Page 96 of Visions & Shadows

Birds are chirping all around me. Beautiful cages line the sides of a passage, filled with colorful birds of every shape and size.

I can hear a man talking in another language. The weird thing is I understand what he’s saying.

I try to focus on everything around me. The man is talking to someone about where he’s going to put each of the birds and how to make the cages even better for them.

As I walk closer, I realize he’s actually talking to the birds. I see where he’s busy changing their water at the end of the passageway.

The birds flutter around as I pass them, and it amazes me that they can sense me.

The man glances in my direction, and I stop for a moment.

When it’s clear he doesn’t see me, I walk closer until I’m right next to him. He has light brown hair with dark brown eyes, and he’s a head taller than me.

There’s so much love surrounding him while he talks to his birds, I want so badly to be a part of it.

His words and quiet actions make me wish that I could bottle some of thatlove for myself.

Turning his head, he looks straight into my eyes. I know he can’t see me, though I have a feeling he can sense me.

“Jason,” I whisper.

His name comes easily to me as I stare at my first chosen one.

I return to my private hell with lingering feelings of Jason’s love.

Shit. That was a vision.

I pry my eyes open as panic flares in my chest, and not even seconds later, Ares appears in the middle of the shack.

No!

My body automatically convulses at the sight of him. I quickly duck my head, scared he might see something regarding the vision in my eyes.

Don’t think about anything. Clear your mind.

When I’m not able to stop thinking, I picture random words, places, and people.

Waterfalls. Horses. LA. Molly. Fleur. Canada. Robert.

My mind latches onto Robert, and I replay the night when he attacked me in my mind in case Ares is able to hear my thoughts.

I’d rather sacrifice Robert than one of my chosen ones.

I can feel Ares stare at me for a long moment until my skin begins to crawl, then his low and deadly voice fills the air as he says, “I have something special for you. With love from Adeth, of course.”

Before today, Ares has hardly spoken a word to me. My eyes dart to him, and I see a bottle and knife in his hands.

Oh shit.

He stalks closer, and when he grabs hold of my hair, my right arm darts up, and I grip his wrist.

He starts to drag my broken body across the floor, and I’m unable to suppress a cry.

The moment he lets go of me, I try to stand up, but I have zero strength and can only lie in a pathetic heap.

When Ares grabs hold of my ankle, I’m confused, but then he drags me into the air, and realizing what he plans to do, I try to kick at him.

“No,” I growl, a hopeless feeling gripping my chesttightly because, in the end, there’s nothing I can do to protect myself from this monster.

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