He nodded, letting her take the weight of Draven’s body as the two of them walked toward the main section of the basement and up the stairs.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Jovi asked as Serena staggered past him.
“I’m fine, honestly,” Serena replied.
She was determined to help. I wondered how much of that was guilt—we had both been urging Draven to see the Daughters, and Serena wouldn’t be taking the consequences lightly. But there was something else too. Serena and Draven had established a bond—whether it was only friendship or something else, I didn’t know. What I did know was that whether she was fascinated by him or furious with him, Draven always managed to elicit a reaction from her, effortlessly consuming her focus. I didn’t yet know if that was a good or bad thing.
When Serena and Draven left, the others started to follow them, all of us eager to get out of the basement.
“Are you coming?” Aida asked.
“I just need to clear this stuff,” I replied, re-stocking the herbs I hadn’t used.
“I’ll help,” she replied. I looked up at my friend’s pale and pinched face. The journey had been particularly hard on her, on both the way in and out.
“No, get some rest,” I replied, meaning it. Aida looked like she needed to sleep for a week. I felt the same, but my mind was too hyper to rest. It was buzzing from the interaction with the Daughters, and the whispers of the sandstorm.
“Thanks.” She nodded, turning to leave. Her shoulders were slumped, her back stooped in a slouch—something I hadn’t seen her do since we were in our early teens. Whatever the shape-shifters had told Aida, it wasn’t good.
I continued to preoccupy myself by putting the herbs back in order, tempted to start labeling the ones I recognized on the shelf, but holding myself back, doubting that Draven would appreciate my interference.
“He should clean up in here more.”
I jumped at the sound of Bijarki’s voice. I hadn’t realized that I still had company.
“He should,” I agreed, mumbling my words. I hadn’t wanted to be left alone with Bijarki, especially not after the taunting of the shape-shifters, the vision I’d had of us in the valley, and on top of that, yesterday, I’d had a very strange, very disturbing dream about him. As far as Bijarki was concerned, I wanted him to stay as far away from me as possible.
“Can I do anything to help?” he offered. I heard him move toward me, crossing the room with even steps that echoed in the now empty laboratory.
“No,” I managed, shoving the last of the dried herbs in a jar.
“You look beautiful when you’re nervous. Your heart rate increases dramatically, and you flush the palest pink on your cheeks.” His voice was smooth and soft, almost becoming a caress as the words dripped from his mouth.
“What?” I replied, doing my best to sound indignant.
“It’s just an observation,” he replied gently. He was moving closer. I could feel his body behind me, moving into my personal space—not touching me, but so determinedly there that I couldn’t ignore it.
“Well, don’t,” I replied, anxiety coursing through me. “I don’t want your observations. I want you to leave me alone. Stop staring at me, looking at me like you know me. You don’t.”
I wasn’t sure where I’d gotten the courage to say all that to his face, but when I’d finished my small Vita-sized tirade, I was glad. I had stuck up for myself—put up boundaries.
“I’m sorry,” he replied. The voice was less self-assuredly smooth this time.
“It’s fine,” I replied curtly. “Just don’t do it anymore. It makes me uncomfortable.”
He vanished from my personal space, moving back across the room. With some distance between us, I felt free to glance over at him. He looked despondent and conflicted, his eyes glued to the floor. He reached up and scratched the back of his neck.
“It just…” He hesitated, “It comes naturally with you—it’s incredibly hard to be any other way. But I apologize… I will stay away.”
I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant by “it”, but I hoped this would be the end of whatever he had going on—that my dreams and visions would be incubus-free going forward. As he left the room, I turned back to the mess on the table… and wondered why I suddenly felt despondent.
Serena
I helped Draven back to his room. I staggered under his weight, half-wishing I’d accepted Jovi’s offer of help, but I felt like I should take the weight of this responsibility—literally. With every hitched breath Draven took, my feelings of guilt worsened. I stayed silent though, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other like I’d done in the sandstorm, putting all my energy into getting him to his bedroom before I collapsed under his weight.