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  “I know they’re OK,” Landen thought, sensing my uneasiness. “And I know I can heal Drake – or myself. We’re going home, and we will beat this demon.”

  “I hear the truth in your words, and I feel your confidence, but I know that there’s still a chance...this is not a game...someone could lose their life.” I let my fear show itself in my eyes.

  “Trust me, Willow.”

  “I want to talk to him; I want to see where they’re reading this,” I thought.

  Landen smiled slightly and nodded, then I climbed out of his arms and stood. Dane and Marc turned when they heard us move. Landen then took my hand and led me back to the study, with Dane and Marc following silently behind us.

  Chapter Eleven

  In the study, they were all standing around the table. Drake was in the center, and his arms were stretched out in front of the scroll; he looked like a king sending his army to battle. August and Alamos were at his side, and Perodine was pacing in front of them. As we walked in, Drake looked up. His eyes met Landen’s, then locked with mine; he was trying to read me, to see if they’d convinced me to kill him.

  As I came to her side, Perodine halted and watched, I looked into her beautiful green eyes and felt the sympathy she had for me. She wanted to bear the burden; she blamed herself for all my troubles.

  I stood across the table mirroring Drake. Landen was at my side Dane, and Marc flanked us. Perodine slowly walked to Alamos’ side, trying to gauge my mood.

  “Show me,” I said, blankly looking down at the scrolls.

  August cleared his throat and reached his hand for the center of the scroll, then pointed at the planet they thought was Venus. “This is Venus. The number nineteen is all over the image, a number that can be only divided by itself and one. This symbol,” August said, pointing to a figure of two eights in the shape of a cross, “means ‘inferior sister;’ in broken translation, we can interpret earth and Venus, the alignment, and the number nineteen. Below this in the script, it says, ‘It shall consume the blood of Jayda and subdue the power.’” August pointed above Venus; there, I could see the symbol of a fish with a hand and script. “This script says, ‘Only in flesh shall it die, with the blade of diamonds.’ I can’t find a way to debate this.”

  “Does the nineteen mean more?” Dane asked.

  August looked slowly up at Dane. “One and itself. Willow represents this number; she can only be divided by herself and one soul. It will have no choice but to leave one standing before her – to consume the soul and overtake her.”

  “How do you know you’re reading the script right? What if you’re wrong? ” I argued.

  Perodine sighed and closed her eyes. “We are more than sure,” she said, keeping her eyes closed, struggling to hide her frustration with me.

  “You’re out of time; we’ve made the choice for you,” Alamos said sternly.

  “You need to change your tone,” Dane said, looking sharply at Alamos. He then looked at Drake and said, “You may want to rethink your alliances; this one seems all too eager to see you die.” The sarcasm was heavy in his tone.

  Alamos glared and Dane, then leaned forward and said, “Listen, child: you may think you’re all that right now - but in a matter of minutes, your energy will have no purpose...you’ll fall short just when you’re needed the most.”

  Dane took a dominant step in Alamos’ direction - only to be stopped by Landen.

  “Stop,” Landen said through his teeth, showing the room his frustration. He then pushed Dane back to my side and said, ”All of you need to calm down; I’m going to heal us.” His anger was apparent in his scarlet Aura. “It’s not going to matter if they’re right or wrong; we’re all more than ready to get this over with.”

  The tension in the room was so heavy, I felt myself growing weak. Landen stepped protectively to me and wrapped his arms around me; he was having trouble finding the emotion to calm me simply because neither of us could see a way out of this hell in which we were trapped.

  “I’m not going to let you heal me,” Drake said into the silence. “I’m leaving this world tonight.”

  “You don’t have a choice in the matter,” Landen said, glaring over my head at Drake.

  Alamos shook his head from side to side, slowly staring at Landen with a look of disbelief.

  “You’d rather watch him suffer? How many times are you going to steal her away before you’re satisfied?” Alamos asked.

  “Are you blind or crazy, old man?” Marc yelled. “You’re the guy who couldn’t get over Perodine.”

  Alamos slammed his hands on the table. “If I had – Willow would not be here! I’m her father - did you forget that?” he asked.

  “We didn’t forget that you were too big of a chicken to defend her when she needed you to,” Dane said, crossing to Marc’s side.

  Landen raised his hand, and the chaos of the room was suspended. My eyes shifted between Landen and Drake, trying to conceive of the idea of Landen now having the power to stop time. He looked at me and smiled slightly, pushing down the thrill of the command he now had. Drake smiled and shook his head from side to side as he crossed his arms and stood up straight.

  “Well done. You’re a fast learner – but I must warn you that time will catch itself when you lose your focus.” Drake turned to see Alamos frozen with his angry glare. “Alamos thinks we have the time wrong because I paused time yesterday; he’s really going to be mad at you.”

  “It’s not his emotion that I care about,” Landen answered, looking into my eyes. He wanted to stop time forever, to stop the anguish that was suffocating me - but we both knew that the only way to defeat darkness was to face it. Landen looked at Drake; his anger told me that he was reading Drake’s stubborn content. “Willow wants to talk to you alone. You look into her eyes and tell her that you want her to end your life.”

  Drake tightened his jaw and glared in my direction. He started to speak, but Landen reached out his hand to halt him. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. She wants me to heal you, and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m letting this moment go – you take her out there and say your peace,” he said, pointing to the observatory.

  Drake hesitated, then pulled back his shoulders and nodded. As time resumed, Landen let out a deep breath. I blocked out the arguments and emotion around me and watched Drake walk around the table; I swear I could feel his hum before he ever touched me. As he gripped my arm and began to lead me to the observatory, I let a blissful breath escape. We’d reached the doorway before Dane had noticed; instinctively, he charged across the room at us.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” he said, reaching for Drake’s shoulder. Drake hesitated, then looked across the room at Landen. Dane followed his gaze.

  “He’s more than capable of protecting her. Let them go,” Landen said in a confident tone. Marc and Dane stood in shock.

  Drake gripped my arm tighter, intensifying his mesmerizing touch, then guided me into the open observatory. The sun’s haze had turned the room a deep purple, and the placid pool of water sent a chill down my spine as the memory of images reaching from it came to me. Drake released my arm and stood in front of me, forcing me to lean against the cold stone wall.

  “Why is it when I need you to love me, you refuse – and when I need you to hate me, you act like you care?” he asked with a stern look across his face.

  “Is that why you want to die – because I won’t love you? That’s weak,” I said, offended by his words.

  “Weak?” he gasped. “I’ve sat in that room with you for almost two days, watching you with him...I’d say that makes me the strongest man in the universe,” he said with agony in his voice.

  As I caught the gaze of his dark eyes, I lost my will to be angry, and tears pooled in my eyes. “I can’t help it,” I whispered.

  He let out a jagged breath. “That’s why I’m ready to move on. In a different life, you’ll see things clearly,” he whispered as his dark eyes softened.

  “Dying
is not moving on,” I said, looking away and trying to hide the weakness of my tears.

  “It’s a way out of this hell. If I’m gone, then your challenge ends; I’m tired of putting you in harm’s way,” he said, turning my chin so I’d have to look at him.

  “How do you know you’re not meant to protect me? That this is just the beginning?” I said, letting the tears wash down my face.

  “According to you, my position has been filled,” he said, looking away from me.

  “I’m determined to make you see that you’re wrong,” I said, wiping my face dry.

  “Don’t waste your energy, love. If I survive, that will be my purpose – to make you see that you’re wrong.” He took a deep breath and stepped closer. His eyes slowly searched every feature of my face, then he reached his hand to me and gently reached to cradled my cheek; his touch felt so perfect - and for the first time, I leaned in to feel it more intensely. “We’re nothing more than old souls, twisted in cruel fate – fighting for our right to heaven,” he whispered.

  “Heaven?”

  “To be complete, one with another – that’s my Heaven,” he answered. He pulled me to his chest and held me as close to him as he could, rushing my body with his hum; I closed my eyes as I took it in.

  “Willow, you take my breath away every time I see you...you’re all I think about...it kills me that you’d rather believe a lie than me,” he whispered.

  I leaned back to look at him, to deny his words. He looked down at me and furrowed his eyebrows. “They told you I wanted the power...that seeing is all I cared about. You never gave me the chance to prove that all I wanted was to love you, to be the man you needed me to be. I spend my nights dreaming of our past and my days dreaming of our future; it’s time for me to wake up and see things how they really are. I will not be the death of you; I love you too much - and my life is the price I’ll pay to prove that. The moment you see the darkness enter me, you’re going to strike my heart. You’ll kill us all if you don’t listen to me,” he said carefully.

  “People will still die, innocent people...war isn’t the answer,” I said, holding back another flood of tears. “You said you wouldn’t betray them - but leaving them is a betrayal,” I said, taking in the reality of war, that in an instant the wall around Delen could be charged and lives would be lost.

  “I can’t betray my brother. He has a purpose greater than mine; he and Libby need us to clear this path for them,” Drake said with a sigh.

  “Preston wouldn’t want you to die. He wouldn’t want anyone to die; his purpose is to show us how beautiful life is supposed to be. It’s too precious; no one is dying tonight,” I said, knowing that Landen would do as he promised and heal them if it was in his power.

  “Love, I am afraid - without a doubt - that one life will be lost within the hour.”

  “He’s going to heal you,” I said, fighting against my anger.

  “Landen can use any gift he wants on me - but it won’t matter; to be healed, to want to live...that comes from the soul. If I don’t accept it, he’ll be wasting energy that should be used to protect you.” He tilted his head to catch my eyes. “When this is over, you take my mother to Chara and never leave there again...we’ll fight this demon in the next life.”

  “No. I won’t rest until all the damage it’s done is pure again. Hiding, giving up is not the answer.”

  “Willow, I lived with this demon for nineteen years. I’ve looked into his eyes and seen the cold greed that lies there. I don’t trust anyone but myself to protect you from it. Let me pay this price. Live out your life in the sunshine of Chara. We’ll meet again – and with you at my side, he will fall. I have no doubt,” Drake said, stepping back to let me know that he’d said his peace.

  “I don’t believe you. You can’t be OK with leaving this world,” I said, trying to catch his gaze.

  “If you could feel me, you’d know that I’m more than sure. Ask Landen; he has no trouble reading me,” Drake said, looking to the doorway that led to the study.

  I reached for his hand and wrapped my hands around his, feeling his mesmerizing touch consume me. “I can feel you...can you feel me?” I whispered. He nodded. As tears pooled in my eyes, I let the grief I was feeling flow through me. He raised his other hand to my face, and I looked into his eyes and saw a sympathy that had never surfaced before. I watched as his eyes moved slowly across my face.

  “We don’t have a choice my love; our fate is sealed,” he whispered.

  As I closed my eyes and the tears streamed down my face, I shook my head from side to side in defiance. He leaned forward and gently kissed my forehead. “Another life, another time,” he whispered as his fingers wiped away my tears.

  I felt the air chill, then the presence that I feared was all around me. Drake slowly turned, and the presence diminished before he had the need to protect me. He then reached his arm back and guided me in the direction of the study. I ran my hands across my face to dry my tears, but they kept flowing. I felt Drake’s hand on my back as he urged me to walk faster.

  Landen was waiting beside the door. He opened his arms, and I let myself fall into his embrace. As I cried silently, he rocked us back and forth and let his head rest on mine. I knew my fears were shaking his confidence, but I couldn’t control the way I felt; too much was at risk.

  “I can’t do this...what if it’s you it enters...I won’t...I can’t,” I thought.

  “I don’t want you to see me, to see Drake...see the darkness – that’s what you’re killing...have faith in me,” Landen thought, putting his hands on either side of my face.

  I closed my eyes and felt the burn as more tears streamed silently down my face. I then nodded and took a deep breath. As he pulled me to his chest and held me as close as he could, I saw his Aura grow so bright that it was near blinding.

  Drake walked to Marc, who pulled his shoulders back, prepared to defend himself if need be. “To prevent war,” he said to Marc in a solemn tone, “you’ll stand in the shadows of my balcony and speak to the people. Don’t give them any reason to doubt that you’re me; that will buy all of you enough time to find another solution.” He then looked to Alamos and said, “My last request is that you help them in any manner they need. Don’t let this city fall – or I’ll haunt you myself.” Finally, he looked in my direction and said in a tender tone, “Does that ease your fears, Love?”

  I shook my head from side to side and buried my face in Landen’s chest. I felt the sympathy and anxiety of the room. Landen pulled my chin up so I’d look at him, then he leaned in and kissed me.

  “I love you; be strong for me,” he thought.

  “I love you.”

  He smiled slightly, then stepped back from me. Perodine was at my side, and she slowly slid the knife into my hand - but I refused to look at it. I stared at her, begging for a way out of this, but she just looked away as her tears began to fall.

  “It could come at any moment,” August said quietly.

  I caught his sympathetic stare, then looked to Marc and Dane. They felt helpless; grief had already consumed them. Alamos walked to Perodine’s side to console her. Landen and Drake were locked in a stare; I could feel Landen’s frustration and assumed Drake’s intent was still death.

  “Are you ready to dance with the devil?” Drake asked Landen. Landen nodded. “Don’t you dare look at her,” Drake said firmly.

  I could see the breath leaving my body. The room had turned cold - painfully cold - and the walls and windows began to tremble. All the light left; it was so dark, I felt blind.

  I focused on the emotions around me, and the only one I could feel was Landen. The only sound was my beating heart as it raced in my chest. Cracks of light began to emerge in the floor, then they slowly stretched out as far as I could see; it looked as if I were standing on a star-lit sky.

  In the glow in front of me, I could see Landen and Drake; the others had vanished. I looked down in my trembling hand and assured myself that the knife was there. I had
to tell myself to hold it tighter; my fear was so strong, I lost the emotion of Landen, and trying to find it just scared me more.

  I heard a low growl surround us. I stepped in Landen’s direction, but he held his hands out, telling me to stay. His eyes looked away; I knew he was trying to protect me, but I felt so alone.

  The space between Drake and Landen turned black, and I felt the presence that had haunted us before. Suddenly, a light blue glow appeared around Drake and Landen; it gave me hope that Drake was at least attempting to protect himself. The dark shadow began to turn the color of ash, and the color brought forth the image of man with a perfectly sculpted body, a beautiful, flawless face, and eyes as dark as coal. Breathtaking wings stretched from its back, extending well over Landen and Drake; it was a vivid, evil, angel.