Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future

Chapter 23

Kas's POV

I peek in through the little window of the hospital room.I can see James hooked up to machines, sleeping peacefully.

A strong pang of guilt courses through me when I see there are bandages around his neck.

Delilah is curled up in the chair that’s pulled up to the side of the bed.

She is holding his hand through the railing of the bed.

"You can’t talk to her from the hallway, Kas,"

Bronx whispers in my ear from behind me, "I'll wait here until you're ready.Just mind link me."

I nod, then take a deep breath.I quietly open the door and step inside the room.I close it behind me and take a step into the room.

Delilah's breath hitches in her sleep, but she doesn’t wake up.I take slow deliberate steps until I am next to the chair.I squat down and put my hand on her forearm.

"Delilah?" I whisper, "Wake up, please."

Her brow furrows as her eyes flutter open.Her deep sapphire blue eyes take a moment for her to recognize my face, but when she does, they immediately turn royal blue.She gasps and throws her arms tightly around me.

"Kas," she sobs in a loud whisper, "I was so worried about you! Are you okay?"

"Oh, Delilah, I’m fine now.I-I’m so sorry.I don’t know what came over me.You know I would never do this on purpose, right?"

I finally stop trying to hold back my tears.

This is my best friend.I can be myself with her, "I thought you would hate me.I didn’t think you would want to see me."

She pulls me back from her embrace and holds me by the shoulders with her long, spindly fingers.

Her eyes and nose are red and puffy from crying, but she looks relieved that I am there, "Kas, I could never hate you.Never.I know whatever happened must have been an accident.This is not you.Whatever happened yesterday, that was not you.I’m sure of it."

I breathe the enormous sigh as I feel the vice around my heart loosen just a little.I will never understand the mind of a pacifist, but I am grateful at this moment that my best friend is one.

"Delilah, when James wakes up, we can talk more about what happened, but I have a couple of questions.Bronx needs information that could be related to my kidnapping or maybe one of my past lives."

"I will help in any way I can.What do you need to know?" She looks at me attentively.

a witch or at least someone who can perform gray or dark magic that can manipulate a person’s mind.Bronx thinks she is part of a group called the Feral.Have

like she is racking her brain, trying to remember

of those.I can ask my mother

I feel my eyebrows rise

anyway, but with everything going on, yeah.Beta Lenora and I thought it would be for the best for her to be here for a

see her.In fact, Bronx thinks maybe I was influenced by magic and that is what could have caused me to..." my voice trails off as I look over to the bed and see sleeping

uses her fingertips to pull my chin so I am looking back at her, "We’re going to figure out what is going on here, Kas.We are all in this

I would like to speak to James.D-Do you think he is in any

having a little trouble with his voice.The doctor said something about his vocal chords.We are hoping his wolf helped heal it overnight.I used some of my healing magic, but we both know it isn’t the same as when you do it.We will know more when he wakes up, I

do you want to see if you can rouse him? I can step out and get Bronx to give

to tell you once we wake James up." I give Delilah a little peck on

chair in

brushes some tears from my eyes, "Well, how did it go? You're crying and smiling.I don’t know what to do with

is waking James up now to make sure he is okay speaking with us.The doctor said there is a problem with his vocal chords, so we don’t know if

in that no matter how many

he will

not a mind reader, Baby.You'll just have to ask him and find out,"

hear the door

peeks her head out, "You can come in

my face, takes my hand, and leads me into

than I remember

sits

Bronx tips his head and regards him.He tips his head in return, then holds his

at Bronx, then

think you're being

go of my hand.I step up to the bed and take James's

onto the bed next to him.I carefully climb up being careful to avoid the wires they hooked

covers my mouth with his hand until he is sure I will not finish whatever it was I was going to say, then he

heart is completely removed now,

it, Kas.Let’s finish what we started," she

carefully peel back the bandages

in the areas that were healed.You can see clearly defined scars

this right, James," I say, trying to bolster

nod and closes his

my essence as I can into him, blurring the lines of who he is and

in to

sure there is no sign of infection before I pull myself

and look at him, he looks a little