Insight (Web of Hearts and Souls #1)(31)

He wrapped the quilt around us and pulled me against him, we fit so perfectly this way, it was a well-practiced embrace, only now the heat of his body was present.

“My sister loves Infante, especially New York. She’s always thought that she’d find the one she’s looking for there. She told me she was ready to look the day my father came home, asking us to come here.”

“Infante…is that what this dimension is called?”

Landen nodded “It means ‘young.’”

“How is it young?”

He smirked. “Travelers consider it young because the cultures are still divided and war still occurs here.”

“What does Chara mean?”

Landen smiled, and I felt a love come through him “‘Joy,’ ‘happiness.’”

I couldn’t help it, my hand started to move across his chest. I was captivated by the beat of his heart. “So, Chara has no war or different cultures?”

His fingertips traced my eyes tenderly. “There has never been a war in Chara, and because everyone leaves to find someone, our culture is blended. Everyone has characteristics from several dimensions.”

I smiled, thinking of how beautiful the people in Chara must be. “Has your brother, Brady, found his soul mate?”

A proud grin consumed his image. “Her name is Felicity. She’s at home. Their first child will be here soon. Trust me, she’s going to be thrilled to meet you.”

Just the thought of meeting new people put me on edge, but it was hard to worry about that in this moment. “How old are they, Brady, and your sister Clarissa?”

“Clarissa is twenty and Brady is twenty-five. That’s why my father didn’t believe me when I told him about you. Apparently, you don’t get the urge to search until you’re in your early twenties. He thought I was too young.”

“Thought.” I pointed out.

“It’s more than clear that you and I are both older than our given ages …” his words faded as he thought over something. I watched as he shook his head obviously squashing an internal argument he was having with himself.

I settled in next to Landen, struggling to keep my eyes open. The gentle caress of his fingertips was coaxing me into a calm that I’d never felt before.

I studied every feature on his face, assuring myself that he was still real. “How come we need so many travelers to get us home?”

“I think my father and I can do it. You and your dad can travel, and Libby is close enough she wouldn’t need a lot of help, so that only leaves your mother. We’re really just waiting on the storms to settle.”

“What causes the storms?”

He grinned as I set the intent to fight sleep just so I could hear his voice in my thoughts. “It’s a disruption in the energy near the strings. They say the storms have only happened in the last two generations. One theory is that all the technology is disrupting the natural energy around us.”

“Are they dangerous?” I asked. I was having second thoughts about taking Libby through something like that.

“They’re more confusing than dangerous. It’s like being out in open water—then all of a sudden a mass of waves turns you, and you lose your direction.”

“How did you get hurt?”

“I thought there was a passage where there wasn’t one, and I pushed through with my shoulder. I was just in a hurry to get here.”

We lay in absolute silence, studying each other, lost in our own thoughts. I felt my eyes close against my will, and without hesitation, Landen was there beside me as we stood at the doorway to our home.

He smiled down at me, then wistfully picked me up and carried me across the threshold, kissing me gently as he sat me down inside. I walked through our home with him at my side. All the rooms seemed so vast; the windows reached from the floor to the ceiling, letting in the sunlight.

We walked up the wide staircase into a large room, our room. A gentle breeze flowed through the long white curtains, framing the wide double doors; the sun glided over them, making them seem as if they were satin. We then passed through the open doors and stared into a field of beautiful flowers, the sun dancing across them. I truly did feel like I was home. Home was at his side.





Chapter Six




The sunlight peeked through the open window, warming my face. I smiled serenely before I opened my eyes. When I reached for Landen, though, I didn’t find him. Libby’s small frame was under my hand. I opened my eyes to see her tiny sleeping head on my pillow. I hesitated, searching my memory. Then I rose quickly, thinking it was all a dream. A sinking feeling absorbed me.

I reached out with all my senses, finally finding the boy that made my soul pulse: Landen. I could sense the peace of his soul from were I lay. Relief swept through me, realizing that he was only downstairs. I also sensed that there were four people down there with him.

Their emotions giving me no alarm, I lay back down and traced Libby’s small features as she slept at my side. I couldn’t recall when she’d come in there. Hoping that she hadn’t had a nightmare, I shuddered as I remembered mine once again. Whatever the case, Libby seemed calm enough now, so I decided to get ready for whatever the day held for me.

When I returned to my room, Libby was sitting up in my bed. A smile filled my face; her hair was nothing less than a savage nest, though she did look well rested.