Enflame (Insight #6)(35)

The souls formed a path for us to follow. In the distance I could see the glow of low lying candles, and before long I saw an image of a young girl crouched down. There was no emotion coming from her, which made me both grateful and furious. She wasn’t like the others – she looked like us. I could see that the hood on her light jacket was pulled over her head. As if she sensed us, she slowly rose, then glanced over her shoulder.

She couldn’t have been any older than me if she were alive. Her hair was long, beautiful, and lavender. Her skin was like ivory, and her eyes were so blue, so pure that you would have thought she was a guardian angel.

The dread, remorse, and tinge of passion that lingered in Landen’s emotion led me to believe the obvious: this was the girl that held him that he regretted, not because it was bad, but because I was now his, and I knew.

The taste of blood poured into my mouth. It was going to kill me but I was going to get through this. I hated her, and she hadn’t said a single word. That was wrong. I knew that. But I’m human.

Skylynn and Landen locked gazes as she turned to face us. In that stare, they seemed to say a million words. Words that belonged to me. Words I wanted to rip from his memories.

“I missed you,” she finally uttered when the silence demanded that someone say something.

I glanced up at Landen, prepared for anything. What I saw was his locked jaw and an intense, unforgiving stare.

“Its time to move forward, tell me how we do that. What have you discovered while I was gone?” he finally answered.

She glanced at Phoenix, who was on Landen’s other side. Her gaze met Landen’s again. “I can’t move forward until you do.”

“The spells do cross,” Landen confirmed.

She glanced at me, nodding politely, but with contempt. “The fates cross. In the end, that is,” she said, returning her gaze to Landen.

“Can I starve them from here?” Landen asked her.

“We can begin here.”

“We are not beginning anything until I have my ashes,” Phoenix spouted, obviously disgusted with her, which in some way made me like him for the first time ever.

“No way,” Skylynn breathed as she rolled her eyes.

Phoenix charged forward, but before I could blink Landen had left my side and was blocking Phoenix’s energy and body from hurting her. Every part of me tensed as jealousy raged though my soul.

“Let it be,” Landen commanded.

“I’ll be damned! That is how she roped you into this in the first place, and you know it. If she hadn’t stolen your ashes, the spells would have never crossed. She played you, and now she wants me to feel sorry for her because karma had its say. She has been dragging me around by mine since the day you left. I have all but an ounce left, and she is not going to play me anymore.”

“Not my type,” Skylynn taunted, which did not help me at all. Just as I was about to come undone I felt cool, soothing hands on my shoulders and the overwhelming ease of peace swarm through me. Gratefully, I glanced back to find Clarissa. I gasped in relief and pulled her to me, nearly crushing her with my grip.

“I’ve got you,” she whispered. A weary nod was all I could offer her.

“Turn over the ashes,” I heard Landen demand.

Gripping Clarissa’s arm, I turned to see what was going on.

Landen didn’t seem to notice that Clarissa had arrived. He was too focused on them.

“No,” Skylynn stated once again.

“What hold do you need on him? I am here. I’m not leaving,” Landen pushed.

“I’ve heard that before,” she replied painfully.

Clarissa held my arm with both hands. My emotions were beyond numb at that point, which was the only thing saving this girl’s life that is, if she had one.

“We had the same goal. I never lied to you. I had no way of knowing the spells and fates were crossed.”

“Five hundred years, Guardian...it was more than a goal,” she said as her gaze melted over him.

“You have been in the veil entirely too long,” Phoenix bellowed. “Five hundred my ass. You knew him for five hundred. We did not run with you. Stop trying to make his girl mad. She has the power to kill you with a thought, and I would make no effort to stop her. Maybe the reason the spell crossed is because your intentions were clouded. His never were, and you know it.”

All right, I admit it: I liked Phoenix. He was real, blunt, and to the point. I needed a friend like that.

Landen glanced back at me, noticing Clarissa for the first time. He let out a sigh as he nodded to her. A sorrowful glance landed on me and when it did I felt a warm hum ease through my body. It was his essence, and I wanted to pull it all to me, to run from this moment, but I was too calm to even sigh.

His entire composure changed as he stiffly returned his attention to Skylynn. “Is that why they are crossed?”

“I have no idea why they are crossed. Too many souls. Too much power in one place. With the awareness and call they each have, it was inevitable. Evil knew our every play and countered it.”

“You know that I will restore it all, one way or another. Phoenix is part of the deal. Set him free, or I will find another way.”

“Another witch,” she replied dryly. “I know your girl came with one, that they have been helping you, well, her.”

I moved forward to defend Perodine and myself, but Clarissa held me back. My emotions were trying to break free into the atmosphere, but I held them to a breeze that was strong enough for them all to know that I was only feet away and not happy.