Breath of Air (15 page)

“Are you okay?” She asked without thinking, biting back the instinct to reach out and comfort him. He was only fifteen years old, after all, and she could remember how awkward it was to be that age.

It was the first time she’d ever really gotten a good look at him. He was tall for his age, gangly, with chestnut brown hair and soft sea green eyes, with lips that formed a stubborn pout like a child who hasn’t gotten his way.

“I’m fine.” He said curtly, suddenly gathering his wits and glaring at her defensively. “You should watch where you’re going.”

With that, he pushed past her, shoving her slightly as he did so, and headed into the library.

Capri watched him with wide eyes, rubbing her shoulder. What in the world was wrong with him? She wondered as she turned and retreated down the corridor.

First he looked like he had just seen a ghost, and then he acted as though he was angry with her, like she had done something to offend him. She sincerely hoped that wasn’t the case, as she had yet to really get to know any of the younger Muses and didn’t think she had done anything wrong. But then again, Tobias was the one who hadn’t looked too happy to see her the night she had returned, so maybe he just didn’t like her on principle.

Annoyed that she was overanalyzing the whole situation, she pushed it to the back of her mind. He was a teenager, after all, and who knew what was going on inside his head. She felt sorry for him, silently hoping that whatever it was that was bothering him would right itself soon. Seeing someone, anyone really, in distress usually had that effect on her.

Instead she focused her thoughts back to the harsh voiced man who against all logic was on Euphora. At least, if he was indeed the same man as the one she’d heard in her dream.

Maybe it would be best to revisit the Muses, and see if she could catch a glimpse of Brock in her dream. Then, if he did happen to be on Euphora, at least she’d recognize him if he approached her, and she would know to run.

♦ ♦ ♦

That night, she had her nightmare for the first time since she’d come home.

Only this time, something was oddly different about it.

She was walking on her own in the dark courtyard, her mother nowhere in sight. Instead of being a child, she was eighteen, but this simple fact didn’t seem to bother her as much as it probably should have.

So she kept on walking, her body draped in a long pale blue nightgown, her hair streaming down her back in soft waves. Her feet were bare, and padded softly against the smooth cobblestone walkway.

The night air around her was quiet, almost eerily quiet, the absence of chirping crickets or scurrying night creatures sending off danger signals in her brain.

Moonlight cascaded through the trees, highlighting the leaves and deepening the darkest shadows beneath.

She walked cautiously, her eyes peering around, trying to distinguish something from the darkness. She hoped she would see the monsters she was sure were hiding in the shadows before they saw her. Then she might have the chance to hide herself.

Suddenly, she found herself standing in front of the jasmine, only she was too large to hide beneath its sheltering leaves this time. She knelt down anyways, reaching out to touch the gentle blossoms.

“Capri…” Someone whispered suddenly from behind her. Capri jolted, startled into a standing position as she searched around wildly for the source of the voice. She found it, lying on the ground beneath her feet.

Her mother lay there, her chest smoldering as though it had been burnt, her coffee brown hair spilling over the cobblestones around her head. Her face was pale, and her soft brown eyes were wide and bright with shimmering tears.

“Capri…run.” She said again, her voice trembling with fear.

“Mom…what?” Capri knelt down and cupped her mother’s cheek in her hand. She felt tears stinging her eyes as she glanced down at the wound in her mother’s chest. The fire from the demon bullet was gone, and all that was left was brutal damage.

“Hide.” Her mother choked out again, her eyes filled with desperation as her whole body began to shake. “RUN!” She nearly screamed it, and the sound of it echoed in Capri’s brain as suddenly a whistle broke the silent night and she could hear the sounds of several people rushing through the front gates.

She looked up and could see the dark figures rapidly coming towards her, and the only thing she could think of was that she couldn’t leave her mother here alone. She reached out to pull her mother with her, to escape, but the moment she touched her mother’s arm, her body dissolved into smoldering ashes.

“NO!” She screamed, but as she turned to run there was suddenly a man in front of her, his revolver pointed directly at her forehead, the barrel glinting in the moonlight. His face was hidden by dark shadows.

“Leave this place, and never return.” He commanded cruelly, and she recognized his voice as the same one that had been haunting her since childhood. “NOW!”

She scrambled to her feet and ran, but suddenly there was a different man following her, and he was quickly gaining speed. Fear had her running faster, as fast as she could, until she was almost to the entrance of Euphora.

She could see the meadow beyond the walls, glowing brightly in the moonlight, and the large tree she had used when she had first arrived. Frantically, she tried to remember the phrase Liam had spoken to the tree to transport them, when she suddenly realized that she probably needed a different phrase to leave Euphora…

As she burst through into the meadow, she kept her eyes focused on the tree, somehow feeling that she would be safe if she could at least make it there.

She could still hear the man chasing her, but she didn’t look back, worried what she would see if she did. Her feet pounded the grass, and she had to lift up the skirts of her nightgown to prevent it from snagging and tripping her.

The tree was almost within reach, just a little bit further…

She stretched out her arm, her fingers spread, aching to touch the bark. Her legs began to feel sluggish and time seemed to slow, and it almost seemed as if the tree were pulling away from her, teasing her when her only desire was to reach it…

Suddenly, she felt rough hands grasp her other arm and pull her back, and she fell roughly to the ground, pain searing through her head at the contact. Her mouth opened to scream, despite knowing it was useless. She closed her eyes tightly, bracing for death.

She was caught. It was over. The demon had won.

“Wake up.” Someone said abruptly, their voice far away and distant. “You need to wake up now.”

Her eyes flew open, but the entire world seemed to go dark as she searched for herself, trying to recover what part of her was left in this empty darkness. She felt her arms reaching out, but her mind didn’t seem to process the movements. She fell on her back against the tall grass and wildflowers, her chest heaving as she gasped for air. It felt like someone else was inside her head, forcing her own brain to dullness as it took over her body. She felt the sensation of choking, as though she desperately wanted to cry out but something was holding her back, clutching her throat, preventing her from making any sound.

She could feel hands shaking her roughly, trying to bring her back to reality, but she couldn’t seem to escape. She was a prisoner in her own mind, shrinking away from all being, hiding out from the world in fear as someone else seemed to be controlling her body.

She felt a gurgling noise rising within her throat, and suddenly, without warning, she heard herself snarl and hiss, almost like an angry wildcat. Her hands lashed out and clawed at the air, making brutal contact with someone’s face.

“Show yourself, demon!” The person shouted suddenly, and the hands that had been shaking her were now gripping her arms tightly, holding them against her body so she couldn’t even move. She could feel her body viciously fighting against the restraint, before going almost instantly slack.

Her vision cleared and she gasped for breath, her hands reaching up instinctively to her throat. She could feel the darkness that had clogged her brain recede, and with a rushing flood of relief she realized she was in control of her body once again.

The person in front of her was suddenly on their feet and ready to run when Capri reached up to touch the back of her head where she felt a throbbing pain, only to notice dark red blood on her fingertips as she pulled them away.

“I’m bleeding.” She said almost matter of factly, her vision blurring again as she felt almost instantly faint.

“Damnit.” The person froze mid step and knelt in front of her, their hands gripping her shoulders more gently this time to prevent her from falling over.

She looked up wearily, blinking to try and clear her vision so she could see who was with her. “Who are you?” She asked, wincing at how quiet and raspy her voice sounded.

“You remembered me before, but now you forget? I doubt your head injury is that bad.” While Capri could tell the person was trying to joke, the words were dry and sober, as if it wasn’t funny at all.

Recognition hit her like a brick wall.

“Rian.” She murmured, her vision finally clear so she could see his face in the moonlight. He looked strained and his eyebrows were furrowed in concern, but his eyes were still sharp and focused.

“Good job.” He replied. “Can you stand up?”

“I-I think so…” She glanced around, as though looking for something to hold on to while she tried to stand. That was when she realized she was in the meadow outside the front gates, and she tried to remember how she had gotten there. When she looked forward again, she noticed Rian had his hand out to help her. “T-thank you.”

He pulled her to her feet, but the moment he let go her legs gave out from trembling so bad. Her head pounded as she fell to her knees, and she reached up to the wound instinctively.

“Hold still.” He instructed as he knelt beside her again, his hands on her shoulders. “Is it alright if I carry you?”

She nodded, her eyes closing against the pain as he lifted her solidly into his arms. He held her slightly away from him, as if he didn’t want their bodies to touch any more than necessary, and so she was forced to try and hold her head up as he began to walk.

She felt foolish, having to be carried yet again like some weak child, but the little bit of pride she had was nothing in comparison to how utterly terrified she was over what had just happened to her. She wanted to ask him, desperately, but she could feel herself falling into the darkness again, her vision blurring and the courtyard around her going black.

She heard herself mumble the words “What happened?” right before she slid into unconsciousness.

♦ ♦ ♦

The next thing Capri knew, there were voices echoing hollowly in the darkness. She felt distant, disconnected from her body like she was floating. But as she focused on the voices, trying to understand what they were saying, she felt sensation return to her body, could feel herself lying in bed, and her mind abruptly registered the pain.

“How could this have happened? Right under our noses!”

“We are not even safe in our own home!”

“Someone here must have let him in.”

“But who?”

“Help me.” She whispered, though she was trying to shout it, her mind frantically trying to remember what had happened while the pain in her head pulsed in pounding waves.

The voices around her hushed and suddenly there were soft, cool hands stroking her forehead gently, and others touching her hands and shoulders.

“It’s okay now, you’re safe.” One of the voices said, and Capri fought to open her eyes, fought to see who was there.

When she was able to, she saw her father’s kind eyes staring back at her, worry lines creasing his forehead, his lips curved into a weak smile as his hand rested against her forehead.

“How are you feeling?” Liam was on the other side of her, smiling and holding her hand. Blythe was beside him, looking murderous.

“Well she ain’t peachy keen, Liam.” Blythe spat, shifting and clenching her fists impulsively like a fighter preparing for a match. “Someone is responsible for doing this to her, and when I find out who it is I’m gonna kill him.”

“You’re going to startle her, control yourself.” Liam scolded, eyeing her intently before turning back to Capri. “You hit your head pretty hard, but you’re going to be fine. A mild concussion, but no permanent damage. You just need to rest for a few days.”

“But I was just dreaming.” Capri replied, her brows creasing in worry. “It was just a dream…you don’t get hurt from dreams.”

“It may have seemed like a dream, but it wasn’t.” Clynn responded, his face tightening against the anger coursing through him. “You were possessed by a demon.”

“What?” Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at him, trying to understand if she had heard him correctly. “How?”

“Someone let him in.” A voice said from the foot of the bed, and it was then that Capri noticed that her bedroom was full of people. Thea was the one who had spoken, and she looked just as angry as Blythe, only much more controlled. Beside her were Sebastian, Rohan and Lucian, and on the other side of her were Roarke and Balgaire.

“The demon couldn’t have gotten onto Euphora, much less onto the grounds without help.” Roarke said sternly, his scarred face frightening in its seriousness. She’d never before seen him look so severe, and the harsh difference between this and his usually jovial demeanor startled her.

“I think we need to focus on who had the most to gain from hurting or scaring Capri.” Rohan put in, glancing around at everyone present. “And if you ask me, I’d say that person would be Blythe.”

“WHAT?” Blythe shouted, whirling around on Rohan, her eyes fiery with rage. “Why the hell would I want to hurt her?”

“Because she has a father while you do not, and that made you jealous. Just like you have been jealous of Rhiannon for years for the same reason.” Rohan countered, standing tall and sneering down at Blythe like she was a rodent needing to be exterminated. Capri had never, ever seen him act this way before, and she looked back and forth between him and Blythe, nervously waiting for fists to fly.