The Dark and Hollow Places; Book Two

Searching

            “Leave me alone.” I say quietly as I walk up the rest of the stairs. I hold my head in my hands and stumble into the bedroom. I can still here Garth’s laughs. I hated him even more. How is he doing this? He never did this before. Only in my dreams did he speak to me.

            Where’s the fun in that? Garth says. I hit my head and I only hurt myself. Garth chuckles again. I see Mortain on the bed and he gives me a quizzical look and then that look turns into concern. I feel liquid dripping down my nose and over my lip. I bring my hand to my nose and then look at my hand. Blood. I felt dizzy.

            “What is wrong wolf?” Mortain asks hoping off the bed. I place a hand on the wall to steady myself. I knew that this was Garth. Him being in my head was screwing up my body. The pressure in my head was too much. I close my eyes and fall back against the wall. My body sags down to the floor.

            Where are you my little fighter? He asks in my head. Every time Garth spoke, my head throbbed and I tried to message my head. Mortain slithered his way into my lap and I tried ignoring Garth, but I couldn’t.

            “Wouldn’t you like to know.” I say to Garth. Mortain gives me an odd look. He probably thought I was talking to him but I wasn’t. The cat licks my hand which had to be the most affection he has ever given me.

            “Garth is in my head.” I say and then close my eyes again. The blood from my nose is really flowing so I head into the bathroom and try to stop the bleeding. Mortain hops on the small counter and sits back watching me. Garth kept talking to me as I was cleaning my face.

            “You have to block him out. You can do it. You are in charge of your own mind.” Mortain tells me. I nod and try but then Will comes into the bathroom. Once he sees all the blood his hands are on each side of my face.

            “What’s wrong?” Will asks looking at Mortain.

            “It seems that Garth has entered her mind. The pressure in her head is too much to handle.” Mortain says. Will gently strokes my cheek with his thumb. My eyes are closed because my eyes just hurt. Is that husband of yours there with you? Tell him I say hi. I shake my head.

            “Estelle, look at me baby.” I shake my head again. It would hurt too much to open my eyes. Will kisses my lips gently and they must taste terrible to him because of the dried blood.

            “Please?” He whispers. I open my eyes and look into his. It is then that I feel a calmness. Something just clicks and all I can focus on is him. His blue eyes captivated me and made the pain go away along with Garth’s voice which was fading away from my mind. I sigh and wrap my arms around Will. The pain was dull but otherwise gone.

            “What just happened?” Mortain asks. Will pulls away and starts wiping my face with a wet cloth.

            “Our bond is two ways and way stronger than Garth’s. I can get rid of him temporarily—I think.” Will says. I was thankful for that. I didn’t know how long I could take that pain. If I knew Will could do this, maybe he could keep away those unwanted dreams that Garth keeps putting into my head.

            “It’s okay. Let’s just lay down.” He says. I nod and we head over to the bed. Will pulls back the covers and I slide in underneath. The bed felt a little lumpy and it felt like nothing compared to the bed I slept in while at the Winter Castle. Will slides in beside and me and wraps his arms around my waist. He pulls me close to him and I revel in his scent. Mortain sniffs and he settles down at the end of the bed.