Descending Darkness(99)

“Are you alright?” Larkin asks as he bumps his shoulder into mine.

“Yep, just fine,” I say without looking at him.

Reaching out, he grabs my chin and turns me toward him. “No, you’re not.” I know that he means well, but I don’t want to be comforted right now.

“I will be,” I whisper. “Please, Larkin.” He releases my chin and nods. “Thank you.”

No one says anything for the first thirty minutes of the ride. It’s like I don’t exist. Larkin and Kyril talk quietly amongst themselves while Bragden, Conner, and James all talk strategies. My eyes start to feel heavy…I guess I’m going to see how strong my enchantment is. I lean over and rest my head on Bragden’s shoulder. He moves so that I can move into his side like Colton does. I close my eyes and let the car’s movement lull me to sleep.



“Ryanne, don’t push anyone away. You need them.” I open my eyes to find I’m back in the field of dreams again with Claire.

“I know. I just needed some time away from everyone. My powers work best when I rely on my emotions. I have all this pent up anger, sadness, and guilt, but I’ve pushed them back so far that it’s difficult to bring them to the surface sometimes,” I explain. “I’m not trying to push anyone away. I just didn’t want to be comforted.”

“Your powers will work just as well if you let someone comfort you. You have enough pent up frustration toward Dravin that any confrontation will heighten your abilities. Don’t worry about that. What really is the problem, dear?”

I bite my lip and sit down on the ground. I run my hands through the deep green grass, letting the cool waxy blades tickle my fingers while I try to process my thoughts. “I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do.”

“No, I don’t!” I yell as the tears come to my eyes. Claire sits down on the grass next to me and waits for me to calm down.

“You have to let it out.”

“I don’t want to lose him,” I whisper. “I just have this feeling that everything is about to get real crazy, and I know that I can’t protect everyone. I. Can’t. Lose. Him. I saw the Howicks’s memories of their daughter. She was tortured and killed because they were looking for me. Me. What if something happens to Colton because of me? What if I have to watch him die again? I can’t live through that. Not again. It freaks me out how much I feel for him. What if Dravin finds a way to capture him…or anyone else for that matter,” I say as I wrap my arms around my knees. Burying my head, I let the rest of the tears fall.

Claire wraps her arms around me and hugs me. “Nothing is going to happen to Colton, honey. I promise. You need him right now, and I know he’s upset that you walked away from him. He’s scared that he’s going to lose you too.”

“I know,” I hiccup and lean away from Claire. “How do you keep showing up in my dreams? I’m not complaining. I’m just curious…”

“I’ll always be here when you need me; never question that. Now wake up, and go talk to your soulmate.”





Chapter Twenty-Nine




Colton

This ride is agonizing. I can’t sit still. I can’t think straight. I’m not listening to what anyone is saying. My mind is completely focused on Ryanne. She walked away from me. She’d only done that when someone was in danger before. She wouldn’t let me comfort her. She chose to wallow in her in her guilt rather than let me attempt to make her feel better. She’s in no way, shape, or form responsible for what Dravin is doing.

Natalie places her hand on my arm and tries to calm me. “There’s nothing you can do until she’s back here with me,” I say. No matter how long she tries to calm me, I’ll still worry. I never thought I’d be the clingy one in a relationship, but I am. I’ll admit it. I’m not going to stop worrying until I know that Ryanne’s okay.

Liam hands me his ringing cell phone. Why would he give it to me? I look at the caller I.D. It’s Bragden. “Hello.”

“Colton?”

“Yeah, how’s Ry?”

“She’s sleeping. What’s wrong? She wouldn’t talk to anyone. Larkin tried talking to her but she wouldn’t say anything.”

Ryanne’s asleep… “Does she show any signs of injury on her? Dravin always attacks her in her sleep.” I can hear shuffling on the other end of the phone and then Ryanne’s sleepy groan, but I can tell that she doesn’t wake up.

“No, she’s fine. She’s just sleeping.”

“You sure?”