Beyond The Veil (A Paranormal Romance)

Chapter 27

"You have to bind him," Daniel said, letting the blade touch his chest. "You have to strengthen the bond that ties him to your world, Emily."

She sat there, silently watching the dagger penetrate the man's skin. Her heart was pounding so viciously against her ribcage that it almost hurt.

"You can pull him out of there," Daniel continued, gazing into her terrified eyes. "That is, if you truly are bound to each other."

That seemed to snap her out of her trance. Her head shot up to meet his stare. "What does that mean?"

"That means, little Emily, that there has to be a deep connection between the two of you."

"As in ... soulmates?"

He nodded approvingly as the first drops of blindingly bright liquid ran down his torso. "That is exactly right, smart girl. If, however, for some reason the connection isn't strong enough, there's nothing we can do. So, tell me, how deep do you think is it?"

"I ...," she muttered, fascinated by the pulsating light blue substance that dripped out of his wound. "I don't know. I mean, I have had dreams about him since my mom died..." She shielded her eyes with her hands, since the radiating brightness grew more intense by the second.

He grinned, as if he knew something that Emily didn't. "Good, that's a start. Now come here." With his finger he motioned her to step closer to him. "This here is the source of my existence. My life force, if you will. If consumed by mortals, it will cause rather severe effects." He reached for a small cup that was sitting on the coffee table, catching some of the liquid.

"Drink," he commanded as he handed it to her.

She took it and examined it carefully. The azure substance was rather thick, thousands of tiny sparkles danced on its surface as if there was a layer of pulverized diamonds sprinkled on top. "What will it do to me?"

"It will put your body to sleep while your soul is free to roam. In other words, it induces a state that could be described as wakeful dreaming, which means you can interact with other souls and trespass different dimensions. It will only last for a short time, an hour, maybe two, depending on how much you consume. When your body awakens, it will pull your soul back to this reality, and hopefully..." He regarded her with a serious expression. "Hopefully by then you will have found Raphael."

Her head shot up. "You're not coming?"

"No." Carelessly, he tossed the dagger onto the table and moved his palms over the still open wound on his chest, causing it to disappear at once.

She inhaled sharply, trying to come to terms with the fact that she was, once more, on her own. "How do I find him?"

"As I said, if the bond between you two is strong enough, you'll find him, don't worry. You'll know what to do once your soul parts from your flesh."

"And...," she narrowed her eyes with suspicion. "I will definitely be able to wake up again?"

Daniel laughed at her distrust. "You know, there are times that require a certain amount of confidence; confidence in yourself and especially in others." He gave her an uncharacteristically warm and encouraging smile. "Have a little faith, Emily."

For a few increased heartbeats, her eyes locked with his. She pressed her lips together in an attempt to gather enough courage for what she was about to do. Then, unceremoniously, she raised the cup to her mouth and downed its content at once.

"Good girl," Daniel mumbled quietly, catching her lifeless body before it could hit the floor. He scooped the girl up into his arms and carried her upstairs to the bedroom where he placed her gently back down onto the large four-poster bed.

"Sweet dreams," he whispered into her ear, knowing all too well that she could still hear him. It usually took a while until the soul was ready to go on its journey. "I'll be right here when you come back."

Daniel didn't bother to put on a shirt and instead laid down next to the sleeping beauty in his bed. He grabbed a book from his nightstand, stuffed a pillow between the headrest and his back, and began to read.

He is reading a book, Emily's spirit noted with amusement as it slowly parted from its mortal shell. Rising up, higher and higher, she realized that her perception gradually heightened, too.

Interesting, she thought. Even without my body, I can still see, still feel.

And something else happened. Something that was so unexpected and unfamiliar that she, at first, wasn't able to register it at all.

As Emily was hovering underneath the ceiling, taking in the odd view she had of Daniel lying next to her limp body, she suddenly noticed very distant mumbling. Appalled, she looked around the room for its source, but the only person nearby was Daniel, and he was not making a sound. But the longer she stared at him, the clearer the mumbling became.

Could it possibly be?

I wonder how long it will take her to find that fool.

It was a very faint voice that spoke to her, barely loud enough to be perceived at all, but it was definitely there. Emily was able to hear Daniel's thoughts.

She strained her senses, trying to make out more of what he was pondering.

His eyes left the page of the book he had been reading to roam over the girl's unresponsive features.

She is so beautiful. Daniel smiled sweetly. Just like her mother.

This hit her like a thousand bricks. Emily instantly wanted to jump right back into her physical confinement to question him. What did he know about her mother? How in the world did he know what she had looked like? Had he done something to her?

Desperately, she concentrated on her still body that was patiently waiting for her return, willing her soul to slip back into its cage.

However, she did not seem to be able to control where she was going. Helplessly, she realized that she could fight as much as she wanted to, it wouldn't change anything. A strong pull seemed to have gotten hold of her. It dragged her out of the house, through the woods that were nearby, across a silvery shimmering lake, until the force finally tore her out of this dimension and she was enveloped once more in the familiar heavy, black veil.