I whispered, “I know you.”
He nodded once without letting go.
“I… know… how do I know you?”
A tiny smile kicked up the corners of his mouth, but he still didn’t reply.
Then it hit me. Snow globe guy. Seriously? That was who my mind decided to latch on to? The little resin figure inside my snow globe? Actually, maybe I should be impressed at how 3D and real he looked here. Because he was standing there, moving, and he’d even spoken. He gave himself a name. Alaric.
“Where’s your owl?” I asked.
The snow globe man chuckled, a light and joyous sound. “I’m sure he’s fine.” He squeezed my hand, and my gaze drifted down to our locked hands. Why were we still holding hands? That was… strange. But I had no inclination to let go. It was a dream, after all, so there was truly no reason to. I wasn’t breaking any handshake rules here in my own head.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” he whispered suddenly. “Here in my dreams. I didn’t think…” he trailed off with a shake of his head.
“You didn’t think what?”
His eyes bored into mine. “I didn’t think I’d ever get to talk to another person again. I didn’t think I’d ever reach someone… my powers… today was the first day I’ve been able to cast outside my prison. I never thought it would happen.” He pulled me then, yanked me closer so he could whisper into my ear, “You’ve given me hope, Grady. I’m in your debt. You’ve seemed to unlock something, and… thank you. Thank you. You have no idea how long I’ve waited.”
My brow furrowed because his words made no sense at all.
Before I could ask him to clarify, I was sitting up in my bed, taking harsh, deep breaths.
I put my hand over my chest because my heart rate was going nuts, but then the feel of Alaric’s touch raced through me like a memory, and I pulled my hand away to stare at it.
It had only been a dream. Alaric wasn’t real.
Even if he’d felt real.
Even if his touch had felt better than anything I’d ever felt before.
Even if his touch still lingered on my skin like a soft, cold whisper tickling me, here in the real world.
It was just a dream. A very vivid, realistic dream.
Chapter 4
Alaric
I had dream-walked.
I dream-walked.
I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t dream-walked with anyone in centuries, and even when I’d been able to do it any time I wanted, I hadn’t. There hadn’t been anyone for me to dream-walk with back then; I hadn’t had anyone to be that intimate with. No one had been interested in me, not in an emotional way, certainly not for my mind and heart. And dream-walking was all about minds and hearts.
I probably should’ve been terrified that I’d dream-walked with a human, but I wasn’t. I was the opposite. I couldn’t escape my prison when I was awake, but maybe I could escape it when I was asleep. Even for a few hours. If I’d dream-walked once, surely I could do it again.
A smile spread over my face at the thought of meeting with Grady again. At touching him. Talking to him. Being near him.
Even now my hand felt like it was pulsing. Sure, the touch had only happened in our minds, but that was the funny thing about magic. Sometimes things transferred over from the dream world, and if his touch was one of them, I’d have to be sure to hold his hand every time I saw him.
Thank the gods I had decided to lie down last night. I didn’t need sleep or food or water inside my prison, but sometimes I slept if only to pass the time. Time was all I had after all, and knowing I had centuries of it inside this tiny prison made me wish I could sleep more of it away. Even more so now that Grady had dream-walked with me. Now I had something to look forward to every day… hopefully. There had to be a way to ensure he would dream-walk with me again.
Tiberius pecked at my hair, and I knew it was time to rush out to our normal spot before Grady could see that we were missing from it. Since being forced inside the glass globe, Tiberius had become extra sensitive to movement outside. He somehow always knew moments before a human entered the room where our globe was sitting.
Once, long ago, we’d tried communicating with the people on the other side, trying to get them to help us. No, we couldn’t move when a human was looking upon our prison—part of the curse—but we’d tried leaving messages in the snow on the ground, we tried getting humans to help us, humans that had no idea magic was real, and that had… ended in disaster. We’d caused more fights and blood—not to mention tears when someone couldn’t figure out how to help us—than I’d like to admit, so we’d decided to keep our curse to ourselves. We were stuck here, forced to suffer, but that didn’t mean we needed to make others suffer as well. It was a lonely existence, but at least I had my best friend with me.
Tiberius nuzzled my cheek, so I kissed his head before freezing my body in my normal position, only this time, I couldn’t bear to close my eyes. I wanted to see Grady again, I needed to. Grady had seen my eyes yesterday, anyway, so maybe that didn’t matter. I decided to chance it and kept my eyes opened as Grady rounded the corner into the living room.
To my surprise, he headed straight for me, or rather, for the snow globe, and shoved his face close, examining it. As his eyes roamed over me, I realized he was examining me, not the globe. And even with my eyes frozen in place, I examined him back.
He sucked in a deep breath and whispered, “Alaric.”
My body tensed at the sound of my name on his lips, but I couldn’t break my position. No matter how much I wanted to.
“Your eyes… your eyes are open. I thought… but…” He frowned at me.
It was harder than it should have been to not fight the spell that held me in place. I wanted to tell him. I wanted to move. I wanted him to know I was real. But I also knew if I did, he’d likely freak out and be terrified, and I didn’t want to scare him. I didn’t want him to try and save me only to be disappointed when the curse couldn’t be broken. I never wanted to cause him hurt or unhappiness.
“I had a dream about you, Snow Globe Dude, and it was… so real.” He reached out and ran a finger over the glass. “Too bad it wasn’t.” He sighed and shook his head before walking away, and I sighed in relief.
I wanted so badly to follow him, to reach out and touch him, but I knew that wasn’t a possibility, so there was no sense in getting my hopes up or wishing for the impossible. All I could do now was wait for him to go to bed tonight and pray that I was able to dream-walk with him again.
When I opened my eyes, a smile formed on my face. I was in the cabin again. In Grady’s cabin.
“Alaric?”
Turning, I let out a laugh of joy. “You came back.”
Grady’s eyebrows scrunched up. “This is my dream, remember?”
I laughed again and shook my head. “No, it’s our dream.”
He rolled his eyes. “Right. I’m sharing a dream with the resin man inside my snow globe. Perfect.”
Since I knew magic was a foreign concept to him, I didn’t respond to that remark. Instead, I stepped closer to him and held out my hand. Grady stared down at it for a few seconds before shrugging a shoulder and slipping a hand into mine. A gasp left my lips at the same time as one left his, and I knew he felt it as much as I did. What exactly it was, I didn’t know, but it was there. There was almost a humming between us.
“How does this feel so real?” Grady asked.
“Magic,” I responded honestly.
He snorted, thinking I was joking. “Right, magic. And what does that make you? A wizard?”
“Warlock, actually.”
He snorted out another laugh, and I couldn’t help but admire how attractive he was. His blue eyes were so bright, they almost glowed, his jaw was strong, and the splash of freckles on his skin added to the allure. He wasn’t handsome in the classical sense, but that made him even more attractive to me. His kind demeanor made him all that more appealing. That feeling stirred inside of me again, and
I couldn’t help but be surprised that my body was reacting in such a way. I’d thought that part of me had died along with… I shook off the memory before it could grab ahold of me.
I whispered, “You’re a very gorgeous man, Grady Jonathon Shaw.”
His eyebrows rose on his forehead. “Uh huh.” He didn’t believe me.
“I’ve thought so since the first time I saw you. But now that I’ve seen what a good man you are, now that you’re up close, now that there’s no glass separating us, I’m blown away.”
He stared at me for several seconds, then sighed. “Wow. A bit over the top, don’t you think?”
“What?”
“I mean, this is my dream, and apparently, I like giving myself compliments. It’s a bit ridiculous.”
I frowned at him. “I meant every word.”
He laughed. “I’m sure you did.” When my frown deepened, he sighed and muttered under his breath, “Now I’m hurting the dream man’s feelings, great,” then asked me, “Would you like to sit down?”
“Sure.”
Without letting go of my hand, he walked us to the couch where we sat side by side. I shifted our hands so I could lace our fingers together. It felt intimate, holding hands that way, but he didn’t seem to mind, and I quite liked it.
“How was work today?” I asked him.
“It was a little slow. I ended up doing some inventory.”
“You hate doing inventory.”
“How do you know that?”
“I live in your living room. I hear things.”
He stared at me, unblinkingly. “I don’t even know why I’m having a conversation with you. You’re in my head, of course you know all about me.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know everything, only the things I can see or hear from the mantel.”
He chewed on his lip, then shrugged to himself. “How about I ask you things instead?”
“Alright.”
“How old are you?”
Since he believed this was all in his head, I figured it would be acceptable to answer his questions honestly. “I’m… two hundred twenty-six.”
He blinked at me, then started cracking up. “Oh my god, I’m so ridiculous. Who knew I had such a great imagination? So… you’re sticking with this warlock story, then?”
“I’m a warlock, yes.”
He nodded, but his smile told me he thought this whole thing was silly, and not in a good way. “Alright. So you’re a warlock and you live inside a snow globe. How exactly does that work?”
“I was cursed almost two hundred years ago by a witch that wanted revenge on my father.”
“Cursed…”
I nodded, but didn’t offer anything else. He didn’t need to worry himself with all of that.
“You’ve been cursed for two hundred years? You’ve… you’ve lived inside that snow globe for that long?”
“Yes.”
“Snow globes weren’t invented back then.”
I lifted a shoulder. “I wouldn’t know whether that is true or not, but the witch trapped me inside a glass globe. The stone base was later added by a human so I wouldn’t roll off his bookshelf.”
He lifted a brow. “So you’re telling me it’s not a snow globe?”
“I suppose it is, in a sense, since you’re using it as one.”
He scowled. “If it’s just a prison, why didn’t you fall when I flipped you upside down, and why did snow float through the water?”
“There isn’t any water inside, but I suppose the magical essence on the glass may make it look that way. As for me not moving, the curse keeps me frozen, and there’s snow on the bottom, although, I add some of my own magic when the snow falls.”
“You cast a snow spell every time someone shakes the globe?”
I smiled. “Something like that. It’s one of the few pretty things I can do inside.”
“You like snow?”
“Yes… enough that my magic often resembles and feels wintery, or so I’m told.”
He lifted a brow, but didn’t say anything for a long moment. “You’ve been in there all that time?”
The smile fell from my face. “Yes.”
He frowned, and the look on his face filled with sorrow. He felt sorry for me.
“It’s alright. I’m used to it now.”
“Alaric, how—”
“Did you have lunch with Laz today?” I cut him off because I didn’t want to talk about it. Talking about it was the last thing I wanted to do. My situation wasn’t something he needed to worry himself over. There was nothing to be done about it, anyway, so no point in dwelling.
He stared at me for several seconds, then sighed. “Yes, of course.”
“That’s good. I’m glad you have someone in your life.”
“It’s not like that with us. He’s only a friend.”
I smiled. “I know. I meant that I’m happy you have a good friend. That’s important.”
“Thanks.”
“How’s your head feeling? I should have asked sooner. You banged it quite hard on the mantel.”
He sighed. “It’s a little sore, but as long as I don’t lay on it, I’m fine. Just feels bruised.”
I frowned at him, upset that I hadn’t done more. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you before he hurt you.”
His brow furrowed. “It wasn’t your fault.” Then he chewed on his lip for a moment before nodding to himself as if he’d come to a decision. “Were you… did you… was it you? That got rid of him?”
I nodded. “I wish I could’ve reacted quicker—before he hurt you—but yes, it was the first time I’ve been able to use my magic outside my prison since Tib and I were trapped there.”
“Really?”
I nodded and waved him away, deciding to change the subject. “Are you having Laz over for dinner tomorrow night?”
He searched my face with squinty eyes, then nodded. “Yeah, probably. So, Alaric the Snow Globe Dream Guy, do you have any friends?”
He still didn’t get it. He didn’t believe me about the snow globe. I supposed I couldn’t blame him. “My best friend, Tiberius.”
“Where is he? Have you seen him since… you were cursed?”
So maybe he was trying. “He was cursed with me. He’s my familiar.”
His eyebrows scrunched up again. “What do you mean?”
“The owl you see on my shoulder during the day? That’s Tiberius. He’s my familiar and… my only friend.”
“Your… your only friend is an owl?”
I smiled a little. “Yes. Tiberius is a wonderful friend.”
The expression on his face was one I wasn’t accustomed to. Pity. He was pitying me and my situation.
“You don’t need to feel bad. I’m lucky to have him. I wish he could meet you, but I’m not sure my dream magic can carry over to my familiar. I’ve never tried it before. But if you spent time with him, you wouldn’t have that look of pity on your face right now.”
He opened and closed his mouth several times. “I’m not… I’m… sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s alright, Grady. I understand, and I know it’s hard for you to comprehend the bond between a warlock and familiar, but… I haven’t been alone all this time, and I’ll be forever grateful for that.”
Before he could respond, a beeping sound interrupted us.
I sent him a kind smile, and since I had no idea whether or not we’d be able to return here for a third time, I lifted his hand to my mouth, placing a small kiss to his skin. “I hope we cross paths again soon, but if this is the last time we meet, I want you to know that I’ve enjoyed the hours spent in your company. Thank you for that, Grady. I hope… I hope you find what you’re looking for in life, I hope you find someone to love and cherish you the way you deserve.”
I placed one more kiss on his hand, savoring the feel of his soft skin against my lips, and a panicked expression crossed his features before he blinked out of existence.
Chapter 5
&nb
sp; Grady
My eyes shot open, and I sucked in a deep breath as my bedroom came into focus. Running a hand over my forehead and hair, I thought about everything that had happened in my dream. My very vivid dream that I remembered every single second of.
Lifting my hand, I glanced at where Alaric had placed his two sweet kisses. My skin still tingled where he’d held mine the entire time we spoke. It was as if some of that icy warlock magic he’d spoken of had carried over from my dream.
Which made no sense at all.
It was ridiculous to even think that.
It was a dream.
And yet, I could still feel his touch on my skin.
I sucked in a deep breath, then threw the blanket off me and rushed down the steps and into my living room, only stopping when my face was an inch away from the snow globe.
“Alaric?” I whispered as I stared at the tiny man with the owl on his shoulder.
I moved my face so my eyes were staring straight into his, and even though I knew it wasn’t possible, even though I knew I was being stupid, even though I knew I was only seeing what I wanted to see, I would’ve sworn that I could see the depths of his soul in those eyes. I stared into his tiny brown eyes, and I swore he stared right back. I stood there for minutes, praying for some sign, praying that he’d move.
And I knew, I knew, I was being absolutely ridiculous, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. If there was even the slightest chance that he was real…
Shaking my head, I sighed and stood up, muttering to myself, “You’re such an idiot, Grady. It was just a dream… a realistic, weird, and crazy dream.”
I headed out of the living room, but stopped in the archway to glance at the snow globe one last time as I whispered, “You’d tell me if you were real, wouldn’t you, Alaric? You’d give me some sign, right?”
When no answer came, I headed outside for my run, and when I came back inside to head upstairs to get ready for work, I checked on the snow globe again. And—surprise, surprise—there was no movement.
Wishing on a Dream Page 3