Page 76 of Wake the Dream

The woman exhaled slowly, composing herself. “Because we’ve been imprisoned in purgatory.Acushla,please. Let me explain.”

He didn’t need the Sight to interpret what the word meant. Some kind of term of endearment that clearly didn’t sit well with Illaria, if her bristling was any indication.

Good. He’d rather her be on her toes. Ready to fight back rather than cave in.

Illaria held out her hand, finger pointing. Judgment. “You don’t get to talk to me. Not after a hundred years of me being stuck here. Fat load of good any of this does, anyway. You know your daughter is missing, right?”

Then Oona did something to make Kieran’s blood freeze. She smiled. “No,acushla. No. She woke up. And you’ve been here long enough, gallivanting around pretending like you’re normal. None of this is normal. Yelena had to be awakened. The power she provided became the stepping stone for me to get through the door.”

“Get through what door?” Illaria asked. “You do realize you aren’t making any sense.”

Kieran stood with his hair on end and every instinct in him tingling. Not in a good way. He hated breaking his gaze away from Oona. When he did, he noticed that the rest of the park had gone still. There were no more joggers enjoying the lovely day. The sounds of children playing near the gym equipment faded into nothing.

They were secluded here. In their own little bubble.

“This world isn’t what you think it is,” Oona continued. Her dress billowed around her lithe form, a cloud given shape and woven through with threads of silver.

Kieran hated it. He hated everything about the Fae and the situation. Reaching behind him, he kept his left hand poised above his weapon, ready to fire if need be.

“This place isn’t what you think it is. Yelena had to wake up, and now that she is—”

“If you know where my sister is, then you better start telling me, fast,” Illaria interrupted. “Because I’m not going to waste any more time standing here talking to you.”

“I needed power. I couldn’t get to you without it. Yelena is fine. I promise you,” Oona assured.

“Fineanddeadare not synonymous, Mother.”

Kieran wished he had more than his gun. Even though bullets might do nothing against someone like Oona, a couple of extra firearms would sure make him feel better.

Something still didn’t sit right with him. Not only were his police senses screaming at him to connect the dots, but his intuition went into overdrive. It almost felt like he was peeing on an electric wire, the current shooting through him and sparking in his cells.

“Not dead, Illaria. No.”

“Then where is she?” Illaria begged. “Take me to see her right now.”

Oona shook her head, the picture of motherly indulgence. “You know I can’t do that. Not until you agree to wake up.”

Kieran shot his arm out to keep Illaria in place when she would have stepped forward to further the debate. “Don’t,” he urged.

To his surprise, she spared him a glance. “You can’t keep me from my mother.”

It wasn’t said with condemnation. A start, at least.

He leaned closer to keep the conversation between the two of them. “She’s in on it.”

“You don’t know anything.” Illaria scoffed but allowed him to move her back another step. Taking his lead when she could have easily batted him out of the way like a gnat in a tornado.

Maybe she had the same impression that he did, he suddenly realized. Maybe her senses too were on hyper alert. Aware of the turbulent chaos going on inside while the outside world remained lush and green.

“What do you mean, in on it?” she whispered.

“I mean, your mother ishere. She might be the one controlling the vampires. There’s a connection I can’t place.”

Illaria stopped, stock-still as if made of cement.

“I know you’re not feeling confident with your powers gone,” Kieran continued for her ears only, “but trust me on this. I wouldn’t steer you wrong.”

“You wouldn’t, I know, but this is my mother we’re talking about. I haven’t seen her in so long...”

---