A Beautiful Dream: The Dream Trilogy

by Samantha Barrett

  He immediately stopped laughing, all traces of humor wiped from his beautiful face. I didn’t know what I said to upset him so badly.

  “Please don’t call me that; I do not wear that name because I have a choice.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.” I hung my head, not wanting him to see the confusion on my face. I don’t know why his name upset him, but I didn’t want him to be angry with me.

  “Never turn those eyes away from me, mi amor.” I snapped my eyes back up to him. His voice had such a command in it that I knew not to defy him. He always demanded eye contact when we had sex in my dream. I loved staring at him while he pounded into me. Oh God, I needed to stop thinking of that right now. Judging by the smirk on his face, he knew exactly where my mind had drifted. His eyes were burning with desire, and I couldn’t look away. My nether region was getting slick, just by the way he was looking at me. He raised his hand to my face and pulled me close. I could feel the sexual tension building between us. I closed my eyes, waiting for his lips to crash against mine. I wanted him to take me right here, right now. Instead he pulled back and dropped his hand. I snapped my eyes open, not knowing what the hell made him stop. I needed him to relieve the ache between my thighs.

  “We must go, mi amor. The others are awaiting our return.” Before I could answer, he grabbed my hand, and I felt a whoosh of wind—then nothing.

  Chapter 11

  I felt someone shaking me, and heard my name being called. I didn’t want to wake up. I was having the best dream ever. Then I realized it wasn’t a dream; Melakai was here and I wanted to jump his bones again in my dream. Holy fuck! I was acting like a hussy. I got so turned on in my dream that I could feel the pool of liquid between my thighs. I had to find a way to not dream anymore—to block him out somehow. I snapped my eyes open to see Stevie leaning over me with worry lines marring her face.

  “Thank fuck, Sissy. I was about to stake his vampire ass if he didn’t bring you back from wherever the fuck he took you,” she said. I’m a terrible person. Here’s my sister, worried about me, and I’m in a dream trying to screw Kai.

  “I’m okay, Stevie, I swear.” Well, except for the fact that I was feeling needy and hot, thanks to Kai.

  “You smell like you’re more than okay to me,” Tyler retorted, a look of disgust prominent on his face.

  “What the fuck is that supposed to mean, jackass?” Chase snapped.

  “Ask your new coven queen—she knows,” Tyler smugly replied.

  I could feel all eyes on me in that moment. Surely he didn’t mean he scented my arousal, right? Judging by the look on Jackson’s face, I was starting to think they could smell my arousal. Before the tension-filled silence could continue, Kai spoke.

  “She needs to be trained—her power is too great for her to control.”

  “Well, that’s what we’re here to do, Captain Fucking Obvious,” Stevie tartly replied. She stood up and leaned me a helping hand, so I could get to my feet. I didn’t want to talk about this anymore. I just wanted to go back to the cabin and sleep and deal with all this shit tomorrow. It felt like my head was going to explode.

  “We still need to finish our discussion.” Would Randall ever shut up about this fucking treaty?

  “I think Ryan needs rest after what just happened,” Jax answered, looking over and giving me a kind smile. I nodded in return. I felt like Jax could see I was at my limit for the day.

  “You do not tell her what she does and does not need, dog,” Kai roared, and before another fight broke out I quickly intervened.

  “Look, guys—I have had a hell of day and night. If you have to talk, fine, but I’m going home. I’m wiped out.” With that said, I started walking to the door, only to be stopped when Kai suddenly appeared in front of me. I screamed. What I can say? I startle easily.

  “Forgive me, mi amor. I did not mean to scare you,” he said, placing a hand on my shoulder. His touch sent shivers down my spine. In this moment, I would kill to have had his hand or mouth somewhere else. What the fuck is wrong with me? I can’t do this with him anymore. He’s a real person and not just part of my imagination. A part of me felt so betrayed that he lied to me. How would he have told me he was real, though—would I have believed him?

  “Take your hands off her. We will discuss this tomorrow. My sister is tired, and we will be taking her home now,” Stevie announced to the whole room. Kai was gone in a flash. I looked over my shoulder to see him standing by the king. I guess being a vampire meant you were super-fast. They all started discussing when and where to meet tomorrow. I tuned out of their conversation, not wanting to worry myself with more details that would make my head spin. I started for the door again for like the tenth time tonight. When I felt a hand land on the small of my back, I knew who it was before I even saw him; my body reacted to his touch like a paper to a flame. I turned to face Kai.

  “Hey, I’m sorry if I got you in trouble.”

  “I’m fine, mi amor. I’m more worried about you.”

  “I’m fine; I’ve just got a lot going on in my head at the moment.”

  “I would love to try and help you figure out some of those things,” he murmured.

  “I need my sister and cousins to help me figure this power thing out, and I need you to tell me how you can get into my dreams.” I really wished he could be the one to help me sort out this whole power thing, but at the moment I felt like I couldn’t trust him. He lied to me. He was real this whole time and never told me. The things we did together in my dreams…God I feel like such a fucking fool. I was also so ashamed of myself. I behaved like a hussy in my dreams. I mean, my first time having sex in my dreams was with Kai.

  “You would be surprised how much I would be able to help you with your power.”

  “What do you…” Jax, who stood just off to the side of me, interrupted before I could finish my sentence. He had a strange look on his face.

  “We will meet again, Ryan. I’m sorry we couldn’t talk more, but we will get another chance soon.”

  “Um…that’s okay, and it was nice to meet you to Jax,” I said with a forced smile.

  “Tyler and I will come by the cabin in the morning to discuss some matters with you and your family.” Just as he finished speaking, Kai pulled me in front of him and gripped my hips with both hands. I gasped at the contact, and he rested his chin on my head. Jax was growling like an angry dog. I knew what Kai was doing…he was telling Jackson that I was his and to back off. I wasn’t his or anyone’s, and I was about to tell him that, but he spoke first.

  “If you plan on going past in the morning, I think I might make a point to join you all as well. I’m sure Ryan doesn’t mind, do you, love?”

  “Umm…no, you can come.” Oh fuck, I just said that out loud. “I mean come to the cabin.” I could feel the blush creeping up to my cheeks. I hung my head down in shame when I felt Kai shift and wrap one arm around my stomach, with the other lifting my head. He then whispered in my ear.

  “Never look down, mi amor. Your eyes are far too beautiful to be hidden.”

  I blushed harder at that compliment. When he said stuff like this, it made me so confused. He lied to me, but then he could say a few words and I was eating out of the palm of his hand. Jax stepped forward and spoke through clenched teeth.

  “There is no need for you to attend, enforcer…these matters do not concern you.”

  “Let’s not start another pissing contest over my cousin’s affections, okay, dickheads? Now get the fuck off her, Melakai, so we can go home.” Chase looked disgusted, seeing how Kai was holding me.

  Reluctantly, Kai let me go. I somehow knew it pained him to do so. I’ll admit, it pained me as well. When he held me in my dreams, I felt safe and protected. I needed time to think. If he was real, then did that mean Nico was real too?

  “How do you do it?” I asked Kai.

  “Do what, mi amor?”

  “How do you come to be in my dreams?”

  “Ahhhh, Melakai,
please do tell her how you acquired your gifts,” Jax sneered at Kai.

  “That is a story for another time, mi amor.” Kai had a distant look in his eyes as he replied, like he was lost in a dark memory.

  “Come, Ryan, let’s get you home,” Alex said, putting his arm around my shoulders and pulling me to him. With a final look at Kai, I let Alex lead me out of the office.

  Chapter 12

  We finally arrived at the cabin. I was too exhausted to worry about answers for my questions. I decided to get a good night’s rest and drill the others in the morning. With a final bid goodnight to my sister and cousins, I retired to my room.

  After a quick shower, I slipped into a pair of sleep shorts and an old T-shirt. I climb into bed with a heavy feeling on my chest. When I wake up tomorrow, more shit in my life was going to change. I decided right there, in that moment, that I was not going to throw myself a pity party any longer. I was free from my mother and her abuse. I may not have gotten to see my father before he passed, but none of that would hold me back any longer. I was stronger than that.

  Come tomorrow, I would take whatever came at me and demand the answers I needed to make sense of my life. I hated not having control of things in my life. I lived too long with no control, and I would never, never have that taken from me again.

  I was a grown-ass woman now, not some meek kid that could be bullied or hurt. I turned on my side to try and get some sleep and my eyes landed on the letter my dad wrote me, still sitting on the nightstand. I wasn’t ready to read that yet, so I did what any grown women would do: I rolled back over and went to sleep.

  ∞∞∞

  I awoke to the feeling of the warm sun on my face. I smiled to myself. I was never allowed to sleep in. Mother forbade it; she would tell me weird stories about strange things, and I would have to repeat them to her, so she knew I was listening. The only reprieve I got from her was when I was at school or she was drunk and passed out. Refusing to let my thoughts consume me, I climb out of bed, stretching my arms high above my head. After finally being satisfied with my stretch, I made my way to the bathroom to quickly brush my teeth and wash my face. I wanted to meet the others for a nice quiet chat and get some answers, but that was not how it happened.

  After exiting my room and making my way down the hall to the kitchen, I stopped dead in my tracks at seeing Tyler leaning against the front door, a smirk on his face.

  “What the fuck is funny? And why the hell are you here?” I snapped putting my hands on my hips.

  “I guess I’m not the only one standing up this morning,” he said, wiggling his brows. I tilted my head to the side, not understanding what he meant. Then I heard a cough and looked to see the others at the dining table.

  “You might want to put a sweater on, Sissy. You seem a bit cold, if you know what I mean!” It hit me then what Tyler was laughing at: my fucking nipples were on high alert. I forgot to put a bra on before I left my room.

  I quickly covered my chest and pinned Tyler with a dirty look and turned to go and change, when I heard him yell after me.

  “I do love the little piggy sleep shorts you’re wearing too, though, princess!” I groaned, could this morning get any worse? I wanted to slap that smug bastard Tyler.

  I heard a growl come from the kitchen that I could only assume it was Jax trying to tell Tyler to shut his fat mouth. After quickly getting changed into a pair of skinny jeans, Ugg boots and a long-sleeved V-neck shirt—with a bra on this time—I left my room to re-join the others. Once in the kitchen, I made myself a quick cup of coffee and joined Chase at the table.

  “Nice of you to join us, squirt,” Alex quipped.

  “Your mouth is as annoying as your face, Alex, so please shut it, would you?” I said with a devilish smile.

  “Well, I guess you’re still not a morning person, then, eh, Sissy?” Stevie remarked with a snicker.

  “Guess not, Sissy. Anyway, I want answers, and you are all going to give them to me. But first—Jackson, why are you here?” I saw a look of hurt flash past his eyes before he regained himself.

  “I’m here to help you, Miss Knox, and to also discuss the treaty.”

  “Okay, no offense, but I don’t give a shit about some treaty. I just want to know what the fuck I am and if I can give these ’gifts’ back. I don’t want and never asked for them. I just started to get my life back on track, and now all this shit comes out. I mean, can a chick catch a break?” I was flinging my arms in the air like a mad woman, but I didn’t care. I just wanted them to understand that I didn’t want any of this. They may like what they are, but I don’t—not after last night, anyway.

  “The day-walking leech is here, Alpha,” Tyler sneered. Jackson just growled.

  He didn’t knock before entering; he just walked in like he owned the damn cabin. He nodded to the others and smiled at me. With a huff, I stood and shouted at no one in particular.

  “Let’s just invite the whole fucking neighborhood over, shall we? I mean, it’s only Ryan who is the odd one out and doesn’t know shit from dick, right? I stood by and listened while you all talked shit last night about shit I don’t even know about, and now you want to do it again before I can get any answers! Hell to the mother-fucking-no!”

  They all looked at me like I had just grown another head. I was pissed. Jax, Tyler, and now Kai are here? How am I ever going to get any answers, if all they wanted to do was talk about some fucking treaty?

  “You a bit hungry, squirt? There’s bacon and eggs in the microwave. You were never pretty in the mornings or when you’re hungry,” Chase said gently. I deflated a bit. He was right. I was a bitch in the mornings, and I was even worse when I was hungry.

  “Only you know the way to my heart, cousin.” I gave Chase a wink as I made my way to the microwave. Once I got my plate and sat back down at the table, I plopped a bit of bacon into my mouth and moaned—it was so good.

  “I feel like I’m watching food porn” Alex joked while making a funny look with his face. With my mouth full of eggs, I replied.

  “What can I say, food turns me on, baaabbbyyy.” I heard Kai’s sharp intake of breath and Jackson growl as soon as I finished speaking.

  “Ryan, don’t be a goddamn pig, we have guests!” Stevie’s a party pooper. After swallowing my mouthful, I turned to my sister and tartly snapped back.

  “Well, since my outburst, no one has even made a noise, so I forgot they were here, and it’s not like we only just met. One stalks me in my dreams, the other follows me into the woods, and that one”—I said nodding my head in Tyler’s direction—“just checked out my rack, so we may as well be besties, if you ask me.”

  Everyone laughed at that comment, and now with the mood lighter, Kai came and took the seat next to me. Tyler took the seat next to his alpha, on the other side of the table. I don’t know why I was feeling nervous, but I started twisting my hands in my lap, waiting for someone to break the silence. My food was long forgotten now. Suddenly, I felt Kai’s hand on mine, stopping them from fidgeting. I looked up and he gave me a reassuring smile, like everything was going to be okay. I don’t know why, but that small gesture made me feel reassured.

  “Okay, Ryan, we owe you that much. What would you like to know, squirt?” Alex asked, while leaning his elbows on the table.

  “How am I like this? Like, how did I get this power or gift or whatever you call it? Why did you all freak out when I had that dream, in the car ride up here?” Kai gave my hand another reassuring squeeze. I felt better just with him touching me, like he would protect me from all the bad in the world. I was still pissed that he lied to me, but right now I needed his support while I dealt with this conversation.

  Stevie cleared her throat and leaned forward to rest her forearms on the table.

  “I don’t know how else to say this, so I’m just going to say what I think, okay? All the fairy tales about witches, vampires, werewolves, fae, and so on are true. Our grandfather was the one that founded the treaty with Randall Cane and Jackso
n’s father, to keep peace among the races. You’re a born witch from the Knox coven, descendent of Marcus Knox, who was the leader and founder of the Alaskan coven.”

  “Okay, but why did you freak out, about the dream?”

  “Because, we knew then that Melakai was coming for you” I was shocked at Stevie’s reply. I didn’t dare look to Kai; I wanted to hear my sister’s reasons.

  “What do you mean, coming for me, Stevie?”

  “As you know, Melakai has certain gifts. We learned long ago that when he enters a mind, he can persuade a person to do his bidding, or the King’s.”

  “Okay, I'll process that later. So I’m a witch, you’re a witch, Alex and Chase are warlocks. Jax and Tyler are werewolves, and Kai and Randall are vampires. Who the fuck are the fae? I haven’t heard any stories about them.”

  A look of pain passed over Jackson’s face. He shook his head as if to clear his mind of the thoughts he was having. My heart ached for him, as the pain was so clearly written on his face. I could tell from that look he hated the fae. He spoke with such malice and hatred in his tone when he answered my question.

  “The fae are vile creatures that prey on the weak and care for no one but their own kind. They are cruel, heartless beings and need to stay on their side of the veil. If they dare to step foot this side again, my pack will stop at nothing to eradicate their kind from this earth.”

  I felt like there was a big part of this story that I was missing. I don’t know how, but I knew everyone was keeping something from me.

  “Why do I feel like you all are being very cagey and not telling me the full story? I want to know all of it. Don’t lie to me, please—you owe me that much, Stevie,” I said, pinning my sister with a stern look. Stevie wasn’t the one who answered my question, though.

  “We have our suspicion that the fae are the ones who murdered your father, Ryan.” Wait a fucking minute! I thought my dad died from a sudden illness. “We have no proof, as of yet, but when we examined your father’s body, there was a strong stench of magic on him. Every magic user leaves a trail. Witches have a certain scent, and once you have that scent, you will be able to tell who that scent belongs to. The one on your father was not from any witch. The only person or persons that could leave that scent are the fae,” Alex said with a look of remorse on his face, like he never wanted to burden me with that secret.