I wasn’t sure if Drake realized Britain was there or not. Even if he did, he may not recognize him. When I took Drake to my home dimension, he knew I was furious at my recent ex. I pointed out who Anna was, but by the time Britain showed up we were deep into the act that stated I was not grieving for any ex of mine.
The silence was screaming at all of us as the soundless prayer ended and Drake’s glare moved around the table. When his eyes met mine once again, I saw a small, enticing smile threaten his lips. Flashes came to my mind as I appraised him once again. This time, I saw the gentle way he always seemed to caress my bottom lip. I could feel his desire to do that right now, and that made me feel invincible.
My heart thundered as I struggled to hold an uncaring expression on my face and not breathe at the same time.
Moments later, the doors opened again and servants slowly wheeled in the first course, along with wine.
Drake was served first. After tasting the wine, he covered his cup with his napkin. The servant seemed petrified. She moved down the table, serving the other guests. When she reached Aden and me, she covered our wine glasses in the same way Drake had.
Another servant approached Drake and served him soup. I doubted he even tried it; his spoon looked empty from where I was sitting. He took his spoon and crossed his bowl with it.
Once again, fear emerged in the servant as she served everyone else. Once she reached us, she crossed our spoons over our bowls like Drake had.
As the others ate, that cold stare of Drake’s met each one. I kept my eyes peeled on him; not only was he causing that fire to burn inside of me with nothing more than his presence, but the power and mystery he was portraying was seducing my mind, causing me to question how much of a stage he was on. He was really good at this king stuff.
Each course, the same action was taken. He refused the food, terrified the servant, and then our plates were covered.
More than once over the course of this meal, I felt Britain’s hand on my knee. I had backed away from him, gave him glares, and was seconds away from tossing him away from me with one strong push of my energy.
Aden had picked up on what he was doing to me just before the main course. As dessert was served, Aden lost his cool. He stood, held his arm out to me, bowed to Drake, glared at Britain, then walked us right out of that room like we owned the place. What made it seem so dramatic was the fact that the royal guards left at that moment, too.
As soon as we reached the hall, I took a deep, lasting breath, thankful for fresh air and wishing that my sense of smell would go on hiatus. Monroe must be behind this—these ink waves and bad odors. Obviously, she not only wanted me not to have fear, but also to see my enemies.
Right as I thought that, I tensed; a flash of diamond eyes passed through my mind’s eye, along with that haunting aroma of peppermint.
I was losing my mind. I was sure of it.
My heart was pumping—not out of fear, but excitement. I knew we had left them confused and insulted. I was sure that Britain would be put in the uncomfortable position of explaining our exit before long. That would teach him to toy with me.
Chrispin passed an amused grin to Aden. “Didn’t think you were going to make it that long.”
“He wants me to kill him,” Aden fumed.
“It took all I had, too, man.” Chrispin elbowed me. “I figured she would toss him across the room if he was too forward. I couldn’t see his hands, I just knew they were too close.” He pulled his shoulders back.
“Creator help him if Drake figures out what that boy was doing,” Zander said in a low, mischievous tone.
“Seemed busy with the female company,” I mumbled, half on stage, halfway putting a wall around my heart.
“Amusing, Xavier,” Aden said so quietly that I doubted anyone else heard him. “Looking glass,” he said to Chrispin.
Chrispin offered a confused glance before nodding to the men around us, telling them to lead the way.
Three hallways later, I saw two young guys standing guard in front of a rather modest doorway. I recognized them from Chara; they were on the boat that we traveled on when we played that courting night out. Their purpose was to give Drake balance in the palace, for him to bring in outside sources to help protect us all.
The authority that each guard seemed to give Chrispin led me to believe that Drake had exercised that confluence and placed Chrispin in charge of all those that were selected to protect not only us, but also Drake. Authority and power must come natural to each of Drake’s brothers. Even though I knew Chrispin could be as innocent and playful as Preston, right now he was all business and clearly let off the vibe that crossing him would be a bad idea.
“Let them pass,” Chrispin said to them. The guards glanced warily at each other before they finally allowed us in.
“Stella and Marc are at dinner,” Chrispin said to us. “Make it kind of quick. Stella is a bit protective of this room.”
Marc was Drake’s brother, too, the one that looked almost too much like him. Stella was his girl. I had gathered that she was from this dimension originally. Willow had brought her home to Chara.
After the doors were closed behind us, the only light in this stone room was coming from a pool of water. I glanced at Aden with questioning eyes.
“I told you before, this is not saltwater. And now I’m a hundred percent sure that your dream did not take place here. I just want you to see the rings, see if the sight of them sparks a memory or different aspect to any past dreams. There has to be a reason this is within both you and Charlie,” he said as he urged me closer.
Before I even reached the edge of the pool, I could see rings moving slowly in the water; three were solid, one was weak, faded.
I didn’t feel any odd energy or memories surfacing, but I did sense that nagging obsession that I had. I wanted to know where that water came from, how or if it connected to other areas of the palace that may still have water within them…that, or a pet octopus lingering.
“They are calling this a looking glass?”
“Apparently. It was something that Donalt had built. He had a part of a necklace Willow wears inside of it. They think the force of this caused the storms in the string that Austin always talked about. It moved under water after a few of their trials. It was called that because Donalt had led everyone to believe that whoever stood within those rings and held Willow’s heart would be able to see across all dimensions, set the intent for each.”
“Well, that’s a bunch of crap.” My statement was based on nothing less than a gut feeling. I was pretty sure that as powerful as that Donalt guy seemed to have been, he would not need something like this to do such a thing—especially if he used The Realm; that place connected all worlds. This was something else, a distraction or piece to a puzzle—definitely not the whole truth.
“Figured you’d say that. They kinda freaked out when I went to see if it was saltwater. I was assured that it wasn’t by Stella; she knows this looking glass better than anyone.”
“Does she,” I murmured as I started to unbutton my dress. I had spotted what I thought was a passageway under the water. It reminded me far too much of what I had seen that octopus lingering near.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Going for a swim. I want to see what’s under it, why it’s spinning.”
“Are you mad? You haven’t swum since you were, like, nine.”
“True,” I said with a smirk.
That’s what sucks about fear: it robs you of the things you love. I was obsessed with swimming when I was girl. It was the only sport I’d ever participated in. I was good at it. Fish in the water, as my mother would say. After seeing that vision, showers were as close as I got to depth when it came to water.
“But some things you never forget.”
“This is not what you are looking for—both places I think we were in are in different wings, and you have no idea what’s in that water,” he argued as my dress fell and I tucked the locket i
nto my tank top.
“I’m hoping there is an octopus that is guarding something.”
“You’re insane.” He glanced at the water, then at me. Knowing that there was no way to talk me out of it, he fell back on his classic words of caution. “Stay clear of the rings; we don’t want anyone in the string to get hurt because you are experiencing a current lack of fear.”
“Sure thing,” I said with a wink before I rolled my shoulders and positioned my body for a dive.
I was in the water within the next breath. It was like bath water. I could feel the waves the rings were creating flow over me. It felt good to swim, really good. I kept to the edge of the pool, far from the rotation, but the deeper I went the more the pool narrowed.
I thought about turning back, but just as I reached the bottom of the rings I found my dark passageway. I kicked as hard as I could and swam through it.
I felt the water rushing over me and knew without a doubt that something was feeding this pool of water. Seconds later, I emerged in another pool. Needing air, I struggled to find the surface. When the surface finally broke, I found that I was in nothing more than another stone room, one that was tightly closed in. I pulled myself up on the ledge so I could catch my breath.
There was a dim light in here, but I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. When I looked up, I saw that some of the square stones above were illuminated.
There were other passageways that led out of this room, four that I could see through the darkness. There were stairs leading into the water, which made no sense at all.
I wasn’t sure that I wanted to explore those other passages just yet. I knew Aden thought I was still under water. I wanted to go back for him, for his peace of mind, not mine. But I had to catch my breath first.
At least I had found one answer: Aden and I could easily find passages like this and follow them to where we needed to go without the watchful eyes of the evil souls that walked this palace.
A rush of icy air moved past me. I could swear the dark shadows of the room had shifted. A deep growl emerged as an echo in the room.
So much for not being alone anymore. Time for a face-to-face with the evil man that had tormented the man I love.
I leered. “Why don’t you just show yourself? You know I’m not afraid of you.”
Your greatest weakness is always your greatest strength. I had feared the whispers and shadows that my friends and I had faced for longer than I cared to remember, but that fear had taught me something about the dead: when or if they choose to manifest, they are weak. Their thoughts are scattered, usually on some kind of loop. The anger or thoughts they believed in their last moments are the ones you hear, and those lead you to some kind of understanding.
I was sure that this ghost was far more powerful than the dead I had helped in the past, but my gut told me that if I managed to get him to appear I might have the upper hand; if I didn’t, it would be a war of energy—only I would be the blind one in that battle. Judging by the amount of stones around me and the water at my feet, I knew that would not end well.
The echo turned into a laugh that I suppose I should fear.
“I have a bit of a tight schedule, so if you want to chat, come on with it,” I taunted, hoping he would be foolish enough to take the bait.
I stared at the shadows, looking for any movement at all. Then all at once, I knew something had taken form. I could feel it breathing next to me. Slowly, my gaze moved there to find a man who was nothing less than a horrid sight. Half of him was gone, and what was there was charred at the edges. The undamaged flesh looked thousands of years old.
It took all I had not to reach over and rip what was left of him apart, especially as my mind played back everything that I knew he had done to Drake and his family. But I was smarter than that. I was going to lead this ghost to believe I was harmless, that I was no threat to him in any way—and from that point I would plan my next play.
“Donalt, is it?” I said as I reached my hand out for his.
His stone cold gray eyes appraised me as he nodded once and reached to shake my hand. I was sure I was about to have one of the most intriguing conversations of my life. My only goal was to survive it.
Chapter Fourteen
~Madison~
I had heard so much about this demon, seen conversations in the minds of those around me, that I felt like I knew him. I don’t know what I was expecting to feel or sense from him, but the degree of fear I felt surely took me by surprise.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” he breathed. “I rule the emotion of fear, consume it. Therefore, that is all you will feel from me.”
The other thing I had learned about the dead was that their vibration is higher because a vessel is not constricting their energy; at that level, they can readily perceive your thoughts, your emotions. It’s not as clear as I am sure they would like, but it does give them all the insight they need to toy with you. I was going to have to keep everything on lockdown around this ghost. If I didn’t, all the precautions Drake may have taken to protect me would be fruitless; Donalt would have his own little copy of the playbook.
No matter how hard I focused, I could not see into Donalt; not one single flash into his mind. He was by far the most regal ghost I’d ever faced. I was going into this blind, so I was going to have to play my words just right.
“That must blow.”
My response made him smirk.
“Being a king does not, as you say, blow.”
“It would be hell for me,” I said with a careless shrug of my shoulders as I swayed my feet in the water.
“Then why are you seeking to be a queen?” he asked as he raised the one eyebrow he did have.
“Who said I was?”
“You are courting a future king, are you not?”
I had to ponder this. Part of me wanted to be real with this ghost—stop the charades that were meant for a court that was trying to overthrow Drake. I assumed if Drake was in fact overthrown, that would not bode well for Donalt; what is the purpose of taking over a body that has no life? Donalt had a stake in all of this. I was sure of it.
My memory flashed an image before me. Again, it was of the diamond eyes that belonged to a strong regal figure, one that for some reason continued to make me think of peppermints. I remembered the words Drake had said I murmured in my dream and decided to fake hate.
“I was brought here against my will,” I fumed.
“Now, I know that is a lie. I destroyed the island this vessel was born on myself.”
I gave him a once over. “You may want to look into a trade. Your current vessel looks a wee bit worn.”
He chuckled as I pointed out the obvious.
“And just because you destroyed something doesn’t meant that it no longer exists, and even if it didn’t exist, that does not mean that I wasn’t brought here against my will.”
“Interesting,” he mused as his one eye appraised me.
“So what is your deal anyway?”
“My deal?” he breathed.
“Yeah, your deal? You said you were the King of Fear. I get that. I know you’re dead. I know you don’t want to be. Have you ever heard of reincarnation? Seems like that would have saved you some trouble. Wouldn’t you rather be some cute little baby than what you are?”
“You speak your mind.”
“Who doesn’t?”
“Not many. No wonder the King of Obsession is fascinated with you.”
“Oh, so you share your rule?” You would have thought we were sitting on a park bench, as casual as I was being.
“I share fear with no one!” he bellowed into the echo of the stone room. I had found a weak spot in him. Go me. “I was not the fool who decided to divide his reign.” The growl in his voice emphasized his rage. He had already admitted that there were two kings—maybe that was my seven—maybe I could get him to admit that there were that many; at least then I would know what that number meant.
“The King of Obsession did that
, I assume.”
“No, he is no fool.” He glanced over me. “He obviously has good taste in women.”
I playfully glared at him. “All right, then. Well, you can’t blame the king of whatever for sharing. I’m sure it’s hard to be a king. Maybe he wanted a break.”
“Then he should have asked us, not brought a woman into the sacred circle.”
“Ah, now tell me you’re not sexist. If you are, I might join the hunt for your head.”
“I am not,” he said as that one eye glared at me. “She toyed with his thoughts. Now he sees us as evil. He is the fool.”
“Us, the other—” I play counted on my fingers, “two kings.”
“Five,” he said as he tilted his head back. “You knew that.”
So I was right about the seven kings. Donalt was one—five others were on his side, and one stood against him—obviously, one that divided his reign with a woman. That is what I love about obsession: it always leads you to the answers you are seeking.
“Did I?”
“You act as if you knew that,” he mused as he gazed forward at the water.
“I know nothing beyond the fact that all of this is ridiculous.”
“There is a point.”
“Enlighten me.”
“If you do not know about the seven, then you will not understand. And I don’t have time to be nursemaid to you. You will be dead before the week is out.”
“Thanks for the heads-up. I don’t need a nursemaid or your drama.”
“Drama?” He let the word roll off the half of the lip he still had. “I did not cause this strife. If I was left alone, there would be no drama.”
“Call me crazy, but tormenting an entire dimension and traumatizing a little boy invokes drama.”
“Is that what Drake told you?”
“I don’t listen when he speaks, so I couldn’t tell you. But I have eyes. This place sucks, and you don’t become as angry as Drake is if you were not tortured in some way.”