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  “Last night. After the concert, after everyone had been helped, I had this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, so we went back. We blended in and just witnessed what was around us. I thought I saw her, so we followed her and ended up in this large estate-looking place. By the time I got there, that guy was way deep, too far for me to help. There was another one, and he was literally falling to the ground when we showed up.”

  “What did you do? You left him there? What did you say to her?”

  “We just played. Well, at least we let your song play as loud as we could. It stopped her from hurting anyone else, but she has two victims now.”

  “Two?”

  “Two guys,” he confirmed.

  “Let’s go back then. They left people behind. We can help them.”

  “The people left there destroyed that Estate – or at least Mother Nature did. There’s nothing left.”

  “Who’s the other guy? Why did she take two? Are they in The Realm?”

  “I don’t know why she took them or where they are. I just know they’re deep, deeper than we’ve ever gone.”

  He should know better than to lie to me. I could read him like a book. “Who’s the other guy, Draven?” I asked, pointing out he’d avoided my question.

  He glanced at Austin, then back at me. “I don’t know, but I have my suspicions.”

  “Landen,” I murmured as nausea washed over me.

  Draven shrugged his shoulders faintly. Clearly feeling the same defeat I did.

  My world began to crash down around me. Draven was wrong: Bianca wasn’t gone, and she hadn’t moved on; all she was doing was blocking my way out of this world. If that was Landen with that prince, then he couldn’t help me. Willow couldn’t help me either. They were now just as trapped as we were.

  “I’ll find her,” I swore as I swallowed hard.

  “No, you’re not. That’s why I didn’t tell you. You’re not going after her. For all you know, it’s a trap.”

  “A trap for you, too,” I rebutted.

  “You and Madison stay away from her until I figure this out,” he demanded, as his eyes grew cold and dark.

  “How do you plan on figuring it out?” I asked, showing no fear.

  “I’m going to find her. I’m going to figure out who that prince guy is.”

  “What do you expect me to tell Madison? To stay away because that guy you always dream of has been taken by Bianca? Oh yeah, and sorry I never told you that he was real. Seriously, Draven.”

  “Tell her whatever you want, but you aren’t going into The Realm - and that’s final.”

  Oh he did not just go there. “Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?! She dreamed of him – and you know what -- it may not be because he’s some kind of lost love; it could be because he was a warning, a warning of a trap.”

  “A trap for the two of you,” he bit out as he reached for my wrist that had the Ankh tattoo that Madison had all but demanded that I get. She hadn’t only dreamed of that boy, but also some kind of battle between Bianca and us – with other girls that looked just like her. “And I’ll be damned if I let this dream of hers come true,” he said as he glanced from me to the tattoo.

  I pulled my arm away. “What about my dreams, Draven? What door are you going to walk into that I can’t open? What trap are you walking into? This is a two-way street. You want me to stay out? Then you stay out.”

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “Right, it’s not going to happen.”

  Our classic impasse was now out in the open for everyone to gawk at.

  “Can you two stop it?” Aden bit out, looking over his shoulder at Wesley to see if we’d managed to worry him by talking about The Realm. “I swear, when you guys fight, you’re letting whatever this is drive a wedge between us. We can’t afford that now.”

  “I’m not the one driving the wedge,” I murmured under my breath, locking eyes with Draven.

  His eyes filled with the pain I must have inflicted with my cold words and tense tone. “I’m going to get dressed. I’m going to the school, and I’m going to figure this out. Go read your books or whatever you do, but do not go into The Realm.”

  He leaned forward and let his lips -- which carried an even stronger hum now that he was darkness -- rest on mine. I kissed him back with little effort, making no promise that I’d listen to him. He vanished at that moment.

  I looked down before I glanced up at Aden. “Whose side are you on?”

  “Both of yours,” he answered as his eyes cascaded sympathetically over me.

  “Then you stop keeping secrets from me.”

  “What was that you said about a two-way street?”

  “I haven’t kept anything from you,” I rebutted.

  “You’re not talking to Silas?”

  “No.”

  “Will you tell me if you do?” he asked.

  “Why do you want to know? Do you really think I’d leave your brother for him?” He really didn’t want to push me right now.

  “I trust you, Charlie; I don’t trust him. It would be different if he tried to speak to me. I’ve seen him on the horizon; he knows I’m not dark, yet he keeps his distance.”

  “What do you mean you’ve seen him?”

  “He’s always within feet of Draven, at least it seems like feet. He literally stands between the two of you there, and I have a feeling that before long he’ll stand between the two of you in this world as well.”

  Well, your feelings are jacked up. “I’ve never seen him there, and the only thing standing between me and Draven is Draven’s anger. I’m sick of this boys club you guys have created. I will be in The Realm. I promise you that. If you’re worried about me, then you better convince Draven to let me stand at your side -- at his side.”

  “Charlie, for all I know, that’s the most dangerous place in The Realm. Do me a favor: figure out what that light was this morning. Talk to Monroe, do some research. I’ll find out where Bianca is and who she has with her.”

  Before I could argue, he waved at Wesley and jogged to his Hummer.

  My shoulders fell as I gazed at the ground. I always felt guilty when I fought with them, but at the same time I felt validated.

  Wesley slowly walked to my side. “I guess it’s a good thing Austin won’t be long now.”

  “I hope you’re right about that,” I mumbled.

  “I know I am. I think you guys just need to get away from this. Forget about that girl.”

  “I just know it all connects somehow.”

  His silence told me he agreed. “Do you need me to help you with anything?” he finally asked.

  “No, I got it. Just make sure I’m the first person you call when you see Austin.”

  “Will do,” Wesley said as Britain’s car pulled up in front of his house. “I’m going to get in the shower; stay out of trouble today,” he said as he squeezed my arm and turned to go in his house.

  I watched as Madison and Britain talked inside his car. It looked like a bickering match, a lot like the one I’d just had with Draven. I don’t think I’d ever seen Britain so unraveled. I walked over to his window and knocked on it, and he stopped whatever speech he was in the middle of and slid down his window.

  “I don’t mean to interrupt this lovers’ quarrel, but we have a big day in front of us,” I said, looking across him at Madison.

  “You guys need to go home and stay there,” Britain said tightly.

  “What’s wrong, Britain? Are you worried that your BFF is stirring up trouble?” I taunted.

  “No, I’m worried about your BFF, or whatever you call him. It’s obvious he’s on the hunt.”

  “Who, Silas? Why should I be scared of him? You should be the one staying home.”

  “It’s not him I’m worried about; it’s who he’s hunting. Others are coming for you.”

  “You sound like Monroe.”

  “Call me crazy, but if I had a seer in my corner, I’d listen to her,” Britain said sarcasti
cally.

  “We’re all seers,” Madison said as she opened the passenger door.

  Britain closed his eyes as he leaned back against his headrest.

  “If you know something, tell me. I don’t care about anyone who’s after whatever light I am. If I were, I wouldn’t be talking to you. I want Bianca. I want to figure out where Monroe’s dad is.”

  He opened his eyes as a sly smile threatened to invade his lips. “You don’t want to know where her dad is because when you see him – you’ll already be in over your head.”

  Was it the entire male races goal to tick me off today? “Already there,” I said as I pushed back from his car.

  Madison had walked around to his window. As she leaned in and kissed his lips, he whispered something into her ear that made her smile. She then leaned back and nodded for him to go. He hesitated for a second before he drove away.

  “Aren’t you guys the cute couple?” I mocked.

  She rolled her eyes at me. “Not exactly. I got Aden’s text; I guess I wasn’t the only one that saw that light this morning. I’m not going to lie: it’s never been so loud that it hurt.”

  “Nope. It’s quiet now, too.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Fighting with Draven,” I mumbled, hating that she always knew when something was bothering me. I purposely blocked out the fight so she couldn’t see it. It was becoming easy to block each other. All you really had to do was focus on the moment you were in if you didn’t want someone to see where you’ve been or what’s on your mind.

  “Closed door, Charlie. I can’t help you if I can’t see it.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “What did he say?” she asked, instantly taking my side.

  “We’ve been told to stay out of The Realm.”

  “Well, that’s nothing new. Spill it. What’s going on?”

  “Bianca has a new victim. They saw her take two guys.”

  “Dammit. I knew that was going to happen. Screw them. We aren’t going to let her ruin someone else’s life.”

  I was pretty sure that Bianca was working on ruining hers, but I couldn’t say that. “She didn’t ruin mine; this curse did.”

  “She definitely didn’t help the trust issues you and Draven have.”

  “Not you, too. I trust him. He trusts me. He just doesn’t trust himself.”

  “Right. And Bianca and your phantom friend had nothing to do with that.”

  I rolled my eyes, not wanting to talk about Silas. “We need to pick a target. It either has to be her or where Monroe’s dad is. I’m sick of running in circles. What did Britain say about all of this? Why is he so worried?”

  “I bet if we find Bianca and whoever she has, Daddy Dearest won’t be far away.”

  “You may be right. Quit avoiding the Britain question.”

  Madison looked down. “He said if I was willing to give my light away, to give it to him, that he could stop himself before he hurt me.”

  “How sick is that?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows. I couldn’t stand how Britain and the others referred to themselves, like they were predators and we were the main course.

  I’d offended her. Which told me she cared more about Britain than she was letting on. “If Britain knows how to stop, then he can teach Draven.”

  “Draven can’t stand him; he’s not going to take advice from him.”

  “But he will take advice from Grayson and Winston? They haven’t been tested yet. I don’t care who their parents are or where – they haven’t seen or felt what Draven is going through. I’m trying to help you. Britain might be your only way for now.”

  “Listen, I don’t care that you’re falling for him, but I would think that you’d make sure his intentions are genuine before you give your heart away.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean? I told you my heart is mine, and until I figure out The Realm, understand what it is, if it’s hiding something, what we are – I’m not falling for anyone.”

  “You can’t tell your heart who to fall for and when.”

  “What are you saying, Charlie? Is your heart falling for someone else?”

  “NO! Seriously, don’t go there with me. I wasn’t even talking about me. I was referring to you.”

  “What about me?” she asked defensively.

  “That guy in your dreams. The one you sketch at least three times a day – what’s that about? Is that love?”

  “I can’t love somebody that’s not real.”

  “What if he was?”

  “He’s not. Drop it.”

  “You wouldn’t dream about someone if they weren’t important. Your mind wouldn’t just create someone for no reason,” I argued.

  “The only dream I’m worried about is the one where I’m fighting myself -- and once I figure that one out, if not before, I’m going to figure yours out.”

  I couldn’t look her in the eye; instead, I stared down the street. I couldn’t figure out how to tell her. Every time I tried to at least show her that that boy was real, some kind of block came up in my mind. At first I thought it was just because I’d gotten so used to hiding it, but now, as I tried to force myself to tell her, I couldn’t. Something was stopping me, and I had no idea what it was; I just hoped it was the right instinct to follow.

  “Well, your dream of fighting yourself or girls that look like you -- along with this tattoo -- is Draven’s excuse for keeping us out. He thinks someone’s trying to trap us. For all you know, all our dreams will collide...are you ready for that?” I asked as my eyes met hers.

  She stared at me for what seemed like an eternity. “I’m ready for whatever’s coming at me.”

  At that moment, a huge black crow landed between us. My heart began to race as my stomach tied itself in knots. The massive bird took flight again, squawking as loud as it could. We both watched its path, and in the distance there were hundreds of them circling and screaming.

  Madison began to run toward them before I could utter a word.

  Chapter Three

  For someone who didn’t run every day, Madison was fast. She was half a block in front of me before I even thought to chase her.

  “Madison!” I yelled as I sprinted toward her. “Stop!”

  She just kept running. She was running so fast, I had to push myself to catch up to her.

  “Stop! Monroe showed me this – this is bad! STOP!”

  As the crows fell silent, Madison’s sprint turned into a jog. “Crows aren’t bad,” she said, catching her breath. “They’re connected to spiritual people. That crow was trying to tell us something.”

  “Yeah, like stay away,” I said, gasping for breath.

  “I don’t think so,” she said under her breath as she nodded forward.

  We’d reached the old graveyard, the one in which I’d first talked to Silas. All of the crows were resting across the gothic tombstones. It was eerily silent.

  As Madison pushed the rod iron gate open, the metal screamed out in protest and I swear the sky grew darker at that instant.

  “Madison,” I said in a weak voice.

  She didn’t stop, and I had no choice but to follow her. The moment I stepped into the graveyard, I felt heavy, like gravity itself was telling me not to take another step forward. One of the crows resting on a Celtic cross belted out a scream that caused Madison to finally halt. At that moment, a man stepped out from behind a stone. He was dressed in a black suit, and his jet black hair was combed out of his face revealing the darkest eyes I’d ever seen. He was so beautiful that I doubted he could be real. He smiled slightly, and I found myself paralyzed. I felt others and looked warily around me. More, all men, all dressed in black with flawless features, had stepped out from behind the tombstones. We were completely surrounded.

  “Who are you?” Madison said firmly, trying to hide her fear. I knew if I could sense that emotion from her, they most definitely could.

  The smile on the man before us grew wide. “We are here to serve you...we bow to y
ou,” he said as he leaned forward slowly.

  When he bowed, behind him I saw my escape: I saw Silas. His eyes were glowing so brightly that he didn’t look human. Anger was encased in his stone cold expression. Silas reached forward, and his hand didn’t stop when it reached the man’s body -- it went through him. I gasped, expecting blood and gore, but when Silas pulled his hand out, dark ash came out and raced to the sky. The body then fell to the ground, and the stench of sulfur filled the air.

  The other men charged Silas all at once. There were five of them against him, and he was alone. I screamed his name as I ran toward him, but Madison grabbed my arm and pulled me behind a tombstone.

  “He’s winning,” she whispered as she pointed to the sky. Black smoke was encasing the graveyard, and the crows began to circle and squawk again. I couldn’t just sit there and let Silas fight them alone, though, so I pulled free from her and ran toward him.

  He was only fighting one man then, and as the dark man fell to the ground, the black ash rushed out of his body. I saw terror in Silas’ eyes, and I couldn’t understand why. Then I looked at the ground and saw five bodies...where was the other one? I could have sworn that five of them attacked him after he killed the first one. As I opened my mouth to question him, I felt ice, cold ice seeping through my back, through my entire body. Then I felt as if I were as light as a feather. My eyes glazed over, and I could swear that I saw my own image turning into what looked like shards of diamonds; my very being was breaking apart, vanishing into thin air. I was nothing, and I was everything. I was no longer bound to a body. I had become the air, the sun, the moon -- all that existed. I felt as if reality was nothing but a harsh dream that I was waking from, that my home, my true existence was opening before me and that nothing mattered anymore. There was no right, no wrong. Emotions seemed foolish because I’d risen above them. Forgiveness and love were pulling, pulling me higher and higher.

  Silas vanished before my eyes, and I heard Madison scream my name as I fell to the hard, cold ground. The peaceful release that I’d found was stolen from me as my body pulled me back to it. All of the emotions I’d conquered were mine again, and fear was ruling them. Madison was at my side instantly. As she pulled my head up, I saw that Silas had appeared behind me and the man that was trying to kill me. Silas reached into his body. He didn’t pull out the darkness as swiftly as he’d done with the others; instead, his glowing eyes filled with rage as they locked with this dark soul. The man’s face crumbled in agony as Silas slowly began to pull out the darkness that he was. The man then fell to the ground, and at that moment, with a simple glance from Silas’ glowing eyes, the remains of the men erupted into flames before vanishing from sight.