books 1 - 3

by Ella J. Smyth

  When she instinctively pulled her head out of the way, more shapes hurtled themselves at her. Holding on with one hand, she tried to bat away whatever it was that was attacking her. The black things didn’t hold still long enough for her to recognize them for sure, but they might have been sparrows, small and swift. She managed to hold them off for a few seconds, but then an entire cloud descended on her. It was like The Birds, a movie that had really freaked her out at the time. Tiny beaks punctured her scalp, and vicious little claws raked her face.

  Adi screamed and ducked down, covering her head with her arms. And then, as suddenly as the onslaught had happened, it stopped. When she opened her eyes, a voice from below the tree said, “Having fun up there?”

  Adi recognized that voice. It couldn’t be. How in…? What the…? Honi looked up at her and laughed at her surprise.

  “What the hell are you doing here? Oh my God, I’m so glad to see you!” Adi had never been so happy to see a person in her whole life.

  “I’m not entirely sure myself, but it looks like you need some help.”

  “No kidding! You think you could give me a hand coming down?”

  Honi chivalrously held up his arms, and Adi slipped off her branch, sighing with relief. He caught her easily and pressed her tightly to him for a moment, whispering in her ear, “You know, you’ve got to stop scaring me. This time I was actually worried about you.”

  Adi held onto him as hard as she could, sniffing him, enveloped by his woodsy scent that both calmed and excited her. His arms tightened around her, and his lips nuzzled her skin as he buried his face in her neck. His shaky exhale betrayed the fact that he wasn’t quite as relaxed as he made himself out to be.

  Adi whimpered, and slowly tears rolled down her cheek. A sob escaped her, and Honi kissed her forehead.

  "Hey sweetheart, don't cry. We’ll get out of this together," he said reassuringly although his voice broke a little.

  When Adi finally got herself under control and looked up at him, the emotion in his eyes took her breath away. She rose up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. The tension in his body released when he returned her kiss. Her tongue licked against the seam of his mouth, and when he opened his lips a little bit, she slipped inside. He felt so good against her, warm and safe, and for a while they kissed hungrily.

  Eventually Honi pulled away and said, “We should get going. We need to find somewhere safe for the night and take shelter."

  “How are you even here? How did you manage to drive off those spirit animals?" Adi looked around. There was no sign of either the doglike creatures or the birds.

  ”I’m not entirely sure. We need to figure out what makes the animals attack and retreat. Could be that they respond to our emotions…” His voice trailed off. He seemed to make it up as he went along. Adi was anything but reassured.

  "But last time you were here, you couldn't help me when the birds attacked, remember?"

  "Yeah, but I hadn't figured out yet how it works. I tried it out with those things now, and they stopped attacking when I projected happy thoughts at them. Maybe it's easier for me because I've been spirit-walking for a long time." While talking, Honi had taken Adi's hand, and his thumb rubbed her skin unconsciously.

  Adi thought out loud. “So what you’re saying is that if I get scared, I give those spirits an opening to attack me?"

  "That sounds about right." Honi stayed silent for a moment, then continued, "I spoke to John, and he explained a few things to me. As far as he could figure out, you’re a spirit-walker like me. Except you've never been trained, and because you refused to accept your gift, you upset the balance between our world and the spirit world. The spirit animals are trying to redress the balance and pull you into their dimension. First through your dreams, and when that didn’t work, through… you know.”

  Through killing her. So was she dead? She remembered being cold and her vision dimming. Adi's breath sped up. She didn't want to stay in this world, but if she was dead, would she be stuck here? Was this the afterlife?

  Before Honi could say anything, the ground beneath their feet trembled. The forest floor shook rhythmically, and Adi stood still, trying to figure out where the movement was coming from.

  Something was coming through the forest towards them. The shaking grew stronger. Now branches were breaking like gunshots, and a muffled growl sounded through the night. She looked at Honi with frightened eyes and tried to limp away. She hissed in pain when her injured foot touched the ground. It was no use anyway—whatever was coming moved fast. Adi held Honi’s hand and tried to pull him after her as fast as she could hobble.

  His hand tightened and tugged hard enough for her to swing around so that her chest smacked into his. “Stop, this is what I was talking about! You’re letting your panic get the better of you! Come on sweetheart, this is where your meditation training comes in."

  Adi looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “There’s no time for meditation! Can’t you hear it? Something is coming for us, we gotta run!”

  “Please listen to me,” he now begged. When she looked at him, she saw the pleading in his black eyes, and for a moment, she trusted him enough to listen to what he had to say.

  “Close your eyes,” he said gently. She stared at him for another moment, then did as she was told. “Now remember how we practiced breathing together.” Honi inhaled and exhaled loudly, and Adi followed his example as best she could. Unexpectedly, her terror receded and she felt a little calmer.

  “Listen,” Honi whispered. Adi did, and although the noise in the forest was still following them, it seemed further away, quieter. “The spirits respond to your state of mind. If you calm down, they will too.”

  He held her hands and looked at her with such trust that she had no choice but to continue breathing with him. With every calming inhale and exhale, her peacefulness grew. Soon she was in a trance, floating in a sea of calm.

  “It’s gone. Whatever it was, you got rid of it. Well done.” Honi smiled at her, then captured her lips with his.

  And there went her serenity. A few seconds of his tongue sliding over hers and she was back in the present, sharply aware of his large hands holding her. She pressed her body against his, surrendering for a moment to the pull she felt for him. He hummed contently and bent her head back a little to gain better access to her mouth. Her eyes closed, she fell into the kiss, licking into his mouth and enjoying his clean taste.

  His hand moved from her shoulder blades, sliding deeper until it rested on her ass. With a final squeeze, he stood up straight and smiled at her. Adi smiled back helplessly, feeling dizzy and aroused at the same time. For a moment she had forgotten where she was. Great distraction technique—she had to remember that just in case. She opened her mouth a few times, but then realized she looked like a fish gasping for air and shut it again.

  Honi laughed. “Are you ready to listen to what John told me?” Adi nodded. “So John thinks that you have to balance the spirit world with the human world.”

  “Right. And how do I do that?” Adi cringed a little at how sarcastic she sounded. Honi shot her an irritated glance, but then carried on.

  “John didn’t know. He thinks you’re a spirit-walker like me, but you never got any training.”

  “Yeah, I know that. You already told me.”

  “And when we tried to train you, you didn’t do so well.”

  Adi huffed. “Great, why don’t you rub it in even more? So I’m useless at meditation, so what?”

  “You’re not, actually. You just calmed down whatever was coming for us through the trees. Think of it like biofeedback. If you keep calm, you live. If not, we’ll have to run for it.” He took her hand again. “We’ll make it out of here, I promise. There is one other thing he said…” Honi hesitated, and Adi looked at him expectantly.

  “He said you may have to fight to gain back your rightful place. Because you have ignored your calling for years, you might have to force a balancing of the two worlds.”<
br />
  “Well, that’s not fair,” Adi huffed.

  “Yeah, no kidding. When is life ever fair?” Honi agreed. “Let’s walk. The sooner we figure out how to get out of here, the better.”

  He pushed his arm around her waist, and with his help, she was able to move a little faster. Being so close to him, snuggling into his side, was heaven—until she stepped into a rabbit hole and nearly pulled him down with her. She rubbed her burning eyes with her free hand and hoped he didn’t see how upset she was. She was getting so sick of the damsel-in-distress act. She didn’t need rescuing—well, not all the time, and in her weak moments, she was worried that he’d get sick of her neediness.

  Adi looked up and took the hand he held out to her. She smiled a little and allowed him to pull her back to her feet. Then she yelped as he bent quickly and lifted her up bridal-style.

  “Dammit, put me down!”

  “Nope.” He grinned. “We’ll be faster, and you’re light as a feather.”

  Alright then. If he insisted. She snuggled her head against his firm chest and breathed his calming scent. His strong, steady heartbeat lulled her into a daze. And if she copped a feel of his smooth chest, well, she deserved it after today.

  Even though Honi knew that they were only temporary visitors, that they didn’t belong here, he loved sitting on the raised grassy knoll with his girl lying next to him, fast asleep.

  There was no sign of Ho’neo. Sometimes the wolf didn’t appear for days, but it was unusual that he hadn’t shown himself in the spirit world. He was supposed to be his guide after all. Honi sighed. Maybe it was his way of showing his disapproval. Wouldn’t be the first time. Well, he was bound to show up sometime.

  Night passed faster here than in the real world. When they had left the forest, a new day descended on them so quickly, he wondered if the very atmosphere responded to his happy state of mind. Fluffy white clouds shunted across the turquoise-blue sky, as if they were in a race towards the bright sun that burned them off before they could catch up with each other.

  It wasn’t hot, just pleasant enough to sit wearing a T-shirt, and enjoy the contrast between inhaling the cool air that refreshed his whole body and feeling the heat on the skin. The atmosphere of a lazy summer’s day mingled with the heady scent of spring.

  He turned around and studied Adi’s face. He had rarely seen her this relaxed, her pouty mouth slack and her brow free of worry lines. She always seemed so stressed and anxious, he was happy for her to have a few more minutes of rest. Pretty soon they would have to get moving again. He didn’t know how long the sleeping pills would keep him under, and after what he had witnessed in the forest, there was no way he would leave her by herself.

  He was surprised that he had been able to carry her for such a distance. He’d been keen to test his theory, so when his arms had grown tired, he’d retreated into his mind and concentrated. He’d imagined Adi like a pillow in his arms, light and fluffy. To his amazement, after a few minutes, she’d seemed to grow a lot lighter in his arms.

  Whenever he’d spirit-walked before, he’d never had the opportunity to experiment in this realm, to see if this reality would respond to his mental commands. Bit by bit, he’d confirmed to himself that they would. If that was the case, then Adi stood a real chance in a showdown against the forces that tried to keep her here.

  Now that he had started to think about it, he felt a little antsy. They really needed to get going before he woke up and was pulled back into the real world.

  “Adi.” She didn’t respond. He tried again, this time louder. “Adi!” Still nothing. He put the backs of his fingers against her cheek and gently ran his hand from her brow to the corner of her mouth. She twitched a little, and with a grin, he bent down and kissed her lips. Her eyes flew open in alarm, but when she saw who bent over her, her lips curved up and she returned the kiss.

  For a few moments their tongues gently, lazily touched, and Honi didn’t really want to stop. But he remembered how much was at stake, and regretfully, he pulled back. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, we need to get going soon.”

  Adi didn’t argue and pushed herself up slowly, still a little sleepy. She looked adorable with her tousled hair, squinting into the sunlight, and Honi had to push down his desire to show her how much he loved her. She sat next to him, quietly looking at the rolling hills surrounding them. Just as Honi was going to say something, she turned her head towards him.

  “Not that I’m not really happy that you saved me back there, but I’ve got to ask. The last thing I remember was bleeding out. Everything went black, and when I opened my eyes again, I was here. So… am I dead?” And there she was, direct as usual.

  Honi was glad he could at least answer this question. “No, you’re not dead. You were badly injured in the attack, and the doctors had to put you into an artificial coma. You’re expected to make a full recovery,” he said, embellishing the truth a bit. There was no guarantee that she would wake up again, but that was the reason he was here. To give her the best fighting chance to find a way back. She was still looking at him, but now her eyes were filled with fear.

  “So why are you here? Were you attacked as well? Are you lying somewhere in a hospital bed?”

  Honi smiled at her. Again, no need to tell the truth. “I’m so much better at meditation then you are. Right now, I’m sitting under a little tree in lotus position, hands palm up like I showed you, in a deep trance.”

  This was a great opportunity to tell her what she needed to know. “I found out that this whole mind control thing is the key to getting you back. The spirit world responds to you on a mental level. When you allow yourself to be controlled by your baser instincts like fear or anger, you become vulnerable to their influence. The same thing applies to me. When I carried you all the way from the forest behind us, I would never have been able to do that if I had carried you at your normal weight.”

  Honi chuckled as Adi growled at him and smacked him on the arm. He’d known that would set her off, but he’d do anything to distract her from how he happened to be here. “Are you saying I’m fat?”

  “Do I look suicidal? You are perfect, just the right size and sexy as hell.” That earned him a kiss on the cheek, followed by a smile.

  “As much as I enjoy bantering with you, I really wanna go back home.” Adi grinned at him. After a moment she added, “So you think I’m sexy?”

  Honi sighed happily. This conversation was going much better than he had expected. She was distracted, and he was reaping the benefits. He pulled her closer and gently swiped his lips over hers. She responded with a little sigh before opening her mouth to allow him entrance. They had to leave, but a few more minutes of making out shouldn’t make much of a difference.

  Honi gripped her tighter and pulled her on top of him. She chuckled before relaxing and pressing herself against his body. He grabbed her head with both hands and maneuvered her so their mouths slotted together perfectly. Then he lost himself in the slick slide of their tongues and the little moans he coaxed from her as she enthusiastically reciprocated. Eventually his head was swimming, and he needed to breathe. Regretfully he pulled away and smiled at the blissful expression on Adi’s face.

  “I don’t want to stop,” he murmured. Her eyes opened and he felt proud of having put a glaze on them. “But we need to go. Come on baby, get off me.”

  She hesitated, then pushed herself up. Her eyes were lovely with the afternoon sun highlighting her deep amber irises. “Come on, let’s go then. The sooner we get back, the sooner you can kiss me again.”

  They continued down the path in front of them. Adi’s foot felt a lot better. She glanced over at him a few times before she grabbed his hand and threaded her fingers through his. Smiling at each other, they both avoided talking about the dangers that might prevent them from ever getting back. The moment was too perfect, too precious, to disturb the happiness of being in each other’s company.

  He still liked her. He still wanted her. Adi had a bad feeling nagging in
the back of her mind, but for now she was enjoying his large, warm hand holding on to her much smaller one. Having a partner that was bigger than her had never particularly turned her on. But then, she’d never had a boyfriend as tall and built as Honi. He had come after her to get her back… and now the nagging in her mind broke through.

  How had he followed her? She didn’t know how time passed in this realm, but they must have been here for hours. Could he really maintain his meditative state for that long? She bit her lip as she thought this through. If he was here in a dream, then he’d wake up at the end of the night. If he was meditating, he’d come out of it eventually.

  And didn’t he say that he sat under a tree? Somebody would try to pull him out of it at some stage. No way would college security allow a student to sit in the same spot for hours and hours without making sure he wasn’t passed out on drugs.

  Drugs. She was here because of her stupid decision to take drugs instead of facing her fears. What about him? Could he have taken drugs? She gripped his hand a little harder, and Honi turned his head to her and smiled. His face quickly turned more serious when he saw the expression on hers.

  He stopped and asked, “What’s going on? You look upset.”

  She opened her mouth, then closed it again. How did you ask somebody if they were on drugs? Then she narrowed her eyes. How did you ask anything? You just came out and said it, for goodness’ sake.

  “Are you high?” Maybe not quite as directly as that.

  “High? What do you mean?” He looked confused, not angry, so that was something.

  “Sorry, let me rephrase. We’ve been here a long time. You’re good at meditating, but not that good. Did you take something to knock you out?”

  He hesitated, and she could see the lie before he even opened his mouth.

  “Please don’t lie to me. I just want to know how long you’re going to stick around for. It’s really nice to have you here, and if you were to leave…” She didn’t finish the sentence, but she didn’t have to. Honi got it.