Synergy (See #3)(48)

I was growing more and more nervous about helping them. I didn’t like the idea of being anyone’s last hope, especially not when I was looking for just that, someone with all the answers.

Rain began to wash down the window, and I knew then that I was right: this girl was controlling the weather with her emotions. I couldn't think of anything that would be more dangerous for the world; her sadness alone would drown us. Willow whispered something to Brady. I could barely make out his response, but I did hear Preston’s name. I hated myself for not asking that little boy more questions; clearly, he knew this moment would come, the same way Monroe did.

“Sorry, man,” Aden said, stepping away from Brady and glancing at me. “I know how it is.”

I gritted my teeth as anger came to me. Really? That was Aden’s response? He wanted to throw in the fact that I had seen Silas today? Seriously? We weren’t over that? I looked at Brady once more and began to ask questions that would tell me what had happened before they appeared. I saw Brady fight with himself. He feared that Willow would leave his brother. That it would kill Landen. That it would kill Brady’s daughter. He hated himself for thinking that.

I let myself forgive Aden for that remark. It was clear that Brady’s path had reminded him of his. It was also clear that both Aden and Brady were foolish for thinking anything like that; both Willow and I were prepared to die for the ones we loved.

Brady looked over his shoulder to the two men with him. “Go tell them I have her. Make sure Marc stays there.”

Draven caught my stare; he was trying to see if I knew what he did. Then I saw it, I saw him show me Marc, and my heart pounded. Marc could easily be that prince that I thought was Drake. How could there be two of them? What was going on? I nodded once at Draven, and he returned his attention to Willow and Brady, still trying to gather as much information as he could about them.

The two men left, and Brady looked down at Willow, placing his hands gently on her face. “What did he say?” he asked Willow in a forced calm tone.

“He told me to find them, that they see everything - and they do; they said they do.”

Brady looked right at me with questioning eyes, and I nodded slightly to tell him that was true. Then Brady’s eyes fell to Monroe, and protectively I moved in front of her. I didn’t want them to scare her, and even though I doubted they could, I couldn't stop that reflex. A burning desire to protect her innocence was exploding inside of me. It was almost as strong as what Brady felt for his daughter, for that Preston boy.

Olivia noticed my reaction. Her eyes grew curious, then she glanced at Aden and Draven. “You see where they are? Can you take us there?”

I looked to Draven for answers. I didn’t know how to tell them how deep Landen and Drake were, that more than likely the men they knew were gone and that even if we brought them back, they would fight what I was fighting with Draven, that The Realm would call them over and over. They were looking for an ending, but they were standing at the threshold of a whole new world.

Draven felt our stares, and the weight of this fell on his shoulders. He looked down, then glanced up at Willow, ignoring Olivia and Brady. “This isn’t a place. There isn’t a passage. You’re going to have to see your way there.”

Just when I thought the tension in the room could not possibly build any more, Madison climbed the stairs to the studio. She hesitated as she took in the room. I focused on her and saw her remember the sketch she made. I saw fear in my best friend’s eyes, and I was paralyzed by it. I couldn't figure out how to block Monroe and run to her at the same time.

Monroe’s leg brushed up against mine, and with her touch I heard her say, “Too much,” in my thoughts. I looked down at Monroe to find her staring at me. What was she saying? Madison could see this. She could see Willow. Then all of a sudden it made sense: Monroe was saying that she could see them, but she couldn't see Drake or that Marc guy, whoever he was.

“What if I can’t?” Willow asked Draven.

Draven didn’t answer her. He was staring at Madison, waiting for the levy in her heart to break, for all of this to get worse.

Madison looked between Draven and Aden, then her eyes locked with mine. “We’ll go. We’ll kill Bianca.”

I swallowed as I fought back angry tears. I nodded once to Madison, agreeing to do just that, to end the existence of the demon that had brought so much strife into our lives. I almost thought this was planned, that Bianca wanted this moment to happen; she would know we were getting too close, that this would make Madison weak, but she was a fool because all Bianca did was infuriate Madison, and that’s one thing you do not do to a Scorpio.

They all turned defensively to the doorway, noticing Madison for the first time. Wide-eyed, I stepped forward, but then I halted, not wanting to break the shield I had in front of Monroe.

“Why can’t I feel you?” Willow asked.

This was getting too eerie, even for me. They looked so much alike, they had the same sixth sense. What else did they have in common? Were they the same person? That couldn't be; that wouldn’t make any sense.

Madison unconsciously ran her hand across her wrist, across the tattoo she had all but forced me to get as well: an Ankh. Her dream, it was coming. These were the girls. Madison wanted the tattoo because she said that a girl that looked liked her would kill us if we didn’t have it, that she needed to know we were real and this was the only way, but that didn’t make any sense to me right now. All I knew was I wasn’t looking forward to living through any nightmare Madison had.