Enflame (Book 6) ((Insight) Web of Hearts and Souls) (27 page)

I brushed my teeth with my finger, used a warm washcloth to wash my face, and was about to steal a brush when Olivia came in the bathroom with a stack of clothes in her hand.

“Whose are those?”

“Some I bought last night, a few are Madison’s,” she said as she pulled a toothbrush out of a cosmetic bag she had in her hand.

By the time I’d changed my clothes, she’d washed her face and gotten herself cleaned up.

“You’re mad,” she said to my reflection.

“Why would I be mad?”

“I don’t know...I feel it.”

“I’m good.”

“What has been going on with you? I’ve heard pieces, but that is not the same as hearing it from your best friend,” she pressed.

It felt good to hear her call me that.

“Missed you. Sharing you with them sucks, but thanks for keeping them safe.”

“Missed you,” she said, turning to face me. “What has been going on?”

“Long story.
Basically, Landen is or was a phoenix, and we’ve had to work with his ex, who loves throwing their past in my face.”

“Do what?
” she gasped as her eyes grew wide.

“I told you it was a long story. I’m not fight
ing her for him or anything. It’s just knowing that is killing me.”

“That sounds familiar,” Olivia murmured.

“Yeah, I heard,” I said, realizing that Madison was more than likely facing something very similar. “I was told not to distract him—hence, why I’m in here and not shaking them awake.”

“How’s the other stuff, Mother Nature?”

That reminded me to get my lemon drops and lemon balm leaves out of the jacket I’d just taken off. “Getting control.” That was a lie. It was more like I was slowly losing it.

“Clarissa? Dane?” she asked, staring deeply into me as her pupils expanded.

“I’m going to make sure they are all right, too. Just have to get through this spell.”

“What spell?”

A knock on the door halted my answer. It was Landen. He glanced over me, surprised at how fast I’d cleaned up.

“We have to drive to the passage at Draven’s. I can’t carry us all.”

“Carry us?” Olivia asked.

“Long story,” I said again as I walked past her, following Landen out of the room and through the house.

Outside, there was a Hummer running. Drake was in the driver’s seat, Madison was on the passenger side. Landen climbed in and pulled me up on his lap so there would be enough room for Olivia and Chrispin to get in.

“Nice ride,” I said
to Drake’s eyes, which were staring back at me in the rearview mirror.

“Stole it,” he said with a wicked smirk.

“You did what?”

Madison grinned
faintly and pointed in the direction he needed to go. “It’s Draven’s,” she said to reassure me before staring out the passenger side window. I followed her lead and kept my eyes down and let the awkward silence take over.

When we reached the house I assumed belonged to Draven and the others, Drake pulled in the garage. Madison reached across him to push the button to seal the doors behind him. I felt my heart flu
tter when I saw their eyes meet. For the first time, I saw a connection reflecting in her image.

I didn’t have time to analyze it, thoug
h. Landen was clearly in a rush. I told myself it was because he’d now rather travel the other way, the phoenix way.

There was a hidden key we used to get in. Minutes later, we were in the studio I’d found them all in when we first met, walking through the passage that led to the string.

I avoided the glances Drake was giving me. He was trying to do one of two things: figure out if either I was mad at him or if Landen and I were mad at each other. No one was talking, only rushing, which would lead him to believe that either was possible.

Not long before we reached the beginning of the gray passages, I felt a panic, and I was almost sure it belonged to Brady. Something horrible had happened, and he was rushing to find Landen. Knowing he wasn’t in Esterious told me it had to be Charlie and Draven that were in danger. My heart pounded so viciously that I had no choice but to taste the onset of blood in my mouth.

“
Step into Esterious. I’ll be right back
,” Landen thought, picking up his pace.

“
I’m going with you
,” I protested, trying to look stronger than I was.

“
I may have to move fast to save them. Wait here
,” he thought, giving me an excuse to stay behind, one that would not make me feel like the weak link. “
A storm just moved through here. I’ll be right back
,” he thought as the haze of the string caused him to vanish into the distance.

“What’s going on?” Madison asked, c
learly feeling the emotions now. She was holding her side. On instinct, Drake reached his arms around her to balance her.

“Nothing,” I murmured, knowing if I told her she would really be in pain.

I walked into the common passage we always used, assuming it was safe because Landen left me here with them. Inside, Alamos was waiting with Perodine. They were both pacing back and forth.

“Where the hell have you been?
” Alamos bellowed at Drake when they followed me into the passage.

Madison fell forward, as if his anger had stuck her. I didn’t understand how or why her insight of emotions was so out of line.

With a glance, Drake pushed Alamos back as he helped me pull Madison up. I sent what calm I had through my touch to her. When she sighed in relief, I took care of myself, reaching for a lemon drop in my pocket. My stash was getting low, too fast. I didn’t even have to focus on my energy to know that my stress was causing even more cracks to appear in my gold shield.

“I have every right to leave this dimension when I want to with whomever I want,” Drake seethed as he dominantly walked toward Alamos, who was doing his best to remain calm.

“If you want out, tell me now,” Alamos stated flatly.

“Willow,” Perodine said, touching my arm, looking over
Madison and me. “How strong are you right now?”

I lied. “Well rested, should be good. Why?”

“I want you to be careful tonight.”

“Did you read something?” I asked in a confused tone.

“Nothing more than you already know. We’re ready for whoever falls, but it’s not going to matter if you don’t survive. Know your limits, and don’t pass them. It’s—” she froze. Everything stopped.

I locked eyes with Drake across the room. “That’s not good,” I gasped.

“He had to have a reason to stop it.”

“And it would not have been a good one.”

“What happened last night after we left?” he asked me.

“Like I know. I had my own getaway.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I was not babysitting your dimension while you went out on the town.”

“Our dimension. When are you going to get that through your head?” His tone was sarcastic and harsh.

I started to argue with him, but the shocked emotions of the room let me know that time had been unfrozen for a second or two too long, that Madison had heard that, that they all had heard it.

“It is going to take every last one of us to save them. You want to have a good time? Fine. So do I. Next time, we plan our absences,” was my stalled rebuttal.

I glanced back at Madison to see her in too much pain to care about our argument.

“What is going on with you?” I asked her.

“I feel it all,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Like pain?”

She nodded stiffly to answer.

I reached in my pocket and grabbed the broken leaves of the lemon balm and walked over to her. I took her hands and rubbed the leaves across her skin, then her lips, so she could take in the aroma.

“Lemon balm. Is it calming you?” I asked.

She nodded once, taking the leaves from me.

“Time stopped, something happened. I’m going to figure out what,” I said, walking to the passage.

“Willow, you have to get to that spell,” Perodine ordered. “We only have a small window.”

“There will not be a spell without the others.”

Marc and Aden stepped through the doorway to the room we were in.

“I’m leaving,” I said, then glanced back at Drake. “Not asking anyone to come with me or for any paths to cross.” I looked forward. “I have to help my sister and Dane.”

With the exception of Perodine, Alamos, Drake, and Marc, everyone followed me.

Once in the string, I felt confident. Landen was close, so were Brady, Draven, and Charlie. Charlie was a wreck, furious, and Draven wasn’t much better.

Brady just kept walking when he reached us, heading toward Infante. I caught Landen’s glance when he reached me, ignoring everyone else that was asking him what happened.

“
You stopped time
.”

“
I was testing them. Their insights are growing
,” he thought as he took my hand and kept pace with the others. “
I think someone is trying to frame Skylynn. She reached out to them, and a Mirror is telling them they sent her
.”

“
What Mirror, Landen
?” My thoughts were short as the girl that took him from me came to mind.

“
Let it be
.”

“
Let what be
?
They are following us here—spells, paths, whatever are crossed
.”

“
Different restaurant, same street. We’ll see how close they really are before long
.”

“
What do we have to do now
?
Where are Skylynn and Phoenix
?”

“
Around, I’m sure. Brady made sure there were Jeeps outside of the passage we are going to use. When we get there, we are going to call Nana, ask her where she is so she can see them. If she is at the house, so be it
.”

“
You know she will come to where they are, that they are going to play tonight
.”

He glanced down at me
. “
Monroe is with Nana. She asked to go. Brady took her
.”

“
So she is going to be here tonight. Just like Clarissa said she needed to be
.”

“
Not arguing that we are all going to be there just what roles we have, what intentions we have
.”

“
What am I supposed to do? Be your cheerleader
?”

That broke his composure
and made him smile. “
I think because we are doing this at the right time that this time you will be pulled in
.”

“
So I’ll be at the pentagram with you? So I can do what I did last night? Use this jacked up insight to manifest energy
?”

“
I can only hope. Truth is, because of what Xavier did the night of the original spell both of you were in both places...your essence was, anyway. I don’t know where The Realm will pull you—any of us...I don’t mean to be short...I’m just trying not to think of all that could go wrong with you in the middle of this
.”

“
I get it. I just want everything to be right. Even if we don’t cut off power to Esterious, I want to make sure what was taken from Dane is returned, that he can choose to be what he wants to be. I want to ensure the clock is moving forward, that Libby and the others can see past this night
.”

He hesitated, letting others walk past us. His eyes held the compassion that I always loved.

“
I don’t want you to have false hope, think that Dane is out of the woods after this. He’s faced what he knows he’s done recently, and when that part of him comes back, he will have to live with what that energy did. It is going to take him a while to balance it all, that is why he has twelve moons, to shift through his personal judgment
.”

“
He needs to be whole, and he is strong enough to fight his past. Clarissa will help him
,” I argued.

“
I know he is. I just wanted you to know that this is step one tonight, that there is a good chance that we could make this all worse
.”

“
And there is a good chance that no matter what happens, we will get through it
.”

A proud smile came across his lips, bringing his dimples to life. He took my hand and led us to the others.

We’d reached the passage that led to the basement floor of a Cajun restaurant, the one I chased him into days ago. Once we awkwardly made our way out to the street, we were stopped. Ghosts were everywhere, staring at us in silent protest.