Image (Insight #3)(23)

“I told you I didn’t want to hurt anyone,” I said, staring back into his eyes.

“Well, it’s a little too late for that scenario,” he said, looking away from me and crossing his arms.

“How can you be angry with me for something I can’t control? My heart will love who it wants to,” I whispered back.

“I just don’t see how you can’t remember...mine are vividly haunting,” he said, looking back at me.

“I want to help you forget. I want you to forget so you’ll find the one who’s waiting on you; it’s not fair to her,” I said in a quivering voice, realizing for the first time that there had to be someone somewhere that completed Drake.

“I’m looking at her,” Drake said, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Drake, stop them from charging the wall; don’t let the people in Delen pay for my mistakes,” I pleaded with him, stepping cautiously forward. He stared at me; pain was held in every part of his expression. “I will not betray them,” he whispered.

I felt my stomach turn; just a few days ago, when I was lost inside of Evelyn, Drake had told me that this world thought that he and I had betrayed them.

He moved his hands, resuming time, then dropped his eyes and sighed. He then began to walk to the doorway, but Landen stepped in front of him to block him. They stared at each other, then Landen cautiously reached for the wound on Drake’s neck.

Marc reached for Landen’s shoulder to stop him. “You need to save that; you don’t know what’s yet to come,” he said in a harsh whisper.

Landen looked at Marc, then to Drake. “Everyone deserves to be healed,” he said, staring at Drake - fully intent on healing him.

“Not everyone,” Marc repeated sarcastically. “I’m sure that’s the same opinion he had every time he tried to kill you.”

Drake shook his head, staring at Marc. “Kill him? Really? Yeah, that would be the best way to win Willow’s heart,” he said in a slow sarcastic tone.

Marc’s eyes shot to Drake, and they stared at each other coldly. “We all know what you’re capable of,” he said through a locked jaw.

Out of nowhere, Drake charged Marc, and Landen and August jumped in the middle of them. Landen held Drake back, and August guarded Marc. Meanwhile, Dane pulled me behind him, and Perodine put her arm around my waist with the intent of pulling me out of the room. I stood stiffly, though, not allowing her to move me. The tension in the room was a suffocating wall.

“You fool! Do you think I meant to do that?!” Drake yelled over Landen at Marc. Drake stopped pushing against Landen, then stepped back. He looked into my eyes, then to Marc. “I lost everything...I had a beautiful woman, a family that loved me, a throne with my name on it – then out of nowhere I’m told that I’m a monster, a secret too dark to share...in the blink of an eye, everything and everyone I knew changed – and now I have to listen to perfect son ‘Marc’ tell me that I don’t deserve to be healed.”

As Marc took in Drake’s words - seeing it all through his eyes for the first time - his anger suppressed itself. Struggling against feeling sympathy, he gave Drake one nod; Drake then let out a breath that he was holding, and the wall of tension began to fall. Landen tilted his head to get Drake’s attention, then carefully reached for Drake’s neck; I felt a rush of energy and saw a white glow under Landen’s hand. Landen pulled his hand away, then Drake reached up and touched his healed skin. He nodded and walked past Landen.

“If you want our mother to return with me, then you need to come; I can’t guide and defend both her and Alamos through the string,” Drake said over his shoulder to Marc.

“Alamos,” Perodine repeated, stepping in front of me.

Drake stopped and turned around. “If you think I’m going to allow you to read my stars, you’ve lost your mind. He’s the only one that’s never lied to me,” he said.

I could feel Perodine’s emotions going out of control; she was scared, excited, dreadful, and blissful...it was if she had butterflies rushing through her.

Marc looked at Landen.

“Go,” Landen said.

“What about you? He’s protecting you,” I thought.

Landen walked over to me and looked over Perodine, trying to judge her emotions. He then wrapped his arm around my shoulder and thought, “Drake intends on returning within the hour; I’ll be fine.”

I looked feverishly to Dane, who was looking at me. “It’ll be fine. I’m not going anywhere,” he said calmly.

I sighed and leaned into Landen; he felt my anxieties and pulled me closer as we followed Drake out of the room. He walked down the large hallway, then led us to the room we’d entered last night, the room in which Drake had dreamed throughout his childhood. He stepped in and looked at the bed and candles. I saw him let out a deep breath, then walk to the passage we’d entered. Marc looked cautiously back at us, and Landen nodded, telling him to go. We could feel Marc’s excitement about bringing his mother there; since he’d discovered that she was alive, he hadn’t had a moment that wasn’t rushed with her.

When they disappeared into the white glow, Dane and August began to turn over the paintings of me that were on every wall. Once August was sure all the paintings had been turned, he and Perodine rushed out of the room. I could feel the fear all around me; it sent a chill down my spine. Landen wrapped me in his arms and began to lead us out of the room. “Come on, let’s go watch the wall,” he thought as he led us in the direction of the study. Dane followed us; I could feel his placid calm. I looked back at him, and he smiled slightly, then looked to the shadows around us.