Enflame (Insight #6)(56)

“That is true,” Draven said. “Madison is sure of it.”

“Do you see what Donalt was doing?” I pressed. “He wanted me to feel that in you, to love that, and then move into you.”

Drake pulled me against his humming body, leaned into my ear, and whispered, “You, Love, crossed our energy far more than that Realm.”

I blushed, both from embarrassment and the heat his warm breath was bringing to my body. I pushed away from him before Phoenix found a reason to ‘throw me in a fire,’ as he put it.

“We have to undo it. It’s going to mess up things with you and Madison, put you in more danger, as far as Donalt is concerned.”

“It’s already messed up.”

I glanced at Draven who looked away, openly stating his intent: he was not going to play matchmaker with Drake and one of his best friends.

“This will help. You need me out of your system, too. I’m darkness, like you. We destroy each other. We need to take you back to who you are, a fresh start. She will feel that, and you will know you are you—no one else.”

His jaw clenched, and his arm around me tightened. “We need a moment.”

I begged Phoenix with a glance.

“Not a chance, Sunshine.”

“Just go to the stairs. You don’t have to leave.”

He vanished at that second and appeared at the other end of the room, leaning against the wall. Draven backed away, too.

I met Drake’s eyes as I stepped away from him, knowing that everyone was watching our body language.

“You are my power. This guy? He shows up, tells you to clean out my energy—the part of you that lingers in me that makes me powerful—right when I’m at war within my kingdom? I don’t buy it.”

“I’m not selling it. He did it to Landen, too. Listen. I may have empowered you in the past, but I think it was temporary. We are both darkness. That is why I can’t feel you.”

“Did he fill your head with that nonsense?” he asked, nodding to where Phoenix was.

“He is not the only one. I saw it, Drake. I saw myself run into your arms. I know that I loved you, that we lived in passion, died by passion.”

“You saw what?”

“Landen was a phoenix, too. It was a plot. We had to alter fate and beat this dimension, and the only fault was that I loved you. I grieved for you, I screamed your name as he burned me, but it never worked, and somehow, finally, he was able to break out of that lifestyle and become alive again.”

Elation filled his eyes as he cupped the side of my face. “You remember.”

“No, but I saw it at least one night. It was a battlefield, on that same battlefield where Xavier convinced Dane to give part of his soul away to save Clarissa. Madison was there, too. Xavier brought her to Landen, trying to fool him. They were doing a spell to break into The Realm, but all it did was usher souls into The Realm. They are feeding this dimension. Landen has to undo the spell to kill power to this world, to Donalt.”

“Madison was there?” he questioned as pain filled his eyes and he let his hand fall. It was almost like he didn’t remember what I saw quite the same way.

“That bothers you?” My voice cracked, not from jealously, but from the hope I was trying to stifle from my tone.

“I don’t want anyone else in the middle of this, and everyone here is pushing her into it, wanting her to mock you. That is not helping anything.”

“Mock me how?”

“Xavier announced the death of Donalt. He is pushing me forward so I will fail. It’s all politics right now. We have a plan, but I don’t want them hurt,” he said, nodding to where Draven was standing.

“All I know is that apparently there were a lot of spells cast, intents set, and it’s caused a huge mess. They are saying we cannot cross paths unless we have no choice. If you have already asked them to help and they said yes, then the path is set.”

“I wasn’t the one to ask them. Only Draven has openly agreed.”

We locked stares, both trying to understand how to move through this curse and not hurt anyone in the process. We were both terrified that one way or the other, someone could get really hurt.

“Let him burn your energy clean. You know if you need me, I’m always here. I’ll help again, but right now I think it’s doing nothing but hurting you.”

“You’re talking about Madison.”

“Maybe,” I said with hesitation, not knowing if that would make him want to do it more or less.

I decided to make him focus on the big picture: not only was his kingdom under attack, but his soul was, too.

“More so that I don’t want Donalt to take you over. You don’t want Landen’s energy any more than he wanted yours.”

“Madison cannot only feel me. She can see me. I told you before, I cannot help how I feel. That is hurting us, and no, I don’t want Landen’s energy in me.” His humming thumb raised to trace the bottom of my eye. “I believe almost everything, except for the fact that you’re dark.”

“I didn’t at first either, but if you change the definition and believe that label means nothing, only the intent behind it, it is easier to understand.”

He let his hand fall from me. “If you are trying to undo a spell I was a part of, would I not have to be there?”