“Tomorrow?” Devon asks.
I nod. “Will you be our witness?” I ask as if it’s the most important thing right now.
Looking taken aback, he eventually nods. “Err, sure. Yes, of course.”
I nod, relieved that is cleared up.
CK looks murderous, until I catch his eye and he adjusts his features. Too distracted to be intrigued by his reaction, I try to find my trail of thought.
He helps by prompting, “This union to be…?”
“Whole?” I struggle to explain. “So it can be whole. A proper part of me. It has a mission.”
“A mission?” They all question in unison and then glare at each other.
“I don’t know what. All I got was flashes and feelings. Fire. Lots and lots of fire.” My thoughts are all jumbled, but I ramble on, “The Power didn’t take hold right away. It took control after it accepted Cole, accepted us, after he embraced his true nature.”
“What do you mean?” Devon asks.
Cole looks perplexed, but when I take his hand, he remembers what we shared, and he understands. He had embraced and accepted his Vampire self, truly accepted me as his sire and his subordinate role as my charge, but also the leeway I gifted him as my husband-to-be.
“Ah, Vamp sex,” Devon says in his usual glib way.
CK grimaces. “Back to this mission!” he snaps.
“I told you, I don’t know!” I snap back. He sighs at me as though I am some frustrating child, as he runs his hand through his short hair in a very un-CK like gesture.
“Can you tell me more about it being separate from you?” he asks.
“It’s hard to explain,” I whine.
“Try, my sweet, it’s important that we understand as much as we can,” he says, now kindly.
“It took me over. I was still there, but the Power wasn’t coming from me. All these feelings: approval of Cole and me; anger at someone or something; triumph or relief. And the fire. And the pain,” I add. “That’s all I can tell you.”
“How
do you know about the mission?” he coaxes.
“Again, it was a projection of…” I click my fingers repeatedly scrambling for the right word. “…not feeling…knowledge!” I say triumphantly, pointing at him.
“If you say it approves of your marriage to Cole, maybe you will find out more tomorrow, afterwards,” Devon muses out loud, ever a step ahead.
“Agreed,” CK says and shifts uncomfortably, not unnoticed by me.
“Do you still feel it?” I ask.
“Don’t worry about me, my sweet. I am concerned only for you, that it is not healing,” he replies softly.
“I’ll live. I hope,” I say jokingly.
They all glare at me not amused.
Shortly thereafter, CK leaves with reassurances that we will call if anything happens. Cole and Devon agree to take shifts to watch me as I sleep. I’m unusually tired and settling on my front to sleep is uncomfortable, but I drift off anyway, while Cole sleeps and Devon stays with us and works.
I vaguely remember the boys swapping shifts and I’m joined by Devon on the bed. I hear him snicker and say, “Just to sleep,” to Cole. I feel myself drifting back off when he adds, “She isn’t up to much in the fun department right now anyway,” and howls with laughter before Cole tells him to shut it and the room goes silent again.
The dreams keep pulling me under. I am standing in a massive canyon, which must have been a mile across and just as high. The sky is dark orange with black clouds. I can see shadows, huge shadows, overhead, but I’m not afraid. Every now and again I hear a loud shriek and a whooshing sound as I just stand there. I can’t be clear on what it is. I see fire, but don’t feel the heat or the burn and there is a massive sword buried deep into a wall that no one can reach. I feel content here and powerful, beyond anything I have felt before. Invincible even.