Insight (Web of Hearts and Souls #1)(26)

“Drake Blakeshire?” Landen asked, fury immediately overtaking him.

The astonished glint in my stare gave him his answer. How did he know him? Why did I feel an insane amount of emotions swelling within him? How much danger was I in? The sharp spikes of anger and grief in Landen’s emotion gave me my answer: a lot.

He put his arm around me and started to walk in the direction of the wave from which he’d come. I looked over my shoulder to the cabin, where I could still see Libby. I wasn’t going to leave her here.

“Wait, Libby, my sister. I can’t leave her,” I said, stopping in my tracks.

Landen followed my eyes to the window where she was sitting. His anger faded, and compassion filled him.

“Let’s get her, then we’ll go.” There was no room for compromise in the tone he used.

“Our parents won’t let us take her without them,” I warned.

He reached to caress my face once more a shy smile emerged. “I finally found the missing part of me. My father is not going to make decisions for me anymore.” The love he felt for me swelled inside him. “I should have listened to my soul,” he said, pulling me closer. “I’m sorry.”

“For?”

“They held me back, and I let them.”

I let out an uneasy breath. “They held you back and I stayed silent. I never told my parents about you. Maybe if I had I would have found you before now. I just…I just didn’t want anyone to think I was going mad.”

Those spellbinding eyes glanced over me. “You had the best intentions, Willow. Deep down I did, too. But that doesn’t make me any less furious with my father at this point,” he reached for my hand and began to lead me toward our parents.

I focused on the emotions coming from the cabin. They were of regret, sorrow, and anticipation. I knew that they never meant to hurt us. Ashten meant it when he said that all he wanted to do was ‘protect’ his family, and I was a part of that family. I stopped Landen.

“Being angry didn’t get me very far. I can feel them. They’re sorry for what they did. They had to have had their reasons. If we want to know why we were kept apart we need to listen to what they have to say.” I said, staring up at him. “I don’t want to fight with them, I just want my family safe. I want to be with you. I want to understand why I’m the way I am.”

He squeezed my hand. “I will never let you want for anything, Willow. I can be calm, I will bring our family home, and spend the rest of my life showing you how remarkable you are. I’ve ached for you every day of my life, you’re my everything.”

I reached my arm around his back, and pulled him close. “You’ve already given me the world Landen, you’re real. The only real fear I ever had was that you would stay lost in a dream. I can deal with anything now that I know that.”

Even though I had the insight of emotion, that I could feel him more intensely than my own soul, the look of utter devotion in his gaze took my breath away.

It should be illegal to feel as euphoric as I did at that moment.





Chapter Five




Ashten was slowly pacing the living room floor. My parents were leaning against the bar that separated the kitchen and the living room. My mother gasped when her eyes met mine, then they moved slowly to Landen’s. I felt her overwhelming happiness, and without a word, she walked over to us and embraced us both. Landen shyly hugged her back, refusing to lose his hold on me. Standing behind my mother, my father reached his hand out to shake Landen’s hand. His relief to see Landen at my side was more than obvious in his eyes; it was as if his watch over me had ended.

“I’m proud to meet you, son. I couldn’t ask for a better person than you to love my daughter. Your father is an honorable man, and I’m sure that you are as well.”

Ashten had stopped pacing and was staring at Landen with a deep sense of pride and sorrow emanating from him. He looked in his son’s eyes and mouthed the words, “I’m sorry.”

Landen nodded, briefly. I felt his respect for his father outweigh his anger. I tightened my grip on Landen, letting him know that he was doing the right thing by remaining calm. He looked down at me and smiled faintly.

“I have found her now that’s all that matters. We need to leave now,” he said, looking back at his father.

Ashten cautiously, stepped forward. “Son, we have to take them all. Libby may have been the only one in the dream, but you know just as well as I do that he’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants,” he said, staring at the dread in Landen’s eyes.

“What is he talking about? What dream?” I heard Landen say.

“I had a nightmare. Drake was there…Libby disappeared.”

As he pulled me closer, I felt Landen’s sense of urgency grow; he realized why I wanted Libby to go with me. “I will lead them both.”

Ashten glanced at my father; both of their expressions matched the confusion coming from them.

“Landen,” my father said softly, “were you just speaking to Willow?”

Landen nodded; now the confusion was coming from the both of us.

“Did she answer you?”

“Dad, of course I did…what’s wrong with you guys?”

“Are they always like this?” I heard Landen say.