Dark Sweet Kisses *ON HOLD*

Mary's Mind

All Rights Reserved.

*THIS CHAPTER IS SOMEWHAT SHORT, but no worries because the next chapter won't be.**

•••••

Flashing to a new place was a startling experience. Kaleidoscope colors were all that I could see and then there was a darkness.

The sharp, pungent smell of rotting mushrooms hit my nose full force.

I couldn't really see but I could feel James tight hold on my waist.

More colors flashed until I noticed one main color. Blue. It came rushing towards me from every corner like a flood of water.

Like a punch to the gut, all the air left my lungs. I tried to take in some oxygen. Any oxygen. But nothing came. A coolness flowed through my skin and my hand reached up to my throat as I realized that I wasn't getting any oxygen. It was almost as if I was drowning.

Black clouds popped into my vision as my body also got the sign that I wasn't receiving oxygen. I was dying. I was drowning.

Blue. Water. Caleb.

I sucked in a gasp, letting the blue water envelope my lungs.

••••

I woke with a start, coughing like a hag.

"Easy there, Beth."

My spinning head slowly stayed in one place as I sucked in more breaths of air.

Drowning.

My head whipped towards James and I launched myself at him. I went feral, my nails turning into claws as I almost transformed into my wolf. I almost clawed his pretty face off before he got a hold of me.

"Chill out!" James cried out as he got a hold of my waist and arms, holding me back.

"I can explain," He tried calming me.

I took in a few more breaths and managed to look calm enough for him to let me go.

"Okay, so, I don't know what happened, but it wasn't suppose to happen. I think Mary has some kind of witchcraft going on to mess with us and prevent us from going to your pack."

"You think Mary's messing with us?!  What was that anyway? I thought I was going to drown with all that water flooding down on us!"

He shot me a curious glance. "You experienced drowning during the flash?" Then he scoffed, "Try being me and burning alive in fire."

"What?"

"Well, during the kaleidoscope fireworks, I kept seeing the red, orange, and yellow. It became a mantra of some sort in my head. Red, orange, yellow. Then there was this intense heat and I started sweating like crazy. When the flames came out of nowhere, I thought for sure we were done for. I figured you were still beside me and I did my best to shield you from the flames. What a relief to know you were drowning in cool water." He said the last part as a dry remark.

"Gosh, that must've been horrible." I commented with a sudden realization. He'd practically burned alive in the illusion of a flash while I'd gotten to drown. Both led to death, but drowning seemed less painful. And to think that he tried to protect me from the flames? It only goes to prove that James really is my friend, deep down.

"It was horrible. But now we are safe and sound." James looked around and then met my gaze, "I think."

I didn't realize it before, but we were in a forest. I was lying on the slightly damp grass and James was beside me. Looking up, I saw the cloudy gray skies signifying the oncoming rain. The trees stood tall and proud, shading us from all. But it was a maze, once in the forest.

"Look familiar to you?" James asked me hopefully.

Now that I thought about it, it did look familiar. Was it my pack's forest? But then why would Mary mess with us, only to end up with us in my pack's territory?

"James, why would Mary keep me away from my pack?" I asked as I stood up and theories of all the horrid things she's done and could do swirled in my head.

James handsome face scrunched up as he thought.

"You don't think she'd do something to your pack, do you? Mary always liked to have her fun, even if it ended up with us where we wanted to be."

"I don't know," I truthfully muttered. Mary always liked to have her fun. I knew that from firsthand experience. I had front row seats when I watched her slaughter men with no hesitation, ripping families apart along with husbands and wives.

She was ruthless and the fact that I had once been like her scared me.

"Let's start walking." James suggested and I silently complied.

We started ahead and for a long while, it was just awkward silence between us. I don't think I remember when there was once a time where James and I were speechless together. Either we were fighting, laughing, loving, or killing together.

But this? It was a whole new level. A level labeled awkward. I didn't know what to say and apparently, neither did he.

"James, have you ever...been in love?" I asked hesitantly.

James sexy laugh echoed through the forest, loud and clear.

Then he got serious and looked at me as we walked side by side.

"No. Not once. And even if I did, I feel that I'd be too...afraid." He said.

"Of what?"

"Killing her in the end."

Silence.

He was right. Love was a risk when you were one of us. An Ancient. Was this another consequence of being an Ancient?

Our temper overcame us and so did our instincts. One fatal mistake, and our loved one would be gone in a bloody mess. I understood his fear now as I thought about me and Caleb and our future together.

What if he made me too angry one day? What if I lost it and just killed him out of instinct? What if I saw him make contact with another woman?

I'd go berserk. Caleb needed someone capable of loving him. Caleb needed someone that wouldn't make him fear for his life while he slept next to her. As much as it pained me to think about Caleb sleeping at night with another girl, I knew it was the truth.

"Beth?" I snapped out of my thought and looked at James.

He gestured forward and my eyes followed as a gasp slipped through my lips.

"I'm guessing this looks familiar?" James guessed.

I took a hesitant step forward and then rushed ahead with a newly found energy inside of me. James called out my name but I ignored his calls as my feet brought me closer and closer to the gigantically dark house.

The house I call home.

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IF YOU DIDN'T READ THE TOP: ***I know it's pretty short, but don't count on the next one being so short. ;)**

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