EVA

"IF TONIGHT GETS ANY WEIRDER, the Winchesters are going to break down my door."

Bobbi paced her living room, shaking her head as if she didn't believe her own words.

Eva wasn't sure she did, either.

After the trance-like sleepwalking spell to her coworker vaporizing a mountain lion, sitting on the couch beside her fictional character pushed her brain to its limit. Her head pounded with such ferocity that she was certain it would crack apart.

If it was that bad for her, she could only imagine what it was like for Bobbi. An hour ago, her best friend had been eyeball deep in a Supernatural binge, and now they were all living it.

Eva had a lot of explaining to do—from why she had been towing a man covered in blood and mountain lion ash to how he had ripped himself from the pages of her novels. But Bobbi had yet to doubt her, and she helped the two of them up the stairs with a stern warning to not get blood on her brand new carpet.

A soft gulp pulled Eva's attention back to Emrys, who sipped at a cup of ice water. Somehow, he had come around from the attack. Still not back to normal, but no longer teetering on the verge of death.

Bobbi's bare feet stopped slapping across the hardwood floor as she prodded the shutters, peering through the slit between her fingers. Sirens wailed in the distance, undoubtedly looking for the source of the power surge and blood-chilling screams. Emrys had assured her they wouldn't find him, but it hadn't kept her from frantically pacing the entire night.

Finally, Bobbi flicked the shutters closed and turned to face him. "Are you just going to sit there, or are you actually going to explain what the hell is happening?"

She hadn't come near the couch since giving him his drink—and even that had taken a considerable amount of begging from Eva, who refused to leave his beaten and bloodied side.

"I thought I'd take a minute to... I don't know, stop bleeding to death," Emrys muttered, half-echoed into his cup.

Bobbi was not amused. "I don't get it. You can't be him."

Emrys lowered his eyes to his body. "Pretty sure I am."

"Eva said you were just Jensen."

Emrys' laugh was so lighthearted that it made Eva do a double take. Did he find it funny?

"That's because I am Jensen. I would show you, but..." He lifted the edge of his shirt, drenched in a sickening shade of maroon. "Little under the weather right now."

As he peeled the fabric from his skin, even Bobbi drew closer to examine his wound. Where the feline's claws had dug trenches into his stomach, the skin had already begun to heal. The area remained an ugly red, tinted from his blood-soaked clothes. But aside from thin scabs marring the once-filleted flesh, there was no sign he had been that close to death.

"I don't understand," said Eva. "I've watched you heal yourself. You turn your body to ash and meld it back together with hellfire. Why can't you—"

"Cool down period."

The words left his mouth so matter-of-factly that Eva paused, jaw half-open. "What?"

Emrys tugged his shirt back down. "My powers aren't limitless. I need time to recharge, and if you can't tell, I'm not really in great shape right now." He leaned forward, setting his cup on the coffee table. "When I change forms, I'm consumed in radiant light. It was the only way to fry that son of a bitch with my powers on the fritz."

"You've never had a cool down before," Eva pointed out. "All the years I've written about you, your magic has been borderline limitless."

It started with a smile. Emrys' lips spread wide and he covered his mouth with his hand, but couldn't contain his laughter.

"You got a few things wrong."

Once again, Eva could only stare at him while he clasped his hands together. "A few things wrong?"

"A lot, actually. For a Visionary, you were pretty easy to fool."

The words didn't sound real as they left his mouth. She shook her head right along with Bobbi, who stood in stunned silence.

Eva rubbed the side of her face. "If I am one, how did I get things wrong?"

"We blocked your dreams."

Pride glimmered in Emrys' eyes. Eva cocked her head in confusion, and he patted her knee gently, but he removed his hand when she recoiled at the touch.

"Thana learned about you before you knew about her," he said. "She hadn't been feeling well, so we turned in early that night. In her dreams, she saw you playing that fantasy game with your friends."

Bobbi shifted uncomfortably, sinking into a nearby armchair.

"The signs were all there," continued Emrys. "She woke up in a fog, calling herself 'Eva.' When I finally got her to come around, she swore up and down that the dream was real, so we called in reinforcements."

Eva's throat went dry. "Reinforcements?"

"Amaya."

The name sent a shiver throughout her body. Despite all the years she'd written her series, Amaya remained as much of a mystery as the first time she'd appeared. She was a friend to Thana—or seemed to be, in some form. While blunt and cynical, the youthful witch had never led her characters too far astray, despite a few unfortunate missions gone awry.

But, just as Jade had pointed out not even a week prior, no one knew where Amaya came from or what her true purpose was besides being a guiding hand in Thana and Emrys' journey. Time after time, the mysterious woman had proven to be highly unpredictable.

"Amaya was convinced we were followed by a powerful Visionary," Emrys said. "We would've been fools to trust you. So, she used a spell that would alter your dreams enough for you to never know the truth."

Eva found herself speechless. After everything else that had gone down that night, her aching brain made her long for an aspirin. "What else did I get wrong?"

"We have plumbing, and stoves... oh, and single-serve brewers." Emrys nudged Eva playfully. "Just haven't figured out vehicles yet."

"Astraela was supposed to be medieval."

Emrys dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "You have that fantasy board game in mind. We're not archaic. Some of the larger cities, like Luxanima, have permanent spies on Earth to discover new innovations."

"Why not just steal electricity?" asked Bobbi.

"Doesn't mix well with magic." Emrys looked between the two women, who stared him down as if he had five heads. "Look, if you Others didn't have it, you wouldn't survive. At least the Blessed have magic."

Bobbi shook her head. "Others?"

"You guys. Humans. Or, the ones without powers, no magical affinities... come to find out, without those, humans are pretty useless. No offense."

"I'm offended."

Emrys ignored her. "The Others were banished to Earth by our gods eons ago. So long that our history books have more theories about it than concrete answers. The Blessed"—he gestured to himself—"remain in my world."

"So," said Eva, "you steal all your ideas from 'useless' people."

When Emrys' face twisted between multiple expressions, she couldn't tell if he was ready to laugh or hurriedly and awkwardly defend himself. Thankfully, he was saved by the sofa's soft creak. Bobbi stood, swiping at the wrinkles on her pajama pants.

"No offense," she said, "but I've had my fill of crazy for one night. Let's get you two cleaned up." She glanced at Eva. "You'll fit in my ex's PJs." Her gaze then fell to Emrys, who had leaned back against the couch for support. "For you... I'll have to see what my brother left here last month."

Eva looked at her with a hollow expression. "You're letting us stay?"

"Can't throw you on the street looking like you gutted each other." Bobbi laughed dryly. "I've got space upstairs. You both can stay the night." She turned to Emrys. "But for the love of god, no more blood stains. I've got enough cleaning to do."

__________