Oh. She needed to stop thinking about his hard body and how talented he was with it. “Yes. I identified the remaining two symbols in the right wing of my butterfly. This one is an ancient demon glyph that symbolizes movement.” She pointed to her drawing of a circle coinciding with another circle, enclosing waves in the middle.
“Okay. Movement could definitely have something to do with the portals.” He stood and leaned over her to better see the notebook, his smell of leather and motor oil easing her muscles. Making her feel safe and on edge at the same time. What would he do if she just dragged him down to the bed with her?
“What about this other one?” he asked.
She looked at the intricate lines that appeared to create a stooping tree in the middle of a meadow. “Old vampire lore says that the bending tree will survive the oncoming storm and not break.” Her fingers traced the lines she’d drawn. “It’s supposed to be a good omen.” Which they all needed right now.
“Well, that’s something. Have you learned anything about the symbols on the left wing?” His fingers brushed her hand, and she shivered, her body doing a slow roll. Just from a simple touch.
“Not yet.” Her voice was breathy. There were four symbols in the left wing. The pattern was symmetrical with the right, but the symbols were different. “Hope was working on Yvonne’s butterfly and deciphered two of her eight symbols. One was a protection design from the witch species and the other a weapon badge from the demons. Yvonne doesn’t have a key in the body of her butterfly.”
“No. You’re the final Key,” he said grimly. “But I promise you, you’ll be protected. We just need your blood—nothing else.”
That didn’t make sense. A ritual to destroy an ancient immortal psychopath would certainly require more than the blood of three women. She might not have experienced a lot of life, but she was a historian, and she understood that monumental events required pain and sacrifice. Heroes didn’t become heroic by sitting home alone and hoping for the best. “Garrett? You’re going to need to lose that compulsion to control the world.”
“I don’t need to control the world.” He leaned over and placed a hard kiss on her mouth. A possessive one. “Just yours. I’ll keep you safe.”
It was an admirable sentiment, but she knew better. How, she wasn’t certain. But she had a job to do, and while it had been thrust upon her, wasn’t that the way of the world? Even so, her heart warmed that he wanted to protect her. He’d never understand her need to do the same for him, so she didn’t broach the topic. Actions would have to speak louder than any declarations.
Emma walked inside accompanied by a small woman with white-blond hair, who wore a lovely, long flowered skirt and white blouse. She had sparkling eyes and wore beautiful, beaded jewelry. A prophecy mark wound up her neck in delicate lines. “Dessie? This is Lily, one of our prophets. She’s an expert in hypnotism, and we thought you should give it a try before we assault your brain again.”
Lily approached Garrett and gave him a hug.
“It’s good to see you, Lily. It has been way too long.” He gently hugged her back, all but engulfing her with his size. “How is the Realm’s Rebel?”
Lily chuckled and released him. “Caleb is fine. He’s meeting with your father and uncle.” She smiled at Dessie. “Caleb is my mate, and he’s not too happy about being chosen as a prophet. There was a time when he was the Realm’s Rebel, but now he has plenty of competition for the moniker.” She bumped Garrett with her hip. Her every movement was graceful as she walked to the bed. “Rumor has it you’ve got a few hot buttons.”
“At least two that we know about,” Dessie said, wondering how she could ever be that graceful. The woman appeared to be in her late twenties, but her eyes showed decades of living. Maybe centuries. “One of the triggers causes violence, and the other shuts down my brain.” She preferred the one that made her pass out to the one that made her attempt homicide. “If we could just get rid of one of them, I’d be forever grateful.” Although she was uncertain about hypnotism. She wasn’t the type to let somebody else take control of her mind. Not willingly, anyway. The Kurjans had found a way, so perhaps she was now susceptible to it.
Lily encircled Dessie’s wrist with her fingers. “I’d say you were trained for the violence, which is triggered by the Seven marking. As for shutting down, my guess is that you were on the right track with your research. Otherwise, why implant a trigger to stop you from figuring out the situation?”
That made sense. Dessie’s eyes grew sleepy. She snuggled back against the pillows. “What are you doing?”
“Just relaxing you,” Lily murmured.
The lights dimmed. Everyone else disappeared.
“You’re in control here,” Lily said. “The second you want to stop, we stop. Now look into my eyes. What do you see?”
She saw eyes. Midnight-colored. No wait. There was some blue. Pretty and deep. Dessie’s breathing leveled out, and her limbs became heavy. So heavy and warm beneath the blanket.
“All right,” Lily crooned. “Take me back to your high school years. Where are you?”
“I’m at Stoneton Hills,” Dessie whispered, her body relaxed.
Something shuffled. “Good,” Lily said. “You’re safe, and you’re calm. Whatever happened in the past is gone, and you’re just watching from very far away. You’re only an observer.”
Dessie breathed out.
“You’ve gone to classes, eaten meals, and prepared for bed. Tell me what’s happening.”
Dessie wandered into her old room. “I’ve put on a nightgown and gotten into bed. The room is cold, and I curl onto my side to keep warm.” She shivered and then calmed. “I’m so tired. During classes that day, I could barely concentrate on the lecture.” Was she getting ill? The fatigue wouldn’t leave her, even at night.
“Do you fall asleep?”
“Yes.” She watched herself sleep, her body barely moving beneath the bedcovers.
“You’re doing wonderfully, Destiny. Now, remember that you’re far away. That you are no longer in that bed but are just a witness from years later. What happens?”
