Synergy (See #3)(87)

A light beamed from under Landen’s hands, and he held them in place so long that her body began to glow. The blood, every ounce of it, vanished; it was as if it had never happened, as if it were nothing but a cruel illusion.

Madison opened her eyes and took in a gasping breath. Drake gently reached for her face and turned her so she would have no choice but to gaze into his magnetic dark eyes. Carefully he caressed her long dark hair out of her face. A ghostly smile echoed on his lips as his captivating gaze took in every part of her. Absentmindedly I tried to reach for the ring, so she would have her emotions and not be shielded from this moment, but Drake would not let anyone touch her.

Aden was carefully running his hands across my back, whispering, “She’s OK. No more tears. She’s OK.” Sanity was coming back to me, and when it did I realized that Draven was nowhere near me. His brother was playing the role he was supposed to, and that infuriated me. I needed him and he was coldly standing as far away as he could from us.

Madison broke her gaze with Drake and looked at Willow. I knew then that was what Perodine and Jason were telling her, that was why they said to wake Landen first; they knew she wasn’t healed, and they knew that if she even tried to wake Drake, she would die without Landen. I was furious - not at them, at Madison; she knew and still came, still woke him.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for dying for love, but lets be serious. Let’s not basically commit suicide because our pride was too boastful to bow out. She could have waited until Landen was awake.

Internally I kicked myself. I wouldn’t have waited if that was Draven, but then again Draven had always been real to me. Words have been spoken between us. Life was between us.

Anger engulfed Willow’s expression. “Tell me, who should I be mad at? Did they talk you out of this, or into it? Who decided that you would be a sacrifice? What would have happened if I didn’t wake Landen in time? What would have happened if this wasn’t him?!”

Madison leaned away from Drake. “My choice. My promise to keep,” she said as she stood from Drake’s embrace.

We all stood slowly, not sure where this was going to go. I still didn’t trust Willow to be stable. I was starting to believe that she saw Madison as an object, and not a person. I don’t mean a sacrifice; I mean like a gift for Drake. A girl that looked just like her.

“I never asked you to be a sacrifice! I asked you to help. I asked if you could bear to see him!” Willow yelled. “How cruel would it have been if he woke up to find you dead? After all this time. After everything - I deliver him a dead girl?!”

Deliver him? Was she serious? I felt my heart racing - not with panic; with rage. My best friend wasn’t going to be ‘delivered’ to anyone. Aden put his hand around my mouth to stop whatever sarcastic remark that was bound to come out. I elbowed him, and he furrowed his eyebrows as he let his hand fall. “She didn’t mean it that way,” he whispered harshly. He nodded for Draven to come over to us, but didn’t budge.

I looked up at Aden, and he let me see what he’d seen in Willow: a constant plea with Drake, one that said over and over that his soul mate was another girl who needed him as much as he needed her. I knew Madison didn’t need anyone, but those images made me change my perspective on Willow, at least for the moment.

Madison looked over Willow once. “You’re welcome.” She turned to walk away, but Drake reached for her arm and turned her to face him. They locked stares. Madison’s chest rose and fell rapidly as her skin blushed with what could only be desire. “I’m not her,” Madison said firmly just before she vanished.

Denial. Typical. And that ring was not helping matters.

Aden yelled her name and vanished from my side. I’m sure he assumed we’d all wake instantly, but I had a burning wrath inside of me. I couldn’t believe that Draven had abandoned me, all of us; he just watched all of this at a distance. The strongest one of all of us, the one person that could calm me down with a touch, just stood by and watched me cry every tear I had for Madison. He let his brother hold me - how could he do that?!

I caught his stare and saw an angry hunger. I was sick of seeing that in his eyes. I kept hearing Madison’s words in my head: “Next time, make him mad. When he knows he can get mad and still have control, this curse will be broken.” I was about to make him mad. I was about to put everything on the line. If he wasn’t going to be there for me, I needed to know that now - not the next time one of us was fighting for our lives.

I stepped toward him, ignoring the others as they’d figured out where they were and what had happened. Draven began to take steps back as if I were some kind of plague, as if I were the last person he wanted to see right now, which made my skin boil.

“I can’t do this,” I said to him. He knew what I meant. I couldn’t pretend to be someone I wasn’t around him, hide my happiness, and analyze every mood he was in. I was over it, and he knew it.

He clenched his jaw as anger surfaced on his face.

“Our best friend!” I yelled. “She was dying, fading faster than before -- and you did nothing!”

“What do you want me to do, Charlie?!” Draven said in a tone that reflected his misery.

“You could have held me, you could have told me it was going to be alright -- but no. You let Aden do that. You left us. Long before this moment, you left. You are so caught up in this freaking Realm that you’ve forgotten who you are. Who I fell in love with. You’re becoming exactly what you promised me you would never be!”