by Bailey Dark
Liar.
That stupid voice chimed in my head. I pushed her down not needing any more questions. Letting go of Tristan once and for all was necessary and not just for any future with Lance. I needed to do it for me.
“Okay,” Lance said, breaking through my wayward thoughts with a chuckle. “Slow. I can do that.” He didn’t sound convinced, which had me smirking.
“Let’s cuddle?” I suggest. “Maybe kiss a bit…but we need to get some sleep,” I said yawning.
He pulled me in close to him, placing a kiss to my forehead. “You’re right. We both need rest,” he agreed. “Let’s get through all of this and then we can get back to the fun.”
“I like the sound of that,” I said flirtatiously.
After several minutes of quiet and simply holding each other, he whispered into my ear, “goodnight, Gwen.”
I smiled to myself. Not only did it feel good being in Tristan’s arms, but I knew what I needed to do tonight. I just hoped that Tristan would show. I closed my eyes thinking about making out with Lance and prayed to God my plan worked.
Lance pulls my shirt off over my head as I work to unbuckle his jeans. “I need you out of these clothes,” he said huskily.
My lips fuse to his, loving the way his hands on me feel, even in my dreams. His palms slide up the side of my body, stopping just under the swell of my naked breasts. He leans forward running his tongue over my peaked nipple. I groaned in pure bliss at the sensation of his mouth nipping and sucking.
I was so lost in the moment that I had almost forgotten my plan, but the sound of the door flying open and slamming against the wall had me jumping to attention. I didn’t bother covering myself. I knew who was here.
Dream Lance wasn’t detoured. He continued lavishing my nipples in kisses. I mewled for effect.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Tristan boomed in rage.
“What?” I asked innocently. “You have a problem with another man fucking me?”
Tristan growled, stalking toward us. I switched my train of thought and willed Lance away before Tristan made it to the bed. I wasn’t here to witness a dream brawl.
“What game are you playing, Gwen?” Tristan asked, grabbing my wrists in his hands and pulling me toward him.
“You’re the only game player here. I’m simply enjoying some time with Lance. He’s always been good with his mouth.”
Tristan bared his teeth looking murderous. I grinned, loving the reaction I was pulling from him. As good of an actor as he was, he couldn’t fake this. He was bothered by the vision of me with Lance and despite the pettiness, I wanted to hurt him. He dropped my wrists and started pacing.
“Nobody touches you, Gwen. You’re mine,” he gritted through his teeth.
“No,” I said sadly. “I’m not. You lost any right to me when you lied.”
“Gwen, I…”
I shook my head, stopping him from completing his sentence. Chances are if I allowed him to speak, he’d say something to draw me back in. He’s proven to be a master manipulator and I can’t chance it. I have to break this cycle of hurt and make it clear we’re done.
“It’s over, Tristan. I’m moving on and you should let me. After everything you’ve put me
through over the years, allow me this one thing.”
“I can’t let you go,” he said lowering his head. Despite my head screaming at me to get it over with, my heart pulled. The need to go to him was so intense I winced. If this was a show, his acting was better than I gave him credit for. He truly looked pained.
“Please,” I begged. “Let me go.”
In three long strides, Tristan was standing in front of me, crushing me to his chest. I allowed him to hold me because I needed it at that moment as much as he seemed to. No matter what had happened, I would always care.
It was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do. Being strong was rarely easy, but I couldn’t trust him and without trust we had nothing.
“Don’t ask me to do this,” Tristan pleaded into my hair. “I’ve loved you my entire life.”
I sighed at his words knowing they were a wasted declaration. My mind had already been made. I pushed against his chest, separating us. As I looked up into his eyes, a tear fell down my cheek.
“Then you have a lot to learn about love.”
“There’s so much I need to tell you,” he said not responding to my prior statement.
I shook my head. “The time for the truth has passed. I have things that I have to do that are bigger than us,” I stood taller at that statement. “Every step of the way you’ve plotted against me with the council, and I can’t trust you,” my voice hardened. “Even now, standing here in front of you, I don’t know if this,” I gestured toward him, “is a charade or if you truly mean what you say.”
“I do,” he stressed. “I swear it,” he said taking a step towards me. I take a step back, needing to keep the distance between us.
“That’s the thing, there’s a seed of doubt and you’ve put it there. The things that are coming up for me are dangerous, Tristan, and I need to have my head on straight. You do nothing but cloud my judgment,” I accused. “If you truly love me, you’ll give me the space that I deserve, so that I can do what needs to be done.”
His head lowered, but he nodded, signaling he’d heard me and understood what I was asking of him.
“Just know that regardless of the past and what you think has happened, I will always look out for you,” he vowed. “If I can help it, I won’t let anything happen to you.” I smile sadly at his declaration.
“Be safe, Tristan and be careful with whom you align yourself with. If I have my way the council will fall.”
Without another word, I turned my back and willed my eyes to open to the dark room of the cabin. Tears cascaded down my face in a river of sorrow, as I let the finality that was Tristan and I wash over me. I mourned, knowing in the days ahead I’d need to be strong.
Chapter Nine
The bus bounced over the pothole marred back roads, leading us in the direction of Avalon Institute. The day had come, and Lance was driving us to victory or doom. At that point, we had yet to find out. Our plan had been put into place. The Dowager coven had used all of their resources to help cloak not only us but the van as well.
We had exactly two and a half hours to get to Avalon, infiltrate the Sacred Library, and escape without being seen. As strong as the coven was, their magic had limits. I had been sure our plan was solid, but the closer we got to our target, the more unease washed over me.
There were so many things I should’ve said during my conversation with Tristan. He claimed to love me. He claimed to have my best interest at heart, so why didn’t I exploit that? He’s been working with the council. Surely, he knew what their plans were, but I hadn’t asked.
I had been too caught up in the moment with him, which was always the problem. It was the exact reason why I had to let him go, and why right at that moment, I needed to push him as far out of my mind as possible. We had a job to do, and it wouldn’t be to my advantage to be preoccupied with anything but the task ahead.
“Let’s run down the plan,” Holly suggested from the front passenger seat.
Mallory groaned. “How many more times do we have to go over this? We get there, we avoid people, we get into the library, and we get out,” she summarized. “Simple.”
Except, as she was running through the list, I couldn’t help but feel as though something was missing. The past several hours, there’s been a niggling feeling in the back of my mind. I had forgotten some detail—something that could pose a huge problem for us—but what was it?
I will myself to remember my first run-in with the Sacred Library. I went over all of the details and then it hit me. Tristan.
I hadn’t gotten into the Sacred library on my own. Tristan had done something to get us in there, but what was it?
“Damn,” I hissed frustrated at the predicament I put us in.
“What’s wrong,” Lanc
e asked, looking at me through the rearview mirror.
How could I tell them? How could I admit that I’d let us get this far with a half-cocked plan? The truth was, I couldn’t get us into the library, because it wasn’t me who did it the first time.
“I didn’t just walk into the library last time. Tristan got us in,” I admitted, feeling like I was going to be sick. “He did some spell that allowed him to cast off the ward.”
“That’s…a problem,” Holly said. “What the hell do we do now? We’re almost there.”
“I know, guys. I fucked up. I don’t know if we can do this.”
“Think, Gwen. What did he do? You’re strong and if you can just remember, I’m sure you can do the same.”
I concentrated, trying to recall his words, but I couldn’t. Nothing was coming to mind. My hands ran roughly down my face as irritation built and I practically screamed.
“You have to calm down,” Holly bit. “Stop beating yourself up and focus.”
I did as she instructed and concentrated.
He didn’t do it, you did. The voice inside me called.
He didn’t do it? My mind focused on that day. He said the wards needed to be lowered by someone of the same blood as those who erected it. My father.
“Oh my God,” I said astonished at how much I had overcomplicated it. It was simplistic.
Tristan had told me to put my hands to the door and say open. It was that easy. I started laughing at the absurdity of it.
“What’s so damn funny?” Mallory said with a quirked brow looking thrown off by my maniacal cackles.
“I know how to open the door.”
“Well thank the stars for that,” Holly said mockingly.
“That’s good because we’re here,” Lance said, pulling into the wooded area.
We’d come in the same way we’d left, through the woods. He’d jumped the stream sometime during my mental freak out. We were back and as much as my realization that I could open the door had managed to calm me moments ago, my nerves were right back on high alert now.
As the van cleared the woods, and Avalon appeared, the chatter in the van ceased.
Military-style vehicles surrounded the Institute, while heavily armed guards paced back-and-forth at every entrance.
“Looks like they’re expecting us,” Holly mused.
“They’re expecting something, but I don’t think it’s us,” Lance said. “That’s a lot of muscle for the four of us. No, there’s something much bigger going on here.”
“What is going on,” I said absently. “There’s no way classes could be in session. How could any student concentrate with this much commotion?”
“I don’t know but this isn’t good,” Mallory said.
Chancellor Andrews came to mind and fear lanced through me. What had become of him?
I’d been so wrapped up in my own drama, I hadn’t even thought about what the council may have done to him. Could he still be here? Was he even alive? The thought had me instantly sick.
“Whatever is going through your mind right now, forget it,” Holly demanded. “Gwen,
we’ve talked about this a million times. You’ve got to keep your head on straight. We have a limited time to get in and get out. Are you ready?”
I took three deep breaths and bobbed my head in confirmation. I was as ready as I was ever going to be. I just hoped to hell the coven’s cloaking spell worked. Otherwise, we were as good as dead.
Making our way into the basement at the school was a breeze. In fact, it was too easy. Every hair on my body stood at attention. Something or someone had to have been lurking in the shadows. With how heavily guarded Avalon was there’s no way this should be as easy as it had been.
“Something isn’t right,” Lance said looking at me out of the corner of his eyes.
“I feel it too,” I agreed.
We rounded the corner coming upon the door to the library and still all was quiet.
“The moment we remove something from the shelf or touch anything, the alarm is going to sound,” I explain. “Unless you find the book, don’t touch anything.”
He nodded in acknowledgment.
“In and out,” I said one more time. “Ready?”
“Let’s do it,” he said.
I lifted my hands to the door and commanded them to open and they did just like last time. “Look at that,” I said boasting.
“Pretty good, D’Morte,” he chuckled until the doors were fully open.
What lay in a heap on the other side of the doors had the blood rushing from my body and a cold sweat breaking out. “Oh my God,” I gasped.
Chancellor Andrews laid in a bloodied heap, naked. The smell of piss and vomit coated the air, turning my stomach instantly. I twisted my head just in time to empty my stomach on the ground beside me.
Lance came to my side, but I waved him off. “Check him,” I demanded.
He did as I asked, kneeling next to the Chancellor and checking for a pulse. The dire look on Lance’s face filled me with dread.
“Oh my God, is he dead?” I cried.
“No, not yet. But his pulse is weak,” he said looking wildly around. “Gwen, I need you to find that book quickly. They have him down here for a reason and something tells me it’s meant for us.”
I nodded my head over and over again in shock. “Gwen,” he said shaking me by my shoulders. “Look at me,” he demanded. I did as he said. “Don’t look at him. Find the book. Do you hear me?”
“Y-yes,” I said hardly sounding like myself.
Lance swiped away tears that I didn’t even know were falling. “Go,” he said pushing me toward the shelves. I heard Chancellor Andrews groan and wanted to stop, but I heeded Lance’s words and rushed towards the shelf where I knew the book of shadows was kept.
I scanned from top to bottom seven times, unable to find either book. They’re not here,” I screamed to Lance.
“Keep checking,” he said.
“They’re not here,” Chancellor Andrews’ croaked.
“H-how does he know we’re here?” I asked as I walked around the bookshelf to see Lance’s large eyes.
“Your cloaking spell doesn’t fool me. I told you I’m p-powerful,” he coughed violently, struggling to get the words out.
Lance helped him to sit up. “What did they do to you?” Lance asked.
“It’s of no consequence,” he barely got the words out. “You won’t find the books here. They’ve removed them from Avalon,” he coughed again, and blood spurted out of his mouth.
I smothered my despair with my hands. Watching him in this much pain was unbearable. He’s too good. He didn’t deserve this.
“You’ve got to go. This is a trap,” he said. “The moment you walked through those doors you set off an alarm that went directly to them.”
I looked to Lance in panic. “Will they be able to see us?”
“No,” the Chancellor said. “But they’re coming. You must go.”
“We’re not leaving you,” I said resolutely.
“You must,” he rasped. “I’m already dead as far as they know. I only held on to warn you. It’s…” his voice broke off. “Better this way.”
A sob broke through my chest. “I can’t leave you like this.”
“It’ll all be over soon,” he promised with a pained smile. “Get the books Gwen, and bring them down. Now go,” he said. “They’re here.”
Lance grabbed me by the arm, pulling me up just in time to move to the side and avoid running into the first council guards to arrive.
“Where are they?” A tall dark-haired man seethed looking down at the Chancellor.
“Gone. You’ll never catch them.”
The man raised his hand, aiming a gun at Chancellor Andrew’s head.
“Stop him,” I yelled to Lance, grateful that the coven blocked our sound as well. Lance held me back with a look of sorrow. There was nothing we could do and he knew it.
A shot rang out as the man put a bullet through hi
s head. I screamed in agony, nearly falling to the floor. Lance held me up but was struggling.
“We’ve got to run, Gwen. Our time is running out,” he said, practically dragging me out of the room and past the guards. I followed in a trance, not seeing or hearing anything. A part of me recognized the additional armed guards running down the stairs toward us, but I couldn’t care. I was too numb. Too tired.
My mind wandered to dark places. Questions swirled in my head. Did Tristan have any part in what happened to Chancellor Andrews? Could I have saved him if I’d come earlier? The very thought of the chancellor suffering broke me further. My legs gave out at some point and I fell to the ground. Lance—or someone else—hauled me up and over their shoulder. It’s the last thing I remember before everything went black.
Chapter Ten
“She’s been out for two days. Isn’t there anything you can do?”
“Her body needs rest. Come, let’s leave her be. You can check on her after dinner.”
With the sound of a door closing the room was once again quiet. I had come in and out of sleep but never alerted anyone to the fact. I needed space and it was the only way to get it. Lance had sat by my side for two entire days, only leaving when forced. I appreciated his concern, but I didn’t want to talk about the events that occurred at Avalon. I couldn’t bear it.
Watching Chancellor Andrew’s had been torture, and not being able to do anything to stop it agonizing. I’ll never forget it no matter how much I try.
“He’s just worried about you,” Holly said from a chair in the corner.
I jumped at the sound of her voice. “You scared me.”
She shrugged.“You could at least let him know you’re awake.”
“I can’t. I need time.”
She eyed me contemplatively. “I can’t imagine what you witnessed, but Lance saw it too. You aren’t the only one hurting. He needs to be with someone who understands. He won’t talk about it either.”
I closed my eyes, wishing that I could will her away, but when I opened them, there she was. Watching. Judging. It was the very thing I wanted to avoid. She hadn’t been there. She had no clue how messed up I was. Everything I had endured over the past month was more than any one person could handle.
