“Slow down.” He lifts my chin with his finger. “You really want to add me to your harem?”
I nod my head.
“I would be honored to try. I started developing feelings for you the first day you walked through the door of that library.” He grins.
“Really?” I meet his eyes, mine brimming with hope.
“Really.” He chuckles and shakes his head. “How do we do this?”
“Let me handle that.” I smile and close my eyes.
I picture Midnight Rising in my mind again and when I open them, Treyton and I are standing across from my guys.
“Hey everyone.” Treyton waves at the guys awkwardly.
“What’s up, man?” Ryland smiles at the newcomer.
“Hello.” Finn waves back. “So, did Whisper explain our arrangement?” Finn asks, trying to lead the conversation.
“A little bit. You’re all her boyfriends, and if I want in, you need to approve?” Treyton asks, the tips of his ears turning bright pink.
“That’s the simplified version.” Ryland chuckles. “We only date Whisper, and she only dates us. You were a curveball, but we are trying to roll with it. She came to us straight away and was honest. Communication is super important in this arrangement.”
I try to stay cool, but it sounds like Ryland is on board. I squeeze Sam’s hand again, excited about the prospect of everyone coming together. Sam glances down at me, his expression thoughtful.
“Is this what you really want?” I squirm under his gaze. It feels as though he’s staring straight into my soul.
“I think so.” I meet his gaze confidently.
“If it’s what you want, I’m on board.” Sam finally replies.
“Me too.” Finn grins at me.
“I can roll with the punches.” Ryland winks.
“Why am I always the only one?” Max shakes his head then turns to me, his hazel eyes piercing into my soul. “I can’t deny you anything, Whisper.”
“Welcome to the team, that is if you want to be here?” Finn asks Treyton.
“I would be an idiot to say…” Treyton’s words trail off as my eyes pop open.
“Miss, you have to wake up. The Praesidium wants you ready for breakfast.” A maid shakes my shoulder frantically.
“I’m up.” I grumble, trying not to snap at her. If she would have just waited a few more minutes…
I crawl out of bed, and when the maid sees I’m not going back to sleep, she leaves the room and closes the door behind her. I go into the bathroom and take a quick shower.
When I’m dried off and my hair is fixed, I reluctantly pull on a pair of jeans and a shirt, then head down the stairs. Coventry is sitting at the head of the dining table when I enter the room.
“Sit, Miss Lawrence. You need to eat so you can get back to work.” He glares at me, his eyes cutting through me like swords.
I bite my tongue. I poked the bear enough yesterday; the silent treatment will do for now. It’s too early to come up with a witty retort and I’m still irritated I didn’t get to hear Treyton’s answer.
Chapter 13
After breakfast I hurry to the library in hopes of getting Treyton alone. I have to know the rest of his answer but when I walk in, he isn’t anywhere to be seen. My stomach drops, where could he be?
“Good morning Miss Lawrence, are you ready to begin?” Brennus seems to be in a cheery mood this morning.
“Brennus, where’s Treyton? He hasn’t missed a tutoring session since I started coming here.” The ball of fear churning in my stomach almost causes my breakfast to come back up.
“Oh, don’t worry dear; he had a few errands to run for me. He will be joining us after lunch.” He gives me a knowing grin then opens an ancient book. “Today we are going to study foresight, or what some call intuition. It’s the ability to know or see when something is coming or about to happen. Be it good or bad.”
My eyebrows shoot up and he has my full attention. “I didn't know that was actually a thing Nightmares could do.” I reach out and pull the text closer and begin to read.
“So… Brennus? According to the text only rare Nightmares are capable of foresight. Right?” I stare at him waiting excitedly.
“Yes, that’s right. Have you ever just known something was coming? Maybe it played out like a movie in your head? That’s what foresight is like. Some Nightmares grow weak after having a vision and require sleep, others just need to feed.” There is a sparkle in his eyes that tells me he’s on to my secrets.
I hope I can find additional information on this in our secret library. If one of us could harness this power… I haven’t gotten anything about it from the stone, but it could be really useful.
We continue going through different chapters of ancient text until my stomach starts to growl angrily. My cheeks heat up and I glance over at Brennus, and he gives me a knowing smile.
He glances at the clock on the wall. “Let’s take a break for lunch. I know I could use a bathroom break as well.”
I grin at him and start to stand up just as the library door swings open and Treyton walks in holding take out bags.
“I thought you might be hungry.” He holds the bags up and it’s from one of my favorite restaurants in the Nightmare world, Mama Rosa’s.
“How did you know?” I jump up from my seat and rush over snatching the bag out of his hand.
“Well let’s just say you have an awesome group of friends and they gave me a few tips.” He winks at me. “How would you like it if we ate lunch outside? You have to be tired of this stuffy old library.”
“Yes, please save me from these four walls. I feel like they are closing in on me.” I smile at him and follow him out.
Treyton leads me down a long hall to the right of the library door and out the back of the capitol building. It’s bigger than I had imagined, and Coventry has never allowed or bothered to show me the rest of the place.
We walk out the back door and into the sunroom. It’s cozy, the heat radiating in from the glass. Wrought iron tables and chairs line the glass room. We choose the closest one and take a seat, pulling our food out of the bags.
“So, I didn't get a chance to hear the last part of your response before the maid woke me up this morning. Did you decide to join our team?” I try to keep my expression neutral, but my body is vibrating with anticipation.
“I would be an idiot not to. You’re an amazing person and you stand up for those that are not able to stand up for themselves.” He gazes deep inside my eyes, causing me to squirm in all the right ways.
“That’s so sweet of you. I just think everyone should have equal rights. No one should be treated better than others or as slaves.” I take a bite of my food. “Mmmm, this is so good. Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome, but can I ask you something?” he asks between bites of his burger and fries.
“Sure, what do you want to know?” I smile at him, not sure what to expect.
“Could you use help spying on Coventry?” He returns to his food, allowing me time to process how I want to go about answering him.
“I do need to find out what secrets he’s keeping the public from knowing. But this is not the time or place to discuss this. We never know who may be hiding in the bushes and the one thing we don’t want is him to catch wind of it.” I nudge him in the side and wink. “We’ll talk more about it soon.”
“You know, you would be surprised by the things you hear just being a tutor in Coventry’s house. I don’t go sneaking around trying to hear things but just my normal comings and goings. I have accidentally overheard parts and pieces of conversations. I mean we both know Coventry isn’t a quiet talker.” He lets out a deep chuckle that shoots right to my core making me shiver.
We finish our lunch making small talk before returning to the library. Brennus is sitting at the table waiting for us and smiles as we take our seats.
“How was your lunch?” He grins at us knowing twinkle in his wise eyes.
“Lunch
was great. I’m just ready to get this over with.” I notice his face falls upon hearing my words. “It’s not you Brennus. It’s all this reading. I tend to learn better when I’m actively doing. You’re the best tutor I’ve had.”
His spirits lift and the sparkle in his eye returns as he scoots another book in front of me. “This will be the last lesson of the day. Praesidium Coventry says he needs to see you in his office as soon as we are finished.”
My eyes dart over to Treyton and he cocks his eyebrow at me as if to say what now.
“Ok then let’s get to it.” I begin to read out loud from the book only stumbling over my words a few times before finishing the chapter.
“I believe you have got it!” Brennus beams at me as he reaches over and closes the book. “Now you should probably go see what your meeting with Praesidium Coventry is about.”
“Thanks, Brennus. Treyton, I’ll see you soon.” I wink at him and head off to find Coventry.
Brennus knocks on the wall and as soon as Coventry opens it, they slip out. I peek around before stepping in fully.
“Ah Miss Lawrence, let’s get moving. There are a few things we need to discuss but I would rather do it at the house.” He stands and grabs his briefcase.
He teleports us straight to his office at his home and sits behind his desk.
“Have a seat, Miss Lawrence.” He gestures for me to hurry.
I feel like he is seeing right through my clothing and chills run down my spine, causing me to shiver involuntarily. I take a seat in a Queen Anne style wingback chair. It’s beautiful but ridiculously hard and uncomfortable to sit in.
“What do we need to discuss? I’m excelling in my studies and can finish chapters in the ancient language with only a few mistakes.” I reassure him that I’m working hard.
“That's good but not what I wanted to see you about. Brennus will inform me of your progress. I have a dinner in the capital tomorrow night, and you will be in attendance. Your clothing and accessories will be provided for you. We must be on time and there is no room for you to protest. This is a mandatory dinner. There will be particularly important people at the dinner, and you will not embarrass me. You will sit, eat, smile, and speak when and if you are spoken to.” He is now standing and pacing behind his desk.
My temper flares and I glare at him. It takes everything in me to keep from blowing up on this guy. I ball my hands into fists in my lap, my nails digging far enough into my skin to leave half-moon shapes.
“Is that all?” I ask trying not to let the annoyance come out in my tone. “Do I at least get to know what time I need to be ready by?”
“The dinner starts at seven and we will be leaving early. Be downstairs by six thirty. You're dismissed.” He gives me a hard stare letting me know there's no room for other questions.
I stand up and leave as quickly as I can, closing the door a little harder than I meant to. I cross the sitting room and make a beeline for my room. I need time to myself before I say or do something that’s going to make things worse.
I walk into my room shutting the door behind me. I mumble under my breath giving Coventry the piece of my mind. After five minutes of grumbling, I decide to take a bath and try to let some of the worries go but I can’t get over how he treats people. It’s infuriating and I want to punch him in the face.
I slip into the hot bathwater and let the smell of lemongrass and coconuts wash over me. As I inhale the aroma, I feel the tension in my muscles release and I slide lower in the warm water, letting my thoughts drift to my guys and my best friend Lydia. I really need to have a dream walk and pull her in to catch up. I miss her and she needs to hear the news about Treyton.
I’m not sure how long I soak in the tub, but the water has gone cold and the light of day is fading. I stand up grabbing a towel, wrapping it around myself and then another around my hair, then step out of the tub. I finish dressing and step out into my room. I notice a white box has been placed on my bed along with a pair of black, strappy heels, and what appears to be a jewelry box.
I roll my eyes, walk over, pick it all up and drop it on the floor. I don’t even want to see it right now and I don’t care how much it costs. I’m not a paper doll for him to play dress up with.
I climb into bed and close my eyes seeking the refuge of my bestie. Closing my eyes, I search for Lydia. I find her and Korbin walking hand in hand through a fair ground eating cotton candy and laughing at the kids running to jump in line for the next ride.
I walk up behind her and tap her on her shoulder. She spins around with a squeak throwing her hand over her chest.
“Whisper!” She rushes forward and wraps me in a hug. “What are you doing here?”
“I didn't mean to scare you, but I’ve been missing you and thought we could hang out and catch up. You know, a little girl time.” I squeeze her tightly. “Hi Korbin.”
“Of course, as long as you don’t mind if Korbin tags along?” Lydia glances at Korbin and then back to me.
“That’s ok, I don’t mind going and letting you girls have your girl time.” Korbin kisses Lydia on her forehead and vanishes from the dream.
“Should we go to the meadow?” Lydia loops her arm through mine.
“How about we stay here in your dream. It sounds like fun and I could definitely go for some corn dogs covered in mustard.” I bump my shoulder into hers.
Lydia squeals and then wastes no time dragging me to the nearest vendor. We order a couple of corndogs and two large lemonades then find a seat at the nearest picnic table.
“So how are the tutoring sessions going? Anything exciting happened?” Lydia picks up her corn dog and takes a bite leaving traces of mustard on her chin.
“You might need this.” I laugh and hold out a napkin to her. “I enjoy tutoring, but I hate being away from everyone at the academy. What about you, how are you liking tutoring with Finn and Treyton?
“I’m finding the language easy to grasp and understand. Treyton says Finn and I are fast learners. I’m sure that’s a good thing.” She shrugs her shoulders then stands up to throw away her trash.
“So, what are we going to do first, rides or games?” I finish up my lemonade and toss it in the trash as well.
“Let’s go with games.” Lydia’s face becomes a bit queasy at the mention of rides after food.
I loop my arm through hers and we stroll casually through the rows, making our way to the balloon pop.
“So, you know Treyton talks about you in tutoring.” She blurts out excitedly.
“Really?” I feel my cheeks heat as I think of him. “He’s really sweet you know, and those eyes... just see right through me. And he is always willing to help.”
“Of course, he’s willing to help, he’s head over heels for you.” Lydia giggles and nudges me in the ribs. “And from the sounds of it you got it bad for him too.”
“So… I need to tell you something. Promise you won’t freak out?” I try to hide the smile that’s demanding to escape.
“What?” Lydia’s eyes grow concerned. Darn it, it’s hard to mess with her when she appears so innocent.
“Treyton tried to kiss me, and I talked to the guys about it. Long story short I think he’s a new member of my harem.” The smile escapes, stretching from ear to ear.
“That is so awesome. Oh, my gawd I’m so happy for you.” She throws her arms around me in a quick hug.
“I’m just glad the guys were ok with it.” I giggle as we step up to the game counter and wait for the game master to approach us.
“How are you ladies tonight?” He takes our money and hands us three darts each.
We spend the next ten minutes throwing darts and mostly missing, trying to see who could get the biggest stuffed animal. Lydia ended up with an oversized panda and I came away with a large sloth.
“I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time. Thank you for letting me share this dream with you.” I reach out and give her a tight hug.
“Anytime as long as I get to hang out wi
th my bestie. Now let’s find the Tilt-A -Whirl. It’s one of my favorite rides because you can lean to the side and make the bucket spin faster.” She glances around trying to decide which direction we should go. Then grabs my hand and drags me past the screaming rockets, Ferris wheel and several other rides that catch my eye.
“Hey, you do know you passed like five other rides we could have jumped on, right?” I lay on the sarcasm.
“Yeah, I know, but we have to ride this one first then we will ride all the others. Trust me it will be a blast!” She bounces excitedly.
We don’t have to stand in line long before it's our turn to board the ride.
“Tickets please.” The attendant smiles warmly and opens the gate.
I follow Lydia past two buckets before she stops.
“This one.” She points at a red and black bucket stenciled with a red eyed black horse on the back then climbs in. “This one is the best for spinning.”
“And just how do you know that?” I climb in beside her and pull the bar down over our legs.
Lydia stares at me like I’ve really lost it this time. “Because it’s my dream, silly!”
We both bust out laughing. The locks on the ride engage and the breaks let go on the buckets. Lydia and I bounce with excitement.
“Here we go!” Lydia and I begin to sway side to side with the bucket, causing it to spin like crazy before the ride has even gotten up to speed.
The ride speeds up and the attendant blasts the music from the speakers as streaked carnival lights pass us by like a rainbow smeared in the night sky. We try our best to spin through the whole ride and are thrown into a fit of laughter with every spin.
As the ride slows down and I collect myself, I glance over at Lydia.
“Thank you, I really needed this. With everything going on it may be the last fun we have for a while.” I raise the bar that’s holding us in and climb out.
Obstruction By Nightmare (Academy of Broken Dreams Book 3) Page 12