Image (Insight #3)(72)

He let himself fall on the edge of the bed and buried his hands in his face. I knelt down before him. “I just want to help. For all we know, we may need her to beat this demon,” I whispered.

He looked up from his hands into my eyes; his stare reached somewhere inside my soul and pulled at me. He reached for my face and gently cradled me with his mesmerizing touch. “You are the only thing keeping me sane. You’re the only thing that’s real to me,” he said, leaning his forehead to mine.

“You deserve to be one with someone in this life, to feel the energy in reality. I can’t do that for you.”

He leaned back slightly so he could stare into my eyes. “You don’t believe you’ve ever completed me?” he whispered.

I let my eyes tell him no.

“Hold still,” he whispered, holding my stare.

I held my breath, afraid something was wrong. He closed his eyes, and in that second I felt his energy move inside of me. I gasped, closing my eyes as I took it in. I felt so warm, I was cold; every part of me hummed. It was powerful, addictive, blissful, and beautiful; my head started to spin, and my mind went blank – then all at once, the sensation was gone. I opened my eyes to see him staring back at me. The dark circles under his eyes had vanished.

“Do you believe me now?” he asked as his thumb traced the bottom of my eye.

I fell back on my knees and let my head fall, trying to catch my breath and make the room stand still. I felt his lips on the top of my head; his mesmerizing touch coursed through me. I looked up, hiding behind the glass of tears that wanted to fall.

“That wasn’t the same; that’s not how Landen and I join,” I said, trying to comprehend him.

“I’m not Landen,” he whispered, running his hands through my hair.

“I can’t love you the way you need me to.”

“The impasse remains,” he said, kissing my forehead before he stood.

“We should just run...all of us,” I said, almost to myself.

“I told you I’m not going to betray them,” Drake said, extending his hand to help me up.

I took his hand and slowly stood, finding it difficult to balance after his rush of energy. He smiled and let his hands rest on my hips, trying to help me; I gently slid them off.

“I don’t think you’re making it any better,” I said under my breath.

He sighed, and his grin grew wider. I stepped closer to the bed and sat down carefully, then laid back and closed my eyes. I was so dizzy, the room was spinning out of control. A moment later, I felt him sit down next to me.

“Are you OK?” he asked.

I opened my eyes to see him looking carefully over me. I turned my head from side to side. “I don’t want you to die,” I whispered.

“Tell me what to do, Love. My purpose in this life - in every life - is you.”

I stared at him. An impasse; that’s what we were all living in. It was as if the devil had trapped us in a web of emotions that can’t be explained. There had to be a way; there’s always a way when you have the best intentions. The people in the city, their smiles, danced in my mind. The darkness of the world beyond the wall terrified me. I felt like I was trying to redeem hell itself; without the light Delen gave the dimension, it could very well be mistaken as such a place. I pondered if there were a way to give the darkness a home and take the light to a new one.

“Do you think I could find a dimension that could hold the number of people that live in Delen?” I asked, pulling myself up.

His eyes questioned my words.

“I meant it. We should all run, all of us - and the entire city of Delen,” I said.

He looked at me like I was insane. “Do you wish to leave all those who are struggling to get into this city to suffer? Save some, and betray most?” he asked.

“I’m only trying to solve what’s in front of me now; I’ll find a way to save the rest of the dimension,” I said, growing more confident with my idea.

“I don’t know of any dimension that would be large enough to take on such a mass of people, or even a place that wouldn’t terrify them; this dimension is light years behind others,” he said.

“We could save some,” I said.

“And how would you choose? Women and children? Leave their fathers and husbands behind? That’s not the answer. This is their home, and you’re teaching them to run from their fears - not face them.”

“Drake, some is better than none. They’re going to charge the wall; even if you managed to hold them back, the people who try to cross it will be executed.”

His eyes left mine and shifted from side to side. He then stood and began to pace in front of the bed, ultimately stopping and smiling down at me.

“They’ll be executed by me,” he said in an excited tone.

“Are you insane?” I said, standing - full of rage.

His hands gripped my shoulders, and his sensation swarmed through me. “Listen,” he said, capturing my eyes. “I’ll tell the court that I will personally execute anyone who strays from the life Donalt created for us, that their bodies must be banished from the world – into the string. You can find them there, then take them to Delen or wherever you wish; in the mind of the dark side of the dimension, though, they will be executed.”

“What about Delen? The war?” I asked, feeling empowered by his excitement.