Free Endless by Jessica Shirvington

voice unnerved me. It infuriated me that he could use a dip in my emotions to get to me. I slammed the door and spun round to face him. He was so close. Instinctively, I struck out to hit him across the face.
    He stumbled back. I moved forwards, using my small advantage. ‘Send me back!’ I demanded. All I could think of was the last time I’d been under exile power in a dream … I needed to regain control.
    Phoenix smirked, wiping away a bead of blood that ran from his nose. ‘Dreams hurt,’ he said, shrugging, before his gaze returned to me. ‘Not exactly news.’
    I narrowed my eyes at him and, lightning fast, he crouched and kicked his leg out, taking my feet from under me. I landed on my back.
    He was right. Dreams hurt.
    He launched himself on top of me, pinning me down. ‘I told you, lover, we need to talk. I’ve gone to considerable lengths to make this happen.’
    It was then that I noticed the strain in his expression. In fact, he was all but trembling.
    ‘You can’t hold me,’ I said.
    He smiled. ‘You’re getting stronger, I’ll give you that.’ He leaned in closer. I was trapped beneath his strength, but even if I hadn’t been, in that moment I was powerless to move under the intensity of his chocolate gaze.
    ‘I could do it, you know. Even here, in our dreams, I could give you everything you desire and take away all that you don’t,’ he said, his voice barely a murmur, as he teased me with the prospect of his empath abilities. The same abilities that I fought so hard against remembering but never succeeded; Phoenix could deliver pure bliss when he chose.
    I was acutely aware of his body on top of mine and hated that the idea of giving in to his power stirred something in me. I gritted my teeth against the temptation.
    ‘Why don’t you, then?’ I challenged.
    He leaned closer, his lips so close that when he spoke they grazed mine. ‘I won’t force you, lover. Despite what you think of me, despite my previous … slip-ups, I’m not that man.’
    I turned my head to the side and started to concentrate on my will, the one thing I knew could pull me out of this dream.
    ‘I thought you weren’t a man at all. You told me you were all exile now.’ I tried to get a handle on my emotions. If I couldn’t control myself, I had no chance of getting out of this.
    ‘Lilith’s growing stronger every day,’ he said.
    I wasn’t interested in hearing him gloat about how they were going to be all-powerful.
    ‘Soon, none of your Grigori will be able to stop her,’ he continued.
    I felt a surge of power within me as I grappled to pull myself away from him. Suddenly we were both back on our feet, standing on opposite sides of the cafe. Any other time, that would have been cool, but not now.
    Phoenix’s eyes widened and his hand reached out. ‘No, Violet, please! We need to talk.’
    I shook my head, finally in control again. ‘So you can tell me how we’re all going to die? I don’t think so.’ I took a step back and the wall behind engulfed me.
    Phoenix screamed. ‘Wait! I need you!’
    I woke with a start, sucking in deep gulps of air.
    Oh God. Oh God.
    Iswept my hands through my damp hair. Lincoln was still asleep. I considered waking him but he looked so content that I just couldn’t.
    Why did he come to me? Was it just to torment me?
    My hands shook and my thoughts raced.
    Why do his final words keep replaying in my head? And that look in his eyes …
    Eventually, sleep impossible, I got up and pulled back the drop-sheet on the wall that Lincoln had set aside for me to paint.
    Somehow I knew I was standing on a precipice, that this was a now-or-never moment. The blank space that I’d bugged him to let me paint for so long and that sported nothing other than a solitary white lily stood before me. For the first time, I knew what I wanted the wall to represent.

    By the time I’d finished painting it was 9 am. Today we would leave for New York and who knew what would follow. I