Enflame (Insight #6)(83)
“So she is going to be here tonight. Just like Clarissa said she needed to be.”
“Not arguing that we are all going to be there just what roles we have, what intentions we have.”
“What am I supposed to do? Be your cheerleader?”
That broke his composure and made him smile. “I think because we are doing this at the right time that this time you will be pulled in.”
“So I’ll be at the pentagram with you? So I can do what I did last night? Use this jacked up insight to manifest energy?”
“I can only hope. Truth is, because of what Xavier did the night of the original spell both of you were in both places...your essence was, anyway. I don’t know where The Realm will pull you—any of us...I don’t mean to be short...I’m just trying not to think of all that could go wrong with you in the middle of this.”
“I get it. I just want everything to be right. Even if we don’t cut off power to Esterious, I want to make sure what was taken from Dane is returned, that he can choose to be what he wants to be. I want to ensure the clock is moving forward, that Libby and the others can see past this night.”
He hesitated, letting others walk past us. His eyes held the compassion that I always loved.
“I don’t want you to have false hope, think that Dane is out of the woods after this. He’s faced what he knows he’s done recently, and when that part of him comes back, he will have to live with what that energy did. It is going to take him a while to balance it all, that is why he has twelve moons, to shift through his personal judgment.”
“He needs to be whole, and he is strong enough to fight his past. Clarissa will help him,” I argued.
“I know he is. I just wanted you to know that this is step one tonight, that there is a good chance that we could make this all worse.”
“And there is a good chance that no matter what happens, we will get through it.”
A proud smile came across his lips, bringing his dimples to life. He took my hand and led us to the others.
We’d reached the passage that led to the basement floor of a Cajun restaurant, the one I chased him into days ago. Once we awkwardly made our way out to the street, we were stopped. Ghosts were everywhere, staring at us in silent protest.
Chapter Seventeen
Landen clutched my hand, then walked through all the corporeal beings around us. I tried to offer more respect by stepping around them, which I’m sure made me look like an idiot to those behind me.
On the curb sat our trademark Jeeps. Landen reached in the driver’s side of the black one and pulled out a cell phone, following through on what he said he would do.
I glanced down the street, seeing Charlie and Draven surrounded by ghosts. I thought they were helping the way they always did, but then I saw Saige approaching Charlie. I went to defend Charlie, but Landen grasped my arm.
“It’s all right,” he assured me.
“Oh, so she can tell them what’s going on, but I can’t?”
“Saige is focused on the dead, her path, not ours,” he said, handing the phone to Chrispin so he could see the address that was texted to it and add it to the GPS in the other Jeep that they were going to give to Draven and the others.
He tossed the keys to the Jeep to Brady, then Olivia and I climbed in the back. Landen got in with us, and a second later Chrispin got in the front seat.
“Had a good night out on the town?” Brady scorned as he pulled out on the road.
“We were just trying to make Madison feel better. She’s having a hard time,” Chrispin answered, not feeling the slightest bit guilty for vanishing.
“You should thank us. We followed them. She and Drake were going to go one way or the other,” Olivia said.
“Tell somebody,” Brady said, throwing a glare back at her.
“You can’t tell me Stella didn’t see us leave,” Olivia rebutted.
“That doesn’t mean that she knew where you were going or that you needed a wake up call,” Brady said in a more approachable tone.
“What is wrong with Madison?” I asked Olivia, feeling Landen tense next to me as soon as I said it. Olivia must have felt it, too, because she glanced at him before answering.
“I don’t know. She’s miserable, feels everything, but not like you. It hurts her. I don’t know what the real her is like, but I don’t think she’s really been herself lately. She wanted to go home because she said it didn’t hurt there.”
“Why would it not hurt there?”
“Oh, it did. She just thought that it wouldn’t, that Chara was hurting her.”
“She needs Nana. She’ll help her,” I swore.
“What is the plan, Landen?” Brady asked.
“Stay close to them. I can get Willow and myself back in an instant.”
“Will you not need us all if the dead really do fall?” Brady asked.
“I do need you,” Landen confirmed. “Get back as soon as possible. If you’re sure Austin can handle it, then let him. I’m going to do this spell, then check my traps.”
Olivia elbowed me, just to give me a ‘What the hell?’ look. She hadn’t been around Landen, so this new attitude he had was catching her off guard.
“New normal,” I said under my breath.