to what your abilities are, but we haven't heard from him."

Sam's heart exploded in her chest. Not just with anger, but with fear. "What do you mean you haven't heard from him? You said he was delayed."

"We don't know for sure." Ian turned toward her, his hands fisted at his sides. "We think Casimir may have him. That he wants to use Jason to get to you."

She sprang from the couch, startling Ginger who still lounged at Sam's feet. "Then what are we waiting for? Once he sees that I don't have any powers, he'll let Jason go and move on. Right?"

Ian shook his head. "It's not that easy, Sam. We think we know where he is, but we're not positive. And you do have powers. Whatever caused you to repress the memories has also blocked your gift. We just need to figure out how to unlock it."

"What if I don't want to unlock it?" She didn't want to be some sideshow freak. Dissected and examined. And she definitely did not want to be the object of some unbalanced God's affection.

"If you don't, Casimir will." Trent pushed himself off the chair and walked toward her, rubbing the back of his neck. "He's a calculating man and doesn't do anything without a reason. He's had centuries to plan his attack. We have to be smart about this.

"Give me a minute to absorb this." Sam stood and paced the room, twirling a strand of hair. She began to bite her nails, then stopped. A habit she quit a long time ago. She couldn't fathom the idea of a man waiting centuries for her. Centuries. How could immortals really exist? What did that make her? Would she live forever too?

A dull throb began at the base of her skull, working its way up to her temples. "I…um…I need some time to process this." She pinched the bridge of her nose, hoping the ache would ease.

Ian reached out to touch her, then pulled back, letting his hand drop to his side.

"I think I need to be alone. Trent, can you please show me to my room?"

Trent hesitated, shooting Ian a glance before nodding his head. Following Trent out, she resisted the urge to look back.

There were still so many unanswered questions. The one person that could answer them, was the one person she needed to avoid. Now that she knew the truth, would Adirah vanish? Or would she fill in the blanks?

Each step she took up the stairs drained her of what little energy she had left. Her eyes drifted to more of Rebecca's photos lining the wall that led to the second floor. Shifting her eyes to Trent's back, guilt gnawed at her belly. Trent was only trying to help her, amidst his own inner turmoil, and she hadn't even thanked him.

Trent stopped at the door to her room, his arms crossed over his chest. "Sam, I'm sorry we dumped all of this on you. Whether you choose to believe it or not, Ian does care about you and never meant to intentionally hurt you."

All Sam could manage was a slight nod before she turned and entered the room, Ginger a step behind her. Sam closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed. Dropping her head in her hands she wondered how
, in the span of seventy-two hours, one man could turn her life upside down.