Lifeline (Chills Fanfic)

51 - Autumn

When Dylan and I reach the apartment we share with Arlo, Emma, and Freya, I see a guy standing on the sidewalk by the porch, and the guy turns to us as we approach the house and come up to stand by the two of us.

"Hey, uh, are you Dylan?"

"Depends on who's asking," he says.

"Just me," says the guy.

"And you are?" I ask.

He looks at me, as if he didn't even notice me until I spoke. Anger sparks in my chest. He is one of those kinds of people, where they think me lesser than them.

"My name is Orion. And I am here for Dylan, I'm looking for him."

"Why?" I ask.

Orion ignores me. He just looks at Dylan.

"The lady asked you a question," Dylan says. "I suggest you answer her."

Orion glares at him, but then turns to me. "I need his help with something important. Something that cannot wait."

"And that is?"

He sighs. "I am looking for anyone who would help me. I need to have you talk with an angel female. She says she knows you already, that you've talked before. Her name is Naomi."

"Naomi?" I look at Dylan. "Wasn't she the angel who told us about Zeke?"

Dylan nods. "Yeah, I think so."

"Follow me," Orion says.

Dylan and I follow him through the complex and into a side area, one of the parks. We walk towards the center of the park, where Naomi sits. As we approach her, I realize she is in a wheelchair now. Her wings are tucked close in to her body.

Dylan and I walk up to Naomi, and she gives us a weak smile.

"I'm so glad you two are okay," she says.

"Yeah, and so are Arlo and Emma and Freya," I say.

Naomi nods. "I am glad that Freya was brought into your life. You two need her. But unfortunately, I need to talk to you about something."

"About what?" Dylan asks.

"Zeke is still alive. And so is Elekai. They are both looking for you," says Naomi.

"Great. Now why?" Dylan asks.

"I am not sure, to be honest," she says. "I think it would be best if you stayed here for now, or move on to another place to keep ahead of Zeke and Elekai."

I look at Dylan. He sets his jaw and nods. "I don't think it is as safe here as we were lead to believe."

Naomi nods. "Orion, we need to show them."

Orion walks past Dylan and I, and he pushes Naomi off the grass and onto the pavement. We follow him and Naomi. He leads us to the back of the park and towards a large fountain full of clear, bubbling water.

Dylan and I stop as we reach the fountain. Orion stops Naomi by the fountain and she raises her hand over the water's surface. It ripples, and she looks at us.

"You two don't know what vampires can do," she says.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You know that vampires can feed from each other, as you have fed from her in the past, correct?" Naomi asks Dylan.

"Yes," he says.

"Then that means you are closer than you two think," she says softly. "A vampire can Imprint with another vampire, but if they are Eldersblood, things can get very interesting."

"What do you mean?" Dylan asks.

"Vampires are able to form a powerful psychic connection with the vampire they've Imprinted with. So, as such, if you two were to Imprint .... things would be very powerful between you. You could even share each other's powers, in a way. Not to mention, if you're Imprinted with someone, you cannot be swayed like a single person could be by a Siren."

"But Zeke is an angel," Dylan says. "Not a Siren."

"True, but he is likely trying to get a group together to come and steal you away from here as we speak," Naomi says.

I look at Dylan. "Would you be opposed to this?"

"Not necessarily," he says. "I mean, I just don't want to ... I don't know."

"Tie yourself to her?" Naomi sighs. "Dylan, you aren't exactly tied to her, but your fates are already sealed. There will come a time when you must accept that perhaps, things aren't what you thought they'd be, but that's okay, so long as you're with people you love. Do you love her, Dylan?"

He looks at me. "Yes, I do."

My heart hammers in my chest as he says that. I smile at him and nod. "I love you, too."

He smiles at me, tears forming in his eyes. "But I dont know if I'm ready for that to happen. I do love you, more than you think, Autumn, but I think we should wait till further down the road."

I nod. "I will respect your wishes, Dylan." I look at Naomi. "We wait till he's ready. Or we don't do it at all."

She smiles at us. "I just hope you two know what you're doing."

Dylan wraps an arm around my shoulders. He smiles warmly at her. "We do, trust us."