See How She Fights (The Chronicles of Izzy #2)(46)

“Well, yeah. You just poof in and out and are all man of mystery and vague. I don’t know anything about this world that I am a part of. Not to mention that nagging feeling that I somehow know you. Color me curious. Oh, and yes, the marks worked famously. Thank you,” I looked up to find him staring at me intently. “Well this is fun and all, but I think I may need actual sleep so if you don’t have any information to give me I will be on my way,” I stood up and started to leave.

“Get me unstuck woman. I’m bored,” Ren said before moving away in the fog. I wondered if she had been this unpleasant in real life.

“I swear to you there will be a day when all that you seek shall be found. Today is not that day.” Aberto rose and placed his hand on my cheek once more. I stared up into his cerulean eyes and wondered at the sadness there. What did he know?

“Okay, then. I think I need to sleep. I am going to go and wake Conall up to put the whammy on me now. I’m sure I will see you around.” I started to pull myself from the dreaming only to have Aberto grab my arm and hold me there.

“Where is your Guardian? Why is Conall there?” The command in his voice was unsettling.

“Kennan went to gather the Division. We need all the help we can get and he doesn’t trust anyone else,” I said, trying to pull away from his strong grasp. Something about Aberto unnerved me. It wasn’t just the fact that I had no idea what he was. It was the way he looked at me. There was a sense of expectation in his looks.

“So it begins.” Way to go. Eight cryptic points to Aberto. “I shall block the dreaming for you,” he said, placing his hands on either side of my head before I could get away. “Sleep well Izzy, dream of your home.”

With that I was thrown into a fitful sleep filled with dreams of Kennan. My home.

**********





CHAPTER SEVENTEEN


I was stirred from my restless sleep by Conall moving around the room. I wanted to throw a pillow at him. I was exhausted. I felt as though I hadn’t slept at all. My night had been and endless cycling through my entire history with Kennan. It was wonderful and exhausting simultaneously. I awoke missing him fiercely.

“Why are you up so early?” I whined into my pillows. I wanted to kill whoever invented morning. It was a stupid time of the day.

“Izzy, it is already half past nine. If you slumber much longer you shall waste the day away. We have tasks that need our attention. So, you should get up, get dressed and eat something. Kennan mentioned that I should remind you to eat. As such, I am waking you up and we are going to go have breakfast,” he said, moving to put his shirt on. How did all of these men get so ripped? Was there some sort of magical protein shake they all drank?

“Fine. But I am doing so under duress.” I was somewhat surprised he hadn’t asked me to go and break my fast with him. The way he talked. It was almost as bad as Aberto. Stupid mystery man making me dream of “home.” I hated the lot of them today. I just wanted Kennan back and for this whole nightmare to be over. I knew that I would have to take over the Council eventually. I just hoped they would give me some sort of training grace period where I could retreat to Alabama and recuperate from this whole debacle.

“Get dressed,” he said, sitting down in the chair to pull on his shoes.

“You are bossy. I hope you know that,” I groused as I gathered some clothes from my suitcase. Getting dressed while exhausted did not make for wise fashion choices. I moved into the bathroom and brushed my teeth quickly. I unbraided my mess of wavy hair and got dressed hurriedly. I needed coffee.

“Ready?” Conall asked, moving toward the door. It appeared I would be ready whether I was or not.

“I suppose,” I grumbled.

“Are you always this chipper in the morning?”

“Only when Old Ones pop into my dreaming and then send me off to dream of ‘home’.”

“You saw Aberto again last night?” There was a tone of surprise hidden in his question.

“Yeah. I was asking Ren about Old Ones and poof there he was. Then he gave me the whole spiel about seeking and finding or something. Then off to dreamland to dream of Kennan I went.” I yawned loudly as I made my way blearily down the stairs.

“He made you dream of Kennan? I thought you said he sent you to dream of home.”

“Kennan is my home,” I said, moving toward the coffee pot. Must. Get. Caffeinated.

“Hmmm.” Conall, ever the eloquent.

“Hmmm, indeed. I just wish that man would stay out of my head.”

“Kennan?” It was a banner day for confusing Conall. I should get an award.

“No. Aberto. He is the unnerving one.” I smeared a giant glob of cream cheese on my bagel as I talked. I knew from experience I was less than eloquent in the morning. I was surprised Conall had been able to follow me thus far.

“When you’ve been around for that long it is bound to happen,” Conall muttered.

“How old is he?” Maybe someone could at least tell me that.

“Not going to happen, Izzy. Let’s just say he is off limits conversationally and leave it at that.”

“Fine.” I shoved a giant bite of bagel into my mouth and chewed sullenly. I was tired. Kennan was gone. Seers were still dying. Life sucked.

“Don’t mope, it is not becoming,” Conall said.