The Dreamer

by E. J. Mellow

  “You were rather quiet during that debriefing.” I decide to speak first.

  He shoots me a look. “What was I supposed to say?” he asks with a small laugh that sounds empty. “Nothing I wanted to say could have changed the situation.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He stops and turns, bright-blue eyes latching on to mine. “Do you think I like the idea of you being this person that has to bear the weight of the world on their shoulders? The whole thing’s ridiculous.”

  I find myself actually agreeing with him—which means somewhere pigs must be flying—but what am I supposed to do about it? It’s not like any of us are left with much of a choice in the matter, myself above all. Whatever I am, whatever my duty, it’s been this way for centuries. I’m quickly learning that anything is possible at this point.

  Brushing a hand through his hair, Dev lets out a frustrated sigh and looks in the direction of my tree. “When I knew—when I decided that you needed to know about all this, I never intended for you to have to be this heavily involved. I don’t want you to be.” He holds my gaze. The weighted emotion that sits in his eyes leaves me with no words. I don’t really want to be responsible either.

  For most of the silent stretch of our walk, all I was thinking about was how I could get out of meeting Rae, but the fact is, I’d eventually fall asleep no matter what. And if I am completely honest with myself, there’s a sick part of me that’s curious—what exactly are my “limitless powers” here? How could I possibly gather the courage to eventually fight in combat? All of this feels like something out of a crazy movie, and I don’t know when my head will truly accept it as a reality.

  “It doesn’t seem like any of us have a choice,” I finally say.

  Dev takes a step closer and brushes back a loose hair from my face. “I know,” he says in a low voice as he drops his hand. “I’m an ass for not asking this sooner, but how are you feeling?”

  Man, what a loaded question. How am I feeling? I’m freaked out, my stomach feels like it shriveled up and died, a part of my brain definitely must have run off with the rest of my sanity, but then…but then I’m also calm, which scares me the most.

  “I’m freaked out. But doing okay, considering.”

  A half smile tugs at his mouth. “Why am I not surprised? You’re tougher than you look.”

  I snort out a laugh, turning away. “I don’t know about that.”

  “No, you are. And I think you know it too.”

  I stay silent, unsure how to respond.

  “Molly.” He says my name so that I look up at him again. His eyes are bright and magnetic—I can never get enough of them, like they’re glowing from within. “I’ll be there with you,” he says, making sure I see the sincerity in his face. “I’ll be there through the whole thing. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  “You can’t promise that.”

  “No,” he says thoughtfully, “but I can do everything in my power to try.”

  It’s moments like these that make me realize that the Dev behind the arrogant and pompous exterior is actually sweet and kind and sincere. This is the Dev who has me questioning my relationship with Jared—and now that I know he’s real, it’s the Dev who has me trying desperately to backpedal away from a mountain of confusing feelings.

  “Have you figured out what you’re going to do about getting away for two days?” he asks, bringing me out of my internal thoughts. I take a step back.

  “Yeah…I think I’m going to tell people that I still need some rest after the whole lightning fiasco. Say that I’m going to my parents’.”

  “What will you tell your parents you’re doing?”

  “Uh, I guess I’ll tell them I’m going on a trip with Jared or something.” I say the words without thinking.

  Dev stiffens. “Jared?” He says the name in a low voice, like he’s filing it away for later use. “Is this the one that likes to give you presents?” His tone shifts to feigned lightness as his gaze drifts to my wrist.

  I absentmindedly touch the thin charm bracelet. Even though I’m not quite sure what’s going on with Jared, I haven’t taken it off. “I guess you could say that.”

  Dev’s face remains expressionless, but his eyes hold a thousand thoughts. He seems to settle on one, and when he looks back at me, I see an intense resolve. “Do you love him?”

  “What?”

  “Do you love him?”

  “What kind of question is that?”

  “A normal kind of question,” he says smoothly, folding his arms over his chest.

  “I don’t think that’s a normal kind of question.” I copy his move and fold my arms over my chest. He shrugs and I bristle. The wicked Dev is back.

  “Well?” He raises a brow.

  “Well, I’m not going to answer that.”

  “You just did.”

  What the—

  “I did not!” I straighten my arms to my side.

  “Yes, you did. If you loved him, you would have easily said it.”

  He has a point, but it’s none of his business. “So what are you insinuating?”

  “That you don’t.” His face is King Smug.

  “And…”

  He leans in close. “And, that’s good for me to know.”

  I’m shocked into silence, which seems to please him further. A slow, sardonic smile grows from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes gleam with thoughts I’m too scared to ask about. Our faces are so close that if I tipped my chin up a little more, our lips would touch. Not that I want them to be touching…

  “You know, I often think about how sweet your lips tasted against mine,” he says in a deep, velvety voice, raising the hairs at the nape of my neck.

  Dear Lord. Can he read my thoughts?

  “What a thing to say,” I reply, disgusted, taking a step back. I can’t believe he was making me all gushy seconds ago with his talk of “being there for me.” What nonsense.

  “It’s true.” He compensates for my retreat with a step forward. “I bet you think about it as well.”

  “You couldn’t be more wrong.”

  “Really?” He practically purrs as he grabs my waist and brings my body tight against his.

  Breathe. I need to breathe.

  “Dev, let go!” I push against him and he chuckles, the vibrations in his chest pulsing into mine. Heat spreads everywhere. “You…disgust me,” I manage to pant out. My brain hates where this is going, but my body wants so much more of it.

  “I disgust you, do I?” He leans in closer, looking lascivious. His warm breath touches my lips, and his intoxicating scent fills my brain, making me dizzy.

  “Yes, I can’t stand even—”

  Dev’s mouth pressing hard against mine cuts off my words, and my head goes up in flames. I’m only aware of our lips moving together and his soft tongue brushing against my own. I’m barely able to remind myself that I should hate this, should be stopping this. That I shouldn’t find my hands raking through his hair as I let him push our bodies tightly together. He lets out a low growl, and I can’t tell if we are standing or lying down, that’s how much my head is spinning. Bursts of light and dark flash behind my eyelids, and my body feels weightless in his arms. All too soon, Dev is gently pushing me back, away from his mouth. Our foreheads stay touched together as we both pant, trying to catch our breath.

  “See, I don’t disgust you in the least.” He releases his hold.

  Wha—what? His eyes brim with beguilement.

  “You dick!” I shove at his chest. He hardly moves—instead, his attention is drawn to something behind me and his posture stiffens.

  “I can’t believe I let you kiss me!” I shout. I feel like such an idiot.

  “Molly, I need you to stop yelling and get behind me,” Dev says in a low, tense voice.

  I sputter and squawk unattractively at his demand. “Get behind you? Are you mental? I have every reason to slap you right about now.”

  “You can slap me all you want
after you get behind me,” he says, still staring past me and slowly taking out his Arcus.

  “I really don’t see how—” Dev swings me around so that I’m at his back, lurching me out of my sentence.

  “Ow!” I rub my arm and move to the side. I stop dead when I spot what’s occupying his attention, and all the blood drains from my face. “Oh,” I breathe.

  “Yeah, oh,” Dev says and readies his stance.

  About fifty yards away and circling us are three Metus.

  — 27 —

  “WHAT SHOULD WE do?” I whisper, scrunching up my nose as a gust of wind sends the assaulting odor of the Metus our way. I have no idea how we didn’t notice their approach, but then I remember what we were both preoccupied with moments ago. Add this to the reasons of why that can’t happen again.

  The nightmare creatures croon their eerie clicking sounds as they wait for one of us to make the first move. Their lava flesh melts down and then up again like a constant suction is needed to keep their forms in place. I hold back a gag. I will never get used to these monsters. Which is probably a good thing.

  “We are going to do nothing,” Dev says. “You’re going to stay where you are while I take care of this.”

  “Were we not just in the same meeting? Didn’t Elena say I was the one sent to save all your butts from these things?” I now hold an Arcus in my hand, which I easily conjured up while I spoke. Dev glances at my new equipment.

  “Do you even know how to use that for combat?”

  I hold it out awkwardly. “Yeah, of course.”

  “You’re a bad liar.” Dev takes out an arrow as the Metus in the middle of the pack shifts closer. The tension between them and us is pulled tight, ready to snap. “You haven’t had any training. Once you have, we can reopen this discussion.”

  “Oh, can we?” I’m aware of how childish that sounded even before Dev arches one of his brows at me.

  I’m about to apologize, when his attention whips forward and in a flash he’s released a blazing arrow into the guts of the Metus that began to charge toward us. In mere seconds the Navitas consumes it from the inside out and it bursts apart. Burning bits fly in every direction, and the air erupts in an onslaught of foul smells to which no one in the entire universe should be exposed.

  I bend down, coughing. “Oh my God, that’s horrible.”

  “Just another way they can weaken your guard.” Dev has a new arrow notched.

  In one moment, the two remaining Metus are howling in unison, and in the next they are nothing but fiery liquid puddles that are lapping toward us like possessed scorching blobs.

  What the f—

  “Colló!” Dev breathes in panic. “Get to the tree!”

  He doesn’t have to tell me twice. We both run.

  I glance behind me as the orange flaming masses begin to gain on us. The ground lies black and singed in their wake. This isn’t good! This isn’t good!

  “What do you do…when they…do that?” I pant out in a panic. Dev is right beside me, not a hitch out of breath. “They don’t normally do that.” He swivels around and shoots an arrow at one. Its flexible form dodges just in time.

  Shit! Shit! Shit!

  We reach the tree. “Now what?” I glance around helplessly. So much for being the one to save anyone’s butt.

  “Climb!” Dev yells as he quickly circles us, dragging one end of his Arcus into the grass. A faint glowing mark is left ringing us.

  “I don’t think climbing will stop them.” I back up and bump against the trunk as the blistering puddles close in.

  “No, but it will keep you a safe distance away from what I’m about to do.”

  “What are you about to do?”

  He answers by releasing a flaming arrow into the ground near the freshly drawn mark. Instantly, like a lit fuse, a tall blaze of Navitas rises and circles us. We stand surrounded by a protective wall of lapping blue-white fire, and something in me surges with the nearness of such power. I stagger, lightheaded, and place a hand on the tree for support. Dev paces a few feet away, gazing beyond the blaze to our enemies that have now regained their more-solid forms—well, as solid as lava-filled masses can be. One of the Metus emits a frustrated, bone-chilling shriek and mirrors Dev’s pacing with its own. Its towering seven-foot body barely meets the top of our protective barrier, but its orange, glowing form is easy to discern through the blue-white wall of Navitas.

  “Come on, friends. Why don’t you step on over?” Dev taunts as he positions a new arrow into his Arcus.

  As fast as my dizzy spell hit me, it just as quickly leaves, and in its wake a rush of vitality slaps me in the face. It’s like I downed a full tray of espresso shots. My body trembles with barely contained energy, and my breathing comes out in short, quick bursts. I feel really off, but a good off—an indestructible, anything-is-possible off.

  “Dev…” I call out, unsure of what’s happening to me.

  He glances behind him and, seeing my state, rushes over. “Are you okay?” he asks, balancing his attention between the Metus and me, which is becoming tricky because they have split up—one on either side of the circle.

  “I don’t know…I feel…I feel really good. Too good.”

  “Um…” Dev furrows his brows, confused. “Okay?”

  “I think it’s all the Navitas.” I gesture to the blazing ring around us. “I don’t know how to be around so much. I don’t know how to explain it—except that I want it.”

  “You want it?”

  “Yes.” I squeeze my eyes shut as another surge of strange euphoria courses through me. Why didn’t they mention this in the debriefing?

  “I’d put out the barrier, but then it would let in the Metus. I need to take care of them first.”

  In that moment, one of the creatures leaps over the flames. It doesn’t clear it completely, but nicks its left foot, singing it away. Luckily, it doesn’t grow back. Stumbling for only a second, it continues toward us. With its useless limb dragging behind and its open, pining mouth, the Metus takes on a zombie-like quality. If I wasn’t metaphorically crapping my pants at this moment, I might actually be laughing for preferring zombies right now.

  “They’re getting braver.” Dev steps forward, shielding me with his body. “That, or stupider.”

  He takes his time walking forward to engage the monster. “Molly, don’t move from that spot,” he says as the Metus begins to throw bits of its flesh in our direction. Dev easily whacks them down with his Arcus.

  I feel pathetic just standing here. I should be doing something, helping in some way. But I have no idea what I can possibly do, and the fact that my focus feels all over the place might be a bit of a hindrance. Sounds are more prominent…movements around me seem sluggish and then too fast. My senses are jumping from normal to heightened sporadically, and it’s discombobulating. To add to that, I think the spike in adrenaline is starting to make me wake up—my body is experiencing that lightness it gets during such occasions. But I cannot wake up now. Trying to shake off the sensation, I concentrate harder on where I am.

  “Is that all you’ve got?” Dev goads as he slashes out with the deadly sharp end of his Arcus. The Metus growls in anger. Why is Dev playing around?

  “Dev, hurry!” I shout moments before a bright-orange form charges over the wall closest to me. “Oh shit!” I stand there like an idiot, waiting for my life to flash before my eyes because I know Dev won’t be able to take care of both Metus in time. In that instant, I experience another wave of intense sensation, causing my knees to buckle and my eyes to roll back. This is so not helping right now.

  “Molly!” Dev yells as he finally sees the new threat. The creature, sensing its time running out, charges toward me with a howl. I scream and quickly backpedal. I hear the gooey pop of the other Metus being destroyed and the horrid smell that follows. Took him long enough!

  With the monster a few steps away and Dev quickly moving in, I reach the Navitas wall, trapped within our own safety circle. This close to t
he Navitas, the strength I was using to keep the overwhelming amount of energy from overtaking me slips. Like two magnets rejoining, the entire barrier channels into my back. My body arches painfully and my mouth opens in a silent scream as my hair and clothes whip about as if in a windstorm. My skin heats to an unnatural degree as the last of the Navitas is sharply swallowed through my spine, and I feel trapped within myself, my body now solely a vessel for the all-consuming energy. Perfection and euphoria heats me to the core, and I become disconnected from this world, from any world.

  I calmly look out through crystal-clear vision as time slows. The Metus’s fiery claw stalls midair. Dev’s face freezes in anguished panic, and the sky above appears normal as the shooting stars pause in flight. It’s peaceful in this space between seconds. Between actions and reactions. Where everything just is. This is when I find my hands rising of their own accord, pulling at the energy that just gathered in my body. Like tugging on a thick cord, the Navitas is removed from my core and condenses into a swirling blue-white ball in my palms. It curls and flutters and caresses my skin. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, and holding it out, I feel a strange affinity for the energy. The Navitas is life and hope and creation, and I desperately, achingly love it. But then, before I can stop myself, and as if I’m merely throwing it away, I lob the Navitas at the Metus.

  From the precise moment it touches the tip of the creature’s finger, time returns to normal, and like an atom bomb detonating, the creature bursts into shimmering dust, and we are all blown back by blinding-white light and the powerful wave of an explosion.

  All is quiet. No cricket chirps, no grass rustles in the wind.

  Slowly I feel a hand brushing my cheek. “Molly?”

  I open my eyes with a groan to Dev hovering above me, cradling me in his arms. “Where are you hurt? I don’t see any bleeding. Is it internal?” Dev gently wipes my hair that is plastered with sweat away from my face, and his eyes scan every inch of me in worry.

  “So much for trying your hardest to protect me,” I rasp, my throat dry. I’m a bit surprised I haven’t woken up yet, but maybe that Navitas energy boost allowed me to stay here longer. Interesting.