“Ryan, I know you’re scared, but just breathe and try to relax. I’m going to try and push the memory into your mind again. Don’t try to resist or it will hurt. Just breathe and try to let me in. If at any time you want me to stop, just say so.” I took three big gulps of air and tried to relax as much as I could, focusing solely on letting my mind be blank and open.
I didn’t feel a thing this time, I just saw it. Once again it was like a movie was playing in my mind, but this was one I hadn’t seen before. All I had to do was focus and I could hear and see everything, and then that’s when I saw him. I saw my dad.
Chapter 26
I could see him! I could freaking see him, and I burst out crying. He was right there in front of me like I could touch him. His brown hair was the same as I remembered, long on the top and short on the sides, and his eyes had so much love in them. I remember those big beautiful green eyes; when he looked at me as a kid, I always knew I was loved. His eyes told the story that he couldn’t. I don’t remember this ever happening—I must have been like eight or nine. My mind went blank then, and I was transported back to the time this memory occurred.
I couldn’t believe it! Daddy had come to see me. I hadn’t seen him in so long, and I missed him so much. Daddy picked me up from school early and took me to get ice cream, and we went to the park. I never got to go to the park; Mommy always made me go straight to my room when I got home. I shivered thinking about what Mommy does when she’s angry with me, but I didn’t want Daddy to know that Mommy hurts me. It might make him mad at me too. I was sad that Daddy didn’t bring Sissy to play, but he said he wanted to spend time with just me. Daddy pushed me on the swings and watched me play on the slide and helped me on the monkey bars. I was having so much fun, and I never wanted this day to end. I was playing in the sand pit when Daddy called out to me. He was sitting on the picnic table that was under the really big tree.
“Ryan, come here a minute, sweetheart. Daddy wants to talk to you.” I quickly got out of the sand pit and ran over to Daddy, climbing onto the bench seat opposite him. “I need to talk to you, sweetheart, and I need you to listen to Daddy. I know it will be hard for you to understand, but when you’re older, a seer will show you this.”
“What’s a seer, Daddy?”
“You will find out when you’re older. For now I need you to just listen to Daddy, okay?” I nodded my head so he would continue. “You are a very special girl—one of a kind. You and Stevie may be twins, but you are so very different. One day when your older you will feel like there is something missing or that there is a part of you that needs to be set free, and when that times comes, that is when you will know that you are ready to unleash the other half of you that’s waiting inside. I hope when that time comes, I will be here to help guide you, but just in case, I’m telling you now. Your sister isn’t like you; she is not strong enough to hold both influences. I will continue to try to guide her, but I feel that she is already too hungry for power. I know this all sounds mixed up and confusing, but I promise it will all make sense one day.” I didn’t know what Daddy was saying—it was all so hard to understand—but I didn’t want Daddy to think I was dumb, so I just nodded my head like I knew exactly what he was saying. “One day you will have to make a choice, Ry, and that will be the hardest choice of them all; what you can do is so extraordinary but also such a burden. Your blood is the key to seal a world. It is also the most potent power enhancer in existence. Anyone that drinks from you will become virtually invincible. If that day should come, only you will be able to stop it—well, with the help of a bloody fairy.” Daddy didn’t sound like he liked fairies at all. I was shocked; I loved fairies.
“What I’m trying to say, Ryan, is you need to learn how to harness and control what you are. Your gifts are tuned to your emotions, so if you have a meltdown, it could really harm a lot of people unless you learn to control it. I have seen that in the future you will meet a group of men who can help you, but only one of them can help you unlock who you really are. When that day comes, it will be so overwhelming and so hard to control, but you must try, okay? No matter how hard or how painful it is, you must try to push through it. You need to control the power inside you, if you don’t it will consume you. Stevie will not be there to guide you; I have seen it, and it hurts me to know that my two girls will be on opposite sides of the war to come. You need to save your sister, Ry. She will need you more than ever. Promise me that when that time comes to pass, you will do everything you can to save your sister. Promise me, Ryan, that you will save Stevie!” I was scared. I didn’t know why Stevie would need saving, but I loved my sister, she was my other half, so of course I would do whatever it took to keep her safe.
“I promise, Daddy. I will always protect Stevie, no matter what.” The look in my father’s deep green eyes was so sad that it scared me. I didn’t understand why he would look like that.
“If there is ever anything you need to know, go to a man named Nico. He is a friend of mine. When you get older you are destined to meet. He can answer the questions you will have. I will always hate myself for the way things ended up. I know what your mother is like, and believe me, I wish I could take you away from her.” I could see the look of defeat on Daddy’s face and I hated he felt that way. I knew then it was best that Daddy never know what Mommy had done to me. I leaned across the table and grabbed Daddy’s hand. “I wish with all my heart that you could remember this day and this talk so that you would know that I have always been here watching over you and loving you since the day you were born. I will always be here for you, and when the time comes, I will be here to help you understand what you are and where we come from. Your mother doesn’t understand what we are and doesn’t want to. I tried so hard and for so many years to help your mother, but nothing I did could get through to her. She has so many demons inside her mind that she is trying to fight.” I knew better than Daddy did about Mommy and her “voices”—she said they always told her that I was evil and needed to be put down.
“I love you Ryan, that’s why I need you to remember that the key to unlock what you need is within you. You will need another to help balance the power; you need to merge two worlds to unlock your gifts. Just remember to focus and harness it, and most importantly embrace what you are, because you are strong and smart. You will know what to do. The answers you seek are within you. I love you, my baby girl. My princess.”
Chapter 27
I came back to the present with tears rolling down my face. I never remembered that talk or that day—God, I wish I did remember. That would have been the last time I saw my father properly. I couldn’t hold the sobs back; the tears just kept flowing. I knew as soon as I opened my eyes I would see so many pairs of eyes on me, and I wasn’t ready to face all the questions. I felt strong arms engulf me, and I knew straight away that it was Kai, and as much as I hated to admit it, his embrace made me feel so grounded, like I could get through this and find whatever the key was inside myself. If my dad thought I could do this and unlock the power inside me, then I would, do it for him as well as for Farrarie.
“I’ve got you, mi amor.” I couldn’t speak past the lump in my throat, so all I could do was nod my head against Kai’s chest. He didn’t push me for an answer or ask what happened; he just held me, and it meant more to me than he would ever know.
“Aurora are you okay?” Oh my God, in my selfishness I completely forgot about her and the toll it must have taken on her showing me the memory. I pulled away from Kai and started to dry my eyes.
“I’m fine, just a bit tired, Jax.”
Kai reluctantly pulled away from me with a sigh and stood up to move out of my way. I saw Aurora sitting on the chair directly in front of me. She looked exhausted. I was so absorbed in my own drama that I didn’t even think about the toll it would take on her.
“Thank you, Aurora. You have no idea what a beautiful gift you just gave me.” I felt more tears threatening to spill, but I forced them back. Now was not the time or the p
lace for me to break down.
“It was my pleasure, Ryan. You are so much stronger then you know. You will be our savior, and if what I have seen comes to pass, you may change my future as well.”
“What do you mean I can change your future?” She just responded with a sweet little smile. A smile is not a fucking answer, woman! Give me a little something to work with. I could see Alex and Chase sitting nearby with worried looks. I knew I would have to explain what I saw to everyone, but I just wasn’t ready. Kai, Jax, Dom, and Tyler were in the corner having a private conversation that I just knew was about me.
“If you guys want to stand in the corner like school girls and talk shit about me, at least say it to my face,” I said loudly. All four guys had the decency to look guilty.
“Forgive us, love, we were just trying to figure out what we should do from here.” Trust Dom to come up with the million dollar questions of the year; I couldn’t answer his question so I just shrugged.
“Ry, I understand that what you saw must have been hard, but if there is anything you need, or want to talk about, Chase and I are here for you.” Bless Alex—I would be so lost without my cousins.
“Thank you both, but I think the only person who can answer my questions is Nico.” I saw the look of shock cross everyone’s faces—except for Aurora, obviously she knew why I needed Nico.
“Why the hell do you need that dick?” Chase grumbled.
“Because Dad said I needed Nico.” I saw a flash of anger cross Kai’s face, almost like he felt betrayed, but I couldn’t bloody well help that Nico knew my dad, now can I?
“Well, I did not see that coming”
“I don’t think any of us did Dom” Jax started pacing, and I had no idea why he was anxious. I should be the one up and pacing, not him. “If Nico knew your dad then that means he lied to us again.”
“How can you be sure? Maybe he was sworn to keep a secret for an old friend.” Trust Dom to be the voice of reason and on Nico’s side.
“I knew he would never change,” Kai growled.
“How do you know that, Melakai? Maybe he was trying to protect the girl’s feelings.” I never thought I would see the day that Tyler ever stuck up for the king. I knew he hated other supes. I don’t think I was the only who thought that either by the looks on everyone’s faces, they were all thinking the same thing. “Why are you all looking at me like that?”
“Oh my God, Ty, because no one ever thought you would care to defend any other supes ever!” Aurora responded with exasperation.
“Don’t make a big deal out of it, okay? It won’t happen again, trust me.” I couldn’t help but laugh at Tyler’s red face, he was embarrassed. I had never seen the big wolf blush before. Everyone else joined in and was laughing, and Tyler was getting so pissed at all of us. “That is the last time I try and be nice to anyone other than my kind” with that said Tyler turned and stomped out of the room like a child. Not letting Tyler’s departure deter our group from the main problem, Alex spoke.
“Okay, well, we need to get Nico here and have a chat with him.” the only one who could get a hold of him was Dom, so it was all resting on Dom to get Nico here so I could demand answers.
“Okay, I’ll see what I can do. I’m going to need some time, as he has sealed all the portals. I can open one, but Nico will have to allow the portal to open in Farrarie.”
“What do you mean allow you to open a portal?” Chase took the words right out of my mouth.
“Nico needs to allow my magic into Farrarie, because if I just force it then I could end up shattering the magic he has sealing the other portals. It’s hard to explain but it will be easier if I just reach out to Nico with my magic and he just accepts it and lets me have access to Farrarie so I can bring him here. No one can know Nico is here—I mean no one.” Dom was starting to make me worry, so I had to ask.
“Why can’t anyone know Nico is here?”
“Because if by some chance there is a traitor in our midst, then they will know that Farrarie is unguarded by the king, or they could come here and try and fight to take Nico. Nico would give up his life to save his people, and I don’t want my brother dying anytime soon, Ryan.” I gave Dom a stiff nod; it wasn’t very often that Dom was serious, so I knew he meant business.
Everyone left the room to give Dom time to prepare whatever he needed to in order to get Nico here, agreeing we would meet back in Jax’s office in an hour.
With an hour to kill, I decided to ask Aurora if she would take a walk with me. I needed time alone with the seer to pick her brain about this whole marriage thing. The guys were reluctant to let us go wandering around by ourselves, so I said that we would go to my room and talk there. They were hesitant but eventually agreed. Once we were safely inside my room, the questions just came pouring out.
“You need to help me understand some things. Why do I need to marry? Who do I have to marry? How long do I have before I have to get married? It’s some old weird man, isn’t it?” I had to take a few deep breaths and try calm down. Aurora just looked at me with a smile and waved me over to sit next to her on the bed.
“I cannot tell you what you want to know, Ryan. All I can say is that I know your heart belongs to one another, even if you don’t want to admit it to yourself. The man you must marry has a lot of trust to build back with you, but he is the one you need. He may not be the one you want right now, but he will be everything you have ever wanted, if you just give him a chance.” God this is so frustrating. I hated not knowing who “he” was. A knock sounded at the door before I could ask Aurora anymore questions.
“Come in,” I shouted, and Kai walked through the door a second later. The look on his beautiful face had me immediately jumping off the bed to stand in front of him. “What’s wrong—why do you look so sad?”
“Because the time has come for me to leave you. I need to go back to Randall and explain why I helped you. I need to cover my tracks, he needs to think I was doing it so I would gain your trust. I’m sorry mi amor but I must make out like you mean nothing to me.” I forgot all about Kai needing to leave; I didn’t want him to go, if making out like he didn’t care about me save his life, I was okay with that.
“I don’t think it is safe for you to go back there, Kai. He could hurt you”
“The only person that could hurt me is you, mi amor. Don’t worry, I will be fine, but I will probably be gone for a few days, so don’t worry if I don’t come back straight away. The others will watch over you and keep you safe.” I didn’t want to say goodbye to Kai, and the words I wanted to say wouldn’t come out, so instead I let my actions speak for me. I leaned up on my tip-toes and pulled Kai’s face down to mine and kissed him. He was stiff as a board for a second, as I think I caught him off-guard, but then he snapped, grabbing me by the waist and pulling me flush against his chest, and I couldn’t stop the moan that slipped free. Our tongues were intertwined and fighting for dominance. I needed more of him, and I went to put my hand under his shirt when a throat cleared and broke the spell that I was under. Kai reluctantly pulled back. That kiss was amazing. I looked over my shoulder to see where the noise came from, only to remember Aurora was still in the room. Oh my God, how embarrassing. I knew I was blushing, I could feel the heat in my cheeks.
“Well, I don’t mean to interrupt, but I feel like a bit of a third wheel here.” Kai and I both started laughing at Aurora’s admission. I don’t know what came over me. I’m a shy person— except for in my dreams, of course—and just with that thought I started blushing even harder.
“I must go now, mi amor, but stay safe. I shouldn’t be gone long. If by any chance I don’t return, you must carry on with your training and defeat Randall. You must promise me this.” I could hear what he was saying, but I didn’t want to think of the possibility that Kai might not come back. “Promise me, Ryan. I can see the fear in your eyes. I don’t want you to be scared for me; I will be fine.” I looked deep into his eyes and could see the desire he had for me, but I could also
see that he meant every word; he wasn’t scared for himself, and just knowing that gave me the strength to answer.
“I promise I will carry on training, but if you don’t come back, just know that I will find a way to get you back and I’ll burn Randall’s fucking mansion down to get to you if I have to.” With that said, I embraced Kai once more and held onto him like my life depended on it. I reluctantly let him go after a minute and watched him walk out the door. I felt like a part of my heart was leaving with him, and I had a feeling of dread in the pit of stomach, like something was going to go horribly wrong. I needed Kai to return so I could tell him that I loved him. That I had always loved him.
Chapter 28
Aurora and I made our way back to Jax’s office to meet with the others and hopefully be able to talk to Nico. I needed the answers he held like I needed my next breath. I had to know why he kept this from me. Nico hiding this from me hurt, I trusted Nico. I confided in him and Kai in my dreams- never thinking they were real. They knew so much about me and I knew virtually nothing about them. I was more upset with the fact that I had such strong feelings for them both, what the hell was I going to do?
Once we were all inside and seated on the couches in Jax’s office, I watched Dom in awe. He had these crystals that he was placing in a circle. Once they were arranged to his satisfaction, he went into the center of it and sat down with his legs crossed and head bent down, he began speaking in some foreign language.
A Beautiful Dream: The Dream Trilogy Page 16
