Charade (Heven and Hell #2)(59)
Author: Cambria Hebert

I stood there, unsure what to do, and considered my options. The idea of running crossed my mind, but I wasn’t feeling very well, kind of fuzzy-headed and heavy. My limbs were shaking from what I assumed was fear, yet I didn’t feel afraid. I felt detached, like this was happening to someone else and not me. All of a sudden, the Dream Walker flinched and then went rigid, spinning to look at me. He scrutinized my face as if looking for some sort of answer to an unasked question. Seconds ticked by and nothing happened. I shifted my weight from foot to foot and waited. Where are you, Sam?

I’m here. His voice slid through my brain like thick, warm honey. It coated all the edges of worry and gave me sweet hope. I’ve found the thread.

“What are you doing?” the Dream Walker demanded. He stalked over beside me.

“I’m not doing anything.”

He didn’t believe me, yet he couldn’t prove otherwise. “Look,” he demanded, then pressed a button on a small remote and the curtains began to slide open. The darkened room lightened some and I was able to see more of my surroundings. The room was large with black walls and a massive black desk in the center. There was a chair behind the desk that was made of black leather. The only color in the room came from the red curtains and a red rug beneath the desk. There were chains hanging from one wall that made me wonder what a person had to do to get chained there.

“I said look,” he yelled right in my ear. With my eardrum ringing, I walked over to the windows and looked out. It was a panoramic view of depressing proportions. I could see for miles and miles until the dark rock earth blended with the gray smoky sky. The terrain was completely flat with nothing but broken, dead vegetation for life. I could see demons milling about fighting, screaming, and torturing one another. There were buildings, some large and some small. They all looked on the verge of caving in or falling down. A long and winding black river flowed, snaking through the terrain and looking like a stream of tar.

“This could all be yours.”

“This is nothing.”

I thought he might yell, but for once, he didn’t. Instead he said, “This is power. I know you can feel it. I know it calls to you.”

I thought the power I felt came from him, and before I could stop the words, they tumbled from my mouth. He laughed a loud, unfriendly laugh. “I command this place. The power here is mine because I take it.”

Was he Satan then? Somehow, this wasn’t how I pictured the devil, and this wasn’t how I pictured Hell, but there was no denying this place. My gaze went back out the window. I guess evil came in many forms.

“Why are you offering me this?” It didn’t make any sense.

“I want the scroll.”

“If you’re so powerful, how come you haven’t taken it from me?” I didn’t say the words to taunt him. I wasn’t trying to anger him. But I did.

The slap hit me fast and hard, ricocheting my head back off my shoulders, causing pain to explode behind my eyes. I fell backward, falling on the cold, unforgiving floor, heat searing through my face. He stood over me, panting, eyes blazing like he wanted to kill me. Somewhere inside my head, Sam roared. An angry, powerful roar. And I knew that he was so deep in my head now that he knew what just happened.

“You can’t get it open, can you?” I said, lifting my chin with a challenge. I was done being afraid of him. He might be scary, but I would only be scared if I allowed myself to be.

He snarled and lifted his fist.

“You know I can get it open. Something no one else has been able to do. It’s why you haven’t killed me. You need me.”

“You little bitch,” he growled. The strong features of his face twisted into something ugly and sinister. He grabbed me by the arms and hauled me up, making my teeth slam together. My head began hammering and I felt dizzy. Still, I looked straight into his frigid stare.

“None of your minions have managed to find the scroll,” I taunted. “I still have it hidden and soon it’s going back to where it belongs and you will never have it!”

His face came close, so close that I could smell his rancid breath and see the white spittle forming in the corners of his mouth from rage and desire to cause me harm. “When everyone around you is dead, we’ll see how brave you are, little one.” He tossed me backward and I hit the desk before sliding to the floor.

I pushed him too far. Now everyone I loved was in danger.

“It’s true. I may need you alive,” he said, stalking forward, pushing up the sleeves of his dark sweater, “but I can still find ways to cause you agony.”

Another wave of pain and dizziness came over me as he raised his fist to the sky, preparing to strike. I brought my arm across my face for protection, but then thought better of the action and lowered my arm, lifted my face up and waited for the blow.

It never came.

“No!” he screamed, reaching out to grab me.

But he couldn’t. His hands went right through me. Sam must have found the thread and destroyed it. I looked up at him and grinned, lifting my hand in a wave.

Right before I disappeared, I heard him say, “This isn’t over.”

When I opened my eyes, Sam was leaning over me. His usually sun-kissed face looked drawn and pale. “Hi,” I whispered.

Tension drained right out of him, leaving him looking exhausted. I pushed myself up, tossing away the covers to wrap my arms around his neck. He was warm and solid, so I pressed myself closer and willed away the words that still bounced around in my head. This isn’t over.

“Are you all right?” Sam asked, pulling me back to look me over.

“I’m fine. You broke the thread?” I reached for the glass of water on the bedside table.

He sat down beside me on the bed; our legs pressed together all the way down until our feet touched the floor. “Yes. I’m so sorry you had to go back there. I was hoping you wouldn’t have to.” I heard the regret in his voice and the restraint from finishing his thoughts.

“I thought he couldn’t get inside my dreams when you were with me.”

He looked pained and guilty when he said, “I left you alone for a few minutes.”

This surprised me and I lifted my brows.

“I had to. I couldn’t find the thread; it was well hidden. I figured the only way I would find it was if he used it to get to you.”

“It’s all right.” I took his hand and pressed my lips to his knuckles. I pretended not to notice the slight tremble in his fingers.