A Tangle of Hearts

by Bella Forrest

  He turned to face me, and his blank expression faltered my step. He scanned me from head to toe, and his eyes darkened as they reached my torso. The light breeze blowing through my nightgown made me aware that I was only wearing a flimsy, semi-transparent organza nightgown I’d found in the attic the other day. It may have been long and covering me from neck to toes, but the fabric was as thin as they came, in soft shades of pale green.

  Bijarki had a pretty good view of my body beneath the gown, as I strutted toward him, struggling to hold on to the anger before embarrassment snuck up on me. His eyes flitted over my breasts as I closed the distance between us and poked him in the chest with my index finger.

  “Have you been playing tricks on me in my sleep?” I demanded.

  Deep blue and silver mingled in his eyes, as he lifted them to meet mine. “What are you talking about?” His gruff voice shot tiny sparks through my veins.

  “Have you been manipulating my dreams? Dropping thoughts, bending my mind in my sleep or whatever it is you incubi like to do to women?” I was surprised I still had so much energy in my voice. His gaze captured mine and refused to let go, while I struggled to stand straight before him.

  The breeze grew stronger for a fleeting moment, enough to blow through my nightgown and flutter the organza against my body. Bijarki’s eyes dropped again to my thin nightgown, breaking the stare.

  “I would never,” he said slowly, his eyes wandering along the pale green fabric.

  I had a hard time finding my next words.

  “Vita, I swear on everything I hold dear in this world that I would never invade your dreams or push your will in any way,” he continued. “I don’t want you to do or feel anything that isn’t yours to feel. I respect you too much.”

  My frustration bubbled beneath the quiet surface, but I couldn’t deny the truth I saw in his gaze. Reluctantly, I concluded that he was being honest. The dreams weren’t his doing. They were mine and mine alone. My heart pounded in my chest, and I swallowed, unable to say anything in return.

  Shame and embarrassment crept up and burned my throat. I looked away, trying to focus on something in the distance—a tree, a shrub, anything that I could focus on to regain my composure.

  Bijarki didn’t move, and he didn’t take his eyes off me; I felt them searing into me.

  “What is it you think I made you dream of?” came the question I didn’t want him asking.

  I couldn’t bear to look at him, but I sensed he was smiling through his words. “It’s nothing important,” I replied, my voice barely a whisper.

  “It must have been, since you felt the need to walk straight out of bed to confront me about it.” He wasn’t ready to let this go.

  I looked at him and instantly regretted it, as his gaze once again captured my breath.

  “It doesn’t matter. It wasn’t you, and I apologize for wrongfully accusing you.” I tried to keep myself upright, waging an internal battle against my jello legs.

  He tilted his head to one side, and his expression softened to one that made my blood rush all over, prickling my fingers and toes. “Did you dream about me, Vita?”

  “It’s none of your business,” I said and turned my back on him. I couldn’t bear another minute so close to him. His proximity had a devastating effect on my self-control, and I needed time and space to process that, to accept that all these hot dreams I’d been having of Bijarki were the product of my own desires.

  He didn’t insist. “My apologies,” he replied. “But I will continue to keep my distance, as per your request. I’m going away, so you won’t see me for a few days anyway. It should bring you some comfort.”

  I froze. Fair enough. It should have brought me at least some form of relief. But the part of me that had been eager to be near him was thoroughly disappointed.

  I turned my head just enough to get a glimpse of him from the corner of my eye. “How so?” I asked, hoping I sounded as disinterested as I intended.

  “Draven and I are taking Anjani back to her tribe. We’re looking to forge an alliance with the succubi against Azazel and increase our chances at fighting back.”

  I nodded, but all I could think of was an entire tribe of succubi as shimmering and seductive as Anjani surrounding Bijarki under the moonlight, their hands moving down his body, fingers delighted by his silvery skin. I shifted my weight from one leg to the other, trying to move past the uncomfortable state I’d put myself in.

  I’d come at Bijarki so strong and aggressive and horribly wrong about his intentions, and he was about to go meet with an entire group of devastatingly gorgeous succubi, leaving me on my own with my frustrations and shame. I couldn’t bring myself to talk about this with anyone. How had my most intimate thoughts and dreams become so tangled with my visions of the future?

  My transition as an Oracle seemed to be just as eventful as Aida’s, except mine played different mind tricks, making me confuse real visions and lustful dreams of Bijarki. Like I didn’t have enough to deal with already.

  The silence weighed heavily between us. He waited for me to respond, but when I didn’t say anything, he turned to the mansion.

  He passed me, throwing me a fleeting look that I couldn’t decipher—a sideways glance with his silver-blue irises flaring at me—and walked toward the main entrance with broad steps.

  “Bijarki,” I called out, this time in a softer tone.

  He stopped and looked over his shoulder.

  “Please be careful,” I said. “Come back in one piece.”

  Bijarki turned to face me, and I held my breath. Thoughts seemed to run through his mind as his eyebrows slightly twitched. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out.

  I didn’t have much to offer in order to make up for my earlier blunder, but at least I could be a decent person and try not to make him feel like I loathed him. “We’re all safer with you around, whether we like each other or not,” I added, just to make sure I was getting the right message across.

  His face lit up, and he nodded, turned, and disappeared into the mansion.

  A few days with him absent would be a good thing. It would provide me with an opportunity to reflect on everything and put things in perspective. I needed to understand how I felt about him and to figure out what, if anything, I could do about it.

  Jovi

  [Victoria & Bastien’s son]

  I slept like a rock. Not a single dream, just deep slumber away from everyone and everything. The previous day’s events had obviously sucked my energy dry. When I awoke, Anjani was gone. I didn’t see Serena or the Druid anywhere, and then I remembered they’d talked about traveling up north to meet with her tribe.

  I glanced to my right to find Phoenix still comatose. As I watched his chest rise slowly with each breath, I felt guilty. I’d only been trying to do the right thing by diving into the jungle yesterday, but nothing could change the fact that, if I hadn’t done it, Phoenix wouldn’t have left the boundary either. He wouldn’t be in this condition now.

  I sat up and threw my legs over the side of the bed. A shower would do me wonders.

  About twenty minutes later, I emerged from the bathroom fresh and ready. To do what exactly, I didn’t know. But I couldn’t sit still.

  I went to one of the windows and pulled the dusty curtains aside. The sun inundated the room. I looked outside.

  Draven and Serena were in the garden out front, standing next to a couple of duffel bags and talking. Serena pointed at the house. Out came Bijarki with Anjani leaning against him for support. He had one arm wrapped around her waist, helping her walk, and the other he used to hold what looked like a couple of short crossbows.

  I didn’t like that image.

  I didn’t like staying in the mansion while they were out trekking through the jungle either.

  “No way I’m getting left behind,” I growled beneath my breath. I grabbed my coat and rushed downstairs.

  I went outside and found the four of them congregating around the duff
el bags. Serena held one of the crossbows, looking at it with interest. Anjani had a leather quiver filled with short arrows. Their brightly colored feather ends drew my attention.

  “What’s going on here?” I asked as I reached the group.

  Anjani didn’t bother to look at me, keeping her eyes fixed on the quiver.

  “We’re getting ready to go out,” Bijarki answered.

  Serena kept turning the crossbow over to get a better look at the details. “This looks really cool,” she said with a smile.

  I’d forgotten about her fascination with ancient weaponry. Serena used to come with Aida and me when our parents took us to war museums in the human world. It was one of the few combat-related passions that she’d shared with Aida since they were little. I found it endearing that she still marveled at this kind of stuff.

  “Crossbows, huh?” I quipped.

  “Yeah, Anjani’s taught us some nifty tricks when dealing with shape-shifters.” Serena radiated excitement as she gave me the crossbow to look at for myself.

  I stole a glance to see Anjani watching me. The sunlight made her shimmer, and her eyes were two emerald fires burning into me. I shifted my focus back to the crossbow.

  “What’s so special about this?” I asked, taking in all the sculpted details on the handmade weapon. The core structure was made of a lightweight black metal, on which cherry wood plaques with fine engravings had been mounted. My eyes followed the swirling patterns along the handle. This crossbow was meant to be shot with one hand, and the reloading mechanism was simple for the sake of speed.

  “The arrows are laced with a special blend of poisons that are incredibly toxic to shape-shifters,” Anjani explained. “The Druid’s greenhouse has a few hidden treasures.”

  Draven smirked, his hand on Serena’s shoulder. “We need to get moving, while it’s still early,” he said. “I reckon we have a day and a half before we reach the Red Tribe.”

  Serena took one of the duffel bags and hung it from her shoulder. Bijarki took the other one, and Anjani still held on to him.

  “I’m coming with you,” I announced.

  All four of them stilled and looked at me, except for the Druid. But I was only interested in Anjani’s reaction.

  “There’s no need. You’d just be in the way,” she replied with a lifted eyebrow.

  “That’s nonsense. Draven’s blind, relying on Serena. You’re wounded as well. You need an extra pair of hands on deck for protection,” I insisted. Tension bunched in my shoulders.

  Bijarki narrowed his eyes.

  I had completely disregarded him.

  He cleared his throat as if to politely remind me that he was still there.

  “My point stands,” I told him. “You can’t protect Anjani and fight shape-shifters.”

  “You’d be surprised at what I can do.” Bijarki’s smirk irritated me further.

  “I don’t really care. I am coming along. You need all the help you can get, while the mansion is safe under the shield. I’m of better use to you on the road than in there.” I nodded toward the house.

  A moment passed, while they reflected on my arguments. Anjani didn’t seem pleased at all, pursing her lips and looking anywhere but at me. It amused me to notice how I’d gotten to her. Her mighty warrior demeanor was something I was keen to unravel. I wanted to see her soften up. What would that look like?

  “We didn’t pack enough food for an extra person,” Anjani said, trying one last time to persuade me to quit. She didn’t know me very well. She didn’t know Serena very well either.

  “Actually we’ve got a couple of extra loaves in the bag, just in case,” my dearest, always-prepared cousin interjected with a smile.

  “There you have it. We’re good to go.” I took a deep, well-deserved breath. “Are the girls watching over Phoenix?” I asked Serena.

  “Yeah, hopefully he’ll wake up by the time we get back,” she replied. “Besides, Field’s with them.”

  I nodded and stepped in front of Bijarki and Anjani, straightening my back.

  “I’ll take the succubus. You need your full strength and balance to carry that bag and shoot arrows at shape-shifters through the jungle.” I smiled smugly.

  Bijarki looked at me, then at Anjani, and back at me before he surrendered and left her wobbling on one leg. She looked so uncomfortable. I chuckled on the inside.

  I swiftly stepped to her side, pulled her close to me, and snaked my arm around her waist.

  She held her breath for a moment, exhaled loudly, and rolled her eyes. It wasn’t necessarily irritation that I saw on her beautiful face, but rather some kind of anguish. I figured maybe she hated her condition, having to rely on one of us for support. The thought lined up with what she’d told us about her tribe and their customs last night.

  Bijarki led the way toward the edge of the property, bag on one shoulder and crossbow in his other hand. A dozen short arrows with colored feathers poked out from the side of the bag. I followed closely with Anjani, while Draven and Serena walked behind us.

  One by one, we passed the protective shield and headed into the jungle, where winds whispered and rustled the leaves and dangers lurked in the dark shadows. My chest tightened at the thought, and my hand instinctively pressed into Anjani’s hip. I felt her body tense against mine.

  This was going to be an interesting trip.

  Vita

  [Grace and Lawrence’s daughter]

  Serena and the rest of the group had been gone for a few hours. Draven had left some instructions for Aida and me regarding our Oracle powers. Even with Phoenix out of it, two Oracles were still standing, and we should make use of the time while Draven and the others were away. He told us to tap into our visions further, using the herbs from last time, while Field watched over us.

  However, it wasn’t something either of us wanted to rush into. Both Aida and I were still reeling from the previous day’s events. We decided to wait another day, clear our heads, and keep our eyes on Phoenix in the meantime.

  I watched over Phoenix in the basement until Aida came down and told me to spend some time out in the sun.

  “You’re starting to look like a corpse,” she joked and pulled me off my stool, taking my seat beside Phoenix.

  I smiled. I didn’t know what I would’ve done without her.

  I went upstairs and grabbed a quick lunch from the dining room, then roamed through the mansion for a while out of sheer boredom. I found some candles in mason jars in one of the rooms upstairs and decided to go out in the back garden and try practicing some fae stuff. It sure beat wandering around a house filled with dead stuffed animals and old books.

  I grabbed four jars with candles and a box of matches and scuttled downstairs. There was a big, beautiful magnolia tree in the back garden where I’d seen Phoenix before. It branched out with a thick crown of pale pink blossoms, casting a pleasant shade over the growing grass.

  I sat down underneath the tree, my back against the southern side of the plantation house. The jungle unraveled in front of me in undulating shades of dark green and yellow accents.

  The candles waited defiantly in their jars for me to fail miserably at controlling their flames. But Zerus’s image formed in the back of my head, and I shook the negative thoughts away.

  I looked around me and took a deep breath. I was surrounded by nature. My fingers brushed over the soft blades of grass.

  I remembered the sentry’s words the last time we’d spoken. You need to slow down, to study the natural world before you can claim ownership over it, he’d said. I needed to take it easy as I often allowed my frustration to get the best of me.

  I lit up one of the candles inside its jar and waited a few minutes. I watched the flame rise slowly, drawing in the oxygen that kept it burning. I breathed in and out, carefully composing myself as my palms hovered above the jar.

  I willed the flame to react to my body, and it flickered just a little bit. Then my mind ran off, thinking about the Nevertide Oracle. I wondered
how she was feeling, locked up in the glass sphere filled with water. I couldn’t imagine anything worse than losing my freedom like that. To be blind and helpless while time flowed in and out of her with visions of everything past, present, and future…

  I imagined the torture of living at the whims of a power-hungry Destroyer that had no problem shedding the blood of innocent creatures, as long as he got his way. The same fate would await me as well, along with Aida and Phoenix, if we didn’t do something about Azazel.

  The Druid had been incredibly helpful, despite his less than conventional methods. I had to give him credit. He’d dedicated his life to protecting Oracles, as had his father before him. He lived to keep us safe, while the world beyond the mansion turned darker and uglier each day.

  Tears stung my eyes. The Nevertide Oracle was trapped in her glass bubble, suspended in time, almost lifeless, yet unable to let go. I remembered the candle beneath my hands and looked down. The flame had gone out.

  “Damn it,” I muttered. I had to snap out of it. Instead of getting closer to nature, I was drifting away thinking about the Nevertide Oracle. No wonder I was failing every time I tried to bring my fae abilities to the surface; I was too easily distracted.

  A few moments later, I lit the candle again and placed my hands above the jar.

  This time, I kept my eyes open, my gaze fixed on a willow tree in the distance. Its branches brushed over the dark swamp water beneath it. I focused on the branches swaying in the breeze.

  Slow down.

  It didn’t do much good. My mind wandered off again, this time—predictably—to Bijarki. Flashbacks of my recent dreams intertwined with memories of my visions of him—our bodies close, lips fused in ardent kisses while the world crumbled around us beneath the weight of giant snake tails and corruption.

  Heat bloomed from my core outwards, sending currents down to my fingertips. I shook my head and noticed the flame had gone out again.