Descending Darkness (The Prophesized #3) (10 page)

“Help me with this. Don’t you think Liam and Natalie would look cute together?” she asks me. Natalie is sitting on the bed, shaking her head.

Even without reading anyone’s mind, I know that Liam and Natalie have something going on. Neither one of them will admit it though. Natalie watches Liam when he’s not looking, and he does the same to her. “I think they would actually. He’s got the whole dark vibe, while she’s all light and chipper all the time,” I say smiling at Natalie.

She laughs and jumps off the bed, exiting the room. “You know leaving the room doesn’t make the conversation disappear,” Emma yells after her.

“It doesn’t. Trust me,” I tell Natalie as we catch up to her in the hallway.

“At least think about it. Ryanne could tell you if he thinks anything about you,” Emma suggests. I can do that, but I don’t want to read anyone’s mind, especially not Liam’s. Liam’s my protector. I don’t want to invade his privacy like that. It doesn’t feel right unless I absolutely have to. Natalie should be able to get a read on his emotions.

“Please don’t do that,” she says urgently as we walk through the living room and into the kitchen.

“Do what?” Larkin says behind us. All of us scream and whip around. The guys in the kitchen laugh at our reactions.

“Three for one. Score one for Larkin,” he says giving me his arrogant smile. I shake my head at him but decide that I don’t want to retaliate right now. That’d be too expected. Emma walks over to him and hits him on the chest. “Ouch,” he says, but I can tell that that did not hurt.

Natalie walks around the table and sits down between Liam and Conner. Emma laughs as she takes her seat beside David, which elicits a glare from Natalie. “I told you that the conversation doesn’t stop just because you leave the room. She’ll do that all day,” I warn Natalie without giving away any information to the guys.

“Thanks for the heads up,” she says.

“What’s going on?” Colton asks as he walks to the back of my chair. Emma smiles at Natalie again.

Natalie glares at Emma, but says, “Nothing. Nothing is going on.” All the guys are looking between the three of us.

“I hate being out of the loop,” David mumbles.

“Honey, how would you know what being in the loop feels like?” I ask David. He smirks and sticks his tongue out. Good to know I’m not the only immature one here.

“Not fair. I was going to say that. He’s my honey!” Emma says. I start laughing as she pouts. Colton chuckles behind me. I arch my head back and watch him as he laughs. His laugh is growing into one of my favorite sounds, as cliché as that sounds. He leans down and kisses me on the forehead. My cheeks redden at his display because I know everyone is watching us.

“Aww, she still blushes when he kisses her,” Emma says, “Though I’m sure he’s done more than just kiss her on the forehead.” Colton laughs behind me while my blush deepens.

“No sex,” Tom says as he enters the kitchen and refills his coffee mug. I am absolutely mortified, but a movie quote pops into my mind.

I turn to Emma. “Don’t have sex because you will get pregnant and die!”

“Mean girls!” She turns toward David, gloating.

“Come on, Ryanne. That’s not fair. I don’t watch those movies,” David says, groaning.

“Maybe you should start,” I tell him. “I mean, it’s not my fault if you can’t keep up with me. I could go on all day, man,” I say while leaning back against the back of the chair.

“I see what you did there,” Colton whispers in my ear.

“I would never intentionally change the conversation like that. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say. I glance toward the window again. “Can I please go clean up the yard? It’s going to drive me crazy. I keep thinking about the mess out there.”

“Ryanne, you know how much magic that’s going to take.” He’s just worried that I’m going to get hurt from using too much magic.

“Fine, then I’ll only clean the backyard with magic and clean along the beach normally. Oh, David could help make a pile with his magic.” I look over to David. I can’t get the littered yard off my mind. I don’t know why, but my mind is telling me to go clean it up. It bothers me how easily something so beautiful can be destroyed. Colton seems to understand because he slowly nods. I jump up and walk to the back door. Instead of taking the stairs, I jump onto the railing and flip off, landing perfectly on my feet.

Natalie yells, “Ten!”

I look over my shoulder and do a final presentation pose, before skipping along the side of the house to the backyard. The beautiful yard is full of twigs and branches. The strong winds ripped the leaves from the trees, littering the moist ground below. Three large fallen trunks are dispersed across the backyard. I hear footsteps behind me as everyone follows me into the backyard. The large trunks are going to take the most amount of magic to move. They have to be moved with magic because of their size.

“Where should I move those large ones to?” I point to the three large trunks. Tom looks around and tells me to make a pile against the house. He says that he can use them as firewood later on. If we don’t use them, the people who own this house can.

Colton walks up behind me, wraps his arms around my waist, and hugs me. “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asks one last time.

I open my mouth to reply but fall into another vision.

When I open my eyes, I’m standing in the middle of a small kitchen. I don’t recognize my surroundings. The room has little dull green tiles on the wall and white wooden cabinets that stand out against the smooth tiling. Simple appliances line the cream marbled countertops. An island sits in the middle of the kitchen with a glass bowl filled with gala apples on top. I love gala apples. Mini pendant chandeliers hang from the ceiling. French doors are located to the left of the centralized island, leading to the private beach outside. Above the sink sits a small open window; its blinds swaying with the slight breeze. The colors of the room contrast perfectly with the deep wooden flooring.

I walk up to the island and check the mail lying on its surface. Everything is addressed to Mr. Colton Wagner. This is Colton’s house?

“Ryanne! Come back here,” I hear a deep voice yell from outside. Dropping the mail back on the island, I walk over to the small window above the sink and look out. I watch as a different Ryanne runs toward the house, giggling. A very wet Colton is laughing and chasing after her, kicking up sand in the process. She’s fast, but not as fast as I am now. She hops up the stairs and runs through the doors. Her eyes scan the kitchen looking for somewhere to hide. Leaning casually against the counter, she tries to calm her rapid breathing.

Colton slowly enters the kitchen. Water is dripping off him as he stands in the doorway staring at her. I watch as my grin widens upon seeing him. He looks older now, possibly in his mid-to-late twenties. Wow, he ages well. His hair is a little shorter than his current style, and he has the slight stubble on his chin he always gets when he doesn’t shave. Wearing a light green buttoned shirt and khakis, his muscled physique is still obvious. I like this laid back attire he’s wearing.

I look toward myself. I look pretty similar to what I do now, just slightly older. My hair is still as curly as my current style, and I’m not wearing any make-up. I look to be around twenty-six years old. I’m wearing a short white sundress that actually makes my pale skin look slightly tanned. My long hair is moving from the slight breeze that’s coming in through the window behind me.

Colton walks toward Ryanne. “Since you’re pregnant, I’ll let you get away with doing that.” I’m pregnant? I look down at her stomach. It’s hard to tell through the loose material of the dress, but it is more pronounced than usual. Oh my gosh, she’s pregnant…with Colton’s child. Colton and I will have a baby...a family.

He continues toward me until he is standing mere inches from me. I watch as Ryanne tilts her head up and gives him a sly grin. She closes her eyes as he shakes his head and makes it rain droplets on her. With her head tilted back and her eyes closed, I watch her smile grows as the water falls onto her skin. Hearing her light giggle, Colton grabs onto her hips and pulls her against his chest. I watch as he slowly leans down and kisses her smiling lips. She completely melts under his touch. It’s nice to know that that doesn’t change anytime soon.

She laughs as he pulls her closer. Colton lifts her up and places her onto the kitchen counter. Wrapping her arms around Colton’s neck, she whispers, “I love you, Colton,” against his lips.

“Love you too, Ry.” He touches her stomach and leans down, “and I love you too.”

I come out of the vision and look around the yard. Two sets of arms are wrapped around my waist, holding me up. I support my weight and lean slightly forward, giving Colton a break. “Thanks,” I tell him as I take a step away. He is watching me with concern. I glance behind me and see everyone else giving me a similar look. I shake my head, “It wasn’t one of those.”

“What did you see?” Liam asks me.

I smile but shake my head. I don’t want to share this vision with anyone. I feel like it is meant for me only...and possibly Colton. I make sure to not look at Colton; otherwise they’ll be able to guess what I saw. “Ugh, more secrets. She’s trying to hide a smile. Look at her,” Emma says.

I’m not doing a very good job at hiding my smile. I glance up at Colton and meet his green eyes. He’s watching me, trying to decipher what I saw. I bite my lip and try really hard to keep my glee down but to no avail. I giggle and smile widely. At least for now, I know that nothing is going to happen to me or Colton. I’m going to do everything it takes to make sure that vision is unchanged.

I want that life.

“Well, I guess I’d rather see her smile when she comes out of a vision and keep it a secret than come out of one injured, and I have to heal her and see everything that happened,” Logan says.

Colton is still watching me, but I ignore him for now. I take a step away from him and assess the yard. David walks up and places a hand on my shoulder. “What are you going to do?”

“I was going to use magic to pick up the larger ones and then if I still feel fine, I’ll start picking up the smaller ones. I want to move the big ones against the side of the house.” I point to where I want to move them.

“I’ll help with the big ones. It shouldn’t take as much magic if both of us are trying to move them.” That seems like a good idea. I turn around and tell Colton that he should go stand with everyone against the house. I don’t know how much magic to push toward the wood. It is easier to call small things to you. The heavier it gets, the harder it is to move...obviously. Colton sighs but listens and moves to stand near Emma.

David points to the middle one. I nod and focus my attention on the middle trunk. I picture the tree slowly lifting off the ground and moving toward the house. The tree slows down the closer it gets to the house before being gently placed on the ground, parallel to the wall.

I push a small amount of magic toward it, making sure that it doesn’t get out of control and damage the house. I don’t know how much David is using. David is actually telekinetic while my magic just listens to what I ask it to do. I don’t think there’s really a term for my powers. The tree starts vibrating before it slowly lifts off the ground. I mentally grab another glowing strand of magic and push it out. The tree starts to float toward the house. When it gets closer, I start pulling my magic back, and its progression slows. When it is right up against the house, I pull back all my magic. The tree still hovers above the ground. David must have pulled his magic back a couple seconds later because it falls to the ground.

“One down, two more to go. You good?” he asks me. I nod and point to the one on the left. We repeat the same process until both of the tree trunks are resting against the house.

I turn to find Colton when the world starts spinning. The colors around me blur together. I stand still for a couple of seconds waiting for the vertigo to stop. Blinking rapidly, everything calms and I feel perfectly fine again. I glance around me to make sure that no one is watching me. No one seems to notice anything wrong with me, so I get to work on picking up the remaining branches without magic. Soon after that, everyone else joins in.

“How are you feeling?” Colton asks me while bending down to grab a large branch.

“I’m good,” I say. He gives me a look that says
I don’t believe you.
“Ok, I’m a little lightheaded and dizzy, but I don’t understand why. I’ve used more magic than that before and not felt like this,” I admit while I keep picking up the twigs that litter the yard.

“Maybe you should go sit down for a little bit,” Colton suggests.

“No, I’m fine. I’m sure the feeling will go away soon.” I throw the twigs I’d collected into the pile against the house and walk back to pick more up.

"Ryanne," Colton says, but I shake my head at him. I'm not going to go inside and sit down while everyone stays out here. This was my idea to begin with.

Soon we are done with the backyard and walk over toward the beach. I can feel Colton’s eyes on me the whole time. The debris on the beach is smaller than that in the backyard. It doesn’t need any magic to move. The guys get to work, while Emma, Natalie, and I stand back and only pick up the really small stuff. While crouching down in the sand, another dizzy spell comes, and I have to place my hands on the ground to steady myself. Shaking my head, I slowly stand up and the feeling passes.

I look around. Good, no one saw that. Colton is talking to Liam. Both of them keep glancing over at me, but neither come over. Colton knows something is wrong and is probably trying to see if Liam feels anything off. I don’t think Liam would feel anything though. He seems to only feel the physical injuries I get.

“Ryanne?” I turn in their general direction of the voice but can’t see anyone. I see lights. Bright fluorescent lights. Everything around me starts to blur. I slam my eyes shut, trying to stop the spinning. Someone is yelling, but I can’t tell who. It sounds like I am underwater—everything is muffled and running together. I feel myself start to fall as I am plunged into darkness.

Colton

“You sure you don’t feel anything? She’s been acting off. She told me earlier that she felt dizzy but that it would go away.” I glance over to Ryanne and watch as she drops some sticks into the pile. She walks back over to Emma and Natalie who are just standing off to the side, pretending like they are working.

“I don’t feel anything, but she does look like she’s not feeling well,” Liam replies.

“She doesn’t like feeling weak, so I know she won’t tell me anything unless it gets really bad,” I say. Liam is watching the girls. I glance over there again and meet a pair of beautiful hazel eyes. When she catches me looking, she looks away. Something is definitely up.

“What’s going on?” Liam stands up and starts to walk toward the girls.

Emma is standing in front of Ryanne, waving her hand in front of her face, but Ryanne isn’t responding. She closes her eyes and starts to sway. I stand up and run over to her. Emma reaches forward and grabs Ryanne but can’t support her sudden weight, and both girls fall to the ground. I make it over to them and pull Ryanne off of Emma. Her eyes are closed, and she isn’t moving. I reach down and pick her up, brushing the sand off of her. “What happened?” I ask Emma. David makes his way over to us and helps Emma stand up.

“I don’t know. I asked her a question, and she didn’t answer. She turned her head in my direction, but she didn’t look at me. All of the sudden, she started swaying and then fell. I’m pretty sure she’s not in a vision though. This was different. It wasn't as sudden as her visions have been recently,” she says. “I don’t know what happened, but something was off. It was as if something was pulling her away from here.”

The rest of the guys make their way over to us. We’ve already finished cleaning up, so I carry Ryanne inside. Laying her down gently on the couch, I push her hair back and turn toward Liam. She still hasn’t moved. “I knew something was up. She told me she felt dizzy but that it wasn’t from using her magic. She’d used more magic before and didn’t act like that. I should have known.” What’s happening to her? Is she unconscious? Is she seeing a vision?

Something is telling me that this isn’t a vision. This is different. Emma was right about that. I can feel my anger rising. If I don’t get control soon, I’ll go invisible. What if Dravin and Adam have her? What the hell is she going through right now? Natalie must have gotten a read on my anger because she walks up to me and grabs my forearm. Instantly, I feel calmer. I am still angry, but it is manageable now. “Thanks.”

She nods and steps back a little. I glance back at the couch. Nothing has changed. If it weren’t for her breathing, I’d think…No, I can’t think like that. She is going to be okay, isn’t she?

Thirty minutes later, she is still in the same position. I am starting to get worried again. Pacing the back of the room, I keep an eye on her, waiting for any sign of change. I look over toward Liam, who is rubbing his arm absentmindedly. “Liam.” He looks over at me. I glance down at his arm. He curses and stands up, looking toward Ryanne. There’s no change.

“Something’s happening, isn’t it?” Emma asks. She is just as worried as Liam and I are. Liam gasps and touches his stomach. Natalie keeps glancing between Liam and Ryanne. Liam doubles over, holding onto his stomach. Ryanne still isn’t moving. Natalie walks over to Liam and crouches down next to him, trying to calm him. He grunts, which shows how much Ryanne is going through. He only feels a fraction of what she is experiencing. I walk over to the couch and sit down next to her, lifting her head and placing it in my lap. Logan moves closer, so when Ryanne wakes up, he can heal her. Her head moves slightly in my lap.