“Let’s just forget it,” I snapped. “I’m not wasting the time I have here with my parents over this crap. We’ll deal with it when we get back home.”
“Lex, we are home!” he whispered as he clasped his arms around me, tightening my arms to my sides.
“Let go, William, I’m not in a playful mood right now.”
“I love you, Lexi, with all that I am I love you. I wasn’t supposed to fall for you, but I did and I hope someday you’ll find it within yourself to forgive me. I’m sorry for this.”
I felt a prick in my arm and then darkness. I could feel but I couldn’t see. I could breathe but I couldn’t move. I could hear but I couldn’t respond. I was horrified. My intuition was right on target. William intentionally did this to me for reasons I hadn’t understood. I assumed it was his way of forcing me to stay in his world with him. Did he really think this would work? Surely he knew I would be furious and go back when I was able. He couldn’t keep me prisoner here. Could he? I thought. I pictured Chace in my mind and focused on him, hoping there was still a way he could read my energy. I was in trouble, to say the least. I knew I should have told him I was going.
I could feel William scoop me up and carry me into the family room. My parents were aghast.
“William! What happened?” My mother dropped the bags of take out dinner and rushed over to help him put me on the sofa.
“I don’t know,” he whimpered like he was really concerned about me. “She said she felt a little woozy and collapsed in my arms.”
“I’ll call Doctor Rush. He’ll know what to do,” she said.
“Sandy, wait. He’s in the black market. We shouldn’t deal with them anymore since William and Lexi are both gifted. We don’t need them. Why risk it?” Dad asked.
“Who else can help us, James? Who?” she yelled.
“Anyone can help us this time. She’s allowed to be here now. We aren’t doing anything illegal anymore, and neither is she. How do we reach the Commission, William? Let’s take her there. They’ll know what to do.”
“Sorry, but I already called Doctor Rush as soon as she fell into my arms. He’s on his way. I didn’t mean to trump you, but it was my immediate reaction and you know that’s how things work here. I had no control over it.”
As soon as William finished pressing those lies out, the doorbell rang again. Someone opened the door and I heard the familiar sound of the voice that always made me cringe, even now.
“Mr. and Mrs. Blane, it’s been a while. I was hoping I wouldn’t be seeing you again,” he said lightly.
“Please, she’s over here.” My father brought the shady doctor over to the sofa. “She was fine and then just collapsed. If you can, just help her get back to her world where she belongs. She’ll be all right there.”
“It’s not that easy, Mr. Blane. If she went back now, she would still suffer from whatever is ailing her. We have to treat whatever’s wrong and then she can go. Something could have gone awry in her travels, or it could be something as simple as the flu. Don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
I could hear my mother crying again. It always tore me up to know how much agony she went through because of that one fateful day back in June. I tried to send her a signal in my mind that I was okay. I wanted them to know it was William who did this and that there was nothing wrong with me. I assumed she didn’t get my message.
“I’ll have to take her to the office with me. I don’t have the equipment to do her much good here. William, would you be so kind as to carry her down to my car?”
“No, I’ll do it!” my father insisted.
I felt Dad’s hands slip under me and then go limp as he cried out in pain. My mother screamed in a horrifying shrill. The door slammed and the cool, damp air brushed my face with deliberate strokes.
Chapter 22
The Nightmare Featuring the Man of My Dreams
I opened my eyes. Nothing else worked. I tried to move my limbs, but the more I struggled, the more they hurt. My surroundings were unfamiliar and I knew I had never been in this place, in either world. I cried out “William? Doctor Rush?” No one responded to my call. I could do nothing else but scream, so that’s what I did.
Finally I heard someone enter the room from behind me. I could smell him. It was William. He leaned over the sofa that restrained me and stared icily into my eyes. Those beautiful green eyes that stole my heart from the moment I saw them were now a grim shade of ebony. He stroked my hair as I turned away from his glare, full of regret and disgust.
“It was a lie. It was all a lie,” I muttered in an eerie calmness. “I was your pawn. You needed me for whatever you’re up to and I fell for it. To think I believed you every time you said you loved me. I’m such a fool.”
“NO! That’s not the case, Lexi! Listen to me!”
“Just shut up, William, if that’s even your name. I have no interest in listening to any more. What do you want from me? What did you so desperately need from me that you destroyed my life and everyone in it?”
“It’s not what you think, Lexi. It’s not you that I need. I told you I loved you and I meant every word I ever said to you. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. I wasn’t supposed to fall for you. In a way, you’re right, but not about everything. You were my mission, that part’s true. But then when I got to know you, I honestly fell in love with you. I always told you that no matter what happened that would never change and it hasn’t. I do love you dearly, Lexi girl.”
“Don’t call me that! You don’t get to call me that anymore! What did you do to my parents, you miserable little shit? Where are they?”
“I’m not sure where they are, but they’ll be all right.” If I closed my eyes, I would have thought that was my William speaking to me. But it wasn’t. It was a dark and evil being with a perilous plan of which I was somehow an unfortunate part.
“Lexi, let me explain.”
“Ummm yeah, Wills, you can do that right after you let me up.”
“I can’t release you, but I can make you more comfortable. Would you feel better sitting up?”
“I’d feel better if I could move at my own discretion, but since you seem to be afraid of me, I’ll settle for the sitting up.”
“I’m not afraid of you. Your gifts won’t do you any good here. This building was designed to prevent gifted ones from using their abilities. It took years to build. The lead walls and electromagnetic fields prevent almost everything from coming in or out. Gifted ones draw upon the energy and other natural resources in the world to make their abilities work. It was in the handbook. You can’t hurt me, Lexi. Not physically anyway.”
Oh great, the goddamned handbook I never read. “If none of my gifts work, then why don’t you just release me? Liar.”
“It’s not up to me. Doctor Rush is calling the shots on this mission.” He removed whatever invisible barriers he had put in place on the upper half of my body and kept his hands on my shoulders as he spoke. “Please don’t try anything, Lex. If you cooperate with us, no one will hurt you. I won’t let them. Don’t make me sorry I took the restraints off.”
“I won’t try anything,” I lied. As far as I was concerned, all bets were off now. Our entire relationship was built on lies and he was a real mental case if he thought my word would still be good. I slowly sat up with my arms raised above my head in a surrendering position. “Are we just going to sit here and rot or are you going to tell me what the hell’s going on? You may as well; it’s not like I can do anything to stop you anyway, and I’m not stupid enough to believe I’ll come out of this the same way I came in.”
William started walking slowly around the sofa where I sat, contemplating what, if anything, he should tell me. The second he broke his eye contact, I swung my arm in an effort to release my fire that he so severely deserved. Nothing came out. I was immediately consumed by feelings of intimidation and dread. There was no way I was getting out of this alone.
“You said you wouldn’t do that,” Willi
am said quite calmly.
“I lied. You know, sort of like you’ve been doing to me since the day you met me,” I spat.
“Please. It’s hard enough to have to do this to someone I love so much. Don’t make it any worse than it already is.”
“You are delirious! Like I’m going to help you! Don’t ask me for any favors, William, just go away. Can you do that much for me? Just go away and leave me alone. Bind me back up if you have to, but get out of my sight!” I barked.
“I can’t. I have to watch you until Doctor Rush gets back.”
“Where is he? Torturing my parents?” I demanded.
“Neither you nor your parents will be hurt in this, Lex. It was part of the agreement.”
“What agreement? Or does Doctor Jekyll tell you what you can and can’t say because you’re too stupid to do anything on your own?”
“He’s not the one who controls me. I guess I can tell you. It’s not like you can change it anyway. No one can.”
“Gee thanks,” I said with immense disdain and a burning in the pit of my stomach that felt like snake venom.
William sat next to me and reached for my hand. I pulled away and turned my glance to the dark gray wall. He started to speak in an oddly comforting voice that was all too familiar to me.
“I’m just like you, Lexi. I wasn’t born into this universe. I came from your world. I was just an ordinary kid with an ordinary life. I was a norm. A few years ago, my parents, my little sister Evangeline and I were on holiday in France. On our last night there, we were walking back to the hotel after dinner. We were accosted by a group of men brandishing guns and knives. They ordered us all into an alley at gunpoint. We didn’t resist and did everything they told us very calmly. The leader of the pack demanded my father’s wallet, my mother’s purse and told me and Evangeline to turn out our pockets. We gave them everything in the hope they would be satisfied and leave us be. Just as they were leaving, one of them caught a glimpse of my mother’s diamond ring. It had been in our family for centuries. That son of a bitch held the gun to her head and told her to take the ring off. She tried so hard to get that ring off but it had been on so long it wouldn’t budge. It didn’t take long before they grew impatient and shot us all. My mother and father died right there in the alley. Evangeline and I were hit several times, but we survived.”
William’s words got shaky. It was obviously excruciating for him to talk about. I almost felt sorry for him, but my sympathy turned quickly when I thought about what he was doing to me and my family.
“We went to live with our relatives in Essex. Unbeknown to any of us, my parents went to the alternate universe, just like yours did. And, like you, I had no idea such a place existed. I started having the same vivid dream each night. My doctors and family believed it was post-traumatic stress disorder. That diagnosis didn’t satisfy me, so I started to do some research on the Internet. I found mountains of information regarding the alternate universe. I researched for weeks and came up with nothing more than several opposing viewpoints. But then I found a name. A name that would change my life forever. I contacted him and he told me of the other world and everything else that went along with it. Of course I didn’t believe much, just as you didn’t at first. But then he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I wasn’t sure if it was true, but it was definitely worth trying. If I sold my soul to the defectors, my sister and I would be allowed to go to the other universe for the rest of our lives.
“I was so distraught about losing my mum and dad and having Evangeline grow up an orphan that I agreed to whatever they wanted. They allowed me to go to the other world, but my sister had to stay in your world until this assignment was complete. She’s their collateral and if I fail at this mission, I will never see her again. Actually, I don’t know what will happen to me either. I made the decision hastily and didn’t ask questions. I’ve never even met a defector. The entire deal was made using the man I emailed on the Internet as a liaison. I don’t even know who controls me. Who destroyed me. Who turned me into this monster I’ve become. I’m sorry you had to be involved in this, Lexi. I would never want anyone to experience the pain I did. I didn’t know anything about this assignment until after I made the deal with the defectors. If I had, my choices would have been different.”
I had no way of knowing if he was telling me the truth. I was in self-preservation mode and more concerned with how I was getting out of there alive. I wasn’t beyond manipulating him to do that. My genuine concern for others wasn’t as good as the Commission thought.
“I’m sorry for your troubles,” I said halfheartedly. “At the risk of sounding insensitive, why am I involved in this?”
“It’s not you they want, Lex. It’s Chace. The defectors don’t want the two worlds to exist together—they never did. The only thing standing in the way of them dominating both worlds and ultimately eliminating yours is Chace. He is the anomaly in both worlds. His gifts are endless. His power is immeasurable. Once they get rid of him, they’ll have a fighting chance of overcoming your world. The defectors have tried for years to annihilate him every time he’s here. They haven’t even come close. A few years back, someone came up with the idea of trapping him and incapacitating his abilities long enough to destroy him. They constructed this building, which will prevent most, but probably not all, gifts from being utilized. Even Chace himself doesn’t know what all of his gifts are so it would have been impossible to prepare for everything. Who knows? He still may even get out of this one. The most difficult part was getting him here and in a position where he’s helpless.”
“And I’m the bait? Is that why I’m here?” I said scornfully.
“You are the bait,” he said faintly. “Their plan is to lure Chace here to this building where he can’t defend himself. The only way to do that is to strike his weakest point. That is you.”
“Me? I’m his weakest point? How... how could I be?” I knew I had complicated matters for Chace, but I never thought I would somehow be responsible for his mortality. My throat burned from holding back the vomit that crept up from deep within the pit of my stomach.
“He adores you, Lexi. Ever since he was a child, he has loved you beyond anyone’s comprehension. His thought process is solid, his senses are sharp, and he is the closest thing to perfection known to mankind. He has never missed a beat, except when it comes to you. Even then, he’s only slightly off kilter but it’s enough to—”
“He won’t show up!” I interrupted. “You wouldn’t let me tell him I was coming and since his abilities can’t get beyond these walls, he won’t be able to sense I’m here. The Commission would have no reason to tell him either.”
“It’s all been taken care of. This has been in the works for quite some time and every detail has been thought out carefully. I wouldn’t let you tell him because he would have stopped you from coming. He knows better. We didn’t want any surprises and he would have been full of them, without a doubt. When I snuck into your room the other night, I was retrieving a device that recorded your articulation of every word you spoke, every pitch change in your voice, and every slight variation in your accent. I used your own words to create the message to send to Chace. There is no way he’ll be able to tell the difference. He’ll be here shortly.”
“What did you say to him? What did you say, you black-eyed freak?” I wailed as I welled up with fear for Chace.
William started speaking in my voice. ‘Don’t be mad, but I went to the alternate universe with William. I couldn’t take hurting you both anymore by dragging this out. Please meet me so I can talk to both of you. I know you don’t like him, but William is a good guy. I’m waiting for you.’ I said something along those lines.”
“Well then, he won’t come alone! I asked the Commission for authorization so they already know I’m here! And I’m still wearing the suit, you jerk. The minute they track me, which they probably have already, they’ll send in the gunners. Sorry, William. Looks like your bad boys aren’t so smart.”
<
br /> “Lexi, that won’t happen. While I was in your room, I also planted a transmitter in your bathroom that jammed the frequency of your cat suit. I was the one who answered you by altering my voice from the other side of the door. They don’t know you’re here. And since I’m telling you everything, I should tell you the picture was also my doing. It upset me so to see you and Chace together and so long ago. I would never have that kind of history with you and probably no chance of a future with you either. So yeah, I smashed the frame and burned out his face, probably from the vibrations of my jealousy. Juvenile, I know, but for a sliver of time, it made me feel good. Your hand burned because of my angry energy that was left on the frame. I’m sorry about that part.”
“Where’s the evil doctor? When is he coming so I can bitch slap him?” I was trying to get an idea of how much time I had to figure something out.
“He’s on his way.”
The best thing I could come up with was to be nice to William. I could try to appeal to him to let me out of the rest of these restraints. William even said they couldn’t prepare for every gift. Now I knew why he was so interested in knowing what all of my gifts were. I was banking on the chance that they hadn’t accounted for at least one of mine. I also thought the more information I had, the better I could help Chace when he got here.
“You said you sold your soul to the defectors. I guess that makes you one of them?”
“I’m not a defector. They’re gifted ones who disagree with the laws. I was a norm. I have no gifts.”
“Stop lying to me! You have abilities! You can morph, you can travel and who knows what else?” I snapped.
“They aren’t abilities, Lexi. They’re only temporary tools. My soul is not my own. The defectors control it. I’m a monster. A dark and evil monster.”
“You mean like a demon? I heard there were other entities in your world.”
The Dragonfly Prophecy Page 20
