The Haunting (Immortals) (19 page)

“You want me to go into her subconscious?”

Her expression brightened. “Yes.”

“No.” He didn’t give her a chance to respond before stepping back into the bathroom and shutting the door. He was in the process of pulling on his shirt when he heard the door open behind him.

“Why not?”

He pulled the shirt down and turned to stare at her. “I’m not a shaman. I don’t do that stuff.”

“But you know how.” Her expression was hard as she stared at him. “Don’t you.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yeah, I know how. But I haven’t done it in a while.”

“Nick. Jenna needs our help. She needs your help.”

“What makes you think I could help her? I couldn’t even find where her sister went.”

“I know you can do it.” She looked at him with such confidence, as if he could save the world. He didn’t want her seeing him that way. He didn’t need the pressure. The people in his village had looked at his father with the same expression, the same hope in their eyes. And his father had done everything in his power not to disappoint them, even going so far as to allow his wife and sons to leave.

He sighed, dragging his hand down his face. “You don’t know what you’re asking,” he warned her. “I just don’t want you to get your hopes up that I’ll accomplish anything.”

“Then you’ll try?”

He knew he would even as he’d tried to get out of it, so he slowly nodded. “Yeah. But I’ll need to go back to the hospital to do it because it helps to be physically close.”

“So how does it work?”

He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. “You remember I told you that there’s a spiritual plane that overlies the physical plane?”

She nodded.

“Well, it’s a little more complicated than that. There is more than one spiritual plane. Think of it like a metaphysical onion, with the physical realm being at the center. The first layer out is the spiritual plane I enter when I’m looking for residual energy patterns. They’re there because they’re closest to the physical realm. Out from that are the layers representing the different levels of consciousness: dreams, wishes, subconscious thoughts, deep psychosis. Are you following me so far?”

She nodded.

“Okay, now imagine this onion as Picasso might have painted it—distorted, with the layers sometimes bleeding into each other. If Jenna has retreated into herself, then I have to peel through the layers to find where in the spiritual realm her consciousness is hiding and then I have to figure out what’s keeping it there. How I help her will depend
on what I find, but I can tell you this—whatever she’s afraid to face is going to be unpleasant.”

Mai nodded, looking very serious. “I understand.”

“Good, because you’re going with me.”

“What?”

“I thought you wanted to help.”

“I do, but I don’t know how to spirit-walk.”

“But you know how to dream,” he said. “It’s a lot like that.”

She didn’t look entirely comfortable with the idea. “Okay.”

“For this first time,” he went on to explain, “it’ll be easier for me to lead you through the dream realm if you’re already asleep, so let’s get something to eat and then we can take a walk or go to a movie.”

“What?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “That sounds more like a date than a trip into the spirit realm.”

“Will it make you feel better to know that dinner, a walk and a movie are all intended to make you tired so when it’s time to dream-walk, you can fall asleep easier?”

“I guess that makes sense,” she admitted. “Okay.”

He eyed her carefully. “You have any questions? Or concerns you want to talk about before we do this?”

“No worries,” she said in a voice that was almost convincing. “I’m not afraid of the bogeyman.”

“You should be.”

She started to laugh at the joke and then saw he wasn’t smiling. “There’s no such thing…is there?”

“So they say. It’s supposed to live in the dream realm, preying on the insecurities and fears of dreamers. Don’t worry, though. I won’t let anything hurt you. Just stay close.”

She nodded. “You don’t make this sound too promising.”

She’d hoped he’d offer up words of reassurance, but he only checked the clock beside the bed. “We should get going. The sooner we do this, the better we’ll both feel.”

They left his apartment and found a nice Italian restaurant. Nick, Mai was learning, had a penchant for Italian food. He made sure she ate a good portion of her lasagna and drank at least two glasses of wine. She knew he was trying to make her sleepy and damn if it didn’t work. The movie he took her to was nice but not too action packed and the walk afterward in the cool night breeze was relaxing. By the time they reached the hospital hours later, Mai found she was actually tired.

According to the nurse on duty, there’d been no change in Jenna’s condition, which meant their foray into the dream realm was still on. Even though she was the one who had pushed Nick into doing this, she was starting to have doubts. What if they encountered some of her own psychological demons in the dream realm? She shuddered at the thought.

“Let’s go find an empty room,” Nick said, holding her hand as they walked down the hall. Every room they passed was occupied, so they caught the elevator and took it to the next floor. There were no empty rooms here, either, and Mai wondered what they’d do if they couldn’t find one.

On the fourth floor, their luck changed. One wing was being renovated and while the work was nearly complete, the wing had not yet been opened for use.

They walked to the end of the hall and, with a quick glance around to make sure no one saw them, slipped into the last room. The room was dark, but from the illumination spilling in through the doorway, Mai saw that it was furnished.

“This will do,” Nick said.

“If we’re caught in here, we’re going to have some explaining to do.”

“Let me worry about that. Besides, anyone who sees you will know exactly why I wanted to get you alone.” He winked at her and at that moment, she found his confidence and strength almost irresistible. That small, frightened, insecure part of her that suffered nightmares and hallucinations wished he would always be around.

Afraid he might see how she felt, she turned her back on him and walked over to the bed. Testing the mattress with her hand, she noticed how high off the floor it was. It came nearly to her waist.

“Need help up?” He didn’t wait for her answer but turned her around so she faced him, then grasped her about the waist and lifted her as if she weighed nothing. A thrill raced through her.

“Thanks,” she said breathlessly, staring into the dark depths of his eyes as he stood between her legs. The temptation to lean forward and kiss him was almost more than she could resist.

“Anytime.” The way he said it made her think he wasn’t talking about helping her onto a hospital bed. She smiled and waited to see what would happen next.

She didn’t realize how much she’d wanted his kiss until she didn’t get it. Instead, he walked across the room and shut the door.

The room was suddenly plunged into darkness. Mai couldn’t even see her hand in front of her face. Scooting to the other side of the bed, she waited for Nick to join her.
He moved so silently that her only clue that he had was when she felt the bed give under his weight.

“Are you comfortable?” His voice sounded loud in the darkness.

“Yes.”

“You’re a bad liar. Roll onto your side.”

She did as he asked, knowing it was the only way they’d both fit on the bed. It might have been a mistake because he immediately closed the distance between them and spooned her.

“Lift your head,” he told her, stretching out his lower arm so she could use it as a pillow.

The slight chill in the air disappeared. With the front of Nick’s body pressed against her back and his arm draped over her, she was more than toasty. She was hot and bothered.

There is no way I’m ever going to relax enough to fall asleep
, she thought.

Her internal monologue turned into a lecture about doing this for Jenna and Sarah—not for herself. If Nick tried anything—if he tried fondling her or kissing her—she’d simply have to…let him. She silenced a groan, knowing that if Nick tried to make a move, she wouldn’t do a damn thing to stop him. Making love to him this morning had been fantastic and if she had any regrets, it was that she hadn’t been awake for more of it.

She sighed. Yes, sleeping with Nick Blackhawk was definitely something she could get used to.

“Mai?”

“Hmmm?” she murmured, feeling more relaxed than she would have thought possible.

“We’re there.”

Mai opened her eyes and was surprised to find she was standing in an open area, completely surrounded by a white light. It was almost like she was standing in the middle of
a big white fluffy cloud. She would have been frightened except that Nick was there beside her. “Where?”

“We’re at the threshold of the dream realm.”

Mai looked around. It certainly wasn’t what she expected. She turned back to Nick about to ask him about all the light when she noticed something else. “Why can’t I see your face? I know it’s you.”

“You’re seeing me with your mind’s eye, not your body’s eye. The physical senses only exist in this dimension as a means to interpret the things we encounter here.”

“How will we find Jenna, then?”

“We’ll find her.” He held out his hand. “Shall we?”

Mai placed her hand in his and together they started walking though Mai had no idea how he knew what direction to take.

She thought she should be afraid, but being here with Nick felt familiar, safe.

As they walked, the white mist around them thinned. Mai heard shouts and laughter coming from up ahead and as they drew closer, she saw a child riding on a pony. The child was clearly enjoying himself as his smiling parents watched from nearby.

Mai wondered where they’d come from and turned to Nick, the question forming on her lips. “Someone’s dream,” he told her before she could ask. “We’re seeing what the dreamer sees.”

He kept walking and Mai was content to let him lead her, too busy studying the other dreams they passed.

At one point, Nick paused and cocked his head to the side as if he was listening. Then he reached out and grabbed a handful of air. At least, Mai thought it was air. When he pulled back his hand, it looked as if he was pulling back a curtain of light. Darkness lay beyond. A cold breeze crept out of the opening, sending chills along Mai’s arms. There was a foreboding about this place, but
Nick was not deterred. He walked through the opening, with Mai right behind him.

Ahead of them, in the distance, Mai noticed a light. It shone like a spotlight on a lonely figure sitting with head down and knees drawn tightly to its chest. Mai felt a rush of excitement that they might have found Jenna and hurried forward. Nick held out his arm to prevent her from getting too close. When they reached the figure, it looked up. Mai stared in shock at the man’s face. Crimson lines of blood ran in parallel paths from his forehead, across his eyes and cheeks, down to his jaw. Mai had a sinking feeling she knew what had caused the damage.

“Why?” he asked them, sounding desperate. “Why?”

Mai looked at Nick, who shook his head. At their silence, the man grew agitated. “Why?” he demanded angrily. When they still didn’t answer, he dragged his nails down his face, in the exact same path of the other scratches. He hardly seemed aware of what he was doing.

Taking Mai by the hand, Nick led her away. “I think we found where the subconscious minds of the deeply troubled reside. Come on, let’s see if we can find Jenna.”

They walked farther and then, between one step and the next, they left the dark and stepped into someone’s kitchen. Leaning against the counter was a teenage girl. Her arms were folded as she stared rebelliously at a middle-aged man and woman facing her from the other side of the center island.

“What do you think you were doing last night, young lady?” the man demanded.

“I went out with friends. I don’t see what the big deal is.”

“The big deal is that you didn’t tell us where you were going or what you were doing.”

“I’m eighteen,” the young woman pointed out heatedly. “You can’t tell me what to do anymore.”

“As long as you’re in this house, Jenna, you’ll follow our
rules,” the woman said. “And we don’t want you practicing all that nonsense anymore. It’s time you started acting responsibly—if not for yourself, at least for Sarah. She looks up to you. It’s important that you set a good example.”

Jenna
? Mai took a closer look at the girl’s face and saw that it was a younger version of the Jenna she knew. So they had found her, but was this a dream? She looked up at Nick, but he put a finger to his lips to warn her to silence.

“It’s not nonsense!” Jenna shouted. “It’s magic. And I know what I’m doing. You’re just jealous because you’re a null.”

“Jenna, honey. We’re not saying that magic is wrong, but it must be used wisely. And so far, you’ve not demonstrated to us that you know how to use it. Poor Mrs. Howard thinks her dog ran off. Can you even bring it back?”

The young Jenna hung her head.

“Exactly. Irresponsible,” her mother concluded.

“Instead of playing around with something you don’t know anything about, you should be focusing on getting into a good college,” her father added.

Jenna threw her arms down in frustration. “I’ve told you a thousand times. I don’t need to go to college to figure out what I’m going to do with my life. I’m a witch. That’s what I am and what I want to do.”

Her parents exchanged frustrated looks. “Jenna, you can’t make a living being a witch. You need to get a solid education—and for that you’ll need college.” Mai could tell that Jenna’s father was struggling to keep his patience.

“You’re jealous that I have power and you don’t,” Jenna cried.

“That’s ridiculous,” Jenna’s mother said. “We only want what’s best for you, and since you don’t seem to be able to make that decision on your own, I’m afraid we’ll have to make it for you.”

“I don’t want you making my decisions. Can’t you get that through your heads?”