Stone woke a few short hours later to a morning draped in silence. The sunlight barely filtered through the blackout curtains of his hotel room and somehow, that seemed appropriate.
Despite the quiet, a cacophony of last night’s words and actions replayed in his mind.
After the clarity from his walk, they’d all but thrown down and nearly had some sort of hate-sex. Hell, he’d been so close to stripping her bare and showing her exactly why she should stay away.
But something odd had happened.
She’d met his anger, his volatility with her own. She’d been upset—pissed.
And she was right there with him.
She wouldn’t have hated it. He could see it in her eyes.
She wanted it.
She would have enjoyed it.
Somehow, that scared him enough to pull back.
Then he had offered to leave if she needed him to, but the proposition now hung between them like a specter.
Is that what she’d be expecting today?
As he dressed, thoughts of departure tangled with a deep-seated reluctance to untwine his life from hers. The impending visit to the Integratron was supposed to give them answers, and yet for Stone, it loomed as a battleground for hidden truths and suppressed feelings.
This thing between him and Ella was reaching a breaking point. He just wasn’t sure which one of them would break first.
Exiting his room, the corridor stretched out as he walked to the lobby. It was a physical manifestation of the distance he felt growing between him and Ella.
He spotted her by the coffee counter, her posture stiff as she conversed with Jinx and Trudie. The mere sight of her tightened something in his chest—a blend of longing and regret.
Jinx caught him in her gaze as he approached. Her expression bordered on concern and her usual sharpness that missed nothing.
“There you are, Stone,” she called out, her voice cutting through the stillness. “Ready for a day of energy realignment or whatever they claim happens at that dome?”
Stone glanced from Jinx to Ella, the unspoken question settling between them.
Does she want him to go?
Ella’s nostrils flared and her jaw set but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she simply watched him in expectation.
Jinx’s eyes flicked between him and Ella, then back again. “You two okay?” she teased, her voice light but her gaze sharp. “You’re giving off some serious doom-and-gloom vibes. And while you know I love a bit of doom, I don’t think that’s the vibe we want amplified at the Integratron.”
Trudie, holding her coffee to her chest, gave Jinx a look of agreement. “Jinx is right. What’s going on? You both look like you’ve been through the wringer and feel like you need me to take you out back for a Reiki session.”
Their differing approaches to the situation brought Stone a brief, wry smile, but it quickly faded as he focused on the matter at hand.
“It was a rough night,” he admitted, his voice heavy with the weight of his thoughts and the memories tangled in Ella and their explosive tension.
Jinx leaned in, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “Oh, rough night, huh? Do tell. We’ve got all the time in the world, and I’ve got all the curiosity.”
Trudie gave Stone a sympathetic look, her voice soothing as she said, “You don’t have to share, Stone. But if you want to, remember, talking things through can help clear the air. Maybe we can help?”
Stone took a deep breath, the battle inside him evident. “Ella and I are trying to navigate some... complicated dynamics.”
Ella nodded slightly. “Exactly. This curse is exhausting, and we’re just trying to figure out if there’s a way through it.”
Her eyes found his and held them for a beat. The intensity in their depths made Stone uneasy.
What was she trying to say without saying it?
He wished she’d use their mental connection to fill him in.
Jinx clapped her hands together. “Well, this sounds like a proper curse conundrum! Makes my old chaos heart flutter.”
Trudie shot Jinx a disapproving glance before turning back to Stone with a comforting smile. “I’m sure today’s visit to the Integratron will help, even if just a little. It’s a place meant for healing, right? Maybe it will offer some insights, or, at the very least, some peace.”
Jinx chuckled. “Or stir up more chaos if they don’t untuck their chins from their drawers. But I guess, sometimes things need to get worse before they get better.”
Trudie huffed a soft laugh, shaking her head as they all fell into a yawning silence.
Ella finally spoke up, her voice steady but carrying an undercurrent of something fragile. “Stone,” she began, her eyes holding his in a direct gaze that didn’t waver. “I think you should come with us today. We need to figure this out. The Integratron might help us understand the Breath of Selene better and maybe the curse, too. I mean, that’s why we’re here, right? We can’t lose sight of that.”
Stone felt a flicker of surprise, mixed with a cautious relief. Her invitation was a bridge, however tentative, and he took a moment to consider it.
The thought of spending another day in close proximity to her was both daunting and necessary. It was a chance to see if the mysterious healing properties of the Integratron could offer them any insight.
“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice low.
The last thing he wanted was to impose more tension on an already strained situation.
Ella nodded. “Yes, I’m sure. Whatever is happening between us, we can’t ignore it. Maybe today will give us some answers.”
Trudie smiled warmly at them both. “That’s the spirit. Sometimes, facing things head-on is the only way to find peace.”
Jinx grinned mischievously.
“And I’ll be there to watch it all unfold. For emotional support, of course,” she added with a wink.
“I’d be surprised if you weren’t the one causing all the drama just to see it happen,” Stone fired back, unable to stop the words before they were launched.
Ella gasped softly, but Jinx just laughed him off.
“Ah, there’s that cursed guy. Knew you’d come out to play again. Come on, let’s go,” she said, slapping Stone on the back and walking out the door.
Stone’s jaw ticked, but he pressed his lips tighter. He needed to maintain better control of his damn mouth.
As the rest of them gathered their belongings and headed to the car, the air between him and Ella still felt charged.
Today was about more than just seeking healing or experiencing an architectural curiosity. It was about unraveling the mysteries of the Breath of Selene. Once they had it, maybe they’d be able to find a way to mend the fraying edges of their bond.
The drive to the Integratron was quiet, each mile a meditation on the unresolved tensions and potential of the day ahead. Stone hoped like hell they could finally get some answers inside the dome. All of this would be worth it if they did.
The desert landscape spread wide and empty around them.
Arriving at the Integratron, the structure stood resolute under the midday sun, its white dome glaring brightly against the deep blue sky. Unlike the mysterious allure it held under the cloak of night, the daytime view rendered it a more historical landmark than a mystical portal, or source of deep revelations.
The four of them joined a small group of tourists and locals milling about, waiting for the next guided tour. The air buzzed with casual conversation, a stark contrast to the significant purpose that brought Stone and Ella back to this place.
They exchanged a glance, acknowledging the impossibility of exploring privately with so many witnesses.
As they entered the main chamber for the sound bath, the guide’s voice echoed off the smooth walls, explaining the structure’s acoustic properties and historical significance. However, even without her rundown, Stone could feel a tingling sensation that prickled against his skin and beckoned him in the back of his mind.
Stone watched Ella’s determined face as she looked around and a surge of tentative admiration rose within him. The curse had strained them to their limits, and yet here she was, steadfast and brave.
As they settled into the echoing resonance of the Integratron’s chamber, Stone felt the gravity of their task. He wasn’t sure how meditating with a sound bath would help them accomplish their mission.
They should be looking around, testing the integrity of the building or looking under floorboards. Anything but closing their eyes and going all New Age.
Suddenly, a low, resonant hum of the Integratron’s sound bath enveloped the chamber, and Stone felt the vibrations seep deeper into his consciousness than before.
It tilted him off his axis and made a part of him sit up straight and take note.
The sounds were not just auditory but visceral—pulsating through his very being like the heartbeat of the earth itself. Each tone seemed to resonate with a forgotten frequency within him, calling forth memories and sensations that were both alien and intimately familiar. It made his skin hum and his heart race.
He glanced at Ella, who had her eyes closed and seemed to be focusing intently on the sounds. Their hands found each other’s, and a subtle communication passed through their touch—a recognition of something significant happening to them both.
Ella’s hand tightened around his, her pulse a rapid staccato against his palm. Their breathing synchronized, and as the soundscape deepened, the chamber seemed to dissolve around them. The walls, the floor, and even the presence of others in the room faded into a misty periphery. Stone had never felt anything like it.
As the session deepened, the sounds of the Integratron induced a trance-like state, where the physical boundaries of his body felt increasingly irrelevant.
He sensed Ella’s presence intertwined with his own, their mental and emotional barriers dissolving in the shared experience.
No sounds, no words.
Just knowing.
He could rest here forever.
Their spirits, unburdened by the physical constraints of their bodies moved freely. It was a profound peace and connection he hadn’t felt since the curse began—a glimpse of what could be.
What should be.
Suddenly, they were no longer in the Integratron—they were adrift in a vast, starlit expanse that existed somewhere between dream and reality.
Here, the heavy shroud of the curse that had clung to their spirits like chains was absent.
Amidst this shared experience, a vision flickered into clarity—the shimmer of a large, faceted crystal hovering in the space between them. It pulsed with a soft light, rhythmic and soothing.
Stone understood instinctively that this was the Breath of Selene, the source they had been searching for—now tantalizingly within their spiritual grasp. It was just as he had seen in his dream.
But how could they acquire it?
Yet, as the vision of the Breath materialized between them—a shimmering crystal orb of light cradled in the essence of the moon itself—their time was running out.
Stone reached out, desperate to grasp the fading orb, his heart pounding with the fear of losing their only chance to change their fate.
Unfortunately, as quickly as the vision appeared, it faded. The resonant tones of the sound bath slowed, and the tactile sense of the floor beneath them returned.
As the light of the vision waned, Stone felt a sense of impending loss, as if the answers they so desperately sought were dissolving before them.
Their eyes opened almost simultaneously—the immediate world of the Integratron’s dome returning with a sharp focus.
Stone and Ella exchanged a look, each recognizing the significance of what they had just experienced.
“We need more time,” he whispered urgently to Ella as the last notes of the sound bath ebbed away. “We have to come back. Alone.”
Ella nodded, her eyes glowing with intensity. “I agree.”
At least they were on the same page. They needed to return—to explore this vision space without the distractions of a public session.
Jinx, who had been hovering nearby, chimed in with a grin. “Looked like you two were about to levitate or something. What did you find out?”
Trudie observed them with a more understanding gaze.
Ella took a deep breath, then said, “We... I think we saw the Breath of Selene. We need to come back when it’s just us.”
“I knew it.” Jinx grinned, half-teasing, half-serious. “We should have busted through the door last night, then camped out here, eh? You might have solved all your mysteries by now.”
Trudie smiled but gave a gentle shake of her head. “The right moment comes when it’s meant to,” she said thoughtfully. “Tonight will be your time.”
They decided they would return after dark. This time, they would bypass the constraints of a public tour to dive deeper into whatever mystical properties the Integratron held.
Stone had to admit, even he was a convert to its magic.
As they walked toward the exit, plotting their return, the air felt charged with potential. Outside, the daylight was a stark contrast to the dim, resonant chamber.
As they approached the parking lot, ready to regroup and prepare for their nocturnal excursion, a familiar scent caught his attention. Before he could say anything, a voice stopped them in their tracks.
“Leaving already?”