by CATT
“I’m sorry Lana that is not in my power. I can come to you now because of the blood bond we share. It’s up to you to find your way back. I can tell you this, listen to the voices calling to you. Follow their voice but you’ll need to hurry if you stay here much longer I’m afraid it may be too late.”
Michael started fading away; I begged him not to leave me. Telling him I needed to know more about the war he said was coming. What I was supposed to do in the war. Nothing I asked made him come back, and once again, I am left alone in complete darkness. I listen for what seemed like forever trying to hear the voices Michael had told me to listen for. Giving up and feeling more tired than I had ever felt in my life, I close my eyes and let sleep overtake me. I don’t know how long I slept before being woken up to the sound of my voice being called.
Sitting up I yell “I’m here can you hear me.” I can’t make out who is calling me, but I can definitely hear someone. I listen to someone telling me to please wake up I scream that I wanted to wake up, but I didn’t know how. Then I hear the same voice telling me to listen to their voice and follow it. I don’t know what to do I’d tried running I’d tried screaming, but nothing I did allowed me to escape this never-ending blackness I am in. Then I hear it Dominick talking to me. He is telling me how I had to come back to him. That he can’t live in a world I wasn’t in. I listen as he tells me if I’d just wake up he’d leave and never interfere with my life again.
I know Dominick leaving my life is the last thing I ever wanted. I have to tell him. I have to get back to him! He isn’t dead I have to tell him I will break everything off with Case that I love him and only him.
Fighting harder than I have ever fought before I push everything from my mind except the sound of Dominick's voice, I concentrate picturing myself moving towards him. The first thing that let me know it is working is the pain coming back to my face and head. I fought against my mind that wanted me to retreat back to the place where the pain no longer existed. Pushing forward I felt my eyes trying to open. I struggled with everything I had in me demanding my eyes to open so I can see my Greek God .My eyes fluttered open and in a weak voice I squeak , “Dominick.”
“I’m here baby; I haven't left your side.”
Making my eyes focus for the first time I see his face and what appears to be tears in his eyes.
In a low voice I say, “My Greek God.”
“What did you say?”
“Come closer” I said barely above a whisper.
He leans closer to me and asked, “What is it baby. How do you feel?”
“Closer” I whisper.
Moving closer his ear is almost touching my lips, I raise my hands to either side of his face turning his head and pull his lips down to mine. I kiss him. He makes sure to keep the kiss soft as if he is afraid he may hurt me. Lifting his head, he smiles down at me,
“I’m glad you’re back princess. You've had us all worried.”
I tell him I am glad I am back and that he and I have a lot of things to discuss. As I said the words, I felt my energy fading. I knew I was falling asleep again even as hard as I fought not to. Then I hear Dominick’s deep voice saying, “sleep princess I’ll be here when you wake up.” I felt his lips touching mine again before my body went into a deep sleep.
I would wake up every few hours, and Dominick was always by my side. I saw Case and spoke to him assuring him that I would be fine that my body just needed rest. I spoke to Adam and Rachel a few times but the only one I really wanted to see or talk with was Dominick. I have not been able to stay awake long enough to tell him all the things I want to say. Top of the list being I loved him; I knew we would have plenty of time for that after we left the fairy realm and are back in the keepers world. Right now I am satisfied knowing that he was here by my side.
I have been out of my comma twelve hours, when Case says it is time for us to leave. He tells us we have to make it back to the opening in the field were Rachel and I, had first come through the door. I watch as everyone starts getting ready. I am still way too weak to be of help to anyone. I listen as Dominick and Case go over the plan for everything that will have to happen after we make it to the field. I didn’t quite catch everything they said, but I saw Case pull out these big metal rods from his satchel and tell Dominick they had to be positioned in the shape of a triangle. I had no idea what they were talking about. When I had opened the door and come through all I had done was say an incantation, but I had all the trust in the world, in Case he knew what he was doing, and if he said putting these poles in the ground had to happen then it had to happen.
I felt bad because I knew I would slow them down getting to the field. I still couldn’t walk. That meant I would have to be carried, and I hated that. I didn’t want to be the one slowing them down. It didn’t take long for the sun to start setting, which was our cue that it was time to go.
CHAPTER 46
Case walks over to me and asks if I am ready to go. I tell him I’d never been so ready to leave a place in my life. He bends down and picks me up. I put my arms around his neck wishing it was Dominick’s neck my arms were going around instead. Looking around I search for Dominick, I locate him standing a few feet away putting the polls back in Case’s satchel. He looks at me and mouthed the words “it’s alright princess.”
Turning away I looked straight ahead as we left the cave that had been our home for the last two days. No one speaks after we leave the cave. Case holds me tight against his chest as he walks. After about an hour we make it to the clearing. Case sits me down on the ground and asked if I will be alright. I tell him not to worry about me, for him to just get us home. He leaves me sitting there while he and Dominick go to work sitting up the poles. Dominick has the last pole in his hand when the tree people come running from everywhere.
I watch as Case, Dominick, Rachel and Adam are fighting. For every tree person, they take down it’s like ten more show up to take their place. It is never ending. I know I have to do something. I’m just not sure what in my weaken state. I am trying to stand up when I am grabbed from behind and hear Prince Osier voice in my ear telling me he is very disappointed in me. The prince let out a huge yell telling the tree people to stop. It is like watching everything in slow motion as at least a hundred tree people stop moving at the same time along with Dominick, Case, Rachel and Adam. The prince picks me up in his arms. I tried to fight him. He is simply too strong for me.
“Do you see what you have done princess?” Prince Osier asked. “I was willing to let your friends go, but now you have sentenced them all to death, and I’ll still have you.”
“You can’t have me if I don’t agree to marry you.”
“Yes there is that little matter, but I will hold you hostage here and make your life unbearable until you either come around to my way of thinking, or you’ll die just like your friends will.”
“LET HER GO!” Case screams in a mincing tone. One of the tree people knocks him to the ground.
I scream “leave him alone! What if I agree to do as you want? Will you let my friends go then?”
“Aw…maybe this can still work out for the best.” Prince Osier said.
I heard Dominick, and Case both yelling at me not to say another word.
“Princess this will be your last chance. You say the words I want to hear, and I will let your friends go” Prince Osier said.
“First you open the door and let them go through then I’ll do as you want.”
“You’re still the most stubborn woman; I've ever met princess. I see why you have these two young men fighting over you. It seems like you collect hearts the way I collect beautiful things. You will be my prized collection. The most beautiful thing I’ve ever collected.”
Before I know what was happening, I see Case, and Dominick sling two of the tree people over their heads. Rachel and Adam have somehow managed to break free, and they are all fighting. Finding strength I didn’t know I had I elbow the prince and brake free. Running with what energy I ha
ve left toward Dominick, I grab the pole he dropped. With the pole in hand, I run to the place the pole needed to be placed and start pushing it in the ground. When I have it in as far as I can. I squeal to Case that all the poles are in place. He continues fighting as he bellowing out the words that will open the door to our way back home.
I ogled the light when is appeared and started to growing in size until it finally formed the door. Case killed the three tree people he had been fighting plus he managed to get Rachel and Adam free as well. Rachel, and Adam, runs to me, and I tell them to go through the door, and we will be right behind them. Case and Dominick are running towards the door by this time. Breaking the necks of any tree people in their way I am yelling for them to hurry I wasn’t sure how long the door would stay open. Case makes it to the door before Dominick. I watch in horror as more tree people than I can count surround Dominick. It is like they all jump him at once. Dominick is fighting with everything he has in him. I yell “Case; we have to help him.”
“You stay here I’ll help him.” Case yells already running. I watched Case run towards Dominick. But he doesn’t make it far when Dominick sees him and yells for him to stop.
“CASE DON'T THERES TOO MANY TO FIGHT. GET LANA OUT OF HERE MAKE SURE SHE’S SAFE!”
“NO”I scream and start running. Case grabs me around the waist; I fight him kicking and screaming. Yelling for him to let me go that we need to help Dominick! Case starts dragging me toward the door; I fight him the whole way. Watching as the tree people beat Dominick. I scream Dominick’s name over, and over again. I see the light from the door and know Case is fixing to pull me through. I scream the one thing I wanted Dominick to know more than anything in the world. “Dominick I LOVE YOU!”
He turns his head toward me his eyes hold mine. “I LOVE YOU!” I yell again. Right before Case pulls me through the door, I see the tree people holding Dominick down while another one stabs him in the chest with a huge stick. I see Dominick’s arms fall to his side. I realize I had seen this happen before, while I had been in the comma. I scream I know I am hysterical, but I can’t help it. I just watched the man I love die. My heart felt as if it has been ripped from my chest. My energy spent I pasted out wishing I had died back on the fairy realm with Dominick.
CHAPTER 47
I wake up in my bed back on the keepers’ world. Sitting up I look around, everything appears as it had when I left. The only thing different is me. Getting some clothes, I go to take a long hot bath. Tears falling as I replay the images in my head of Dominick dying. It is too much to deal with. I don’t know where I am supposed to go from here. Am I supposed to pick up and go on with life-like nothing happened? I can’t picture my life without seeing Dominick’s face every day hearing his voice. I cried until I had no tears left getting out of the tub I dried off wrapped the towel around me. Picking up my hairbrush, I examine myself for the first time in the mirror. My eyes are swollen and red. My face no longer hurts, and my nose appears as it always had. I’m sure Summer and Harris had Sage come here as soon as Case had gotten me back home.
Taking the hairbrush with me, I go back to my bedroom and sit down on my bed. Pulling some of my hair across my shoulder, I start brushing it. I have been brushing the same spot for over fifteen minutes when a knock sounded on my door. “Come on in” I say and watch as Summer step in and sit down on the bed beside me.
“How are you doing sweetie?”
“About as well as can be expected I guess.”
“Would you like to talk about it?”
“I feel like I’m dying Summer my heart feels as if it’s been ripped from my body. I feel hollow.”
“I know how you feel. I remember having that same feeling almost nineteen years ago when I had to leave you. I wish I could tell you it will get easier, but I can’t. I will tell you that you will learn to accept it over time, and the pain will lessen.”
“I left him there summer! He came there to get me to save me. Now I’m here, and he’s gone. While I was in the comma, I realized my real feelings for Dominick. I realized I loved him. I was going to wait and tell him after we had gotten back but when he told Case to take me and leave I yelled out and told him, I loved him.” Summer had taken the brush out of my hands and had started brushing my hair.
“At least you had the opportunity to tell him; a lot of people never have that chance.”
“You know you told me before I left going to the Cape that maybe I would be able to work my feelings out before I returned home. It seems you, we're right.”
“Sweetie there’s something I need to tell you. God knows I rather not tell you at all, but you deserve to know.”
“What is it?”
“Years ago your father did a spell a binding spell. He was only doing what he thought was best.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Sweetie years ago your father did a binding spell. He bound you and Case together. That’s the reason you guys fell for each other so easy. That’s the reason you couldn’t understand how you could love Case and still have feelings for Dominick. Let me add the binding spell never would have worked if you hadn’t been attracted to Case first.”
“You’ve known about this the whole time and your just now telling me” I demand my anger building.
“Yes I knew. The reason I didn’t say anything in the beginning was because Dominick wasn’t a keeper, and I knew there was no way you two could be together. I knew you loved him even if you wouldn’t admit it. That’s why I helped Dominick when he petitioned the Angel council the last time. I knew if he became a keeper you two could be together without any ramifications. I was waiting on Harris to get back so he could break the spell binding you and Case together.”
“Did Case know about this?”
“NO of course not his feelings for you have been as real as your feelings for him.”
“When did Harris do this?”
“It’s been a few years, but as soon as I told him how you felt about Dominick; he broke the spell. He feels horrible Lana; he thought he was doing the right thing at the time.”
“You know I thought all the lies ended last year. I thought I could trust you.” I said jumping off the bed.
“Lana honey I’m sorry please try to understand Harris made a mistake; he didn’t do it to hurt you.”
“It’s his fault Dominick’s dead! If he hadn’t bound me and Case together I would have been with Dominick from the start!” My voice continued to grow in volume. All the pain I was feeling turning to anger.
“Lana you couldn’t have been with Dominick before he became a keeper. If you had been, and the Angel’s found out you would have been stripped of your powers and left alone.”
“That should have been my choice not yours. GET OUT SUMMER NOW! I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOU.” I screamed
Summer tried to say something, but I run to my bathroom and lock the door. I sit there until I hear her leave. Going back to my bedroom I slip on a pair of jeans and tee-shirt and go to find Case.
Knocking on his bedroom door, he tells me to come in. I walk in shutting the door behind me. Case is sitting on the side of his bed, so I walk over and sit down beside him. He stands up as soon as I sit down and walks over looking out his window.
“Did they tell you?” I asked.
Case stood there gazing out his window for the longest before he spoke. “Yeah Harris told me yesterday.”
“I’m sorry they did this to you Case. I’m sorry about everything.”
Case still looking out the window asked, “how long Lana?”
“How long what?”
Case looked at me for the first time since I walked in his bedroom. “How long we’re you seeing Dominick behind my back?”
Feeling guilty I knew Case deserved the truth, but he also needed to know it wasn’t the way he thought it was. “Case, Dominick and I were not seeing each other.”
“Come on Lana stop playing me for the fool.”
“Alright I’ll tell you everything y
ou deserve that. I saw Dominick for the first time the night; I first met you at the club when you told me I was a keeper. He picked me up after I had fought the demon. When I woke up here I had assumed I had imaged him because of all the poison in my body. I saw him again when Lisa was showing me the weapons in the gym for the first time, and I had blinked myself by accident to Ireland. He helped me kill the vampires there. I didn’t see him again until the necromancers kidnapped me from the club the night we were there.” I grew quite not wanting to tell him the rest but knowing I owed it to him. “I guess that’s when I started having feelings for him.”
“Did you sleep with him?”
“Case what does that matter now. Do we really have to go through this?”
“You did, didn’t you?” Case said yelling anger written all over his face.
“YES I DID! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR, DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER KNOWING!”
“DAM YOU LANA WE HAVE BEEN DATING FOR TEN MONTHS AND NEVER SLEPT TOGETHER BUT IT WAS SO EASY FOR YOU TO JUMP IN BED WITH DOMINICK!"
