Inside the Fire Book One in the Warden's Series (21 page)

I answered everything as honestly as I
could. I couldn’t just come out and tell them that he had escaped
from Hell, and that he had come after me to send a horrible message
to my father and my boyfriend.

When they left I was allowed to rest again.
My mother didn’t leave my side as the doctors did their tests and
took their samples, stating that they would send all of it off to a
lab to be looked over.

Once everything was said and done my mother
convinced the doctor to let me go home. It had been well over
twenty four hours. Even though my nose was broken, I had two broken
ribs, and bruises the size of baseballs all over my body they had
bent to my mother. I had a feeling she used some of her Heavenly
influence to get me out of there.

****

Wesley was sitting in his car outside when
my mother pulled into the drive. She helped me into bed and he sat
beside me just staring at me like he didn’t know me. He looked
guilty and smell slightly of whiskey, his eyes bloodshot, and his
expression sad. He looked like he had taken an emotional beating
after everything that had happened.

“This is all my fault.” He said softly,
fighting the urge to touch me.

“No, it’s not. It’s mine. I shouldn’t have
gone outside in the dark by myself.” I tried to smile but my lips
just wouldn’t curve.

I didn’t blame him for what happened. He was
at no fault for my being attacked outside the club that night. I
did have to make a choice though. Do I tell him that it was the
dark haired boy from the park? Do I also tell him that this message
was for him?

“I’m not going to ask what happened. I’m
sure you have relived it enough today as it is.” I winced as pain
shot through my body.

“Thank you.” I whimpered squeezing my eyes
shut to stop the tears from falling.

“Wesley?” My mother called from the other
room. “Can you come here?” He gave me one last look and got up to
leave the room.

I heard a muffled conversation in the
kitchen but I didn’t care what they were talking about all I wanted
to do was sleep. After a few minutes Wesley came back into my room
and sat back down on the bed again.

“Your mom is going to run into town and get
you some things to make you more comfortable. She asked if I would
stay and keep you company while she’s gone.”

I patted the bed next to me indicating that
I wanted him to lie down. He hesitated then lay down on his side
propping his head on his hand and softly touching my face.

“Ok.” I whispered feeling my eyes get
heavy.

The medication the doctor had given me
before leaving the hospital was already lulling me to sleep. I took
one last look at my other half. “I love you.” I choked.

“I love you too.” I felt something cold and
wet hit my cheek as his lips touched my forehead.

When I woke up Wesley was not in the bed
with me anymore, I struggled into a sitting position and looked
around my dark room he was nowhere in sight.

The house was quiet. I reached for my phone
and winced as pain spread through my rib cage. My index finger
sparked, and I cursed, of course now everything seemed to be
functioning normally.

It was 3am, I grumbled as my bladder
protested. I got up and penguin walked into the bathroom, moving
slowly as each step sent sharp pains through my body. Nobody was in
the house I could sense it. I suddenly felt fear send prickles up
my spin. I sniffed the air but nothing seemed out of the
ordinary.

It hurt even worse to use the bathroom, I
felt like my insides were going to come out. Never had a cried over
relieving my objecting bladder.

“Dawn?” I jumped at my mother’s voice.

“Yeah.” My voice cracked, my heart was
pounding, and I had somehow caught the toilet paper on fire.

I put out the flames and pulled myself up
and shuffled out of the bathroom and into my mother’s warm hug.

“I talked to your father.” She said putting
her cheek to my forehead. “I told him I could take care of it.” She
whispered softly. “I got permission if I need to do it.” She
sighed. “Where’s Wesley? I asked him to stay with you.”

“I don’t know I woke up, and he was gone. I
assumed that you had come home, and he left.” I said softly willing
the pain to cease.

“His car isn’t here.” She said pulling away
from me. “I’m sure he’s fine, he has to deal with what happened in
his own way.” She looked at my face and helped me back to my
room.

I laid down as she put the covers over me.
“I will stay with you tonight.” She promised taking my hand in
hers.

She started to sing a sad song in Italian,
one she used to sing when I was a child. I always loved my mother’s
voice; it had a healing power making everything seem as if it would
be alright. I closed my eyes and in an instant was back asleep.

****

I don’t know what time she fell asleep, but
she had perched herself next to me her head resting against the
wall her chest rising and falling as she breathed. It was light
outside now. I had managed the last few hours of sleep to be
dreamless so I felt a bit more rested after the constant nightmares
in the hospital. My mother moved and ran her fingers through my
hair.

“Merry Christmas, my Dawny.” She said
softly.

I smiled at her and welcomed the soft warm
hug she gave me before sliding out of bed. I reached over and
painfully grabbed my phone I had a missed message from Wesley’s
dad.

Greg: How you feeling?

I winced, pain shot through my whole body
and a blood boiling scream escaped my lips and my body burst into
flames.

“Vater! Es brennt in hier Vater!”

Another scream ruptured my lungs as my ribs
begin to throb, pain like none other seared through my body. My
mother came running grabbing my face through the fire pleading for
me to make eye contact, willing me to take her hand to let God’s
warmth run through me.

I could hear her I could feel her but I
could not do as she demanded. I was frozen the pain had me
contorted and crying. Suddenly everything went black!

“Merry Christmas, Raven Princess. What did
you think of my little Christmas present?” That menacing voice with
no face.

"What do you want from me?" I demanded.

"I want your soul on a platter. I want my
Wesley back." She hissed through my head.

"He will never be yours again." I said my
body hurting.

"Oh but he already is mine again." She
laughed.

My eyes shot open and my mother was holding
my hands, the pain was subsiding and I was feeling more and more
relaxed. She smiled slowly.

“Thank God!” She exclaimed her eyes were
milky white. They slowly turned back to normal, and she released my
hands. “You were calling for your father, screaming how much it
burned. I didn’t know what to do once you went out, so I just held
on to...” She was interrupted when there was a knock on the
door.

She held up a finger and left the room. I
could hear muffled voices from the living room but couldn’t make
out the words. I just laid there staring at the ceiling letting the
calmness take me. I heard footsteps and suddenly a little twelve
year old face appeared at my bed side. Her eyes were shining and on
her face was a huge smile as she put a box down on the bed beside
me.

“Melissa.” I breathed so happy to see her.
If I could have hugged her I would have got up from my death bed
and wrapped my arms around her.

I looked at the box and reached for it,
wincing a little, even though my mother had eased some of the pain
she hadn’t eased all of it.

“I made it.” She stated proud of herself as
I ripped the paper from the box. Inside was a charm bracelet.

I glanced up at her and painfully started to
pull it from the box. On the each of the charms was a picture of
the three of us, each one depicting another milestone in mine and
Wesley’s relationship. I felt warm tears come to my eyes
remembering that we had been so happy before all of this shit
started to occur. I struggled to put the bracelet on after a few
tries I was finally successful.

“It’s amazing Melissa.” I said reaching for
her hands.

“We are all here. Dad said that since you
couldn’t come to our house for the holidays this year we would come
to you. Your mom and my dad are putting up a tree right now and
Wesley is bringing in all our gifts. We didn’t open them this
morning.” She was so giddy just like every girl should be on
Christmas morning.

I heard a cough at the head of my bed and
Melissa’s eyes shot up, her smile faded and in its place was an
annoyed frown.

“I know! I know! I have to get out now.” She
grumbled as she left the room and my boyfriend appeared in her
place. His face looked guilty and the way he walked made me wonder
what it was that he had done.

“How you feeling?” He asked taking a seat
next to me.

“Would have been better if you had been here
this morning.” I tried to smile but I couldn’t.

“I’m sorry I had to deal with some things
last night and laying here looking at you and listening to your
breath coming out so raspy I just had to get away.” He reached up
and touched my cheek. “It was stupid I know. I could only think of
was how I could have lost you.”

“But you didn’t lose me! I’m right here.”
His pitiful me speech was enough to make my blood boil and my
fingers spark. “I seem to recall that I did not leave your side
after we found you beaten bloody in the forest. No matter how much
I wanted to run away from the damage it had done to you I
stayed.”

“I know. It was stupid of me to leave you
like this last night.” At least he understood that he was being
stupid.

I struggled to sit, to attempt to put my
lips to his to let him know that I had forgiven him for his moment
of stupidity. He saw me struggling and met me half way cradling me
in a way that it was impossible for me to feel any pain.

When his lips met mine my whole world
floated away all I felt was him and me just one spirit, one soul
and I felt like nothing else could go wrong.

****

"Dawn!" My mother called as I threw a sheet
of wrapping paper at her.

"What?" I winced as I felt the tenderness in
my arm tighten.

"Here." She handed me another present, and I
looked at it with an odd expression.

My mother and I have a deal every Christmas.
We knew the meaning of it and the reason for the season but our
deal was that we would do something for the other any time during
the next year. We had the money to purchase all sorts of magical
gifts. However, neither of us were very materialistic. I never had
the need for a Christmas wish. My parents had always taken care of
me over the years.

"What is it?" I asked looking at her.

"It's something that I thought you would
like." She grinned, and I ripped at the paper.

Inside the small box was set of ruby
earrings shaped like skulls. I actually let out a laugh as I showed
them to Wesley. He smiled and helped me put them in my ears.

"Let me see!" My mother said excited as I
painfully posed for her pictures.

Just when I thought everything was said and
done Wesley handed me a box. He had already given me so much over
the last few months there was no need for him to do anything else
additional. I looked up at him and smiled. Opening the box slowly.
Inside was a silver choker. The lettering on the choker is what got
me. Wesley+Dawn=Forever.

Laugh if you must. The gift would be
considered quite cheesy for everything going on in my life at this
time. However as I have mentioned before I have never been in love
before. Every little thing he did for me was something new. Nobody
before him had ever done it so I had nothing to compare it to. The
gesture was sweet.

My mom and his father got up to get lunch
ready leaving me and him sitting on the couch my legs over his, him
holding my hand. Even the thought of moving sent searing pain
through my body.

"Tell me about Miranda?" I asked looking at
him. I don't know why I asked honestly this just seemed the best
time to do it.

"How do you know about her?" He asked
raising an eyebrow.

"Your sister managed to give me the name." I
squinted at him.

"Well not much too really tell. She was my
girlfriend up until my mother passed away. After that she got all
weird on me. Broke up with me for not being on the same level as
her. I didn't care though. Honestly she had some massive issues."
His eyes shot around the room and his lips kept quivering.

"What kind of issues?" I asked. I didn't
want to push anything.

"She wanted to rule me not be with me.
Caused a lot of problems." His voice faltered. "Why do you suddenly
care about my ex? I don't recall ever asking you about any of
yours."

"No reason to get defensive Wesley. The
difference between my ex and yours is that mine isn't trying to
attack you in your sleep!" I bit down on my lip. I had said too
much.

"Wait what?" He looked at me.

"That's who's been attacking you." I said
softly.

"You're telling me that Miranda was in my
head?" He didn't look too convinced.

"She's in both our heads." I said
softly.

"What makes you think this?" He demanded
defensively.

"My mother was able to pull images from me
but not from you. Not to mention the nightmares that I have been
having." I sighed.

"What nightmares?" He was still defensive
but at least he still cared enough to ask.

"She tells me that you are hers in my
dreams." I frowned and looked towards the window directly behind
the couch.

"Well I'm not." He grabbed my hand. "Dawn
I'm never going to leave you. There is a reason that we are on this
Earth. A reason that we are supposed to be together." He looked at
me and though his eyes were still angry he meant the words that he
was saying.