See How She Fights (The Chronicles of Izzy #2)(54)

I lay there, breathing hard, trying to bring myself back down. I looked over to find Kennan staring at the ceiling. His jaw was clenched and it seemed like he was about to say something.

“What is it?” I whispered. I could hardly speak.

“I don’t like this. Any of it,” he said, rubbing his hand down his face. I suddenly felt self-conscious. I didn’t understand. I moved to grab my clothes and get dressed. I wasn’t sure what was happening but I suddenly felt very exposed. As I started to get up he pulled me back to the bed. “Where are you going?”

“Well, you said you didn’t like it.”

“Izzy, don’t be ridiculous. You know I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about what is happening here. I don’t like that I can’t be there to keep you safe. I don’t like that once again the fate of the Seers is on your shoulders. I just want to protect you. Aberto is right, if I could keep you from your destiny, I would. If I could keep you to myself, I would in a heartbeat. I know it is selfish and I know that it goes against everything I was raised to believe, but I don’t want to lose you. Almost losing you last year nearly killed me, Izzy. I can’t do that again,” he swallowed deeply.

I looked down into his shimmering eyes and wanted to take that pain away, but I couldn’t. We both knew that there was absolutely nothing either one of us could do to stop this. I lifted my hand to his cheek and brushed my thumb across his cheekbone.

“I love you more than I have or ever will love anyone. You know that right?” I looked down at his lips as I lowered my own to kiss him. That was all it took to pull him back to me. We spent the next few hours slowly exploring one another’s bodies. There was no anger this time. There was no urgency, just love.



We lay there exhausted, entwined in one another as I struggled to keep my eyes open. I wanted that night to last forever. I didn’t want to fall asleep and miss a single second I had with him.

“Sleep, Iz,” Kennan whispered, his lips across my forehead as I fought to keep my eyes from closing.

“I don’t want to,” I mumbled against his chest as he finger combed my hair.

“Neither do I, but we must,” he smiled against my forehead, causing my heart to skip a beat. I knew that smile by heart. I could picture it even with my eyes closed. That was the last image I had before I fell into the dreaming.

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CHAPTER TWENTY


I looked around me, confused for a moment. I knew that I was in the dreaming but something felt different. I moved forward trying to figure out what had changed. It was still the foggy landscape I had grown accustomed to. I tried to decipher what was different and realized it was the feeling emanating from the fog. There was something malicious lurking there.

“Be very quiet, Izzy. Please don’t make him come back,” Ren whimpered from behind me. I swirled around and my breath caught in my throat. Her runes were now glowing under her blood caked skin. She was covered in gore.

“What happened?” I whispered as tears formed in my eyes. Had I been too late? I had spent the night fulfilling my selfish desires and this is what it cost her. Aberto was right, I couldn’t just think of myself anymore.

“If you don’t hurry all will be lost. Not just for us, but for you. It is coming. Leave, Izzy. Leave now. Get out of the dreaming.” Ren was panicked. She shoved me out of the dreaming.

**********

I sat up screaming in my bed, drenched in sweat. My leg felt like it was on fire. When my eyes finally made sense of what they were seeing I wanted to scream. There, on my thigh, was another bloody rune. When I finally got myself under control, I looked over to find Kennan staring at my thigh in abject horror.

“Get Conall,” I said. I knew I needed to get something on the wound quickly. It burned from within. I needed to end this quickly. It couldn’t wait another day. “What happened in the dreaming, Izzy? You blocked me out again.” Kennan got out of bed throwing his clothes on as he went.

“Conall and his medical skills first, then an explanation, please!” I was struggling to keep it together. I was tired of being marked up. I thought the tattoo on my back was supposed to protect me.

“You’re right. I’ll be right back. Don’t move,” Kennan said in a rush. His eyes mirrored the panic in my own.

I stood there, looking down at my leg as tears started streaming down my face. I wanted to end this. Had I not spent the night worrying about just myself I would’ve been closer to a solution. No more. Until this was over, my only focus would be severing the connection between Xavier and the Seers.

I rushed to throw some clothes on before the guys came back, leaving my legs bare so that Conall could treat my newest mark.

Conall came rushing into the room, followed closely by Kennan. He looked down at my leg and back at Kennan. A silent conversation passed between the men and I knew that they saw in me something they had seen long ago. They wanted to put a stop to this as much as I did.

“Sit down on the bed and let me treat it.” Conall motioned for me to sit down. His voice was steady and calm but his eye told an entirely different story. There was barely masked fear staring back at me.

“What happened?” Kennan asked, moving to stand behind Conall as he fixed my leg.

“There is something wrong with the dreaming. It feels wrong. Ren was there and she was terrified and covered in new blood. Her runes were glowing. Something is really wrong, Kennan. We have to stop this now. We can’t wait any longer. I need his help,” I said, looking up at Kennan. I pleaded with my eyes. I didn’t like the thought of depending on Aberto any more than Kennan probably did. If I wanted to put a stop to this quickly he was the best bet.