Somnus smiled at his father. “I miss you guys,” he said.
“Well, son, we miss you too, but I doubt that’s what you dragged me way out here, out of hearing distance, to tell me.”
“No,” he answered. “I didn’t want to worry anyone.”
Samuel stopped walking and sat down on a large piece of driftwood, patting the space next to himself for Somnus to join him. “Is it work?”
Somnus sat down. “Yes and no,” he answered honestly. “Something is happening. People are having more and more nightmares.”
“Nightmares are normal,” Samuel said. “You already told your mother that. Why don’t you tell me the rest of it?”
He searched his father’s eyes for a moment, unsure how much to tell him. When Samuel had been turned, he was nearing fifty years old. Now, as a vampire, he looked to be in his late thirties. He probably always would.
“It’s not just nightmares,” Somnus finally told him. “It’s more than that. At least two dream gods have disappeared. Angus thinks it may be related.”
Samuel ran his hand over his bald head. “That is fucked up.” He shook his head. “What are they doing about it?”
“Nothing right now,” Somnus said. “Except we’re all forbidden from entering the dream realm. We can still do our jobs, we just can’t go inside.”
“Has Angus put together a search team for the missing gods?” Samuel asked, slipping right back into his old detective ways. “I still have a few contacts I could call.”
“No,” Somnus said quickly, remembering the demon from Rachel’s dream. No way did he want anyone in his family encountering that. The best thing was for them not to get involved. “This is too dangerous for anyone who isn’t a god.”
“Then why didn’t you bring it up to your mother?”
“I don’t want her to worry,” Somnus said truthfully. “Mom is, well, you know. Mom.”
“Yes, she is,” Samuel smiled. “Now, tell me the real reason you brought me out here.”
Sharp as ever, his father saw right through the bullshit and was going straight to the heart of the problem. “There is one other thing,” Somnus admitted.
“It’s a woman,” Samuel announced confidently.
“How do you know that?”
“Because son, it’s always a woman that can make a man look like you do,” Samuel said. “Who is she?”
Somnus could feel the blood rushing to his face. “Her name is Rachel,” he started.
“Good human name,” Samuel interrupted.
“Yes, she’s human,” Somnus continued. “And she can see me.”
“Well, I can see you,” his father said.
“No,” Somnus said quickly. “She can see me when I ghost; and she can see me in her dreams. Not only that, but, she makes me… feel things.”
“Oh, I see,” Samuel said with a smile. “The kind of things that make you uncomfortable? The kind that make you want to do inappropriate things? The kind of things that make your fangs ache?”
“All of that,” Somnus admitted.
“Maybe she’s the one,” Samuel said.
“You know I think all that mates crap is just that. Crap.”
“Think what you want, boy, but fate trumps your ideas,” Samuel laughed.
“What do I do about it?” Somnus asked.
“I think you should ask your mother about this.”
“No,” Somnus barked at him. “I’m sorry, but no. I can’t ask Mom! That’s just… No. Gross.”
“I’m just saying, she’s a goddess. She knows about this kind of thing. And if anyone can give you advice on women, it’s her.”
“But I came to you,” Somnus reminded his father.
“And I suck at romance,” he answered. “I failed miserably with your mom. Luckily, she found something in me that she liked and refused to let me fuck it up.”
“I just want to understand her, not mate her!” Somnus exclaimed, frustrated. That was what he wanted, wasn’t it? His body craved her blood, but that was normal, right? He knew deep down that it wasn't the normal thirst, but he was too stubborn to admit it.
“Sure, son,” Samuel said. “You might as well tell your mother anyway. You know as soon as we get home she’s gonna pluck it out of my head and there is nothing I can do to stop her.”
Somnus hung his head. His dad was right. Azerial was a powerful goddess, and much too powerful for anyone to keep out of their head when she wanted in. But how would he talk to her about a woman that caused things to happen inside of him? How could he discuss the fact that he’d never wanted anyone’s blood like he wanted hers? No, he just couldn’t. “You know, I think I’m good. I’m gonna pass on talking to Mom about this.”
Samuel laughed. “Whatever you say, son.”
Chapter Five
Traffic was unusually heavy as Rachel drove to Griffin Software in Charleston. They needed their AI debugged, but first it would have to be hacked. That was the problem with artificial intelligence. It was great as long as it worked properly, but if a problem occurred, the system was designed to fix itself. She really had no idea what kind of problem it was having that couldn’t be restored on command, but since she was one of the designers, she was called to fix it.
She maneuvered her SUV down the highway, and was listening to Angel Knight on the classic rock station at an excessive volume when Somnus appeared in the passenger seat. “Holy shit!” she barked, swerving and pulling over to the side of the road. As soon as the vehicle came to a stop, she turned to glare at him. “What the hell is wrong with you?” she demanded, turning the radio down.
“Hey, I like that song,” he told her. “It’s the one Uncle Angel wrote for his wife.”
Rachel stared at him blankly for a moment. “Uncle Angel?” she finally asked.
“Yeah, Angel is my uncle, Brea is my aunt. What the hell am I sitting on?” he asked, leaning over to the side and pulling Rachel’s shoes out from under his butt.
A part of her wanted to laugh at him for ghosting into her car and getting an ass full of high heeled shoes, but the other half that just heard him say that Angel Knight was his uncle was much more interested.
“You said your father was a detective and turned by the Knight family,” she said. “So, you mean you’re related to the band too?”
Somnus nodded. “Yeah, they don’t play as much anymore. Well, they do, but mostly for themselves. Touring and things like that are frowned upon since Gage came out and told everyone who he is.”
Rachel was speechless. Gage. The King of Vampires who lived with the California Clan Leader. The rock star. She wondered, if she asked, whether Somnus might take her to meet them.
“Plus, since everyone is having kids and their kids are having kids, they are loving the grandparent life nowadays. But they sure as shit don’t look like grandparents. Not one of them can act their age,” Somnus continued. “Hey, are you okay? You look a little pale.”
Rachel shook herself. “I’m sorry, it’s just a lot to wrap my head around,” she answered him.
“I take it you’re a fan?”
“Yeah,” she admitted. “I fell in love with “Comma” the first time I heard it. The way he sings about needing her, about not being able to breathe without her, it’s epic. It’s the kind of love that every girl wants.”
Somnus nodded. “It is a great love song. So, anyhow, where ya off to?”
Rachel didn’t miss that he’d changed the subject on purpose, so she went with it, even though she had a ton of questions about his family. “I do have a job to do,” she reminded him. “I’m a freelance programmer slash tech support geek. Today, I’m headed to Griffin Software to tweak their AI.”
“Okay,” Somnus said with a knowing look. “But why are there stripper shoes in the front seat?”
“What?” she laughed. “My heels? They go great with this outfit,” she told him. “Besides, I find that men are more forthcoming with information I need if I can make them drool just a little bit.”
/> Somnus’ eyes traveled over her silk tank top and blue pencil skirt. He looked down at her legs and then her bare feet. “But you can’t drive in the shoes,” he said.
“Exactly,” she agreed. “Now if you don’t mind, I have to get going.”
“Mind if I tag along?” he asked. “They won’t see me. You’re the only one who can do that.”
Rachel shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat,” she told him. “But stay out of the way.”
“Wouldn’t dream of interfering,” Somnus told her.
Rachel pulled her truck back onto the road. “So why did you just appear in my truck?” she asked him.
“I was worried about you,” he answered honestly. “I wanted to ask about that dream again.”
“What about it?” she asked.
“How many times have you had that same dream?”
Rachel shrugged. “I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “Several. No matter where it starts, it always ends up with me running.”
“People aren’t supposed to know when they’re dreaming. But you do.”
“Sometimes,” she told him.
“I wanted to ask you a question. You can say no, but at least hear me out first,” he said, leaning to the side so that he could face her in the confines of the truck.
“Well, ask,” she said.
“So, I was telling you about my family,” he began. “And I was wondering. You said you were adopted and didn’t know your family.”
“That’s not a question,” she reminded him, curious about where this was going.
“I have an aunt who is a witch,” he continued. “Well, witch-vampire mix. She was turned. Doesn’t matter. The point is, she could do a spell that would search your bloodline. Maybe we could find out how it is that you can see me.”
“So, you’re asking me to meet your aunt and let her do some hocus pocus on me?” Rachel asked without taking her eyes off the road. She didn’t know how she felt about that. She’d always wondered about where she came from, but did she really want a witch performing magic on her? It seemed a little, well, invasive.
“Yes. I can have her come to you or we can go to my family’s home,” Somnus told her.
“I need to think about that,” she told him. Would she like to meet the famous Knight family? Hell, yes. Did she want them all up in her business? Maybe not. “I appreciate the offer, but let me stew on it a bit while I’m working today.”
Just as the words left her mouth, she was pulling into the parking lot of the software company. “Are you coming in?” she asked when he handed her the shoes.
“Nah,” he said, leaning the seat all the way back. “I’m just gonna nap for a minute if that’s okay? I work at night, remember?”
Rachel shook her head and smiled. “Sure,” she said. “I’ll leave the keys in case you get hot.” She grabbed her laptop case and hopped down from the truck. She closed the door and looked back at him one more time. He was already lying back in the front seat with his eyes closed. A little warning bell went off, telling her that she shouldn’t leave a strange man in her truck with the keys, but then again, he could just ghost anywhere he wanted. Besides, against all logic, she trusted him.
***
Somnus watched Rachel walk into the building from her truck. He had intended to go straight to sleep, but couldn’t resist watching her move in those shoes. They made her taller, making her legs appear longer and even more shapely than they were before. He watched the sway of her hips as she took a no-nonsense approach to the building and then disappeared inside. Only after she was out of his sight did he really relax and close his eyes again.
It had been an extremely long night and an even longer day before that. The fact that Rachel was up and moving was a mystery to him. Most gods didn’t need sleep, but Somnus did due to his mixed bloodline. He cracked the window next to him slightly, feeling for the automatic button without opening his eyes before allowing sleep to claim him.
It seemed only seconds passed before Rachel was getting back into the truck. The door slammed, and he jerked up in the seat, turning to look at her. She was absolutely breathtaking as she slid across her seat behind the wheel. He watched as she turned to look at him. Something about her was different. Her eyes weren’t all business, but softer. She looked at him like she cared, like she wanted him.
Without saying a word, Rachel eased herself over the console and threw one leg over Somnus’. This wasn’t the time nor the place, but as she settled herself on top of his legs, he knew he wouldn’t be arguing with her. “Everything go okay in there?” he asked.
“Shut up,” she told him as she leaned in and took his mouth in a melting kiss. Somnus stiffened at the first touch of her lips, but in a matter of seconds he got with the program; wrapping his arms around her and thrusting his tongue into her mouth.
She tasted like heaven.
She nipped at his bottom lip and Somnus thought his world was going to explode. His hips rocked against her on their own will, rubbing his hard-on against her core. When she broke the kiss to throw her head back, Somnus latched on to the delicate skin of her neck. He could hear her pulse pounding, smell the blood moving under her skin, and his fangs elongated in preparation to sip from her neck. He didn’t bite though, only licked and sucked at her skin.
Rachel sat up straight and ripped her tank top off, tossing it carelessly into the backseat of the truck and then pulled her skirt up around her waist. Good gravy! She wasn’t wearing panties. Just as quickly as she’d shed her own clothes, Rachel was unbuttoning his jeans to free his cock from them. She smiled wickedly at him as she positioned herself above it.
She lowered her body onto his, taking him deep inside of her. “Rachel,” he breathed, loving the way her body fit to his as she began to move on him. “Yes, more,” he groaned.
Rachel began to laugh out loud and Somnus opened his eyes to see what was so funny. She was staring at him, but there was something wrong. Her eyes were black as ink and her mouth was too big. The more she laughed, the more it changed. It went from her light bubbly laugh into a sinister cackling.
“What the hell?” he said, trying to lift her off him, but she was much too strong.
“What’s the matter?” she asked in a voice that wasn’t her own. “Don’t you want me?”
“You’re not Rachel!” he shouted. “Get the fuck off me!”
“Too late,” she growled, her skin changing and turning red all over. “She’s mine now and so are you!” Two long horns sprouted from her head just as her mouth opened to reveal a row of razor-sharp teeth. “Mine!” she growled again just before lunging for his neck.
Somnus jumped upright, his arms flailing out to his sides and hitting the window of the truck. No one was there. He was alone in the truck, sweating and breathing heavily. Rachel was nowhere to be seen and neither was the thing that had attacked him.
Geesh, it was a nightmare!
Somnus did dream when he slept, but had only ever had one bad dream. He guessed he wasn’t exempt from the horror that humans were experiencing. He shuddered as he remembered the way Rachel’s face changed into something that very closely resembled the monster she had been dreaming about recently. Running his hand over his head, Somnus did his best to shake it off. How long had he been asleep? Taking to his ghost form, he went inside the building to the place where, his soul told him, Rachel was working.
Yeah, he could feel her. That word that his father used whispered through his mind. Mate. Vampires had mates. Demigods did not. Right? But you’re half vampire, his brain told him. “Shut up,” he muttered to himself. No one inside the software company noticed him as he ghosted through the building. They all went about their days, tapping away on their computers, watching their screens, or drinking their coffee and talking amongst each other. That was how it was supposed to be. Unlike Rachel, who looked up from her desk as soon as he entered the office where she was working and smiled.
Dear lord, that smile could drive men to their knees. Her h
air was skillfully disheveled, and her eyes were bright as ever as she looked directly at him through the reading glasses she’d donned to work in. Other than that smile, she didn’t acknowledge his presence, but kept to the low conversation she was having with the man standing over her.
In Somnus’ opinion, the man was standing way too close to her. He watched as the pencil-neck leaned in even closer from behind Rachel and breathed in her perfume. Rachel looked up at Somnus quizzically and then to the man standing over her. She smiled and very gracefully moved over slightly. It wasn’t a big movement, but enough to let the suit know he was in her personal space. Somnus realized, as he watched her fluid movements, that he was growling. No one could hear him, except for Rachel. Damn it, he hadn’t growled like that since, well, ever. This woman was having a serious effect on him, and he needed to get a leash on it.
“Have you shut down the interface?” Rachel asked the suit.
“Tried,” he answered. “But the system has a fail-safe that keeps it from going offline completely. I tried entering safe mode and even repair mode, but Jilly won’t go down.”
Who the hell was Jilly?
“Well, she doesn’t want to be shut down,” Rachel said with a smile. “The trick is to get in without her detecting you. You can’t run a bull through a china shop. You have to take more of a cat burglar approach.”
“You should know, you designed her,” the suit said.
“I need to get into the mainframe,” Rachel said. “Is it still downstairs?”
Pencil-neck nodded.
“Good. I can take myself there,” she said definitively. “Keep an eye on this screen. If you see any variance, I want you to text my cell.”
“Okay, but why?” he asked her.
“Because if there is any change at all, that means I’ve done something wrong and Jilly won’t allow me in to fix her.”
The man nodded and Rachel closed her laptop, taking a couple of cords with her. “Otherwise, I’ll be back in a little while with an update.”
She walked out of the office and Somnus followed her. He felt a little bit like a stalker, but she knew he was there. They walked past what was likely the breakroom when someone shouted. Somnus peeked in the room to see an employee wearing his coffee. It had soaked his white button-down shirt and the machine was still pouring coffee. It had spilled over the side, onto the counter, and then on to the floor.
Sandman (Forbidden Love Series II Book 5) Page 4