Vindicate (Insight #5)(74)

I felt sick to my stomach. In a million years I would have never asked someone to step into the path of death or danger to save someone else. “Tell me. Who should I be mad at? Did they talk you out of this or in to 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?” I said in a voice that was laced in betrayal.

She leaned away from Drake, who was still trying to understand who Madison was.

“My choice. My promise to keep,” Madison stated blankly as she stood.

I stood, too, and so did everyone else, unsure where this was going.

“I neve r asked you to be a sacrifice! I asked you to help. I asked if you could bear to see him!” I looked at Drake, then back at her. “How cruel would it have bee n if he woke to find you dead. After all this time. A fter everything .” I was furious with all of them. How poetically cruel could this night have ended. “– I deliver him a dead girl?!”

Madison’s eyes looked up and down me. “You’re welcome.” Then she turned to walk away , but Drake reached for her arm and with his undeniable strength, he turned he r to face him. Their eyes swam inside of each other . I watched as Madison’s chest rose and fell heavily, then pushed his arm down. “I’m not her.” A nd with those words, she woke. Vanishing from this Realm.

She was the smart one. I was still standing here even though every part of me was screaming evacuate . Leave while you’re ahead. You’re alive. They are alive. Rejoice for that victory. And get the hell out of here.

Aden yelled Madison’s name, vanishing along with her.

Drake looked at me. “What just happened?”

“Did you ha ppen to let some seductive wench into your chambers a day or so ago?” I asked as I crossed my arms.

He looked down, then all around him. “No,” he said breathlessly. “Is this a dream?”

I looked over my shoulder to Draven. I wasn’t sure if they could wake now. I know he said they had to take themselves bac k, but I wanted his direction. His advice.

Brady had pulled Landen to him and was hugging him, slapping his back. Olivia was captivated by Charlie – Draven…she was concerned, and it took me a second to understand why.

Draven was stepping back slowly and was almost to the stone wall . Charlie was advancing with tears streaming down her face. With betrayal echoing in her emotion.

“I can’t do this!” Charlie said to Draven.

He clenched his jaw and tilted his head as anger for who he was soared through him.

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

“What did you want me to do, Charlie?!” Draven asked in a disgusted tone.

“You coul d have held me. You could have told me th at it was going to be all right . 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 y ou have forgotten who you are. Who I fell in love with. You are becoming exactly what you promised you would never be!”

Draven stepped forward angrily, but then halted and balled his fist. “I’m fighting to not become that. Why can’t you see th at?! Why do you have to push me?! Why do you have to tempt me?! If I touch you, if I even think about it, Silas will kill me – is that what you want ?! You want to see us fight to the death?!”

“Who is Silas?” Landen thought as he gripped my hand and pushed me behind him.

“Their Drake, ” I thought as I tried to figure out what to do or say. I knew this fight wasn’t sta rted by him not consoling her. I knew it started long before today and that this was the last straw. That the stress of this had caused Charlie to snap.

“Seriously?!” Charlie said coldly. “Since when does h e tell you when to touch me? How to touch me? Since when would you let any man have that kind of control over me?”

“It’s not control, Charlie – it’s protection,” Draven seethed. “You can’t even conceive the amount of self-control I have to have around you in this Realm, in our world. I crave your light, and the temptation is too much!”

Draven’s eyes moved to us, then back to her. “I led you to your Chara. Your Willow. I helped just like I promised you I would.”

“What was your motive behind that?” Charl ie seethed .

“To mak e sure you were with your kind. That you were safe. That you have people with no alternative motives to guide you.”

“So you plan to just dro p us off in another dimension? Your brother –Madison ? You’re just going to leave us? Walk away like nothing ever mattered?!”

“Ev erything matters!” Draven bellowed as he stepped forward. With that step, Silas appeared between them.

“That’s Silas,” I said quietly as I moved forward, but both Drake an d Landen moved me behind them. Prepared to t ake sides. To take Draven’s. Landen felt that way because he felt my em otion – my gratitude for Draven. I f I had to guess, I would say that Drake found a familiar agony in Draven, one he recognized in himself.

Draven slanted his head and slyly said, “Show yourself.”

Instantly, the room turned near dark as shadows surrounded Silas. Draven dodged around Silas and grabbed Charlie, and in that moment they vanished.