* * *
They’re chasing me through the forest, dark ghostly figures with elongated mouths opened wide, their screeching sounds echoing off the trees. The moon is full and bright, casting its light upon the fog I’m stumbling through. They’re catching up to me now, wailing my name and chanting harsh words in Latin. I glance over my shoulder and one is upon me, knocking me into a pile of leaves and broken branches. The rest of them catch up and circle like vultures. Their piercing laughter shoots through the top of the trees, shaking them like a violent windstorm. The one that knocked me down moves closer and repeats something in Latin. His dark energy is closing in on me. I begin to suffocate.
“Paige! Paige! Baby, wake up!”
Did he call me baby? In the far recesses of my mind that question presented itself, waking me from that horrid dream. I bolted up into his arms, gasping for air, feeling the cold, wet socks on my feet again.
“It’s okay. I got you.” Nathan’s hand moved in circles on my back. “Take slow, deep breaths. You need to calm your heart.” He was struggling to keep his voice steady, but I could hear the fear he felt because it left a speck of its tarnish on each word he spoke.
Finally, I was able to catch my breath, but I continued to shake as those words the dark spirit had repeated to me played in my head like a broken record. I decided to try to say them out loud:
“Vos ero pessum ire.”
Nathan’s hand stopped in the middle of my back. His body stiffened.
“What did you say?”
I repeated it.
“Where did you hear that?” He sounded disturbed, which made my stomach clench.
The green numbers on my alarm clock was the only light in the dark room. I didn’t like it, but his arms remained securely around me, which made me feel safe. I took a deep breath and told him my dream.
“What was he saying to me?” I wanted to know, regardless of how bad it might be.
“It means you will be destroyed.” His voice sounded rough.
“Oh.” My mind went blank, numb even, hindering my thoughts for a moment.
“I think we need to keep a low profile until Anwar gets here,” he said.
“Okay, but remember Alchemy is playing at The Lion’s Den on Friday, and I still have to go to school.” I hoped he wasn’t suggesting for me to hide in this house because I wouldn’t.
“You should be fine at school, as long as you’re not alone, but I don’t know about seeing Alchemy.”
I pressed my face against his shoulder, tightening my arms around him. He felt cold and was making swallowing noises, as if he were guzzling water.
“What’s wrong?”
Cupping my face in his hands, he rested his forehead on mine. “You scared the shit out of me,” he whispered. “I thought you were on the verge of going into a cardiac arrest.” He sucked in some air, cleared his throat, and pulled back. “You’re still warm. How do you feel?”
I shrugged. “The same, but my stomach doesn’t ache like it did.” I wiggled my toes inside the damp socks. “When did you wet these socks again?”
“About an hour after you fell asleep.” We settled back under the covers, and he took me into his arms. “I was being careful not to wake you.”
I snuggled against his chest. “I didn’t feel anything at all, so I must have been in a deep sleep.”
“You were, but then you started moaning and thrashing about, and your breathing became extremely erratic. I tried to calm you, but couldn’t …” He trailed off, inhaling and exhaling before continuing. “Jesus Christ, Paige, you scared me. If I were to lose you …” He fell silent.
I didn’t like seeing him like this and knew what I needed to say to make him feel better, but I also knew I would have to mean it. But was I willing to say goodbye to my two best friends and my mother? And was I willing to live an immortal life in an unstable world full of hate and pain?
But then I thought about death. If I were to stay mortal and die, I’d lose Nathan. And if I saw what the dark spirits were doing in their quest to claim earth as their own, knowing I could have helped prevented it, I’d never forgive myself. But on the other hand, if I were to become immortal, Nathan and I could be together for eternity and team up against the dark spirits. I also could live through all the changes in this world, chronicle it, and have the opportunity to travel the world. I’d be free from the restrictions placed on humans. And with Carrie, Tree, and Mom, I might be able to pull off seeing them for at least ten more years. I looked young for my age anyway.
I knew without a doubt what to do. It had been there all along, sitting quietly in the back of my brain, waiting for me to come to terms with it. Most mortals wouldn’t have thought twice about it. But this was a huge decision, one that almost didn’t seem real. I think that was why it hadn’t dominated my thoughts because of me having a hard time grasping the reality of it. But within my core being, I knew what I had to do.
“I have something to tell you,” I said.
He looked at me.
“I want to be immortal.”
“Are you sure?”
“I want to be with you for eternity, and if I were to die, heaven wouldn’t be heaven without you.”
He kissed me. Despite feeling sick, I wanted desperately to pull him on top of me, to feel his weight, but my body felt too weak to attempt it, and then I thought about what Matt said earlier.
“You don’t know how happy this makes me to hear you say that,” he told me. “I’ll call Anwar tomorrow to tell him your decision.”
“I still want you to do it.” I pouted. “I know you’re worried you’ll screw up, but I trust you.” I know this was a sick thought, but I wanted Nathan’s blood inside my body.
He shook his head. “That is one-hundred percent out of the question. You may trust me, but I don’t trust myself. And like I said earlier, I’ve never done it before and if I were to lose you.” He paused and shook his head again. “It’s too horrible to even think about.”
“We’ll have Anwar do it then,” I said, “but I want you there to hold my hand.” The whole process of becoming immortal terrified me. I mean, seriously, being cut open and bled out would scare the crap out of anybody.
He lifted my hand and kissed it. “Of course I will.”
“Can I ask you a question?” I wanted to change the subject before my mind started visualizing the whole bloody act.
“Absolutely,” he said, cheerfully.
“How many girls have you slept with?”
“I was wondering how long it would take you to bring that up.” There was a hint of amusement in his tone I didn’t like, and a sickening jealous feeling came over me when he became silent. I wanted to cry, even though I knew it was silly for me to feel that way. But the question still played out in my mind:
Did he sleep with so many girls that he must stop to count them all in his head?
He encircled his arm around me. “I hope you’re not presuming I’m counting my conquests in my head,” he said, playfully.
“Get out of my head. This is serious. I want to know,” I snapped.
“You were actually thinking that?” He sounded both surprised and hurt.
“Nathan. Please answer the frickin’ question.” Why won’t he answer the damned question? This wasn’t a joke to me.
He sighed. “This may sound cheesy to you, but it’s the truth. I’ve had many women, but none of them meant anything to me.” He propped himself up on his elbow, resting his cheek on his palm, and gently pushed the hair away from my face. He looked so serious, yet his eyes were full of passion. His hand stopped at the corner of my jaw, his thumb making lazy circles around my cheek, sending my pulse racing. “Last night, was the first night I’ve ever made love to someone. It was the most extraordinary, ethereal experience I’ve ever had.”
That made me feel a lot better, and then I thought about what I told Carrie and snickered, ruining this romantic moment.
“What’s so funny?”
“I th
ought last night was a bit erotic myself.”
He flopped over on his back, bouncing the bed. “It was, but let’s not talk or think about that right now.”
“I agree, but I don’t want to go to sleep. How about we go downstairs and watch a movie, unless you’re tired.” Truthfully, I was too scared to go to sleep.
He sat up. “I’m fine.” He touched my forehead. “Your fever seems to be under control.”
I pushed the covers off, but before I could sit up, he already had me in his arms, heading downstairs.
Chapter Nine
Tree’s Visit
Beyond the Eyes: YA Paranormal Romance Page 23