Mesmerized by Julia Crane Page A

face. 
    "Such beauty. It will be a shame to damage her. Jake are you ready to talk?" He wrapped his hand around Lily's hair and yanked her head back.  
    "Yes, just don't touch her. I'll tell you whatever you want to know."
    Lily sucked in a deep breath. The man loosened his grip, and pushed her back towards the other man. "Get her out of here. If Jake disappoints, I'll be back for her."
    ***
    Back in the closet, Lily yanked against her bonds. She struggled with the ropes for a while and rejoiced when she felt them loosen just a bit. 
    It was darker; no light was coming from under the door. She strained to hear voices, but it was eerily quiet. After a while longer, she finally freed her hands from the ropes and rubbed her sore wrists. She reached up and turned the knob of the door. It cracked open. The room itself was empty, but one of the men stood guard at the door. She closed it and sat back down. 
    Leaning back against the wall, she closed her eyes. What was she going to do? She had no idea where Jake was and no clue how to help him, unless she could get the men alone. And then she’d have to...seduce them somehow. Yuck! She touched her necklace and felt the calm wash over her. Suddenly, she recalled a memory of her mother giving her the necklace. Her mother had told her, “It will dampen your power.” How could she have missed something that was right in front of her the whole time? It restricted her power somehow, especially the dreams. She took the necklace off and threw it in the corner. 
    Immediately, she felt the power course through her. It felt strange, as if she were a different person. She felt confident and in charge. She knew she would have those men wrapped around her fingers in no time. 
    Now, if she could get to sleep... She was too wired to fall asleep on her own, but she had an idea. She opened the door loudly alerting the guard to her pretend escape. He came running. “What are you trying to do? Get back in there!”
    “No! Where is Jake?” she yelled, antagonizing him. 
    He grabbed her by the hair. “You’re no match for me, little girl.” He threw her hard into the closet where she banged her head against the wall. 
    Before losing consciousness, she smiled to herself. Good thinking...
     
    Her dream was much more vivid than it had ever been. She could control what she was doing. It was the oddest sensation. She wasn’t sure what to do, but she thought about Jake. Soon, Lily could see him, asleep on the floor. His face was banged up and bloody. She quickly went to him. 
    “Jake, can you hear me?” She caressed his face. “Jake?”
    He moaned and stirred a little bit. “Lily...”
    She bent down close and gently kissed his swollen lips. “I’m gonna get us outta here. You just hang on.”
    She focused on the men that had taken them. The one that knocked her out materialized in her mind. He was fast asleep with drool coming out the side of his mouth. She felt repulsed. She took a deep breath and told herself, I have to do this. 
    Lily touched the man’s face in her dream. He stirred beneath her touch.  She whispered in his ear. "I need you." 
    The man shifted back and forth, but his eyes didn't open. He reached out to touch her and she could feel his hands on her body. Even though her physical body was in another room, she felt violated. It's just a dream, she repeated over and over again in her mind. 
    "Help me." In the dream, Lily turned and ran; the man followed after her. His body was still in the same spot on the floor. 
    "What do you need?" He voice sounded rough and far away.
    "I need to go home." She gave a sexy pout as her eyes met his.
    "I can take you."
    She tilted her head and bit her lip. "No, I need your keys. I promise I'll be back. I’ll repay you for your kindness." She laid her hand on his chest and looked deep in his eyes. She felt like she could see into his soul. "Where are your keys?"
    "On the counter in the kitchen on a steel bowl. But you can't get out