Sandman (Forbidden Love Series II Book 5)
Page 1
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Forbidden Love Series II
Sandman
By Danielle James
Copyright © 2018 by Danielle James
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter One
Azerial, Goddess of Earth, tried to hold back the smile threatening to break free. She looked into the worried eyes of her mate, vampire Samuel Corbin, and knew that laughing at him was not going to help—in the least.
“Breathe, baby,” he urged her, demonstrating how she was supposed to handle the pain.
Azerial took a deep breath and let it out in short pants, just like her mate was doing. It was quite comical, really. She hoped he didn’t hyperventilate. As the pain passed, she took a deep, cleansing breath with her mate. “Sam, you should really try to relax,” she said gently. “Everything will be fine.”
Samuel scrubbed his hand over his bald head. “I know but I can’t seem to help it,” he admitted, bringing her hand to his lips for a quick kiss. “How are you feeling now?”
Azerial smiled at him. “I’m doing fine,” she answered. “The pain is not unbearable.”
“I hate that you have to hurt for this,” he told her.
“How else would one bring a child into the world?” she asked with a raised brow. “It is nature.”
Samuel sat back in his chair which he had pulled right up to the side of her bed. “Can’t you or Frankie do a spell that would take the pain away?”
Azerial chuckled. “No, silly. All things in life that are worth having do not come easily. A child is a most precious gift, and well worth the discomfort I will go through to bring him into the world.”
Another contraction seized Azerial’s body and Samuel stood again, leaning over her and reminding her to breathe. “If I breathe anymore,” she panted, “I am going to pass out.”
“I think she knows how this works,” Jacque, Samuel’s blood brother told him with a stifled laugh. He was a chemist first, but now a licensed physician. Samuel had mixed feelings about the vampire being there. He knew Jacque was absolutely the best and had brought several babies into the world; hell, he had changed Samuel, but the part of Sam that didn’t want anyone seeing his mate’s lady parts growled fiercely about it.
“You don’t touch her until you have to,” Samuel growled at him.
Jacque put his hands up, palms out. “Hey, your lady, she’s got this. All I have to do is catch the little one when the time comes. You wanna do it?”
Samuel blanched. His heart thundered in his chest and panic set in. “Um,” he coughed to clear the frog out of his throat, “No. I’ll just stay up here.” He settled himself next to his mate’s head.
Jacque shook his head and smiled.
“I think I need to push now,” Azerial said in a calm voice.
“Are you sure?” Sam asked, gripping her hand tighter.
She gave him a reassuring smile. “I think now would be good.”
Jacque wasted no time in getting her feet into the stirrups and pushing the sheet back to her knees. Samuel growled but managed to control himself. He had to keep reminding himself that Jacque was mated, and he was only there to help.
“Looks like you’re right,” Jacque said to Azerial. “How about giving me a practice push?”
Azerial gritted her teeth and bore down. She held it for ten seconds, then let go.
“That’s good,” Jacque said from behind the sheet. “Again. Harder this time.”
Samuel watched helplessly as his mate pushed with all she had. Again and again, she pushed. In between her efforts, Samuel wiped the sweat from her brow and kissed her face, murmuring encouragement that, in fact, he needed more than she did.
“Last time,” Jacque said. “Make it a big one.”
Azerial pushed so hard she cried out with the strain. Samuel’s body vibrated with the need to conquer this thing that had caused his mate so much discomfort. He kept himself under control, but just barely.
And then he heard it.
The sweetest sound that had ever reached his ears. A tiny little voice cried out. Jacque stood and placed a wiggling, bloody, squealing bundle on Azerial’s stomach. He worked quickly to finish taking care of Azerial, then he used a clean towel to wipe the little one’s face and body off. “Wanna cut the cord?” he asked Sam.
Sam was too stunned to do anything but stand there with his mouth open. He did manage to shake his head no. He watched as Jacque took a pair of scissors and snipped the tether that bound his mate and son together. Jacque bundled the baby up and laid him gently in Azerial’s arms.
“He’s beautiful, Sam,” she whispered.
“Yes, he is,” Sam agreed, stroking his son’s head. The baby looked back at him with one brown eye and one blue, a smattering of dark hair across his little head.
“What are you naming him?” Jacque asked, clearly proud of himself for a job well done and happy in his soul for the new parents.
Sam looked at Azerial for the answer. He had left the naming part up to her.
“I think Somnus, after the Roman God of Dreams,” she said.
“I think that is perfect,” Samuel told her. At the time, they didn’t know how perfect it really was.
***
35 years later
Somnus stared at the child sleeping before him, a five-year-old with
blond hair and blue eyes. The little guy had tossed and turned for an hour before he finally calmed down enough to allow sleep to claim his little body.
Somnus held out his hand and willed his magic to flow from himself to the child. It moved along the air like a cloud of golden glitter, settling on the child’s blond head. The child’s eyes began to move under their lids and a small smile lit the boy’s face. Somnus took a quick peek and saw that the boy was laughing in his dream. He was playing on a playground with other kids, running and climbing like a young boy should be. Somnus had visited the boy enough times to know that the bruises on his delicate skin were not caused by a playground accident. He took some measure of comfort knowing that if only for a short time, he could relieve the boy’s angst from his real life in a dream.
Satisfied with himself, Somnus ghosted to the next person on his list for the night. He liked his job. Giving people the ability to dream was nothing short of a necessary miracle and he did it well. Dreams allowed the mind to make sense of what happened during their waking hours. Long term memories are formed in sleep and sometimes dreams served as a means of relief from the stress of living. Like in the case of the young boy who was beaten daily by his father. Somnus would have throttled that man if he could, but as a demigod, it was forbidden for him to interfere like that. Hell, it was forbidden for him to interfere whatsoever. He could only give the person the ability to dream. Somnus could start the dream in a good place, but ultimately it was up to the dreamer as to where the dream went from where he started it. If he wasn’t aware that it would drive the father insane, he would deny him the ability to dream. Humans, of all races, needed to dream in order to sort out their thoughts and feelings. To deny one the ability to dream long-term would deny their minds the time to regroup. There would be no getting over a bad day. There would be no letting painful emotions go. After a time, the mind would short circuit and the person would go crazy. However, that happening to his father wouldn’t be helpful to the boy either.
It was pushing three a.m. when Somnus arrived at the home of his most interesting charge. He liked to pretend that he didn’t wait anxiously for the tiny little signal in his brain that told him she had fallen asleep. Her name was Rachel, and every night she took the dream magic he gave her and twisted it into something terrifying. It was no wonder she barely slept, he thought to himself. He wouldn't either if he saw the things she did in dreams.
He stood over her, nothing more than a ghost in his form, watching her breathe. Her short, dark hair spiked up around her face and head in stark contrast to the white pillow case beneath her. She had long black lashes that cast the slightest shadow across her high cheekbones. His gaze followed the lines of her face down her nose to her full red lips. It wasn't bad that he knew that was the natural color of her lips at all. He pretended that he didn't feel a tug of longing in his gut as he looked at her. Somnus wanted all his charges to have good dreams, but this woman was special. Maybe it was because she had so much trouble in that area that he felt the need to help her more than the others. Maybe it was because her ability to conjure some really scary shit in her sleep intrigued him. Or maybe it was because he was a man and she was beautiful. No matter how he tried to dress it up, she was his favorite, and he was a little obsessed with her. Okay, he was greatly obsessed with her.
Shaking his head, Somnus allowed his magic to flow. As the golden dream dust settled over her head, Rachel began to dream. I'll just take a quick peek, he thought, before walking into her dream.
Rachel was dancing in a rose garden, surrounded by beauty and wonder. Her eyes shone brightly, the cobalt blue reflecting the light and seeming to shimmer in the sunlight. This was what he wanted for her, Somnus thought. To be happy in her dreams, to have a little bit of peace. He watched from the edge of her subconscious, feeling better about the amount of magic he used on her with each passing minute. When she laughed aloud, the sound was like music to his ears. He had done well.
Just as he turned to leave her, Rachel's dream began to change. Dark storm clouds moved in and cluttered the sky, lightning flashed and Somnus could almost smell the ozone in the air. The entire mood of the dream changed instantly. Rachel looked confused for a moment, but then she changed as well. It was as if she had been expecting this. That was impossible, though. Humans did not have any control in their dreams. Somnus knew he should leave, but he couldn’t. He was completely mesmerized by the way Rachel prepared herself for what she knew was to come. She pulled in a deep breath as if to steel her courage, fisted her hands at her sides, and turned around to face whatever danger had come for her.
The dream did not disappoint. From the dark clouds, a form took shape. It was blurry at first, but as the clouds moved and swirled, a large figure became clear. It stood on two legs and had two arms, but that was where the resemblance to any human ended. On top of its head were two huge curved horns that curled around its head behind its pointed ears. Its skin was the color of hot coals, its eyes black and emotionless. It ran in Rachel’s direction and she screamed.
The thing looked like a demon. It ran after Rachel, snarling and slashing at her with its sharpened claws. Rachel was fast though, and kept just enough ahead of it. The scenery changed from a garden to the inner city, and Somnus watched as Rachel maneuvered through the empty streets. He knew he shouldn’t still be there, yet he couldn’t help but watch. His heart pounded in his chest, waiting to see that Rachel made it out of the dream safely.
She rounded the corner of a building and came to an immediate stop right in front of Somnus. “You!” she accused. Somnus looked around to see who she was talking to. “Stop that!” she shrieked. “You know I’m talking to you. You’re always here!”
“What?” Somnus barked out. Surely he was the one dreaming. She couldn’t see him, could she?
Thunderous footsteps followed her and became louder. “We don’t have time for this,” Rachel informed him, grabbing his hand. “We have to run.”
“I don’t think so,” Somnus replied. How the hell was she touching him?
“Whatever,” Rachel told him. “It’s your funeral.” And then, she was gone. Awakened from her dream. Somnus watched as the dream world dissipated, and he was once again standing in Rachel’s bedroom. That was by far the strangest thing he had ever witnessed in the dream world.
“Why are you in my house?” Rachel demanded, sitting up and looking right at him. “You have some explaining to do. Start talking before I call the cops.”
Somnus didn’t know what to think. He was good and properly gob-smacked. This was unprecedented, and he was at a complete loss. He was ghosted, but yet, she could see him. That wasn’t supposed to be possible, and yet here she was, staring him down, demanding answers. He had no clue what to say to her, but he had to start somewhere.
“Why don’t we start with how the hell you can see me?”
Pushing herself up further in her bed and grabbing her phone off the nightstand, Rachel glared at him. “Excuse me, but you’re the one standing in my bedroom. You have three seconds before I call the cops. What are you, anyway? I need to know so I can tell them. Vampire? Witch? Ghost? Fae?”
Somnus took a deep breath and sighed. In a world where supernaturals lived out in the open among humans, she had every right to know what he was. “I’m a demigod,” he answered her honestly. She snorted. “Half-demigod,” he corrected himself. He willed himself into solid form before taking a step in her direction.
“Hold it right there, buddy,” she warned, “You don’t come any closer. Why have I been dreaming about you?” Her eyes searched the room as if she were looking for a weapon, but landed back on Somnus.
“I assure you, I mean you no harm,” he answered her. “You’re not supposed to be dreaming about me. I only give you the ability to dream.” He could smell her shampoo in this form. In his ghost form, or at least, that was what he called it, he couldn’t smell or taste… only see and hear. Like this, his real form, she was an ambush to his senses. He had never smelled
her before, and there was only one word that could describe her scent: delicious. He wanted to bury his nose in her hair and breathe her in until his lungs could hold no more. He wanted to taste her skin, her blood, her mouth. His vampire side immediately hungered for her blood, his fangs punching down in his mouth hard.
“Not another step,” she demanded, pushing herself back until her shoulders hit the wall.
When had he started moving toward her? Somnus planted his feet where he stood and gave himself a mental slap down.
“So, you’re what, like a sandman?” she asked. Rachel eyed him suspiciously.
Somnus didn’t miss the extensive warding on her house, and if he’d been any other species, he would have never gotten in. He watched as her eyes traveled over his face, then his shoulders, down his torso and then back up again. His skin prickled and tingled as if she had touched him with more than her eyes. Most women would have been afraid of him, but she wasn’t. Only rapists and thieves would break into someone’s home in the middle of the night. Somnus shifted his weight from one foot to the other, unsure what to do. He wanted to move closer to her, to touch her. Willing his resolve, he stood still.
“Something like that,” he finally answered, “Look, I have a lot of work to do tonight and many others to see. I don’t know how or why you could see me, but I would like to talk more about it. Can I come back?" When she arched a brow at him he added, "I promise to use the door.” He would definitely be coming back for more information. Maybe other things as well.
Rachel opened her mouth to say no; but, just as he suspected, she wanted answers too. She nodded, never taking her eyes off him. She watched as he inclined his head once and then faded from sight.
Chapter Two
Baku’s mouth split into a wide, fangy grin as he watched the dream god interact with the woman in her dream. This was no true dream god, but a half-breed demigod. It did not matter, though. His magic was just as strong, if not stronger than the others Baku had taken in. As a dream demon, Baku’s only job was to create nightmares. Dreams, good and bad, were an essential part of the human brain function; both were needed in order for the human to work out the stress of their day. He enjoyed his job, but he did not enjoy being forever confined to the limits of the dream realm. Baku wanted more. He desired to create nightmares in the living realm where his creations would be feared by all. He wanted his freedom.