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.

me? Just as his knees hit the ground,

It's just James! You’re gonna to kill him!" he

holding his pistol, but he has both hands in the air in front of him, showing

eyes are wide, darting from James to me

of distraction is enough for the intruder to reach up, grab me by the shoulders, and throw me over top of

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

look up to see James

is gushing out between his fingers as he falls to

at the shock of seeing James bleeding out

to James’ side and drops

as panicked

someone, then I watch in

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

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

have I done? There’s so much

pale, his usually cheerful blue eyes

my Goddess, I’m so sorry.I’m so sorry.Can I heal you, please, James?

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

James with disbelief in his

at me and shakes his

and closes,

concentrate.We can

which isn’t very calm at all.I wipe

go," she whines, seeing James fading

pull James’s hands

heart as I see the

I focus on saving James’s

in half.I feel someone gently

their touch, intense but familiar and

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

voice, but I can’t place

Delilah’s mom, Lady Camille.It

this woman sound so familiar? I slowly open my

into the dark room, making it

where are we?"

important visitors," her

next to the cot I'm laying on.I jolt up and push myself as far away from

from the doorway.I try

a little, she will

try to focus to slow time

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

look around to see if there is a way to escape around them, but the only exit is the door the woman

that who I think it is?

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

annoyed, "No, I’m not

front of the cot.I look more carefully

in dreadlocks pulled back into a ponytail.She has scarlet irises, red as