Image (Insight #3)(44)

Alamos glared and Dane, then leaned forward and said, “Listen, child: you may think you’re all that right now - but in a matter of minutes, your energy will have no purpose...you’ll fall short just when you’re needed the most.”

Dane took a dominant step in Alamos’ direction - only to be stopped by Landen.

“Stop,” Landen said through his teeth, showing the room his frustration. He then pushed Dane back to my side and said, ”All of you need to calm down; I’m going to heal us.” His anger was apparent in his scarlet Aura. “It’s not going to matter if they’re right or wrong; we’re all more than ready to get this over with.”

The tension in the room was so heavy, I felt myself growing weak. Landen stepped protectively to me and wrapped his arms around me; he was having trouble finding the emotion to calm me simply because neither of us could see a way out of this hell in which we were trapped.

“I’m not going to let you heal me,” Drake said into the silence. “I’m leaving this world tonight.”

“You don’t have a choice in the matter,” Landen said, glaring over my head at Drake.

Alamos shook his head from side to side, slowly staring at Landen with a look of disbelief.

“You’d rather watch him suffer? How many times are you going to steal her away before you’re satisfied?” Alamos asked.

“Are you blind or crazy, old man?” Marc yelled. “You’re the guy who couldn’t get over Perodine.”

Alamos slammed his hands on the table. “If I had – Willow would not be here! I’m her father - did you forget that?” he asked.

“We didn’t forget that you were too big of a chicken to defend her when she needed you to,” Dane said, crossing to Marc’s side.

Landen raised his hand, and the chaos of the room was suspended. My eyes shifted between Landen and Drake, trying to conceive of the idea of Landen now having the power to stop time. He looked at me and smiled slightly, pushing down the thrill of the command he now had. Drake smiled and shook his head from side to side as he crossed his arms and stood up straight.

“Well done. You’re a fast learner – but I must warn you that time will catch itself when you lose your focus.” Drake turned to see Alamos frozen with his angry glare. “Alamos thinks we have the time wrong because I paused time yesterday; he’s really going to be mad at you.”

“It’s not his emotion that I care about,” Landen answered, looking into my eyes. He wanted to stop time forever, to stop the anguish that was suffocating me - but we both knew that the only way to defeat darkness was to face it. Landen looked at Drake; his anger told me that he was reading Drake’s stubborn content. “Willow wants to talk to you alone. You look into her eyes and tell her that you want her to end your life.”

Drake tightened his jaw and glared in my direction. He started to speak, but Landen reached out his hand to halt him. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. She wants me to heal you, and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m letting this moment go – you take her out there and say your peace,” he said, pointing to the observatory.

Drake hesitated, then pulled back his shoulders and nodded. As time resumed, Landen let out a deep breath. I blocked out the arguments and emotion around me and watched Drake walk around the table; I swear I could feel his hum before he ever touched me. As he gripped my arm and began to lead me to the observatory, I let a blissful breath escape. We’d reached the doorway before Dane had noticed; instinctively, he charged across the room at us.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he said, reaching for Drake’s shoulder. Drake hesitated, then looked across the room at Landen. Dane followed his gaze.

“He’s more than capable of protecting her. Let them go,” Landen said in a confident tone. Marc and Dane stood in shock.

Drake gripped my arm tighter, intensifying his mesmerizing touch, then guided me into the open observatory. The sun’s haze had turned the room a deep purple, and the placid pool of water sent a chill down my spine as the memory of images reaching from it came to me. Drake released my arm and stood in front of me, forcing me to lean against the cold stone wall.

“Why is it when I need you to love me, you refuse – and when I need you to hate me, you act like you care?” he asked with a stern look across his face.

“Is that why you want to die – because I won’t love you? That’s weak,” I said, offended by his words.

“Weak?” he gasped. “I’ve sat in that room with you for almost two days, watching you with him...I’d say that makes me the strongest man in the universe,” he said with agony in his voice.

As I caught the gaze of his dark eyes, I lost my will to be angry, and tears pooled in my eyes. “I can’t help it,” I whispered.

He let out a jagged breath. “That’s why I’m ready to move on. In a different life, you’ll see things clearly,” he whispered as his dark eyes softened.

“Dying is not moving on,” I said, looking away and trying to hide the weakness of my tears.

“It’s a way out of this hell. If I’m gone, then your challenge ends; I’m tired of putting you in harm’s way,” he said, turning my chin so I’d have to look at him.

“How do you know you’re not meant to protect me? That this is just the beginning?” I said, letting the tears wash down my face.