Enraptured:The Sacrifice Trilogy [Book 2]

16. Weirdness Overload

Savannah

Can I just ask, what in the holy freaking Crap-balls just happened?  I don't have a single clue at the moment, and it's disturbing me!  Furthermore, how did Noah get here?  That would signify his death, right?  I mean, he's already technically dead due to his soul status, but-ugh!  Major headache in toe, take cover. As I stood watching Braiden and Noah embrace each other-quite numbly, I might add-a surge of envious longing unexpectedly rose up.

Nudging them both on individual shoulders, I stepped up in full view.  "Noah, it's not that I'm opposing the idea of you being here, but why?  How?" I asked, fearful I already knew his answer. No words escaped his lips, though, as he made a shh motion with his fingers,an indication for me to shut up.

I narrow my eyes, but still say nothing.  Noah didn't want to tell her, that was fine with me.  However, if she asked me what was going on, I wasn't lying.  "Yeah, baby, how'd you wind up here in the first place?  I just awoke in this peculiar world with no recollection how or why," she stated, confusion written clearly across her face.  Attempting to keep a neutral expression when you've been shocked enough you suddenly have trouble speaking is a bit taxing on the brain.  

Braiden didn't remember how she'd gotten here?  Why she ended up here?  I stalked up to my best friend, grabbed her wrist, and tried-in failure-to maintain composure.  That was the moment we'd become real best friends.  However, that's not solely the reason I'm bordering on hysterics.  This had also been her moment-the moment in which she risked everything.  For me.  "You really can't remember anything?" I almost choked as my voice broke.

She closed her eyes, brow creasing in deep concentration.  After a minute of prolonged silence, she opened them once again, shaking her head in the cosmic form of saying no.  "Should I?" She sounded more confused than I've ever heard her.  I shook my head, pacing around with dejection overwhelming my insides.  Livid feelings suddenly transformed depressing emotions into liquid fire so blinding I  can't see straight.  Like a dam just exploded inside me, several things happened at once: I stormed over to where Noah was standing, and strangled him to death.

Braiden screamed as I watched his blood seep out from the throat, while I assembled a magical circle around us, sealing it with three little fingers.  "What did you do?!" Braiden cried hysterically, but I ignored her. Electricity buzzed enthusiastically within my body, until it released itself with a thunderous boom.  White light encompasses everything in the room, beautiful; albeit very blinding.  Jakob's unconscious body planted itself near my feet, his breaths quick but faint.  Getting down on one knee, I tap his chest lightly so as not to shock him awake. 

When he opened those eyes a second later, they weren't his ordinary ocean blues.  Now they're gray, bleak, and unseeing.  "Eyes like fire and desire, she who braves the empire," Jakob chanted in this hypnotic, mesmerizing voice.   He kept repeating that same line over and over again, something glorious, yet oddly tranquil in the tone of voice he's utilizing.  An explosion of sound coming from behind us diverted our attention, all except Jakob.

Lucien appears seemingly out of thin air, looking like the Soul equivalent of The Grim Reaper with his black coat draped around him, and the I'm-so-pissed-off stare in full effect.  "How many times have I told you not to?-" He stopped, glancing at Jakob with a dazed expression, walking over to him almost roboticlly and grabbing his hand.  Lucien's eyes transform into gray pools of nothingness similar to Jakob's as he begins chanting as well.  "Eyes like fire and desire, she who braves the empire," they chant in unison, their voices rising on every word spoken.  "Eyes like fire and desire, she who braves the empire.  Eyes like fire and desire, she who braves the empire!"

The entire room starts quaking beneath our feet, resulting in my body falling against Braiden. Of course, Leanna decides to enter at that precise moment, takes one look in our general direction and laughs.  She literally threw her head back,laughing so crazily I actually backed away a bit.  Oh, my God, I'm out of here.  Good luck, bitches!" I could still hear her cackling as that red-dress-wearing-queen disappeared behind a wall she assembled with magic.  Just like that.  Poof. Ass! 

These earthquake-like sensations never halted, though.  If anything they became more intense as moments went on.  I look up in the exact minute the beautiful, crystalline chandelier hits me square in my head, and that's when I passed out.

The world tilted, fading to absolute blackness...