Vision in Trust (Legends of the North #2)

by Liz Bower

  "Jess?" he asked again, lifting his gaze to hers.

  "It was a dream," she said, her voice high and shaky. She cleared her throat. "It was just a dream."

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Climbing off the bed, she walked to the bathroom without looking in Rob's direction. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it, letting her head fall back as her eyes closed. But they flew open again when images from the vision flitted behind her closed eyelids. Pushing off the door, she walked over to the sink and turned the tap on. Letting the hot water run over her hands, Jess stared at the woman looking back at her in the mirror. Her eyes were wide, and her hair was wild from her tossing and turning, but other than that, she looked no different to how she had before she had gone to bed.

  She didn't feel like the same person, though. Looking at her reflection, she had no idea how she felt. Numb, more than anything at that moment. God, she'd seen Emma have a vision, heard her talk about them, but actually having one herself? She grabbed hold of the sink and bent forward, closing her eyes. Nothing could prepare her for that. She'd thought it was a dream. A really bloody vivid one, but still, just a dream.

  And she'd been so relieved that Rob wasn't hurt. But then she'd seen the blood—on her hands, on his. Had seen it slicked up her arm, and the image of her bent over Rob, trying to stop the blood escaping his chest from the spear. A sob escaped her mouth, and she pressed a wet—but now clean—hand over her mouth.

  And why was Miles there? She hadn't seen him since she'd come back home to Altenchester, and she didn't intend to again. Ever.

  ***

  Rob sat on the sofa, a whiskey glass in his hands, hanging between his legs. Just the smell of it brought back childhood memories he'd rather forget. He lifted it to his lips and swallowed it in one go. Sliding the glass back onto the coffee table, he ran a hand across his jaw, feeling the scrape across his skin.

  What the hell? Those same three words were playing on repeat through his mind. Circling in his thoughts when he left Jess upstairs. Kept replaying as he washed off the blood smeared across his palm. Still on repeat as he poured two drinks, leaving one for Jess. And still they echoed around his head. That was one hell of a bloody dream. He looked up at the creak of the stairs and saw Jess standing there, looking pale and scared.

  "I thought you could use a drink," he said, nodding towards the coffee table. He watched as she slowly made her way towards him, hesitated, and then sat in the empty chair rather than on the sofa next to him. She cradled the glass in her hands, her knees folded up to her chest. "Do you want to tell me what that was all about?"

  She carried on staring into the glass, and he waited. Waited while she took a small sip, and then nursed the glass again. Her gaze slid from the glass to his eyes then back again. But still he waited.

  "It was just a dream."

  He rubbed his fingers across the back of his neck, pulling at the hair there, telling himself that shouting at her wouldn't help the situation. She was probably as scared as he was right then. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Jess. I'm not stupid." She looked at him properly then. "I've had my fair share of dreams, and more than enough nightmares, to know you don't wake up from them with your hands covered in blood."

  She downed the rest of the whiskey, her eyes never leaving his. She stood and put the glass back on the coffee table. "It was just a dream, Rob. Just leave it alone."

  He watched as she traipsed her way back upstairs. He'd been dismissed, and he didn't like it. He thumped the cushion next to him hating that she wouldn't talk to him. Hated that she acted like he was a stranger when they were alone like he couldn't be trusted. Thrusting his hands through his hair, he pulled at it, not knowing what else he could do.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Jess woke up to the sound of voices. As she listened harder, she recognised Emma’s. She glanced at her bedside clock and realised it was almost lunchtime. Throwing back the covers, she hoped that Rob had already left. When she made her way downstairs, Rob and Matt were in the living room, and she gave them a quick wave before hurrying into the kitchen.

  Emma put a chicken into a roasting tray and then moved over to the sink to start peeling potatoes. She smiled at Jess when she saw her. "Afternoon, sleepyhead. There's coffee in the pot."

  Jess smiled and went to pour herself a cup. "Thanks. Can I help you?"

  "No, I've got it under control. Are you okay after yesterday?"

  Jess paused with her cup halfway to her mouth and glanced over at Emma. "What do you mean?" Did Rob say something about last night?

  "You know, James."

  Jess took a gulp of her coffee then winced as it scalded her mouth. She shrugged one shoulder and said, "As okay as I can be. I still think we need to look for him."

  Emma started slicing the potatoes but stopped to look at Jess. "I agree. But we all need to sit down and discuss how we’re going to do that. We can't just start randomly searching around the village."

  Jess nodded slowly, knowing what Emma said was true. "We? Who's we?"

  Emma dropped the potatoes onto a baking tray and said, "You, me and Matt." She looked up at Jess. "Why? Who did you think I meant?" she said, with a hint of a smile.

  And as if right on cue, Rob walked in. He put his cup into the sink, glanced at Jess, and then turned to Emma. "Thanks for breakfast, Emma. I'm going to get off now."

  Emma wiped her hands on a towel and put the chicken and potatoes in the oven. As she straightened, she said, "Oh, but I've made enough lunch for you, too, and it's in the oven now. Stay."

  Emma glanced Jess's way, who narrowed her eyes in response. What was she up to? "I'm sure Rob has plenty of ... of ... things he needs to do." Jess saw his eyebrows rise at that. Yeah, she meant the double meaning. She put her empty cup on the side, turning to leave the kitchen, and Rob.

  She froze at the sound; it was a cross between a howl and a whimper. Her eyes flew open, and she was standing outside James's cottage, surrounded by fields. She turned slowly in a circle, searching for the source of the noise, and saw Alt Hall in the distance.

  The howl came again, and there, by the side of the cottage, was the wolf from her vision. Its eyes were half-closed but focused on her. Its silver fur was matted with blood that was seeping from where a spear was lodged in its chest.

  Jess took a step towards it but stopped as a squawking pierced the silence. She looked up to see a bird with the biggest wingspan she had ever seen circling over the wolf. As it swooped down, the wolf howled at it, and the bird soared back up out of reach. She heard a whimpering and, as she glanced back down, the wolf had vanished, replaced by a man. She ran to his side and dropped to her knees. As he rolled onto his back, she sobbed at the sight of his wounds.

  "Rob," she said, reaching out to him, to comfort him, save him.

  ***

  Rob watched as Jess stood frozen with her back to him and Emma. He glanced at Emma, who just shrugged in response. He turned back to Jess and said, "If you have a problem with me, Jess, then just tell me." He waited for a reply, but she just looked up at the ceiling before dropping to her knees and crying out his name. Running towards her, he quickly knelt in front of her. Her eyes were glazed, focused beyond him, and then she closed them and dropped her head.

  "Jess?" he said, as he took her outstretched hand.

  She clutched his hand and stared up at him. Her gaze roamed over his chest. She let out a sob, and he pulled her against his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around her. He had no idea what was going on, but if he could stop the anguish he saw on her face, he would try everything in his power.

  As he stroked her hair, she let out a whimper. "Shh, you're fine." Her fingers dug into his chest, and he rested his chin on top of her head, his hand rubbing up and down her back.

  "You." She leaned back to look up at him again. "You were hurt, bleeding. I thought you were dying."

  Well, shit. What was he supposed to say to that? "I'm fine, everything's fine." He pulled her back against his chest
and held her tight.

  ***

  Later, as he took a seat at the table, Rob smiled when Emma passed him a plate. He stared down at it, thinking how surreal this was. Sunday lunch, like so many other families did. But he was guessing most didn't calmly discuss visions and missing brothers beforehand. After he had reassured Jess that he was fine, no injuries, she finally started to calm down. The four of them had sat in the living room, and Emma had told him about her visions, and meeting Matt.

  Matt described his own dreams, and the attacks on both Emma and him, which ended in them trying to kill whatever was behind the attacks. Rob couldn't believe all this had been going on, and he hadn't noticed. He remembered the red mark on Matt's neck, and how he'd given him some grief about what he and Emma were getting up to. If he'd known the truth ...

  He glanced up, but both Matt and Emma were busy eating. Jess was pretending to eat, but in reality was just pushing her food around the plate. Emma told him about Jess's first vision. And then, reluctantly, Jess had told them all about her last vision and what had happened earlier that day.

  Rob went to pick up a fork but took a sip of his wine instead. The sound of cutlery hitting the table got his attention. He expected Jess to be leaving, but instead Emma was staring straight at him. He fidgeted in his chair, wondering what he'd done. Emma pushed her plate away.

  "I know you don't want to hear this, Jess, but I think Rob is involved in this."

  All heads turned in her direction, and he held his breath.

  Matt put his knife and fork down, glanced at Jess, and then turned to Emma. "I don't want to hear it either," he said. "The fewer people involved in this, the better, but I think you're right, Ems. Your visions were about me, and James. You and I ended up together, and then we found James's body."

  "You're wrong," Jess said, so quietly Rob almost didn't hear it. Her head bowed over her plate, and he just wanted to hold her, wrap her up, safe from everything and everyone. They all waited, wondering why she thought that. She looked up at Matt then. "My ... my visions had Miles in them too. Does that mean he's involved?"

  Matt threw his napkin on the table. "He ... That ... that imbecile has nothing to do with this, with us."

  Jess stood and said, "Yet you can so easily believe that Rob does?" She didn't wait for an answer, just strode out of the kitchen.

  Rob stared after her, wondering who the hell Miles was.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Jess put the lid on the last container and started to wipe down the display case. As jobs went, working in a sandwich and deli shop wasn't the worst thing. But after three months, she knew she'd had enough. She rinsed out the cloth and carried on wiping down the surfaces. Same thing every day.

  Another problem with the job? Too much time to think. Matt had tried to talk to her after lunch the other day, but she couldn't. If he thought he hated Miles now, who knew what he'd think if he knew the truth. Jess hated that Miles kept hijacking her thoughts. She'd already wasted so many years on him, thinking him to be someone he wasn't, that he cared about her. She couldn't tell anyone what he'd done, not after all this time, and what if they didn't believe her?

  But his smug face from that day was permanently etched in her memory. When her own mother had told her how disappointed she was when Jess had called off the engagement. She wondered if her mother knew the truth whether she would still feel disappointed. But that was all behind her—four years since she'd left for London, left him behind. Being back here didn't mean she'd have to see him, so why was he in her visions? If what Matt said were true then Rob and Miles were both involved.

  Did that mean she would get together with one of them? She snorted at the thought, looking over her shoulder in case her boss, Anne, heard her. She didn't want to even see Miles in her visions, let alone in real life. And Rob? Well, she doubted she was Rob's type. Having to see her again because of Matt ruled her out as one of his "love 'em and leave 'em" girls. So why were they both in her visions? And when were they going to find James?

  "The keys are on the side. Can you lock up when you've finished clearing down? I need to leave early, so just post the keys through my door when you're done," Anne said. Her apron was already off, and she was turning away before Jess had the chance to answer.

  "Sure," Jess replied, towards her boss’s retreating back. She threw the cloth into the bucket of soapy water, sending suds flying. This wasn't what she'd had in mind when she thought of a job that would involve helping people.

  ***

  Rob rubbed the heels of his hands against his eyes, trying to wake himself up. After the lunch of enlightenment, as he now thought of it, he hadn't gotten much sleep. Once Jess had left, the conversation had been lacking to say the least. Ideas on looking for James had been talked about, but nothing more about visions. And not a word about who Miles was. Rob had thought about asking Matt, but Matt had been so angry at the mention of his name that he was wary of doing so. Plus, in all honesty, it was none of Rob's business. But his curiosity was killing him.

  He shook his head, trying to clear it, seeking out the sole swimmer in the pool. He knew Chris was a pro, but he was supposed to be on lifeguard duty. That meant actually watching the pool, not daydreaming, but it was difficult.

  He'd known Matt since they'd been at uni together. Remembered the day well when they first met, and it still made him angry. Two guys ganging up on Matt, bullying him, because they could. He hadn't even thought about it, just strode up to Matt and stood next to him, arms folded while glaring at the two dickheads. They hadn't hung around long once the numbers were a bit more evenly stacked.

  That's why this was so hard. He'd known Matt for over ten years, and he was as straight as they came. Matt studied history, for God’s sake; he was never happier than when his head was stuck in a history book. Well, until he met Emma. And having met Emma, Rob knew she wasn't exactly crazy either. So he didn't think they were making all this up, especially as Jess was so reluctant to talk about it, or even think about it.

  He had wondered about a mass delusion, but when he did some research, collective delusions usually involved the same idea. Matt, Emma, and Jess all had different experiences. Plus, he'd have known if Matt had mental issues, wouldn't he?

  His gaze skimmed the pool, and he felt a moment of panic when he couldn't see Chris. He was about to stand but then saw Chris leaving for the lockers, so he slouched back down in his seat, dropping his head into his hands.

  A half hour later, Rob threw his bag into his locker, slammed the door, and locked it. He left the gym and headed straight for Altenchester. When he walked into the pub, he saw Matt at the bar and walked his way.

  "You look like shite, mate."

  Rob glared at him and waved at the barmaid. "Pint, please." He turned back to glare at Matt again. "You'd look like this, too, if you'd had as little sleep as I have over the last two nights." Rob ran a hand across his chin. He thought with all the extra time he had with not sleeping he'd have had time to shave. Knowing his luck right then, though, he'd probably slice his cheek open, or worse.

  "Why don't we get a table?" Matt asked, nodding in the direction of a quiet corner of the pub. As soon as Rob sat down, Matt started. "Why can't you sleep? It's not your dad, is it?"

  Rob shook his head and downed a quarter of his pint. "Why would it be my dad? I doubt I'll ever hear from him again." He rubbed the back of his neck and then leaned in closer to Matt. "How can you sit there so bloody calmly? You don't know what the hell is going on, but you act like everything is fine. You were attacked. Emma was attacked." Matt's cheeks turned red, and Rob knew he'd overstepped the mark, but he didn't know what to do.

  "Of course, everything's not bloody fine. When I think of ... of it attacking Emma, it makes me insane. And now Jess might be involved. You might be." Matt let out a loud, slow breath. "But what can I do, except try and keep them both safe while we try to figure out what the hell is going on. What do you want me to do?"

  Matt was almost shouting at that poin
t, and Rob dropped his head, staring into his pint. What did he want Matt to do? "Just ... tell me this is real, that I'm not going crazy."

  Matt let out a huff, which sounded like a laugh. "You've always been crazy, mate."

  Rob looked up at Matt, saw his smile, and felt his shoulders relax.

  "If you're crazy, Rob, then welcome to the club. Do you think Ems is crazy? Or Jess?"

  Rob shook his head.

  "They're not. You're not. We're just in a crazy situation that we will get ourselves out of. Somehow."

  Rob nodded as his fingers pulled at the hair on the back of his neck. "I can't stop thinking about what Jess told us. I mean, how could I? She's seen me dying, twice, in her visions. What if it's like a premonition or something?" Rob saw Matt's hesitation and wondered if he’d had the same thoughts. Emma had a vision about James dying, and he showed up weeks later, laid out in a vault.

  Matt shook his head but took a sip of his beer before answering. "I don't think they can be taken literally. Jess saw James alive and chasing her, so ..."

  Rob couldn't argue with that, but it was so confusing and—although he'd never admit it out loud—a bit scary. He didn't want to think about himself dying, especially not by a spear, or a bloody wolf. "I keep thinking about James. Both Emma and Jess saw him, and now he's missing. Emma saw him at the hall, and Jess saw him at his cottage. Has anyone looked for him there?"

  "Believe me, if he were at Altenbury Hall, my parents would have told me or Jess by now. No one has access to James's place, so how could he be there?"

  "People have been known to break into houses. Whoever killed James knows the family history, the family places. Emma's visions led you to him, so why couldn't Jess's?"