Insight (Web of Hearts and Souls #1)(44)

Before I could answer or manage to pull a thought forward, a rush of energy with an unbearable force plowed through my back, knocking me into Landen. The flow intensified, and Landen pushed into Drake, then turned and pulled me close to him. We were both watching the sides of the string. The hazes were rushing by so fast, there was no way to be sure where the passages were. The hum suddenly rose to a roar. I felt every part of my body vibrate violently.

“Let me go first. It won’t burn me,” I thought, feeling my confidence build. I pulled Landen’s arm and stepped through the moving wall into an open field.

“Do you know where we are?” I asked, shaking.

I looked back at him. The string had burned his arm—there was a large hole in sleeve of his shirt, blood oozing out. “You’re hurt again!” I gasped.

Landen looked down at his arm, then around to find our place. My body was so weak from the storm it started to tremble.

“It’s all right. It’ll be all right. I promise,” Landen said as he picked me up and held me as tight as he could. Over his shoulder, I saw Libby. I blinked a few times, thinking the stress had caused me to hallucinate. She seemed frantic. I felt a pull reach for me.

“Libby!” I gasped. “It’s Libby—she’s scared!” I screamed.

We ran the twenty yard distance between her and us.

“Landen, hold on to me!” I yelled, reaching for his hand as I reached for Libby.

When my hand touched her, I screamed her name. When she looked at me, all the fear vanished from her face. I’d brought us back to the cabin. Everyone was there with her.

Landen shouted toward Ashten. “Drake is in the string! Willow’s friends are in danger!”

Without hesitation, Ashten, Marc, Livingston, and my father stepped through the passage I’d made. Landen was still holding my hand.

“Stay here. I love you. Stay here.” He let go, and my passage was gone.

“LANDEN!” I screamed.

He had vanished.





Chapter Eight




My mother was kneeling in front of me. She was speaking, but I couldn’t hear her. A pain was creeping through every part of my body. Everything hurt. I felt like I was being torn apart. I desperately tried to see my passage so I could follow Landen, but it was gone. I was still holding tight to Libby, and she was holding just as tight to me.

“Willow, what happened?” My mother’s words finally reached me. When I didn’t respond, she ran to the phone. When the other person answered, she said, “They’re in the string—all of them. Willow made a passage in the center of the cabin, but she won’t tell me what happened…is that safe...are you sure?”

There was a pause.

“Okay, okay, okay.” She then hung up the phone and was back at my side again.

“Willow, I need you to calm down. You’re scaring me. They know what they’re doing. He can’t hurt them. I promise.”

I knew I was scaring her, but I couldn’t calm down. As the seconds passed by, the pain intensified. I was worried about the people Drake had taken. All my friends flashed before my eyes.

Excruciating pain was taking over every one of my muscles. It was so hot, it turned cold sending trembles through me. I literally felt like half my soul was ripped from my body.

The cabin door opened, and there stood a beautiful woman, the same age as my mother. She had a small frame, long dark hair, and eyes that were a beautiful pale green. Sympathy filled her face, and she ran to where my mother was holding me in the center on the cabin floor, still kneeling where Landen left me—telling me to stay there.

“Did you see them on your way here?” my mother asked. The woman shook her head no.

“Is it safe for Clarissa to be in there?” my mother asked.

I had not registered who this woman was. She had to be Landen’s mom.

“She’s fine. Her soul mate can see in the string. It’s like he was born to travel through them. She went back for him. Brady will be here any minute.”

Looking into her eyes, I was overcome with grief. Landen would always have to fight to protect me.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, not only to her, but also to the image of Landen that was resting in my mind.

I laid my head on my knees and rocked myself, trying to focus. Aubrey brushed my hair out of my eyes. “You are so beautiful,” she said, smiling as if nothing was wrong.

My mother took her phone outside, leaving Aubrey to watch me. Libby was still sitting next to me. I tried to focus on her. Wondering what had her so upset, why I could see her before.

My emotion was still overpowering everyone else’s, but my eyes found a solution to my agony: someone was on the porch. A rush of excitement came through me.

“Landen!” I said breathlessly.

Aubrey followed my eyes and pulled me close to her. “No, sweetie, that’s Brady.”

He opened the door, and when the sunlight hit his face, I could see that she was right. Brady’s resemblance was remarkable. He had the same build and wavy dark brown hair, but his eyes couldn’t begin to compare to Landen’s. He smiled at me, and I saw his dimples come to life. He shook his head in disbelief as he walked closer.

“Now there are those eyes my baby brother told me about,” he said, looking down at me.

“Did you see them?” Aubrey asked.