Lucid, YA Paranormal Romance (Brightest Kind of Darkness Series, Book #2)

by Patrice Michelle

  Without a word, I stripped off my gloves and tossed them to the ground. My heavy fleece followed. As I started toward the ladder on wobbly legs, he spoke in a low, determined voice behind me, “You’re going to learn to trust me if it kills you.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  True to his word, Drystan caught me each time I fell, which didn’t stop my heart from slamming into my throat whenever my feet slipped off the nylon line and I plummeted toward the hard ground. By the time I finally managed to stay on the line for more than a minute, my trust in him was completely solidified. It only took me two and a half hours to figure out how to balance with my legs and hips, not my arms. Um, yeah, hearing that advice and actually learning it were two very different things.

  Drystan lay back in the leaves underneath the slackline and tucked his arms behind his head. “I think that’s a good start for today. You might not feel it now, but you’re going to be sore as ’ell tomorrow.” He paused and cast an amused gaze my way. “And no, I’m not cutting you any slack just because you ache all over in the morning. Nine sharp. You’ll just have to suck it up, Miss Collins.”

  “We agreed on four days. Every other day works best for me.” I settled into a crossed-legged position beside him. A light breeze blew through the trees, tinged with the smell of moss and pine as it cooled the sweat coating my temples.

  “Nope. I’m taking four in a row,” he countered. “As the week goes on, Lainey’s going to distract you with winter dance stuff.”

  I laughed at the distasteful look on his face and shrugged back into my fleece. “They don’t have school dances in Wales? Or do you not know how to dance, Drystan? Which is it?”

  He grinned and rolled onto his side. Sliding his hand through his sweat-dampened hair, he propped up on his elbow. “I know how to dance, right enough. Why don’t you come to the dance with me? That way you can keep the adoring American girls at bay.”

  I stiffened. I hadn’t expected the conversation to turn in this direction. “I have a boyfriend, Drystan. I thought Lainey told you that.”

  “So.” He shrugged. “I’m not asking you on a date. I’d just like to go with someone I know. Plus, I was serious about batting away all the girls wanting a go at the new Welsh boy,” he finished, giving a smug wink.

  “Cocky much?” I said, smirking.

  “Where is this invisible bloke of yours? Lainey said he’s taking cyber school right now while he’s out of town for a while. If I were your boyfriend, I’d make the trip home to take you to the dance.”

  I tensed and plucked a crunchy leaf from the ground, then shredded it between my fingers. “Ethan’s relationship with his parents is complicated. He’s trying to work it out.”

  A hard, unsympathetic look poured into Drystan’s green gaze. “My dad refused to acknowledge my ability, even when I’d proven my accuracy several times. He looked me right in the eyes and told me to ‘cut that bullshit out.’”

  “That had to suck.” I grimaced, surprised he’d shared something so personal.

  Drystan snorted. “That’s nothing compared to him refusing to acknowledge he was my father.”

  My gaze locked with his. “What do you mean? I thought he was a part of your life before he passed away. At least you made it sound that way.”

  His mouth turned downward. “He lived with and supported us, but he never married my mum or introduced me as his son. He even called me Maddox—my mother’s maiden name—as a constant reminder he refused to give me his last name. The selfish bastard.”

  As much as I heard the hate in his words, I also sensed deeper emotions reflected in his hard stare: hurt, confusion and disillusionment.

  Before I could say anything, he interrupted with a confident smile, shrugging away the past. “But even with all that parental shite going on in my head, I’d manage to put myself straight and take you to the dance.”

  Put myself straight? His literal-speak, spoken in that Welsh accent was so quaint. “I’m sorry about your dad, Drystan, and thanks for asking, but I won’t be going to the dance without Ethan.”

  “Your loss.” Shaking his head, Drystan picked up a handful of leaves and tossed it at me. “We’re going to have a grand time.”

  I sputtered and batted the leaves off my face and clothes, then held up my hands when I saw he was sitting up with another handful ready to throw. “But I do have a favor to ask. If you’re willing to help, then I’ll share.”

  He immediately dropped the leaves, excited anticipation in his expression. “Share? As in you’ll tell me your ability?”

  I inhaled to bolster my confidence and nodded.

  “Done!” He moved to sit beside me, bent his knees, then leaned back on his hands with an expectant look. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Maybe you should hear me out first before you agree.”

  An eyebrow shot up and his lips quirked. “I’m already intrigued.”

  I bent my own knees and wrapped my arms around them, resting my chin on my knee. “I’m trying to find an important book—a journal—that’s disappeared. It’s for a project I’ve been working on.”

  “Is that all?” he snorted, sitting up. “No problem.”

  I pulled a water bottle from my backpack. “I wish it were that easy.” I sighed and took a sip. “It was stolen from my house and I have no idea who stole it.”

  Drystan let out a low whistle. “Trouble follows you like the plague.” He rubbed his hands together, then continued, “Stolen or misplaced, my ability focuses on the result, not the how or why of it. Locating is all that matters.”

  I gave a half smile. “This will be a true test of your ability then, because I can’t even see it.”

  He tilted his head. “Really? Well then, how about sharing what your power is…”

  “Every night I dream my entire next day,” I blurted, then held my breath, waiting for his reaction.

  “Wow!” Drystan’s eyes widened and he shoved a hand through his hair with an astonished laugh. “Just…wow. Now that I know, seeing myself in the future makes an odd sort of sense.”

  I frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  Drystan held his hand out, palm up. “Remember I said that holding things is how I use my power to find what I’m trying to find? I was holding Lochlan’s collar that day, seeking his location. But you didn’t know that’s what I was doing, and when you touched my hand, that’s when I saw myself giving Lochlan to Lainey. It’s like when you touched me, my power combined with yours and let me see a glimpse of the future.”

  I furrowed my brow. “What doesn’t make sense is that I dream my next day. You saw something that happened later the same day.”

  “Maybe when my power and yours merge, there’s a shift in how yours works? I’ve never ‘seen’ myself finding the object either until that day you touched my hand. That’s definitely a change in how my ability has worked in the past.”

  “But you didn’t touch me that day you knew I was going to get shot. How did you see the ‘future’ then?”

  Drystan shrugged. “Apparently you also leave residual energy that conveys your power on items you’ve worn. When Matt and I got to Lainey’s, she told me you were looking for the other glove you’d dropped. She asked me to catch up with you, since I knew the path we’d taken to find Lochlan that day. I grabbed the glove you’d left behind, and that’s when I saw myself saving you. I told them to call the police before I went to find you.”

  “That’s one of the downsides of my dreams,” I said with a wry look. “If I change something from my dream, then my entire day can change in turn. I never dreamed about getting shot. Lainey was the one who was shot and seriously injured. I changed her fate when I went looking for the glove myself. And as for finding Lochlan, that wasn’t in my dream. I was only at her house that day because I’d inadvertently changed something else earlier in the day.”

  “Inadvertently?” An incredulous expression filtered across his features. “You don’t change things on purpose?”

&
nbsp; “Rarely. There are too many consequences and unknowns if I do.” I so wasn’t going to go into my issues with Fate.

  Drystan snorted. “I’d be all over changing stuff I didn’t like in my life.”

  I pressed my lips together. “Trust me. If you’d lived in my shoes, you wouldn’t.”

  “Why do I get the feeling you’re not telling me everything?” he said, eyeing me with a narrowed gaze.

  Because everything is too personal, too freaky, and would change your entire perspective on what you thought you knew about life in general. I shrugged and spread my hands wide. “And now you know my secret.”

  Drystan looked away, his eyes clouding over. “If I’d only known my dad was going to die that day, I would’ve never let him leave the house.”

  My stomach lurched. This was the danger of others knowing my ability; they’d expect me to save their loved ones too. I couldn’t control everything, couldn’t save the entire world. The pressure would be crippling to take on the fate of millions.

  “That’s the limitation to my power, Drystan. I only see what’s going to happen in my life, things that directly impact me.”

  Drystan rubbed his forehead. “Wait, I’m trying to get it sorted in my head how your ability works. If you see your whole day, then why didn’t you know you were going to be attacked at the library? And why didn’t you foresee that your journal would be stolen? You could’ve taken it with you to avoid that from happening. And what about this conversation? Didn’t you dream you told me about your power?”

  I grimaced. “Glitches happen. If I’m woken early, I don’t see my entire day, which is what happened the day at the library. I hadn’t dreamed that far yet.” I ran my hand down my face, feeling suddenly tired. “The journal is a little different. When I first started working on it, I dreamed about it every night, but later,” I paused and shrugged, “it faded from my dreams, which means I wouldn’t have dreamed about it being stolen. As for me telling you about my ability, I didn’t dream this conversation, because it’s about the book. Nothing about it shows up in my dreams, even talking about it.”

  Drystan shook his head and blew out a breath. “How do you keep it all straight? How do you freakin’ not give yourself away constantly?”

  My lips quirked. “I’ve been like this since I was seven, Drystan. I’ve had almost a decade to perfect my poker face, though I’m not perfect either. I slip up from time to time.”

  “So, if I’m going to make a right arse of myself, would you tell me ahead of time?”

  I laughed. “Believe it or not, people can surprise me every once in a while, like you did today when you changed your plans and brought me here to the slackline.” I raised my eyebrow. “In answer to your question, would it make a difference if I told you that you were going to be a ‘right arse’?”

  The corner of his mouth tilted darkly. “Maybe, maybe not.”

  “That’s what I thought,” I said in a dry tone as I glanced up at the wind whipping through the trees.

  “Thank you for trusting me with your secret, Nara.”

  Drystan had turned serious. I smiled. “Thank you for being so stubborn.”

  His green eyes flared. “It’s my specialty.” Holding out his hand, he continued, “I’ll need to touch something related to the journal, something that was in constant contact with it, like you.”

  Was I ready to go there? I wasn’t sure that I was. Plus, having him hold my hand might feel too intimate. He’d been able to use my residual energy that had embedded itself in Lainey’s mom’s glove. I turned and pulled a purple pen from its slot in my backpack, then set it in his hand. “Try this pen. I’ve used it every time I worked on the book. It should help you trace its location.”

  He stared at the pen in his open palm, then pressed his lips together. “You’re doing it again.”

  I tensed, surprised by his comment. “Doing what?”

  The green in his eyes sparked with disappointment. “You don’t trust me.”

  “It’s complicated, Drystan,” I hedged, glancing away from his penetrating stare.

  “No, you’re complicated,” he shot back and folded his fingers around the pen, closing his eyes.

  I held my breath as I watched him rub his fingers back and forth against the pen.

  It seemed like minutes ticked by, but it was probably only seconds when his eyes flew open. “Is it in a drawstring bag? I can’t tell the color because there’s very poor light.”

  “Yes!” I nodded, a huge smile on my face. “I can’t believe you can see it, but that’s great.” Why could he see it when it had completely disappeared from my dreams?

  Drystan shrugged, his earlier excitement subdued.

  I glanced at his hand. “Where is it?”

  “In a locker.”

  “A locker where?”

  Drystan handed me the pen. “You can’t get to it, but I can.”

  I shook my head. “No, you’ve done enough. Just tell me where it is and I’ll get it.”

  He folded his arms, a stubborn look on his face. “Unless you can change your gender, you won’t be able to get it.”

  “My gender?”

  “It’s stashed in a men’s locker room at a gym.”

  I snorted. “If it’s at a school gym, I can find a way to sneak in.”

  “No, it won’t be that easy to get to. It’s a private, members-only gym.”

  I wasn’t letting him risk getting in trouble for me. “I’ll find a way into the facility, Drystan. You’ve done enough. Just tell me the name of the gym.”

  His gaze narrowed. “Do you know how to pick a lock?”

  When I shook my head, he adopted an arrogant smile and stood. “I do. I’ll get the book for you. End of discussion.”

  I stood beside him. “This could be dangerous. I don’t want you to risk getting hurt.”

  “I told you I’d get it and I will.”

  This time I narrowed my gaze. “What did you see, Drystan? It sounds like you just saw the drawstring bag. Are you saying you didn’t see yourself there?”

  Drystan shook his head. “Apparently your psychic energy can embed itself on natural fabric like the leather glove, but not on an inorganic item like a plastic pen. I was able to make the connection for the location using my powers only.”

  “But you didn’t see yourself retrieving it. Is that what you’re saying?”

  As he slowly nodded, guilt and panic battled inside me. I couldn’t let him try to recover Ethan’s book without some assurance that he could retrieve it safely. Someone broke into my house to retrieve it. Who knew what they’d do to keep it. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to Drystan.

  Ethan and I had shared that moment with the ravens after Drystan and my powers had combined over finding Lochlan, so I didn’t need to worry that doing so again would break the special bond I had with Ethan.

  “Then I need to know you’ll be able to retrieve it without getting hurt.” I took a step close to Drystan and I reached for his hand.

  His broad smile returned as he slid his fingers against mine. With a swift move, he folded our locked hands against his chest, yanking me close. “Close your eyes and focus,” he whispered in my ear.

  I tried to keep my breathing steady and even, to stay focused like Drystan asked. After a full minute, he took a step back and released my hand, his expression hard. “I saw myself handing you a dark green drawstring bag. I need to steal it back tonight before whoever stole it moves it to another location.”

  I released a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Drystan. Okay, tonight it is. Let’s make a plan.”

  When he started to shake his head, I held up my hand. “I will help you do this.” Also, while I’m there as your backup, you won’t have a chance to read it.

  Drystan exhaled a frustrated breath. “Fine. It’ll be easier to keep this re-stealing adventure between us if I don’t have to borrow Matt’s car. You can drive, but you’ll stay in the car.”

  * * *

  “I
’m way too far away. I can’t see detail.” I peered around Drystan sitting in my passenger seat, and past the trees and sculpted landscape of the business parking lot to the three-story, members-only gym in the shopping center across the street.

  On each level of the facility, people were working out on various pieces of equipment from treadmills to free weights behind the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The building had an odd L shape of a two-story building connected to a three-story building with glass windows on all three levels; old mixed with new. The one positive aspect was that since we’d waited until dark, with the place lit up on every floor, it was easy to get a general layout of the taller building from the outside. Well, except for the locker rooms and business offices, they were either in the two-story building or on the back side of the three story.

  “That’s the whole point,” Drystan said as he scanned the two buildings like he was sizing up possible entry and escape routes. “Up here, in this parking lot surrounded by trees, you’re too far away for anyone to know you’re here with me.”

  I snorted. “But that also means I’ll be too far away for you to get to if you end up being chased.” I started the engine. “I’m going to move closer.”

  Drystan reached over and turned off my car. “Oh no, you don’t. I’m fast. I can get to you.” He thrust something he’d pulled from his backpack into my hands. “Use these if you want a bird’s-eye view. I borrowed them from Matt’s dad’s office, so don’t go breaking them.”

  I glanced down at the binoculars and nodded. “What excuse did you give Matt as to where you were going tonight?”

  He grinned. “Didn’t have to. He’s out helping Lainey pick up the decorations for the dance. She volunteered before she realized just how big they were.”

  That explained why she didn’t call me for help. She needed muscle. “What do you think about this whole Matt and Lainey ‘getting back at their exes’ scheme?”

  Drystan snorted. “That might’ve been his initial intent, but I think Matt has redirected his attention.”

  “To Lainey, right?” I said, throwing my hands up.