Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future

Chapter 16

Kas’s POV

According to the clock, it’s one in the afternoon.

My stomach growling rouses me out of bed.

Before he left, Bronx said Mrs.Miller was going to bring food up to the apartment.

Seems as good a time as any to go see what goodies she brought up.

I go into the walk-in closet and find a pair of sweatpants and an oversized shirt.

As I’m getting dressed, my mind churns with the events from yesterday, trying to put some sense to all of it.

How did I end up in the pool in the first place? Where have I been for the last four days? I think they are questions best thought about over a turkey sandwich and hopefully a banana.I put my hair up ina floppy bun before I head out to the kitchen.

As I get to the bedroom door, I smell someone’s scent.

It definitely isn’t Bronx’s dark chocolate and coffee scent that I love so much, besides, he told me he was going to the office.

This scent is out of place in my home and I'll be damned if I’m disappearing for another four days.

My brain immediately switches from questions of my disappearance to defense mode.

I let my fangs and claws extend, ready to attack as I slowly, quietly crack the door open.

A large man is standing half-way between the bedroom door and the sofa with his back facing me.

He is in jeans and a white t-shirt with his arms crossed in front of him as if he’s waiting for something.

All the training James and Marco have given me over the past year floods into my brain.

If I can get a foot planted on the small of his back, I can get leverage over him and try to bring him down.

"Kas, what are you doing?" Lex hisses at me.

"Attacking a man who broke into my apartment.I’m not getting kidnapped again, Lex.What do you think I’m doing?" I snap.

"Kas, that’s just-"

"Not now, Lex," I interrupt.

Before she can respond again, I let a purple aura build around me.I suppress a growl as I launch myself at the man from behind.

One foot securely lands on the small of his back while my knee is between his shoulder blades, giving me leverage to lean back without falling off of him.

My hands wrap tightly around his thick neck at the same time.He lets out a strangled cry as my claws bury deep into his windpipe.He grabs my wrists and starts to pull, but not enough to throw me off of his back.

The growl I was suppressing lets loose from my chest, making the room rumble as he grabs me.I start to push my claws deeper into his neck, pulling them back toward my body at the same time.I can feel his pulse quicken against my fingertips as I get closer to his jugular.

The metallic scent of blood is thick in the air as he drops to his knees.

Something's wrong.

defending himself? Why isn’t he fighting against me? Just as his

Stop! It’s James! Luna, please! It's just James! You’re gonna to kill

in the air in front of him, showing he doesn’t intend

wide, darting from James to me as he takes slow, deliberate

grab me by the shoulders, and throw me over top of him, flat

out of me as I hit the ground, forcing me to dislodge my claws from

up to see James grabbing his

gushing out between his fingers as

shock of seeing James bleeding out from his

and drops to

voice isn’t nearly as panicked as it

then I watch in horror

I done? "Kas, don’t just sit there.Heal him

as I pull myself up.I can’t catch my breath

have I done? There’s

cheerful blue

so sorry.Can I heal you, please, James? Please! Just blink if it's okay for me

force down a sob as he looks to me and slowly blinks.I position myself next to his shoulder, surrounded by a growing pool

with

at me

closes, but

Lex.Let’s concentrate.We

I can, which isn’t very calm

my energy, Kas.Let’s go," she whines, seeing James fading on

pull James’s hands away from his

see the extent of the damage my claws made.I

me, but they all fade away as I focus on

in half.I feel someone gently shaking me

their touch, intense

me? As I come out of the darkness of sleep, I can hear a woman calling me, "Iokaste...Kas...Time

that voice, but

calls me Iokaste, except for Delilah’s mom, Lady

so familiar?

is shining through the doorway into the dark

we?" I

now, Kas.You have important visitors," her tone is

cot I'm laying on.I jolt up and push myself as far away

light from the doorway.I try

can burn her a little, she will back away.I concentrate

weird.I try to focus to slow time down a

these two women in time, I can escape out the door and no one

to escape around them, but the

Is that who I think

ask as her outline becomes more clear with Lenora’s strong features and signature

"No, I’m not Lenora.Are you

in front of the cot.I look more carefully at the woman in front

holding a metal wine glass toward me.Her long chocolate brown hair is in dreadlocks pulled back into a ponytail.She has scarlet irises,