I nod.
He sets me on my feet and brushes off my lapel as he hands me a piece of pizza. “Look, eat this, and let’s get you back to your mate. You’re not going to do any good avoiding them.”
I take the piece of pizza, eyeing it dubiously. But when I bite in, it’s warm and satisfying, and I slowly feel myself calm.
“I highly doubt anyone will be mad at you once you explain.”
I finish the pizza in a few more bites, then put my hands on my hips with a sigh. “How am I supposed to explain whipping a man within an inch of his life?”
Josh grins, lifting another piece of pizza to his lips. “No explanation when we all agree the man deserves it.”
“But Joey—”
“Probably thinks you’re a hero right now. He’s smart.”
“Jen—”
“Knows you can protect her,” Josh says. “Look, one thing about the women in this world is they like being protected by the right guy. There’s a lot of brutality, so having someone strong who can also be trusted is a benefit. Trust me. She’s probably hot for you right now.”
I stare at him blankly. “Hot? For a monster?”
“Not a monster,” Josh says, shaking his head. “A monster hunter. Look, either way, this won’t get solved by us, so go back and face them. You owe them at least that. If they truly hate you, come back here. But I really don’t think anyone is going to see this as a loss.”
I think about it for a moment, but my heart is still pounding painfully.
I lost control. I’m so ashamed of it.
Josh points his pizza at me. “Plus, don’t you think your mate needs you right now? Don’t you think it was scary for her?”
I blink, then nod at Lorien as I disappear immediately in a puff of smoke, focusing on the stream that leads to my soul bond.
No amount of shame or anything else I feel can keep me from my mate if she needs me.
So I just hope that this goes well.
10
Jen
I send a pained look to Rev, then turn to run after Joey, who probably doesn’t understand what he just saw.
Not that I understand much either.
“Got it,” Jerrek says, striding to the center of the street and kneeling to poke at the gun. “I’ll be there in a minute after I get rid of this.”
What am I going to say to my son? I run inside, push the door shut, and run over to Joey’s bedroom where the door is shut.
Inside, I can hear muttering but not make out the words.
I rap lightly on the door. “Joey? You in there?”
Silence. Then, “Sorry, Mom. I can’t talk now.”
I hang my head slightly. “Are you sure? Because what you just saw, I’m sorry about that.”
Still silence.
“If you want me to break up with Reve…” I’m his mom, not his friend, so in general, I decide how things go around here. But that was his dad Reve just beat up.
The door opens, and Joey peeks out. “Don’t dump Reve. He seems nice.” Joey’s brown eyes dart to the side. “Even if he kicked Mark’s ass when I wanted to be the one who did it.”
My eyes widen. “Joey!”
Joey shrugs. “Sorry, but I hate him. He hurt you.”
I put a hand to my face. “I was young and stupid.”
Joey’s eyes narrow. “He’s evil.”
I exhale. “We still can’t just go around whipping people.”
“Why not?” Joey cocks his head. “I just want to know how to use my whip too.”
“What?”
“To beat up bad guys.”
“You don’t have a whip,” I say, putting my hands on my hips.
“Actually, he does,” Jerrek says, walking up behind me and making me jump. “So do you.”
I straighten, blinking at him. “Seriously?”
“Oh yeah,” Jerrek says, looking down at Joey with folded arms. “Your mom is gonna be a beast when she’s trained. She’s just a little behind.”
“I should be trained soon, then,” Joey says with a nod.
I throw my hands up in the air. “I didn’t agree to any of this. Jerrek, I—”
And then there’s a poof of green smoke and Reve appears, standing next to me and across from Jerrek.
“Reve, you just… appeared…” Jerrek looks worriedly at Joey, but Joey just runs up and throws his arms around Reve’s waist.
Reve looks down in stunned astonishment, and Joey lets him go to crook a finger at him to come down and whisper something.
Reve kneels, and Joey whispers in his ear. Reve grins, looks at me, then nods. Then he stands up, and Joey walks back over to his room.
“Jared, you want to play some Titanfall?”
Jerrek nods. “Sure, buddy.”
They walk into his room, leaving the door open, and I turn to Reve, who looks white as paper.
He takes my hand, squeezing it, and puts it up to his mouth, kissing it.
“I’m so sorry. I lost it in front of Joey. I should have stayed here after. I—”
His eyes are full of pain and worry, so I quickly run forward, enfolding him in a hug.
“It’s fine, Reve. It’s fine.”
His head goes into my shoulder. “I’m not a violent fairy. Not usually, I’m not. Lorien usually manages punishment.”
“Jerrek said you were good at it, whatever that means.”
Reve lifts his head slightly, then sets it back down. “I usually have a lot of self-control, which makes me talented at a lot of things. But I was going to kill him, Jen. I’m so sorry.”
I brush back his hair gently, forcing him to look up at me. “Hey. You did it for me, right?”
He nods, then straightens, leaving his hands at my waist. “I would kill for you easily, soul bond. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” I say, shrugging. “If anything, I guess I should apologize for getting us into this situation in the first place, by having terrible freaking taste—”
“Hey,” he says, bringing me in against his chest and wrapping his arms tightly around me. “Nightmares wouldn’t be nightmares if they didn’t do a great job of cloaking their true intentions. You did nothing wrong.”
We walk to the kitchen, and I sit at the counter while he grabs a glass and opens the fridge to pour juice for me.
It’s so normal and domestic that I could almost forget he’s an immortal fairy who nearly whipped my abusive ex to death.
Almost.
He slides the juice over to me, then pours himself a glass, then sighs. “I do like human food.”
“What do you guys eat again?”
There’s a twinkle in his eyes. “Magic.”
“What does that mean?”
“Fae have to have some secrets,” he says, winking at me.
“No, really. What do you guys eat?”
He looks to the side. “Whatever we want.”
“Right,” I say because we clearly aren’t going to get closer on this.
“Anyway, is there anything you want to ask me about what happened?” Reve says, getting more serious. “Do you look down on me for almost losing control?”
I scratch the back of my head, thinking about it. “No. I mean, he sucks. If I heard from Sandra or Tess that their man hurt them, I guess I’d do the same.” I grin at him. “I don’t have a big-ass whip, though.”
“Yes, you do,” he says, not missing a beat. “I can train you to use it. But all dream fae have whips.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really,” he says. “Like other fae have wands or staffs. We channel our magic, our bonds, into our whip. We use it to fight love duels or dish out punishment.” He grins. “You should ask your friend, Tess. I heard she used hers to save Lorien.”
My cheeks go red just thinking about what I heard of that situation. “Uh, I guess so.”
No one better tie Reve up in a loincloth. I definitely think I’d figure out my whip if that happened.
That’s when I realize it as I look o
ver to see Reve in human form with his ash-blond hair and drinking juice at the counter of my house.
I love him.
I mean, there was a part of me that loved him the second I met him back at Tess’s house.
And then I went into mating thrall that night the fae all danced for us.
Sandra did too, I believe.
But I guess I’ve had a crush on Reve from the moment we met. He’s my physical ideal, whether in fae form or human form. He takes me to worlds I’ve only imagined, makes literal fantasies come true.
But I still don’t know if that will be enough for us.
I never planned to let us get serious. No matter what, I’m not a child anymore to let myself go with girlish fantasies.
I’m a grown woman with a son who needs guidance into becoming a man in this difficult world.
Reve barely even understands this world.
Besides, Reve says he doesn’t own my yesterdays, but I can’t help thinking one day he might resent me for always putting my son before him.
I take a sip of the orange juice, but it tastes bitter in my current mood. Then I feel big, warm, strong arms wrap around me, and I sigh.
How could I ever let Reve go either?
“So what do you think about him being friends with Jerrek?” Reve asks.
I sigh. “Well, Jerrek already mentioned in a weird fae message that he was doing some light surveillance, and honestly, since I trust you guys and it probably helps keep Joey safe too, I don’t mind it.” I take another sip of juice. “I’m just worried about how this is all going to end.”
Reve cocks his head. “What do you mean how it’s going to end?” He gives me a confident grin. “Obviously, it’s going to end by me being your soul bond. Because you’re my dream mate.”
“So what does that make Joey?”
Reve looks at me like I’m being simple. “Another soul bond. Obviously.”
I swallow, jaw tight. I want to believe in this. That it’s going to work out. That it’s not too good to be true.
But other men acted like this before. Good at first. Bad later.
I tried to date a bit after first leaving Mark because, honestly, I didn’t feel that safe on my own, and I couldn’t get a restraining order.
But I just ran into men who were charming until they could get in my pants and pretended Joey was as good as theirs until they realized I really would put him first. Then they always turned sour.
Sometimes I just hate being born a woman. Short. Curvy. Nothing about me feels strong or powerful, though I know not everyone could have stayed this strong through the hard times and raised Joey this way.
But being a single mom is a job that comes with few accolades. And a lot of censure whenever I screw up.
Why do they call us single moms and look down on us when we are the ones who STAY?
The fathers who just leave should be called “abandoner dads” if we are to be called single moms.
I swallow, then look over at Reve. “Joey really will always be my priority,” I say.
Reve nods. “As he should be while he’s still young.”
“Forever,” I say.
Reve cocks his head. “Don’t you think that’s a little overprotective? One day, he will go off to find his own dream mate and make her his top priority. I’m not telling you how to feel about your son, but—”
“No, you’re right,” I say, running a hand through my hair. “God, he’s growing up fast.”
Reve smiles. “He’s growing up well. He has a great mom. I think the only example she still needs to set for him is showing him that her life and needs are valuable also. That she can come first sometimes too.”
I blink back tears at that phrase.
For so many years, I haven’t thought about myself. While working long hours to pay our way, trying to be there for friends, and trying to be a dad and a mom, there wasn’t time for anything but a bit of extra reading.
Maybe a chick flick here or there.
But deep down, there is a hole in my heart where my girlhood went. I didn’t have normal courtship. Engagement. Fairy-tale wedding.
And I’m not one to sit and cry about it usually.
I love Joey, so I love my life.
But aside from Joey, I think I might actually hate my life. I hope Joey never sees it.
“You take such good care of everyone,” Reve says gently, massaging my shoulder. “But we gotta start taking better care of you. You matter too, sweetheart. You matter most to me.”
I let out my breath. It feels like too much to finally have someone to rely on, but I’m also happy about it.
“All right,” I say. Then I turn on my stool and look up into his astonishing teal eyes. “But no more randomly appearing and disappearing on me. And how are we going to explain all of this to Joey?”
Reve bites his lower lip, looking to the side. “I’m not sure exactly what he thinks. I think the fact that he already believes in superheroes and magic is working to our advantage.”
“True,” I say. “What did he tell you back there in the hallway?”
Reve grins. “He just said I did a good job and I could date you as long as I whipped anyone who tried to hurt you.”
I wrinkle my nose at him. “You think that’s enough?”
“No,” Reve says, laughing. “I want to protect you from everything, at all times, but I also want to win your heart. I want to make you happy. I want you to never worry, but I know that’s not possible, so I want to be there when you do. I want to make all your dreams come true.”
I put a hand on his arm, and the touch burns. “You really know how to catch me off guard.”
He wiggles his eyebrows. “Right? After all those dream sequences together, I think I’ve learned at least a bit about you.” He puts a hand on the counter on either side of me, trapping me on the stool facing him.
God, he’s so tall. So gorgeous.
Heat rises in me as I look up into his eyes.
“I’m in your home. I know your son, and we get along. Jerrek is here to help.” He smiles. “Now you just need to fall for me so I can take you to the dream world.”
I nearly fall off my stool, but his arms around me catch me. However, I use my hands on his chest to push him back so I can glare up at him.
“We are not going to the dream realm,” I say fiercely.
“Of course we are,” Reve says, putting his hands on his hips. “It’s much safer there, much more beautiful, and Joey needs dream fae training. Besides, wouldn’t it be better for him to grow up in a world of order and not this broken place?”
My cheeks heat because this “broken place” is the place where I have lived. Where my parents, God rest their souls, toiled and struggled but did give me love.
Plus, Joey just started a new school, and this is his chance to start over.
I don’t want to shake up his life in any way, but especially not by saying, “Oh, here’s a hot fairy I fell for. Now you have to go to a different world.”
No way.
Reve cocks his head in that odd way he has of looking so innocent but so determined at the same time. “Joey would love the dream world. Love discovering his power. And you—”
“What? I’d stay at home, baking brownies?”
Reve shakes his head. “No, you’d be a queen with your own realm. That place in your dreams—”
I shake my head. That’s my place to go and hide when the world is too much. It’s not an actual place where I could raise a son.
“It needs work, but it’s connected to the dream realm. Together with me and Joey, we could make it great. Then, when he finds a princess—”
“No,” I say, putting my hands to my ears as if they could block out any more of Reve’s words.
Everything is just echoing around me now. I have whiplash from thinking things were finally working out when, really, they’re just getting complicated.
Because as much as I didn’t expect this to go anywhere, it seems Reve not only expecte
d it to go this way but that I would just completely adhere to what he wants and drag both myself and Joey into a world we don’t understand.
“I’m a dream warrior,” Reve says, looking at me warily as he takes a step back. “Aside from my mate pursuit and helping Reve and Jerrek, I will need to stay in the dream realm. I was born to protect it. My family—”
“What about my family?”
He folds his arms. “Aren’t they dead?”
I frown. “That doesn’t matter. They’re still here.”
“What about Joey? You just want to leave him here as a human?” Reve starts circling me, folding his arms. “He won’t ever fit in. He has strong blood. I can feel that in him. Perhaps Mark also has nightmare blood.”
“Nightmares?”
“Those banished from the dream world. I recently found out they came here. Lorien tried to banish Josh—”
I put a hand to my forehead. “Sorry, who’s Josh?”
“Rainbow,” Reve says. “Anyway, Mark could be a nightmare. He might not have awakened and doesn’t know about his blood, but he could have resonated with you for that reason. Anyway, Joey—”
My hands tighten into fists. “You leave him out of this. You aren’t turning my son into—into—”
Reve raises an eyebrow, clearly perturbed. “Into what?”
“A fairy!” I yell.
Reve’s lips twitch, but he goes deadly still. “So it’s a bad thing? Being a fairy?”
“No, I—” I let out a sigh. “We have to stay here. Joey and me. We’re humans. This is our home.”
Reve’s jaw tightens, and for the first time, I see him look truly hurt. “But you’re my dream mate, and I—”
I wave a hand. “I don’t believe in all of that. I’m sorry.” My eyes meet his. “I truly like you, Reve. I want this to be more. But I can’t be with someone who wants to uproot Joey. Who keeps insisting that we should bend to his world—”
“Your world,” Reve says, pained. “It’s also your world.”
“Take Jerrek back with you for now,” I say. “Just leave and let me be with my son.”
In Her Dreams Page 7