Vindicate (29 page)

And with that statement, he vanished.

I closed my eyes and let the wall of energy behind me fall.

“Not off to a good start, are we?” Olivia said shortly.

“What did Silas have to say?” Draven asked hoarsely.

I stared at him. At his audacious innocents that was wrapped with a dark edge . I was going to protect him. He needed my voice. My word that he was pure. And I was going to give it to him.
“He knows where I stand when it comes to you.”

Draven looked down, and I felt his humble gratitude for me.

All at once thousands upon thousands of shimmering white doves descended all around us. They were silent, beautiful. They took my breath away.

Brady’s shock and wea ry emotion caused me to stare at him in utter confusion. “What? What are you thinking?”

He swallowed nervously. “My thoughts didn’t bring this.” Brady’s tone was near ghostly.

“How are doves bad?” my voice trembled as I gawked at the ground. The doves were all facing me. There was a profound innocents in their dark eyes.

“There not.” Brady confirmed. “Ma n y cultures state that they represent a declaration of peace. A prophecy of a coming peace.” He glanced down. “As a traveler I can confirm that in numerous cultures this display represents a bow from a God. You have been recognized. Something you said or thought has manifested this glory.”

I swallowed tensely as I continued my stare at the ground before me. I wasn’t sure honoring and God in The Realm was a good idea, but I meant what I thought. I would speak for Draven.
I would vow that he was not evil. He was simply existing.
And if there were others like him I would speak for them, too.

With that thought, the angelic doves took silent flight, and stillness absorbed The Realm.

“What now?” Olivia asked with a trembling tone.

“Water,” Brady said, and with that word, a lake appeared next to us.
“Feel powerful?” he asked me.

“Not as powerful as you, apparently,” I mumbled.

The sky grew darker, and with that darkness, tiny lights flashed around us. A t first I thought they were fireflies, but when I focused my eyes on them, I saw that th ey were butterflies. G
lowing butterflies.

“Now they show up,” I said with a frustrated sigh, not knowing what to do now.

“They are a reflection of your power. A t least that is what they are for, Charlie,” Draven said as he hungrily gazed at the multiplying number of them.

In the lake, I could see the reflection of stars that were spinning. I looked up to see the sky turning faster than nature would allow. “What does that represent?” I asked in an unsteady voice.

“If I had to guess,” Draven said, looking at me, “a clock. H
ow fast time was moving here.”

At that moment, the ground began to tremble all around us. Olivia reached for my hand.
I grasped hers, unsure of what was coming at us. Brady and Draven circle d around us, their backs to us facing whatever may appear.

Then acro ss the water, I saw something. Horses. M
ore than twenty; pulling a carria ge that was from another time. T
hey glided across the water as if it were solid. T
he butterflies parted from their way as if a predator was in their presence.

They were charging right at us. W
hen the horses reached us, they circled around where we stood. Once in place, they stomped their hooves and breathed out heavily. I think I was the last to s ee the driver of the carriage.
I broke my stare with these majestic animals and followed the shocked emotions I felt from everyone.

Standing pro udly on the carriage was Drake in all of his decadence . His eyes were cold and dark. T
he light of the stars highlighted his perfect profile . I felt my heart race as he stepped down and slowly walked to us.

“Illusion,” I said under my breath.

Olivia squeezed my hand.
I had no idea if that was to tell me yes or no. Her fear was no help either. S
he had never been completely comfortable in Drake’s presence.

I kne w it would not be this easy. T
hat he would just walk up to me.
I told myself he wasn’t real, and prepared for the worst.

This image of Drake held my stare an d walked ever so slowly to me. His eyes were thirsty. F
illed with an alluring passion. Draven and Brady stood like soldiers before me. He ignored them as he stopped just in front of them.

“My Queen, your carriage awaits,” the image said, mocking Drake’s voice perfectly.

“Wrong girl,” I said firmly.

He tilted his head somewhat and smiled. I t was a perfect smile, one that I craved to see.
“I would know you in any form.
I bow to you.”

As he said those words, Draven erupted with rage and charged forward, knocking the uns uspecting image to the ground.
Out of nowhere, a long silver sword appeared in Draven’s hand, and he held it against this image. T
he mome nt the blade reached his neck the image of Drake vanished and another young man appea red. His eyes were stee l blue. H
i s strong jawline was faultless . He had a solid built, like an at hlete.
Brady held his arms out, telling me and Olivia to stay behind him.

“Good to see you, Draven,” the boy said.

“Britain,” Draven said through gritted teeth and an evil smirk.

“Now, how did you know so easily?” Britain said in a slightly amused tone.

“I bow to you. Seriously? You need a new line. D
idn’t work on Charlie . Didn’t work on Madison. I t’s not going to work on her,” Draven said coldly.

“I beg to differ.
Madison likes it when I bow at her feet,” Britain said cleverly .

“I have no idea why she has mercy for you,” Draven said, leaning the blade of the sword into Britain.

“The same reason Charlie has mercy for you . T
hey like the bad boys,” Britain said as he chuckled. “What is it about you ? H
ow have you managed to get so many of them to flock to you? You must share this allure you have.”

I saw Draven push harder, and I immediately wished it was a dull edge sword tha t could not cut into that boy.
I di dn’
t care how dangerous he was.
I wasn’t going to let Draven commit murder in my defense. With that thought, the sword became a board. Even without a blade in his hand, Draven looked threatening . D
angerous enough that Britain didn’t try to fight.

“It’s right there,” Britain sai d, nodding at me. “Her energy. If you take from her it will be more than you could ever cra ve. S
o much that you could never hurt Charlie. Y
ou could live side —by --
side with her without tho se nasty little reservations you have. B
est of both worlds, brother.”

At that moment, images of Charlie and Draven appeared around us.
Darkness was reaching out o f his body pulling every part of Charlie into him as she screamed in agony.

Draven pushed the board harder against Britain. “Get out of my head!” Draven yelled at him, and instantly the images wer e gone. “I am not your brother.
I am not one of you!
”

Britain laughed und er his breath. “Deny it all you want. Take it, or someone else will. I’ll take it.
I’ll find a way to not ever fear that I will hurt Madison.”

“You don’t fear that,” Draven seethed. “That’s what you tell her.”

“Wrong,” Britain said as he pushed Draven back and they jumped to their feet. Without a thought, my energy knocked Br itain down and held him there.
Brady looked over his shoulder at me, raising one eyebrow in a n effort to tell me well done. T
hen held out his arm, telling me to do w hat I needed to do. S
ay what I needed to say.

I walked slowly to Britain’s side and knelt down on one knee and stared into his eyes. I couldn’t feel a single thing from him. N
o intent. No truth. N
o emotion. H
e was a ghost. V
acant of anything that would make me feel any empathy for him.

I understood what he was saying to Draven. T
hat he was telling Draven that instead of helping me that Dr aven should be taking my power. T
hat if he did, he would have Charlie safely at his side forever, but Draven was a pur e soul.
I c ould feel everything about him. H
e was so pure that he put t he needs of others before his. H
e made that choice for a reaso n. Draven knew that to hurt me he would have to commit to his dark side . He couldn’t do that because he had already committed to love Charlie . Committed to overcome his past. N
ot become it.

I imagined what ‘light’ wo uld look like to these Escorts. I f it was something that could be felt or sensed in any tangible way.
With that thought, one of the glowing butterflies landed on my hand.

I had learned long ag o that by giving, you receive. T
hat it didn’t matter how much energy I used, Landen, the thought of Landen, or even a simple joyful emotion would bring it back. At this point, I didn’t know if I could do it simply because of the age of my soul, or if it was something I cou ld teach Charlie to do . I wondered if knowing that my power was something that was endless would help me conquer this battle between light and dark. T
his endless war that the darkness was clearly winning.

I remembered clearly telling Madison that if she helped me I would help Draven, even Britain, and I’m not one to break my promises. I decided to bargain with Britain. “Tell me…why are you here? Have you chosen to stand at Bianca’s side?”

His eyes reflected an allure. A magnetic pull that I’m sure any girl would fall for. He smiled innocently.
“My Queen, Escorts stand alone. W
e’re rather greedy.”

“Why are y ou here then? Are you a thief? O
r a follower?”

“Now,” he said as his eyes sparkled. “Thoug h those titles are both harsh , they are also true – true for all of my kind. We follow the light . We take light, but we do so to survive. T
o feel fulfilled.”

“So, let’s say that Bianca found a source of light – you followed her, and now you are planning to take it?”

He moved his head from side to side, and his smile fell. “When Madiso n told me she was coming here I knew she was your sacrifice. I f anyone is going to take her light, it’s going to be me. Not you. N
ot Bianca.”

Little territorial aren’t we?
“Is that love speaking, or some kind of claim on what you see as property?”

“It’s a promise.”

So he was arrogant. What did Madison see in him?
“She’s not a sacrifice. Y
ou’ve been misinformed.”

His smile returned. “Or have you?”

What did he mean by that?
“I protect my own.”

“And then some,” he said as his eyes moved to Draven.

“Britain,” I said in a charming tone, then widened my hand as two more butterflies landed there. “What if I quenched t hat thirst I see in your eyes?
W
hat if I g ave you what you were seeking?
W
ould you tell me where your friend Bianca is?”

“Willow,” Brady and Olivia said at the same time.

I raised my eyebrows as I tilted my head and looked down at Britain. “Answer quickly, before they talk me out of this.”

My eyes moved to one of the butterflies , and then to Britain’s chest. O
n my silent comman d, the butterfly landed there, and he sighed as if he were feeling pure rapture.

“She’s right here. W
atching.”
He breathed out.

I looked at another butterfly as it moved to his chest. “That’s not helping.”

He sighed as he took in a deep, lasting breath. “Their core lies where you left them. Y
our victory lies where your existence began.”

I furrowed my eyebrows, knowing that in reality, those two places were distant. O
ne was at the Estate, the other at the Palace.

It was easy to see that the little light I’d given h im had left him near euphoric. I n time, once it had absorbed into his soul, it may give him power, but now he was too high on the feeling in his soul. I moved my eyes to the third butterfly and watched it land on his forehead. “Wake from this Realm. Y
o u will not seek Madison here. N
ot until the man l love is awoken. I f you do. I f you decide to stand with Bian ca.
I will not o nly take this feeling from you but I will t ake everything in your energy.
I will erase your existence and never feel remorse for that act.”

“You’re not like the others. H
ow?” he asked breathlessly.

“Love. C
an you say that word?”

My fingertips traced the letter ‘L’ on his chest as I mocked the letters ‘o’, ‘v’ and ‘e’ his shirt began to burn, his skin was singed and he screamed in agony. I pulled my hand away realizing how powerful that word really was.
He healed in stantly, took in a deep breath then vanished.