The Dream Charmer

Chapter 18--The Confession

A thumping headache pummelled the inside of my skull, making me wince. I rolled over and pressed my sweaty cheek to the cold stone floor. With my stomach churning like a hurricane, I lay there debating if I needed a bucket. A low tremble hummed through me, making even my bones ache for relief.

I peeked an eye open. Small specs of dust floated in and out of the sunbeams cutting through the dark cell. My throat, dry and parched, burned like I'd been screaming for days. Something shuffled against the floor, and I jerked my head up and caught a glimpse of a scuffed Fire Circle boot. Jax rested his forearms on his legs and hung his head, not lifting his gaze from the ground. By the appearance of his wrinkled, dirty shirt, I had the impression he'd been in this tiny room with me for some time.

My heart rate quickened, and bile rose in the back of my throat. This isn't good.

He squeezed his knee, making his fingers blanch. No, it's not.

A million questions slammed my thoughts. If Jax was here, did everyone make it out of the stronghold? A snapshot of Kellan protecting my dad from a fire burst was the last thing I remembered before... That needle. What the hell did they drug me with? I rubbed my shoulder.

"How long..." My voice cracked.

"Have you been out?" He pulled his feet up onto the bench and crossed his arms. "Long enough."

What was that supposed to mean? God, he must hate me. And he doesn't even know the half of it yet. I rubbed my temple and squinted through the pounding drum in my head. "Enough for what exactly?"

He shifted on the bench with his shoulder sagging against the wall, and a fresh burn mark on his bicep. "To complete the preparations for our partnership ceremony tomorrow morning."

Tomorrow? My heart rate quickened, and if I wasn't already lying down, I probably would have ended up here. "But..."

"You don't love me?" He pursed his lips and let out a long sigh. "Newsflash, that doesn't matter to my father or the council. And if you think any of them care how I feel..." He covered the mark on his arm.

So he did hate me. I couldn't blame him, after everything I'd put him through. I pushed up on my elbows, and my arm shook under my weight. I must have blinked twice when I realized a traditional Fire Circle nightshirt replaced my mismatched garments. At the end of the thin mattress I'd rolled off of, there was a bowl of water with a washcloth. Jaxon's uniform jacket was scrunched like a pillow next to me, and I must have kicked off the blanket since it was lying in a heap at the far end of the bed.

"As Second, there are certain expectations—dress code is one of them." He tipped his head sideways. "Is it true when they found you, all your clothes were from different guilds and not one item was from the Fire Circle?"

Yeah, that did sound bad. I dipped my chin, waiting for the scolding I deserved.

"You're lucky the guards had the sense to call the maids to clean you up before my father saw you." He swung his feet over the edge of the bench, stood, and paced a small circle, weaving a hand through his hair. "I know there are a million reasons why I should hate you—"

I cringed. Even if I'd chosen Kellan, I still didn't want Jaxon to hate me.

"but I don't. Mind you, I do hate that of all people you're in love with"—he paused and looked away—"it's him."

My hand quivered against the mattress, and I hugged my arms to my chest, hoping to hide the shaking before Jaxon noticed.

But when he turned back, his gaze dropped to my hand. He closed the distance and lowered onto the mattress next to me.

I scooted back a couple feet and grabbed the blanket, wrapping it around me.

"The healers couldn't figure out why you kept shaking. They thought it might be a reaction to the onyx dosage the guards gave you, but the shakes seem to lessen if I stayed close to you." He stretched his legs in front of him and held out an arm as if I should cuddle in. "I'm not going to try anything."

You stayed here to help me?

He gave me a half-smile and shrugged. "Trust me, when I got home, I had every intention of blasting you for leaving me alone in that hotel. But when I saw you curled up and shaking uncontrollably, all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around you and tell you everything would be okay."

"But, things aren't okay." I lay my head on his shoulder. "I never meant to hurt you, and now everything is a mess."

"Not everything." He rested the side of his head against mine and twisted the hem of his shirt between his fingertips. "You'll be happy to hear your father is missing from the Xavier Fortress." He chuckled. "The guards are so spooked, many of them refuse to go back. One officer insists a siren seduced him from his post and vanished into thin air when the walls sprouted leaves."

Someone knocked on the door, and Jaxon rolled his eyes.

"Relax, I'm not going to let them hurt you." He got to his feet and opened the door.

"It's time for another dose." A woman pushed past Jaxon into the cell.

But no sooner than she'd made it in the room, Jax had already positioned himself between the woman and me. "Then let me do it."

"I have strict instructions to give her the shot myself."

He reached out an arm, preventing her from getting any closer. "Then stay and watch if you must, but you're not getting any closer."

She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, then dropped the syringe into his hand.

When Jax turned his back to her, he jabbed the needle into his thumb but didn't depress the syringe. Blood pooled on his fingertip.

The grey-hair woman with the pinched face wasn't focused on Jax. She stared at me with keen attention.

"Jax, no..." I backed up. "Please don't."

"Shh..." He climbed on the mattress. "It will help relax you and get some rest."

Play along unless you want them to really drug you. He leaned a little more right blocking the woman's view, raised the needle and jammed it into the mattress.

"Ow!" I rolled over the top of the wet spot on the bed. "That hurt!"

Just before he got up, he wiped his blood on my arm.

"Hey." I giggled. "There are two of you..." I pretended to fade off into sleep.

"That's the last dose until after the ceremony tomorrow," the woman stated in a matter of fact tone. "Next time, I'll bring bandages since you can't seem to give a needle without creating a mess of her arm."

"My father's insisting we continue to drug her even after we're partnered?"

"I don't make the rules Master Burnell. I just follow them." Her heels clicked against the floor and fading as she made her way.

The heavy door groaned shut, and Jaxon made his way back to the bed next to me.

I pushed up to sitting. "So, what are they trying to drug me with?"

"Some kind of derivative of onyx that prevents you from accessing your powers." He clenched his jaw. "When I found out they injected you with that crap, my father and I had words."

After everything I'd done, Jaxon's kindness and support were more than I deserved. Even sitting here, Kellan consumed my thoughts, and all I wanted to know was if he made it out with my friends unscathed. The guilt was eating me up inside. I scrunched my eyes, wrung the blanket in my grip, and took a deep breath.

"Kellan's wearing my commitment ring," I blurted.

***

Sorry for the day delay. I had to do a little editing first! I should have another chapter coming your way this upcoming weekend. :)