Post by Lillie Galleau on Jul 20, 2011 20:10:41 GMT -6
It was as if she were walking through a dream, Lillie thought absently, as she watched groups of firefighters and policemen gather around The Pit. It was as if she were standing in one of her many bad dreams, looking at something unreal, impossible. There were paramedics hustling around, patting at the long cut around her stomach, and attaching leads and wires to her belly. For a moment, she felt panic as her hands fluttered down to the sleeping baby…and found herself unable to move.
Her limbs were too heavy, her eyelids solid weights. Darkness slithered in, clouding her vision and she fought against the urge to close her eyes. Kyle would be there, soon. She had to be awake when he came for her. But…no, those weren’t her fiancé’s hands urging her to lie still, as she struggled against the restraints around her wrists. Those weren’t his strong, calloused fingers stroking her forehead, and that wasn’t his voice telling her that everything was going to be okay. Where was he? Why wasn’t he there? Why wasn’t anyone doing anything to save him?
”Dammit, can’t you give her something?” Ilani’s voice penetrated the fog that encased her mind. ”She’s obviously freaking out, here. Give her something…and no way, pal, either you kick out the portable walkie talkie, or you’re gonna need a ball sack replacement. I’m staying with Lillie.”
Turning toward her friend, she tried to form the right words; tried to beg her to make the paramedics let her go. She had to find Kyle; had to hold him close to her and remind herself that none of what happened was real. An image of the evil witch’s face flashed into her mind, and she started struggling even harder. There was a pain in her arms, a burning in her chest and, in the back of her mind, she knew she could feel her daughter moving, worried by the tension of her mother. But Lillie didn’t care; couldn’t care about anything but seeing his face again. Her dragon; her mate.
The voices around her started to fade, then, and the darkness became more pungent. She recognized its texture; had seen that veil before, too many times to count. She cried out, not yet ready to give up her ability to see, until she could look upon his face once more. But the blackness was insistent…and then there was nothing.
With a deep breath, Lillie opened her eyes to see the comfortable blue hues of her bedroom ceiling. Relief washed through her and she clutched the comforter close to her chest. Thank God…thank you, God, she thought, a small sob escaping her. She bit back the noise as much as possible, not wanting to disturb her mate’s sleep and rolled to her side, needing to see his face. What a horrible dream! What a nightmare! Normally, she didn’t dream about herself, aside from the alter and that terrible man standing above her. Couldn’t she ever have a nice dream, for once? See herself, Kyle and their child, sitting happily around a fire? Just wait until she told her mate about this one; the poor man would probably nail all the windows shut and never take her out again—
Her hand fell down against the empty side of the bed and she froze. Okay…so he was already awake and moving around the house. She could hear him; hear footsteps and voices murmuring downstairs. A small smile pulled at her lips as she remembered the first time she’d caught him watching old reruns of the Golden Girls.
Sitting up, she went to swing her legs over the edge of the bed and froze on a gasp. A sharp sting stabbed her belly and her hand flew upwards. What the…her mouth fell open when her fingers brushed against scratchy medical tape and a bandage. A bandage…right in the place where her dream had…oh God. Oh, God…no…
The door to her room burst open and Ilani came rushing in. Once again detached, she could hear someone yelling and realized it was her own voice echoing in the room. Tears ran down her face and she clutched at her friend, when the psychic pulled her into her arms. In a voice she’d never heard the energetic psychic use before, Ilani patted her back soothingly.
Behind her, she could see the blurry forms of her brothers, standing tense and grim at the door. Derek DeVoux, Ilani’s boyfriend, stood out in the hallway. As always, her family had come to her rescue.
”He can’t be gone,” She sobbed into her friend’s shoulder. ”He just…he flew away with her. I know it was to save me, to save the baby, but…God, he can’t be gone. She’s going to hurt him, Lani! She’s going to hurt him, and I can’t…do…anything…” Sobs and hiccups distorted the words, and she fell into helpless weeping. What a weak, useless thing she was. Helpless as the woman of her lover’s nightmares swept him away.
With a low sound in the back of his throat, Pat couldn’t stand it anymore. Pulling her from her friend’s arms, he tucked her into his side. ”It’s alright, buttercup. We’re gonna find him. It’s all gonna be alright…don’t cry, honey. We’re going to bring him home to you.” She sound of her nickname and the firmness of her brother’s promise made her cry all the harder.
Some time later, all of them were seated in the living room downstairs. Half a dozen hawk eyes were trained on her, and she hunched her shoulders against the intensity of the stares. They were all wondering if she’d do something stupid, she thought with a sigh. Placing her hand protectively over her belly, she curled her legs under her. She was concerned about what the stress was doing to the baby, but she couldn’t help herself. Especially when yet another bomb was dropped.
”What do you mean, you know about Kyle?” Incredulously, she stared at her eldest brother, who fidgeted in reply.
Ilani snorted. ”Honey, please. You really think your bulldog of a brother would let me be without quizzing me about your boyfriend? As if I’d be able to get a break from your family for THAT long.” A growl sounded from Derek’s direction, as the now blushing Pat chucked a pillow at her. Ducking it, she rolled her eyes and continued. ”I gotta give your brother one thing; he sure does take surprises in stride. I told him everything; about Kyle, about me, about the Big Bads that haunt the city. All in all, he’s alright with it. Still thinks he wants to kick Kyle’s ass for stealing you away after Corbin, but…the cat’s out.”
Lillie just shook her head in amazement and stared at her brother. ”You never told me!”
”I was waiting for you to do it.” It was almost comical to watch her brother fidget. Shaking her head, Lillie just sighed.
So, this might be helpful. Pat had always been excellent at tracking people down; now that she wouldn’t be bombarded by questions, he could help them in their search. But, the question was, how did they get Kyle free from the powerful witch?
”Yeah…about that,” It was Lani’s turn to fidget, when Lillie voiced the question aloud. ”The disappearance of a Council member, especially a Chair, as Kyle is, is a big deal. I had to report it to the others; Wulf Fenrisulfr in particular. He’s been sending the Enforcers out to look for Kyle…but there’s another man in particular who’s offered his help. And frankly, while I dislike the guy, I think we should use him. He’s got lots of supernatural resources that we just don’t have the time to make on our own.”
And, as if summoned, a knock sounded at the door. Nicky disappeared into the foyer to open it and the murmur of voices sounded. A few seconds later, her brother reappeared, with another man in tow. Standing almost as tall as her eldest brother, he was impeccably dressed, with an air of power about him. Not the kind of power that Kyle exuded; the magical, time-tested kind…but something more modern. More self earned.
Clasping his hands in front of him, Vincent Montague looked over at the small, pretty woman curled up on the couch. ”Well…this is quite the business meeting. So, Miss Galleau…I heard you have a dragon to save.”
