by Chrissy Jaye
The rest of the guys piled onto the bed and got comfortable as Ben pushed play on the DVD player.
Flynn climbed in on the other side of Ben, but grabbed my legs, making me squeal. He maneuvered me until my legs were slung across Ben’s torso, forcing me to drop my head onto Luc’s chest. Once I was settled, he started kneading my feet with his fingers. It was a struggle not to moan as the three of them pushed small amounts of energy into me.
One on one, the exchanges were almost unnoticeable, but together like that it left me a bit euphoric. Once I adjusted to it, I found myself peeking at Flynn from the corner of my eye. He smirked at me, and I fought a guilty smile as the opening scene started, panning past a tree to reveal a poster. Flynn dropped my feet almost instantly and turned toward me. “You picked Tangled?” His face twisted in disgust as he stared at me.
I shared a quick glance with Luc before I lost all composure, giggling like a fool. “What’s the matter, Flynn? One would think you’d be right at home with this. Snarky rogue who falls for the damsel? Oh, but that’s right… I’m not to your tastes.” Everyone burst out laughing at the shocked expression on Flynn’s face. Luc held up a hand to high five me, which only made me laugh harder.
“Both of you will suffer for this,” Flynn promised, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “Let the pranks begin.”
“We both know you’ll never beat me,” Luc challenged.
“We’ll see, Luc. We’ll see.”
“Okay, let’s dial down the testosterone and just watch the movie,” I chuckled, getting myself more comfortable between Luc and Ben. Flynn glowered at me for a few seconds before shifting his eyes to the screen.
This looks cozy, a voice said in my mind as I became aware. I stood at the end of the bed, staring down at my body tucked underneath the sheets. Luc lay on one side of me, his head nestled into the base of my neck. I scanned their faces as they slept, peacefully unaware.
I realized where I was. Inside the Thorns with my guardian.
“Where’s Ben and Flynn?” I asked, scanning the rest of the room, as if it would reveal them.
Having a long-needed discussion. But don’t worry about them. We have work to do, the Lynx said at my side. He sat on the floor staring at the bed, looking very un-cat-like with his head tilted to the side, as if he were measuring us.
“What work?”
I found the girl. Grab hold. I’ll take you to her. My nerves spiked and I watched as my body sucked in a breath. It was disturbing to see my own physical reaction to stress while in this state. The Lynx nudged me, purring loudly, before slipping his head under one of my hands until it rested on the base of his neck. His fur tickled my thighs as he pressed into my side. Gently, I twined my fingers through his fur and gripped the skin around his neck. Unlike his topcoat which was coarse to the touch, his undercoat was soft, like a kitten. See, you’re not so stupid after all.
I snorted just before the world tipped sideways, taking on a green sheen as we moved. Or rather, the Thorns moved around us. They picked at my skin, almost unpleasantly. It was a peculiar feeling. Almost like a tickle, but with a bite. My fingers flexed as something tugged harder on me. Instinctually I knew that if I let go of my guardian, something very bad would happen to me.
“What’s your name?” I asked, to distract myself from the sensation.
Piddles, the cat deadpanned as we came to a stop that made my head spin.
“Are you fucking with me?” I asked. “That cannot be your name.” Looking around, I realized I knew where we were, even though there were no trees. Just thickly woven vines covered in sharp thorns that glistened with a purple light. Through a small break in them, I could see a tall water tower, dulled from its normal bright blue to a dull gray. If we walked through the break, we’d come to a road. The road. Where Emma had died.
My name isn’t all that important. Let’s go. I’d rather do this quickly before we draw attention from something else. The cat padded forward on silent feet, stepping cautiously through the break. I tentatively followed. The smell hit me first as the road came into view, something coiling yet a bit sweet. Like rot. It was strange to see the world from the Thorns, things looked the same and yet completely different, I noticed spots around the area where light was just floating. I watched one for a moment as the light moved. People, they were people.
You see them. Good. You’re advancing after only a few days. They’re watching the area, but they won’t see us.
“What’s that?” I asked pointing toward the road. There was another bright patch that swirled around. As soon as I pointed to it, it started to move frantically in a large circle. Then I felt it… the panic, the agony as it slammed into me. I started running. The lynx surged ahead of me, swinging its head from side to side, as if he were keeping watch.
She can feel you. It’s a spelled circle. The whole place reeks of witches. At least four different ones. She’s trapped. That’s why we couldn’t find her before.
“How do I get her out?” I asked, on the cusp of tears that couldn’t seem to fall. Emma’s helplessness pressed in on me, making me stagger.
With enough will, you can walk through that circle. All you’ll need to do once you’re over is call to her. He pointed with a front paw toward a thin black line on the ground. It was barely visible but for the sickly smoke that wafted up from it.
“So, I just think it hard enough and that’s it?” It was too easy. If I could feel my heartbeat, I had no doubt it would be beating out of my chest. I edged closer to the line, repulsed by it, but unable to turn away. It was sickening, both the feel of Emma’s energy and the spell that held her there. Who does that to another being?
Stop stalling, girl. I can only mask you for so long and eventually they’ll find a way to harvest her when she grows weak enough.
“You better be right about this or I’ll figure out how to make you into a rug,” I gritted out, then swallowed thickly, glancing at my guardian. I closed my eyes for a moment, drawing on whatever mental strength I had. I focused my will, like Liam had taught me. When they opened again, I thought about how I wanted into the circle.
I lifted one foot and edged it toward the line, then over. There was resistance, but once half my foot was through, something started to sizzle. A silver blast of light flared up, blinding me for a second before it died down.
The mass of light that had been trapped slammed into me and settled in my limbs. The familiar sense of Emma wrapped around me. Relief. Grief. Love. Peace. It all fell over me, making me sag under the onslaught.
I felt a mental sigh in my head. A perfect Entwinement, the cat purred at me. Grab hold. Those witches are on their way and while they can’t catch you, they’ll try. I glanced over the cat’s head and sure enough the other lights I’d seen were now moving towards us.
The world slipped again as soon as my fingers twined in his fur and we were moving. “What’s Entwinement?” I asked.
The merging of energy. You’re a natural for someone who has no clue what they’re doing.
“Everyone keeps saying that,” I said, fighting against a particularly hard tug that tried to grab ahold of me. “I think…”
Yes. There are beings here that have festered and lost their purpose, he said, answering my unspoken thoughts. And yes, you are a natural, as all Entwined are meant to be.
“Half of what you say doesn’t make sense, you know that right?” I replied tartly.
We all have our roles to play. You’ve been a long time coming. We just have to keep you sane. Now stop fighting so we can get out of here. You’re slowing us down using your energy to speak.
I slammed my mouth shut and tried to relax without letting go of my cat. My chest had an uncomfortable weight to it that I’d been able to ignore by distracting myself. But the lynx was right. As soon as I stopped trying to talk, we moved faster. It wasn’t long before we came to a halt back in the bedroom where I’d fallen asleep with the guys.
I’ll be back for the ceremony. Stay out of trouble, t
he cat said.
Chapter 25
I sat up, gasping for breath. Someone yelped beside me and knocked into my shoulder as they followed me. A hand grasped my chin, turning my head until my eyes met Ben’s blue-green ones. There was just enough light from the television on the wall to make out his features.
“Are you alright? Did you have a nightmare?” he asked as his gaze raked over me, assessing and concerned.
“I don’t know,” I answered quietly. “The cat, he… said his name was Piddles and we went—I don’t quite feel right.” Blinking several times, I tried to make out what was wrong with me. I broke off abruptly as my chest tightened. Emotions warred inside me, like bubbles, jostling one another to make room.
“Holy shit,” Flynn said, leaning over Ben’s shoulder. “Do you feel that?”
“I do,” Kieran said quietly from across the bed. “Emma.”
My head spun, still struggling to make sense of the situation. Everything I normally felt was there and then some.
“Cat took me to find her. He said she was trapped and shielded or something,” I rushed to say. “I broke some sort of spell and she just…”
“That explains why we couldn’t find her that night,” Liam muttered from somewhere behind me. I turned to see him flop backward onto the bed on the other side of Lucien. The latter was quiet, thoughtful, as he looked at me.
Feelings of warmth and comfort swirled around me as I took in the guys. It was similar to what I felt whenever I saw Vian. Family, love. But it was different too because I knew it wasn’t me feeling those things, at least not so extremely. My feelings for the guys were strong, I could admit that, but what Emma felt was almost blinding.
“This is so confusing,” I said, closing my eyes, willing the foreign emotions away. It took tremendous effort and I sagged slightly before someone wrapped their arms around me. The scent of citrus and clean linen invaded my nose and I sighed into it.
“Probably just a bit drunk on energy,” Kieran replied.
My eyes popped open. “Can that happen?”
“If you take on a lot at once, yes,” Ben answered. “If she was trapped, she didn’t have a chance to expel any excess she had, so in essence, you’re carrying around the life energy of an entire person plus whatever she managed as an Entwined. When we die, the excess releases naturally and over time our ‘spirit’ - as humans would call it - lingers.”
“Are you saying that there are actually ghosts?” I asked in disbelief.
“More or less, but usually it’s other things that get credit for hauntings. People tend to be pretty weak-willed after death,” Flynn said with a small smirk.
I stared at them with an open mouth. “Other things. Like demons? Wait, no. Shelve that answer. I don’t want to know right now,” I said. There was enough to worry about. I could look into ghosts and hauntings later. “So, what happens now, how do we…” I didn’t know how to say it. They’d confirmed that I hadn’t dreamed up my experience with Cat—no way in hell would I use Piddles—and now I wasn’t sure what happened.
“It’s customary in our society to have a Sending when a loved one dies,” Luc said into my ear, his breath tickling my neck. “We would have had one sooner, but we didn’t want to have the ceremony until we knew for sure we couldn’t physically send her on. Now we can.”
“Our families will want to be there,” Kieran said, sliding off the bed. “I’ll call Mom and we should let Brooke and Vian know. And Emma’s parents,” he finished quietly.
My heart pounded in my chest. I hadn’t even thought about her parents. But then again, I’d always thought she was an orphan like me. I didn’t want to meet them, I decided. It would be awkward and painful. Not just for me but for them as well. I swallowed hard, trying not to think about the foreign emotions residing inside my heart and head. It felt wrong to push Emma aside like that, but it was hard enough dealing with my own emotions, let alone feeling someone else’s.
“You won’t be practicing Arts until the ceremony,” Liam said into the void of conversation. “With you still in training, they could go very wrong or you could end up burning her out instead of yourself.”
I nodded before unlatching Luc’s arms from around my waist and sliding off the bed. I needed a moment alone, to not hear anyone’s voice but my own. Every time one of them spoke, Emma pressed on me, smothering me with her emotions to the point I could hardly tell what was me and what was her.
No one asked me where I was going as I waded through the clothes on Ben’s floor and out the door. On hurried feet, I slipped into my own room and then straight into the bathroom. At the mirror, I stared at my reflection. In just a week, I already had more weight on my frame. My skin had more color than ever before, but there was a weariness in my features. Deep shadows under my eyes made them appear brighter, but more haunted. I barely recognized the girl I was two weeks ago. Sure, she’d been tired, but not like this.
“Listen babe,” I said to Emma, using my own gaze to look inward. I could feel her in there, even if I couldn’t see her. I paused, unsure of what I wanted to say. There was so much, days’ worth of words, but they failed me. The skin around my eyes grew red as tears threatened to fall. Wiping at them in frustration, I tried again. “I love you, you complete idiot. But you’re going to have to work with me here. I can be strong for you and carry you wherever it is you need to go.” My voice broke and tears really did fall then. I was speaking the very last words I ever would say to my first real friend in the world. They needed to be perfect. This was such an incredible gift the universe was giving me. A chance to make peace with it all. With her. I wiped at my face again and took a few deep breaths. “I will do whatever it is that needs to be done for you. I just need you to not confuse me so much. I can feel your happiness and how much you love everyone. Just try to tone it down and we’ll get through this. Okay?”
The words weren’t perfect, but they were the best I had. I waited for several moments, searching inward for some sort of response from her, but it didn’t come. Maybe that was her way of doing as I asked. My eyes closed, the last of my tears fell. “I love you so much, babe,” I whispered one last time.
I left the bathroom without looking back. The idea of rejoining the guys passed through my thoughts for a few seconds before I ultimately decided to crawl into my own bed. It was just after two in the morning and I was exhausted. I hadn’t been sure if I’d be able to sleep again, but I started drifting off within a few minutes.
I stirred once when the bed dipped, and someone crawled under the covers with me. Whoever it was carefully draped a heavy arm around my waist, and I was out again. In the morning, I woke up with my face pressed into Luc’s neck, one of my legs between both of his and his arms surrounding me.
For a few minutes, I listened to him breathe deeply. His normally kempt hair brushed my cheek. I pulled my head back to look at him. He mumbled something, tightening his arms to keep me in place. He looked so peaceful. I’m not sure how long I lay there, watching him. Long enough for the sun to slip across the wall, lightening the room as it went.
His eyes opened slowly, blinking at me before I stirred fully. A soft smile crossed his lips and I found my own returning one.
“Morning, Doll,” he mumbled.
“Morning yourself,” I said, somewhat shyly. There was something intimate about the moment that made me feel self-conscious. I struggled to find something to make it less awkward before asking something random. “Why do you call me that?”
“What, Doll?” He chuckled. “You’re just so tiny. Beautiful, like a china doll.” My skin heated at being called beautiful which made him smile wider. “How are you feeling?”
“Better,” I answered honestly, somewhat grateful that he didn’t further my embarrassment. “I think I’ve got it—Emma—under control.”
“Oh?” he asked curiously. “How’d you manage that?”
“We sort of…talked. I don’t know, honestly.”
He looked thoughtful for a moment. “
If it becomes a problem, will you tell me or one of the others? Liam and I specifically, we have some experience with… this.”
“With taking your dead friends’ energy into yourself?” I asked jokingly. A dark look crossed his features, smoothing out his sinful smile into a firm straight line.
“Something like that,” he said, looking away.
“What is it?” I found myself asking. I didn’t normally pry into other people’s problems or really want to know things about them in general, but the more I was around Luc, the more I did want to know. He was usually so carefree and flirty. Anything that hurt him, I wanted to take away.
“It’s not something… fuck,” he muttered. He pulled away from me, rolling onto his back, taking his warmth with him. His eyes searched the canopy over my bed for a few moments before he laced his fingers with mine and pulled me against him. “Liam and I didn’t—weren’t born in the community. If we had parents, we never knew them. We were brought up as slaves in a coven of witches in the Midwest. Of course, we didn’t know it was slavery then. Only that our lives were miserable.” I nuzzled into his chest, trying to sooth him without interrupting. His free hand ghosted through my hair and a small sigh escaped my lips.
“It was one of the more sickening covens. They used Entwined in experiments, forced us to steal energy from others. Except we didn’t know that we were murdering them. I think near the end, we were starting to understand, but not for sure. It wasn’t until they were raided and Ameris took us in that we realized the gravity of what we’d been doing.” He paused, his breath stuttering. “So, yes,” he breathed, “I know what it means to take someone into yourself.”
I was horrified by his story. For so long, I’d lived my own version of hell that any other kind was inconceivable. But this was so much worse than what I’d experienced. What sort of evil forced children to murder? I couldn’t even wrap my mind around it.