Synergy (See #3)(63)

Willow glanced back at all of us. “They’ll find rooms for all of you. Hopefully, you won’t need them long. When you’re ready to help me, I’ll be with Landen.” She then left the room with Olivia and Brady at her side.

I walked over to Monroe. I wasn’t taking another step forward unless she assured me that I should. Her safety was more important to me than where Landen was. He obviously had enough people fighting for him; Monroe only had us.





Chapter Twelve


I had a sick feeling that told me I’d just made one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I didn’t hide Monroe; I served her up on a sliver platter for her father. I was furious that Silas knew I was coming here and had made no attempt to stop it. How could he do that? It was just as bad as the fact that I knew right now that he was watching others die, waiting to turn them into what he was. I wanted to know what he was waiting for the rest of us to turn into, and I was prepared to rip him into shreds when I saw him again.

Monroe’s eyes grew sad as that thought crossed my mind, which just made me angrier. She trusted too much.

“Monroe,” I said quietly, feeling the stares of the others, “do I need to step back into that string with you? Do we need to go home?”

She reached for my arm, and with her touch I found myself in The Realm. I watched as I fought to get to Landen and Drake. I watched as the Escorts that were sent to stop me fell to the ground, blood running from their ears. I felt the promise that I would save them, one way or another. I was mad that she didn’t answer me and pulled myself out of that vision.

“I can do that from home. Are you telling me to leave?”

“Please don’t go,” I heard Ashten say. I looked away from Monroe and found his blue eyes pleading with me. “We need you, all of you.”

I glanced at Draven, the others, knowing that I whatever I decided would be what we all did, knowing that I was leader of this group. My eyes found Ashten. “I’ll help your son, but I can do that from wherever I am. This child is who I have to figure out how to help. We’re her last line of defense. Your son has thousands of people fighting to defend him; we don’t have that luxury.”

“You do now,” Ashten said, stepping closer to me and Monroe. “I don’t know much about you. I’ll admit that, but I can tell you that somewhere in time you asked to be here, all of you did. Your path was predicted. You are now a part of this family, this war. Monroe is safe in our care.”

“Did you not see what just happened?” I asked him. “That was her father. He followed her here, and if he manages to capture her, whatever predictions you’ve seen or heard will have no meaning because none of us will have an emotion to our name. We’ll have no desire to fight for anything.”

I felt Draven’s arm go around my waist and the sympathetic stares from the others.

“He didn’t follow her here,” Ashten said confidently. “That was the ghost of Donalt, a man that ruled this dimension for over four million years. My son killed him, and now we fight his memory, his ghost; we fight a curse he put on this family.”

So that is why Willow didn’t seem surprised by what just happened. We really were fighting the same evil. “You have no idea how special she is. This is not a normal child,” I said breathlessly, furious that I was right. I had walked her right into a trap, into the lair that her father lived in.

“If you could see me, then you would know that I already have three children in my care like Monroe,” Ashten said, leaning down and allowing me to look as closely as I needed to.

I asked “Who?” in my mind, and instantly I saw Preston, that little boy. Then I saw Brady’s daughter, then another little girl that was Preston’s age. Libby - that was her name; she was Willow’s baby sister. I saw how those children led them, how they would offer simple phrases that predicted what would occur, how they let them continue on a path that would bring tragedy, yet in the end this family was stronger because of that act. Then Silas’ words echoed in my mind, and I knew that Monroe was the same, yet different than them.

“They were born of light. Monroe has both light and darkness within her,” I said quietly, pushing my point, but being careful of his feelings. It was obvious he would lay down his life for any member of this family, even Monroe’s.

“Which means she should be with us,” Ashten said.

I looked at Draven for some kind of help. He was staring at Grayson. “Let’s get Landen back,” he said quietly.

Before I could argue, Ashten turned to lead us out of the room.

“Are we not going to talk about this?” I whispered harshly, not believing he’d just committed us to staying there.

“Not with him. Find August. Aden and I will go to where Landen and Drake’s bodies are. If I can’t help them instantly, then you need to take Monroe to Chara.”

“I’m not leaving you here.”

“Fine,” he said, locking his jaw, knowing we didn’t have time to argue. “Then find a way to get her there. Find people you trust here.”

I looked down at Monroe to see agreement in her dark eyes. I took her hand and followed Ashten down the hall. He looked over his shoulder. “I’ll take you to a room where you can put your things down first.”

Draven nodded to Grayson and Aden. They both moved to the right side of the hallway, purposely pushing Madison to the left side. Draven was trying to block her from something. There was no doubt he’d already looked deep into everyone around him. He knew where Landen and Drake’s bodies were, and he was preparing to break off from us and find them.