Dreamscape

by Christie Rich

  She runs her fingers along the edge of a cushion. “And I am like you now?”

  I frown, worried about the choice I must make. “Almost. Unless we are mated, if you return to the mortal realm, you will be fully mortal again.”

  Mated? So many emotions roll inside me. The word mate mixed with Seth sends a zing through my belly. Heat branches out in my cheeks until I have to glance away from him. I don’t look away fast enough to miss his smile. I cringe, not because his smile alarms me, but because seeing it makes my heart ache for a man I will never have.

  “I’m sorry,” he says, his voice soft with compassion. His smile reminds me of Jason in a strange way. In fact, he has many of the same mannerisms, which is really disturbing. I’m starting to wonder if Jason is one of the brothers Seth mentioned, but why wouldn’t he have come for me himself if that were the case? If Jason were real, I don’t know what I would do. “I have no desire to make you uncomfortable. I am merely attempting to explain things to you.”

  I wave him off. “It’s fine. So, let me see if I understand what you’ve told me so far. We are on the brink of losing the Earth to the Erobos, which are what those guys that chased us are?” He nods and I take a deep breath to steady my heartbeat. “You think I agreed to come here?”

  He shifts in his chair and crosses his legs. “You and I had an agreement.”

  The surety in his tone makes me question all I think I know. “Why don’t I remember our agreement?”

  His eyes sweep over me. “It’s complicated.”

  “This whole thing is a little overwhelming, Seth, so I don’t think adding a little info to the mix is going to mean much of a difference. I’m asking you for answers, even if I won’t like them.”

  He scratches the scruff that sharpens the angles of his jaw. “As I said before, I need to show you something, and that’s why it’s complicated. I no longer have the ability to show you what I need to easily.”

  “But there is a way?”

  “You are overwrought as it is. I am uncertain if showing you right now would be the best course.”

  I sit up and pull my feet underneath me. “Yeah, I’m upset. Having my life threatened kind of does that to me, but I need to know what is going on.”

  He nods, his blue eyes intense. “I blew the portal to Richard’s dream world. It was necessary. I could no longer take Daegan looking at you, and in the state I was in, I needed to sever his influence on me. However, I may have been a bit hasty. You see, I only have access to one other world at the moment and I am hesitant to call it forward. If I am to show you what you need to know, I need to use that world.”

  I shrug and pick at a scab on my arm. “So what’s the problem? I’m not going to freak out.”

  “You most definitely will freak out, Amelia. It is your dream world.”

  Hope springs in my heart, but if I know Amelia, she will not take well to the news I will give her. I’ve been preparing for a new companion for a very long time, but I could have never prepared for the way this girl affects me. The truth is, it has only been four years since I first noticed her.

  Her dreams called to me at a moment when I was particularly weak. She was the brightness that broke through my storm. I keep reminding myself she doesn’t remember the time we’ve spent together. When I show her who I am, will she continue to deny our connection to protect herself? Will she distance herself from me further?

  That doesn’t matter. I won her over once. I can do it again.

  All I have to do is be patient. Her full lips pinch together, making me wonder what she is thinking.

  “It doesn’t matter,” she finally says. “I will try not to freak out, but you might be right if you’re talking about the place I think you are.”

  It’s time to give her the truth in the simplest way I can, since even in her dreams that is how I won her over. “You have only had a mere taste of the conflict my team and I face every day. We had hoped you would be able to aid us. Now, with the Erobos fully aware of you, we will have to regroup.” I stand. “Before we proceed, there are some rules I need you to agree to.”

  Her eyes cloud with distrust. “Yeah, what’s that?”

  “First, I need you to promise me that no matter what you see you will not follow me into the Dreamscape.”

  She gives me a derisive smirk and says, “As if. I’ve had enough of the place for today, thanks. What else?”

  “You promise to discuss this with me once we are through.”

  Her tongue darts out to wet her lips, and I am frozen watching her. Keeping my distance is much more difficult than I imagined. With any luck, I will no longer have to in a few minutes. I wait for her reply, which is a simple nod.

  Whirling away from her, I move toward the pit, calling the flames. The wall of fire bursts forth and she lets out a yelp, no doubt remembering her burn. Such a foolish mistake. I needed her to trust me and the first thing I did was hurt her.

  I look back at her before I step through the barrier. She sticks the tip of her finger into her mouth and nods. To distract myself, I close my eyes momentarily. “You will not be harmed, so long as you stay put. Do you understand?”

  I wait for her to nod again before I move forward. When I reach the wall, I hesitate, letting her feel the heat of the flames, letting her process what is about to happen. Then I call her dream world forward. A smile stretches my mouth when I catch a glimpse of our waterfall.

  She gasps, and I wait for her reaction to turn volatile. When she doesn’t say another word, I step through the flames.

  I’m afraid to look at her, which only makes this moment harder to control. “Are you ready? Can you see me clearly? If you need to, you can move closer to the flames.” I tell her.

  With the soft movements of a dancer, she folds her hands in her lap. “I think so. It’s just unbelievable…all this. I’ve never believed in the paranormal.”

  My brows lift. “What about your mind reading?”

  She scoffs. “I don’t read minds. Sometimes, I feel what other people do. That’s all.”

  I give her a half smirk. “Who are you trying to convince here, Amelia?”

  Her cordial expression shifts into a frown. “Just get on with it. I’m tired.”

  I bet she is. It’s been three full days since I came for her. I’m not sure if she can’t sleep or won’t. If it’s the former, I can help. If it’s the latter, only time or exhaustion will handle her stubborn resolve.

  Not knowing exactly where to start, I shift uncomfortably. I take a deep breath before I begin. “Before I show you, I’d like you to understand a few things. As I have told you, I need your help. You show more promise than any soul I’ve seen in more than nine hundred years. Not everyone can handle this life, but I’m convinced that you can.

  “You see, I collect people with certain…talents. I have a team I’d like you to join. Richard, the lad from your old apartment complex, is part of that team.”

  She stiffens while her eyes turn incredulous. “He’s just a boy.”

  “A boy with a crush on you,” I say, smiling.

  Her jaw muscles jump. “What does that have to do with anything? He’s a nice kid that shouldn’t be involved with that guy and his army. I don’t want anything bad to happen to him.”

  “Neither do I, Amelia. Richard is doing his part to protect your world from the Erobos. Tis true he’s a lad, but that does not preclude him from being an asset to our cause.”

  With every excuse I utter, her frown hardens. “Why can’t someone else help? Why does it have to be him?”

  Her attachment to him is deeper than I could have guessed. “I must take those who respond to contact. Richard is talented. Since he knows you, you might be able to assist me in training him, once you are trained, of course, assuming we can figure a way around the obvious barrier of you being hunted now.”

  “Of course,” she says, rolling the hem of her shirt between her fingers. “You take what you can get, right?”

  “Precisely. I am ho
peful that once you are trained, you will be able to recruit those who are out of my current reach. We could make real progress with your assistance.”

  She cocks her head. “You want me to believe you have a whole army of dreamers out there waiting to help rid the Earth of the Erobos.”

  “I not only have dreamers, like Richard. Other members of my team are not from your world.”

  “Right,” she says. “So they are from that Netherworld place.”

  “Not exactly. They came to the Dreamscape through the Netherworld.”

  Her eyes narrow fractionally. “How?”

  “Showing you will be preferable to telling you. There are some things that are not quite translatable into language. You exhibited much promise in the Dreamscape. I am eager to start your training.”

  Going pale, she swallows. “What do you mean? You’re not talking about today, are you? You’ve seen me in the Dreamscape?” She lifts a hand, pointing to the landscape behind me. “In my dream world?”

  I nod.

  “I don’t remember seeing you, ever, especially in my dreams.”

  “It’s time for me to disclose some truths to you, Amelia. This will be hard for you to face, but you must have this information before we can proceed with your training.”

  Her face drains of the last remaining color she had, but with each word she utters her cheeks grow redder. “I’m ready.”

  Our gazes lock. “I know you, Amelia, and you know me.” I motion at the pool. “This is the first place we met.”

  My eyes can’t seem to stay still. I look at everything in the flames but Seth. There’s no way he should know about my most intimate dream, not to mention my most embarrassing, yet here he is violating the sanctuary I had with Jason, just like that other guy. Wow, I almost forgot about him. What was it he told me? I can’t remember at the moment, but maybe I should give it more thought. It may be significant. If Seth reached me through the Dreamscape, does that mean someone else could too?

  My dreams have always been vivid, but this one was surreal. I was only fourteen when I had it the first time. I was lying on a used mattress infested with bedbugs. The itching was so bad sometimes I couldn’t sleep at all, but that night I fell into this amazing dream.

  The first thing I noticed was a waterfall so high I could barely see the top. The cool mist caressed my already wet skin, taking away the sting of the bites all over my body. The next thing that caught my eye was the half-naked boy dipping into the pool not ten yards away from me.

  His black hair was slicked back and his tanned skin glowed in the afternoon sun. I’d never had a dream like that one—the kind that feels so real you’re sure you’ll never wake up…but unfortunately I always did.

  “I’ve never met you in a dream or otherwise. What’s your angle?” When he doesn’t answer right away, the tug of a frown pulls my lips. “Answer me!” I demand.

  “I was there,” Seth says casually, taking a seat on my favorite rock and crossing his legs like one of those sophisticated businessmen Justine always drooled at.

  For a moment I’m so mortified even my fingers blush, then I’m just mad. He had no right to see private moments like that. I give him a hard stare and say, “So you are a perv.”

  He laughs. “It is not what you think, Amelia. Even though I do have the ability to monitor dreams—”

  “Perv and a voyeur.”

  He laughs again. Why does the sound make my stomach erupt with butterflies? Images from my favorite dream float into my mind—me, dipping a bare toe into the water. The first time my gaze connects with Jason’s. The way his dark hair falls over his forehead in that undeniably sexy way. His unusual eyes, the color of a morning sky.

  I stare at Seth, who eyes me speculatively. He’s got the same-colored eyes as Jason. In fact, they share many traits. The strong jaw. The tall frame. The long, tapered fingers. The major difference is hair color, that and a few extra years. I mean, if you made Jason’s cheeks a bit more chiseled and cut a slight dimple in his chin, they could be brothers, or… My blood rushes to my toes. Is he saying he was there, there?

  My hand covers my mouth, and I shoot to my feet. He did say he could transform, but I thought he just meant like into a leopard or something.

  He stands, his eyes traveling over me. I’ve seen that look before.

  It’s Jason. Seth is Jason.

  Tears trickle down my face from just thinking of him. I haven’t dreamed of him in weeks. My dreams just stopped.

  Seth stands there looking at me calmly, as if my world didn’t just disintegrate. “What is the matter, Amelia?”

  I can’t let him know that I know. It’s too weird. All the feelings I’ve had for Jason rush into me, and all I want to do is join Seth in the place that feels like home to me, but I can’t reconcile the man in front of me with the one I met at the waterfall.

  Why disguise his appearance at all?

  A haunting sound comes from me, and I stand, shaking my head.

  He grimaces. “You said you would try not to freak out.” When I don’t answer, he says, “Amelia? Talk to me, please.”

  He can’t know what I’m thinking, but his tone says otherwise.

  He’s only a few feet away. My heartbeat bangs so loud, I’m sure he can hear it.

  Not knowing what else to do, I say, “Just show me, Seth.”

  She knows.

  My heart soars on a cloud. All I can think about is holding her like I’ve done so many times before, but now she will know whose arms are wrapped around her.

  With her staring on from my living room, I shift. The air around me hums with electricity, and I close my eyes to focus on the transformation. It takes only a few seconds if I concentrate. “Hello, Amelia,” I say in a slightly higher voice. “It’s good to see you again.”

  Her mouth falls open, but I force myself not to laugh at her bewildered expression. She stammers for a second. “You just—” Her hand covers her mouth as she sways on her feet. “Why?” she asks. Her face contorts in pain.

  Taking a deep breath, I swallow my regret. “I thought it was necessary. If I could go back and change things, I would never have been anyone but myself with you.”

  “How can I trust you? You lied to me.” She backs up toward her room. “I thought you were going to tell me Jason was your brother or part of your team.”

  My pulse throbs in my ears. “I’m so sorry, Mel.”

  “Don’t call me that! You’re not Jason. You can’t be Jason!” She folds her arms over her chest. “How could you use me like this?”

  I scoff. “Use you? I’ve saved you.”

  “I never asked you to do anything. I can take care of myself.”

  “That was evident. You were about to be evicted.”

  “Who the hell are you?”

  “I’ve already explained this, Amelia.”

  “Stop saying my name!”

  “Why? Why does it bother you so badly?”

  “I just—” Her chest heaves as her heart races. She tips forward, her eyes rolling back into her head; she’s going to swoon. She’s right. I am a jerk.

  I rush forward and catch her before her knees hit the floor. I should have realized she wasn’t strong enough to face this yet. Even still, I know my options are limited.

  She weighs so little, she’s like carrying a child. I protect her head with my shoulder and carry her to the couch.

  Because I may not ever be able to do this again, I hold her close, savoring the feel of her weight in my lap. In this moment, my need for her is not sexual. I’m overcome with the desire to protect this woman, yet I have purposely placed her in harm’s way.

  I inwardly scold myself for ruining her life. From the moment I first noticed her all I could think about was what I wanted, how she filled me with hope. Now all I can think about is how selfish I’ve been.

  I tell myself I made the right choice. She was the strongest. I tested them all, but now, in this moment, I wish I had picked another. I could have made sure she had a
prosperous life, but I chose to laden her with my burdens.

  My fingers trace the sinewy line of her long neck. To feel her for real has been a dream of mine, yet this moment is more nightmare than dream.

  Finally, her breathing steadies and her muscles relax. I will let her rest.

  Giving Baltek a silent command to stay, I take Amelia back to her room. Releasing her is painful, but I make my arms lower her to the bed. I spread the blankets over her body and lean over her. A gulp of regret sticks in my throat as I allow myself to kiss her lips.

  I square my shoulders and shut the door behind me.

  Man that was a weird dream. I’ve had some doozies before, but this one has got to be the weirdest. I’ve got to get some food in me.

  My body aches as if I haven’t moved in days. Even twisting to my side shoots pain down my back. I’m no old woman, so this worries me a little.

  I shrug it off, though, because I don’t have time to think about stiff muscles. I’ve got to find new digs today.

  Flashes from my dream still linger with me. The man, I even remember his name: Seth. A shiver slices through me. He was so real.

  I’ve never had such a visceral response to a man that doesn’t exist before. Not even Jason. I stop my mind from going there. If I allow the corruption to spread, I won’t be able to distinguish the two men. Not that either exists, but Jason has been important to me. He’s given me hope when I didn’t have any. Now this Seth wants to take his place? I don’t think so.

  It’s still pitch black outside. All I want to do is curl back into sleep, but my mouth is so dry, I could empty the Great Lakes. Even though my legs don’t want to move, I force them over the side of the bed. The minute my tootsies touch the carpet, panic hits me. It’s wrong. It’s all wrong.

  The carpet in my apartment is berber, not this luscious junk under my feet.

  Where am I?

  A horrifying thought hits me. Is it possible I wasn’t dreaming?

  My eyes slowly adjust to the darkness, and I slam them tight again when the silhouette of the wardrobe across the room comes into focus. I’m in Seth’s place.