Beyond The Veil (A Paranormal Romance)

Chapter 16

Her eyes felt so heavy, as if she had slept for days. She tried to move, to sit up, but an incredible weakness had taken hold of her, paralyzing each cell of her body. Seconds began to stretch like hours as she unsuccessfully struggled to gain control over her body. With every passing minute, the fear that was gnawing at her intestines like a hungry wolf, eager to ingest her life's energy, grew stronger, its claws violently digging into her soul, with bloodthirsty jaws that threatened to devour her mind, her entire existence.

What is happening to me?

She meant to speak those words, but no sound left her lips, for they, too, were numb and beyond her control.

Out of the distance, she suddenly heard voices. They were rather unclear and reminded her of a distorted radio station, but when she concentrated, she realized she was able to decode what was being said.

Glad that she had found something besides her arising panic she could focus on, she listened intently.

"How did this happen?" a sharp male voice asked that sent unpleasant shivers down her spine.

"I don't know."

The voice that responded in a somewhat subdued manner was male, too, and for some inexplicable reason, Emily had the feeling she knew who it belonged to, even though she had no idea where she had heard it before. Her mind was too clouded and felt too heavy to think straight.

"You don't know," the angry man repeated mockingly. "Well, let me sum this up. You kiss a girl, and she ends up here. I would say it's obvious, my friend."

"What is obvious about it?" the other person growled. "You're the biggest womanizer around. Just last week you had, what, five? And you didn't just kiss them. I don't see any correlation here."

"Are you daft?" Emily felt an uncomfortable surge of adrenaline rush through her veins when the man started yelling. "Those women don't mean a thing to me. It's that simple. Have you forgotten what I've been trying to teach you all those years? Emotions, dear friend. That's what it all comes down to. I thought you were smarter than this, but you have absolutely lost your mind. Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? And I'm not just talking about the consequences for her, who cares; I'm talking about what this means for the both of us. I'm your mentor after all. I've covered for you on multiple occasions, I've always bailed you out, but I didn't sign up for something as serious as this. I hate to say it, but you're on your own on this one."

There was a long pause during which neither of them said anything. Then, finally, the person who had revealed himself as a mentor, sighed. "You'd better fix this, Raphael."

Raphael.

Why was that name so familiar to Emily? Again, she tried to open her eyes, and this time her efforts were rewarded.

As soon as she realized, though, what she saw, she wished she had never opened them.

This could not be real! She was not here! No!

Desperately, she forced her lids back over her eyeballs, refusing to accept what her sense of vision had just unveiled. Cautiously, she blinked a few times, and then opened her eyes once more.

No! I'm dreaming. This is just a dream, nothing else. It's not real.

She repeated this mantra over and over as she gathered her strength to sit up.

A vast, dark field stretched towards the bleak horizon. No sun and no moon were visible; there was just endless blackness, and an unbearable silence that heightened her already torturously intensified emotions.