Forbidden: Afterglow

Chapter 6

-CHARLEY'S P.O.V-

   I don't know how to feel. One moment we were having fun and being in pleasure, the next.. the next my heart stopped. It's not exactly new territory for her to fall asleep after sex. But we barely did anything. And she didn't fall asleep, she fell, but didn't fall asleep.
     She dropped on me like a ton of bricks. I don't even really care about how hard she hit me as she fell, for me, but for her.. I was more than worried.
    Now that I know why it happened, I'm glad it's not a relapse from her coma or something even worse. So I sit here after she passed out a second time. This pass out was because she.. she spoke to me.. into my mind.
    I wanted to tell her it was alright but I was shocked. I could tell what she was feeling, that I'd think it was her fault and I wouldn't forgive her. But I will, do and it isn't her fault.
    I mean. Ideally being left tied up while your lover just went dead cold.. Or maybe just the fact that I wanted her so badly. But.. I honestly broke my wrist just getting out of the tie as fast as I did. If I were human, it would have hurt a hell of a lot more than it did. But luckily me I got sucked into a magical world and have a super being wife.
     I pull her close to me carefully and keep listening to her breathing and heartbeat. I wish more than anything she will be okay. As I wish the same to Ninfa because that's crazy.
      Hours pass. Hours. I don't mind staying awake while she rests. I'm honestly use to it from the coma thing. I don't have a good sleep schedule anymore.
    She turns in my arms and nuzzles into my chest. I can't help but smile to it. I can't tell if she's awake of not but movement is good.
"You don't sleep with me anymore."
"I sleep when you're actually asleep and not passed out."
"You worry too much."
"I know."
"Are you mad at me?"
"No. Why would I be?"
"Because we were doing something."
    She hasn't even dared to move enough to look at me. Like she's hiding. If she is up for this much conversation, I know she could look at me.
    But.. would lying be better than telling the truth on this?...no.
"I'm not mad. I'm just really worried."
"Well I also mean for the tie up thing. It wasn't my intention."
     You wouldn't leave it at that? Had to bring it up when I'm trying to avoid hurting you by telling you? Damn you Dakota...
"It was fine."
"You sound mad at me."
"I'm not, baby. I'm not."
"Then why are you acting so closed up."
"Damn you, Dakota. You have to know me too well, don't you?" I sigh. "Everything is okay. I broke my wrist from being in too much of a rush to see if you were okay. But other than that, all is okay."
"So definitely no more me tying you up."
"Not in the near future. I just want to make sure you stay stable before we really do anything like that."
"I feel like that's an excuse not to have sex with me..."
"Dakota. No. That doesn't mean anything towards our sex life. I'm just not going to be doing the extra teasing by tying up. Not right now."
"Does that mean you'd still make love to me?" Her voice is almost small enough that I don't hear.
"Yeah but not right now?"
"And you still love me?"
"Of course I still love you."
    She leans back to look at me. I feel Instantly sad to see her start to tear up. "Really?"
"I have loved you more and more each day. Nothing could change that." I lean in and kiss her forehead. "I'll love you forever, Dakota."
    She sighs. "I'm going insane."
"No. You're just sensitive sometimes.
"I thought you'd get annoyed by now."
"How long have we been together?"
"Somewhere around 4 years."
"Married?"
"2."
"Yeah. Been the best years of my life. So. Listen to me. I'm not leaving. I'm staying. I don't care if you're a softie sometimes."
    My goal is complete to get her to laugh to my word softie. It makes me smile to hear again. I love her so much.
"You look tired."
"I'm not. Just probably look terrible from worry. I might also be hungry."
"I could use some foodies."
    I get up and help her. We head downstairs where it seems everyone is a little groggy. Emma is nowhere to be seen though..
"Hey. Waiting for you two to get up so we can talk." Valerie helps Dakota in a chair.
"Okay guys. So. I didn't know the Elder would use something that would knock us all out." Ninfa says. "I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too. But it was more her idea than mine." Valerie says.
"THAT'S NOT TRUE. GODSEYE ASSHOLE." Ninfa nearly shouts.
"Okay. So both to blame. Anyway. Emma is still asleep and it might be better that way. I can't get your mother to heal properly but you guys are Emma's magic."
"I can't even see her eye." Finnley says while rubbing his.
    A small second passes before we all bare witness to Ninfa's eye. It's bad. Like really bad.
"I just unwrapped it. Hopefully you guys could try and heal her.."
"Yeah, anything." Dakota says quickly.
     I trust this and trust that her family would never put her in harm on purpose like deadly purpose. Finnley was playing with the battle thing. So. I trust that things will be okay.
    They surround Ninfa. I try and input my own healing as they do. The energy in the room is so thick, raw and almost choking. But I stay.
    By the moment we all disconnect our powers from another's, Ninfa is slightly healed. But not.
"I'm sorry..." Dakota looks down.
"Hey, no, babygirl. I wasn't expecting it to work. But it's better. Much better. I can see. And I'm so close to kicking Valerie for all the eye pun jokes."
"I tried." I try to lighten the mood.
"I know. I felt it." Ninfa takes my hand and lightly squeezes.
    The moment is ruined by me. Well. My stomach.
"Hungry?"
"Maybe?"
     They laughs at me. All of them. Even Dakota. But I think it's cause I feel like a shrank and became shy. Which I do around her..our.. family a lot.
    We all eat. And I think I finally ate more than Misty. I just haven't slept or ate right since Dakota's coma.
    Valerie squeezes her bridge of her nose with a long sigh. "Heaven has a message for Charley."
"I would really rather not go up there alone. Just for a stupid message."
"I will go with you."
"I suggest you take it, Charley. They didn't tell me what it was but they could be sending you out to heal a human."
    I sigh. "I guess."
    A new adventure. To heaven. A place I actually don't find so appealing.
     Maybe it's because of how close to death I really was when I took the grace. And I know that Dakota could see how close I was too. But we wanted to talk about things more before I got to take it. I just didn't know I was that close to death.
    Or maybe just because heaven isn't for me. Because it's not. Not anymore. It's just a place where humans go when they die and I am not human, nor do I die.
    Dakota's hand lightly squeezes mine, centers me. I guess she would know that I am nervous. She knows everything about me.
"Ah. Charley." An angel runs up to me. "Hello, Dakota. It's lovely to see you." He smiles to her.
"Likewise."
"Our trackers have picked up a signal on your father, Charley. He's looking high and low for you. Paid private investigators as well."
"Shit. Does he have any idea where I am?"
"No. But a doctor did release your medical review to him. He paid good money for any information."
"So?"
"He's going to keep looking for you until he finds a corpse. I suggest saying hellos and possibly remove yourself from his memory before he causes damage to our population."
"Damn be the day I see my father again." I sigh. "Okay."
    It takes a small blink back to my old house. The neighborhood is as quiet as it use to be. It's eerie.
    I knock on the door and feel very weird door so. But it's not my house, it never really was. But the door opens to my 'very well taken care of' father.
"Charley. I've been looking for you everywhere."
"I didn't really care to be found."
"We need to talk. But I don't want her involved." He spits the last words towards Dakota.
"Don't talk to my wife like that. Dakota stays with me."
"Wife? You ran off and got married to the annoyance."
"Don't talk about my wife that way, I'm not really here for that shit right now. Why are you looking for me?"
"I can talk anyway I fucking please, Charley. You'll learn to respect that."
    Dakota's hand squeezes mine tightly. "HIS GUN.." she sort of yells through my mind.
    With a single tiny second he has the gun pulled and aimed for Dakota. I am not tall enough to cover Dakota if I wanted to, so I do the only other thing I can think of. I push myself forward into the guns path, it rests on my forehead.
"Get out of the way, Charley."
"You hurt Dakota and I swear this is the last time I will ever see you."
    He hesitates. He doesn't back down. And he's ready to shoot..