Enflame (Insight #6)(74)

“That’s cheating!” Preston said through his laughter as Landen halted his spin and tickled him while Preston squirmed in his arms.

“Willow and I have to go, but how about a quick ride through the air?”

Preston nodded with insane excitement. At that moment, they both vanished. I spun around the field, looking for where he could have taken him, not seeing anything but a few Jeeps approaching. I guess playtime was over; everyone was dressed and ready for this ball.

“Looking for me?” I heard Landen say behind me.

For some reason, his voice sent a hum down my spine. I blushed as I turned to see him.

“Where did you take him?” I asked as my eyes drank in every part of him: the blue eyes, the flawless jawline that would clench when his emotions became too much, his long, strong arms that I wanted to wrap myself in.

“Mom’s,” he said, returning my hungry stare as he reached for my hand and led me toward the passage of the string.

“How does that zapping thing work anyway?” I asked, just to hear his voice. I could tell he was already deep into this night before us, working out every possible detail.

A sinful grin threatened to expose the dimples I loved so much. “I don’t think I know how to explain it. It’s like what we do with our souls, only with bodies. Takes a bit more energy, but it does save time.”

“Where are we going? Don’t say the ball, because I’m underdressed,” I teased, looking down at my jeans and light jacket.

“Look like a queen to me,” he said, pulling me closer so he could kiss my temple, which made everything in my body tingle. It was like his energy was magnified, prepared for anything. I envied that. “We’re going to make sure they get on that boat. When they do, you’ll need to guide it to shore. Once they’re there, we need to step into the veil.”

“Simple enough,” I muttered.

We weren’t very far in front of the others. Landen had checked a gray passage to ensure that a boat was still there, then led around fifty people from Chara on board. There were already several others that had boarded before we got there.

Olivia and Chrispin, followed by Draven, Charlie, and Madison, were at the end of this entourage. They all looked stunning, like the royalty they were meant to portray.

Olivia hugged me just before she went to pass through the passage.

“I like that color,” I said, noticing the dramatic change she’d made to her appearance. Her dark hair was now a vibrant red. That, along with the dark contacts she was wearing, took any resemblance between the two of us away.

She winked at me to say thank you. Chrispin was just behind her. He’d changed. His hair was no longer blond and was now in a short cut that robbed him of his curls. He looked so much more like his brothers at that moment, dark and mysterious. I doubted they would be recognized by anyone in Esterious tonight. It made me feel good to know they would be there to protect the others.

“Why, Charlie, is that you?” Landen teased, noticing Charlie’s obvious discomfort with being dressed up for this.

“You guys look awesome,” I said as I elbowed him. Did he not feel how nervous they were? I reached for Charlie’s arm, trying give her some calm. “Thank you for this. I owe you one.”

Her immediate intent was to take me up on my offer. I knew then that something serious was going on between her and Draven, something she was terrified to deal with. Almost instantly, Landen had the intent to persuade me to let it be. I would have been furious if I did not also feel his confidence in them to resolve whatever issues they may have on their own. I nodded anyway, telling her that I was here if she needed me.

Madison caught my glance and I reached for her arm, sending her my gratitude and calm. I wasn’t a fool. This girl was totally freaking out, and I doubted it had anything to do with a ball. More likely it had everything to do with Drake.

She gave a slight smile before stepping through the passage, followed by Draven and Charlie.

Brady had helped lead them to us, but he was not going on board, which made sense. He looked too much like Landen.

“Do you need me to do anything besides what we talked about?” he asked Landen.

I glanced around him, knowing I felt Felicity in the distance. I couldn’t figure out why she was in the string. She was calm, and I didn’t feel Allie, so I knew she wasn’t fleeing Chara.

“No. Just make sure his guitars are there, a change of clothes. Set it up to make them feel at home, alone.”

“Will do,” he said with a nod before turning.

“Wait. Why is Felicity in here?” I asked.

He turned halfway to glance at me. “Um...she wanted to go to her home dimension for a little bit.”

“Why?”

Brady tried to hide a smirk before turning to leave.

“Is that bad?” I asked Landen nervously.

“No,” he said, trying to hide a grin. “She’s just helping me with something.”

“Oh...the surprise,” I mumbled, telling myself not to focus too clearly on Felicity and Brady in the distance. “I’m wickedly nervous about this. We just sent them on stage for the dimension of Esterious. We’ve made them clear targets.”

“They’ll be fine. We didn’t do this. They agreed without hesitation, even helped plot some of it. They would have backed away if they felt it was wrong in any shape or form.”