Synergy (See #3)(68)

I saw him step into that room. I saw the bodies of Landen and Drake lying side by side in a large bed. I watched as Aden looked into them; they were deep. They weren’t asleep inside of a nightmare; they were asleep inside of a nightmare’s nightmare. They were growing weaker, but Draven seemed to know how to pull them out. He asked everyone to leave the room so he could talk to Willow alone. I asked “Why?” in my mind, then I saw what Draven had shown Aden before he left the room.

Apparently, even though Willow’s soul loved Landen, the three of them had shared energy with each other. Draven knew that if Willow gave them energy, it would pull them closer to us, at least out of one layer. I didn’t understand how that worked, or how the rest of this family seemed oblivious to fact that the three of them shared that bond.

From my perspective, it looked like they just touched each other. There had to be more to it, though; something I couldn't see or feel that they went through. I was intrigued by this ‘energy and aura’ thing this family had. It was like they had supernatural powers, but at the same time they were completely natural, almost like they were more awake or aware than us - which made me believe that we could teach them how to see and that they could teach us how they did what they did.

It seemed like Draven had whatever was going on down the hall under control. Aden and Brady had stopped in the room our stuff was in, had a few words with Winston, then Aden found his way here.

I nodded to Aden, telling him I understood where we were, then I showed him what had happened to me so far, where I was with my current conversation.

He looked at Madison to ensure that she’d seen what he knew about Perodine now. Aden had looked deep into the great witch. She was just as old as everyone had implied, and she seemed well versed in astrology and the history of this world. I didn’t see her as a threat - well, as least not as big of one. She was seeking Madison for Willow, simply to fill a void she had, to show Willow that there was someone that looked like her, that had shared lives with them before.

But that Great Witch - or whatever she was - knew just like we did that you can’t force fate, put two people in a room and expect them to fall in love based on an outward image. The only reason I’d see this Perodine woman as a threat now was that Willow was her daughter and she’d do anything for her; I was certain she had the power to stop anyone from really hurting her.

“Why was she looking for me then? You still have blind spots,” Madison said.

“Ask her,” Aden said, coming to sit at my side.

“No, thank you,” Madison said, moving to the edge of the couch, allowing Aden to sit between us.

August and Olivia had watched our instant communication with utter awe. August looked between me and Aden. “Do you two speak without words? Does your love - the bond of soul mates create that?”

Aden and I both blushed, and the dimples that set him apart from Draven showed themselves for an instant. “I’m Aden. Charlie is Draven’s girl; always has been,” he said, glancing at me. “We’re twins. We don’t hear each other’s thoughts; we see them. Well, kind of; we see what we allow each other to.”

“Twin Taurus, with the gift of music, I assume,” August mused, then glanced at Madison, “yet you’re here as well.”

“Excuse me?” Madison said bleakly.

Olivia reached to squeeze August’s leg as if to warn him to exercise caution, but I doubted he needed that warning. August was taking all of this in too easily, like he already knew more about us than we’d explained.

“I’m sorry. Sometimes my wandering thoughts slip out. You see, we have this scroll. Willow and Landen left it with us in a previous life, and it maps out what is to occur now, at least in part. The trials are never really clear.”

“Trials?” Aden asked as he gazed at August to find the answers he was seeking.

August nodded once. “We’ve all returned to our beginning, but the darkness we fight will not make the change we seek easy. Willow holds a power in her heart, and it was believed her heart would be tested at least ten times, ten trials based upon the influences of the planets above, but it’s becoming more and more clear that the test of her heart isn’t what today is all about. This is a power struggle; the ghost of Donalt is looking for power, for a host, and he wants nothing more than for Drake to be that host.”

My eyes angled at Madison, who was leaning forward on her legs, her face buried in her hands, refusing to even try to understand any of this.

“I know this is a lot,” Olivia said to us.

I’m sure it would be a lot to anyone who had no warning of this day, but the woman Willow was in Egypt when I first met her knew it was coming. She was assembling a family of souls, and it made perfect sense to me that Taurus twins and a Libra would be on that scroll. What didn’t make sense was how they didn’t know for sure that Madison existed, or about Monroe, that they didn’t see her coming.

“Well versed in the family of souls,” Aden muttered, reaching for my hand.

“What is that again? You’ve mentioned it twice,” Olivia asked.

“I’m interested,” I heard another voice say. I glanced over my shoulder to see the older woman, Perodine. Her hair was silver and pulled into a low ponytail, and her eyes reminded me of Willow and Madison’s, they were so green. She didn’t look four million years old; sixty at best, and even at that age she looked good.