Jaci Burton - Taken by Sin

“Good.” She looked over to Isabelle. “But that’s not why you’re here, is it?”

Isabelle’s glance shot over to Dalton.

“I’d like Georgie to weigh in on what’s been happening to you, see if she can offer some insight,” he said.

Great. Isabelle shifted uncomfortably. How many people needed to know who and what she was?

“She knows, Isabelle. Georgie is gifted with incredible insights as well as magic. And she knows about the Realm of Light and Sons of Darkness. There are no secrets here.”

Wow. That was a pretty big secret. “Okay,” she said.

“I’ll be happy to help in any way I can,” Georgie said.

“Isabelle’s having some problems.”

Georgie turned dark eyes to her. Isabelle resisted the urge to scoot away from the woman’s mesmerizing gaze.

“What kind of problems?”

Dalton slanted his gaze to her. “Go ahead, Isabelle.”

She supposed saying “I don’t wanna” would be a bit childish. She turned to Georgie. “I have these memory gaps. And during these gaps, I do things.”

Georgie’s expression didn’t change. She simply nodded and said, “Go on.”

“I have nightmares. Every time I sleep, demons come for me.”

“Is it like you’re awake? You can feel their presence, feel them touching you?”

Isabelle nodded. “Yes. It’s exactly like that. It’s almost like as soon as I fall asleep, they get some kind of signal to come for me.”

“Do they take you somewhere, or come to where you are?”

“I don’t remember. That’s the problem. As soon as I wake up, everything is foggy. I know the demons have been with me, because I sense them descending as soon as I fall asleep, but I can’t recall exactly how or where.”

“That’s all right,” Georgie said. “What else?”

Isabelle shifted her gaze to Dalton, who nodded. “It’s okay. You can tell her.”

This part was going to be tough. It was personal. Humiliating. Confusing. She looked at Georgie. “It’s about Dalton. There’s something about him that … draws me.”

Georgie looked at Dalton, then back at Isabelle, her lips lifting in a knowing smile. “Yes, I can see that it would. Is that a problem?”

“It’s a problem when I can’t remember what I’m doing.”

Georgie frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I was taking a bath. I remember glancing out the window and seeing Dalton. I was … uh … admiring him, if you know what I mean.”

“Yes. I understand,” Georgie said, smiling at her as if she knew exactly what Isabelle meant.

“Next thing I knew, I woke up and was in the backyard with him. Naked. Practically draped around him. I must have left the bath and walked right outside.”

“And you don’t remember how you got there?”

She shook her head. “And apparently I offered up some rather provocative invitations.”

Georgie didn’t even blink, just nodded. “Has it happened before that incident?”

“Sort of. Though not as flagrant.”

“And you can’t recall what happened during these periods?”

“No. Only that there seemed to be a period where I was almost asleep, or I suffered some kind of memory loss, because I don’t remember how I got from point A to point B.”

Georgie came over and sat on the bench next to Isabelle, smoothing her fingers over Isabelle’s hands. Georgie’s hands were warm. Isabelle’s felt like ice.

“You’re blocking them,” she finally said.

“Excuse me?”

“They’re trying to find you, and you’re fighting them. I feel them near you.”

“Them being the demons?” Dalton asked.

“Yes,” Georgie said without taking her eyes off Isabelle’s face. “This is hard for you. It’s causing you stress, pain, emotional upheaval. You’re very strong. So are they. This battle of wills is taking its toll on your psyche.”

Isabelle wasn’t even aware of a battle taking place. “I’m not doing anything. I’m just trying to exist.”

“Trust me. It’s happening. You’re fighting them, but that just makes them try harder to get to you.”

“Okay. I can accept that I don’t want them to take me again. It makes sense that I would subconsciously block them. But that doesn’t really explain my behavior,” Isabelle said. “With Dalton.”

“Actually it explains more than you think. Dalton is the reason you still live. He is-at least in your mind-your one and only ally against them. Also, you are drawn to him, and he to you. But you fight that attraction.” Georgie turned her gaze to Dalton. “So does he. It creates much conflict within you both.”

“Which means?” Isabelle hated to be dense, but she still didn’t understand.

“You’re at war within yourself, Isabelle. You’re fighting an internal battle with demons who want to know where you are. You seem to be trying to focus your attention there. Your full attention. At the same time, you’re also battling your attraction to Dalton. Part of you refuses to give in, very much wants to remain distant. The other part of you wants to join with him, needs to join with him in the most basic of ways.”

She exhaled. So much of what Georgie said made sense.

“Also, I’m not sure it’s the human part of you that seeks him.”

That was not good. Isabelle tensed again.

“Oh, great,” Dalton said. “So what you’re saying is the human side of Isabelle can resist me just fine. It’s the demon side of her that wants to jump my bones.”

Georgie smiled. “In a way, yes.”

“So when I went out in the yard-the part I couldn’t remember-that was the demon part of me …”

“Coming out to play” Georgie finished for her. “Yes, I believe so.”

Isabelle laid her head in her hands to combat the dizziness. “I don’t understand this. It’s all so confusing. You’re talking about parts of me that don’t seem real to me.” She lifted her head, looked at Dalton, then at Georgie. “I don’t feel like I’m battling anything. I feel human. All of me.”

“For now,” Georgie said. “Soon enough, that will change. The demon side of you will grow stronger, will fight for dominance.”

“How can I avoid that?”

Georgie laid her hand over Isabelle’s. “You can’t. You’re going to have to face it. It wants to take you over. They want that part of you to take over. If you want to win, you have to be ready to do battle.” Georgie’s face changed then, her expression fierce, like that of a warrior as she looked at both Dalton and Isabelle.

“You’re both going to have to fight.”

“Tell me what I have to do,” Isabelle said, determination filling her. “I don’t want them to take me again. I won’t let them take me again.” She looked to Dalton, communicating her desires without words. He would understand what she meant.

She’d rather die than let the Sons of Darkness have her.

“You have to break through these losses in time. Work with Dalton on your memories. Allow him to get closer. You’re going to need him in this battle.”

How much closer? If the demon part of her wanted Dalton, shouldn’t she keep him as far away as possible?

“I know the question you’re not asking,” Georgie said. She stood and moved toward the sink, put a few dishes away, then turned and crossed her arms, staring down at both of them. “The answer is no. Don’t keep Dalton away from you. Draw him near. He is all that is good within you. You are all that is good within him. But you have to sift through the darkness together to find the light within each other. Search, until you discover it.”

Isabelle was floating, sinking into a blissful, dark silence. She felt weightless, as if she were sailing on a cloud in the moonless sky, no destination in mind. Nothing in front of her, nothing behind her. She reached out, sensed only misty, cool air surrounding her. She’d never felt more at peace.