Descending Darkness (The Prophesized #3) (5 page)

I fall to the ground, trying to remain conscious long enough to push more magic toward it. I thrust all my remaining magic at it. Though I can’t breathe, relief floods through me when the lamp leaves the table. It flies forward and hits Natasha in the head. She screams and slumps to the ground. Coughing violently, I call out for Larkin.

Larkin blinks back into the room a couple seconds later. He glances over at the unconscious Natasha but picks me up and transports me out of the house. I blink, and we are back in the living room. Logan and Colton run over to me. Larkin lets go of me, and I sway on the ground. My head is throbbing from hitting the wall, and I can’t get oxygen into my lungs fast enough. Logan grabs me and starts to heal me.  

I blink rapidly as the hazy stupor begins to fade. “Why did you drop your shield?” Larkin asks me.

When Logan finishes, I turn toward him. “Because the table lamp was freaking heavy and took more magic than I was expecting to pick it up. I could push more magic toward it when I wasn’t trying to keep the shield up.”

“What did you do with the lamp?” Colton asks me.

“I hit Natasha in the head with it. I’m getting really tired of that female dog.”

“Oh my gosh, did Ryanne just cuss?” asks Emma. I can’t help but smile as she looks at me with wide eyes. I don’t cuss. It just doesn’t feel right coming from me, so I come up with other things to say when I’m upset or angry. Sometimes I get creative; sometimes I come up with literal alternatives.

“Indirectly,” I say as I walk past everyone and over to Natalie and Conner, who are sitting on the couch. They look shocked. “Are you guys okay?”

“She tried to kill us,” Natalie mumbles. Conner stands up and pulls me into a hug.

“Thank you so much, Ryanne.” I hug him back, but release him when Colton grunts behind me.

“You’re welcome,” I say, and then step away from him. “I’m sorry about Natasha.”

“I knew that she was working for Dravin, but I never thought she’d come after us,” Natalie says. “We’re family.”

“You knew, and you didn’t tell me?” Conner asks.

“Of course I knew. She’s my twin. I thought that she’d realize how crazy she was being and leave, but obviously her hatred for Ryanne is pushing her farther to their side.”

“I’m sorry.” I know that Natasha hates me, but I still feel bad for Natalie. Natasha is her twin, and I know that it can’t be easy to be on opposing sides.

“Oh, it’s not your fault. Natasha’s a little unstable. She hates everything that stands between her and what she wants. And she wants Colton.” Natalie looks over toward Colton and smiles. “Though, I see that that is never going to happen again. He loves you.”

Colton stares at her. “How can you tell that?”

“Magic. I can sense emotions, feelings, and tell what people’s intentions are. It’s been a while since we talked last, Colton.” She turns back to me. “You love him too. Just like you love everyone in this room, which is why you risk your life to protect them.”

“Everyone already knows that,” I tell her. She gets the gleam in her eyes that all mages get when you question their power.

“Colton and Liam hate how you have to go on these things alone. They understand, but they don’t like it. Logan hates how you keep getting injured, but he’s glad that he’s around to heal you. Bragden and David love you like a sister and hate seeing you hurt all the time. Larkin feels like he owes you for something. Emma wishes that she could help you, and she also loves you like a sister and doesn’t want anything to happen to you,” Natalie tells me. “That’s just a really basic explanation of everyone’s feelings toward you. I could go into more detail, but that would take a while.” Natalie yawns, and I notice how tired she looks. Conner doesn’t look much better either.

I glance over toward Tom and see him watching them as well. “You guys are welcome to stay here with us. We can make room. David, can you move your stuff into Colton’s room? Natalie and Conner can use your room,” Tom tells them.

“Ryanne’s staying with me,” Colton says. Tom and I both look at him at the same time.

“I am?” I ask.

“Colton, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Tom says.

“Tom, Dravin and Adam can’t get to her when she’s with me,” Colton tells him.

“Are you positive?” It is obvious that Tom doesn’t like the idea of me sharing a room with him. I’m not sure how I feel about it, but I know that he is telling the truth. The past couple of nights, when I’ve fallen asleep near Colton, I haven’t been attacked in my sleep.

“I’m sure of it.”

Tom watches Colton for a few moments, before slowly nodding. “Okay, well Emma, would you be okay with sharing a room with Natalie?”

“As long as she doesn’t try to kill me like her sister did, I’m fine with it.” Tom nods and turns toward David.

“Are you okay with sharing a room with Conner?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” I glance over at Colton, while Tom continues talking. He’s watching me—most likely trying to decipher my reaction to this new arrangement. I’ll be sharing a room with Colton. I bite my lip; I don’t know if I’m excited or scared.

“Ryanne,” someone pokes me in the ribs, bringing me out of my thoughts.

“Huh?” I turn and look around the room; everyone is watching me.

“How did you know that we needed help?” Conner asks.

“I don’t really know how it works, but I see this image of a door in my mind, and I
have
to draw it. When I finish the drawing, I’m somehow transported there. What I think happens is that I go into a vision in a way, but it’s happening in the present. I just know that someone needs help at that location, so I go.”

“Well, thank you.” Conner reaches out and places a hand on my shoulder. I am going to tell him again that he doesn’t need to thank me, but I am pulled into a vision. Similar to the last time, I don’t have time to warn anyone before I fall.

Colton

That actually makes sense. She can’t go into a vision in the present, so her power compensates for that. She’s had visions literally seconds before an event happened, but these drawings are different. Something is already happening, and she feels like she needs to be somewhere else. I watch as Conner reaches forward and thanks Ryanne. She smiles at him, before her eyes roll into the back of her head. “Catch her!” I yell at Conner as Ryanne starts falling to the ground.

Time seems to slow down as she falls. He reaches out and catches her before she hits the ground. “She’s going into visions much quicker than she used to,” Emma says with a frown. Conner picks up Ryanne and carries her to the couch.

“She’s in a vision?” he asks us as he puts her down. I walk over to the couch and sit beside her, moving her hair out of her eyes.

“Yeah, she used to be able to warn us before she went into them, but now it happens very quickly,” Emma says. “I wonder what she’s seeing.”

I watch Ryanne as she is experiencing the vision. What is she seeing? Will she be injured, angry, upset? Anything can happen in these visions.

“Are you guys together now?” Natalie asks me. Now isn’t really the time, but I nod anyway. Emma decides to explain.

“They’re soulmates,” she says. Usually when she says that, she is grinning widely, but because Ryanne is in a vision, it doesn’t come out as happy as usual.

“Are you serious?” Natalie asks with a surprised expression. “You know for sure?”

“Yeah, they’ve both healed each other. Though, he just told Ryanne last night,” Emma answers for me.

“You’ve healed each other?” Natalie whips towards me.

“Well, we’ve both died, and we’re still here.”

“Oh, wow. That’s amazing. I bet it’s nice knowing for sure that you’re destined to be together,” she says while looking down at Ryanne. I never really noticed Natalie before. Natasha was the loud one. But looking at Natalie, she is so much prettier than her sister. Not in looks, because they’re identical but in personality. She has a kindness in her expression that Natasha lacks.

My eyes move from Natalie to Liam. Shoot. “Where?” I ask him as I catch his slight grimace.

“I can’t even tell. My side, leg, and back. She’s being attacked by something. Logan, be ready,” he warns. Ryanne is being attacked again. Liam leans forward and puts his hands on his legs, his hair blocking his expression, but from his posture, I can tell that he’s in pain. I clench my fists and close my eyes. I need to concentrate to remain visible. I get so angry during situations like this because I know there’s nothing I can do.

“Wait, how does he know that?” Conner asks.

“Liam’s her protector.” Liam gasps and grabs onto his side just as Ryanne starts moving. She cries out and rolls off the couch. I jump down and help her stand up. She leans all of her weight on me. Blood is dripping down her leg from a large gash, and she has a giant bruise on her cheek. She leans down and grabs onto her side. When she removes her hand, it is covered in blood.

“Logan!” She whimpers again as she starts to fall. I grab onto her, supporting her full weight as she starts to lose consciousness. Her head lolls backward, and Logan grabs onto her hands. If she goes unconscious, he’ll have to wait until she wakes up to heal her…if she wakes up.

Logan closes his eyes and concentrates on healing Ryanne’s injuries. Her black eye disappears and the gash on her leg seals together. She gasps and starts breathing heavily as Logan continues to heal her. She whispers a thank you before collapsing in my arms. “Is she healed?”

“I think so.” Logan lifts the edge of her shirt to check the wound. Despite a long scar under her ribs, the skin is smooth and healed. I’ve never seen that scar before. How did she get that? He pulls her shirt back down and nods up at me. Bending down, I lift Ryanne in my arms and cradle her against my chest. I want to go put her in bed, but I need to know what happened. I sit down on the couch with Ryanne in my arms and turn toward Logan.

“What happened?” I can feel my magic bubbling to the surface.

He instantly starts shaking his head. “I have no idea. The vision started with her standing in this field. Alone. Adam and Dravin jumped out of the woods and just attacked her. She didn’t stand a chance.” She was alone with Adam and Dravin? How the heck were they always able to find her?

“Where were we?” I ask.

“I don’t know. Like I said, she was alone. I have no idea where we were,” he whispers.

“Could you tell when it happens?” Liam asks.

“I don’t know for sure. Ryanne would know, but I don’t think it happens for a little while,” he says. I glance between Conner and Natalie and find them staring down at Ryanne with worried expressions. They’ve never witnessed her going into a vision, let alone one that resulted in her being hurt. “She looked scared. I don’t think she knew what was happening until it actually happened. She kept looking around like she was lost…or didn’t know how she got there.”

With an exasperated sigh, I stand up and carry Ryanne upstairs. Nothing can be done right now, especially since Ryanne is out. I gently place her in the bed and pull the comforter around her. Grabbing some clothes, I go into the bathroom to change and get ready for bed. When I am finished, I slowly walk back into the room and turn the light off. When the room plunges into darkness, I hear some light scratching on the outside of the door. I open the door and let Olive in. Picking her up, I move back over to the bed and place Olive at the end of it, where she curls up into a ball. I crawl into the bed and quietly move the covers back, lying down beside Ryanne. I glance over at her. Her head is rolled to the side away from me, so I can’t see her expression. Her shallow breathing lets me know that she is asleep. I hope that one day she’ll be able to go to sleep without worrying about attacks.

Rubbing my eyes, I slowly wake up. I feel more tired now than I did before I went to bed last night. Sleep just isn’t as easy to come by anymore. I’m about to get up, when I feel a weight against my chest and slight movements. Ryanne is pressed against my side; her hand sprawled across my chest. She is still asleep, but starting to move, so she’ll wake up soon. I gently push her hair out of her eyes. I don’t see any obvious injuries. Her long eyelashes fan across her cheekbones, and her lips are slightly parted. She sighs quietly before her eyelids flutter open. Blinking rapidly, she rolls onto her back and groans. “I’m too tired to be awake,” she grumbles.

Pushing herself into a seated position, she runs her hand through her curly hair, trying to tame it. I yearn to reach out and wrap one of the spirals around my finger. She glances over her shoulder and smiles at me. Wow, she is beautiful. This is the girl I’m meant to spend the rest of my life with. I can’t believe that it’s her. “Morning,” she says lightly.

“Good morning.” I laugh as she starts blinking slowly. Sleep is trying to call her back. Rubbing her eyes, she arches her back and stretches.

“Sorry, Olive,” she says after she slams her hands onto the mattress, scaring her. Getting out of the bed, she attempts to smooth her wrinkled clothing. She is still wearing what she wore yesterday. The side of the shirt still has a bloodstain on it. The vision.

“Ryanne, what happened in your vision last night?” I ask her. She looks around the room. I point to the corner, near the armoire where her suitcase is located. She thanks me and walks over to it. Unzipping the suitcase, she starts to elaborate.

“I don’t know exactly. I was just thrown into the middle of this field. I was scared, but I kept thinking
it’s working.
I don’t know…I just got attacked.”

“Ryanne, you were attacked by Adam and Dravin.” Why is she so calm?

“Yeah, I think that was part of the plan,” she says. “Look, I don’t know much about the vision except for that it doesn’t happen anytime in the near future. It was just a vision. We have a small chance of changing it if that’s any consolation. I’d rather just focus on the present though,” she pauses and looks toward the bathroom. “Can I take a shower in here? I feel gross.”

“Of course, this is your room now,” I tell her. A surprised look crosses her face, but she quickly recovers and walks into the bathroom. I know that the whole soulmate thing still frightens her, but I know over time she’ll come to accept it whole-heartedly. When I hear the shower start, I pick up Olive and leave the room, giving Ryanne some privacy to get ready.

In the kitchen, everyone is seated at the table. Conner is sitting beside Bragden, talking. The two are similar in age, so they’ll get along well. They met previously when Conner helped us fight, but they don’t really know each other. I put food and water in Olive’s bowls.

“Is she okay?” Liam inquires.

I sit down at the table. Everyone turns and looks at me, waiting for my response. “Yeah. She doesn’t want to talk about the vision, but she doesn’t think it’ll happen for a while. She says that it’s part of some sort of plan.”

“One of her crazy plans or a group plan?” David asks.

“I don’t know. I know that I’d never let her go into a situation where her plan was to get attacked by Adam and Dravin, but I really don’t know much at this point,” I tell him. I don’t really want to think about it right now. “Where are Emma and Natalie?”

“Upstairs. Getting ready, or whatever it is girls do,” David says.

“Conner, does Natalie care about fashion and clothing…stuff?” I ask.

“Not really. She’s more of a t-shirt kind of girl. She’s not super girly when it comes to clothing.” I start laughing. David groans. “What?” Conner looks between us obviously confused by our reactions.

“Emma’s always trying to get Ryanne to wear something other than t-shirts all the time, but Ryanne’s stubborn. Now, she has Natalie to criticize.”

“Well Natalie can be pretty stubborn when she needs to be,” Conner says.

“Great. Now, we’ve got
two
Ryanne’s on our hands.”

*****

For some reason, it is planned for me to get attacked by Dravin and Adam. I don’t know what is supposed to happen exactly. There has to be a reason why I saw that vision, but what was it? In the vision, I was waiting in the middle of a field. I knew what was going on. I knew that I was in the dream world, and I knew whom I was waiting for. So, when Dravin and Adam rushed out of the woods and came toward me, I pretended to defend myself. I wasn’t really fighting, but I was giving them the pretense that I was fighting back. Why?

I reach down and turn the shower off. There is no way I’ll find the answer right now. Wrapping a towel around myself, I peek into the room. It is empty. Colton and Olive aren’t in here. The clothes I’d grabbed had somehow gotten wet while I was showering, so I need a new outfit.

I dress in my black James Dean shirt and white shorts. It isn’t that bad, so Emma shouldn’t have anything too negative to say about it. I walk across the hall to her room and open the door without knocking. “You know, throwing on a nice outfit wouldn’t kill anyone around here. I seem to be the only one who cares about what she looks like,” Emma says from the bathroom.

“You are,” I say as I walk toward her.

“Look, Ryanne, Natalie’s just like you.” I look over and see Natalie sitting on the bed wearing a black t-shirt with Snoopy on it and jean shorts.

“Nice.” I smile at her. It is nice knowing that there is someone else who doesn’t really care about appearances. It doesn’t look like she is wearing much make-up either. “How’d you get the outfit though?”

“Larkin took Conner back to the house, and they grabbed some clothing for me.”

“Well, if you ever need to borrow anything, you can ask me. I can’t guarantee that it will fit you though. You’re a little taller than me,” I tell her. Every single mage is taller than me.

“Or you can just do what Ryanne does and steal from the guys,” Emma says as she walks out the bathroom.