Vital (41 page)

“A girl?” Brady asked.

Landen nodded. “Don’t look at me like I’m crazy. It makes sense; I just don’t know how to explain it.”

I felt an uneasy tension rise between each of us; everything seemed to be falling into place and apart at the same time.

“I don’t think you’re crazy,” Brady said. “Felicity dreamed of two girls that had the same tattoo as Willow. She said Olivia was there, too.”

I knew from Brady’s emotion that it wasn’t a good dream – that instead it was a nightmare. The girls weren’t bad, not at all; the demon we were fighting was. A shiver ran through my soul as my thoughts raced.

“I don’t know what to do,” Marc said as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“Go back to the palace. Tell Perodine to look for anything that would mention people saving the dead. We’ll check on Drake, then...then I’ll go get Olivia. We all need to be in the same room, work out these dreams and visions...Mars has begun.”

Marc nodded, then took off in a sprint toward Beth.

Landen looked at Brady as he put his hand on the small of my back, urging me to go through the passage to Drake’s chambers.

When we stepped through, the emotion I felt took my breath away. It was blindly seductive...I recognized this emotion...it was her - that girl that was with Dane in the alley. There was a demon in there with him, and I wasn’t going to let her seduce Drake. I began to run toward the emotion as rage came through me. Thunder exploded in the air, and lightning caused the lights to go out; only the gleam from a massive fireplace gave the room light at that point.

I felt the emotion in the shadows of the fireplace, and I stepped forward, ready for anything – almost anything. What I saw made me so sick, I had to hold in the nausea. Drake was leaning against the wall, his eyes almost completely closed. A woman - a girl with her hair in a French twist - was leaning into him. There was a mark on her neck: a birthmark that reflected a broken heart. I watched as her lips moved across his neck, and jealousy, rage – every possessive emotion in me - caused the weather outside to beat against the palace.

“Step back,” I said firmly.

As the girl turned to look at me, I saw her blue eyes – blue eyes that could easily mock innocence. She looked over me as if I were some kind of plague, then her eyes moved beside me - to Landen. I glanced at him at my side. He was trying his best to understand who this woman was, what power she had over Drake. She reached her hand to Drake’s eyes and closed them; just as he slid to the floor, she began to walk to Landen.

Brady and I both blocked her with all the energy we had as Landen stood paralyzed. A wall of energy-mocking water was between us and her and Drake. “We have to get him!” I yelled to Brady, who seemed to be the only one that was as clearheaded as I was.

At that moment, the girl blew a kiss at Landen - and he instantly fell to the ground. I screamed and ran to his side. Brady turned and sent another bolt of his energy at the chamber doors, hoping that someone – guards, anyone - would come help us.

All at once, I heard a screaming guitar and electrifying drums; it was as if we were standing in the middle of a concert. I looked to the girl, thinking that she was doing this, but the music was actually hurting her. Her hands were on her ears as she screamed through her teeth, then vanished before our eyes.

The wall of energy between us and Drake fell, and Brady ran to Drake’s side. I continued to scream Landen’s name as my hands rushed over his body.

Despair filled every part of me; I just knew I’d lost them both, that that girl had them somewhere. Rage was all I could feel, and the weather reflected that as stones from the estate began to break apart.

Brady put Drake over his shoulder and took him to the passage, then returned immediately for me and Landen. I followed him to the string as the estate was ripped apart.

Both Landen and Drake’s bodies lay on the string floor. I took their hands and pulled them to my chest, wanting them to move, to make one sound.

“Stay right here, Willow – I’m getting help!” Brady yelled over his shoulder as he ran toward the passage that led to the palace.

Tears streamed down my face. “Neither of you are leaving me –
do you hear me
?!” I yelled at the seemingly lifeless bodies of Landen and Drake.

I thought I felt Landen squeeze my hand and crawled closer to him, wrapping myself - my energy - around the three of us. I was determined to end the existence of that girl...she was now my one and only enemy.

Acknowledgments....

I am still eternally grateful for every soul that encouraged me to write/publish my debut novel Insight....thank you once again.

I also want to thank my husband, Lem, for listening to my random thoughts and ideas as each of these stories came to life, he is not only the love of my life but the man who keeps me sane on this insane adventure. I want to thank my children who inspire me to become more than I am today with a simple glance, and the echo of laughter and joy that surrounds me constantly.

I want to thank Jan Galloway for being the best first draft Beta that has ever existed. Cynthia Garcia for critiquing the second draft and encouraging me every step of the way. Christy Alley, Samantha McGarth, Shenoah Hutchins, Khristie Tuttle, Sabrina Poe-Wells, for being the best Beta’s a girl could ask for - your feedback is always VITAL.

Marek Purzycki has got to be the most patient, talented graphic artist I have ever met, thank you for giving my series a face.

http://authorjamiemagee.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/Insight.Jamie.Magee?ref=hl

https://twitter.com/Jamie_Magee_