by Blue Saffire
It makes sense. Renshu would love nothing more than to strengthen the bond I have with this final mate. Just to make me fall harder for her. He will ensure that if she sends me back to my tomb that I will go there with a heart so broken, so shattered, that I would wish I could die.
That will be the greatest punishment after what I had done to him. No wonder this bond is so strong, and I am so in tune with her. It is created this way to make me suffer. It also explains this deep need to be with her.
“You see why this time it’s so important. You must tell her about the curse. Make her see reason.”
I swing my head to him, startled by his suggestion.
“I cannot do that, you know the rules. She has three wishes. I cannot force or coerce her into taking a wish. Neither can I offer her any help without her asking. Not to mention, the moment I reveal myself to her, Renshu finds out and the game is over.”
There were other rules about the wishes as well. She cannot wish to kill anyone or bring anyone back from the dead. And she cannot wish to change the past.
“Even if those rules did not apply, I will not bargain with her to choose me.”
“Then force her to choose you,” he shouts.
I growl at the disgusting suggestion that has just come out of his mouth. Zhong takes a nervous step back.
“Never.” The word is spoken low and deep. My dragon coming to the surface at just the thought of the disloyal thing he proposed I do with my mate.
He holds up his hands, palms out. “My apologies. But I don’t think you understand the severity of this situation. You can be stuck in that statue for eternity, never allowed to come out again. Do you not understand what is at risk?”
“You do not have to remind me of the horrors of my prison. I know it well. I’ve spent over 400 years in it, the last 200 consecutively. However, I will not force or trick her into loving me. Have you forgotten, that is how we ended up in this predicament in the first place?”
I take a breath as I run my fingers through my hair. Tonight, it is down. The long strands falling to my waist.
I needed to calm myself. My dragon is still roused and at the surface waiting to come forth. I can feel the fire in my belly ready to come out. “I will do it right this time, like I should have done then. It would have saved us both this burden.”
Zhong sighs. “I don’t mean to upset you. I just want this to be over with. Seeing you return to that statue becomes harder each time for me.”
I nod, accepting his apology. Zhong is my servant, but he is also my oldest and dearest friend. I place my hand on his shoulder.
“I want you to focus on finding Renshu. If I have found Brianna that means he has too. And he is busy trying to keep her from me. I want her protected at all times. I cannot do that until she allows me access to her.”
“I’m tracking down his known aliases. Now that I have her information, I can check the people she’s most close to.”
I nod and turn from him. The tug on my bonding link draws me to her.
“What’s happening?”
“She is dreaming of me,” I say proudly.
Zhong chuckles. “Go to your mate, dear friend. I will do my part here.”
I only have a chance to nod to him before I disappear, allowing my new mate to summon me to her. I appear in a small room with light blue walls. A dresser sits against one side with barely anything on it.
A chest of drawers is against the opposite wall. On top of it are pictures of my mate with three small boys in silver frames. One I recognize as the child from the cabinet earlier today.
A soft moan and a whimper cause me to spin on my heels toward the small bed in the middle of the room. I already know she is there, her small body lying in the center of the bed on her side.
She moans again and a scent so sweet, so succulent wafts through the air, almost taking me to my knees. The smell is so heavenly it has my dragon pushing through. His long forked tongue flickers out tasting her scent in the air. My dick elongates at the heady taste of her. A shiver runs through me as my dragon proclaims her as his.
He urges me toward her, needing me to claim her, to bury my dick inside her so deep she will never get me out. I do not know the magic Renshu placed in the bond with this mate, but it is strong. Even my dragon has succumbed to it.
I cautiously move closer to her. I don’t want her to awaken and become frightened by my presence. A sound outside her room draws my attention.
Someone is there. From the scent coming from the other side of the door, it is a horny male that is also intoxicated. I can smell the aroma of alcohol just as strongly as I can smell his desire for my mate.
Smoke releases from my nose and my dragon grows infuriated at the thought of this man desiring her. Then I remember the marks on Brianna earlier and my wings burst from my back, stretching from wall to wall of this cramped room.
My eyes have transformed as well. I can now see very clearly, even the dust particles floating in the air. When the doorknob jiggles I have to fight the urge to rip the door off the hinges and kill the man trying to get in. Brianna must have been aware of this man’s desire, or maybe it was her fear of him that caused her to lock the door. This angers me further and has my dragon roaring in my head.
I’m so focused on keeping him from killing this unseen intruder that I do not realize Brianna has woken. Her soft gasp draws my attention to her wide eyes staring up at me.
Oh no! I did not wish for her to find me like this.
“Wei?” her soft voice calls out in the darkness. I witness the moment she notices the large leather wings behind me. She gasps again and I have no choice but to fix this.
I place my hand to her temple, forcing her back to sleep. However, this time I slip into the dream with her.
Chapter 6
A New World
Bri
I don’t know what I ate today, but it has my dreams all messed up. One moment I’m having an erotic dream about Wei, then the dream changes and he’s standing in my bedroom with large bat-like wings that look like they belong in a vampire horror film. His eyes were blood red and the pupils elongated.
Steam or smoke was coming from his nose. Now, the dream has shifted again and I’m in a red room. Well, maybe not a room. It reminds me of an old Chinese Kung Fu movie I saw once with the boys.
The room is rectangular in shape. Deep red and gold accents are everywhere. The walls are made up of artfully carved wooden panels with white paper. They remind me of Shoji walls found in a lot of Japanese architecture. Beneath my feet are the most beautiful, complex Oriental rugs. Hanging from wooden beams are soft sheer cloth that dance in the breeze. The smell of flowers is in the air.
I catch the reflection of myself in one of the gold statues on top of a pedestal. My dreads are in a neat bun at the nape of my neck and an ornate gold comb is sticking out of my bun. It is lined with red and green jewels. Gold hanging earrings adorn my ears along with a turquoise ear cuff.
My dress is red with tiny yellow designs. It’s an empire waist style with a black band under my breasts to make the dress fit firmly. The sleeves are made of a sheer fabric that drape off of me like a wizard’s cape, with bright colors and large designs. Attached to the back is a long train that’s in the same pattern and fabric as the sleeves. It’s a beautiful dress.
“Come to me, mate.” A deep voice calls out from somewhere in the room.
“Hello?” I walk toward the sound. Yes, the very opposite of what I’d do in real life, but it’s a dream. My bare feet hardly make a noise as the soft carpet cushions my steps.
I push the sheer fabric aside as I make my way to the back of the rectangular building. In the distance, obscured by the red draping is a man. He has his back to me, but I can tell it’s a man.
He’s shirtless, his wide shoulders and beautifully sculptured back tell me that this man is in shape. There’s a tattoo on his back of a brightly colored Asian dragon.
It’s similar to the one I touched back in th
at office. The man is barefoot, but his legs are covered in white linen pants that fit loosely. It’s the long black hair, braided in a single braid, that tells me who’s standing before me.
“Wei?” I call his name as I push past the last of the fabric to join him on the other side of the room. The flooring changes and plush mats greet me, surrounded by candles of all sizes.
Wei turns to me and it strikes me again how handsome he is.
“Hello, Brianna.” He holds out a hand to me, those gold bands around his wrist shining. I take the offered hand immediately, without any hesitation.
The moment we touch, that feeling I’ve been having all day—the one that felt as if I had forgotten something or I was missing something—subsides and I feel whole again.
He pulls me to him, pressing my body to his. I wonder if he can feel how fast my heart is beating right now. With one hand still holding mine and the other hand placed at my lower back, he starts to sway us. It’s like he’s dancing to a song I can’t hear.
“Where are we?”
He smiles, those dimples making my knees weak. “In a dream.”
I look around at the beautiful room along with its vibrant colors and very detailed woodwork.
“This doesn’t feel like a dream.”
His gaze never wavers from mine. “What does it feel like?”
“It feels…” I look around the room, once again taking it all in. I even pay attention to the way his warm body feels pressed so tightly to mine. The way he smells so delicious, and even how I can very clearly see the brown with amber flecks in his eyes.
“This feels real,” I tell him.
He releases a deep chuckle that causes his body to vibrate. The feeling shoots through my veins like fire and ignites in my belly, causing those flutters.
“If it were real, could I do this?” He removes his hand from my back, bringing it out to the side of us and lifts it up, suddenly the fire from all the candles raise like fireflies in the room.
I gasp. “How did you do that?”
That gorgeous smile brightening. “Magic.” As soon as he says it, the lights start to flicker and change colors like Christmas lights.
I giggle at the sight. “Your laughter is addictive. Has anyone ever told you that?”
My mouth opens, but nothing comes out. It’s strange having someone compliment something so simple about me. Rob would always compliment my body or some sexual favor he enjoyed.
Scott told me often I was beautiful, but he’s also a bipolar psychopath. So, I can’t really take anything he says to heart. Wei’s compliment is refreshing.
“No. No one has ever told me that. I don’t often get compliments. Not that I need them all the time,” I say, trying to not sound like one of those thirsty girls that need constant reminding of their beauty.
He shakes his head. His long braid swaying. I wonder what his gorgeous hair would feel like to touch it.
“Though a rose is confident in its beauty, it still enjoys hearing the world’s appreciation.” I smile at his thoughtful words. “Are you still not convinced this is a dream?” he jokes.
I look around at the dancing fire as it circles around us. The sheer fabric hanging from the rafters billows in the wind around us before exploding into thousands of red butterflies.
The sight of them all is like rose petals blowing in the wind before they circle us like a whirlwind.
I shake my head with a playful smirk. “I don’t know. I think I’m still on the fence about it.”
He tosses his head back and laughs. “Let’s see if this will persuade you.” He spins me out, the butterflies parting for my exit.
With every twist I take, my surroundings change. When I come to a stop, I’m no longer in the rectangular dojo. Now, I’m outside on a clear night.
Stone pavers are beneath my feet. Thick lush grass surrounds us. Foliage of all shapes and sizes cut through the landscape. A curved bridge runs over a pond, and at the other side of the bridge is a waterfall. Off to the side is an Asian style gazebo with its octagon shape and pointed rooftop. This scene is so much more normal than the red room, but more tranquil.
“Okay, maybe I’m dreaming,” I say, then turn to find that his outfit has changed.
He’s now in a traditional Chinese outfit. The burgundy silk jacket buttons to his neck. The rope-like fastenings line the front.
His sleeves flare slightly near his hands. His white pants are still the same, but he has simple black loafers on his feet. Around his neck is a plain necklace that hangs a little below his chest, and the medallion has another dragon on it. I’m finding that he really loves dragons.
With his clothing change, I look down at myself and realize I too have changed clothes. This dress is a lot more modern than my other. It is the same color as his topcoat, but is slim fitted.
It shows off all my curves with a side split. The neck of the dress comes up and the hem brushes the back of my calves, but the way the modest dress fits makes me feel sexy. I believe this style is called a cheongsam.
“Incredible.” His raspy voice forces me to look up at him. The way he watches me, the flair of his nostrils to the tension in his shoulders and that burning gaze, leads me to believe he finds me just as sexy as I do.
“So you like it?” I tease, spinning around to show off my greatest asset. A rumbling sound that reminds me of a wild animal comes from somewhere. When I turn back around, he’s standing so close to me I have to take half a step back to keep from bumping into him.
“Walk with me.” He takes my hand without allowing me to refuse, not that I would.
We head to the gazebo with nothing but the stars and the moon to guide us. Dream Wei must have amazing eyesight because he knows exactly where we’re going.
“Tell me about yourself.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Anything. Everything. It does not matter.” I chuckle and he looks over at me, one of those dark eyebrows lift quizzically. “What is so funny?”
“It just seems that this dream is a lot different from my earlier one.”
“You were dreaming of me earlier?”
“Yes.”
Wei stops in the middle of the bridge turning to face me. His towering height causes me to look up at him.
“I’ve changed my mind. I would much rather hear about that dream. In full detail.”
The way he’s staring down at me, you would think he already knew what the dream was about. I duck my head finding it hard to look him in the eyes at the moment. I don’t even have enough courage to tell him about that dream in this dream.
“Let’s just say it was R-rated.” I can feel the heat burn my cheeks. Thank goodness for my dark skin.
He places a finger under my chin and lifts my head up; my eyes find his.
“Never be ashamed of what you feel for me.”
The words are spoken so deep and assertive, I don’t even think to question what he says. I know I’m falling into those old ways again. Assigning his politeness and simple interest to mean something more. Do I really feel anything for him or am I again desperately looking for love?
Wei is gorgeous. Any woman would be taken by his exotic features. However, that voice in my head is yelling at me that this dream is a warning. I’m falling back into the same pattern that got me into that horrible relationship with Scott and whatever I had with Rob.
Even though neither of them made me feel half the way I feel when I’m with Wei. The butterflies in my stomach when I think of him, and the peace I get just from being near him. Peace is something I haven’t felt since I was a child lying in my grandmother’s lap as she brushed my hair.
All this is new to me, but can I trust my instincts when it comes to guys? Despite the question, I still can’t make my body pull away when dream Wei touches his forehead to mine and closes his eyes, heaving a breath.
“I fight against my most basic instinct when I am with you.”
I swallow the cotton ball that has lodged itself in my
throat. “And what instinct is that?” I whisper.
He opens his eyes and stares down into mine. “To kiss you. To make you mine in every way possible. You are a drug that I should avoid, but I am powerless to stop.”
In reality his words would’ve made me nervous. I would’ve been afraid. Not of him, but of the way he makes me feel.
Like I should throw all my caution and life lessons to the wind and allow myself to fall one more time. I know better. I’ve learned my lesson. Yet, isn’t this what dreams are for? It allows you to do things you wouldn’t normally do in real life.
So, much like the first dream, I throw caution to the wind, lifting up on my toes I boldly state, “Then don’t.”
That growling sound comes again. Wei places my face between his palms tilting my head even further up to reach him. His breath brushes across my face as he nears my awaiting lips.
Buzzing has me shooting up in my bed.
I look around and I’m back at Scott’s house in the temporary room. My heart is still racing from my dream. Even my lips tingle from the anticipation of the kiss I never got. I collapse back onto my bed and whimper.
Damn dreams.
Chapter 7
First Day
Bri
I arrived at the dragon mansion—which I have dubbed the huge home—ten minutes early. I hung out with the boys most of the day and came here right after. Mrs. Chen, the elderly maid, let me in and once again asked me to wait in the parlor.
So here I sit. Just as nervous as I was the first day.
“Hello again, Ms. Chambers,” Zhong says appearing in the doorway.
I have to admit, I’m a little disappointed. I have no reason to believe I will see you-know-who today, but I was definitely hoping.
“Are you all right?” Zhong asks with a smirk. “You seem let down.”
“N… no,” I stutter over the word. Jeez, Bri, don’t get fired on your first day for a bad attitude. “I’m just anxious to get started.” I lie.
Zhong nods his head. “This way,” he directs as I follow him. “Your role is very simple here. You will come every day at exactly 7. Do not be late, I do not tolerate tardiness.” His hard glare is aimed back at me as I make mental notes. “This job is Monday through Friday and you are to remain on call on the weekends.