Find Me If You Dare (Dreamcatcher Book 2) (40 page)

“I’m sorry, Kayla,” he said finally, his voice low and quiet. “Apollyon was right. My powers… they’re limited.” He spoke as if he struggled to find the words. “I can only use them for jobs sanctioned by my superiors. If I bring Daniel back…”

A tear ran down Kayla’s cheek. “Please. I know you cared for him, too.” Her voice cracked.

Bartholomew closed his eyes. Through Kayla, I could feel the war going on inside him. More and more lines covered his face until his hands balled into fists. “I will make the Angels understand.”

He squeezed Kayla’s shoulder before crouching next to my body. Two fingers pressed against my forehead. Bartholomew said a few words in a language I’d never heard, and from the wounds on my back and stomach, blue light glowed.

Kayla pulled her hand from mine, severing our connection. “I made it worse, Daniel. I let Apollyon out. Terrible things will happen, and it’s all my fault. And you died. You actually
died
. I didn’t, I couldn’t—”

I cupped her cheek, catching a tear with my thumb. “I’m here, love. We’re all right. And none of us could’ve known Apollyon would be waiting on the other side for Richard to die. Hell, I tried to kill him, too, remember? Do not carry this burden.”

“If I’d just listened to you, then maybe—”

“What? We all would’ve died, Richard would still be wreaking havoc, and Apollyon would’ve found another way. This is not your fault. This is Richard’s for making the damn deal in the first place. Promise me you’ll continue to hate him and Apollyon, not yourself.”

Kayla nodded, her eyebrows furrowing.

I wrapped her in my arms and kissed her forehead. “Does Bartholomew know where he is?”

Kayla shook her head.

“Well, we caught Richard, and we’ll find Apollyon. The thing about demons is they leave a trail everywhere they go. It won’t be long, and we’ll end this, once and for all.”

We sat for minutes in silence, arms around each other. Kayla squeezed me, her cheek on my bare chest. I lifted her chin and kissed her, but before I could let my thoughts get carried away, I gently pulled back.

“I take it Bartholomew was pardoned?” I asked. Somehow, Bartholomew’s true nature didn’t surprise me. He had made every one of us Protectors, after all.

“I don’t know. He was gone for a few hours maybe, and then he was back, like nothing happened.” Biting her lip, a smile built on her face. “There
is
something else, but you kind of need to see it.”

She crawled off the bed. Raising an eyebrow, I followed her, still wearing the same trousers I’d fought in.

We stepped outside the small hut. I shielded my eyes as hot sun touched my skin. As far as I could see in either direction, crystal blue water rolled onto shiny, white sand, and the long beach faded into a forest covering of beautiful, tall, green trees. Seth and Ivan tossed an American football as waves lapped their ankles, a yard in front of us. Everyone else swam in the ocean, their laughter filling the humid air.

Kayla took my hand and led me through soft grass to the sandy beach, waving at someone in the water. A tall guy with dark hair waved back.
Not possible
. He dunked Samantha under the water before swimming to shore.

“I sort of asked Bartholomew for another favor, since technically Nolan
did
sacrifice himself for me,” Kayla said. “Bartholomew couldn’t restore his powers, but really, I don’t think Nolan cares. He gets to be a Dreamcatcher now, which, to him, was ‘badass.’”

I grinned. We had a new Protector, a fierce one whom I was going to have a hell of a time training. I couldn’t help but bounce a little while I walked.

“Jeez, Daniel, you look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Nolan said, cracking a lopsided smile when he reached us. “Oh, wait. I guess I am one.”

I chuckled and pulled my friend in for a hug. “Welcome back, mate.”

He smacked my back, then stepped away.

Kayla’s grin was the brightest I’d seen in a long time.

“So, I hear we have a little demon problem,” Nolan said. “You ready for this?”

I slipped my hand into Kayla’s. Apollyon might be the toughest enemy we’d ever faced, but I’d watched Kayla explode Adelynn and rip her father apart. She had Apollyon’s blood in her veins. If she was confident she could control her magic when the time came, Apollyon was in for one hell of a fight. Because warriors who had loved ones to save were the most powerful of all.

I smirked. “Let’s send that son of a bitch back to Hell.”

To my agent, Sarah: This has been one heck of a year, but I am so glad to have had you in my corner, both as my agent and my friend. Thank you so much for believing in me and this story.

To my editor, Jessa: Thanks for yelling at me for making the same mistakes over and over and pushing me to add more emotion to this book. I’m so grateful to have an editor who understands my story and my characters and isn’t afraid to push me to do better with every word.

To my amazing cover artist, Dean: Bloody hell, you are talented. The first time I saw this cover, my mouth legitimately dropped open. Brilliant work, mate!

To my team at CQ: Thank you for believing in this series enough to continue Daniel and Kayla’s story and for all you’ve done to make my dream of being a published author come true!

To my marvelous critique partners—Ava, Laura, Vikki, and Jessica: You four have become so much more to me than CPs, and I don’t think I could go through life with you, let alone piece together a story people might actually want to read. I love each of you more than you know.

To my forensics professor at The University of Akron: Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer a couple questions about firearms. I’m thankful to have had a professor who cares about me and not just the grades I get in his classes.

To my wonderful “foreign language team”—Laura, Valia, SK, Monica, and Enrica: Thank you all for taking the time out to make sure I had my translations correct. You guys rock!

And to my friends and family: It’s because of your love and enthusiasm that I write, even on the tough days. I am so thankful for each and every one of you.

Vicki Leigh
grew up in a small suburb of Akron, Ohio where she learned to read by the age of four and considered being sent to her room for punishment as an opportunity to dive into another book.

By the sixth grade, Vicki penned her first, full-length screenplay. If she couldn’t be a writer, Vicki would be a Hunter (think Dean and Sam Winchester) or a Jedi.

Her favorite place on earth is Hogwarts (she refuses to believe it doesn’t exist), and her favorite dreams include solving cases alongside Sherlock Holmes.

She is a former acquisitions editor for Curiosity Quills Press and a current criminology student—with the goal to one day take down her own bad guys.