Taking Light {Sequel: "For Love of Evil"}

-20-

The nightmare continued to play in Lyra's mind as she stared through windshield of the G Wagon. Roman and Lyra rode in silence; from the moment she awoke, there had been unspoken tension.

Roman switched hands, placing his right hand on the steering wheel. The sound of his flesh peeling away from the upholstered leather pulled Lyra out of her daze, shifting her attention to Roman—the boy she suddenly wasn't sure she knew anymore.

Roman glanced over, his eyes shifting from the road to Lyra in hesitance. Something was wrong; the reverse ritual had done nothing for Roman. He continued to look briefly at Lyra—stealing glances at her apprehensively in worry. He was angry, but concealed his emotions—in fear of Lyra not feeling the same. He was ashamed; lost in his own sea of emotions. He was disgusted with himself. It was terrifying to think that he still loved Lyra, but that she did not reciprocate the feeling in return.

Lyra kept her eyes ahead at the road, her peripheral catching the trees zipping by. When she awoke, she was uncertain if she was still trapped within the nightmare. She recalled seeing Roman sitting on the edge of the bed, staring blankly ahead at the window across the room. She had wanted to hold him—for Roman to reassure her that everything was fine; just as she had done for him. But then she remembered the ritual; the Latin spell that reversed what had been done to them. Lyra couldn't bring herself to seek comfort from Roman in fear of rejection.

Lyra was isolated—alone in the world without a single person now. Of course there was Peter, but it was Roman whom he cared for the most. There was an intense bond between the pair; sometimes Lyra could sense that it was stronger than that of a sibling. It was strange, but Lyra ultimately chalked it up to identity. Both Roman and Peter were monsters—so was Lyra, but it was different. As Pryce had stated to her before, she wasn't like Roman's kind; she was a gentle breed. Perhaps Peter was more like Roman in that aspect, which made their bond stronger.

"Have any fucked up dreams last night?" Roman finally spoke.

Lyra's eyes quickly averted to the beautiful boy timidly. She was still in love with Roman; being that Roman was no longer suffering from the same delusional state, made her insecure. It was difficult to even looked at him—to acknowledge his presence.

"Did you?" Lyra asked, feeling her chest tighten from the look in his eye. She watched as Roman's narrowed gaze looked to the road ahead; his lips full and parted. There was a crease above his brows as he squinted into the sunlight.

"Yeah." Roman mumbled, placing both hands on the wheel now.

Roman had awoken before Lyra. He couldn't shake the images in his mind of Lyra's lifeless body on that steel table. The way her blood had soaked through that thin hospital gown, barely covering her small frame. He could still see the way that part of it hung from her body, revealing the left side of her hip; the wrinkle between her thigh and groin. There had been more to the dream, but that was the only part Roman could think about—the only part that haunted him.

He stared at Lyra for a long moment, just watching her sleep. He found himself to be thankful; grateful that Lyra lie safe and sound—her heart still beating, her lungs still filling with air.

Roman was confused; nothing had seemed to change. His feelings for her were just as they were before he had fallen asleep. It was cause for concern, which was why Roman called Peter the moment he managed to peel his eyes away from the sleeping beauty.

The conversation had not gone well. Once Peter handed the phone off to Destiny, all hell had broken loose. Roman accused Destiny of being a sham—a dumb con artist that had swindled him out of five grand. He had gone into a separate room, just so he could raise his voice to the Gypsy bitch. Roman remembered the deal clearly; if something went wrong, he could kill her himself. But he decided against it, knowing damn well he could never kill Destiny—she meant too much to Peter (for some reason.)