by Becca Van
The fear running through her coalesced to anger and this time when she trembled, it was in fury. She opened her mouth to speak but then gasped when she felt energy soaking into the skin of her hand. Somehow she was pulling the energy around her into her palm and she kept right on gathering it. Her hair moved and crackled as if full of static, and she watched in awe as a blue and orangey-red ball began to form over the flesh of her hand. She stared for a moment, and then she lifted her gaze to his and let her anger out. The ball of fire went hurtling toward him, but he disappeared into thin air. The sound of his laughter faded away until she was once more alone in her world of mist.
Callie decided it was time to move. It didn’t matter that she couldn’t see more than a foot in front of her or that she had no idea where she was. She needed to get out and she needed to get out now.
* * * *
Vlad was becoming very worried about Callie, and from the look of concern on Dex’s face, so was he. It had been two days and three nights since they had exchanged blood with their mate, and it still looked like she was going to continue sleeping. But what scared him the most was the fact he couldn’t connect with her in any way and neither could Dex. They both should have been able to penetrate her mind, even with her being in the deep sleep of their kind, but they hadn’t been able to.
Something was blocking them out and Vlad didn’t want to punch through the wall in her head and cause her any harm or pain.
“What the hell are we going to do?” Dex asked as he stroked Callie’s cheek. “I don’t like this at all. Something’s not right.”
“I agree.” Vlad placed his hand on her wrist and felt her pulse flutter under his finger. “Her heart rate just escalated.”
Dex moved closer to Callie and leaned down to press his forehead against hers. “She’s sweating, Vlad, but her skin is ice cold.”
“Do you think this is because we did three successive blood exchanges with her? Is this our fault?”
“How the fuck should I know?” Dex snapped.
“Damn it. I don’t know what to think.” Vlad scrubbed a hand down over his face. “Maybe I should ask Zoe to come and take a look at her.”
“Wait!” Dex moved back and stared at Callie. “Look at her breath. You can see it.”
“Oh shit!”
“You think he’s doing this?” Dex asked.
“He’s the only who would. None of our kind would be able to connect with her mind unless they had exchanged blood with her at least once. Pike is so evil and he likes to scare his victims with theatrics. This is exactly something he would do.”
“But does he have the ability to control her dreams?”
“My guess would be yes.”
“How the hell could he do that?” Dex asked.
“You really don’t need me to answer that, do you?”
“No.” Dex sighed. “We have to find a way to get to her without harming her. We have no idea what that fucker is doing to her.”
“I’m worried that if he pulls her in too far we may not get her out again.” Vlad took her cold hand into his and held on tight.
“We need to call Zoe and anyone else who may know what to do.”
“We are two of the oldest vampires in this area, Dex. Surely between us and Zoe we can work out how to bring her back to us.”
“I’m not so sure about that. The wall in her mind is really strong.”
“It has to be Pike. He’s somehow worked out a way to pull her into a dream world and built a wall of magic in her mind,” Vlad said.
“No. I don’t think he’s built that wall. I think Callie has. She’s probably scared out of her mind, and the only way to protect herself is to keep her mind shut up tighter than a bank vault.”
“So what do we do?” Vlad asked.
“We love her.” Dex held up his hand when Vlad went to speak. “I don’t mean make love to her. What I meant was we touch and caress her, tell her how much she means to us, and kiss her.”
“Do you think that’ll work?”
“There’s only one way to find out,” Dex stated.
“And if we can’t get through to her?”
“Then we call Zoe in.”
* * * *
Callie walked slowly through the mist. She was thankful she didn’t bump into anything and end up on her ass, but she wasn’t holding her breath. She still had no idea where she was and could still end up tripping over a fallen branch or bumping into a log.
She was outside somewhere. The air was too cold for her not to be. She could actually see her breath coming out of her mouth, a white cloud every time she exhaled. But what puzzled her most was that she knew she was forgetting something—no not something—someone. Yet every time she tried to remember she came up blank, and although she didn’t like the man who had disappeared she knew he was someone of significance.
She froze when she felt butterfly-light touches all over her body and couldn’t stop a giggle erupting from her mouth. It felt like someone was caressing her naked flesh, but when she looked down she could see that she was wearing a T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.
Maybe she was dreaming after all, or maybe she was really going crazy. Better yet, she may have been hit on the head and was lying in a hospital bed in a coma. Nothing made sense yet she couldn’t shake the feeling of dread lodged in the pit of her stomach. And there was a buzzing in her head, and even though she covered her ears with her hands the noise persisted.
She knew that she had to be losing her grip on reality. Especially after she imagined forming a ball of fire in the palm of her hand and shooting it at man she had conjured with her mind. And although she was scared out of her wits, she also felt really lonely.
There was a huge ache in her chest where her heart was, and it felt like it had been ripped into two pieces and she was filled with grief but had no idea why.
The imagined touches to her body continued, and she felt warm lips brush over hers. Her legs began to tremble and she had to sit down before she fell flat on her face. So that’s exactly what she did. And wouldn’t you know it, as soon as she sat on the damp ground a tree appeared out of nowhere behind her and she leaned back against it.
This was getting weirder and weirder by the moment. It seemed that she was indeed dreaming and she was controlling some of the things in her imaginary world, but there was no way in hell she could have conjured up that spooky guy. Was there?
Callie shivered with cold. That cold had managed to seep right down deep to her very bones, and she wondered if she’d ever feel warm again. The loneliness and grief welled up until tears spilled from her eyes and down her cheeks. She wanted to give in and sob her heart out, but she didn’t. She wasn’t about to fall apart when she had no idea why she was feeling the way she did.
Come on, Callie, pull yourself together. What the hell is wrong with you?
She was so damn tired she wanted to sleep for a year, but she was too cold to even think about sleeping. She pulled her mind from her pity party and concentrated on what felt like hands stroking over her body. The more she felt them the warmer her body grew. It took her a while to realize that four hands were massaging and caressing her. Two were on her arms, and another two were moving over her legs. The more they touched her the warmer she grew, and she was glad when she stopped trembling with cold.
Her eyelids grew heavy and she sighed as she let them close. Even though she was drifting in that half-asleep half-awake state, she was still aware of everything around her. The buzzing in her ears grew louder and louder until she could make out distinctive words. “Love you…come back…wake up…need you…”
Callie settled more comfortably against the tree trunk and concentrated on the voices. The more she reached for them the louder they got. Just as she was about to have an epiphany, the cold came back with a vengeance. She didn’t need to open her eyes to know he was back again. The voices faded into the background, and she trembled as the cold bore deep toward her bones.
Her eyelids fluttered op
en and she sat very still as she watched him moving toward her, she the prey to his predator. The evil was rolling off of him in waves, making her feel sick to her stomach. He stopped but a few feet away from her, and although she tried to make out his features she couldn’t see him.
The hands which had been caressing her body were still there, but their touch felt lighter than before as if they were fading away. She didn’t want them to leave, but she didn’t know how to make them stay. She continued staring at him but she turned her mind inward, reaching out for those hands. Not that she could touch them physically, but if she could grasp onto them mentally maybe she could stop the cold from permeating her soul. Because that was what it felt like. Callie felt if she gave into the cold, she would be lost forever, that she would lose who she was, her very heart, mind, and soul.
The more she concentrated on their touch, the more she felt and warmth began to fill her up from the inside. She knew those hands, she knew she did, but she couldn’t quite follow the thread to bring whomever was touching her into focus. The emptiness in her heart began to fill, and she used the last of her strength to reach out further.
Their names echoed in her mind. Vlad and Dex. They were hers and she was theirs. The images came rushing back at her. First Vlad and then Dexter making love to her, claiming her as theirs for all time.
Although she felt feeble, her hands and muscles trembling with fatigue, the thought of her two men filled her with strength, with power. Callie demanded her body to move, and even though it was difficult when she felt so weak, move she did. She pushed up to her knees using the trunk of the tree for support and then gained her feet. He hadn’t moved so much as a muscle, but she could feel that he was gathering himself for an attack.
Fear that she wouldn’t see her men again permeated her soul, but that fear caused the adrenaline to spike in her system and she used it to her advantage. She was careful this time, trying to keep her emotions from showing, and she began to gather the energy all around her into herself. As she did she started building up a brick wall in her mind. Brick by brick, layer by layer, and as she weaved the protection in her mind she reinforced it with steel. The steel wall formed in front of the brick until she had it so high and wide there was no way for anyone to get around it, over it, or even under it.
Callie had no idea how she was doing what she was, whether it was instinct or pure self-preservation, but she wasn’t about to question it. Not when her life was in danger. The fine hairs on her body felt like they were standing on end as the power melded with her body. Her entire body felt like one big electric conductor, and she wasn’t sure if she would end up getting hurt by pulling so much power into herself, but if she didn’t she knew she wouldn’t survive the night.
Somehow the man standing before her had pulled her into his world. A world that wasn’t real. A dream world maybe. But how could that be? How had he pulled her out of her mind and into his? Was that what he’d done? Or was she controlling what was happening? She was the one who had conjured the tree to lean against. Maybe he had brought her in, but she had some control, too.
That knowledge filled her with confidence. The confidence to escape. Maybe she wouldn’t beat him, but at least she could give him a damn good run for his money and protect herself.
Callie’s body felt like it was highly charged. Her hair felt like it was standing on end but also moving in a breeze. The blood in her hands felt hot but not hot enough to burn her. She wasn’t a violent person, but she knew that this situation warranted this moment. There was no way in hell she was letting this asshole take her away with him and use her for his own nefarious deeds. He wasn’t going to kill her right off, but he was going to use her for her blood and maybe even her body. She couldn’t allow that. The thought of this evil man touching her made her feel sick to her stomach.
Gathering her courage, she pulled her big panties up and let him have it. The energy came pouring out of her and right at him. Blue, orange, and red streaks emitted from her fingertips and the palm of her hands. The heat coming off of her skin was incredible, but still it didn’t harm her.
He moved fast but not quite fast enough. The first blast caught him on the arm. If he hadn’t leapt aside, it would have caught him in the chest. His bellow of rage was loud but didn’t echo because of the fog. The sleeve of his shirt started to smolder and just as she directed the blast toward him again, water began to rain over him. His body tightened and she knew he was preparing to attack.
Callie rushed behind the tree and crouched down. She’d never been gladder that she had. There was a terrible creaking sound and then the trunk snapped. The large trunk falling over the top of her. She dove to the side and rolled away so she wasn’t crushed by the falling tree, and then she jumped to her feet. She searched all around trying to see through the thick mist but he was gone.
How could he come and go from this dream world as he pleased, when she seemed to be stuck? Was she in an alternate reality? Or was she stuck in her own mind?
Chapter Twelve
“Did you feel that?” Dex asked Vlad.
“Yes. The power surge was unbelievable, and the heat coming off of her body is incredible.”
“Look at her hair.” Dex stroked the floating strands away from her face. “She’s using her powers.”
“But how can she do that? We haven’t shown her any of our skills yet.”
“I don’t know. Maybe she has a natural affinity with the energy surrounding her.”
“Thank fuck for that.” Vlad ran his hands up and down her soft silky legs. “I want to call Zoe in.”
“Do it!” Dex said. “I hate not knowing what’s going on with her or who she’s up against, but I have a damn good idea. Maybe we can get Zoe to find a way so one of us can get to her. If we can get into her dream or whatever the hell this is, maybe we can bring her out.”
“Shit, I hope so. I hate not being with her or being able to protect her.”
“I do, too. Call Zoe.”
Dex heard Vlad’s voice in his head as he called the white witch to them. An instant later she was standing in the room close to the bed. She didn’t look at him or Vlad, but kept her gaze on Callie. She sat down on the bed near Callie’s hip and placed the palm of her hand over their mate’s forehead.
Zoe began chanting softly as she closed her eyes. Her voice was too quiet for him to pick up any of the words she spoke, but he felt the magic in the air. Her long, straight silver hair began moving in the unseen breeze, but he could feel her weaving a protection spell around Callie’s body and mind. Some of the tension eased from his muscles as he watched the white witch work. All of a sudden Zoe gasped and stopped murmuring, and she looked up at Vlad and then to him.
“It’s the dark wizard. He’s managed to snare her into a dream world, but Callie has a lot of control. She has a connection with Mother Earth I’ve never felt in a normal human before. I think she had witch blood in her.”
“Is she safe?” Vlad asked the question rattling around in Dex’s head.
Zoe nodded. “For the moment. She’s used powers against him and he’s run for now, but he’ll be back.”
“Is there any way we can help her?” Dex asked. “Can one of us enter into this dream?”
“I think I can get one of you in. I’m sorry that I can’t get both of you there, but it would wipe me out and you’re going to need me to help protect her. He isn’t finished with her by a long shot.”
Dex wasn’t worried about both of them being with Callie, but he couldn’t stand neither of them being able to reach out to her. “What will we have to do to get her back into her own mind and body? What is it going to take to bring her back where she belongs? Will you be able to see what we are doing or saying to her when we go in?”
“No, I won’t be able to feel what you or your woman is feeling or hear what you’re saying, but I will be able to hold that bubble of protection around her body. She’s managed to build a very strong wall in her mind that even Pike can’t penetrate
. She’s made it nearly invincible and doubled the thickness with brick and mortar and steel.” Zoe gathered her long silver-white hair and started to braid it quickly. When she reached the end of the strands, she tapped it with her finger, and a ribbon appeared and tied it off.
She met Vlad’s gaze. “I won’t be able to bring her back. It’s going to be up to you two to do that. As much as I want to send you both in at the same time, I can’t. You have to persuade her it’s safe to come back.”
“You think this is all because she’s scared? Is she scared of us?” Vlad asked in a hoarse voice.
“No, she’s not scared of the two of you. However, she is terrified of the dark wizard. Your mate is very strong, though, because she hasn’t let the fear consume her. She’s actually utilizing the adrenaline from her fear to bring forth her magic.”
Dex glanced at Vlad before looking back at Zoe. There was more she wasn’t telling them. He could see it in her eyes and from the frown on her face. “What else is going on, Zoe?”
“You mate has an aversion to drinking blood from humans.”
“Damn it!” Dex snapped.
“Shit!” Vlad knelt down at the side of the bed and adjusted the covers over Callie’s naked body. “She told us that before we changed her and we explained that we could make it so she wouldn’t ever be aware of drinking blood.”
“That may be so, but did you also tell her that you would be the ones to give her sustenance?”
“No.” Vlad sighed.
“We took it for granted that she would understand. How could we have been so arrogant? So fucking blind? Of course she would find it repugnant to feed from a fellow human.” Dex lifted his hands from her covered legs, stood up, and began to pace.