Witness: See Series (Volume 1)(35)

“How do you know that?”

“I saw her,” he said with a smirk.

“You were in her mind – her thoughts?” I said as anger spilled over me.

“I asked questions – and I found answers,” he said as his arms tightened around me so I couldn’t run from him.

“What questions?” I asked firmly, fighting my fury.

“Simple ones: when did you meet Britain, how many women has he loved, what power does he have. All of those answers took me to memories that played out telling scenes.”

“I don’t believe you. I tried to see both of them before my accident, and there was nothing there.”

“First of all, you tried to see them in this reality. They’ve learned to block themselves, just like we’re learning to do now. In the dream world, it’s harder - if not impossible – to block all of your thoughts,” he explained.

“Why?”

“Because it’s your thoughts, memories that are creating the world around you, giving you power. If you shield them, you have no power – a blank canvas.”

I tried to imagine this place he was talking about. It almost seemed as if you were standing in your own thoughts, dreams – and everyone could see them. To me, that was foolish. Maybe it was because I’ve always had a natural instinct to block my thoughts – one that was undoubtedly embedded there by my father.

“Which makes you vulnerable. You should never let them see your thoughts,” I said firmly

“I don’t.”

“You just said -”

He reached his finger to my lips to stop me from arguing further. “Listen…I only use the memories I need for the power I want. I’ve gained control of this quickly – almost naturally. Grayson said he was astonished at the control I have there; they still struggle to protect themselves.”

I pushed his hands from my waist, then walked to the couch and collapsed into it. I buried my face into my hands as I leaned forward.

“This is insane. I don’t understand.”

Draven came to my side, and I felt his arm go around me as he sat down. “I told you it was a lot, that we needed to take baby steps.”

“You didn’t tell me she was there – that she’d tempted you. That was my only fear. If that’s happened and you passed that temptation, then I can only imagine what horrible things you’re hiding from me.”

“Nothing horrible…I think it’s kind of amazing, actually.”

I let my hands fall, then looked to my side at him. “I don’t like this addiction you have to this place...it’s changing you.”

“It’s changing us for the better. That concert you wanted for the dead would have only scratched the surface of what we could do. When I master this world, I can end this torment.”

“What are you saying? That you can make the shadows and whispers vanish – help all of the dark souls?”

“I’m saying that I can make them leave you alone – give you peace.”

“I don’t want peace – I want them to have peace. How can you do that?”

“Listen…there’s just as much darkness as there is light – and every day, more souls are lost. The battle has existed since the beginning of time and will exist until the end.”

“So how can you make it stop?”

“By redirecting the power behind the souls.”

I didn’t want to hear another word. I stood up and went to look for my laptop.

“What are you doing?” he asked as I started searching my room for where Kara could have put it.

“Finding my computer, then booking us a flight to Montana. This is over.”

“Montana?” he asked in a curious tone.

“Yeah – that’s where that Landen guy is. You’re taking advice from kids that are just like us and have no idea what they’re doing. You stumbled onto a dream world, where the freaking devil herself tempted you - and now you’re saying that you’re gonna take the one way I can make a difference in this Godforsaken world away from me? I’m done. If you wanna dance in this dream world, you’re gonna do it with people who actually know a thing or two about alternate worlds, travelers. Like Austin, Landen, and whoever else from that world that can help us.”

My laptop was nowhere in sight. I’d decided to look downstairs, but before I reached the door Draven had his arms around me again. He turned me around, then began to slowly force me to walk backwards toward the couch.

“He’s not there anymore. Landen is in his own hell.”

“What?!” I said as my body tensed and I refused to move another inch.

Empathy filled Draven’s alluring eyes. “He had to fight a darkness to have his soul mate with him…they had a victory then, but more pain has been forecasted for them. They have their own battles; they don’t need ours.”

“How –”

Before I could say another word, his finger was on my lips. “Austin was here today. He came to check on us. I told him we were fine, that right now - and maybe forever - we would stay right here.”

“How could you close that door without talking to me – to all of us? That was our way out?!”

“It’s still there. Austin said he would always be there and that when he saw Landen, he’d tell him what we were doing.”