that one? It's black like a negative image. Is Maureen okay? Where is she?"
Dags took in a deep breath. "From what we can figure out—Zoë's body is in the abysmal plane—inside of a Throne just as Nona guessed it was. Somehow—and even Zoë's a bit sketchy on the how—she and Maureen have exchanged places. Maureen is in her body and she's taken up where Maureen was."
"Does this have anything to do with the book?" Daniel said. He was still standing, his gaze focused Dags' hand.
"Yes it does," I said and pulled out the page again. I held it up. "We're guessing this is the last page—which is how I was able to link back to Dags. According to Alice, this page is what gives Dags, Alice and Maureen access to the Grimoire . Somehow, because it's physically with me, I was able to use it."
Joe looked thoughtful. "Now, I always thought you had, like, a time limit when you went OOB. 'Cause that's technically what you're doing, right?"
"Right, and no." I shrugged. "I haven't felt any fatigue. And I think," and here was where I was going to need to give out information without sounding all Buddha on them. And what sucked was I was pretty sure no one was going to believe I came up with this on my own. "And I could be wrong, but, I think as long as she's inhabiting my body, I can stay here. With Dags."
He pulled me close to him and kissed my cheek. I cried a little inside. Should I tell him I couldn't feel him? That I couldn't seem to feel anyone or anything. That being a Familiar was like being something...dead?
"I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop," TC said.
I looked past them and fixed my eyes on him. "I thought you'd at least be happy to see me?"
"But that's just it," he came from the kitchenette and stood next to Daniel. Daniel was much taller, but what TC lacked in height he made up for in size. "We're not seeing you. We're seeing a projection of you. In case it hasn't sunk in yet, lover," and he reached up and removed his shades. I stared into his pearl white eyes. "That page is with you —inside of a Throne. No one—except a Seraphim or a Phantasm—can even touch a Throne."
I started to answer him when I felt Dags move beside me. I turned and caught his arm as his knees buckled beneath him. "Dags?"
"S-sorry," he said as he stumbled back into the bed. He leaned back on the headboard and had his right hand to his face. I had a death-grip on his left hand. "I just felt really dizzy."
"There's the shoe," TC said as he turned and went back to his grapes. "The link to the book's gonna vanish faster now cause spook girl's tap'n it. We got to get those borders open and get that page."
Rhonda was up and pushing me out of the way. "Move—you're draining him."
"I am not—"
"I think Azrael's right, Zoë," Alice spoke up.
I stepped back and looked at Alice as Rhonda muscled me out of the way and placed a hand to the side of Dags' face. "How? Do you and Maureen drain him?"
"Yes and no," she put a hand on my arm. There were so many people in the room. I was starting to feel claustrophobic. "She and I did at first, before the Grimoire was placed inside. And we'd all have to rest. I used to draw directly from him to make myself physical—so that I could interact with this world."
I narrowed my eyes at Alice. "It was a bad thing to do?"
"It was necessary. But it made him weak and sick. And I stopped. With the Grimoire in place—and accessible—we found we could use power from it."
"But that's closed off now," Joe said as he came around the other side of the bed. "Rhonda?"
"He's asleep. And he's warm." She turned and gave me an ubër-hateful look. "I suggest you stop this. You're exhausting him."
I hesitated and looked around at the faces looking at me. They didn't look happy.
"Get out!"
-10-
Together But Apart
I opened my mouth to give her a piece of my mind—but Alice's hand on my arm stopped me.
"Come with me, Zoë."
"But I want to be with—"
She
Dags took in a deep breath. "From what we can figure out—Zoë's body is in the abysmal plane—inside of a Throne just as Nona guessed it was. Somehow—and even Zoë's a bit sketchy on the how—she and Maureen have exchanged places. Maureen is in her body and she's taken up where Maureen was."
"Does this have anything to do with the book?" Daniel said. He was still standing, his gaze focused Dags' hand.
"Yes it does," I said and pulled out the page again. I held it up. "We're guessing this is the last page—which is how I was able to link back to Dags. According to Alice, this page is what gives Dags, Alice and Maureen access to the Grimoire . Somehow, because it's physically with me, I was able to use it."
Joe looked thoughtful. "Now, I always thought you had, like, a time limit when you went OOB. 'Cause that's technically what you're doing, right?"
"Right, and no." I shrugged. "I haven't felt any fatigue. And I think," and here was where I was going to need to give out information without sounding all Buddha on them. And what sucked was I was pretty sure no one was going to believe I came up with this on my own. "And I could be wrong, but, I think as long as she's inhabiting my body, I can stay here. With Dags."
He pulled me close to him and kissed my cheek. I cried a little inside. Should I tell him I couldn't feel him? That I couldn't seem to feel anyone or anything. That being a Familiar was like being something...dead?
"I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop," TC said.
I looked past them and fixed my eyes on him. "I thought you'd at least be happy to see me?"
"But that's just it," he came from the kitchenette and stood next to Daniel. Daniel was much taller, but what TC lacked in height he made up for in size. "We're not seeing you. We're seeing a projection of you. In case it hasn't sunk in yet, lover," and he reached up and removed his shades. I stared into his pearl white eyes. "That page is with you —inside of a Throne. No one—except a Seraphim or a Phantasm—can even touch a Throne."
I started to answer him when I felt Dags move beside me. I turned and caught his arm as his knees buckled beneath him. "Dags?"
"S-sorry," he said as he stumbled back into the bed. He leaned back on the headboard and had his right hand to his face. I had a death-grip on his left hand. "I just felt really dizzy."
"There's the shoe," TC said as he turned and went back to his grapes. "The link to the book's gonna vanish faster now cause spook girl's tap'n it. We got to get those borders open and get that page."
Rhonda was up and pushing me out of the way. "Move—you're draining him."
"I am not—"
"I think Azrael's right, Zoë," Alice spoke up.
I stepped back and looked at Alice as Rhonda muscled me out of the way and placed a hand to the side of Dags' face. "How? Do you and Maureen drain him?"
"Yes and no," she put a hand on my arm. There were so many people in the room. I was starting to feel claustrophobic. "She and I did at first, before the Grimoire was placed inside. And we'd all have to rest. I used to draw directly from him to make myself physical—so that I could interact with this world."
I narrowed my eyes at Alice. "It was a bad thing to do?"
"It was necessary. But it made him weak and sick. And I stopped. With the Grimoire in place—and accessible—we found we could use power from it."
"But that's closed off now," Joe said as he came around the other side of the bed. "Rhonda?"
"He's asleep. And he's warm." She turned and gave me an ubër-hateful look. "I suggest you stop this. You're exhausting him."
I hesitated and looked around at the faces looking at me. They didn't look happy.
"Get out!"
-10-
Together But Apart
I opened my mouth to give her a piece of my mind—but Alice's hand on my arm stopped me.
"Come with me, Zoë."
"But I want to be with—"
She
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