A few minutes ago, when she’d had her neighbor’s yellow cat on her lap, she’d felt a shift in the energy in her living room. She’d hoped Brannick had started returning to his corporeal self.
But the energy had vanished a few minutes ago, and Juliet was back to waiting, but with hope dimming yet again.
She knew she had to make another effort to reach him, but she’d been putting it off.
Tears welled in her eyes. She didn’t want Brannick to die. She feared if she pressed him again, he’d take the last step and disappear from her life completely. Only then had she come to understand that despite the hidden quality of their relationship, he’d come to mean a great deal to her. She refused to call it love. She wouldn’t go that far. But he had eased her loneliness.
She knew that courage came in many forms. She wasn’t a powerful witch like Emma, who had taken out a monster of a wizard just a month ago. Emma was the kind of woman Juliet admired tremendously.
But Juliet had her own brand of courage as one who helped women escape Roche’s domination. The powerful fae still didn’t seem to know what she was up to, though she suspected the attack on the bridge could be a hint that he’d caught wind of her activities.
She released a sigh then turned away from the soothing canal waters and the balmy evening breeze.
Moving back into the house, she decided it was time to make another push to bring Brannick back from wherever the hell he’d gone.
What she knew in her spirit was that Brannick belonged here, in Five Bridges. He was needed.
She’d long since pushed the bamboo and glass coffee table out of the way to give herself access to him. He lay supported on his side by a pillow in front and one behind him, his lower half covered with a soft blanket. She knelt close to him and shifted the front facing pillow out of the way. Fresh blood stained the white bandage wrapped around his chest.
Her heart sank. Bleeding indicated he wasn’t healing himself. All alter species could self-heal to some degree. The more powerful the man or woman, the better the healing. Brannick should have been well on his way to restored health by now.
She placed a hand on his hip and another on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and entered her dreamglide world. She loved the initial entry moment, because she felt free, something she rarely experienced in her night-to-night fae life. Her normal existence felt bound up as if by ropes. She lived with a certain amount of tension every day, especially from the time Roche had tried to hijack her in a dreamglide.
But for this moment, as she entered the half-world most often associated with sleep and dreams, she was at peace.
Within the dreamglide she rose up from the side of the couch and watched Brannick closely. His breathing became regular though he didn’t open his eyes. At least in the dreamglide his eyelids were fully closed. In real-time they were half-open, an indication of his proximity to death.
Brann? Would he be able to respond?
Juliet? Her name returned very faintly, though in real-time Brannick was still out cold.
Juliet’s heart rate soared. The intuitive fae part of her knew he wasn’t dead. But hearing his telepathic voice was a powerful confirmation that she had a chance right now to bring him back.
But how?
CHAPTER 4
Brannick’s head hurt. That was his first thought as Juliet’s voice penetrated his mind.
He lay in a dense, dark gray air. He couldn’t see anything except wisps of smoky mist that clung to him, entwining around his arms and legs, pulling him toward the ground. A terrible fatigue had settled into every bone. He wanted to sleep, to fall into a slumber so deep he’d never wake up again.
Brann? Can you hear me? I need you to come back to me.
He wanted to respond, but couldn’t. He remembered that his wife had visited him. She kept encouraging him to do something, but he couldn’t remember what.
He forced himself to think, to figure out where he was and what had happened to him.
He’d been severely wounded, that much he knew. He could recall the blade point of a sword protruding from his abdomen, then disappearing. He’d felt nothing and passed out.
But, where was he now?
The dark mist tightened around him, pulling each limb hard. He had to get up. Had to fight this thing, but what was attacking him?
Some of the fog began to dispel, and he recognized Juliet’s living room, but not the real thing. He could see that the edges were blurry, a sure sign of a dreamglide and one he was very familiar with.
Then he understood. He’d somehow pulled himself into a dreamglide again, like he had when he’d first gotten sliced through. He saw it as a good sign, yet the pull on his body was a formidable force.
The dreamglide hovered off to the side of the room a few feet away from Juliet. Through the blurred portion, he could see that his body remained inert on the couch and that Juliet knelt beside him, her head bent. She had a hand on his hip and one on his shoulder. She looked like she was praying. Maybe she was.
Lifting his arm, he saw that he was not quite fully formed, another indication of his divided mind.
Yep, still at the edge of paradise.
Another entity moved into the room, a very male presence. It wasn’t formed at all, just a dark mass that had a familiar stench, like someone addicted to dark flame.
In real-time, Juliet removed her hands from his body and slowly stood up. She turned, her eyes wide with horror. At first, he thought she would shift in Brannick’s direction, that she was reacting to him.
Instead, she faced the intruder. Get out of here, Roche. You’re not wanted.
Roche. Shit.
Brannick knew he needed to be with Juliet, to stand beside her against the fae monster who wanted her in his sex shop. But he was so damn weak.
During his dreamglide time with Juliet, she’d told him that Roche had attempted more than once to pull her unwillingly into his dreamglide or at other times to invade hers. If he ever succeeded, he’d essentially be able to take over her mind and Juliet would belong to him. More than one gifted female fae had disappeared into his underground lair never to been seen again.
He watched as Roche, in his black, cloud-like form, began to envelop Juliet.
Panic struck hard. Though he might have his own reasons for sticking close to death, he wanted Juliet safe. And right now she was in danger and needed his help.
Within his dreamglide, he began to forge his inner strength, to pull himself out of his lethargy.
From deep within, he summoned his essential energy, both human and vampire. Somehow, he’d find a way to support her and keep Roche from taking over her mind.
As he dropped out of the dreamglide, he began the slow rise to consciousness.
***
Juliet stood protectively in front of Brannick, her heart hammering in her chest.
As Roche’s smoky dreamglide enveloped her, fear set in, and she found it hard to breathe. Would this be the one time Roche could break through her blocks and pull her into his world for good?
Roche’s telepathic voice pierced her mind. Come to me, Juliet. Even I can see Brannick doesn’t want to live. Let him go and come to me.
Despite her hatred of Roche, she felt a powerful call on her soul to be with him, to finally give in to his will.
At the same time she knew that the way Roche’s words flowed into each other meant he was heavily drugged right now. He’d probably doubled up on dark flame.
Not good.
The dark flame drug had the unique ability to enhance the fae dreamglider, and Roche had pulled out all the stops on this one. The problem was if he sustained his assault, her lesser ability and power would cause her to succumb.
But Agnes had drilled her on one point specifically; her out-of-control emotions, including her fear of Roche, would feed the invading spirit.
She needed to grow very calm if she had any hope of fighting him off.
She closed her eyes and took slow breaths. She focused, as Agnes had
taught her, on her own spirit.
Again, Roche’s mind pressed in on hers, every word painfully seductive. Come to me, Juliet. I’ll give you pleasure as you’ve never known. I’ll show you ways to enhance your dreamgliding until it’s the only place you’ll ever want to be. I’ll even let you keep Brannick with you as your pet, if you like.
Every word he spoke, chipped away at her resolution. She found herself longing to be with him, to surrender to his will.
She reached toward Brannick. If you can hear me, Brann, I need your help.
She felt something from behind her, a small stream of energy that wasn’t Roche. It was faint, but it was there. As it moved toward her, she drew the power within her. The moment the electrical pulses made contact, she felt a vampire connection.
Her heart leaped.
Brannick.
She blocked Roche’s telepathy and reached out to Brannick. Are you alive?
Barely, but I’m here. Take hold of what I am as an alter vampire. Use it. Use me. I’m here.
She’d felt something similar on the bridge, when she’d created a cloak around herself. For whatever reason, she had a powerful connection to Brannick, even though he was deathly ill.
She invited the stream of energy to flow upward, to fill her chest, then flow into her mind. Once there, it cascaded over every other part of her, all the way to her hands and down her legs to her feet until she hummed with vampire power.
What the hell is this? Roche’s words floated through her head. I can’t see you anymore. I can’t feel you. Where did you go?
Juliet didn’t respond. Instead she began side-stepping away from the smoky dreamglide Roche inhabited until she was completely disengaged from him.
Once separated, the dreamglide vanished as though it had never been there. Roche was gone.
She almost started celebrating, but the fae part of her sensed another danger. She knew Roche had assembled a force in real-time that was now headed toward her canal home.
She and Brannick were both in trouble.
Returning to the couch, she discovered that Brannick’s eyes were open, but they kept rolling back in his head. He’d finally come back from the brink, but he wasn’t in any kind of shape to battle a powerful group of fae warriors.
She had to think, and she had to figure this out fast or they’d both be dead.
She could feel Roche now in real-time. He and his force weren’t far from the Lotus Tree development.
Using her new ability to invoke a vampire shield, she surrounded herself and Brannick as tight as she could.
She almost spoke aloud to him, but knew it would be wiser to refrain from making any kind of sound.
She switched to telepathy. Brann, we’re in physical danger. I’ve got to get you off the couch. Now. Roche has seen your location in the dreamglide and he’s coming to destroy us both.
Juliet, I’m damn weak. You’ll have to lift me up from the couch. Try using pure physical strength, but focus on being more vampire than fae. Do you understand?
The suggestion stunned her at first. But if she could create a cloak, why not take on Brannick’s pure vampire physical brawn as well? I’ll try.
She focused all her energy on enhancing her physical strength. And with a thought, there it was.
With Roche and his men so near, she didn’t have time to test it out. She simply bent her knees, slid her arm under his back and tugged his arm over her shoulder. She lifted him up and kept lifting until he was on his feet. She couldn’t believe how strong she was. Brannick was six-five and all heavy muscle.
Though he sagged against her and was barely conscious, he could still shuffle his way alongside her toward the arched doorway leading to the bedrooms. She kept him moving, one foot after the other.
But she could feel him slipping away again, which meant she wouldn’t be able to get him all the way to the master bedroom as she’d hoped. As soon as she reached the door of the smaller second bedroom, she hurried him inside. The moment he lost consciousness, he became a dead weight. She didn’t have quite enough strength to hold him up and fell with him to the carpeted floor at the foot of the bed.
At least they were out of the main room of the house and with luck, combined with her still-functioning vampire shield, maybe Roche’s men wouldn’t find them.
She lay facing Brannick. His eyes were closed, his face pale, but he was alive. She drew close and surrounded his back with her arm. I’ve got you. Don’t move. Don’t make a sound. Roche and his men are coming into the house.
Sounds of men shouting and their feet slamming against her wood floors sent jolts of fear through her mind. She forced herself to stay relaxed and not to panic. She kept her breathing steady.
A masculine voice at the door called out, “There’s no one in this room.”
More pounding feet toward the master bedroom.
Another man shouted. “The door to the back patio is wide open. They’re gone.”
Juliet smiled. She always kept the patio doors open during early May. She loved the flow of air and the balmy sweet smell of the spring flowers she’d planted at night in her garden. How odd to think this one small habit might have just saved both their lives.
A moment later, she heard distant footsteps, and by extending her fae senses, she could tell Roche’s force was gone.
She remained where she was but fished her phone out of the pocket of her long skirt, then called Vaughn. She knew he couldn’t leave the safe house. But when she explained what had happened, he sent over a squad of four of his security force, each of them former Elegance border patrol officers, who would stand guard over her house.
She pulled the comforter off the bed, and covered them both. Even though he was unconscious, she knew this was where she needed to be.
She only lowered the vampire shield long enough to talk to the warlock in charge. Once she gave her orders, she restored the shield.
Occasionally, she heard the men talk to each other or move through the house checking to make sure everything was secure. She probably could have joined them, but her faeness told her to stick close to Brannick.
Hours later, when dawn grew near, the warlocks closed all the shutters and sealed up the house. They would stay in her canal home through the day.
Sensing the house was secure, she finally fell asleep.
***
Brannick woke up from a series of dreams that may not have been dreams. He lay on his side in one of Juliet’s back bedrooms and on the floor, and she was with him. He spooned her, his arm draped over her waist, but he couldn’t quite remember how he’d gotten here.
He ached head-to-toe, but that’s when it dawned on him. He wasn’t dead.
He hadn’t died after all.
Somehow, he’d come back from the edge of paradise. But who had called it that?
He squeezed his eyes shut and settled his head on his arm. His vampire healing had kicked in at last. He had a terrible pain from below his sternum, through to his back, and it was hard to breathe because of it.
But he was alive.
Something had given him a push back to the living, back from paradise.
His eyes popped open.
His wife.
He’d been with his wife in Juliet’s home. She’d looked so beautiful, even if she’d only been a ghost.
Without warning, tears slid from his eyes. She’d looked exactly like he remembered her, except in her ghost form, she hadn’t been pregnant. When she’d died, she’d been seven months along.
He huffed a sigh and lived with the pain of his loss for a few minutes, remembering Olivia and their four-year-old, Kelly. Eventually, his wife’s most recent visit replaced his sadness. He even smiled.
She’d spoken about taking care of both their children, getting them grown up. Was that what happened after death or had he made it all up within his unconscious mind in order to make it back to Juliet?
Yet, somehow he knew it was all true. Life was a mystery, death an even greater one.
&
nbsp; He checked his internal clock, the part of him created through the alter transformation that kept his sun-sensitive vampire nature safe. The black-out shutters were in place, which meant dawn had come and gone, but he was surprised to find it was past noon.
He thought back, trying to recall how he’d gotten to Juliet’s second bedroom. He remembered dropping out of his dreamglide and somehow forcing himself to a place of consciousness to help Juliet. Roche had arrived ready to hijack her into some kind of weird-ass smoky dreamglide.
Yep, the bastard had tremendous fae abilities.
As weak as Brannick had been, he’d sent Juliet a stream of vampire power in order to help her fight off Roche. With it, she’d rebuilt her vampire shield, which had sent Roche packing.
But it was later, after each of them had left the dreamglide that she’d taken on his physical strength and supported him into the smaller, second bedroom. The shield had kept them hidden from Roche’s men.
He’d passed out again. But Juliet had stayed with him.
He pulled her close now. She murmured something unintelligible in her sleep, then drifted off again. She’d saved his life in more than one way last night. Perhaps more significantly, she’d been the reason why he’d come back from death.
She’d needed him. Roche would have had her otherwise.
The battle with Roche and afterward the near-death experience had changed something inside Brannick. He’d been angry with Juliet when he’d first learned she’d been dreamgliding him. Yet he knew now he’d been a willing participant. More than that, he’d essentially been her lover for five months.
He had a hard time wrapping his head around this reality, even though the vivid memories which had surfaced told him the truth. He also felt a profound affection for the woman, but in real-time he barely knew her.
He leaned close and sniffed Juliet’s strawberry-scented hair. She was so familiar, yet in many ways still a stranger.
He didn’t know what to make of the situation. Maybe when he was fully healed he would understand better how to move forward with her.
For now, he needed to heal.
Bad Boys of the Night: Eight Sizzling Paranormal Romances: Paranormal Romance Boxed Set Page 150