Insight (Web of Hearts and Souls #1)(99)

Taking in my rejection, his jaw tightened, but he recovered and laughed casually, then pulled my face to his chest and pressed himself against me. As the warm vibration touched the front of my body, I closed my eyes, and for the moment my body was winning the battle with the help of my mind. I was having a difficult time remaining angry with him, but finding strength, I slowly pushed away and gasped for air.

“You are meant for me. This is not the first time we’ve loved one another,” Drake said, regaining his touch, holding my face, and sending the head-spinning vibration through me again.

“I don’t love you,” I said, astonished at his words.

He stared in my eyes, looking at someone I was sure didn’t exist. “Your memories of me may be gone, but mine are so vivid. You are the same woman I’ve always loved,” Drake said in a voice that almost trembled.

“Your memories are toying with you. I belong to Landen. I always have, and I always will.”

It was as if I could see his heart break, but I didn’t understand why. I barely knew him. It was my power, not my heart that he wanted.

“I want you to think, Willow, for one minute—how are you so sure?” he asked in a quiet, desperate tone. His eyes captured mine, and I stared back, trying to understand who he was. When I couldn’t find the answer I was looking for, clarity came back to me. Nature had proved more than once that Landen and I could not psychically be apart, meaning we were one and that no one could part us. If Drake knew this, he’d know his efforts were in vain.

As if he had read my thoughts, Drake said, “We can be together, if you choose to take another vessel.” His eyes were searching mine for understanding.

Now Adonia’s body had a purpose.

I was disgusted by his words and scowled at him. “My soul is his—not this vessel.”

I looked away from his eyes, trying to break the pull he had on me. “Willow, we have a destiny to fill. You chose this, and you have to let go of your foolish misconceptions.” His eyes chased mine, trying to catch my gaze.

“I will never let him go,” I said, locking stares with him.

“Never say never, my love. Tonight, you have a choice to make, and your choice will not only impact you, but the entire universe.”

Drake pulled my chin up slowly and kissed my lips tenderly. The warm sensation was so heavy, I couldn’t move. He slowly pulled away and smiled at me. “If you will be my queen, I will give you the universe as a canvas. You can bring all the flowers and color you want here, you can move their emotions to happiness.” Drake moved beside me, draping his arm around my shoulder. Before us, the solid white room opened up, and faces rushed by covered in smiles.

Color was everywhere, birds were singing, and the crowds were cheering. I saw Libby playing in a field, and my mother and father walking hand in hand, smiling. Franklin came into view, and I saw all my friends, happy. I watched as Monica waved eagerly in my direction, full of life. As the sickening grief set in, a tear streamed down my face I wanted to run to her, but I knew she was only an illusion. My eyes searched the room and saw Olivia at the theater, then I could see Dane helping his mother at her Diner. Their loneliness reached through to me as my eyes found their way back to Monica. “I can take it all back to the way it was, and I can give you the power to bring the color you crave for this world, all you have to do is say you will have me and only me.”

“Do you take me for a fool? I know that this is not the whole story. What do you get out of having me?” I said, closing my eyes and hiding from the illusions.

“This is the truth I have shown you before remember, my love,” he whispered just before kissing my neck softly.

Through the sensation, I found a way to remember the nightmare I’d had in the car: the crowds cheering, the absence of my tattoo, my gift of emotion, and Libby—all vanished.

“Together, and only together, we could rule the universe. Alone, we are but mere mortals,” he said, quietly studying my face for compliance.

I breathed in and closed my eyes, trying to find control over my own body. “It is not my place to rule over anyone, and it’s not yours either.” I stepped away from Drake, causing him to lose his touch. As he did, the numbing feeling left me, and as clarity came back, the anger rose.

“Do you not love your family?” he said, tilting his head and questioning my resolve.

“Do you not love yours?” I retorted quickly. He shook his head as he laughed at my newfound comfort with him.

“I cannot help the cards that I was dealt. If Donalt is to die, he wishes his will to live on through me, for him to have a final say in eternity. And Alamos, well, Alamos only wants to give his daughter’s body life again. They are my true fathers.”

“If you let his will live on, you are just as evil as he, all the more reason for me not to love your dark heart.” I couldn’t feel him, but I think my words hurt him. Pain was in those obscure eyes of his.

“Once we are joined, it will be our choice, not theirs. You cannot fight the way you feel about me. I know that you love me. I’ve seen it, my touch is real.”

Drake walked slowly to me and pulled me to him, kissing me softly and sending his numbing sensation through every part of my body; the high was pulling me up and away from my body. He then stopped and cradled my face with his hands.

“For you to bring back your friend and save this dimension, you must leave this body, join Adonia, and be one with me as we rule the universe.”