Synergy (See #3)(23)

“But never from The Realm,” Draven countered. “Somehow, The Realm led me to someone else’s reality, and that opens more questions than I have time to weigh.”

“Madison thinks The Realm is a veil to something bigger. That we’ve barely begun to understand it.”

He nodded to agree.

“You never told me how you know it’s Landen.”

Draven cleared his throat. “How many people do you think have a soul mate named Willow that would be fighting pure evil?”

“She was there?” I asked as my stomach twisted. I could only imagine the grief she’d be going through if that were true.

Draven nodded once. “She screamed his name.”

“What are you not saying?” I asked in a shaky voice, knowing that absent look in his eyes all too well.

His hand tightened around mine. “The reason I thought it wasn’t reality, that it was The Realm, was because the prince was there. Madison was there.”

“What do you mean?!” I said as I sat up.

“It wasn’t her. Another guy pulled her away, and he called her Willow.”

“Are you serious?” I said as a sick feeling eased up my throat.

“They could be twins,” Draven said as his eyes stared forward. It was clear he was completely mystified.

“Oh. My. God,” I said as I let go of his hand and leaned forward and tried to breathe.

“Charlie? Charlie! Look at me. What do you know? What are you not saying?”

I raised my head up slowly and looked into his frantic eyes. “This whole time, through all of this ... I ... I should have figured it out.”

“Figured what out?”

“I don’t even know. She told me that when she dreamed of him that sometimes he was looking at her and sometimes he was looking at someone just like her. She keeps telling me that she won’t be anyone’s second choice. I thought she was talking about Britain. And she’s dreaming about some fight with this girl. Now he’s been taken? Now some witch says the Goddess of Mother Nature has called Madison? Draven, what if they’re calling her to be some kind of sacrifice?”

“Charlie, that makes no sense.”

“How does any of this make sense?! Why have we not been able to leave for Chara? I’ve been in that dimension every day, just waiting for a glimpse of them – nothing. And now that the prince is in danger and Madison is told she’s called – we’re walking right into this.” I couldn’t sit still. I stood and began to pace. “And not mention that demon – he literally blocked those boys from us. How is one demon connecting us all, and what’s with the dreams? I’m terrified of Madison’s, mine, definitely Monroe’s. I think that was her dad. I really do.”

Draven stood and stopped my pace. “Shh,” he said as he cradled my face. “Sit down. We’ll figure this out.” I gave in to his simple request and sat down by him. “Listen, we knew Austin before this happened. I doubt that Landen and Willow have purposely been waiting to use Madison as a sacrifice. Austin would never lead us into something like that. They’re victims just like all of us.”

“Then how do we connect?”

“I think it has to do with our past lives, at least I think I’m connected from a past life.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know how to explain it. The first time you showed me the prince, I thought I recognized him; I figured he just reminded me of someone. But when the memories from my past life started coming to me, I saw him.”

“Was he bad?” I asked timidly.

Draven tried to smile, but sadness wouldn’t let him. “No. In my memories, I’m a child, then he dies or something, and as I became the evil I was, I hear his voice in my head. I feel like I’m letting him down, but I can’t be sure. I might just be making the connection because the kind of place he lives in is a lot like what I ruled in. But I know one thing: that person in my memories fought the evil we’re fighting now. We’re just a younger generation, one that lost where they prevailed.”

“How sure are you about this, Draven? Do you really believe this?”

“Not sure enough for us to tell anyone. I’m going on gut feeling here. That prince, Willow, and Landen -- they aren’t our problem. If we’ve been kept apart, it’s not because of some waiting sacrifice; it’s because together, with time, we can defeat this.”

“How does Monroe play into this?” I asked.

“How do they all play into it is the question.”

“I saw Winston bargaining with Bianca in The Realm today.”

Draven sat up quickly. “Show me.”

I let him see it all, every second I was in The Realm. I didn’t want to leave anything out that would give us the answers we needed.

“I’m going to kill him,” Draven said as he clenched his jaw.

“What’s going on with him?”

“I don’t know. Grayson doesn’t either. One minute I think he’s cocky, the next I think he’s a scared boy looking for his mom.”

“How can she be in The Realm? How could she leave them behind?”

“Grayson said love.”

“I thought Escorts couldn’t be in love, not once they chose to give in to their nature?”