ELENA
WHY ON EARTH did he want to come with me. Hadn’t he heard what I’d just told him?
He couldn’t come. I’d made up my mind. He would just…I cringed as I remembered what he’d said about my dreams. He’d seen Billy, knew what he looked like, and must think I was so pathetic. It wasn’t like that.
He also knew what they’d done as I constantly had that fucking dream over and over again. That nightmare I could never seem to escape.
I felt tired. It had been nice talking to him, finding out some things, and I had never thought he would actually speak to me about them.
I wondered why some of those dreams changed. Perhaps I was starting to trust the Rubicon. I laughed at myself as another memory seeped into my mind. It was the night that I’d woken after I’d escaped with my life from the Sacred Cavern. He’d said that dragon was what he was. Also that look on his face when he’d discovered my dragon form was called Cara. Fucking idiot.
Whenever he was the Rubicon, he was Blake and not some entity like Cara. It had always been Blake. Why he’d tricked me. My mouth pulled and tears welled up. He wanted me to trust a part of him; he knew I hated his human form. That was why he’d been super nice in his dragon form. He’d been so right that day in the SUV when he’d said he was good at pretending. I just hadn’t realized how good. I couldn’t imagine how hard it was for him to talk about himself as the idiot just so he could speak to me. I had been so mean.
It was Blake who had made the Dragon Oath too.
I was sure he wouldn’t die because of what I’d ordered him to do. It just meant that he couldn’t come. I couldn’t lose him like that again. I wouldn’t make it. Not now after I’d seen all those clips. I’d made up my mind. If someone was going to die, it would be me. I still had no idea what this ingredient was and I doubted I ever would.
I refused to live without him again. I wouldn’t.
It was hard, and even harder when I’d discovered he wasn’t dead, but I’d gotten used to his presence. He was always there somewhere, lurking in the shadows. I knew that now, and I couldn’t hear his heartbeat, as it was too soft for any ears to hear.
Silent observer? Distant observer was more like it.
I laughed again at another memory, the one in the tower. He was the one who had found me that night and taken me back to my room. I’d woken and had been too tired to realize it. Becky and Sammy had lied, because he’d told them to, and they had, because of what he’d become.
What else did he do?
I still didn’t want to trust that this wasn’t a spell. I needed to know what this dent was all about before trusting it.
If it wasn’t a spell or some sort of willing enslavement, then what could explain this sudden affection for me?
He’d loathed me, but it was as if it was the same Blake who had danced with me, the same one who had almost kissed me a few months ago. The same one who had rejected me.
I was so scared it would happen again, especially with Tabitha around once we got back to Dragonia. It was she he’d said goodbye to; they still hung out, and she still had that same admiration for him, that same creepy loving look whenever he was around.
He was still the same Blake. I’d never seen them kissing since I got back, but that didn’t mean he didn’t kiss her anymore.
A twang of jealousy washed through me again.
I thought about today’s kiss. It had been a spur-of-the-moment thing. We had been surrounded by beauty and serenity, and after that fish smacked into my face, it felt as if a kiss was probably in order to make up for it.
I wanted it so badly to last but it couldn’t. Too many promises had been made, and too many things were at stake, like my heart. And too many things had happened. I wasn’t the same Elena anymore. I’d killed people. Did he know that too?
I switched off my light and stared at the stars for a long time. The stars never shone in Etan. They couldn’t because the Creepers blocked them out; they were hidden behind an enchantment Goran had probably created.
I understood now why the wyverns flew so low over the rooftops, it was fear of the Creepers catching them. All the signs were there; I just hadn’t connected them.
I kept seeing the Creeper attached to Blake, hissing and clinging onto him like a leech.
How on earth had I gotten past them and why couldn’t I remember them?
I had been beyond myself both times I’d come in contact with them, but what if he was wrong? What if tomorrow they were going to strike and kill me?
Still, as scary as it was, I had to do this alone. I couldn’t lose Blake like that again.
I closed my eyes and could still hear him pacing in his room.
He didn’t like it one bit that I’d told him to stay, that I’d ordered him to stay. I flinched as I thought about the word “ordered”, but he couldn’t come with me to Etan. He couldn’t.
Fatigue washed over me like a tidal wave and my mind slipped into a semi-stupor.
At first it was nothing, then the flicker of that night with Billy and Seymour, and the creepy trees in the forest jumped into my head again.
My heart started to race and I was back in my own personal nightmare. Reliving the worst day of my life.
BLAKE
I’D BARELY CLOSED my eyes when a forest jumped into my head.
I didn’t know if it was my own thoughts of her dreams or whether it was really happening with her at this moment, but when I couldn’t stop thinking about it, I knew she was dreaming again.
I got up and rushed to my door.
The one with my face was busy unbuckling his belt.
My throat lit up and a sulfur taste formed in the back of my palate.
A whimper left her mouth both in dream and reality. Her heart was beating like crazy, and fear – the worst kind I could ever imagine – turned my gut.
I barged through her door as images of guys holding her hands clamped her down.
She tried to scream but this figure that had changed into me closed her mouth with his hand. He licked her face and I couldn’t watch it anymore.
“Elena.” I shook her awake, and she started slapping the air when she jolted up.
I grabbed her tightly around her arms and held her against my body, as she succumbed and started to cry.
Her hair smelled so clean, and I wished again with all of my heart I could just change this dream, but I wasn’t there yet. This had happened so fast, and they weren’t like the ones in the cave or the one in the hallway with this psychopath harassing her.
“Shhh,” I whispered against her head. “You’re safe. Nothing will hurt you. I promise.”
She couldn’t go alone tomorrow. She just couldn’t.
She sniffed and pulled away. I was really starting to dislike that a lot, but thanks to her dream, I was the last person she wanted to be around.
“You saw that?” she asked.
“Yeah, it’s the one that I can’t seem to change. It happens too fast. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” she said, and I wished that was the truth. I wanted to ask her so badly why she kept putting my face on the one. Was it the guy that I reminded her of? It couldn’t be, though; it was me and there was no one that could ever look that much like me. Her subconscious put me in that dream because of the way I had treated her. She really thought I was capable of forcing myself onto someone. I had no clue, but a part of me believed she thought that. I stared at her. I wished I could do something, but I couldn’t. I felt so helpless. So, so, helpless.
I got up from the bed as I didn’t have anything to say. “Are you okay,” would seriously be the wrong thing as I knew she wasn’t okay, and “it will get better with time” was also extremely clichéd and irritating. So I kept my mouth shut as I made my way to the door.
“Could you please, stay?” she asked, and I froze.
Did she just ask me that?
I turned around, and she was staring at me.
She had! She’d finally asked me to stay.
I took a silent, deep breath through my nose and went back to the bed, and she turned around to face the other direction.
I climbed onto her bed and lay down. I stared at the fan for a long time.
She didn’t speak, and then she said it. “Thank you for waking me.”
I looked at her. “You’re welcome, but really, you don’t need to say thanks. I really, really hate that dream.”
“That makes two of us.”
“Who is he?” I asked.
“Which one?” she answered, to my surprise.
“You know which one I’m talking about.”
She took a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter. He’s going to die soon.”
The corner of my lips curled up and I was glad she’d finally started trusting me to do something, even if it would be just that one thing. It was a start.
ELENA
I DIDN’T DREAM at all and when I woke, Blake’s spot was empty. It was still warm, which meant that he’d had to have woken up minutes before me.
He’d stayed. I closed my eyes and felt slightly different about him this morning. I grunted. Slightly different was an understatement. He was making me crazy again.
I blew out air and my lips vibrated as I thought about that night again.
I fucking hated that dream, even more now that he’d seen it. He knew what Billy looked like, and I was disgusted with myself again.
More and more Billy looked nothing like Blake.
I got up, got dressed and went downstairs.
Blake had shorts and a top with long sleeves on with his sneakers.
He’d stayed when I’d asked him to and the dream hadn’t come.
He’d woken me. It was the kindest thing he had ever done for me.
“Good morning, princess. Are you ready for today?” David had a huge grin.
I nodded and stared at Blake.
“Take that order back,” he said without looking at me.
“You know I can’t.”
“Yes, you can.” He sounded pissed off and looked at me. “Now take it back. I’m not letting you go alone to Etan.”
“I’ll be in and out, I promise.”
He bit hard on his jaw, I could see his jaw muscle jump slightly.
“I guess this is now or never.” I looked at David. “Do you mind taking me to the Creepers?”
“Of course.” He sounded worried.
“May I come too?” Blake sounded sarcastic, and I didn’t want him so close to them. But I also didn’t want to order him around anymore.
I nodded.
I had a backpack I’d packed late last night, after I’d spoken to him and gone to bed.
Everyone started to wish me good luck as Blake followed David to the parking area. We got into one of the lodge’s trucks, and Blake just stared out the window not looking at me.
I wanted to explain more, but I’d told him why he couldn’t come with me.
It was about a fifteen-minute ride and I gasped as the Creepers came into sight.
I closed my eyes and tried to just be okay with it. I’d gotten through them twice.
“Take back the order.”
I opened my eyes and looked at him.
“I can see it in your eyes, you are scared, now take it back and let me come with you.”
“No,” I said, sounding stern, and looked away.
The Creepers moved slightly, as if they were breathing.
David stopped the SUV, and we got out, Blake included.
We walked until one moved and then we stopped.
“This is a safe distance.” David smiled, but concern still lay heavy in his eyes. He didn’t know what it was like for dragons on the other side; he couldn’t come with.
“So, tell me again, if I go through here, I will be in Alkadeen?”
David nodded.
“Alkadeen is right behind those snatchers.”
“Thank you.” I flung my arms around David’s shoulders.
He stroked my back. “I know it has nothing to do with me, but you are not just scaring your dragon here to death, princess, you are scaring us all by doing this alone.”
“I’ll be fine.” I smiled.
Connie looked worried. “Please take care, and if you see Charles, give him this. I know it’s extra luggage, but he will know it’s from us.”
I took the bag. It wasn’t that heavy. “I will.”
Blake didn’t look at me, his eyes were on the ground and his arms were folded, and he was kicking the grass softly.
“I’ll be back before you know it. I promise.”
His jaw muscle just jumped and I looked at him for a few short seconds and turned around.
I really hoped that it was a bloodline thing, I really did. I took a couple of steps toward the Creepers and they did nothing.
A couple more and I saw one starting to move. I could hear two gasps, Blake was silent.
When I took the next step, one struck and I covered my face.
It hissed frantically but didn’t hurt me. When I moved my arm, I looked at a round vicious mouth with hundreds of teeth. Its tongue came out but lingered inches from me.
“Elena, get the fuck away from it now, or I swear to you.”
“Shhh,” I said, and I could feel my emotions getting stronger, it was mixed with fear – fear I had of this thing.
He started to pull back, and I could breathe again.
I didn’t know if I could take another step and when I was ready to move, I felt a grasp around my arm again. I spun around and Blake’s lips were on mine.
His kiss was soft but hungry at the same time. It was nothing like yesterday, and a part of me wanted to pull back as images of the woods jumped into my thoughts again. The hissing sound behind me didn’t help much, but another feeling was more powerful than whatever was going on inside and around me.
It was kindness, mixed with something so peaceful I couldn’t put my finger on it. It was a feeling of home, the same kind I’d experienced with my dad – Herbert, not the royal one.
I raised my legs from the ground and hooked them around his waist. The noise of the Creepers was barely audible but I could still hear them hissing softly.
It felt as if my insides wanted to explode. I felt drunk, I felt weightless, all at the same time.
Who would’ve thought kissing this arrogant ass who wanted nothing to do with me, could make me feel all of these things?
“We have company,” I murmured against my mouth as David and Connie’s faces jumped into my mind, and I could sense that he was smiling too.
“They don’t mind,” he said, and I opened my eyes.
We weren’t in front of the Creepers anymore. We were surrounded by roots upon roots, making a funny humming noise. The most beautiful pink and purple flowers canopied above us.
I’d seen them before, when I’d entered into Etan.
Then I realized what was going on, and I wanted to shove him off.
“Don’t, if you let go of me, I will die. You are literally protecting me from them, so I beg you, don’t.” He held my arm in place.
I grabbed him tighter, and I could swear I heard him chuckle.
My heart pounded again as I rested my head on his shoulder and felt how he took his time walking through the Creepers.
A bit faster wouldn’t kill you. Please just get us the hell out of here.
I closed my eyes as I couldn’t watch.
I didn’t want to watch us walking to meet our doom.
I didn’t care about him breaking his promise anymore either, as I knew this time, if I died, Blake would be there too. I wouldn’t have to face anything alone, ever again.
Then it hit me: I’d ordered him to stay.
I looked at his face and he looked at me with a blank expression. “How did you manage to follow? I ordered you to stay.”
“I guess my Dragon Oath is much more powerful than a stupid order.” He grinned softly. I hated that so much. “I pledged with my entire being that I would never let any harm come to you. And this, this was danger that you could smell from a mile away, so you better find a way to deal with this, because now I know that your stupid little orders will not affect me.”
I just glared at him.
“It’s not going to make me feel bad. Believe me I would’ve felt worse if I hadn’t come. So glare as much as you want.”
I wished I could just leave his ass here, but I couldn’t. I would never forgive myself if he got hurt. He’d nearly died on numerous occasions when he’d come too close, and yet, he’d still taken this leap.
My heart melted again. I was never going to be able to stay mad at him.
I laid my head back on his shoulders, and drew in his scent – the scent that was going to be with me forever, or so I hoped.
