She planted her hands on his chest, her palms savoring the size and curve of his pecs. “What I don’t like is that I know you don’t want to be with me. Not really. And I want to respect your wishes here.”
He lost his devilish smile and caressed her arms. “This is what I want, Juliet. Being this close to you.” He pulled away, if slowly. “But the moment you and I are back in real-time, that’s when my past shouts at me to be sensible, to weigh your actions against your words. You have to understand. I’ve kept my sanity in Five Bridges by holding to my commitments, to my values, and to the rule of law.”
She pivoted away from him, forcing herself to quickly search for and find her internal balance. “I know.” She patted her thighs twice with the palms of her hands.
Turning toward him again, she smiled. “How about we focus on what’s important here.”
“Finding Roche?”
She inclined her head.
“So, what’s the best way to proceed?”
“I think you should surround us both with your vampire cloak, even within the dreamglide. And I’ll engage as well. Maybe together, we’ll create something unusually strong.”
When he stepped toward her and began the process, she could feel heat coming off his body. She accessed the same ability that now lived so oddly within her own bones. The cloaking shield seemed to mingle, moving back and forth between them, then solidifying.
His green eyes widened. “Shit, that does feel powerful.”
“I know,” she said. “And we’ll need it that way to be anywhere near Roche.”
He narrowed his gaze. “The fae part of me knows we’re on the right track and that we’ll find him.”
“How do you know that? Even I’m not feeling it, and I’m more fae than you.”
“I think the vampire in me is more predatory than your wisdom-seeking faeness.”
“That makes sense, sort of. Maybe you should do the hunting, then. I might get in the way, otherwise.”
His lips curved slightly. “Oh, I don’t know. You hunted me once before and were very successful at it.”
At that, she lifted her chin. “You are so not allowed to joke about the one thing for which your conscious self refuses to forgive me.”
“You’re right. That’s not fair to you.”
She could see he was hardly remorseful at all. “And it would help me a lot if you’d let me go. This part of you that loved being with me in the dreamglide was half the problem. Because, if you’ll recall, you engaged with me that first time without a moment’s hesitation. Remember? I would have left in a heartbeat if you’d made a single protest. But you didn’t.”
He gripped her arms, his green eyes lit with sudden passion. “How could I do anything else, when you were riding me like a seductive Valkyrie, your hair and eyes wild? I loved it. I don’t regret it. Not any of it.”
“Just your conscious self.”
He nodded slowly.
She saw the depth of his conflict and came to realize just how much their time together had truly meant to him. She wondered if there was something she could do about it, if there was some way she could help Brannick bring his two selves together.
For the moment, however, she had to let go. “All right, let’s forget about our ongoing issue for now, Mr. Vampire-turned-Fae. Take the lead and see if you can find this bastard.”
He released his hold on her arms. “Fine. But we’re not done, Juliet.”
At that, she slammed both her hands against his chest. “Don’t put this on me. You have to figure this out for yourself. Both your selves.”
“I know. Just, don’t give up on me.”
Those words hit her hard, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her head to his chest. “I won’t and I can’t. You mean so damn much to me, Brann.”
He surrounded her with his arms. “Ditto, and I mean that. Sorry that I’ve been such a pain. God, I’ve missed you, but why didn’t you come to me in the dreamglide this past week?”
At that, she could only laugh as she pulled away from him. “Are you kidding me? This is what got me into trouble in the first place.”
His lips twisted into a funny grin. “My conscious self is an idiot.”
She saw the look in his eye and knew that he’d keep this up if she let him. He’d obviously missed her, and she was pretty sure if she encouraged him a little, he’d make love to her right now.
“No.” She held his gaze in a strong grip. “You listen to me, there will be no more fooling around until you figure this out. Do you understand? I’m not going to violate you again, even if you gave me permission a thousand times. Have you got it?”
***
Brannick thought it a strange thing to be so completely at odds with himself. But he’d always felt at peace with Juliet in the dreamglide, as though this was real-time and not the other way around.
His jaw flexed a couple of times. “You’re right. It’s not fair to you when it’s my problem.” He glanced around, then took his time walking the perimeter of the dreamglide. He pushed his hand at the blurry walls, testing the physical boundaries over and over.
He lifted his gaze to the top. More blur. But there was something else. He reached through and encountered what he could only describe as a strong metal meshwork made of something like reinforced steel bars.
“Hey, these are the blocks you’ve built, aren’t they? The ones Agnes taught you to make.”
“Yes. It took me a lot of practice, but I had to keep Roche out.”
“So, it’s kind of a cage that travels with you when you move to a new location?”
Her brows rose. “I think that’s one of the best explanations I’ve ever heard. But, yes. It’s exactly like that.”
He kept exploring, checking for weaknesses. “You said you had a headache when you woke up, which was unusual, and that you knew Roche was coming after you again. So, is he tampering with your blocks, trying to find a way in?”
“I don’t know what else it could be. Besides, it feels like Roche.”
Brannick turned in a slow circle and let the space speak to him—very fae—as though his intuition meter had been switched on high. He focused on Roche, especially on the images of Roche in his sex shop just before Juliet slammed into him. He pictured the fae monster at the top of the double row of cells, his red hair, the teal flames on his cheeks, his small feral eyes.
Juliet drew close to him and slid her hand in his palm. He felt an odd electrical impulse flow up his arm and spread through his body. He’d felt something similar when he’d made love to her in a combination of real-time and the dreamglide.
Only this current situation wasn’t sexual at all.
Her voice penetrated his mind. Keep focusing on Roche.
He turned to look at her. You can feel me doing that?
Yes, and it’s more than a guess. I can sense that you’re thinking about the moments just before we got Mary out.
You’re right. I am.
Her lips curved. How about we go there right now and have a look around?
He loved her fighting spirit. She had the aura of a saint and maybe that was part of who she was, but she had no problem going to war. He shifted to face southeast, in the general direction of the underground world and Roche’s sex shop.
When the dreamglide began to move, it was slow at first then whipped through the dream world like a battleship at full speed. He watched thousands of different images pass by the small living room. Yet as they neared the destination, the dreamglide began to change and the next thing he knew, he was standing on the cement floor of the prison, which was blurred around the edges.
The timing was very different. Women were being moved in and out of cells, but behind the blur of the dreamglide. We’re safe in this position, right?
Juliet moved to stand next to him. We are.
With a thought, he piloted the dreamglide forward to the end of the row. He heard one of the guards call Roche’s name. Brannick scrutinized the guard table,
then turned to look in the other direction.
And there was Roche, kissing the neck of a blond who had teal flames on her cheeks and dull eyes. She wore one of the beige prison smocks.
Brannick watched Roche glance in the guards’ direction, then stand upright. He shoved the woman away. She fell against the wall and slid to the floor.
Roche started looking around. He drew his gun from a back-waist holster. His movements set all the guards on alert and they hustled into formation, blocking the exit to the hall.
But Brannick was inside the dreamglide, unlike last time when he’d been in real-time but hidden within his vampire cloak.
He didn’t move the dreamglide even an inch. Juliet, I’m getting the sense that if we so much as breathe, he’ll know what we’re up to.
Me, too. We’ll sit tight.
Brannick loved how calm she was under pressure.
Roche slowly moved in their direction. Brannick’s newly acquired fae sense told him that if they remained still, Roche wouldn’t be able to detect them, not even if he passed through their dreamglide in the same physical space.
“Is that you, Juliet? Did you come to see me? Ready to trade up from the vampire who dumped you? We could have some fun, you and me, and earn a whole lot of money.”
Roche drew close to the end of the dreamglide, the part where blur and rebar joined. Brannick held his breath.
Roche took another step, then another.
He heard the faintest intake of breath from Juliet.
Roche stepped forward and passed through what Brannick knew was a substantial cage in the dream-world. But in real-time, Roche kept moving and gave no evidence he knew what was happening.
He was so close that Brannick wished he could deliver a solid punch and knock his ever-present smirk from his lips. Despite the impulse, Brannick restrained himself.
Roche walked all the way to the guards’ table. Once there, he whipped around and retraced his steps, again passing through the dreamglide.
He stopped near the woman on the floor and took another look around. His shoulders lost their tension and he returned his weapon to its holster. He kicked the woman on the floor. “Back to your cell, you piece of shit.”
The woman struggled to her feet, then fell down again. He summoned a couple of guards who also hurried through the dreamglide.
Roche turned on his heel and headed the other direction, pushing the door open that led into his club.
Brannick turned to Juliet and smiled. With Roche gone, he felt free to talk aloud again. “Not half bad.”
Her lips curved as well. “Not half bad at all. So, how about we do some exploring. I’ve wanted to see his entire operation, including where he makes the dark flame. I’ve been told he keeps all of his business interests close to his home. In which case, we ought to head back out to the hall, then move south. We might just be in the middle of his nest.”
“Let’s go.”
Brannick turned, preparing to pilot back out into the hall, but Juliet caught his arm. “I know this might seem like an odd request, but how about I take the lead for the next few minutes? I’d like to see whether or not I can direct this dreamglide since it seems to be emanating from you.”
He narrowed his gaze at her, and took a moment to process her request. He was used to being in command, and didn’t give it up lightly. In the end, he acquiesced. “I think it’s a good idea. We should be equal partners, because who knows what’s around the next bend.”
***
Juliet used her mind to guide the dreamglide and within a few seconds they left the side hall and were flying down the central avenue, heading south. Each time an electric golf cart appeared, she rose up into the air, even though it wasn’t necessary. Just habit, to get out of the way when something bigger was coming toward her.
But Brannick encouraged her to stay level with the people and vehicles, to let the dreamglide pass through everything.
“We might need the skills.”
She couldn’t have agreed more. The first few times were unnerving. But after a couple of minutes, she got the hang of it. She then offered for him to take a turn.
“You bet. I need the practice, too.”
She relinquished the guidance process which seemed unnatural to her. Yet, she had a rapport with Brannick that was hard to deny, and he easily took over. The dreamglide barely slowed as he took the helm.
He laughed a few times as he, too, rose toward the ceiling when another person levitated toward them or a golf cart turned the corner.
Eventually, they each got used to the process of letting solid matter pass through their not-so-solid state. They traveled even faster because of it.
When Juliet held the reins again, she reached a prominent intersection which a number of fae traveled, most on foot and some levitating. Hundreds or maybe even a couple thousand people lived in this underground world. She paused, though high in the air this time, and let the traffic pass. She could have remained at street level, but all the movement was distracting, and she wanted to have a good look around.
Many who passed by were construction workers, and a billboard at the southwest corner had a picture of a new condo development in the works three miles west. She took a moment to process the distance and turned to Brannick, just as he turned to her.
He telepathed first. That has to be below the border to the human part of Phoenix.
She looked around. I’m smelling a new kind of drug-running racket. Their tunnels wouldn’t have to be very long, would they?
No, they wouldn’t. He frowned as he glanced west and down the avenue called oh-so-subtly ‘Roche Lane’, and then east.
Juliet did the same. She saw several hard-looking fae warriors, bulked up with muscle, levitate toward the intersection, then fly north in the direction of the massive food court. They’re probably on a barbecue run, she said.
Maybe. Or back to Roche’s sex shop.
Juliet glanced at him. What do you think is down there? Or are you thinking what I’m thinking?
Smell the air.
It always amazed Juliet that even in the dreamglide, she could catch odors and fragrances. In this case, the faint hint of dark flame floated all around them. It has to be the factory.
Let’s go find out.
Juliet didn’t wait for further encouragement. Instead, she piloted their dreamglide down the fairly broad avenue. More muscled types came at them, but she stayed steady and flew through them all.
Other, weaker types began to emerge looking hollow-eyed with teal flames on their cheeks. Many were emaciated and drifted down a variety of smaller streets.
I want to see what’s going on here.
Go for it.
She turned north down one of the narrow streets. She heard music and saw that several flashing lights indicated bars. There were also a number of apartment buildings into which some of the laborers disappeared. A couple of men were passed out on the street and ignored.
The passageway narrowed and a darker smell emerged, full of urine, feces and death.
Brannick’s voice hit her mind about the same time the odors did. What the fuck is that?
I think where fae workers go to die. She stayed put for a moment and became aware of a cloud of flies.
She turned the dreamglide around and sped back out, going a helluva lot faster than when she’d gone in. We’ve seen the dregs. I wonder if each street is like this in Roche-land.
Probably. Our friend doesn’t seem like the type who would care. Only if it affects his business.
She moved back to the main street and headed east once more. How many miles have we covered do you think?
Probably two.
So, we’re not quite below the Graveyard.
No, I don’t think so, but getting closer.
Juliet saw the double doors of a gun-metal-gray building and knew this was the factory. Her life and Brannick’s had been turned upside down because of what Roche and his kind manufactured in this place.
Thr
ee employees pushed the swinging doors wide, then walked out. Each was as thin as a rail with the usual flames on their necks and cheeks. The smell of the drug within the dreamglide had grown even stronger.
Once inside the factory, the first thing Juliet noticed was the shouting. Brutish fae males carried thin, reed-like sticks and whipped the legs of those working the numerous assembly lines.
The drugs were manufactured and packaged along at least thirty lines with ten times that number of laborers getting the dark flame ready for distribution.
She’d heard Roche was one of the main distributors for the entire U.S., but until she saw the size of the operation, she hadn’t understood his level of influence.
Jesus. Brannick’s reaction mirrored her own.
I want to tear this down, she said.
You and me both, sweetheart.
She smiled up at him. This would be worth doing, wouldn’t it?
His green eyes had a flinty look. Yes it would. You know what else, I’ll bet if we looked around, we’d find another outlet above ground.
You mean like the one at the sex shop?
Brannick dipped his chin. That’s exactly what I mean.
She took in a slow breath. Your turn, Brann. Lead the way.
***
Brannick moved through a building that represented everything he hated about his world. Dark flame had stolen his life and killed his family and Roche had made a fortune out of the misery of masses of people, both human and alter.
He got the gist of what Juliet had in mind. They both wanted this production facility destroyed. It might take a few months, but with a lot of strategic planning and the use of several trustworthy vampires, he knew it could be done.
First, though, they needed to find another way out.
He already knew they would have to follow the pattern of the initial mission. They could easily sneak in through one of the front doors of the Fae Cathedral. But they wouldn’t be able to leave the same way, not with the amount of security personnel Roche employed.
Another exit had to be found.
He flew toward the east end of the building and began drifting through door after door, each leading to the normal rooms found in a production facility; cafeteria, bathrooms, offices for management.
Bad Boys of the Night: Eight Sizzling Paranormal Romances: Paranormal Romance Boxed Set Page 162