“Let’s get him inside then. Nurse! We have a trauma victim!” Richard yelled behind him, and then eyed the weapons that Tony and Anastasia wore. At his glance Anastasia smiled.
“We were going to a Renaissance festival.”
Not fully believing her, Richard nodded. “Still, you will need to leave those in your car so you don’t scare security. We can get him in, just come find us when you’re done.”
A gurney appeared being pushed by two nurses, who both looked worriedly at the large man carrying their coworker’s son.
“It’s okay, Tony.” Elizabeth touched his arm and he gently set Dakota down. “I will be fine, you guys go and change out of your costumes.”
“Come on, Tony.” Anastasia gripped his arm. “We don’t want to scare security,” she added Richard’s earlier warning.
“I will be right back.” Tony kissed Elizabeth and then turned to follow Anastasia.
“If this is back, then Dakota’s apartment must be as well. We can go there and change.”
“What is that?” Tony asked, eyeing the cars that drove by on the street.
“Those are cars. They take you from one place to another.”
“By themselves?” he looked at her, shocked.
“No, you drive them.”
He watched everything with fascination. She couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to be seeing this for the first time. Terrenia had been an adjustment for her, but at least she had studied time periods that had similar attributes. This was all new for Tony.
“Why isn’t it destroyed?” he asked her as they walked up the stairs to Dakota’s apartment.
“I’m not sure. It doesn’t make any sense.” Could it have all been an illusion? Vincent certainly seemed to like playing mind games.
She took a deep breath and tried the handle, surprised when it turned beneath her hand. They stepped inside and everything was exactly the same, down to the coffee mug that Dakota had been drinking out of before he had stormed out.
“How can this be?” she wondered aloud as she looked through the room.
“I don’t know, but we need to get back to Elizabeth. She shouldn’t be alone.” He began unsheathing his weapons and laying them on the table.
Anastasia searched through the drawers until she found a key and then tried it for the door. His parents had always kept a set of spare keys in a kitchen drawer, and she was glad Dakota had as well.
She followed suit, unsheathing her weapons, and went to Dakota’s room to try and find some clothes that would blend a little better than the leather they were both wearing. She found some sweats and a large t-shirt for Tony and one of Dakota’s button-up long sleeves for her. She put it on over her shirt and kept her leather pants and boots on.
“Try these on.” She handed Tony a pair of Dakota’s tennis shoes and wasn’t surprised when they didn’t fit. The sweats and t-shirt barely did.
“Just wear your boots.” She headed for the door as Tony pulled his boots back on.
“I look ridiculous.” Tony scoffed as he looked down at himself.
“Yes, you do,” she agreed with a slight smile. “But surprisingly, you will fit in a lot more this way.”
“Strange world,” he said as he followed her out into the hall.
They walked back to the hospital in silence, Tony staring at everything they passed. When they entered the hospital, Anastasia was dumbfounded by the scene. People were everywhere. It was as if nothing had ever happened. People were smiling and talking just like they would have been before the Brutes had attacked.
“Anastasia?” A woman with a chart approached them.
“Yes.”
“Elizabeth told me to look out for you two.” She looked Tony up and down appreciatively, and had Anastasia not been so concerned with Dakota, she might have snorted. “Follow me,” the woman said, and turned down the hall.
Tony followed the nurse into one of the hospital rooms, and Anastasia took a deep breath. If Dakota died today, she knew she would die with him, and with that, any hope of a good future for her people would be gone. With one death, the world could end as she knew it, and it was that realization that had her regretting walking away from him. She should have done what Argento had suggested, and fought for the strength to carry on even when everything was falling apart around her.
She had been a coward. Had foolishly considered Dakota a distraction, when in reality he was the only thing holding her together. And now, as she stood in a hospital while the person who mattered the most to her was clinging to life, she was ready to fall apart the second she knew it was too late.
“Coming?” Tony asked her.
“Yes.” She followed him into the room. The machines hooked up to Dakota were running smoothly and his color was coming back.
“Tony, why don’t we go and grab some coffee?”
“Coffee?”
“You’re going to love it.” Elizabeth pulled on his arm and closed the door quietly behind them.
Anastasia let out a sigh and buried her face in Dakota’s chest. The tears came quickly, and her chest felt as if it had a hole in it. She gripped his hand and climbed into the bed next to him, curling into him.
“I’m so sorry, Dakota. I was so stupid.” She cried until eventually she fell asleep.
When Dakota woke, the first thing he noted was the pain. His stomach felt as if it had been split in half, which it had, he supposed, remembering the earlier battle. He did his best to sit up, when he felt the weight of someone lying next to him. He looked over to Anastasia, who was curled into his side.
“She hasn’t moved since we got here,” Tony whispered from the corner. He stood from his seat on the floor and moved to stand next to the bed.
“My mom?” Dakota asked cautiously.
“She’s fine.” Tony pointed to a chair in the corner where Elizabeth slept soundly.
Dakota took a deep breath. “What happened? The Brutes had her, is she hurt?”
“It was all an illusion, Dakota. They never had her.”
“But how?”
“A Trepido got to you.”
“Trepido?”
“Nasty monsters, they force you to see your worst fears play out. They take joy from the pain they cause others to inflict on themselves. Had Anastasia not gotten to you, you would have killed yourself or been killed by a Brute who was taking in the show.”
“Shit. So it was a trap.”
Tony nodded. Dakota looked around, taking in his surroundings.
“Where are we?”
“You’re Seattle, believe it or not.”
“It was destroyed, though, I saw it with my own eyes.”
“We aren’t sure how, but it seems to have been returned to the way it was before. We were at your apartment earlier, and Anastasia said everything still looked the same.”
“I am so confused.” Dakota lay his head back down. “Andrew? The others?”
“Andrew is fine, we got to him in time, but the others were gone before we could get to them.”
“Shit,” Dakota muttered, closing his eyes. All those lives lost. The tally was disgustingly high. “How many did we lose?”
“Not sure what the final number was, but the last I heard the total was eighteen. There’s more news as well, I’m afraid.”
Dakota opened his eyes and saw the pain reflected in Tony’s.
“Argento found his wife, but she was already gone when we got there. She had been pregnant when she had gone missing and had given birth to the baby while captive. It appears to be what killed her.”
“The baby?”
“A girl, she’s fine. Argento has her now.”
Dakota nodded. There was no replacement for the loss of his wife, but at least Argento wasn’t completely alone.
“How long until I’m out of here?” Dakota asked, looking up at the machines.
“I think I can get you out later today, but it will be to be put on bed rest at home.” Elizabeth said from the corner.
�
��Bed rest?”
“Nonnegotiable. You almost died, Dakota. Would have if Anastasia hadn’t brought us here. I’m honestly not even sure how you didn’t bleed to death on the way to the village.”
“I think it was Anastasia,” Tony said softly.
“What do you mean?” Dakota wondered.
“Rayden said she was a healer. The Brutes had coated a blade in a poison that kept eating the stitches. Tilly had a heck of a time getting your wound closed. Anastasia was holding your hand and her skin began to glow; it was then that your wound closed. I’m wondering if it wasn’t her who managed to slow the bleeding on the way to the village.”
Dakota looked down at her as she slept. She looked so peaceful, and yet if you looked closer you could see the bags underneath her eyes, the paleness of her skin. She was wearing thin, and he worried she would break if they didn’t get a handle on things.
“It would have killed her,” Tony added. “Had you died, she would have died right along with you. I’m not sure what’s going on with the two of you, but you had better work it out, and soon.”
Dakota nodded. They certainly would. He closed his eyes and pulled her closer. For now, they all needed rest.
“You two get some sleep,” Tony ordered. “I will keep an eye out.”
“You need sleep as well,” Elizabeth urged.
“I will get some soon. But for now I am fine.” He nudged her back into her chair. “Sleep, love.” He kissed her eyelids and she smiled as she drifted back to sleep.
Tony stood guard over the three most important people in the world to him. He would kill for them, and would gladly give his life if it came to that. Looking at Elizabeth, he prayed it wouldn’t come to that. He was finally beginning to enjoy living again.
“Mom, I’m fine,” Dakota assured her as she tucked yet another pillow behind him. “Can I please have some coffee?” he begged her, folding his hands together in a plea.
“Fine, but only one cup and then you sleep. How’s your pain level?”
“Can’t feel a thing.” He grinned.
“Good.” She turned and headed to grab his coffee.
“Hey Mom?”
“Yes?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, Dakota. Now sit still.”
When he woke, Anastasia had been gone. Tony said she had gone out to try and figure out what was going on, but he knew she hadn’t wanted to face him. She had a bad habit of turning away when things got hard. He was going to have to explain to her that wasn’t going to work for him anymore.
They had packed up and left to continue his care in his apartment. It definitely paid to have a mom who was one of the best doctors on staff.
“This place astounds me,” Tony said as he walked around Dakota’s room, lifting every unrecognizable item and inspecting it.
“Yeah, the last time I was here this place was nothing but rubble.”
“What is this?” Tony asked, pointing at the TV that hung on the wall to the bedroom.
“It’s a television.” Dakota picked up the remote and turned it on.
“How did they get inside of it?” Tony asked in awe.
“They aren’t inside of it.” Dakota laughed. “It’s happening somewhere else and then gets broadcast to the television.”
“Broadcast?”
“The images are sent through cables and they appear on the TV.”
“This makes no sense to me,” Tony said as he stared at it.
“I’m not explaining it very well either. I am honestly not even sure how exactly it works.”
When Vincent’s face filled the screen, Tony jumped from the bed, unsheathing his sword.
“Wait!” Dakota yelled at him.
“He is here!”
“No, it’s a broadcast, remember? Don’t skewer my TV, Tony.”
Vincent’s voice came through the speakers, and at the sound of it, Dakota’s stomach churned.
“You have made a positive change in your lives. Thank you for electing me as your next leader. Together we will move forward in this world and ensure a bright future.”
“What the hell?” Dakota and Tony said at the same time.
“It gets worse.” Anastasia had come in without them noticing and stood facing Tony. She avoided any eye contact with Dakota.
“How so?” he asked.
“He was elected mayor,” she said through gritted teeth. “Apparently the previous one stepped down and the ones that followed kept committing suicide. Then suddenly Vincent shows up and is the one who not only brought Seattle back to its former glory and returned its people, but is the only one who hasn’t died mysteriously.” Anger filled her voice, and Dakota could see that her body was shaking. “Then very quickly he managed to move up the chain of command.”
“How did he get them to elect him?” Tony asked, watching the television.
“He has brought the Trepidos here.”
“That explains it. With them here, he could take over the rest of the world as well. Magic is not practiced openly here, and most of the population believes this is the only world out there,” Dakota explained.
“Gage is here, he will explain the rest,” Anastasia cut in, and then stepped to the side of the doorway.
“Gage?” Jealousy burned in Dakota’s chest, and he pushed it aside when Gage stepped around Anastasia.
“Hey Parker! Man, it’s good to see you.” He reached out his hand and Dakota took it.
“You too. What else do you know?” he asked, cutting to the chase. The last time he had been around Gage, he had made some very unpleasant comments about Anastasia, and Dakota still hadn’t brushed them off.
“Shortly after I ran into Anastasia, Vincent came and found us. He told us that he had only wanted to help our world, to bring us peace, and the Brutes had taken advantage of his kindness and ravaged the city. He swore he would put it back to the way it was if we wanted. The only thing he wanted in return was our allegiance and our word that we would allow him to lead us. We explained to him that we would be grateful and would gladly tell others of what he did, but that it was impossible for us to be the sole reason he was put in power. We didn’t think he would be able to put everything back.
“He told us to let him handle the logistics of it, that all he wanted was our promise we would follow him. So naturally, we agreed, ready to get the beasts out of our city, and right before our eyes he rebuilt everything. Within minutes, the entire city was just as it had been before. It was so insane.
“Within a month he had been moved up to the White House. It was unbelievable. The President actually stepped down, as did every single other government official. No one understands it. There were riots at first, of course. People wanting to cause trouble, but suddenly everything calmed down and has been calm ever since.”
“So he is leading our country now?” Dakota asked.
“Not just ours. Some of the other countries have handed themselves over to him as well.”
“So he is in charge of all of our weapons systems and our armies?” Elizabeth asked.
“Unbelievable,” Tony said as Gage nodded.
“How did this happen?” Dakota asked.
“The Trepidos, I imagine,” Anastasia added. “Think about it, what is a better motivator than fear? Then there’s the fact that most can’t even see them. They are the perfect invisible little manipulators for Vincent.”
“This is unbelievable,” Elizabeth said in shock.
Gage nodded. “It’s good to see you again, man, but I need to get going.”
“I’ll walk you out.” Anastasia turned to follow him, and Dakota felt another stab of jealousy. Gage had always had a thing for Anastasia. He was probably thrilled that she was back now, and wearing all leather.
“I’m glad you found him,” Gage said to Anastasia once they were in the hall.
She nodded. “How are your wife and daughter?”
Gage beamed. “Doing great. Izzy is incredibly happy to have chocolate milk again.
” He laughed happily. “And Zoey is pregnant.”
Anastasia smiled as the pride for his family sat plainly on his face.
“It was an accident, but a happy one.”
“I’m very happy for you, Gage.”
“I’m happy for you, and Dakota as well. He has been in love with you forever, and I’m glad you two have each other. See you later.”
Anastasia nodded and then turned back to the apartment.
“Can you give Anastasia and me a moment?” Dakota asked Tony and Elizabeth when Anastasia came back in.
“Sure. Come on, Tony, I’ll show you my apartment.”
“You live nearby?”
“Right across the hall.”
“Good.” Tony swept her off her feet and carried her out. Dakota heard the lock on his front door click and then turned his attention to Anastasia.
“When did you run into Gage?” he asked, jealousy dripping from his every word.
“When I was on my way to the docks to rescue you.” She hid her smile.
“I’m sure he was thrilled to see you.”
“I’m sure he was.” She paused. “Especially since he, his wife, and his daughter were all being attacked by a trio of Brutes.”
“Wife?”
“Gage is married, Dakota—happily I might add, or I assume so anyways, since they have a daughter and another kid on the way.”
“Well, I feel like an ass.”
“You should.”
“Why should I?” he asked, defensive. “You haven’t given me any reason to believe you are in this relationship.”
“I know.” She sat next to him on the bed. “I want to get married.”
“Excuse me?” He sat up straighter and looked into her blue eyes.
“I want us to get married. I love you, Dakota. You have been the only one for me my entire life. There was never anyone else, and I don’t ever want to lose you again.”
“You want to get married.” He said it slowly.
“Yes.”
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“You understand my confusion, seeing as how not two days ago you told me that you couldn’t be with me, that I was a distraction.”
The Fighter (Prophecy Series Book 2) Page 12
