“What? What did you just say? He could visit me anytime?” I provoked him. “What do you mean by that? Stop talking in circles, you’re making me dizzy! What does that mean?” I shouted.
He sighed loudly, looked at the floor and shook his head. His little blabbing episode was unplanned and he had no time for damage control. He had to spill it.
“Lex. I’m breaking the laws, but so be it. The punishment won’t be so bad since we’re bound to find out sooner or later. I know you’re gifted. I know Chace is gifted.”
“And you’re gifted, too!”
He nodded. “Now that you know... I... I... You... Chace isn’t...” William stuttered. It was so peculiar to see him struggle for words. He was always so confident and self-assured, and now he was floundering like a fish out of water.
“That doesn’t really change anything, though. Except that you can get to my world on your own, which is a good thing. There’s no rush anymore to come with me. You can come whenever you’d like. It’s all up to you, Lexi.”
That was the good news. At least the pressure was off, but I knew that wasn’t what he wanted to tell me. Once again, we were in that game of cat and mouse that I never wanted to play. I went for the direct approach.
“That’s not everything. There are no more secrets now, William. We both know you have more on your mind, so let’s hear it,” I said crossing my arms. He sat on my bed and unfolded my arms as he looked lovingly into my eyes.
“Chace isn’t really what you think, love. He’s a very powerful person who needs to win at any cost. I’m sure he’s said some things to you that aren’t true, but were all self-serving to him. It’s going to hurt you to hear this, but you’re his pawn. That’s all you are to him.”
I was enraged. How dare he? I loved William, but he was dead wrong here. He didn’t know Chace the way I did. How could he? He didn’t know that I loved Chace as much as I loved him but in a different way. On a very different level.
“What the hell are you talking about? Chace loves me! We’ve known each other since we were babies. He would never do anything to hurt me. And using me as a pawn? Pugh! He is the most selfless person I know.”
“Listen. I know you care about him and it’s got to be tough to hear the truth. I’ve always been honest with you, Lexi. Why would I stop now?”
That was a pretty good point. At least I thought he was always honest with me. I didn’t answer the question, though, because I really didn’t know what the answer was. Chace had his own mysterious side and this just made me question it one more time. I knew I didn’t know everything about him, and maybe I wouldn’t believe it, but I at least wanted to hear what William had to say.
“So, what’s with Chace then?” I asked quietly.
“He’s a bit of a weirdo—even for a gifted one. He has so many gifts, which make him like a god among his own kind. There is one gift in particular that he has and I’m sure he’s used it on you. He has the ability to change people’s perceptions. No one in our history has ever been able to do that. Read it, yes, change it, never. I’m sure he told you how much you have always loved him, but didn’t know it. Do you remember feeling anything toward him? Ever?”
“I didn’t remember having feelings toward Chace when I came out of the coma, but there were a lot of things I didn’t remember.”
“Think back then. Think back to when you were growing up. Any feelings then?”
“No, of course not! I was a child.”
“But you never had any feelings other than friendship.”
“Yeah. But I fell in love with him. He said I told him that before the accident.”
“Do you remember any of that?”
“I don’t remember much about the days leading up to the accident,” I muttered. “But that doesn’t prove anything! I fell in love with him just like I fell in love with you!”
“You don’t love him, Lexi! You never did! He’s manipulating you! You were never even attracted to him. You thought he was a dork. A loner. Maybe even a bit of an idiot. All of a sudden, you see him in this whole new light. He’s the most charming, handsome man you’d ever seen. Didn’t you notice that his friends were exceptionally beautiful, too? You know, his gifted subjects.”
Panic set in. They were beautiful. All of them. What had he done to me? And I didn’t remember loving him, dating him, or even being attracted to him. Oh my God! Would Chace really use me like that? For the first time in that conversation, I wasn’t so sure of myself. Or of Chace.
“Yeah, I noticed, but what does that prove?” I hissed.
“It proves that Chace has altered your perception. He made you see things for what they weren’t. He tried to force you to fall in love with him, but you really didn’t. You only thought you were in love with him. It’s not real, Lex. Not anymore than those women were really beautiful. Let me show you something.”
He pulled out an old photo of three women in cat suits. They looked vaguely familiar, but no one I had ever met.
“Who are they?” I asked.
“Take a closer look.”
I took the picture from his hands. I focused on the small woman in the middle. Her eyes were so blue and bewitching I felt like I was looking right into them instead of a photo. “April?”
William let out a throaty laugh. “Yeah. Those are the three musketeers who came to visit you.”
“But this woman, aside from her eyes is... not very pretty. And the other two, Hope and Melody. That’s not how I saw them.”
“Exactly my point. That’s what they truly look like, Lexi. He can alter the way you see things and he can play with your emotions, but he can’t change the reality. And that’s right here in this picture.”
“So, what’s the plan then? Why would he want me to fall in love with him? What’s in it for him?” I asked sarcastically.
“He needs you. You are very powerful.”
I laughed at his suggestion. “No. Really, I’m not. I only have a few gifts and none of them even come close to what I’ve seen in other gifted ones.”
“They haven’t all surfaced yet. He knows that. If you go to the other world, you pose a very big threat to him. That’s why he’s doing everything he can to get you to stay. The chosen one to guide you, the proposal, the friendship since you were children, the knight in shining armor since you’ve been back—was all preplanned for this time. When your gifts surfaced, he wanted to be sure he had you convinced that you loved him and needed him, but he’s the one that needs you. He had to go to extremes to be sure you’d spend the rest of your life with him, so he could watch over you. If he keeps you close, you’ll never be a threat to him.
“He didn’t foresee the coma. He didn’t expect you would meet me, the love of your life. Remember, Lexi. In my world, fate can’t be changed. You were supposed to be with me.”
I did remember Chace saying that he hadn’t seen that accident coming. And that marriage proposal had come out of left field. Looking back on it, Chace was very accommodating, but always managed to get me to do what he wanted. He was always trying to scare me into not going to the other world. I knew he didn’t like that whole William quandary and this could have been why. There may have been some truth to what William was saying.
There was an upside to it all, though. Now that William knew I was gifted, I could take as much time as I wanted to make my decision. I needed more time to get William and Chace together so I could finally put this ‘he said, she said’ nonsense to rest.
I leaned over and fell into William’s arms. I loved them both, no matter what one said about the other. I wasn’t stupid. This was that male ego thing where he was just trying to point out Chace’s negatives while building up his own positives. Chace also took the occasional opportunity to dog William. Hope was right. This was not a battle of gifts; it was a plain old-fashioned battle of love.
“When did you find out that Chace and I were gifted? Did you know all along?” I asked, hoping the answer would have been a resounding ‘no.’ If he k
new, that meant all the pressure he had been putting on me to leave quickly was a big smokescreen. He would have been the one with the other agenda. The thought of it made me weak. I didn’t want either of them to play this stupid game of trying to win my affections through lies and deception.
“Actually, I just found out yesterday, when I started doing a little more poking around. I knew you were probably gifted because you wound up in my world, but I had no way of knowing that your abilities had come to the surface. I should have known about Chace a while ago, but it didn’t dawn on me until I had some time on my hands and replayed the whole thing in my mind. The night at the festival—he saw me when I only made myself visible to you. I should have realized it when he was yelling at me, but I was so hypnotized by you that night and I didn’t think about it again until yesterday. That’s when I put it all together. It’s a good thing, Lex. We’re both gifted and now we can be happy together. By the way, in my world, we can get married. If you wanted to, I mean. Whenever you’re ready,” he stumbled.
I was relieved. It all sounded feasible to me and I didn’t need anything else to worry about. The two men in my life whom I loved and cared about the most were the only ones who knew me for who I really was. They were also the only ones who were pulling me in two different directions and complicating my entire existence. Time is what I needed. Just time.
William continued. “Lex. My love for you is true. I love you for you and not what you can do for me or to me. I know you love me in the same way. I won’t force you with any time constraints or marriage proposals. I want you to make your heart’s decision without any input from either of us. Maybe you can ask Chace to do the same?”
“I... I will. I just need time. Every day is another challenge, another gift and another twist. It can make you nuts, you know.”
“I know. That’s why I’m not going to say anything else. I’m just going to enjoy the time I have with you until you come with me or ask me to leave.”
“Before you take your vow of silence,” I joked “I have a question for you.”
“Shoot.”
“I came in here Saturday morning and the window was open. I knew I shut it like I do every morning. Know anything about that? Be careful. You don’t know what my gifts are,” I reminded him.
“Okay, you caught me. It was me. I just had to feel you. I laid on your bed and smelled your perfume. I could hear your heartbeat as if you were right next to me. I could see your smile. I could feel your breath. It’s so hard for me, Lexi. My passion burns for you. The more I see you, the more I want you. I can’t stay away from you that long anymore. It’s the longest week of my life. The window was open because I left abruptly when I heard Maria coming. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“What about the picture?”
“Could you be more specific?” he asked.
“The picture of me and Chace. I picked it up and it burned my hand. It shattered when I dropped it. My face stayed intact, Chace’s was mutilated.”
“I had nothing to do with it. I would never do anything to hurt you, Lex. You know that. It could have been anyone. How many of those gifted girls are jealous of you? Maybe someone found out Chace is in love with you and it’s not sitting too well with her?”
“Maybe.” From what Hope told me, it could very well have been Melody. I didn’t tell William since I didn’t need his help. I wasn’t some fragile, helpless norm anymore. I could and would find out on my own.
“So tomorrow’s the big day, huh? Actually, it’s after midnight so it’s today! Let me be the first to wish you a very happy birthday, Lexi girl!” William squealed as he picked me up and swung me around, just like he always had in his world. I laughed hard. He slowly let me down so we were standing in a close embrace. I looked up at him as he mouthed the words ‘I love you.’ I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him amorously. I loved him back. When I finally pulled myself away from him, I felt the moistness on my cheek. I looked quickly at him. He was crying and I didn’t know how to handle it. Would it have been wrong to ask or better to just ignore it and act like I didn’t see it?
“William?”
“Oh, Lex, I’m sorry. It’s nothing, really. I just get so caught up in emotion with you that it has to release itself somehow.”
“Okay. Now tell me what it really is,” I whispered.
“I know you’re trying to decide between us. You don’t know how desperately I want it to be me. I feel so helpless knowing that Chace has this power over you. You probably didn’t believe anything I told you about him and I don’t want you to find out the hard way. It’s not easy for me to sit by and watch you fall into any more of his traps. I know that if he didn’t have control over your emotions, we would be together as destiny dictated. I only wish you could know that, too. I’ll still be here when you see the truth, Lex.”
“William, you have to understand. I love you a lot, but Chace is very special to me, too. Even though you told me some crappy stuff about him, I have to find out on my own. I don’t know what he or anyone else is capable of or what gifted ones do behind the backs of the Commission. If you do nothing else, just believe me when I tell you that you are the man of my dreams. You are. I couldn’t have a better life’s companion if I created one myself. I just have to figure out in my own mind what kind of relationship I have with Chace. If he did toy around with my emotions or perceptions or whatever, I’ll find out. And that will be my answer.”
“Fair enough. I can’t ask you for anything more than to get all of the facts and then decide. I know you’ll see the truth. And that will be me,” he said confidently.
With the moment a little lighter, I decided to drop the final bomb, hoping his reaction would follow his new found ‘take your time’ approach.
I sat on the edge of my bed, wrapping my arms around my knees. William sat beside me, running his hand down my arm. “I’m not going to follow through with our plans for Halloween. I don’t want to rush anything along. Besides, I’m not allowed to travel without permission now that I’m gifted.”
“Oh” he said wistfully. “I guess I should have expected that. It’s okay, though. I admit I’m a little disappointed, but I promised you I wouldn’t do anything to encourage or discourage your decisions.”
“Thanks. I’m glad you’re not pissed that I’m reneging on my promise. I know how hard it is for you to have the Chace factor looming around, too. It’s a lot to ask for and I’m happy you’ll wait for me to figure it all out.”
He squeezed me tight and ran his fingers gingerly through my hair. He gently kissed my neck and pulled my top aside as he made his way down to my shoulder. It was just another time I put myself in a position I didn’t want to be in. My heart and body wanted to envelop him with reckless abandon. I was burning to have him as much as he was me. My head kept visualizing Chace and how this was fair to neither of them. I quickly pulled away and pushed my sleeve back on my shoulder.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...”
“No, don’t,” I interrupted, putting my hand up to his lips. I kept my eyes closed so his gaze couldn’t enchant me. “If it weren’t for me acting like an indecisive little girl, I wouldn’t have stopped. I put myself in this position. Even though you’re both in different worlds, I should have decided this a long time ago. Feeling the way I do about you, I should have never let anything develop with Chace. It just doesn’t feel right anymore. I want to be with you, William, in the worst way, but we have to cool off for a while. When I give myself to someone, it’s going to be special and not because someone wants to win me in some manly battle. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Lex. I just can’t help myself sometimes. I get so carried away with you. I already told you, I’ll wait. It may drive me completely insane and be frustrating beyond belief at times, but I’ll do that for you.”
“Hey, when you came in you said you had a great idea. Is it still good?” I laughed trying to dispel the awkwardness.
“Oh yeah, that. I ju
st had an idea that I thought would make a perfect birthday gift.”
“Really? What?” I played along.
“I thought that since this is a very big birthday for you, I could take you to the other world for a little visit to see your parents. You obviously miss them and I know they feel the same. It would be a gift for both you and them. You could stay there for a few days and be back here before morning. That’s why I came a little earlier tonight. To give you more time to visit. What do you say?”
“Gee, I don’t know. I mean, I know how much I want to see them, but I don’t know if I’d be allowed to go. I always used to send my mother flowers on my birthday because it was a special day for her, too. It would be nice if I could give them to her in person on my eighteenth birthday.”
“So why not just ask for permission? I’m sure they’ll grant it, why wouldn’t they?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never traveled to the other world and I don’t know if they’d allow me to do it alone because of the defectors.”
“The defectors are a big fat nothing, Lex. You can just stay at your parents’ the whole time if you’re scared. They won’t even know you’re there. Besides, you have nothing they want anyway.”
“Oh really? How do you know what they want? No one else seems to.”
“I know they are a bunch of morons who have no idea how to co-exist with another universe. One gifted one from the other world isn’t going to help them or their cause. They obviously have bigger plans than to get Lexi Blane to come to their world.” He laughed hard.
“Funny, William. Very funny!” I squealed as I rolled around with him until I had him pinned on the floor. I held his hands above his head. “Say uncle,” I joked.
“Uncle!”
“Now say, I love you, Lexi Blane!”
“I love you, Lexi Blane!” he squeezed out before I smothered him with kisses while still pressing his arms to the floor.
“Ummm, Lex. If we’re going, we better get moving. You don’t want to be away longer than a few hours or your aunt will be worried.”
The Dragonfly Prophecy Page 18
