her lip. “That’s the thing. We don’t.”
“Okay. Calm down.” Mike sat on the couch and patted the cushion next to him. “What exactly is going on?”
She wished she knew. She dropped onto the couch and rubbed her face. “I haven’t got a clue.”
She’d caught glimpses of Finn’s past from his childhood to his late adolescence. She thought she’d seen him when he’d reached his lowest low, almost an adult, being chased out of villages, bullied by patrol guards. He’d once told her he’d entered the army after that. As a mercenary, probably. Because his protector had died, the winter had been hard and food had been scarce.
But she’d seen no memories of that.
Was Finn keeping those memories from her somehow? He had the right to his own secrets, she told herself. He’d had to bare himself to the bone in the dreams they shared. It had to be a terrifying experience, laying your self open like that, raw, nothing to hide behind. Ella had been inside his mind, had seen it all.
Though at first it hadn’t been that easy. There had been walls around the memories, walls she thought she’d erected, walls she’d fought to break down to be able to speak to him and touch him in his dreams.
Was it possible she hadn’t been the one blocking him? Could it be Finn’s doing? Maybe he was trying to protect himself from the intrusion.
“When did you stop seeing his dreams?” Mike asked, his dark eyes concerned.
“After we returned from the military camp.” She’d shared one dream, where Finn had climbed a cliff and brought her a snow flower. After that... “I get flashes of something terrible, a glowing face, a tongue of fire... Nothing coherent.”
“So, if you’re not sharing dreams, does that mean you’re not sharing magic, either?”
Oh god, that was the question, wasn’t it? “Finn says he’s got it under control.” In fact he said it so often nowadays it was as if he was trying to convince himself more than her. “At Dave’s office, the Veil almost ripped. He mended it. You should have seen it, Mike, it was impressive. He’s so strong.”
But he looked so tired. Dave had commented on it. Mike, too. She wasn’t the only one seeing it.
“Okay, deep breaths.” Mike rubbed her back in soothing circles. “Maybe it’s normal. Maybe you set him on the right path, fixed his magic so now he can keep the Veil from ripping and the Gates from opening. Why are you so worried? From what you’re saying, it sounds like he’s doing fine.”
Fine. Ella licked her dry lips. “Maybe you’re right.”
“If it’s the flashbacks that have you worried, we’ll look into it. Start by trying to avoid the trigger. If it’s guns, then keep him away from them and see how that goes.”
Yeah, right . “It’s not that easy. There seems to be a sniper out for us.”
Mike sputtered. “Shit, girl, when were you going to tell me all this?”
“Now. Just did.” She pulled her neckline down. “I’m wearing my Kevlar vest, and so is Finn, so we should be okay.”
“Damn,” Mike whispered. “Okay, so, flashbacks, nightmares, a sniper and a dragon. Just that?”
Ella shook her head and snorted. “Shut up. Only you can make me laugh about this. It’s not funny, Mike.”
Because she had that bad feeling again, the one that told her things were infinitely worse than they looked, and they looked bad enough already.
“I have my talents.” Mike shrugged. “All right, I can see why you’re worried. Then again, this is Finn we’re talking about. A force of nature. And he cares for you. I bet he’ll tell you what this is all about when he’s ready.”
Yeah . If by then it wasn’t too late.
Chapter Five
Rip
Winter was setting in for good. Not the freak snowstorms caused by the opening Gates, but the slow, measured pace of a season approaching. The leaves, caught in the unnatural weather, hadn’t even turned color, just faded and fallen away leaving the branches bare.
Ella
“Okay. Calm down.” Mike sat on the couch and patted the cushion next to him. “What exactly is going on?”
She wished she knew. She dropped onto the couch and rubbed her face. “I haven’t got a clue.”
She’d caught glimpses of Finn’s past from his childhood to his late adolescence. She thought she’d seen him when he’d reached his lowest low, almost an adult, being chased out of villages, bullied by patrol guards. He’d once told her he’d entered the army after that. As a mercenary, probably. Because his protector had died, the winter had been hard and food had been scarce.
But she’d seen no memories of that.
Was Finn keeping those memories from her somehow? He had the right to his own secrets, she told herself. He’d had to bare himself to the bone in the dreams they shared. It had to be a terrifying experience, laying your self open like that, raw, nothing to hide behind. Ella had been inside his mind, had seen it all.
Though at first it hadn’t been that easy. There had been walls around the memories, walls she thought she’d erected, walls she’d fought to break down to be able to speak to him and touch him in his dreams.
Was it possible she hadn’t been the one blocking him? Could it be Finn’s doing? Maybe he was trying to protect himself from the intrusion.
“When did you stop seeing his dreams?” Mike asked, his dark eyes concerned.
“After we returned from the military camp.” She’d shared one dream, where Finn had climbed a cliff and brought her a snow flower. After that... “I get flashes of something terrible, a glowing face, a tongue of fire... Nothing coherent.”
“So, if you’re not sharing dreams, does that mean you’re not sharing magic, either?”
Oh god, that was the question, wasn’t it? “Finn says he’s got it under control.” In fact he said it so often nowadays it was as if he was trying to convince himself more than her. “At Dave’s office, the Veil almost ripped. He mended it. You should have seen it, Mike, it was impressive. He’s so strong.”
But he looked so tired. Dave had commented on it. Mike, too. She wasn’t the only one seeing it.
“Okay, deep breaths.” Mike rubbed her back in soothing circles. “Maybe it’s normal. Maybe you set him on the right path, fixed his magic so now he can keep the Veil from ripping and the Gates from opening. Why are you so worried? From what you’re saying, it sounds like he’s doing fine.”
Fine. Ella licked her dry lips. “Maybe you’re right.”
“If it’s the flashbacks that have you worried, we’ll look into it. Start by trying to avoid the trigger. If it’s guns, then keep him away from them and see how that goes.”
Yeah, right . “It’s not that easy. There seems to be a sniper out for us.”
Mike sputtered. “Shit, girl, when were you going to tell me all this?”
“Now. Just did.” She pulled her neckline down. “I’m wearing my Kevlar vest, and so is Finn, so we should be okay.”
“Damn,” Mike whispered. “Okay, so, flashbacks, nightmares, a sniper and a dragon. Just that?”
Ella shook her head and snorted. “Shut up. Only you can make me laugh about this. It’s not funny, Mike.”
Because she had that bad feeling again, the one that told her things were infinitely worse than they looked, and they looked bad enough already.
“I have my talents.” Mike shrugged. “All right, I can see why you’re worried. Then again, this is Finn we’re talking about. A force of nature. And he cares for you. I bet he’ll tell you what this is all about when he’s ready.”
Yeah . If by then it wasn’t too late.
Chapter Five
Rip
Winter was setting in for good. Not the freak snowstorms caused by the opening Gates, but the slow, measured pace of a season approaching. The leaves, caught in the unnatural weather, hadn’t even turned color, just faded and fallen away leaving the branches bare.
Ella
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