Visionary Awakened (Paranormal INC Series Book 2) Read online

  I had to find out what happened to the little boy. I needed to see how it ended. I had the urge to draw the scene out, to sketch the way his eyes showed so many strong emotions. Pain. Grief. Anger. Determination.

  My fingers ached to draw it out, but I was losing time. The image was already fading little by little. I was still so exhausted, the heat of the house somehow working to drain me, even if a part of me understood it was nothing but an illusion.

  "Scarlet," Michael's soft voice whispered in my ear. I didn't respond, dealing with my internal battle to try and hold on to the once solid image of the boy that was fading little by little: the piece of work I would have drawn if I could just get up and let my fingers do their work with a pencil and paper in hand.

  I felt something brush along my cheek, moving some strands of my neon orange hair that had been straightened before I went to bed. The hand moved to tuck the hair behind my ear. Then I heard Michael’s voice whisper, "Scarlet, you need to open your eyes."

  I didn't want to. I'd keep ignoring him as long as I could. Maybe if I did, my mind would return to that moment, continuing the story where I had left off and reveal to me how the boy gained revenge for his lifeless mother. I heard Michael sigh before he whispered again. "Scarlet. Open your eyes."

  I reluctantly opened them, having felt the magic lacing his words, which only made me pout as I struggled to keep them open. I lifted my head slightly, looking over my shoulder to see Michael's glowing eyes, their dark copper tinge giving away that he was using his gift to make me wake up.

  "Why?" I whined, giving him a heartbroken look. Didn't he understand he was preventing me from finding out the end of the tragic story? It had to have a happy ending. Why was he preventing me from seeing it?

  Michael gave me a sympathetic look before placing his hand on my shoulder, gesturing for me to turn over to face him. I slowly turned to my left side to look at him, my half-open eyes slowly assessing his bare chest and lowering to the black comforter that covered our lower halves.

  I wore a black lingerie set to bed, not necessarily out of comfort, but because I was having a good time teasing the guys. They had been so stressed about everything that was going on that I felt a bit of teasing with some sexy lingerie would help to ease their nerves.

  "Because you were having a bad dream,” he pointed out.

  "No...I didn't see the end," I mumbled, my eyes already filling with tears. Michael frowned, turning over to put the night lamp on before he sat up. I took my time getting up as Michael grabbed my sketchbook and a pencil, offering both to me.

  I reached out to them, wondering if I could even draw the image that was already half gone from my mind. Instead of debating about my capabilities, my left hand just moved to a clean page and I began to draw.

  The sound of the pencil gliding across the page at a quick pace and our quiet inhales and exhales were the only sounds in the room. Michael patiently waited for me to draw out the dream I'd witnessed. Or had it been a vision?

  My hand stopped when the image was completely gone from my mind and I frowned at the unfinished work in front of me. I was only able to sketch the left side of the boy, working extra hard to express the deep emotions in his still expression. The other half of him was nothing but little dots, fading away.

  Flames raged on his left side, showing the desolate and almost hopeless situation he faced as a tear rolled down his cheek. The right side was filled with smoke, emphasizing what remained of the debris that would be left after the fire was finally put out.

  I sighed, wanting to rip the sheet out, but Michael stopped me, his right hand holding onto my left hand. I lifted my tired eyes to meet his and I let my tears fall.

  "Scar?" he whispered, looking confused by my display of emotion.

  "The boy. He didn't get a happy ending. I...wanted him...to...but he didn't," I cried. Michael didn't ask any questions, just pulled me into his arms to let me cry for the little boy who lost his world in that fire. I didn't need any details to imagine the little boy’s smile as he ran through the house, laughing and playing with his toys as his mother, alive and well, laughed at how energetic her son was.

  "Scar, love. It's going to be okay. Maybe one day he will have a happy ending. You just have to go back to sleep and find out," Michael suggested.

  "You woke me up," I complained.

  "I did, but only because you sounded like you were having a nightmare or vision. You've been doing this a lot lately when you sleep with Jaxson and I in the same bed," Michael revealed.

  "Jax...son?" I asked, having completely forgotten we were at his place. I looked over my shoulder to see him asleep on his back next to us. His bare chest rose up and down as he slept. His left hand was behind his head while his right arm was reaching out to where I was sleeping before. I must have been snuggled up with him before Michael decided to wake me up.

  "Hmmm." I was unsure what to say. Now that I saw Jaxson all alone on his side, I felt like it was my duty to make sure he wasn't lonely, even if it was in his sleep. Michael had a small grin when I turned my head back to him. He raised his hands to wipe away the tears that stained my cheeks.

  He leaned in and kissed me. The tender action was quick, but helped comfort me in my distress. Logically, it sounded rather stupid that I was so upset over a dream: a scene of a boy, who might have been a part of my imagination. Or he could have been a real human being with a dark past, that had vowed to get justice for his mom, who was now one with the stars.

  "You want to go back to sleep on Jaxson's side?" Michael asked.

  "Jaxson's lonely I think...but I don't want you to be lonely either," I mumbled, my eyes beginning to close. I felt a kiss pressed to my shoulder, and when I looked up, I saw sleepy amber eyes meet mine.

  "What has my baby in tears?" he whispered, his sad eyes staring at my tired ones, which were probably red from my tears.

  "The boy," I whispered and yawned, lifting my hands to rub at my eyes. The boy’s image still lingered in my mind. I heard the slight movement on the bed, wondering if I’d woken Jaxson completely.

  “What’s wrong?” Jaxson’s husky voice asked. Michael gently rubbed my back, before pulling me into his arms to rest while he talked to Jaxson.

  "Vision,” he stated and Jaxson was silent. There was a long pause before Jaxson answered. "I see."

  "Jaxson." Michael's stern voice intrigued me, unsure why he sounded mad all of a sudden.

  "She needs to rest. We have another case in the morning," Jaxson mumbled.

  Michael was silent and his heart began to beat faster, which was rather calming. "Michael, your heart sounds nice," I mumbled.

  Michael sighed. "We're talking about this in the morning,” he told Jaxson, before returning his attention to me. "And thank you, Scarlet."

  "Fine," Jaxson muttered, sounding a little irritated, but didn't say anything more.

  I took that moment to lift my head up to look at Jaxson. "We have an assignment in the morning?" I asked.

  He sighed, nodding his head. "After you fell asleep, we got a call from Kendrick. We have another case to look into at nine. Try to go back to sleep,” he explained, before leaning in and kissing me gently on the lips.

  I noticed the hesitation in the exchange, which left me confused and wanting to correct it. I kissed him back, hoping the directness of my action would help, even if I didn't understand exactly what he was feeling hesitant about.

  He moaned, immediately responding to my move. Soon our lips were fighting for dominance while his hand glided through my hair.

  "So much for waking up early," Michael sighed. I moaned when his lips pressed against my shoulder, sending shivers of excitement through me. I was so tired, yet I didn't want to stop, my body craving some dual action. We'd been so caught up in everything that we'd barely had any private time lately.

  Even when we had, it was either interrupted by another case or we all were just too exhausted from the chaotic day we’d just had. It wasn't long till Jaxson's lips were tra
iling down my back while Michael was kissing me passionately.

  "Early morning," Jaxson reminded.

  Michael broke the heated kiss and rolled his eyes. "Says the guy who started it in the first place."

  "I like cuddling too. That's nice." I yawned. They both smiled and helped me lay back down before coming to rest next to me. Michael's body pressed against my backside and Jaxson lay facing me. It wasn't long before Michael was fast asleep, his arm securely around my waist and his breathing slow and even.

  I slowly opened my eyes to see Jaxson staring at me, his expression made him look deep in thought. "What's wrong?" I mumbled. He gave me a small smile, blinking out of his concentrated daze. He shook his head from side to side.

  "Nothing, Scar baby. Go to sleep. Need you to be badass tomorrow for our next case,” he teased, lifting his hand to stroke my cheek. "And don't short circuit anything, please."

  "That wasn't my fault," I mumbled.

  "Okay. No getting stuck in a mall full of crazy shifters who want to kill you, either,” he added and I let out a quiet giggle.

  "That wasn't my fault either. They didn't like my hair," I reminded.

  "Ah, true. Well, I love your hair. It fits you perfectly,” he whispered, moving slightly to kiss me. This kiss held passion and certainty. It made my worries fade and the tension leave my shoulders. I could sleep now knowing Michael and him were both okay.

  "You're okay...right?" I asked when our lips parted. He nodded with a smile, moving closer so I could snuggle right against him.

  He kissed my forehead before relaxing. "I'm fine, Scar. Go to sleep,” he whispered.

  I didn't reply, my mind already drifting off. I welcomed the darkness, hoping I'd get to see what happened next to the boy, whose glowing mismatched eyes showed how determined he was to claim his happy ending.

  I just prayed to the Starlight gods that he got it.

  "Another case. This is getting ridiculous," I grumbled, lightly jumping on my feet to make my pair of jeans slide over my hips. Just because I was catching criminals, didn't mean I couldn't wear nice pants that complimented the booty. Never know when you can distract a man into custody.

  "I agree with Scar. Maybe you should tell Kendrick we're going to need a break soon. I know we're one of the best teams to deal with the madness going on right now, but we're really pushing ourselves here. I haven't slept longer than five hours at night for the last week," Michael complained, walking out of the washroom with a towel around his waist. "And that water is fucking hot. Never showered so damn fast."

  "You always complain about my water being too hot, and you take two-minute showers all the time. Don't blame my water for that," Jaxson pointed out as he put on his black t-shirt. He was standing next to the window and fixing up his shirt, smoothing out any lines in the cotton material.

  "Hmph, you suck," Michael grumbled and I gave him a sympathetic smile. I knew he disliked water, but I still hadn't gotten the opportunity to find out why.

  "Meow."

  We all turned to Moonlight, who was on the bed rolling around with his Nightmare doll, the bell making cute little noises as he played around. He noticed us watching him, his turquoise eyes landing on me. Then he picked his doll up, leapt off the bed, and walked over to sit next to my feet.

  "Morning, Moonlight," I greeted, noticing his Nighty doll's bow was a little off.

  I knelt down and took it from him, straightening the pink bow while he waited patiently for me.

  "Meow,” he replied. "Morning, Scarlet. Feeling better?" Risuki's gentle voice flowed into my mind. I looked at my familiar with confusion. Huh? Uh...I feel perfectly fine? Was I not before?

  "Maybe. Are you done fixing my doll? I want it back," he whined.

  I grinned, shaking my head. He lifted up onto his back paws, reaching for his doll in my hands. I finished fixing it up and gave it back to him. Then he ran back and hopped up onto the king-sized bed.

  "Moonlight is obsessed with that doll," Michael pointed out. He walked over to the bed and reached out to pet Moonlight, who stayed still for a moment, staring at Michael cautiously. When he realized he wouldn't lose his doll, he relaxed, sitting down to allow Michael to pet his head. He began to purr while cuddling his new doll that Makoto Heart and I made for each of our familiars.

  Moonlight was my familiar, but also a Starlight god. His name was Risuki, the Starlight God of War. When I died and came back to life, he'd introduced himself, revealing his hidden identity.

  It had been a month since the bomb incident, and during the last two weeks, the guys and I had gotten the chance to be introduced to Junho's friend, Marcus Hunt, and their group of friends, which included their girlfriend, Makoto Heart.

  I'd been so nervous about meeting her, yet we'd surprisingly connected really well, which led to our familiars getting more time with one another as well.

  Risuki had a huge crush on Nightmare, aka Nighty. We ended up making dolls for both of them. Nightmare got a doll of Risuki and he got one of Nighty.

  Since then, he’d taken it everywhere with him, guarding it like he was afraid someone would snatch it out of his hand. Didn't blame him, seeing as he was having some war with Christian Ross, one of my lovers and private Uber driver.

  "He misses Nighty and just doesn't want to admit it," I explained.

  "I don't need to admit anything. Leave me alone," Risuki huffed. I giggled, walking over to the dresser to get a white dress shirt from my designated drawer.

  We were in Jaxson's place, seeing no point in going to mine or anyone else’s when work had been a nonstop struggle. Ever since the bomb incident destroyed all of PINC’s files, the paranormal crime rate had tripled.

  We'd been given two weeks off to rest, which was spent with me recovering from the incident and spending time with Makoto and her loyal knights. Once she left, we were supposed to have at least another week of rest, but the demand for help was so high, that the President of the United States asked for our assistance, as the other teams at PINC just couldn't handle the workload.

  Of course we couldn't refuse, but after two weeks of non-stop car chases, robberies, house searches, and chases on foot, we were all wearing thin. I was incredibly exhausted myself, still not feeling at 100% after everything that happened.

  My interaction with Xerxes had changed my life in a number of ways. First off, I came to the realization that I was scared of heights, which was rather understandable, seeing as I fell 37 floors to my doom.

  That sad event led to my death, as well as my resurrection. The locket my mother, Marilyn Sinclair, had given to me before she was murdered contained the Stone of Awakening, a gem that Xerxes was in desperate need of obtaining.

  He had targeted five women, all of us with one thing in common: having the potential to be the Elemental. In the end, I came to find out I was the Elemental. I woke up in a pool of my blood and discovered the Stone of Awakening from my mother’s pendant was now in my beating heart and the only reason I was living and breathing now. Too bad none of the guys knew about that minor detail.

  I'd yet to find a good opportunity to tell them about it, and I was honestly frightened to discuss the topic. How do you tell your five lovers, best friend, and biological father that your heart had a stone in it and without that stone, you'd be dead?

  "Are the others on their way to the office?" I asked, making sure my black bra supported my breasts properly, just in case I had to run for my life to avoid some type of catastrophe. I retrieved the white silk dress shirt I was looking for, quickly putting it on and fixing it up so it didn't show too much cleavage.

  "Yes. Ethan and Junho slept at Christian's place so they're heading over to the office now. Ethan's working on tapping into some druggie’s phone line who may have a connection with Xerxes. Maybe listening in on his conversation will give us a lead as to what he's planning," Jaxson explained.

  I noticed how the tone of his voice dipped low at the mention of Xerxes, prompting me to turn my gaze to him. His facial expressio
n was guarded, making it impossible for me to know what he was thinking. I took a quick glance at Michael, who also was staring at Jaxson and looking worried about the obvious change in his demeanor.

  "Jaxson...you okay?" I asked, walking over to him. He stayed where he was, his eyes glancing out the window to the busy streets of LA. It wasn't as sunny today as usual and we were expecting some rain, so the clouds were beginning to roll in.

  "I'm fine,” he declared, lifting his hand to fix the watch on his wrist. I followed his movement, knowing it was more of a distraction than a desperate need to fix his Rolex, which was already fine and in place.

  Junho had bought all the guys high-end brand watches as a gift for surviving the last case and had gotten me a gorgeous Bvlgari Divas’ Dream watch in a limited edition rose gold style. I didn't even want to know what the price was, but I assumed all five guys Rolexes combined might match the price of the blinged out watch that remained in its red velvet box in my vanity at home for special occasions when I could flaunt it and pretend to be super rich.

  Sure, I was a billionaire like Junho, while the others were millionaires, but I couldn't spend THAT much money on an item without working up a sweat and praying to the gods I'd be able to make it back in a few years.

  The impact of all that had happened must have done something to the guys, because there was a lingering tension in the air. I'd been trying to ignore it, but it was getting difficult, especially when combined with all the stress from our cases and the feeling of working non-stop.

  I took a step forward, sliding my arms around Jaxson’s waist. He looked a little calmer, and within seconds, his arms wrapped around me, holding me tightly against him.

  "What's going on with you?" I whispered, wishing he'd talk to me about what was bothering him. I noticed in the corner of my eye Michael pick up Moonlight, before quietly leaving the room, closing the door behind him to give us a moment.

  I would bet neither myself nor Jaxson cared if he was present, but I knew something deeper was going on here and I needed to know what the problem was. That required us having a moment alone for me to try and pry the information out of Jaxson.