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What happens in this vision will happen to Deryn's body now,
too."
"Issac." Deryn pushed him to the side as she spotted a
dark figure rushing at her. "Get out of the way!"
It slammed into her and her body lifted into the air. When
she hit the hard, cold ground, pain radiated through first her
head and then her entire body. Blood pooled in her mouth
and she knew she'd split her lip open.
Another shadow appeared. This one took the shape of a
man. The very sight of the pale man from that night so many
years ago sent Deryn's heart into overdrive as she watched
him hover over her.
"I can smell your innocence, your youth," he said, his voice
cold. "You are beautiful." He put his out. "Come look at what I
found! It might be one worth keeping."
"No, not again. Not again." She tried to get off the ground
but something pinned her down. "Kane!"
Another shadow swooped down. This one struck out and
kicked her in the gut and clawed at her face. She blocked the
majority of it with her arm while she stifled a scream.
"Deryn, focus on me!" Issac shouted, suddenly lying on
the ground next to her. He touched her cheek lightly and a
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tear came to his eye. "I can't break this spell alone, Deryn,
and it's killing me to watch you go through this. I can feel
your terror. The hopelessness you feel and your pain."
"You can feel my pain?"
He nodded. "Get Kane out of here. If he breaks your hold
and touches her she'll relive hell."
A spark that hadn't been with her the first time lit deep
within her. The idea of someone else suffering because she
wasn't strong enough in the present time to separate herself
from it all sickened her. Reaching out, Deryn touched Issac's
arm. "I won't let you hurt, too."
"That's the spirit. Now, focus on me and I'm going to have
the colonel hold you down, okay?"
"Why?"
His brows drew in. "Because your body just lifted about
four feet off the ground before slamming back into it with the
force of train, Deryn. Not to mention you've got some vicious
claw marks appearing on you. I don't want you to get hurt
here, too." He glanced at something behind her. "Besides, I
don't think the colonel is going to give me a say in the
matter. He wants to hold you, Deryn. I vote we let him.
Answer something for me first."
She nodded.
"The man you ran into when you were leaving the bar, do
you know who he was?"
Deryn's eyelids fluttered and she felt her mind beginning
to fog once more. "No."
"Are you sure? I think you do know. You just aren't putting
it all together, Deryn. He was just a Captain then but I think
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you know. Who did Kane say was coming to the bar? Think
hard."
"His Ops team." It sunk in and her eyes widened. "Green
eyes. Alejandro?"
Issac smiled. "Yes, Deryn, he was there that night. I felt
you instantly trust him. I also felt his fierce need to protect
you. He didn't understand then what kind of danger you were
in but his instincts told him to try to keep you with him just
like they're demanding he comfort you now. We don't have
enough people here to control Kane and the colonel. I really
do not want to find one breathing fire down my neck while
the other takes my head clean off. Help me out. Let's let the
colonel hold you."
Deryn was speechless. Thankfully, Issac wasn't. He pushed
a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Colonel, when is the
next time you met Deryn?"
Issac continued to stare at something behind Deryn. "Then
I think it's safe for you to touch her. In theory, she'll end up
in the moment she next saw you. From there I can draw her
out of it all. I can't do that when she's terrified."
Deryn wasn't fast enough with her protest. The second she
felt warm arms wrap around her she felt as though she were
falling again. When her mind cleared again, she found herself
standing in a dense jungle.
"Where are we, Deryn?" Issac asked.
"We're here, in this realm, I think. I'm not entirely sure but
the purple trees are a good indicator I'm right."
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"But we met you Earth side early this morning. Why aren't
we there?" Issac stood next to her and looked around the
jungle. "I thought it would work, Deryn."
"It did," she whispered, taking Issac's hand in hers. "This
is the next time I saw Alejandro."
"But...."
Shaking her head, Deryn sighed. "Before I came I dreamt
of him here. Only Ondrea knows that. Well, now you do, too.
I had to tell someone about what was going on so I told her."
"Wait, you're telling me you've been dreaming about the
colonel being here?" Issac arched a brow. "Why?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. Hell, I thought his name was
Marido right up until I met him this morning."
The laugh that came from Issac took Deryn by surprise.
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