Sandman (Forbidden Love Series II Book 5)

by Danielle James

  "Altum somnum!" Frankie commanded, throwing a potion over Rachel's head.

  Rachel turned her head and wailed, the sound reverberating throughout the house, then her eyes closed and her body went limp. Somnus caught her weight before she fell to the floor. Picking her up, he nodded at his aunt.

  "Yeah, saved your ass right there," she said.

  "Thanks," Somnus said sincerely. "I have to get her to come out of this. She was ready to kill that poor SOB." He gently laid his mate on his bed.

  Her hair, that had appeared to burn, did not. It spread out around her head, even longer than it had been before, in brilliant flames that flickered and waved, but it did not burn anything else. Those magnificent wings were folded tightly against her back and her eyes were closed. She looked like she was sleeping peacefully

  "Is she dreaming?" He couldn't allow her to dream. It was too dangerous.

  "Nah, I doubt it," Frankie said. "I put her in a deep sleep. But I don’t know how long it will last. Where did you find her?"

  "I think it was her ex's house," Somnus said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

  "She is in pain," Azerial said, coming into the room. "I can feel it across the house."

  "I know," Somnus said. "And it's not physical pain. It's in her heart."

  "She’s kept it locked away," Azerial said. "She’s locked it up so tight that even I couldn't see it."

  "And now it's free," Frankie said. "She told me that she used to have anger issues, but I had no idea it was like this. Combine Hades’ bloodline with years of repressed hurt and anger—no wonder she turned."

  "I thought all of Hades' daughters were furies," Somnus said, daring to touch the flaming locks, pushing one out of her face.

  "Not all," Azerial said. "But some. Did she take a life?"

  "I don’t think so," Somnus told her.

  "Then there is hope yet," she said. "If a fury takes an innocent life during a rage, she is condemned to forever remain a fury, unable to control it and eventually incapable of anything but anger, including love. She would lose all of her humanity, becoming the demon that furies are known to be."

  "She would have," he told them. "She was going to kill him. I could see it in her eyes."

  "Then good thing you brought her back here," Frankie said. "Speaking of which, where is everyone else?"

  "Left Angel and Sebastian downtown. Gage and the others went with me to get her."

  "And where is that?" Frankie asked sweetly.

  "Fuck. Louisville, Kentucky," Somnus cursed. "I didn't have time to grab them."

  "I'll go get them," Azerial offered. "Be right back."

  Somnus nodded, but he was still looking at Rachel.

  Her eyes were closed and he was noticing the lids had turned a deep purple. It wasn't just the upper lids, though. The color, although not as dark, was beginning to show all around her eye sockets. That wasn't the only change. Besides her hair and dark eyes, dark spots, lines, had begun to show around her temple and at the indent of her cheeks. In fact, as he looked at her more closely, her skin was taking on a bluish tint, accented by darker slashes on her arms and legs. She was still changing.

  On her right shoulder, heavier golden lines swirled and twisted in a design that resembled his magic. It was her mating mark.

  Even though the fury was taking over and that was incredibly dangerous to his mate, Somnus couldn't help but see the beauty. He didn't fear her, not really. He didn't think that she was a demon or evil in any way. He knew better. She was good. He knew it in his soul.

  She was beautiful as a human, but as a fury, nothing compared.

  Taking her hand and holding it in his own, he silently vowed that, even if it took holding her against her will, he would do whatever it took to save her from herself, and to save her from the nightmares. No wonder she had the worst nightmares. She had so much pent-up anger and resentment that it burst out of her physically. Now, looking at her, he realized the logic in his family's thinking.

  He would protect her. He would take care of her. By any means necessary.

  ***

  "What the fuck was that!" Trent demanded as he put on his clothes. His girlfriend was still in the corner of the room, the sheet wrapped haphazardly around her naked body.

  "That," Gage told him, "was one pissed off woman. You ever hear of a woman scorned?" When Trent nodded, he continued. "You scorned her. I don't even want to know what you did to her, but whatever it was, it was very personal. I should kick your ass myself."

  "Was that Rachel?" he asked.

  "Yeah," Rebel told him. "I recommend shutting up now and thanking God that Somnus got here in time. Another second and you would have been shredded like ribbons decorating this whole place."

  "What happened to her?"

  "Don't you worry about that," Samuel said. "You won't remember this anyway."

  "How the fuck do you forget something like that?" Trent shrieked. "I can't just—"

  Gage moved in front of him and slipped into his mind. He removed all memory of Rachel's new-found fury and of himself and his brothers. He replaced the memory with an intruder that broke in, made a mess, and then left. When he was done mucking around and rearranging in the man's head, he moved on to the woman and did the same thing. Then, he went back to the man.

  "I want to know what you did," he told him, still having complete control and access of his mind. Gage went through the man's memories until he found what he was looking for. "Oh, you were a bad boy," he muttered. "We can't have that anymore. You will treat this new woman like a princess. You will be loyal, kind, and protective of her without stifling her free will. You will be the best mate this woman has ever known. If you're not, just remember that I will come back."

  "Oh snap, the King has spoken!"

  "Hey, how we gonna get back?" Rebel asked. "Somnus just left us here."

  "Either he will come back," Samuel assured him, "Or Azerial will come."

  "You are correct, as usual," Azerial said, appearing out of thin air. "Let's go home." With the power she wielded, Azerial whisked all three men back to California where everyone else was already waiting.

  ***

  No matter which way he turned, Somnus couldn't really see the mating mark that Rachel had left on his skin. He could see the part that reached around his ribs, but when he turned, the part on his back distorted and he couldn't get a good view. It had suddenly occurred to him that he hadn't seen it properly while he was watching over his mate sleep. As soon as he realized it, it became imperative that he see it immediately. He took himself into the bathroom to use the mirrors in there.

  "Would you like some help?" Samuel asked, leaning against the bathroom door with an amused expression.

  "Well, can you help me hold the mirror or something? I'm trying to see this mark," Somnus said, twisting yet again and being unsuccessful.

  "I have a better idea," Samuel said, taking his phone out of his pocket. "Turn around." Somnus turned and held his arms out to his sides while Samuel took a picture. “Here, now look.”

  The mark started at the top of one shoulder blade and stretched all the way across his back in a diagonal direction. The heavy black lines dipped and turned, twisted on themselves and finally, ended on his ribs on the other side. There was no mistaking it. A pair of fury wings were permanently etched into the tanned skin of his back. “It’s beautiful,” he breathed.

  “A vampire’s mating mark is unique to the owner,” his father told him. “She gave herself to you, now and forever. You are the only one who can bring her out of this now.”

  Somnus looked to his father with real concern. “I don’t know how,” he admitted. “I wish I could just reach into her mind and talk to her, but when I try, I hit a block.”

  “I was talking to Gage about that,” Samuel said, putting his phone away. “We have an idea.”

  “I’m open to suggestions.”

  “We were thinking that since it isn’t really safe for her to dream, we want to put her in a magica
l coma. This way, we can cut off the outside dreams and maybe get through to her.”

  That didn’t feel safe at all. “How can we cut off the dream realm? It doesn’t cut off, it’s always there. The realm exists on a whole different plane, one that only a dream god is supposed to be able to access,” Somnus reminded him.

  “And what are you? Chopped liver?” Samuel laughed. “You gotta help us out a little bit here.”

  Somnus nodded knowing that, good or bad, he didn’t have any other ideas. This was all they had to go with. “Okay, but I need to see Angus first.”

  “Go, son,” Samuel said. “We’ll protect her while you’re gone.”

  Somnus grabbed his shirt and ghosted to the Heavens.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Running. Why was she always running? Rachel could hear the echo of her feet as they pounded against the pavement in her dream. Wasn’t this supposed to be a nightmare? Where was the demon and where was she going? No matter what she tried, Rachel couldn’t stop running.

  “Come on!” she shouted at the empty sky. “You want a piece of me? Come and get it, and stop this game!”

  A shrill, screaming laughter filled the air all around her, but it was not the demon’s. This was feminine, but no less terrifying. As Rachel rounded yet another corner, she saw the owner of that voice. She was about Rachel’s height, with flaming hair and wings that were leathery and black. Her skin was blue with black accents where her muscles connected, making them appear more defined. On her fingertips, razor sharp claws reached toward her and when she smiled, long, bloody fangs waited to sink into their next victim.

  Rachel managed to get control of her legs and skidded to a stop. She backpedaled, desperate to get away from whatever that thing was. Now that was a scary sight. The thing moved after Rachel, keeping only steps behind her.

  “You can’t run from me,” it hissed, followed by more laughter. “You are mine.”

  Rachel shoved her way into an abandoned store and as soon as she crossed the threshold, the scene changed. She found herself in a field of flowers. The yellow blooms swayed back and forth with the light breeze that tickled her skin. All at once, Rachel was no longer afraid. This was a safe place, she decided. There was nothing here that could harm her. Off in the distance, a large boulder rose up from the flowers near a couple of trees. That was when Rachel recognized the place. She’d seen it before, in the Knight Estate. It was one of the paintings! The one with Frankie sitting on that very rock.

  Without deciding to do so, Rachel made her way to that rock. She climbed up and sat in the same spot she’d seen Frankie sit and waited. For what? She didn’t know. All she knew was that this place was peaceful, and there were no demons to find her here. She was safe.

  ***

  “Well, look at ye,” Angus grinned as soon as Somnus appeared in the dream office. “Ye claimed yer mate. I dunno why vampires be claimin’ their mates at the worst possible times, but I’m happy fer ye just the same.”

  “Thank you,” Somnus said. “I need to ask you something.”

  “Of course, but first ye need to be tellin’ me about that little lady’s power. I’m curious, ye know.”

  Somnus laughed. Angus was an interesting guy. “Well, as it turns out, she’s a fury.”

  Angus’ red eyebrows shot up and he jumped out of his chair. “A what?”

  “Fury.”

  “Now son, don’t be thinkin’ that I ain’t happy and all, but how in the blazes does a lass not know that she’s a fury?”

  “I’m not sure. She never accessed her magic, but I guess when Baku tried to kill me—”

  “What??” Angus moved at the speed of light to Somnus and put his hand on his shoulder. “You best be backin’ up and tellin’ me the whole story. Especially seeing as how you weren’t supposed to be in the dream realm where the bastard could get to ye!”

  Somnus drew in a deep breath and nodded. He told Angus the whole story, beginning to end and when he was finished, Angus shook his head. “Well first, yer grounded for breaking the rules,” he muttered. “No dream work for a month. Now, that being said, I’m glad the lass saved yer sorry arse. But how ye gonna keep her from dreamin’ when she’s in this coma?”

  “That’s what I wanted to ask you about,” Somnus said. “I’ve withdrawn my magic from her, but she’s still dreaming.”

  “Well, of course,” Angus told him. “She’s got a buildup of magic from the day she was born. It takes more than withholding magic to keep the dreams out. Yer gonna have to keep her in the between.”

  The between was the place between awake and asleep. “I have to keep her in transition?” Somnus asked. “That could be dangerous.”

  Angus nodded. “Aye. But ye can do it. Take this,” he said as he reached into a drawer in his desk. He pulled out a small leather bag that looked like a hex bag. “It was a gift from Hypnos. It’s a tiny bit of sleeping magic. Give her only enough to keep her eyes closed and to keep her from hurtin’ anyone. Then ye get in there and you help her find herself. I don’t wanna be losing one of my best because his mate is too dangerous.”

  Somnus took the bag that contained a little bit of the God of Sleep’s magic and tucked it into his pocket. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “I’m going to save her.”

  “I know ye will lad,” Angus told him. “And if ye get any bright ideas about Baku, ye be lettin’ me know before ye go off all hotheaded and try and take him down yerself. I dunno how he got to be as strong as he is, but it ain’t normal.”

  “I know,” Somnus agreed. “Any word on the missing gods?”

  Angus shook his head. “Nope. By now we’re figuring they’re dead. I don’t wanna see yer pretty face on a milk carton either. Get yer woman straight. Then we will work the demon over.”

  Somnus nodded and ghosted away. It was right about that point that he realized that Angus was more than just his supervisor. He was a mentor and a friend, and Somnus wasn’t about to let him down.

  ***

  The spell Frankie, Serena, and Azerial cast over Rachel’s sleeping body seemed to be working. As soon as Somnus left, she began to scream and thrash in her sleep. They were worried she’d hurt herself or someone else, which was why they opted not to wait for Somnus to return. He would be pissed, but it was the only thing they could do, short of chaining her up.

  “I assure you, my son will not go against me,” Azerial told them. “He knows that I will protect her however I can. This is for the best.”

  “Where did we send her?” Frankie asked her goddess.

  “To your thinking rock,” Azerial smiled. “The demon cannot get to her there. She is free to sleep for now.”

  “She’s still dreaming,” Serena pointed out. “We’re just controlling it to some extent.”

  “I don’t like it,” Frankie admitted. “If this was Jacque and anyone tried to do anything to him while I was away, I’d be out for blood.”

  “This will keep all outside forces out of her mind,” Azerial told them. “Including us. We’ll have to wake her at some point.”

  “She’ll kill us,” Frankie said. “I don’t think she would on purpose, but she’d try.”

  “She cannot kill me,” Azerial said definitively. “And she cannot kill Somnus.”

  “So, what, everyone else should leave?” Serena laughed. “Like that would ever happen in this house!”

  “Right?” Frankie laughed. “Every one of us has a damned death wish I think. But whatever. We’re in it to win it!”

  The three women laughed together, relieved to have Rachel in a safe place. Her breathing was still labored but at least her nightmares were her own.

  "I wonder what she's dreaming about," Serena mused aloud.

  "I don't know," Frankie answered. "I'm not sure I want to."

  Somnus ghosted in and took his full form. "Hey," he said to his family. "How is she?"

  Azerial stepped up to explain. "She was having a horrible nightmare." she said. "We cast the spell to protect her from out
side forces. No one can enter her induced sleep state."

  "What?" Somnus barked. "You were supposed to wait for me!"

  "We would have, but I feared that she was going to hurt someone," Azerial told him. "She is safe."

  Somnus looked at his mate and huffed. "She's having a nightmare now!"

  "But it is her own," Frankie pointed out. "You have to be the one to get in there. You have to be the one to connect with her, teach her to control this. It has to be you."

  Somnus shook his head. "I have no clue how to help her."

  "You're her mate," Azerial pointed out. "You're connected. You will know what to do when the time comes."

  "I'm glad you have so much faith in me," Somnus said with heavy doubt.

  "You must rely on your connection to her in order to reach her. The spell is strong, but not so strong that you can't get in."

  "What if I'm not strong enough?" Somnus asked. "My specialty is dreams, not psychic powers. I can't control the mind like Gage does!"

  "You don’t need to control her mind," Azerial said. "You need to connect with her on a level that no one of us, not even Gage, can. You have to help her see that she can control this."

  "I don't know," Somnus told her with a shake of his head. "I'll try." He lay down on the bed next to Rachel, avoiding her claws and scooting right up next to her.

  "And," his mother continued, "I want to point out that your father was turned by Gage. The King of Vampires gave his blood to your father and you have his blood. So, by extension, you have the king's blood and mine. You are stronger than you know."

  The three women all nodded in agreement. "We're going to leave you with your mate. Find her. Help her. Bring her back to us. The spell will be broken when Rachel is in control again."

  With that last statement, the three most powerful women he'd ever known left the room.

  ***

  The fury watched the human woman from inside her prison. She didn’t know how she got there and she didn’t care. The human, Rachel, had suppressed her for so long. She needed to get her closer, needed to show her who the superior being was. The human was weak. She feared, and that wouldn’t do. Pulling on her power, the fury pushed forth a ray of light. She conjured herself into a reflection that Rachel would be able to see, then waited for the human to notice her.