Vital (29 page)

“How do you know?” he asked quietly.

I looked up at him. His dark eyes captured mine, and I felt myself being gently pulled in by the mystery I found in his soul. His expression pleaded for a connection that I couldn’t completely feel.

“When Landen looks into my eyes...he sees...he sees right through me. You can’t...” I said quietly, breaking our gaze.

He gently reached to pull my chin up, catching my gaze again. “I see...you’re not looking back.”

Before I could protest, I heard the muffled voices of Landen and Brady. I managed to pull myself out of my dream and sat up slowly. Taking in the fading images, I felt a sick guilt build in me. I glanced to my side to find Drake asleep and touched his shoulder to wake him. His eyes opened slowly.

“Was that real?” I whispered.

He didn’t answer me; he just held my gaze. I looked away before my mind had a chance to make the dream a reality.

Must have been some dream
,
I heard Landen say in my thoughts.

I nervously caught his stare.
Why do you say that?
I thought timidly.

His eyes filled with pain as jealousy took over his emotion.
I felt passion in your emotion
,
he thought, tilting his head,
yet your energy has depleted
.

Now you see why I hate to dream
,
I thought before I could stop myself.

Why is that? Does he often appear there?
he thought with a sting in his tone.

I stood abruptly and walked to him, then put my hands on either side of his face and pulled his lips to me. At first he refused to kiss me back, but my sheer force demanded that he did. As his lips moved against mine, I thought of his touch, his love, everything about him that left me breathless. His arms pulled my waist against him, then held me tightly.

Never doubt where you stand with me
,
I thought as I slowed my kiss.
You're not only the man of my dreams, but the one who shares my soul
.
I felt a release in his emotions; the jealousy subsided, and the desire to end this curse absorbed him. He bit my bottom lip gently as he pulled away.

Realizing that we’d displayed passion in front of others - in front of Drake - caused my skin to blush, and the agony of being stuck in the middle of them took over. I refused to look at anyone as Landen held me against him.

“How convincing were you?” Alamos asked after a few seconds went by.

“Hard to say...there’s a building on the edge of the city. I didn’t go in, but I could feel a dark intent to defeat me,” Landen answered, locking stares with Drake. “We have people from Chara watching that place, so we should know who’s there before long.”

“Bring them to me. I have no issues killing anyone who’s a danger to Willow,” Drake said coldly.

I glanced in his direction to see anger engulfing his expression. I could swear I heard a taunt between his words, like he was accusing Landen of not having the same courage.

Landen’s jaw tightened as his hand fell into mine. “Everyone else has left for Pelhan’s. I told them we’d follow just in case.”

I squeezed his hand and avoided looking into Drake’s eyes again. Marc reached down and picked up Preston, who opened his eyes as he was lifted. “Shh,” Marc whispered. “We’re going to say goodnight to Libby.”

Preston’s sleepy eyes looked for me, and I smiled when they found me. “I’m coming, too,” I said quietly.

Landen squeezed my hand.
He's grown attached to you
,
he thought. He looked over my head at Perodine and Alamos. “We’ll be back within the hour; if Pelhan has any advice, maybe two.”

“I don’t think he does,” she said quietly before looking at me. “Do you feel rested?”

I didn’t answer; I just pulled Landen closer and nodded slightly as we made our way to the passage.

Brady came to my side as we entered the string. I felt his intent to protect me in there, and I assumed Landen must have told him how I’d acted before. I didn’t care that he didn’t see it; the devil was toying with me then.

I could feel Landen’s dread building. I knew he wanted to talk to me about Dane, but he didn’t know how. I decided I wasn’t going to give him a chance, and as I made my intent, he looked down at me; I held a solemn expression but leaned closer to him.

I looked to my side at Brady. “Are you gonna stay? I’m sure Felicity would want you to.”

He glanced at me. “I’m sure she’ll insist that I stay with the two of you. The only reason I’m going now is because you are.”

“Is everyone already there?” I asked.

“Chrispin, Beth, Stella, and Rose are staying in Esterious. By now, everyone else should be here,” Brady answered.

I looked behind me at Marc, then up at Landen. “The string seems calm.”

“Things aren’t always what they seem. Other travelers have already felt what we feared.”

“How bad is it? Did anyone get hurt?” I asked, squeezing his waist.

“Not bad. They said it’s like a wave; you don’t realize you’ve been moved, but as long as you keep walking the way you were going, it should be fine. Nothing like what we’ve lived through,” Landen explained.

“I don’t trust it,” Brady commented, looking all around us.

“It’s not the storms that bother me,” I said under my breath.

I felt the tension and concern build in the string, but I ignored it and looked forward, prepared to defend myself if that demon was foolish enough to provoke me.

It didn’t take long for us to reach Pelhan’s. As we stepped in, I counted the emotions around me and found that everyone was safely here. Marc let Preston down, and he took off in a sprint toward Pelhan’s house. Aora and Felicity were waiting at the gate.

“Where’s Allie?” Brady asked as he pulled Felicity to him.

“Asleep, but I want to wake her so she can see you,” Felicity said, pulling Brady’s lips to hers before guiding him toward Pelhan’s.

Aora looked at Landen. “Pelhan and the others are just over there,” she said, nodding to a distant tree.

We both felt her intent to talk to me alone. Landen kissed my forehead before walking to meet them.

Aora looped her arm through mine, and we walked in the opposite direction of Landen. “Your time here is short,” she said quietly.

“We just wanted to make sure everyone made it here,” I answered, trying to gauge the distant mood of Landen and the others.

We settled on a short stone wall. I took a deep breath and looked all around me at the beauty of this dimension. I could never get over how stunning it was here; the sky alone and the moving sea of light blue pearls were breathtaking.

“You’re troubled,” Aora said after countless moments of silence.

“Aren’t I always?” I said, trying to smile.

“Restless dreams?” she said, trying to hold my attention.

A sickening feeling of guilt absorbed me.“Very...they’re cruel.”

“I’m listening,” she said quietly.

I moved my head from side to side as I remembered my father telling me to listen and that I’d always know what to do.

I glanced at her. “I had a dream that showed me lives with Drake, passion and war...I don’t know if it was real or just my mind justifying why he’s here, but I can’t think about things like that...it’s dangerous...it’s building doubt inside of Landen, rage.”

I felt her arm come around me and a numbing peace encase me. “Landen has no doubt,” she whispered.

I didn’t fail to notice that she didn’t reassure me about his building rage. I stared at her, waiting for her to calm me with her wisdom.

“You know that you’re going to save those people, your friend, mend broken fences – but you don’t know how you’re going to resolve the emotions between you and Drake. Your mind is allowing you to constantly work on that issue; if it didn’t, you’d lose touch with who you are. Very natural...Landen’s reaction...is natural.”

I glanced across the way to where Landen was. Marc, Preston, and Brady were at the passage; they were leaving. Landen was giving instruction to Marc, and the confusion that Marc felt led me to believe that he didn’t think what he was told to do by Landen was wise. Marc looked to where Aora and I were sitting, then to Landen; he then nodded, picked up Preston, and walked toward the passage to leave. I watched as Landen let out a deep breath, but he didn’t look at me. I could feel the distance between us growing, and my soul ached.

“We’re growing apart,” I said in a tearful whisper. “I can feel it. We haven’t had a chance to really get to know each other outside of dreams, and because of that he doesn’t understand the bonds I have with people that were in my life when he was just a dream.”

“This turmoil is because of your friend, the one called Dane in this life?” she asked.

“Did you know him in another life?” I asked.

She let her eyes tell me no. “You’ve spoken of him, though.”

“I must have told you he was a great person – because he is,” I said, searching her eyes for agreement.

She didn’t answer me; instead, she looked to the opening of the passage. Libby was hugging Landen goodbye, and my dad and Ashten were stepping through to leave. Once Libby had left his embrace, Pelhan began to lead Landen closer to us.

“It is time for you to go,” she said, rising.

I felt my mother and looked down the road to see her and Clarissa waiting for a moment to say goodbye to me.

“Wish me luck,” I said, standing.

She stood and reached to hug me.

I walked slowly to my mom and Clarissa; my mother walked faster. When she reached me, she didn’t say a word; she just put her arms around me and held me there for a moment, then extended her arms. “I just wanted to tell you goodbye. I was excited when they said you were here, but then I heard about what happened...I’m sorry.”

“I’m gonna get her back – all of them,” I promised.

I watched her hold back tears. “I know you will.” She hugged me once more, then walked past me before she began to cry.

Clarissa looked so much calmer, almost happy, on the outside - but I could still feel her broken heart. “Do want to come back with me? He’s really hurt.”

She shook her head no. Before I could argue, I felt Libby’s tiny arms around my waist.

“Hey there,” I said in the most cheerful voice I could manage.

“I just wanted to hug you. Mom needs me now,” she said, smiling and looking up at me.

“You keep her safe for me; make her strong like you make me strong,” I urged, leaning down to hug her.

“I will,” she whispered in my ear before she let go of me and ran in the direction of my mom. My mother was telling Landen goodbye, and she looked over her shoulder at me as she took Libby’s hand. I felt her concern and dread rise inside of her; I knew that she agreed with whatever Landen said to her but knew that I wouldn’t. I grew desperate to get Clarissa to come with me; I knew I couldn’t defend Dane on my own much longer.

I turned back to her. “Please,” I said quietly.

“I can’t, Willow. I’m sorry...I just can’t.”

“It’s bad, Clarissa. He’s in a dark place, and I can’t pull him out on my own.”

She stepped forward and hugged me. “I’m sorry, but he has to take the first step. You can’t save him from whatever he’s caught up in unless he wants you to.”

I stepped back and tried to hide the anger I felt. “If this was Landen – or even Drake – I’d be relentless...I’d use everything I had to save them.”

“I know, but I’m not you. All I can say is right now, every part of me is telling me to stay away. It’s almost like he’s telling me; the Dane I fell in love with is telling me to stay right here, that I’m safe. I love that man, and I’m going to do as he asked and hope that in time I’ll find him again.”

“I’m gonna fix this,” I promised her.

“Bring Olivia home, then we’ll work this out. Right now, she comes first – promise me that.”

“Promise.”

She hugged me once more, then went to meet my mom and Libby. I reached out my emotion to find everyone else; I wanted to tell them goodbye, but I felt that they were scattered, and Landen was eager to leave. As I walked to his side, his quiet conversation with Pelhan halted.

Pelhan looked over me carefully. “No worries, child; I will say your goodbyes,” he promised.

“Thank you. I don’t want them to think I don’t have time or care enough to say so,” I said, looking into his wise eyes.

“They know you love them, child, and that now your purpose is calling you,” he said quietly.

I nodded once and walked past him, wanting to get back, to find a way just to end this now; I wasn’t going to wait for a ceremony. Landen reached for my arm as I passed him and let his hand slide into mine as we made our way to leave.

Landen squeezed my hand when we reached the passage. “We need to stop when we step in here; I want to talk to you about something.”

I held my breath, almost sure that I didn’t want to hear what he had to say. I stepped into the passage; ignoring his request, I started to walk to Esterious.