by J. L. McCoy
I growled savagely as I scrambled up from the couch and flung myself in his direction. He stood up just as I reached him and I plunged the dagger over and over again into his torso. We toppled to the ground, me on top of him, as I continued my assault. I was going to kill him and the thought made me insanely happy. I wanted to see his thick red blood coat my milky white alabaster skin; I wanted to bathe myself in the sticky sweet blood of my kill.
I plunged the knife into him again and again, my mind filled with the deepest sense of rage and happiness that I’d ever felt, and I began to smile. I became vaguely aware of laughter and it broke me out of my murderous haze. Amun was on his back, laughing; a delighted smile upon his face.
“You are so beautiful,” he laughed happily. “You are perfect.”
I quickly looked at the dagger in my hand and then back at his torso. There was no blood; no marks of any kind on him. I crawled off of him and dropped the knife as I sat back on my heels. What the hell just happened? I felt the drag on the knife as it entered his flesh. I felt it! I looked back over at him as he sat up and adjusted his black evening jacket. He was perfectly fine; completely uninjured and still laughing.
“You did very well, child,” Amun grinned. “You have pleased me this night.”
He stepped over to me and I gazed up at him. I was still in absolute shock. I had never felt anything like the emotions I had just experienced; never in my life had I been so thrilled to murder someone. I wanted his blood. I actually wanted to bathe myself in his blood. What the hell is happening to me?!
“You are evolving, my sweet,” Amun whispered as he reached down to stroke my cheek. Panic swelled as I got ready to run from him. “Hush, my child,” he whispered soothingly. He began talking to me in a language I had never heard before. His words quickly soaked into me and caressed my soul. They touched some deep part of me and I instantly became calm.
“Abum,” I whispered as I looked up at him adoringly. I spoke in another language, but the fact didn’t seem to register with me.
“Damu,” he smiled as he stroked my hair. “Sittu, Nisiqtu. I will be with you again soon.”
My house started to fade away, taking Amun with it. “Ul,” I cried out as I lifted my hand to try and hold on to him.
*****
I awoke with a start and frantically glanced around my room. The clock on the iPod dock read 4:45am. I was drenched in sweat and my heart was racing. My dream suddenly came flooding back to me as a sob tore itself from my chest. I was so confused and terrified. Part of me despised Amun and was glad to be out of that nightmare, but the other part of me was missing him terribly.
I began crying harder as my inner emotions warred. Is he going to come back and kidnap me? Yes, please. Come to me. I was terrified of these feelings and threw the covers back, bolted out of bed, and left my room. I had only one thing on my mind and that was feeling safe; I needed to be with someone right now.
As I looked desperately up and down the dark, quiet hallway, I spotted my salvation. I opened the door without thought and ran at the end of his bed.
“Archer?” I needfully called out to the dark form in his bed.
Archer stirred and sat up. “Skye? What’s wrong?”
A sob ripped itself from my chest and suddenly the light was on and Archer was standing right in front of me.
“What’s wrong?” he asked worriedly as he searched my face. “Cion, what is it?”
I flung myself to his chest and wrapped my arms around his waist. I held on to him for all I was worth as I cried.
Archer enveloped me in his arms and held me tightly to his chest as he stroked my hair. He whispered soothing words to me as he kissed the top of my head.
It felt so good to be in his arms; I truly felt safe there. I don’t know what the hell is going on but Amun will never be able to get to me here, I thought as I cried.
A few minutes later, my tears had slowed down to the point where I could speak and I lifted my head up to look at Archer.
He worriedly gazed back and forth between my eyes. “What’s wrong, Skye? Tell me, please.”
“I-I had a bad dream,” I sniffed as he gently wiped the tears from my cheeks. “It was bad…very, very bad.”
“Oh, love,” he sighed as he pulled me to his chest again. “You’re safe now. Nothing can happen to you here. I made sure of that.”
I sighed, trying to calm myself, as I held on to him. I’m safe, I repeated silently. Nothing can happen to me here.
Archer squeezed me tighter. “That’s right, baby. You’re safe,” he repeated, reading my mind.
I nodded my head and leaned back from him. “Thank you,” I whispered timidly. “I’m sorry.”
“No,” Archer said sternly. “Don’t ever be sorry for coming to me, Skye; I’m glad you did. I’m here for you, day or night, always.”
I nodded my head, feeling silly for disturbing him, as I stepped back from him and looked down at my hands. I suddenly realized that I was stark naked. My eyes flashed to Archer and he was only wearing a pair of black silk boxers.
“Shit!” I cried out as I tried covering myself quickly with my arms. “I-I-I…,” I stumbled, but words completely failed me. I was standing butt assed naked in my boss/crush’s bedroom.
Archer quickly turned and retrieved his shirt from the chair by his bed. He politely averted his eyes as he draped the long sleeved button down around my shoulders and pulled it closed. I slid my arms into the sleeves as Archer politely fastened it for me. Using his vampire speed, he made quick work of the buttons and soon he was helping me roll up the too-long shirt sleeves.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered as my cheeks flushed red hot with embarrassment.
“Stop apologizing, love,” Archer smiled fondly down at me. “It’s okay, really. You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”
I glanced over my shoulder at his bedroom door and dreaded leaving. I didn’t want to sleep alone for fear of the nightmares returning; I was terrified of seeing Amun again.
I looked back up at Archer and he took my hand, leading me to his bed. “You don’t have to leave, Skye. Sit,” he said as he walked back over to the door and quietly shut it. I watched as he walked over to his dresser and retrieved a pair of black silk pajama pants. He quickly stepped into them and returned to my side. I watched as he carefully pulled back the covers and fluffed his extra pillow.
“Well, don’t just stand there, love,” he smiled sweetly. “Get in.”
I obliged and crawled into the bed and over to the other side. Archer climbed in next to me and reached over to cut off his lamp. The room was plunged into darkness and my body stiffened with fear. My heartbeat must have sped up, because Archer gently instructed me to take a deep breath. I felt his hand reach out for mine and I grabbed onto it for dear life. I felt tears spring to my eyes again and I looked over at Archer.
“Aw, babe,” he tsked as he reached over and pulled me to him. “Don’t cry. It’s going to be okay. I’m here.”
I laid my head on his chest and snuggled into him. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight as he tenderly stroked my back. His smell immediately permeated my senses, flooding me with comfort and desire, and I sighed in contentment.
After a few minutes of silence, Archer whispered to me. “Better?”
“Much,” I mumbled sleepily as I nuzzled his chest hair. I sighed, squeezed him tightly, and drifted off into a blessedly dreamless slumber.
*****
I felt movement under me and my eyes flew open in alarm. I was still firmly wrapped around Archer and I blinked a few times before tilting my head up to look at his face.
“Good morning,” he said kindly, his piercing ice blue eyes gazing down into mine. He was devastatingly handsome first thing in the morning. His five o’clock shadow was on proud display and his eyes were sweet as he tenderly searched my face.
Memories of last night came rushing back to me and I blushed furiously as I disentangled myself from him. “Good morning,” I s
miled reservedly. “I…uh…I’m really sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
Archer sighed as he rolled over onto his side, facing me, and took my hand. “You didn’t disturb me, Skye; your presence never disturbs me. I want you to feel like you can come to me anytime that you need to.”
I sighed as he lifted my hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on the inside of my wrist. “That was just so embarrassing,” I admitted reluctantly. “I was a blubbering mess and to top it all off, I was completely naked.”
Archer chuckled. “Well, you may have minded your nakedness, but I sure didn’t.”
I saw the playful gleam in his eyes and it did funny things to my lower abdomen. “Hush,” I whispered, fighting off a smile.
Archer tugged on my arm and pulled me back into his. He gently kissed my forehead as we laid in silence for a bit. I listened to the slow song of his heart and closed my eyes, feeling truly content.
“What was your dream about?” he asked suddenly.
My eyes tore open at the memory and I shuddered involuntarily. “Amun,” I whispered into his chest hair.
“What happened?” he asked gently as he drew comforting circles on my back with his fingers.
“I was dreaming about shoes,” I admitted shyly, “and I was getting ready to try them on when my dream suddenly changed. I was standing in my house.”
“And?” Archer prompted softly.
“And, I went to make some tea. But I heard something, so I turned around and there he was. I tried to get away, but my doors were locked and, even though I unlocked the deadbolts, they still wouldn’t open.”
“Did the Amun in your dreams hurt you?”
“No,” I shook my head as I sat up. “That’s the weird part. He said he just wanted to talk.”
“Well he didn’t hurt you and it was just a dream so, why were you so scared?” Archer asked, sitting up next to me.
“I…It…was more than a dream,” I confessed reluctantly. “At least it felt that way. I-I can’t remember everything that happened, but what I can recall was really…weird.” I took a deep breath and told him as much as I could about what I remembered. I told him about trying to kill Amun and about waking up feeling conflicted about my emotions toward him.
“What do you mean you didn’t want him to go?” Archer asked worriedly, his brow furrowing in confusion.
“I don’t know…that’s just it. All I remember is feeling anger and then stabbing him…and I remember his laugh. Then when I woke up, I was glad to be out of the nightmare…but then I wasn’t. I wanted him to come back to me.”
“Did he say anything to you in the dream…anything that didn’t seem right?” Archer asked, suddenly on edge.
“My tea was hot,” I thought aloud.
“What?” Archer shook his head, not understanding.
“I felt the warmth of my tea slide down my throat and I remember being amazed that a dream could feel so real. I asked Amun if it was indeed real and he said that HE was real…that he controlled what happened in my dreams.”
Archer flashed to stand at the end of the bed and started pacing. “Impossible,” he whispered before swearing and ranting in Irish Gaelic.
He stopped suddenly and stared at me with pale, wide eyes. He didn’t say a word as he flashed out of the room.
Where the hell is he going? I fearfully clutched the covers to my chest and tried to calm the sudden doom that rested heavily upon it. Something didn’t feel right, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I sat in Archer’s bed going over my dream in my head. What had I said to make Archer react that way?
A few minutes later, Trey appeared in the room with a bundle of clothes. His eyes were wide and a bit weary. “Good morning, honey,” he said gently as he put the clothes on the foot of the bed. “Come on and get dressed. We need to talk.”
I slowly got out of bed, fear and confusion coursing through me. Trey had a weird look in his eyes and it made me nervous. Why is he looking at me like that? What did I do?
I grabbed the clothes and was glad to see that they were mine. Trey had brought me a pair of jeans, an old UT Longhorns shirt, and undergarments from my closet. I turned to face away from him as I quickly slipped the panties on and then my clothes.
When I was finished, Trey cleared his throat and I turned back around. “Come on, honey,” he said with a tight smile. “Let’s get you some breakfast.”
My brow furrowed, but I dutifully followed him down the hall and as I walked out into the family room, both of my arms were grabbed tightly from behind. I immediately went into fight mode and started kicking out with my legs and jerking my arms.
Chapter Six
“Oh, please,” Trey called out worriedly. “Be careful with her!”
“Stop fighting me, Morrison!” Hagan growled and I looked over to find that he was the one who had ahold of my right arm. I quickly turned to my left and saw Emrick holding the other.
“W-What are you doing?” I panted, my heart beating wildly with fear. “Get your hands off me.”
I looked around the room for help, but only Archer stood by the kitchen.
“Archer, please,” I begged. “Tell them to let me go. I haven’t done anything. I-I don’t understand.”
Trey broke out in a sob and turned to Archer. “I can’t do this if she’s scared. I can’t do this to her, Archer. She’s my friend and she’s completely terrified right now.”
Archer took a step forward and crossed his arms over his chest, his face impassive. “We’re not going to hurt you, Skye. We just need you to cooperate with us and this will all be over soon.”
“Cooperate?” I repeated, confused. “Cooperate with what? What did I do? What do you want from me?” Archer frowned, a look of sadness and reservation suddenly filling his eyes, and I looked over at Hagan, desperate for answers.
“Hagan, sir, please,” I began to cry. “Tell me. What have I done?”
Hagan swallowed thickly and looked remorsefully down at me. “Just do what you’re told and this will all be over soon,” he repeated Archer’s words.
Archer instructed Emrick and Hagan to sit me down on the couch. They complied and sat down on either side of me; their hands still firmly grasping my arms and wrists. Archer came to stand in front of me and instructed Trey to stand behind me.
I looked up into Archer’s eyes and begged him with mine. What did I do? What’s wrong? A flicker of sorrow and shame passed over his eyes before he schooled his features into his usual impassive appearance.
When he was in place, Trey gently smoothed my hair with his hands and apologized. “I’m so sorry, honey,” he sniffed as his tears fell. “Just try to relax. This will all be over before you know it.”
What will be over?, I though in panic.
He stilled his hand and I heard him take a deep breath. “I’m ready,” he said and Archer kneeled down in front of me.
Archer placed his hands on either side of my face and stared deeply into my eyes. My vision started to swim in an all-too-familiar way and I knew Archer was attempting to penetrate my mind. “Now,” I heard Archer whisper and I was suddenly blasted with rapid memories.
I saw the first time I met Archer at Afterburner’s Café. I saw my interview at The Mausoleum. I saw Jameson hovering above me as he carried me to Dan’s office after I passed out. I saw our steamy moment on the hood of his car. I saw myself dancing to Nine Inch Nail’s Closer with Archer. I saw our first kiss. I saw Greyson Mead’s mutilated body. I saw Jesse’s severed head in my car. I saw Dean and our lunch together at Jax’s. I saw Amun out on the street. I saw him slice my forearm open and I saw the basement he took me to. I saw my torture and my rescue. I saw Jameson in my bed and I saw us make love.
The memories slowed down and I began to see my first nightmare. I saw myself chained in the basement and heard my terrified cries for help. I began to whimper aloud as the next dream descended upon me. I watched nightmare after nightmare of me chained and alone in the basement come and g
o. Finally, I saw Amun and cried out at the same time that Trey did. I saw Amun smile as he sat down in a high-backed wooden chair in front of me. I watched as nothing happened; he just sat in the chair smiling up at me. My dream morphed again and I was in the Christian Louboutin boutique about to try on shoes. I saw the room melt away and I saw the red door. I saw myself step into my apartment and I saw Amun lead me to my couch. I saw him sit there and smile over at me, never saying a word and never moving. I saw myself wake up and run into Archer’s room. I saw myself hug him and I felt an overwhelming sense of love and comfort. I saw us in bed together and my breath hitched at the memory.
Suddenly, I was released from Archer’s control and I was exhausted. I leaned back into the couch and rested my head tiredly against the back of it. I glanced down at Archer and saw that he was just as exhausted as I was. He had fallen to the floor and was sitting there trying to catch his breath. Our eyes met and I immediately closed mine in disgust. I couldn’t stand to look at him right now. I couldn’t believe he had forced his way into my mind after knowing how against it I was.
I leaned my head all the way back and opened my eyes to see Trey looking down at me from above. He still had his hands in my hair and he was crying.
“Oh, honey,” he whispered, emotions flitting too fast across his face for me to follow. Finally, he settled on sorrow. “Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”
I swallowed thickly and closed my eyes again. I was mad at him too and didn’t want to have to look at him. “Tell you what, Trey?” I asked, annoyance lacing my words.
“Why didn’t you tell us you had been having these dreadful nightmares?”
“Because it’s none of your business,” I answered heatedly as I jerked my head away from his touch.