Insight (Web of Hearts and Souls #1)(37)

“Back in the cabin. I was showing Willow how we travel.”

“Well, I guess I don’t have to come up with an excuse for showing up without you. Are sure you don’t want to just go home? We can make it if we’re really careful,” Marc said in growing concern.

“We’re going to wait. We want to make sure Libby, Willow’s baby sister, gets to Chara safely,” Landen said, glancing down at me.

Marc nodded. “I’m going to let you finish up your lessons. I’m beat,” he said as he began to move past us. “Stay clear of the gray paths,” he warned as he disappeared in the glow.

“Is gray bad?” I thought.

Landen gave me an impish grin. “No, they’re just man made, so it’s hard to judge what you’re stepping into. Infante is known for having the most.”

“Were you not going to come and help my family? Is that what Marc meant when he said at least he wouldn’t have to come up with an excuse for showing up without you?”

He let out a sigh as he pulled me to him. I was utterly aware of every part of our bodies that were touching. “We were leaving the day I saw you and you gave me that note. I told Marc and Brady I was going to find you, and I didn’t care if my father wanted me to or not. They both agreed with me. Marc said he would find an excuse for me not showing up at the cabin.”

My heart started to beat rapidly. He made me feel so safe, yet so empowered at the same time. I had no doubt that he would have moved mountains to find me after I gave him that note. I scorned myself with harsh thoughts. I should have thought of doing something like that sooner.

Landen and I made our way through the string, stopping at every color that caught my eye. In one morning I had traveled from Montana to Zimbabwe, then to the beaches of Key West. We gazed at the northern lights and stood at the peak of Mt. Everest. As I looked at the Grand Canyon, in every single one of those places he took my breath away. It could have been how he held my hand, or how he brushed against me, the lingering kisses, or the way he would look at me, as if I were the one that had left him mesmerized.

“Okay, so maybe your way is cooler,” I teased.

“Not too bad for a first date,” he thought.

I had asked him a million questions throughout the day. About places he went to, who taught him what he knew, about his family. Everything I could think of. He answered each of them and asked me something about my past as well. I told him about my friends, how it was the hardest to leave Olivia and Dane behind, that we were the old souls of our group, and that we only seemed to get each other. I heard all about his brother, and his cousins, the places they had gone, people they had helped, funny stories and scary stories. The ironic part was every story we told each other, in some way we already knew it, because of our dreams, we could remember each other’s moods, or actions on that night. To hear us talk you would think our lives apart were decades ago, as if we knew we could never go back to our old life, but didn’t really care to either. We were hungry for tomorrow. Starved for the chance to make memories together.

“How do you know so much about my world, but have only found me now?”

“I was not allowed this far from my home, specifically to Infante, by my father. Marc and Brady would bring me there from time to time, though. I always felt pulled here, but I could never see my beacon. My time was short here, someone or something always pulled me away.”

“Did he tell you why?”

“He was always silent when I asked…it doesn’t matter anymore.” He smiled and looked down at me, and I felt his enthusiasm rise. “It’s your turn. Where do we need to go to help you get started?”

I didn’t think I’d ever traveled outside of Franklin. It was easy to see someone out of place in your own hometown.

“I just need people.”

“Jason said that I wouldn’t be able to see the people you could see.”

“Really?”

“That’s what he said, you scared him a few times.”

I laughed. “He looked extremely relieved to see you at my side last night.”

He tried to hide a grin. “I have a reputation when it comes to the string. I’m sure he thought I could follow you no matter how twisted you got in here.”

“What kind of reputation?” I asked, raising one brow.

He laughed, stealing a kiss before he answered. “I seem to see more paths.” He winked. “That made running away easier than it should have been.”

“They always found you, though.”

“I let them. I was just proving a point.” His gaze was all too serious right then. “We could run away now and never come back, but I know you feel pulled home just like I do.”

“I do. I want it all. I want you and I want my family side by side, in Chara.”

He brushed his nose across mine. “Then that is what you are going to get.”





Chapter Seven




We found our way to a quaint little town that was a lot like Franklin. The buildings all dated back to the 1800s. Shops and restaurants lined the streets. We settled in at a little café, which was set in front of a square park that centered the town. People were pushing strollers, walking their dogs, and lounging on the benches. On the other side of the park was a beautiful church. Flowers and white lace decorated the step. I could only assume that a wedding was in progress.