Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Joseph sat next to Meadow’s bed, holding her hand, and willed for her to open her eyes.
According to River, her saving the day had come at a cost—magical burnout.
She’d pushed her magic beyond her limits, and now she faced an internal battle none of them could see. And if she didn’t overcome it, then she’d never wake up.
It’d been two days since the disastrous festival. Khan was doing damage control and using every iota of magic he possessed to get answers out of the still-living traitors.
Apparently, one of Yesenia’s weapons—a brick—had been tossed back at Khan during the battle, knocking him unconscious.
The fae witch male was as cool as ever, but at least he didn’t hold any ill will toward Yesenia.
Plus, Leo fighting to save Khan had gone a long way toward the fae witches beginning to trust the new vampire Dark Lord.
Joseph was fully healed now, and although Laurie’s spine was mending and he’d make a full recovery, it would take time to get there and he currently relied on a wheelchair.
For the time being, they were inside Dark Lord Khan’s residence. Not only for safety concerns but also because it held rare texts that River was looking through to try and find a way to help his sister.
Joseph brushed some hair off Meadow’s forehead and murmured, “Come on, love. Wake up for us. After everything that happened, it put things into perspective, and we want you with us. Forever. But first, you need to wake up.”
Silence.
As he debated fetching Laurie to come sit with them, River rushed into the room. His hair was mussed, a two-day-old beard was on his face, and the dark circles under his eyes signaled he hadn’t slept much.
But in the next second, Joseph forgot about that as River blurted, “I think I found a way to help her.” He held up a book and continued, “According to this, it requires your and Laurie’s help.”
He frowned. “What are you talking about? Tell me the details, River. Plainly.”
“Since Meadow is still your unclaimed fated one, you and Laurie possess a little magic that will react with hers. Namely, if you each take a small bit of her blood, you should hallucinate and see what she sees right now. The book is vague about whether you can communicate with her in the hallucination or not. However, at this point, anything that might help Meadow is worth a shot.”
Joseph willed himself not to get hopeful. Yet. “What magic are you talking about? Full-blooded vampires don’t have magic.”
“Ah, but they do. All of you do. It’s a lingering result of the original curse put on your kind.”
He blinked. “That’s real?”
“Apparently. Thankfully, Khan let me scour his forbidden texts and said we could use this information to help Meadow. Although, obviously, you can’t share it with anyone else or Khan will arrest you.”
He tightened his grip on Meadow’s hand. “Of course we won’t tell anyone. But is Laurie strong enough to help? Or can I just do it by myself?”
“No, it has to be the fated one or ones, which means in this case it has to be the both of you. That connection is what will trigger the hallucinations. There’s more to it all, of course, but that’s the gist of it.
As for Laurie, he should be fine as long as he listens to his body and acknowledges his limits.
Normally, I’d wait another few days. But in this case… ”
Joseph looked back at Meadow’s pale face. “If we wait much longer, she might never wake up.”
“Exactly.”
A knock at the door made him turn around, and he saw Nora wheeling Laurie inside. Judging by the determined look on his face, Nora or River had already explained the situation.
Laurie nodded. “I’m doing it because we can’t afford to wait. The thought of Meadow losing everything after she finally accepted herself makes me both sad and angry. I won’t let those arseholes traitors take that from her. From us.”
Nora stopped Laurie on the opposite side of the bed and spoke up. “Another healer is staying in Khan’s residence, too, in case we need her. River has barely slept over the last two days, and he might not be well enough to help with anything serious.”
River grunted. “I would argue, but she’s right. I can do minor things, but Meadow might need more. For now, let me go over what you need to do, and then we’ll get started.”
And as he explained the steps needed to maybe join Meadow’s hallucinations and convince her to wake up, Joseph listened to every detail. Because he refused to make a mistake and risk Meadow’s life.
Meadow was locked in a dark, humid basement. Only a single flickering candle kept the worst of her fears at bay.
They’d tossed her inside the magical rogue prison, blaming her for making things worse at the fae witch festival.
She hadn’t helped.
She hadn’t saved the day.
And Laurie and Joseph were dead.
She sat on the ground and hugged her knees closer to her chest. So much for doing better and not being the fuckup her father had always accused her of being.
If she had any tears left, she’d cry some more. But she’d cried until she was hoarse, and she struggled to stay awake.
But she didn’t want to sleep. The last time she’d tried, all she’d dreamed about were Laurie and Joseph’s lifeless bodies.
Their eyes open, staring at nothing, as they lay unmoving and pale.
All because of me.
The door opened, and Meadow jumped a little. The figure in the doorway looked like Yesenia, but she had white streaks in her hair. Her eyes were also hard and cruel, with no sign of affection or warmth.
Although could she really blame her? Maybe Meadow had also hurt or failed Leo. The darkness-clad guards had refused to tell her anything.
As Yesenia narrowed her eyes, Meadow’s stomach dropped. Oh, no. Please don’t let River be hurt, or worse, because of me.
Before she could go down the road of what-ifs, the not-quite-Yesenia stated, “I’m sending you back to the future to our father. I never should’ve brought you here. Because of you, River and Nora are dead.”
Fear shot through her. “No!”
Yesenia walked in and stopped to spit on her. “You killed them.”
She snapped her fingers, and in the next instant, Meadow was in her old bedroom at her father’s place, except there were bars on the windows and the door had changed into a metal door with bars, like a jail cell.
Her father appeared at the door, tossed a bottle of water into the room, and said, “Lose another forty pounds and agree to my plan, and maybe I’ll let you outside for an hour. But for now, I can’t stand the disgusting sight of you. How you ever came from Maribelle, I have no idea.”
He walked away. Meadow tried to get up, but she was too weak to do more than raise a hand.
The eerie silence allowed Yesenia’s words to repeat in her mind—River and Nora were dead. All because Meadow had tried to save the day when she hadn’t been strong enough.
She’d been an utter failure.
Again.
She sobbed and struggled to breathe. She’d killed her brother and his kind wife.
What had she done?
Maybe she should stop fighting and just refuse to eat anything. Maybe then she’d stop hurting everyone she cared about.
“Meadow,” a male voice whispered. And then another. “Love, can you hear us?”
It sounded like Laurie and Joseph.
But, no. They were dead. And even if they weren’t, they’d want nothing to do with her, either. She’d killed Laurie’s sister.
“Damn it, Meadow, come to us. We need to talk.”
She should ignore the whispering voices, turn inward, and wait for death.
“Meadow,” they kept whispering.
Just the sound of their voices made her heart break even further. Were they haunting her?
If so, then the last thing she could do for them was to let them yell and shout and berate her for failing them. Maybe then they’d get enough peace to finally leave the world.
Yes, she would listen, no matter how painful it was.
The room changed again, and this time she was inside her bedroom at Nyx’s Kingdom, back in the past. Laurie and Joseph strode through the door, and her heart ached at how handsome they were.
She expected hatred or disgust in their eyes. However, she blinked at the concern.
What was going on?
They walked up to her bed, each taking a side before gripping one of her hands. She was weak but could move her head from side to side, and became even more confused at their tender looks. “What’s going on? Why aren’t you mad at me?” she croaked.
Worry flashed in Laurie’s eyes before he replied, “We’re here for you, Meadow. To give you strength and help you fight this battle.”
Joseph jumped in. “None of this is real—you burned out. All of this is fake, constructed by your own mind to make you give up.”
She shook her head. “No, I must be imagining you. Everyone is dead. You’re dead. You’re both dead.”
Her voice cracked on the last word as a tear trailed down her cheek. Laurie quickly wiped it away. “We’re alive, Emmy. We’re here because of the bond we share. We’re here to convince you to wake up so we can marry you.”
For a beat, Meadow’s heart warmed, and she wished it were true.
But then she pushed the hope aside. “No. It’s a dream, just a dream. Please just leave me to die.”
Joseph leaned down, cupped her cheek, and kissed her. Gently at first, but then it turned fierce. When he broke it, they both breathed heavily. He murmured, “We’re alive, love. We all are. Thanks to you.”
“No, I didn’t save anyone.”
“You did. And if you wake up, you’ll see, Emmy. But you have to fight because only you can end this nightmare.”
Laurie turned her head toward him and laid his forehead against hers. His hot breath against her lips made her yearn for him to be still alive. For him and Joseph to hold her, want her, and love her.
But they were gone. Forever. And even dreaming about them made her heart ache.