Drawn to Love

Chapter 19

Landon nodded and didn't say anything, continuing to think about everything.

"I think I'm finally ready to talk about what happened with the Necromancer" Hope said, which caught Landon's attention. "If you want me to"

Landon turned on the bed to face her and took her hand. "Of course. I'm always here for you to talk to"

Hope gave him a grateful smile and was silent for a moment, unsure of where to start. It wasn't some simple thing to explain. She supposed she could throw it all together in one sentence, but she wanted him to understand. If she was going to tell him, she was going to tell him all of it.

Landon didn't speak, but instead he waited for her to say something. He didn't want to rush or push her. So he merely held her hand as he offered his support. Whatever happened, he was there for her. He knew what happened was still bothering her. And it hurt him to know that she was hurting like this.

"While you were helping deal with Rafael and his temporarily resurrected girlfriend, I went inside the Necromancer's mind to try to find answers" Hope explained. "We figured maybe there was something in there that could help us learn more about Malivore. Something buried inside."

"But there wasn't?" Landon questioned. "Or was that how you found out about the keys?" 

Hope shook her head. "That was later" she explained. "When I first got inside his mind, we were both suddenly in a bar in New Orleans called Rousseau's. That was where he told me that he knew my dad. That my dad was good for his business because he was always killing people."

Landon squeezed Hope's hand comfortingly. He knew the topic of her dad was always difficult for her. She talked to him about him sometimes because she wanted to be honest with him and for him to know about her family and not just her. But he still knew it was hard for her to talk about.

"And then he briefly showed me my father. Made me think he was there before having him disappear right in front of my eyes" Hope swallowed hard. "And he knew I... he knew I wanted to know if my father was at peace or if he was suffering."

"Hope...." Landon trailed off.

"I know. I know. But he died for me. If there was a chance that I could know for sure that he was at peace... I had to know" Hope said, a tear slipping down her cheek. She wiped it away and took a deep breath, collecting herself. "Then he ditched me, and my father appeared. And I was so happy that he was right there. It hurt knowing it was temporary, but I had thought I would never see him again" 

"I understand. I mean, I don't have family like that. But I imagine if I did, I would be happy to see them again. Even if it also hurt. And I know that if anything happened to you, I'd feel the same way" Landon tucked her hair behind her ear with his free hand. 

Hope gave him a small smile, also feeling the same if something had happened to him. She had fallen hard for him, and she didn't want anything to happen to him.

"After talking to him for a couple of minutes, we found a door to what I thought was the Necromancer's subconscious. It was just this completely black room with a staircase going down deeper into it. We started going down, but my dad disappeared" She took a deep breath. "I kept going down and eventually fell till I hit the floor. There was nothingness. It was just blackness. Empty. It was like... It was like how, according to Dr Saltzman, the Dryad had described Malivore. And it wasn't pleasant. That's for sure"

"And then what happened?" He asked.

She looked down at their hands. "And then.... After I finally broke down a bit and admitted that I did want to know about my dad, only then did the Necromancer let me leave his mind. Then he told me about the keys and all of that. And he also ... He also said that my dad wouldn't find peace until I do. And he wouldn't answer my question on whether or not my dad that I saw was real or just him screwing with me. I have no idea. And that- There are no words for how that feels"