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.

named Cora? Probably 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 you ever heard of a coven

is racking her brain, trying to remember anything about either of the

remember either of those.I can ask my mother

coming here?" I feel my

she was planning on coming to see me for a low key visit 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 while.I hope you don’t

love to 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

fingertips to pull my chin so I am looking back at her, "We’re going to

nod, "Delilah, Bronx and I would like to

helped heal it overnight.I used some of my healing magic, but

I can step out and get Bronx

me five minutes," she smiles, "Kas, I’m so glad to see you.I have missed you so much.I have so much to tell you once we wake James up." I give Delilah a little peck on the cheek

a chair in

from my eyes, "Well, how did it go? You're crying

mad.She is waking James up now to make sure he is okay speaking with us.The doctor said there is a problem with

in that no matter how many people try to reassure me,

do you think he will let me

mind reader, Baby.You'll just have to ask him and find

the

out, "You can come in

on my face, takes my hand, and leads me

are looking much more alert than I remember from yesterday.He tries to mess with the bandages on his

him to stop, she sits in

his head and regards him.He tips his head in return,

look at Bronx, then back at James,

think you're

he lets go of my hand.I step

me, urging me onto the bed next to him.I carefully climb

-" he covers my mouth with his hand until he is sure I will not finish whatever it was I was going to say, then he takes both my hands in his and places my palms on his neck.He nods and

is completely removed now, "Alright Lex,

what we started," she says

the

not fully healed and bright red marks in the areas that were healed.You

going to make this right, James," I say, trying to

a quick nod and closes his eyes

themselves against his throat and I begin to concentrate.I send as much of my essence as I can into him, blurring the lines of who he is and who I am.I manipulate the muscles and tissue to

energy in to help

no sign of

I open my eyes and look