Synergy (See #3)(49)

“I could ask you the same thing,” Madison answered calmly. “I can’t see you either.” Madison locked eyes with me. I knew she was looking for answers, and I didn’t hold anything back. There was no point to that anymore; she had to face this. Madison looked from me to Aden, then Draven. “Why are you not showing me?” she asked in a nervous voice.

I didn’t know how to explain it, not in front of these people. “Too much,” I muttered, repeating Monroe’s words, begging Madison not to hate me with my eyes.

Olivia walked over to Madison and circled her like she was trying to prove that Madison was real. It didn’t matter what I did or thought; I couldn't move from Monroe’s side. I almost thought they were holding me back. That Willow had some other power I didn’t know about, but Aden and Draven stepped forward. Out of the three of us, they would be the threat to these people, not me. Something else was tethering me to Monroe.

“What’s your name?” Olivia asked softly as she reached for Madison’s wrist.

“What do you mean you can’t feel me?” Willow asked breathlessly as tears of hope glassed over her eyes. “You feel emotions?”

“You could say that,” Madison answered calmly. As she looked over every inch of Willow, her eyes halted on her wrist. Madison wanted to know, just like I did, if there was a tattoo under her sleeve. I was hoping against all hope that there wasn’t one, that the dream was just an exaggeration of this moment.

Willow reached for her sleeve and pulled it up. The Ankh was there, so was the star in the loop; we were all marked, marked for death. Madison swallowed before she said, “Nice tattoo,” with the sarcasm she often used for defense.

Willow and Olivia locked stares, and I saw fear in their eyes. I glanced at Olivia’s wrist: she had the same tattoo. My stomach tied itself in knots. What’s the point of dreaming a doomed fate? Was that a game the devil played just to prolong the torture?

“It’s growing less original by the minute,” Willow said, still staring at Olivia.

“You could say that,” I said with a gasping breath.

They all turned to look at me as I reached to pull up the sleeve on my hoodie. Brady pulled Willow to him like I was some kind of plague, like we were the ones that were dangerous. Was he crazy? Did he not understand that Willow was the dangerous one in that dream?

“This is Felicity’s dream. She saw these girls. Is this your dream too, Olivia?” Brady asked.

“You dreamed of it, too?” I asked Olivia with wide eyes.

“Did you?” she asked me.

“No. Madison did,” I said, looking at Madison for some kind of answer. I wanted to see the dream. I wanted her to show me all of her dreams. I had to find a way to avoid our death, but she was blocking me. I’m sure it was her defense that was causing that, but I needed to see, I needed to see right now.

“How did the dream end?” Willow asked in a weak voice, clearly not wanting to really know.

Madison glanced at Willow with questioning eyes, then sealed her gaze with me. “We share a common enemy. This mark will help us fight her illusions, but it’s going to take more than that to end this.”

“Like what?’ Brady asked.

Madison looked from me to Draven, and I followed her stare. His eyes were almost green again. I could only hope he had figured out enough about all of them to know if we were safe or not, if they were a trap or a solution. I hoped against all hope that he was ready for this. That he would love himself enough to fight with us in The Realm. His eyes found mine, and I saw both disdain and determination there. He looked at Brady. “This place, this place is the echo of what you are, what you were. It’s created by lost souls. Their energy creates this place. There, anything is possible. It’s addictive, seductive, mind-numbing. It’s the hardest test any soul could be asked to pass.”

“Have you passed it?” Willow asked.

I stared at him and asked if he thought he did, and what I saw in his thoughts was this morning, Bianca forcing my light into him, Silas threatening him.

Draven smiled sardonically. “Not yet,” he said solemnly as he glanced at me. I made sure I showed him what I had said just a few minutes ago, that I told him the light was in him, to pull from himself so he could help me protect Madison and Monroe.

I wasn’t going to let them push him to explain his answer. I was prepared to fight for them, to bring Landen and Drake home, but I wasn’t sure that we should be side by side. I was starting to think that distance would be best. I hadn’t had time to see everything around them, and I had no idea whose demon was worse; all I knew was that I now had a new reason to kill Bianca.

“Listen,” I said, looking between Willow and Brady. “You need to know that death haunts us. Damned souls are called to us. That it is a fate we didn’t ask for but must endure. We thought --” I looked at Draven, wondering if he was going to stop me from telling them that they needed to leave without us, but he made no effort to do so. I looked back at Willow. “We thought coming to your world would bring us peace, but we don’t want to bring our darkness to your doorstep. That’s what we told Austin.”

Before I could go on with my speech, Brady spoke over me. “Austin? You’ve seen him recently?” he asked as a gleam of hope came to him.

“He’s here,” Aden said, glancing at me, then walking to the stairs to get Austin.