I swayed as if the wind had picked up speed. Luke grabbed my arm, his eyes full of concern. “Quinn, are you okay?”
“I’m just tired, I . . .Cora’s right, I didn’t sleep well last night.”
Hoping they would drop the subject, I made my feet move in the direction of the gas station. Luke didn’t seem ready to let the subject go just yet. “Maybe we should stay here another day then, so you can rest.”
Letting out a groan, I shook my head. No, I didn’t want to stay here; but I didn’t really know where I wanted to go either. Somewhere I could forget all the pain that my heart held. Again, anger covered the hurt and I spun towards Luke.
“Am I just a piece of the prophecy to you? Just a piece of ass that you get because some crazy oracle said so?”
His eyes widened, and Cora’s mouth dropped open, in what I could only assume was shock.
“What the hell happened last night?” Luke asked. “Quinn. Tell me what happened.”
Cora and Luke stared me down until I wilted under their combined gazes. Finally I said, “I can’t, because the last thing I need is for you to agree with him.”
“Agree with who?” Luke asked. His hands were now holding either side of me.
“Bres. He, I dreamed about him last night, but it wasn’t a real dream,” I said, not knowing if I was making any sense. My sleep-deprived mind wasn’t at its best for explaining something I barely understood myself.
“It’s like the Calling mirror, Quinn. Some of us can Call others when we sleep; it’s a form of communication that is difficult for most,” Cora said. That didn’t make me feel any better.
Luke tried to pull me into an embrace and I resisted him. “No, I can’t. I don’t want to talk about this.”
“Show me then, what he said.”
I blinked up at Luke. “What do you mean?”
“I can see what he said if you open yourself up to me. If you trust me enough,” he explained. “Just picture him speaking to you, and I will be able to see it.”
How could I tell Luke what Bres had said, least of all show him? Cora bobbed her head in agreement with Luke. I would get no sympathy from that quarter.
Then again, what did it matter? Bres and I were enemies; I had nothing to hide from Luke. I wasn’t ashamed of what I’d felt for Bres. Shoulders squaring up, I nodded. “Okay.”
Luke took my face in his hands and lowered his lips to mine. “Just breathe,” he whispered, our mouths brushing lightly.
I thought about the dream, skipping the first part where I reached for Bres. The rest of it unfolded in my mind, except it was like watching a movie with Luke at my side. The ugliness of Bres’ words, my fall to the ground. The tears and the keening. I turned my face away, and then blessedly it was done and we were back standing on the highway, the wind whipping around us.
Luke still held my arms, and this time when he pulled me into them I didn’t resist. “I didn’t know he’d Charmed you, Quinn. I’m sorry. I wish I had I could have blocked it.” He spoke into my hair. I felt Cora make her way onto my shoulders. Charmed? What I’d felt for Bres was Charm? My stomach turned and I thought I was going to be sick. It made a perfect kind of sense.
“You aren’t angry with me?” I asked, suddenly feeling very shy in Luke’s arms.
He shook his head. “No, not for that. I wish you’d trust me, Quinn. I’m on your side, remember?”
Be easy, Quinn. I do not believe you will hurt Ashling.
Cora’s belief gave me the first sense of relief.
Kissing me on the forehead, surprising me, Luke said, “You can’t help it that Bres Charmed you.” He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Let’s get moving; I’ll tell you what Nuadha had to say when I spoke with him.”
“Who’s Nuadha? What’s going on now?”
We started back up the hill and Luke filled me in on what he’d been doing while I was asleep. It turned out that Nuadha was the leader of the Tuatha de Daanan in Ireland, the head of the Council I was supposed to go see. Nuadha had informed Luke that he was to bring me for training immediately.
“Well we can’t go to Nuadha, there isn’t time. Not if Balor’s trying to free Chaos.” I was breathing heavily now; the hill was steeper than it looked.
Luke shook his head, his eyes flashing with frustration. “You don’t get it! I can’t train you; Cora can’t train you; and you need that if you are going to face Balor. Nuadha is the only one who can train you properly.” He paused and lowered his voice. “If, and I really mean this, if Balor is seeking out this Chaos. . .”