It even topped the one where Jax saved her from her foster father turned demon-possessed.
“This part really isn’t a dream. It’s a reality within reality,” Tara said, still holding Morgan’s hand.
“Of course, because that makes all kinds of sense to me.”
Her sister smiled. “This is where I come every night when I sleep, and sometimes where I’m pulled even when I’m awake.”
“Sleep? Awake?” Morgan almost rolled her eyes; she was starting to sound like a parrot. “How can you do either when you’re dead?”
“Dead?” Now Tara sounded like a parrot. “Why would you think I’m dead?”
Thoroughly confused by this dream now, Morgan sighed. “Because that is what I was told. You were killed in a car wreck eight months after we were sent to foster homes.”
“Morgan.” Tara frowned, her brows coming together to make a slight furrow between her eyes as she grasped both of Morgan’s hands in her own. “I am not dead. I went through two foster homes before I found my adoptive parents. I was in a wreck. One that killed my adoptive mother, severely injured my adoptive father, and left me in a coma for nearly a year. I’m alive and well and still living with my adoptive father.”
“Sure you’re alive,” Morgan sighed. Though she desperately wanted to believe this dream Tara, she knew better. This was her mind’s way of trying to lessen the blow of Jake’s death. A way for her subconscious to try and believe that she hadn’t lost almost everyone in her life. She was becoming unhinged, that’s all there was to it. As much as Morgan wanted it to be true, she knew better. “I need to wake up and quit talking with an imaginary Tara.”
Tara pursed her lips for a moment then pinched Morgan’s arm so hard she flinched.
“What the hell?” Morgan rubbed her arm with the hand Tara had let go of. If this was real life, she was sure it would leave a bruise. Since it wasn’t, the pain should fade quickly. Morgan ignored the fact it wasn’t fading.
“Tell your dark angel to call Eli.”
Wow, her mind was getting pretty creative. “Sure, whatever.”
“I’m serious.”
And Morgan had to admit, her dream sister did seem pretty serious. This just got stranger by the moment. When this was all over, she was going to need to be committed to the loony bin. Maybe a padded cell was just what she needed to find reality again.
“I live in Montana now,” the dream Tara continued. “I tried to find you, but you fell off the map. You were listed as a runaway and no one knew where you were.”
This was getting ridiculous. “Just stop.”
Tara seemed taken aback by Morgan’s sharp tone.
Morgan pulled her hand from Tara’s and stepped back. The minute they were no longer touching, the scenery began to fade.
“Pay attention when you wake up.”
“Wha—” Morgan began.
Tara shoved her, hard. Morgan stumbled and fell into darkness. Her stomach flew into her throat and then her eyes snapped open. She sat up with a gasp.
Lucian turned from the window. “Morgan?”
She didn’t answer him; instead she rubbed the sore spot on her arm then reached to turn on the lamp next to the bed. On her arm, right where the dream Tara had pinched her, a small bruise was beginning to appear.
Morgan looked up into Lucian’s worried face, her fingers trailing over the bruise. “Is there a dark angel named Eli?”
Lucian frowned, confused. “Yes, why do you ask?”
“Who is his channel?”
“I’m not sure.” Lucian sat on the bed and took her hand in his. “I haven’t been in contact with him since he was assigned a couple of years ago. Why?”
Morgan struggled to come to grips with her dream, or maybe possible reality. “I think my sister may still be alive.”
MORGAN PACED ALONG the sidewalk, taking long drags off her cigarette while Lucy sniffed around in the grass beneath a light pole and Lucian held his phone up to his ear. Morgan wasn’t surprised Eli had answered his phone in the small hours of the morning. She’d never known a dark angel that slept more than three hours a night, unless unduly strained in battle.
What was Eli saying? Her nerves twisted up until she felt more on edge than any other time in her life. Facing Hounds again would be better than this waiting. Waiting to see if her sister was alive. Waiting to see if she was losing her mind.
Her hand trembled as she put the cigarette to her mouth again, leaning on the sensation of the smoke drawing into her lungs. A nervous glance at Lucian’s face showed nothing. Damn it, why couldn’t he look surprised, or worried, or something.
After what seemed like was forever, but was really only a couple of minutes, Lucian stepped toward her and held out the phone. Morgan eyed it like a poisonous snake before finally reaching for it. Slowly, she raised it to her ear afraid what the person on the other end would say. “Hello?”
“I’m glad you listened to me.”
Emotion swept through Morgan in a rush. Relief made her knees weak and with a hard plop, she found herself sitting on the sidewalk, fresh tears filling her eyes. There hadn’t ever been a time when she’d cried so much as these past few weeks.
Lucian lowered himself to sidewalk and gently ran his hand over her back while she sobbed into the phone. “I can’t believe you’re really alive.”
“I can’t believe I finally found you.” Tara’s voice was thick with emotion as well. “So many times I ended your nightmares, but you always woke before I could find out where you were.”
“I want to see you. For real, not in a dream.” To be close to her sister again, the thought was almost too much for Morgan. More than anything she had ever dreamed possible.
“We will soon. I really can’t leave my dad right now and it sounds like you really can’t leave there right now. It won’t be long, I promise. Just please, please, Morgan be careful.”
“I promise.” What else could she say? That there was no guarantee? Tara was a channel, she knew that.
“I know things have been hard for you. I could see it in your dreams. Just don’t forget going into to your fight that you still have me.”
“How could I ever forget?” Her sister was alive! Only one thing disturbed the happiness filling her heart. “Tara, why was there a demon hybrid in my dream helping you? Why does Jax keep showing up in them?”
“I have to go now. I love you, Morgan. Know that I always love you.”
Morgan stared at the phone as the call abruptly ended. What on earth was that about? A small thread of unease wormed its way through her. Did Tara know what Jax was? Surely with having a dark angel she would. Was Jax after her sister? Was Tara his next target? Did Eli know?
“Everything all right?” Lucian asked, his voice gentle with concern.
“I…” Morgan shook her head. “I’m not sure. I think Jax may be following my sister into dreams. What if he’s going after her because of me?”
Panic flashed through her like a wildfire as she twisted to fully look at Lucian. “I can’t have her taken away now. I just got her back. I’m really not sure I could handle that, Lucian.”
Lucian cupped her face in his hands, his eyes full of reassurance. “She has Eli. He’s a younger dark angel in the grand scheme of things, but still a very good one. Tara is well protected.”
Morgan tried to believe he was right and that Eli was up to the task. Jax was no ordinary demon.
They needed to get Kalona put down. A faint howl rose in the distance, sending a shiver down her spine. She turned to look to the southwest. “They were in my dreams. Tara pulled me out of it. She said they could have killed me.”
Lucian’s expression tightened. “They won’t get in again.”
It was said with such conviction, Morgan could only nod, believing him absolutely. It was a strange feeling. To know with complete certainty that Lucian would always stand beside her, would always do everything in his considerable power to protect her. Not just her life, her heart as well. It was
n’t something she was used to, but she liked the idea of becoming used to it.
Morgan handed the phone back to Lucian, wishing she could have talked for longer. Why had Tara been so anxious to end the call?
The rest of the night crawled by in the slow fashion time does when one is watching the clock. Morgan didn’t even bother trying to lie back down in the bed. Beds were sinister things.
Instead, she sat on the floor with her legs crossed and her head leaned against the wall as memories of her sister and their childhood tumbled through her mind. Of staying awake past bedtime in their shared room telling wild tales, of the many hours spent playing together. Until their parents died and they’d been separated, Tara had been Morgan’s best friend in the whole world. Though a year younger than Morgan, they had practically been connected at the hip. To know she was alive had Morgan’s thoughts and emotions all mixed up. It was exhausting and yet she couldn’t give into sleep.
Occasionally she dozed lightly, still hyper-aware of her surroundings even as she faded in and out. It was comforting in an odd sort of way. So much had changed in her life that the simple act of sleeping as she had on the streets brought unexpected relief from her anxieties.
The next three days were uneventful and though occasionally howls rose in the distance, they weren’t the howls that announced they’d found the trail. It was still a searching sound, a frustrated one. According to Lucian, the only reason they’d found Morgan so easily the first time was because they’d already stumbled across her by accident. And when they were still in the city, their trail had been easier to find.
While they were there, Sarah easily rounded up the spruce, cedar, and pine. Near the end of the third day, she’d finally located holly. All that remained was the elusive cougar they needed. The can of cat food and calling kitty-kitty was sounding better by the minute.
True to Lucian’s word, when Morgan did permit herself a deeper sleep, no hounds or demon-possessed foster father disturbed her dreams. For the most part, she stuck to her normal—normal for her—sleeping patterns.
Deep inside, she yearned for Jake’s company. What she wouldn’t give to spend an hour or so sitting in the park with him. There was a void in the world without him. Experience told her the pain would eventually dull, but there would always be a piece of her life, her world that was missing.
A couple of times she’d reached for her phone with the intention of calling him before reality caught up to her thoughts. It was a fresh blow each time. And each time, Lucian was there for her. He became her safe harbor in the storm that was her life and Morgan found it both comforting and terrifying.
Another three days crawled by and Morgan began spending as much time as possible outside. At first, she’d kept herself busy on Lucian’s laptop, researching and reading about the Kalona. But there was only so much. The confines of the motel room, even with people to keep her company, were beginning to wear on her. In fact, being in the company of so many was starting to be a problem, too. Unused to spending so much time in one place or with so many, it all began to make her edgy and restless, almost claustrophobic.
She found herself lurking in the field behind the hotel as much as possible, enjoying the feel of the breeze as Lucy lay in the grass. It was here that Lucian found her. Though she heard him approaching, she continued to watch the puffy clouds turn golden pink as the sun set.
“I have something I’d like to do and I was hoping you would join me.”
Morgan finally turned to look at him, noticing a large brown paper bag in his left hand. “What?”
“It will involve flying, so I’m hoping you won’t mind leaving Lucy here with the others.” Lucian gave her a half-grin. “I’m not exactly equipped for multiple passengers.”
“Where are we going?” Confused, Morgan glanced at the Rottweiler who watched them with intent brown eyes.
“It’s a surprise.” Though the grin remained in place, a hint of sadness briefly filled his eyes and then was gone.
Intrigued, Morgan called Lucy to her. She wasn’t entirely comfortable leaving the dog behind, at the same time it wasn’t like Lucian to have surprises up his sleeve or to be vague. It didn’t take long to leave Lucy with Isobel and Damien. Morgan didn’t understand the sorrow that lingered in Isobel’s eyes or the way she squeezed Morgan’s hand as if offering sympathy and support.
With darkness quickly descending, Morgan stepped into Lucian’s arms as his wings unfurled. He tightened his hold and said, “Do me a favor. Close your eyes and don’t open them until I say.”
Morgan, her head laid against his bare chest and the sound of his heart beat in her ear, only nodded, happy enough to comply.
With the sun down and the moon hiding its face, the darkness was absolute behind her lids. Not that she minded, secure in Lucian’s warm arms, the scent of his skin swirling in the air around her, it didn’t matter where they were going.
It wasn’t an overly long flight before her feet touched the ground. She didn’t need to see to know where they were. Every scent, every sound was as familiar as breathing. Morgan slowly opened her eyes as Lucian stepped away.
The park where she’d spent so much time, where she’d spent her last night with Jake spread out before them. A deep ache pulled at her. Why had Lucian brought her here? She turned to him, sorrow and questioning in her eyes.
Lucian only took her hand and led her to the table where she’d sat while Jake called her an emotional chicken-shit and despite the pain, a smile tugged at her lips at the memory. After she was seated on the table, her feet resting on the bench, and a lit cigarette in her hand, Lucian finally spoke.
“Jake’s funeral was this morning.”
Morgan’s eyes stung as she pulled smoke into her lungs through her suddenly tight throat. Her friend, her rock, had been placed in the ground and she hadn’t been there to say goodbye, to tell him thank you, to tell him everything she should have said while he still lived. Grief made her unable to answer.
“I know how much you wished you could be there,” Lucian said as he opened the bag and reached inside it. “I have something for you.”
Lucian pulled a flag folded into a large triangle, stars out, from the bag. Morgan’s breath caught as she took it into her hands and ran her trembling fingers over the stitching and heavy material. “Is this…”
“Jake’s flag.” Lucian’s voice was rough with emotion. “I knew how much it would mean to have it.”
“How?” It was the only word she could push past the lump in her throat as tears of both sorrow and gratitude welled in her eyes.
“There’s a group of women who volunteer to stand in for family at the funerals of homeless vets, they accept the flag. I know a dark angel who knows a channel who knows a channel who knows one of those women. Since it wasn’t possible to be there for the ceremony sending him on, I thought maybe we could come here and toast his life instead.” Lucian pulled a bottle of Lucky Fox whiskey from the bag, the same kind she’d shared with Jake that last night, and handed it to her.
The bottle felt heavy in her hand, a multitude of memories swirled in its golden liquid. Quickly removing the cap, she lifted it in the air. “To Jake, I couldn’t have asked for a better friend.”
She tipped the bottle up and took a deep drink relishing the smooth, burning rush as it slid down her throat. When Lucian sat next to her on the table, she handed the bottle to him. He too lifted it. “To Jake, a very good man who deserved more than he got in this life.”
Two tears tracked their way down Morgan’s face as Lucian took a gulp and handed it back to her. She took another quick drink and then a long drag off her cigarette. “He was always there for me. The only one who was always there for me.”
She took another drag, unable to stop the flow from her eyes that blurred her vision. “I know I have you now, Lucian. And Isobel, Damien, even Sarah and Jameth. Even with that, I’m still not sure how to live in a world without Jake. Or maybe I’m not sure how the world can keep moving forward witho
ut him.”
Another drink and she handed it to Lucian. As he took his own drink, Morgan trailed her fingers across the stitching of the flag. “I’ve never seen a dark angel drink alcohol before. Aren’t you worried about getting drunk and having demons show up?”
Lucian handed the bottle back to her. “We can’t get drunk. We only metabolize a small amount of the alcohol. I enjoy the taste and will feel pleasantly warm. None of my senses or reaction times will be affected.”
“Must be nice.” Morgan muttered as she took the bottle back, enjoying the feel of the buzz beginning to creep up on her as she swallowed more whiskey. “I suppose I shouldn’t drink too much. It will affect me.”
“Drink as much as you like, I’m not going anywhere,” he said, taking another drink from the bottle when she handed it to him.
“Yeah, but my job is to handle the upper-level demons. I can’t do that if I’m drunk.” Her mind wandered to Arabrim, though alcohol hadn’t contributed to that.
“Morgan, I got this.” Lucian cocked a grin at her and handed the bottle back.
His confidence was reassuring. With her demon radar silent, Morgan grabbed the bottle and took another long pull off it.
As the burning spread in a warm wave through her body and relaxing her, Morgan finished her cigarette, lit another then took another drink. Maybe it was the whiskey, maybe it was the fact that Jake had been buried that day, maybe it just felt like the time, but Morgan found herself talking about Jake. Most likely it was the whiskey. Either way, it felt good to say his name, to talk about the things he’d done, about the revelation of the woman he’d lost, all of it.
Sometime during the long night in the park, her thoughts and words slurred together until the whiskey pulled her into sleep. Morgan didn’t resist it; no dreams would come that night. She was certain of that for the same reason Jake had often drank himself to sleep. The numb cloud she floated on made her smile as the world faded away behind a black curtain.
Bound by Legend: A Bound Novel Page 25
