I was screaming as I pulled myself out of my vision. I fought at the arms wrapped around me, but I only succeeded in having them grow tighter.
Voices called out to me as I continued to squirm and struggle. I felt more hands on me, trying to hold me down. Tears started to pour from my eyes, and I screamed and cried for several minutes before I had no strength left to fight with. I rubbed my wrists and felt no shackles, then finally relaxed and let the arms hold me close as I sobbed uncontrollably.
After several moments, I felt my mind grow fuzzy and go blank. My crying stopped, and I quit rubbing my wrists.
"I've blocked her emotions. Give her a second and she should be able to speak."
I looked up at Evan and Lisa. They were both staring at me, concern clear on their faces.
"What happened, dear?" Lisa asked. "What did you see?"
It took me a moment to remember, but after a few seconds I told her, "We lost. He took me and locked me away."
"Did you see him?" Evan asked.
I shook my head. "No, but I was in shackles in a dungeon. I was filthy, so I'd clearly been there a while…" I then remembered the rest of the vision, and I looked up above me.
Sebastian was holding me, staring back at me with fear and concern evident in his expression. At the sight of his sadness, I felt Evan's spell over me break, and my tears pooled in my eyes again. I wanted to reach out to him, but my exhaustion was creeping in fast. I felt my eyelids flutter as his face blurred.
I smiled up at him as I closed my eyes, then rested my head on his chest. "At least I know you'll keep your promise," I told him softly as I drifted off to sleep.
I awoke in bed to the sound of yelling coming from downstairs. I didn't move, immediately feeling that I had not rested nearly long enough and desperately needed more sleep. So desperately, in fact, that it took me several long moments to realize that I was still curled up in Sebastian's arms.
The voices grew more distinct after a moment, and I was able to understand the conversation going on below us.
"I told you we should have hidden her away. She's not going to be strong enough, and her vision just now was proof of that!" Lisa shouted.
"We've changed the future several times before when she had visions. What makes you think this time will be any different?" Evan yelled back.
"I know what we're up against, Evan! I'm trying to be realistic here! I'm not going to let her get taken away and tortured. I can't let that happen to her!"
"She won't be," Evan responded. "She's strong enough. She just needs a little more time."
"Time is not a luxury we have right now! Who knows how long she'll be asleep up there for? And Sebastian is not going to leave her side while she's unconscious. Not after that vision."
"What Sebastian does and doesn't do doesn't matter. So what if we have to defend this place ourselves until she wakes up? Her vision isn't going to take place for a while, based on what she told us. We still have time to prepare."
They were both quiet, and I could feel the tension in the air all the way in the bedroom. I couldn't move or even open my eyes, but I let out a shuddering breath at the emotions in the house.
Sebastian's hand began to comfortingly stroke my hair. I felt myself relax again as he began to help me fall back to sleep.
The conversation below continued, quieter this time, but still audible.
"All she had to do was look at him, and she broke my hold over her. She's so strong already."
"Few things in this world are stronger than a human's love, Evan," Lisa said, and my mind immediately thought of the other times seeing Sebastian's face had helped me break free from a demon's spell. There was the time Evan had lured me out to the cave, the demon in the manor, and looking to Sebastian to warn him was capable of weakening Evan's hold last time. This time I had managed to completely break it...
Lisa continued, "Let's hope that's enough."
Their conversation died out, and the world was quiet again. Sebastian was still petting my hair softly and soothingly, and as I thought back on Lisa's final words, I smiled slightly and managed to move my hand enough to latch onto Sebastian's still arm. His other hand froze for a moment, then he relaxed and continued.
I swear to you, Lisa, I thought as I drifted back to sleep, it will be more than enough.