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Instead, I am sinking. I am begging for help. I am screaming for it. I am running out of air, out of time.
Pulling myself from the wreckage, my limbs are on fire, and my lungs are going to burst.
Darkness.
Nothingness.
My eyes flutter, and I see him.
Oz.
He takes me in his arms after returning me from death, only to give it to me again. But this time, this time he is there to guide me, to fill me with the blood of the immortals. To claim my soul as his.
I drink, taking in his essence, and Iknowhim.
He clings to me, keeping me safe, and I hear a voice.
I hearhisvoice.
Mine…
It dances across my mind.
Faces flash around me. The woman, the man with the beard, the children… The other man tries to surface, but it feels like searing white-hot rage. I fight against that one. The woman fills me with the most happiness. I hold her image close. I can feel her arms around me. Then, the children again. I can feel their little hugs and hear their laughter before they let me go.
My eyes open, and it feels like my heart is in a vice.
There are people out there who care for me, miss me, and I don’t even know who they are.
I had hopes, dreams, and goals. My hands sweep over my stomach briefly, grieving for children I wouldn’t have.
I may not remember my past, but something tells me that with all these kids I keep seeing, I wanted to be a mother one day. That chance is gone now unless you count making vampires.
Turning over on my side, I feel the tears come and let them spill. I have been so wrapped up in the magic of everything I’ve gained that I haven’t considered everything I lost in the process. A sob escapes me, and I lay there wallowing in my misery. I vow to get it together. If I am going to figure out who I am, I need to accept what’s happened. I need to face it head-on and not let it kick me around anymore. With my eyes dry this time, I repeatedly play the faces from my dreams in my head like a movie until sleep sucks me back down with it.
A knock sounds at the door. I open my eyes and sit up, I wipe my face, trying to hide any evidence of crying in my sleep. I climb from the bed and open the door. Oz stands on the other side. His eyes at first are filled with concern, but they shift quickly. Light dances in them, and a smile spreads on his lips.
“Wren, I’m glad you’re awake,” he stands with his hands behind his back. He’s already dressed, wearing jeans and a plain T-shirt. What time is it? “I was wondering if you’d like to go on an adventure with me today?”
“What kind of adventure,” I tease, narrowing my eyes with mock suspicion.
Oz leans in and whispers, “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
“Too late.” I smile and laugh. It feels good like it is pushing the sadness outside my body. “But really, what do you have in mind?”
He thinks momentarily before raising one arm on the door frame and leaning into me. His whisper is much more authentic and genuinely secretive. “Without giving too much away,” I can feel the heat coming off him. I want him to pull me against him and press his lips against mine. There is no rational explanation for why I am so attracted to him. I just feel drawn to his entire presence. “I know a place nearby that I think you would love to see, but it’s a bit of a hike.”
A night hike? Weareat the top of the food chain around here. A hidden place that he is sharing with just me? Excitement bubbles, and I let it show in my voice. “Sounds great,” I smile at him. “I can be ready in about ten minutes.”
“Meet you downstairs.” And with that, he pushes away from the door frame and disappears down the staircase.
I throw on something comfortable to wear. Settling on jeans and a long sleeve T-shirt, I go into the bathroom and gasp.
I can’t believe he saw me like this.
My hair is a rat’s nest. I must have been tossing and turning as I slept. Groaning and embarrassed, I hurriedly work the knots loose. I leave it down, happy it is at least tangle free now.
When I bound down the stairs, I find I’m not even thinking about the faces anymore. I have been pulled back into the magic of now. New experiences around every corner and all the time in the world to discover everything I want to know about everything. My first project? The mysterious vampire knight who rescued me. I want to pick apart his mind and see if he possibly feels this same attraction that I do. Maybe, just maybe, I can steal a kiss and see what those damn lips taste like.
