by Anna Santos
Inhaling deeply, he tried to take control of his dream. He wanted to see Jessica. He was sure that if he wished hard enough, he would be able to summon her there.
He placed his open hands against the door and, this time, it opened with a loud creaking sound. He stepped inside the almost empty library as he noticed the few number of shelves and dimness of the section. The windows were dark as if a coat of black paint had been spread over the glass. The floor cracked with his steps, and the room looked abandoned as if time had taken a toll on that place. As if years of neglect and dust had imprinted a look of desolation in that familiar place.
His attention was directed to the opposite side of the library when he heard books falling. There were shelves blocking his line of sight, but that sound meant that someone was there.
"Jessie," he called, the sound almost inaudible as if something muffled it.
He stepped forward, passing the shelves and seeing an old desk against the wall where Isobel's painting was half-covered by white paint. Stacks of old books were piled on the desk. In the corner of the room, he saw a shadowed figure seated in an old armchair and a cauldron where black smoke rose to the ceiling and disappeared. There were candles scattered over the piles of books. Ancient scrolls were neglected on the floor.
Grabbing a candle, he stepped closer to the figure in the shadow and saw Isobel’s brunette version reading a book.
"Isobel!"
Before he could walk to her, he hit an invisible wall. The candle fell on the floor and he stomped on it before it could cause a fire.
Splaying his hands on the invisible wall, he called again, "Jessie! Can you hear me?"
No reply. She didn't seem to be aware that he was there.
Isobel got up and headed to the shelves where she browsed for new books. A few more fell on the floor and she returned to her armchair where she sat and skimmed the pages, clearly searching for something specific.
Marcus called once again, "Isobel, can you hear me?"
With a closed fist, he hit the invisible wall. The sound resonated inside the library. "Jessica!" His scream seemed to shake the space they were in because he felt the vibration under his feet.
He stumbled once the wall disappeared and Isobel raised her eyes at him.
Stepping forward, he kneeled before her and put his hands over her face. "Can you see me? Is this really you?"
She tilted her head as if she didn't recognize him. Her eyes were vacant and her face free of emotion.
"Do you know who I am?"
"I need to find it," she said as she showed him the book and pushed him away.
"Isobel, do you recognize me?"
"I don't have time for this, Marcus," she complained, trying to avoid his hands. "I need to get another book. This one is pointless."
He placed his hands on her shoulders and prevented her from getting up. He noticed the modern shirt and mini skirt she wore and the paleness in her eyes. "Look at me. Do you know you are dreaming?"
"The spell," she whispered. "I need to find the right book."
"Jessica?" Marcus asked. Even if she looked like Isobel, the fact that she wore those clothes and talked about spells meant that she wasn't really Isobel.
"Please," she pushed him again. "I’m trying to understand this spell. I don't know what I'm doing wrong because it's not working,” she said with watering eyes.
Marcus leaned back to give her space. “What isn’t working, my love?”
Isobel's eyes focused on him as she explained, “I think I may have translated it wrong. So I was consulting other books to see if there are other versions of this spell. But I can’t find any.”
“Why do you need the spell?” he asked, brushing her cheek with his fingers.
“I –” she stuttered, confusion spreading into her eyes. “I don’t know.”
“Do you know where you are?”
“In the library, reading the books, trying to cast a spell.”
“Do you know who you are?”
“I’m…” Staring at him, her body trembled and her appearance shifted between Isobel and Jessica's. "I'm– confused.”
“Do you know we are inside a dream?”
“Yes, I think I know that. I think I do,” she whispered, staring around and focusing on the books. She got up and circled him as she walked to the shelves. "I really need to figure out what went wrong with the spell. It’s crucial that I find the right translation. I might have used the wrong herbs or a wrong word in the incantation. Everything will fall apart if I don't get this right.”
“Are you Isobel or Jessica?” he asked, noticing how her appearance kept changing as she browsed the books and talked.
She stopped what she was doing and circled to face him. Her eyes became blue and her hair turned to blonde but her face was Isobel's. “Who do you want me to be?”
Marcus stepped closer and grabbed her by her arms. “I want you to be you. I don’t care what form you take. You are my mate.”
“You don’t mean that,” she said as her voice trembled with grief and her eyes shone with unshed tears. "You’d rather have her."
Marcus shook his head. "That's not true. I love you. I loved Isobel, you are also Isobel. But I love you now, Jessie. I'm sorry if I made you think otherwise. I want you to come back home, honey.”
“I can’t. I have important things to do here.”
“I’ve seen the video, Jessie,” he announced. His mate stared into his eyes with trembling lips and heavy breathing. “I love you so much, honey. Don’t do this to us. She is trying to break us apart. She is trying to make you doubt me.”
“I know. But I’m scared, Marcus.”
“Of what?”
“Of losing myself. I know that you want Isobel back, that she would please you better.”
“There is nothing about you that I would like to change. You don’t need to try to be Isobel,” he whispered, caressing her face, watching how she kept shifting from Isobel’s appearance to hers. “Isobel and you are the same person. You just have a new body.”
“I don’t have her memories.”
“You don’t need them.”
“But you would like me better if I did.”
“I wouldn’t. I love you the same. Probably even more now, because my love only grows more and more when we are together. We have made new and amazing memories, haven’t we?” She nodded and bit her lower lip, resting her hands on his chest. “Who do you want to be?”
“Jessica,” she said as she took Jessica’s form. He grinned at the sight of her lovely face and sweet blue eyes. “Are you real or are you just an illusion?” she asked.
“I’m real, at least, I think I’m real, but I don’t even know if you are real or not. I would wish that you were my real Jessica and not just a figment of my imagination.”
“I miss you so much,” she declared, using her finger to play with the collar of his shirt. He brought her closer until the warmth of her body touched his. “I can barely sleep because I am away from you. I’m liking this dream and your words, but I’m afraid that I might wake up and then realize that you didn’t actually mean anything you said.”
“If we remember this when we wake up,” Marcus explained while brushing her blonde hair away from her pretty reddened cheeks, “and we remember everything we said or, at least some parts, then we can tell one another when we see each other again.”
“Okay,” she agreed.
“So why are you here, sweetie?” he questioned, eager to understand what was troubling her. Maybe he could find information about where she was and what she was doing.
“I needed to read the books,” she explained as she looked at the shelves and then back at him. “What are you doing here?”
“I needed to see you,” he replied, seizing her arm and preventing her from leaving his side. “I needed to talk to you. I needed to...” he didn’t finish the sentence because he brushed his lips against her rosy ones.
The touch ignited his passion. He didn't want to tal
k anymore. He needed to kiss and hug her against him. He had missed her, and it didn't matter if it was just a dream. She felt real in his arms.
Jessica leaned back as she protested, “I need to concentrate on my task. You can’t just raid my dreams and…Marcus.”
He didn't want to hear her excuses. He tangled his tongue with hers, preventing her from talking as they walked to the desk behind them. He swiped the books of the top and seated Jessica as he wrapped her legs around his waist.
"I've missed you," he breathed against her mouth as he cupped her face and kissed her again.
She didn't resist him. Her hands tangled in his hair as her kiss became as hungry as his.
Catching her breath, she reasoned, "Marcus, you shouldn't be here tormenting me. I need to find something important. This is not the time to be having an erotic dream."
His smile brushed against her smooth and delicate lips. "I can't stop touching you. We can talk about what you need later."
Jessica's gaze endured his as she seemed to think through about her next move. "But..."
"What do you need to know, honey?"
"I need to translate a word. But I can't find a spell in a different language to understand what I'm doing wrong."
Brushing his fingers against her face, he placed his forehead against hers as he caught his breath. "I can help you with that. You just need to tell me the word and I'll give you the meaning."
"But..."
He placed his finger on her lips. "After you kiss me and make love to me."
Widening her eyes, she asked, "Here?"
"Right here," he answered, kissing her neck and leaving small bites along the way. “I was going crazy,” he confessed, placing his hands on her cleavage and shredding to pieces the shirt she had on. She panted, trying to grab his hands, but he didn’t have time to open all those buttons. He wanted her right there.
“Marcus, you are being…”
She didn’t finish her sentence because he kissed her feverishly, while his hand moved over her breasts and their hips grounded together.
He felt her arousal against his own. She felt warm. His fingers drew circles on her stomach before his hands rolled her skirt up her legs and his fingers brushed against the fabric of her panties.
She didn't say another word. Instead, she gasped and used her hands to unbuckle his belt and take his shirt off. He helped her, and both removed the clothes that were preventing them from feeling each other’s skin.
“Do you wish me to stop now?” he teased in her ear, nibbling her earlobe and placing kisses down her cleavage and breasts.
She growled upset, holding his head and forcing him to kiss her lips, tangling her tongue with his.
His hands covered her breasts and molded to them. “Shall I stop?”
“This is my dream, isn't it? So I'll tell you what I want and how I want it."
He smirked against her mouth. She nibbled his lower lip, hurting him in the process, but he didn't complain. He grabbed her panties and lowered them down her legs. Then, he let his boxers roll down own his legs, feeling peace fall over him when his cock found its way into her molten core. She moved against him, accepting him inside as she begged him to go deeper.
Moving her hips to her own rhythm of need, she kept thrusting as he obeyed her pace. He secured her back with one hand as he caressed her breasts with his other. His mouth was on hers, unable to stop kissing her. It was perfect every time they made love. Even if it was inside of a dream, on a desk. It felt real and he was gasping in pleasure against her delicious body while she milked him inside.
“Tell me where you are, Jessica?” he asked, watching how she panted and responded eagerly to his touch. Watching her face while they were making love would always make his blood race faster and increase the amount of pleasure that he was feeling. “Tell me, honey. Where are you? Let me go and get you,” he pleaded, grabbing her butt with both hands and going deeper. She gasped louder and squeezed him tighter between her thighs. He lowered his head to lick her breasts as his hips lost control thrusting into hers. Each stroke was more mind-blowing.
“Just stop talking, already,” she grumbled, securing her hands behind her back.
Leaning back, she pushed her pelvis forward so he could go deeper.
He growled in pleasure, his fangs coming out and his eyes closing to concentrate on the movements of their hips together. He increased the speed, attentive to her breathing and her shrieks of pleasure.
They climaxed as their mouths locked in a hungry kiss.
Jessica's hand played with his hair as she caught her breath. She kissed his neck. “I really didn’t want this to be just a dream. I wanted it to be real. I wanted to make love to you one last time before...I didn’t want to leave you. I swear I didn’t. I love you with all my heart. And if I die and we don’t get the chance to be happy in this life, just promise me you will wait for me to be reborn again,” she whispered in his ear.
Her words saddened him. “Don’t say that. I will die if you are gone. I can’t stand to live without you anymore. I want to be with you and I want to love you. Just tell me where you are,” he pleaded, tears watering his eyes.
He held her possessively, wanting to keep her there forever. If only he could keep her inside his dreams with him, forever.
“I can’t,” she declared, kissing his cheeks and forehead.
Her tears fell upon his face. There was nothing he could say or do to make her tell him where she was. She was a stubborn witch.
“You are killing me, Jessie,” he complained, pain tightening his heart. “You can’t leave me alone. You can’t die. I forbid you.”
“I don’t want to die. But we need to stop him,” she explained as her hands cupped his face and she stared deeply into his eyes. “I knew that you wouldn’t let me do this if I was with you. You think that I’m helpless and I can’t take care of myself.”
“I don’t think that.”
“You need to let me be myself. I have powers. I’m smart enough to take care of myself. I did well before I found you.”
“I know...It’s just...I don’t want you to die again.”
Nodding, she laid her head on my shoulder. “I know.”
“What are we going to do?” Marcus rubbed her back and caressed her thighs, his body burning for more.
“Besides getting dressed?” she teased as she nibbled his ear. “It’s insane how you feel real in my arms.”
“I don’t want to let you go...yet,” he complained, stepping back and letting her move from the desk and place her feet on the floor. “I’ll make you regret leaving me,” he whispered, teasingly, turning her around as he spread her legs and took her from behind. She gasped, leaning forward as she secured her hands on the desk.
Marcus leaned over her back, speaking against her ear, “If you believe that this may be our last time, then, at least, we’ll make it unforgettable.”
His heart hurt for saying those words. Yet, his hips moved back and forward as his hands trailed a path around until they cupped her breasts and he pulled her against his chest. She didn’t say anything else, she kept moaning and shuddering in his embrace as they made love again.
Chapter SIx—DEALS, POTIONS, AND BABIES
JESSICA
Jessica was feeling grumpy and moody that morning. Myra had arranged a meeting, even though, she lacked the patience to listen to the girl’s complaints and fears. It might have something to do with the fact that Jessica was only able to sleep for three hours the night before. Not to mention, that she had the most erotic encounter with her mate while dreaming. It had been perfect but it had also felt like a goodbye. She didn’t feel ready to say goodbye to life or Marcus. Dying wasn’t part of her plans, neither was having just the memory of a dream with her king to keep her company during the Eternal Sleep. To makes things even more difficult, her dream had only made her feelings of the loss of him even stronger. She longed to see him, kiss him, touch him--really touch him--and tell him how much she loved him. Eve
n if he was a stubborn and overprotective mate who thought he could rule over her.
Breaking his heart wasn’t in her plans. She wished that the dream had been real, that he loved her as much as he said he did, that he wanted her for who she was now, and not for what she had been in another life.
“Jessie, you’re back! How did it go?” Anna asked, entering the living room.
Jessica stood motionless in the hallway, staring blankly at the walls as her hands hung at her sides. Anna’s voice snapped her out of her trance.
Blinking and turning to look at Anna, Jessica reported, “It went okay. I have their clothes to start the potion. Myra also gave me Vincent's phone number.”
Arching an eyebrow as she rubbed her arm, her friend asked, “So, why the somber look?”
Jessica shrugged as she walked to the sofa and sat down, reclining back with an audible sigh. “It was difficult to persuade Myra to help us. She’s terrified of being discovered.”
Anna sat beside her and rubbed her temple with a worried expression. “Do you think she’ll be a problem?”
“If she betrays us, she’ll reveal she’s a spy. Even if she’s scared, I think she really wants to get out of there. We are the only ones who can provide her that opportunity.”
“Hum.”
Jessica turned her head to watch Anna as she rubbed her hands against her jeans. “Do you think my plan is ill-conceived.”
She shook her head. “Just risky.”
Sighing, the witch massaged her temples as she complained, “I’m still missing an ingredient.”
“About that...Kevin sent me a really peculiar message this morning.”
Jessica frowned. “What do you mean? Do you think he knows where we are?”
“No, nothing like that. He simply said that grandpa wanted you to know that the name of the herb is atropa belladonna. Did you send him a message asking him to translate it?”
“No…” Jessica sat up startled fisted her hands as the information sank in. Could it be possible that the dream wasn’t really a dream? What if they had actually talked, kissed, and shared thoughts?