What the Heart Takes (11 page)

She stepped toward the staircase, half tempted to take him up on the offer. Solitude was a precious commodity that many took for granted. She used to do the same before she met Dylan. Much had changed since then and in such a short time.

Even if she managed to get away for a moment, she’d never enjoy it. Thanks to her abilities, she’d be forever linked to the emotions of those around her. Being out of Dylan or Layne’s presence would evoke emotions she didn’t want to feel.

“As tempting as it is, I can’t sneak off, Dad. It would make things worse. I feel their energy. Remember?”

A spark of recognition flitted in his eyes as they fell to her belly. Then his chuckle filled the air. “They’re in hover mode, aren’t they?”

“Humph,” she grunted, watching Delia enter the room from the kitchen. “It’s more like smother mode.”

In spite of her frustration with the men in her life, she was glad to see her mother-in-law. Maybe Delia could talk some sense into her son…and Layne.

Right on cue, the sources of her frustration stepped under the threshold. Dylan moved through the door to the left where her father stood. Layne remained a few steps behind. He closed the door behind him as Dylan reached his hand toward her dad.

It didn’t surprise her that Dylan was quick to shake her father’s hand. He respected her dad, but he wanted to remain on his good side too. His recent behavior weighed on his mind, and he knew her father could read those thoughts. This was his way of admitting his faults before her dad had a chance to reproach him.

Layne, on the other hand, kept his distance. He gave her father a polite nod, but focused on his new surroundings, as if he was looking for signs of danger. His duties to her came naturally, whether he believed in himself or not.

She believed.

He swept his eyes over every part of the house, studying any objects that entered his vision. It all came to a halt when he noticed Delia. For an instant, he seemed relieved to see Dylan’s mother. Truth be known, they all were. She could provide them with answers to their questions. Yet his energy said it was more than that. He had something to say to her. The way he twitched his lips confirmed her suspicion.

The thought faded from her mind just as a warm hand touched her shoulder. She turned to see who it was when she met a set of olive colored eyes. The same warmth she saw in them also spread across the set of lips below them. Both signified one truth she could never deny—her mother’s love.

When her mother reached the final step, a perfect blend of curiosity and relief swirled within her energy. “Hi, sweetheart.”

“Hi, Mom.” She cradled her belly once her mother’s eyes shifted to it.

“Wow,” her mom chuckled, “Your little bump is an array of colors.” She reached forward, as though she wanted to touch her stomach, but hesitated at the last minute. “There’s so much pink and silver. The baby loves you, Heaven. So much unconditional love beats in that tiny heart.”

Heaven fought with the moisture stinging her eyes. She couldn’t wait to meet her child. Couldn’t wait to see and hold the beautiful miracle that she and Dylan created. Even the thought of him holding the baby warmed her inside.

But the anticipation she felt soon disappeared. Her mother’s smile receded as she leaned closer. She hadn’t moved her eyes from Heaven’s waist, but something in her energy shifted.

“Is everything okay, Mom?”

“Magenta…and lavender.” Her mother mumbled the words before she gazed behind her where Dylan and Layne stood. She gave each one a thorough look, then moved her eyes back to Heaven. “What’s going on, sweetheart?”

The rapid beat of Heaven’s heart echoed in her ears. Had her mother sensed something about the baby? Perhaps she’d picked up on the friction between Dylan and Layne.

“What makes you think something’s wrong?”

Her mother raised a brow in a look she knew from childhood, the famous I’m-not-buying-your-innocence-routine. The majority of those looks went to Faith while she and Hope stood witness, but both had their share of the same.

“Well, the magenta aura… No. Let’s talk about the other first. There’s a sporadic lavender aura that’s wavering around your child. I sense a psychic shield.”

The mysterious answer fed Heaven’s curiosity. As if she didn’t have enough questions needing answers. “A psychic shield?”

“Yes,” Delia cooed from behind. She wrapped her arm around Heaven’s waist and placed her hand flush on her stomach. “Remember how I told you and Dylan that the baby feels a need to protect you?” She waited until Heaven nodded. “I sense that need has grown stronger. Your little one is working overtime to keep you calm. The question is, why?”

Hesitating on an answer, Heaven moved her eyes across the room, noting Dylan and her father deep in conversation. Layne, on the other hand, was staring at her. The moment her cheeks tingled with warmth, she glanced at Delia again. “I, um…I don’t know, Delia. Maybe it has something to do with the dream that brought us home.”

* * *

Darkness began to wane as twilight lingered in the sky. Heaven gazed out the window, noting a bluish hue to the east. It warned of dawn’s impending arrival, as well as her lack of sleep.

She leaned over the arm of the couch, grabbing her bottle of water from the end table. The warmth of Dylan’s body returned as she righted herself, but she didn’t meet his gaze. With the rapid thrum of their connection, she knew what she needed about his state of mind. Not much had changed since they left the car.

The cap atop her bottle twisted with ease. Plastic met her lips, sending a rush of cool liquid to soothe the dryness in her throat. Dryness she’d acquired after talking about the dream for the last twenty minutes.

Neither her parents nor Delia had said a word the entire time she spoke. Judging by their pressed lips and long faces, their silence had no end in sight.

As the last of the water poured into her mouth, she pulled the bottle away and returned the cap with a single twist. The more silence dredged on, the more energy she sensed—her mother’s worry, her father’s disgruntlement, and Delia’s curiosity.

She understood the relevance of those emotions and why each felt the way they did. What she couldn’t accept was the distance and hurt in Layne’s energy. He was the one who wanted space between them, even went to the trouble of stressing how much he wanted it. Where did he get off directing the hurt in his soul toward her?

Pushing the thoughts aside, she refocused on her mother, who sat on a bench near the bay window. Her statuesque posture concerned Heaven, as did the way she stared toward the patio doors. The glass didn’t interest her, but Layne did. She looked at him as if he were a puzzle she needed to put together.

Heaven wanted to save her the time and trouble. She’d spent the last five months trying to do the same. It gained her nothing but an anger-filled argument on the side of the interstate and a very pissed off husband.

Crackling wood drew her eyes to her father. He knelt in front of the fireplace, poking a log he’d placed inside when they first came to the den. Though he seemed focused on getting the fire started, she knew it was a means for distraction. What he really wanted was to knock some sense into Dylan and Layne, which didn’t surprise her in the least. She had no doubts he’d read their thoughts the second they walked into the house.

Once the silence reached its limit on awkwardness, she leaned to the edge of the couch, gaining Delia’s attention as she sat in the chair across from them. “I don’t mean to be rude or impatient, but your silence concerns me. We sacrificed sleep because we wanted to get here as soon as we could. You and my parents are the only people who can answer our questions. Yet here we sit, none the wiser. Please, give us
something
.”

Delia flashed her the same warm smile she always did, the one that spoke of understanding and patience. “To be honest, Heaven, we don’t have answers. Not as many as we’d like. While we can give you our take on things from our experience as a trinity, our knowledge of supreme trinities is limited. We know that you’re going to be very powerful.”

It never failed for one of them to do this, to keep secrets or give half-truths. Would she, Dylan, or Layne ever get the
whole
truth about this mystical world they belonged to?

“So you’re saying you have no idea why the three of us had the same dream, but it has to do with Dylan and I being part of a supreme trinity?”

“We have ideas,” her mother cut in as she continued staring at Layne, “but we have no proof. We know that your supremacy affects every part of your life.”

The answer did nothing to alleviate Heaven’s confusion. If anything, it raised more questions—questions that wouldn’t get answered.

The soothing pulse of Dylan’s energy said he wanted her to relax, but she couldn’t. Didn’t he realize that he was part of the problem, that she had sensed his anger toward Layne and his disappointment with her?

Relaxation was the furthest thing from her mind. Too many things needed explanations. Until she found those answers, he wouldn’t stop worrying about her connection with his best friend.

Ignoring the second round of pulses he sent, Heaven focused on his mother. Her mother was too consumed with Layne to glance her way. “Even if it’s just an idea, it’s better than not knowing. Can you at least share your theories?”

“Yes,” Delia answered, taking a sip from the coffee cup she held in her hands. “My theory revolves around the different planes of existence. The plane on which we live and breathe every day is where our soul takes physical form. We call it the physical plane. When most people dream, they enter another plane where the mind isn’t bound to the physical body. They’re still connected, but the mind can go beyond physical limits. This state of existence is the etheric plane.”

“Is this where Heaven and I met in our dreams?”

The sound of Dylan’s voice had Heaven gazing over her shoulder. She detected the emotion in his voice, emotion that reminded her of the love he had for her. He wanted to focus on that love and nothing else.

He moved his eyes from his mother long enough to meet hers. For such a brief moment, it seemed to last forever. His energy settled from the anger-fueled jolts that consumed her earlier. In fact, she sensed his remorse.

Once he looked away, she did the same. Both refocused on his mother, who leaned forward in the chair and placed her cup on a coaster. She pressed her lips together in preparation to answer her son.

“No. You didn’t find Heaven in the etheric plane. The reason is that for most people, dreams are a way of letting their minds regenerate. It gives them the opportunity to work out subconscious issues, past and present. While we’re able to do the same, our kind rarely dream in the etheric plane.”

“Why?” Dylan’s question echoed in Heaven’s ear. He’d moved up beside her, near the edge of the couch, brushing his knee against hers. As hard as it was not to turn to him, she kept her focus on his mother, waiting for her to finish.

“When we dream, our
souls
regenerate. We leave the physical form behind and project our souls to another plane, the astral plane. Whatever emotions are attached to our soul will cross over with us. We live through those emotions when we’re in this alternate state.”

“I think I understand, Mom.” His soft-spoken words pulled at Heaven’s heart, as did his energy. She turned to face him, unable to ignore the emotion in his voice. That same emotion played in his eyes, big brown eyes that gazed at her like she was the only person in the room. “My soul longed for hers, and hers longed for mine. That’s why we dreamed of each other.”

“That’s right, Dylan. Your abilities are strong when you’re in this plane. There is a natural draw between your souls, but your empathy helped you find each other.”

His eyes danced over Heaven’s face as they glistened with moisture. The love they contained had her holding her breath. It was this side of him that she fell in love with. She wanted to see more of this man, not the bitter one who let a mistake torture him.

As if he’d read her mind, his eyes fell to her hand, which curled around the cushion. He swept his fingers across the back, moving them in a circle as he sighed. “What about this recent dream? I’m assuming it happened in the astral plane as well, but why was Layne involved? He’s never showed up in any of our other dreams.”

Sneaking a quick peek at Layne, Heaven wasn’t surprised to find him still focused on the patio door. He tilted his head to the side, as if acknowledging he heard his name but didn’t want to be a part of the conversation.

The sound of Delia clearing her throat brought Heaven’s eyes back to her mother-in-law, who glimpsed at Layne as well. She offered her son a smile when she turned back, but it didn’t have the same warmth it normally did.

“Because Heaven’s a supreme, her connection with Layne will be stronger than normal Seeker-Keeper relationships. Once he accepted his role as her Keeper, he bound himself to her. Not the way you are bound to her, but similar in the sense that her soul can summon his whenever and wherever she needs it.”

Each stunning word she uttered made Heaven’s cheeks burn. “Are you saying that my fear of being attacked pulled him into the dream, because the dream didn’t start out like that?”

It was with those words that Layne finally turned around. She caught his movement in her peripheral vision but didn’t look his way. She didn’t need to see his face. Not when his energy revealed the emotions raging inside him.

His anger stemmed from her mentioning the earlier part of the dream. Fear grew over the fact that he didn’t want her repeating anything he’d told her. But the frustration flowing through his soul is what hurt her the most because she knew he regretted showing her a glimpse inside his heart.

Despite the upsetting revelation, she didn’t let his energy distract her from getting the answer she wanted. Her focus remained on Delia and the explanation she was about to give them.

“Fear has plagued each of your minds, so yes, I feel it contributed to his being there. Whatever else happened in the dream was brought about by each of you and your emotions. However, this was about more than emotions. Like I said before, your abilities are strong in your dreams. My theory is that the battle you faced resulted from a precognitive experience brought on by the baby.”