Only in Her Dreams

by Christina McKnight

  “A life time ago? How old are you?”

  Would she view me as a creepy old guy if I told her the truth? “I am thirty-five, which is very young for my kind.” Try closer to sixty.

  She looked closely at him. He took a sip of his wine to cover any sign of dishonesty.

  “You don’t look a day over thirty.”

  “You’re too kind, Lucessa.” He spoke her name aloud again.

  A melancholy smile spread across her face, and despite the sadness it brightened the room. “My dad is also dead. In a car accident when I was eight. The same accident you said you saved me from.” She tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips.

  “I, too, am sorry for your loss.” He hoped she wasn’t connecting the dots.

  “As you said, it was almost a life time ago.” She shifted on the couch, drawing her legs under herself. “So...you’re a twin? That must’ve been fun growing up.” Her attempt to lift the mood in the room was welcome.

  “At times. When we were very young it worked in our favor, but as we grew, my twin, older by seven minutes, was taken away most days for training.” Maxim remembered that time with a great sense of emptiness. A piece of him went missing, a relationship altered, when Darius started spending his time with their father.

  “What type of training?” she asked with a lift of her brows. Maxim could look into her inquisitive dark blue eyes all night.

  “He was to lead Erebos.” The conversation was getting a little too close to home. He needed to stop admiring her eyes, her lips and the tilt of her head and focus on steering the conversation in a safer direction.

  “Was?”

  Damn, wrong answer.

  “Our eldest brother took over Erebos after our father died. He’s a much more suitable leader.” Careful, Maxim.

  “Okay, I get that. Tell me more about your twin.”

  He’s why you’re now in danger. Instead he told her about the constant competition between Darius and himself.

  She also asked about Erebos, which was a safe enough topic. Maxim talked about the easy flow of life in his world and the people he loved. “There is neither disease, famine, nor poverty.”

  “That must be wonderful,” Lucessa’s enthusiasm was a little biased, but she’d only heard the good things about Maxim’s home.

  “Do not get me wrong. There is still crime and death. While it is not as prevalent as on Earth, it does exist.” He didn’t enjoy dampening the good mood that’d settled between them, but he must be fair in what he told her. No place is all good or all bad.

  “On that note, I think it’s time for me to head off to bed. Here on Earth, we have to be up early for work,” Lucessa smiled. She stood and reached for his empty wine glass. Slowly, she walked into the kitchen. He watched her firm bottom as she walked away. He heard the flow of water as she rinsed the glasses. Was that humming coming from the kitchen?

  As she went upstairs to prepare for bed, he walked the lower floor, locking doors and windows. This wouldn’t keep the Melas out if they wanted in, but he’d awaken if they tried to enter.

  # # #

  Lucessa hurried upstairs to change the musty sheets for a crisp, clean set. Greg had left for his internship soon after they purchased the old home, and they hadn’t gotten the chance to invite his sister and brother-in-law over to stay.

  Now, his family lived in the next state and didn’t keep in touch. She sighed. Alienation was a lonely thing.

  She had no one she could invite to stay. Her friends had mostly disappeared over the last year, whether it was her pushing them away or their choice, she didn’t know. Julie, Bret, and her mom were all she had. Julie and Bret lived only a few blocks away and her mother wasn’t in stable enough condition to stay with her.

  As she finished making the bed, she heard Maxim’s footsteps heading up the stairs.

  “I’m in here,” she called.

  “All the doors and windows are locked tight. I also put my own locking mechanism on the garage roll up door.”

  “Really? Thanks.”

  “Your broom’s handle works sufficiently for now.” Maxim walked into the room. “You don’t have to go through all this trouble. The old sheets would have been fine.”

  “It’s no trouble, really. You’re my first guest and these sheets were put on the bed the day Greg and I moved in. I’ve neglected my housekeeping duties over the last year.” She was babbling. She stopped and took a deep breath…in and out. Gathering the sheets from the floor she faced him, ready to let him settle in.

  “Thank you, again.” He bowed. His action seemed at odds with the time but she wouldn’t fault him for his gallant gesture.

  “Please stop thanking me,” she huffed. The man was all ‘thank you and please’; it was making her feel uncomfortable. It’d been a long time since a man had been polite to her.

  She moved past him, sheets pressed against her chest, and paused. “Oh, I left you a pair of pajamas on the dresser. You didn’t bring an overnight bag, did you?”

  # # #

  Maxim had no more settled in bed, the lights extinguished, when an image of Lucessa burst into his head. Physical attraction to humans was something he forbade himself to entertain. His connection to Lucessa surprised and confused him. Pushing all thoughts of her from his mind, he concentrated on her other qualities. She’d grown from the childish exuberance and charm of her dreams into an educated woman. The changes were subtle, with the most obvious being her maturity. Her hair flowed down her back in mahogany waves, her eyes were a clear dark blue, not unlike his own; and her smile brightened something deep inside him.

  A shuffling noise disturbed his wandering mind. The sound was most likely the house settling, but he needed to investigate to be sure. He slipped out of bed and eased across the floor, his steps silent. The door to the hall opened without a squeak and he was met by Lucessa, bat in hand, in the hallway.

  The woman was determined to get herself hurt.

  “What are you doing out here?” he whispered.

  “I heard something. I wanted to make sure you were all right and have everything you need.” She blinked in the bright hall light.

  “Why are you carrying the baseball bat, then?”

  Lucessa blinked again and glanced down. Confusion clouded her face. Did she realize she clutched the bat to her chest? Her knuckles were white. He pried her fingers from around the bat’s handle and set it against the wall.

  “Stay here. I’ll look around.” He slid against the wall and down the staircase, looking for anything out of place. He rounded the corner into the kitchen. The back door had been jimmied.

  Maxim swung around and caught Lucessa inching down the stairs behind him. She couldn’t listen to simple directions. Several shadows moved across the living room behind her.

  Darius and his men were back. He hadn’t expected them so soon, at least a few days for his twin to digest the relationship between Lucessa and Guy, before coming up with a new plan of action. Maxim wasn’t used to being wrong where Darius was concerned.

  With a finger to his lips, he moved beyond Lucessa, cautioning her to stay where she was. He moved through the room. A man dressed completely in black searched Lucessa’s desk in the corner. The Melas flung bills and keepsakes to the floor.

  Lucessa’s gasp behind him caught the intruder’s attention. Turning sharply in Maxim’s direction, the man came at him. An object clutched in his right hand. Maxim crouched, ready for a fight, thinking only of protecting Lucessa from harm.

  “Run!” he shouted.

  He advanced around the couch and toward the man coming at him, rage emanated through his body. He didn’t know the man, but from the look on his face the intruder recognized Maxim. He was no doubt sent by his brother. More Melas likely canvassed the house. It wasn’t like his twin to send his men on a mission without Alexander. What are they looking for? His search of the house the night before turned up nothing useful.

  The man came at him, swinging a cast iron statute at Maxim’s h
ead. The attack was a textbook combat maneuver and Maxim easily ducked under the man’s arm and side stepped his advance. A familiar shape filled the space Maxim’s body had just vacated. Clothed in tight yoga pants, Lucessa wielded a large frying pan, swinging it as the Melas fell forward, off balance after missing Maxim.

  The frying pan connected with the Melas’ head. “That paperweight was a gift from my mother, you bastard,” Lucessa yelled.

  The man dropped in a heap to the floor. Unmoving.

  The frying pan slid from Lucessa’s hands, and Maxim grabbed the cast iron handle before it hit the floor.

  Feeling confident the man would be out for a while, Maxim smiled at Lucessa and moved through the living room to the garage beyond. Two men rummaged through Lucessa’s belongings. Neither of these was Alexander, either.

  Maxim rushed into the garage. He hit the first with the frying pan, and he heard the resounding crunch of a smashed knee cap. The second man turned to defend his comrade and met the sharp end of a letter opener to the chest.

  One guy was crying in agony from a smashed knee cap, and the other was bleeding from the chest, and Maxim sensed that Alexander couldn’t be far away. Darius’ second in command was never far when the Melas Oneiroi were involved. He’d probably taken the opportunity to slip upstairs while all the commotion went on. Quickly surveying the garage, he moved back through the living room, passing Lucessa again as she clutched the paperweight in her hands.

  He again signaled for her to be quiet and to stay where she was. Maxim pointed to the upstairs to let her know the fight wasn’t over yet. He moved through the kitchen and slowly up the stairs. As he gained the top landing, Maxim saw Alexander sliding stealthily through Lucessa’s room opening drawers and rifling through clothes. Under his arm he carried what looked like a photograph.

  The moment of surprise had almost expired by the time Maxim crept into the room. Grabbing the baseball bat that leaned in the doorway, Maxim swung at Alexander. The man anticipated Maxim’s attacked and dodged the swing, rolling across Lucessa’s bed. With the bed in between them and Maxim blocking the only exit--the door--his eyes darted around the room like a cornered rat, as he looked for an escape.

  “Give it up, Alexander. You don’t want to hurt me or the girl. Guy would not appreciate that. The Oneiroi guard would be sent posthaste to dispatch you and Darius,” Maxim reasoned with the Melas. “Hand over what you took. This ends here.”

  Alexander continued to look around the room, gauging his options.

  Too late, Maxim spied the window. Alexander vaulted through the window. Maxim rushed over in time to see the man slide down and over the ledge of the roof to the ground below. The Melas and his twin would be long gone before he made it downstairs and out the front door. He stared out the broken window as his breathing calmed.

  “Who was that?” Lucessa uttered behind Maxim.

  “The Melas Oneiroi.”

  He turned. Lucessa’s face had turned a chalky white. “What?”

  “They came for something else. Look hard, is anything missing from your room?” The object under Alexander’s arm, as he threw himself out the window, was the only clue he had to what Darius and his men were up to.

  She looked around the room, focusing on a spot against the far wall. “My wedding picture isn’t on my dresser,” she called. “Why are they interested in my pictures?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They took a picture of my dad and me last night, and now my wedding picture. It makes no sense.” She stood with her hands on her hips.

  He’d been so preoccupied with figuring out his brother’s plan that he’d neglected to further question her about the break in the night before. He mentally scolded himself.

  Her face scrunched together as she concentrated on finding the link between her family photos and the Oneiroi.

  Maxim changed the subject, before she pieced the puzzle together and asked the important question. “At least we know they’re not after you. They broke in twice and neither time made an attempt to snatch you.”

  The puzzled look remained on her face. Is she close to piecing things together? Maxim could only hope not.

  Maxim continued, “You should rest now. They have found what they seek.”

  “How can you think of bed at a time like this? We need to find out why they’re interested in my family’s pictures.”

  “That can wait until morning. You should maybe watch some television and try to fall asleep.” The truth was he needed time alone to think about the connection Darius was trying to make, what his plans were.

  “Maxim, why would they take a picture of my dead husband?”

  Chapter 11

  Hera reclined on a cream colored pillow. A strong finger stroked her shoulder and she gazed into the still water before them.

  “It has gone too far, my lover.” She made to sit up, but the hand, caressing her a moment before, tightened on her arm. The grasp held her in place.

  “I prefer to see how this plays itself out,” Zeus said.

  There had been a time when she would have preferred to observe things play out as well.

  She turned away from the water bowl and looked into his face which was lit with delight and mischief. His boyish features had drawn her to him, all those centuries ago...but now she sought peace. A calm life with the being she loved.

  “You so enjoy havoc and chaos.”

  His blue eyes stared in fixation at the scene unfolding before him. “That I do. The order of the gods is forever changing. Alliances are formed and broken right before our eyes.”

  “Yes, but why not put an end to their fighting?” She’d often wondered this.

  “Without them fighting amongst themselves, they may likely set their sights on Olympus. Would you have them taking all this from us?” Zeus’s arm arced to encompass the garden they lounged in.

  He had a point. He always had a point. It frustrated her to see the discord and all the lives affected by the turmoil. She also looked around herself. The roses grew in perfect formation, their hypnotic fragrance covered Olympus. The sun shone brightly over them, so close yet not burning her porcelain skin. No, I don’t wish to lose this. Ever!

  “Sometimes, I think you like besting your brother.” They’d been in competition for as long as she’d known him. The constant bickering and bargaining between Zeus and Hades would never cease.

  “There is nothing I delight in more than a little healthy competition between brothers.” Zeus released her arm.

  Hera dragged her focus from his handsome face, returning her attention to the bowl in front of her. I cannot change him.

  “But Morpheus’ children? He was your ally, always on your side against Hades.”

  “Order will be restored...as soon as my brother fails. He must be put in his place.”

  How is he so sure of himself, she wondered. “But at what cost?”

  “Not ours, my love.”

  “I do not understand you, Zeus. Guy and Maxim are loyal to you, just as their father before them. They will not let Hades get his hands on Erebos.” She sighed.

  “But what will they give up to show their continued loyalty?”

  What, indeed!

  Chapter 12

  Darius leaned against the side of the house just outside the gate his men had entered. His stance remained casual, not wanting to alert any passing car of his nefarious intent. The men were taking longer than expected, but this would likely be their last chance to infiltrate her house.

  A crash sounded from above and a storm of glass rained around him. He quickly straightened and shook the shards from his jacket and looked up. Before he could focus his eyes on the roofline, a heavy weight knocked him to the ground.

  He pushed the heavy weight off him as the shape also scrambled to get away.

  “My apologies, Master,” Alexander whispered.

  “Ever heard of a door?” Darius grasped the downspout connected to the house to regain his footing.

  “Yes,
but I was unable to use it. May I suggest we leave, straight away?”

  “Things didn’t go as planned?” Darius asked, traversing through the girl’s front yard in the direction of their vehicle.

  “No, Master.”

  “Where are the men?”

  “While I searched the upstairs, a skirmish broke out below and the men were injured.”

  Darius and Alexander slipped into the old Pontiac parked along the curb several houses down. They started it and cruised toward their old abandoned house, not waiting for the others to catch up. They’d find their way back. His men were a resourceful, independent lot.

  “By the girl?” He wanted to throw his hands up in surrender. Fucking useless! The lot of them.

  “James was taken out by the girl, but the other two were ambushed by your brother.”

  If that’s a smile crossing his face I’ll wring his neck! Darius thought as he worked to keep his temper under control.

  “Guy’s here? He’d never leave the safety of Erebos.” Fan-fricking-tastic!

  “No, your twin was there with the girl.”

  “Maxim? Impossible.” His knuckles turned white as his grip on the steering wheel tightened.

  “It was him, Master. But I was able to escape.”

  “Obvious from your presence here.”

  “That is true.” Alexander fished a rectangle object out of his jacket and held it out to Darius. “I believe I found what we seek--the girl’s weakness.”

  Relaxing his grip, he accepted the smooth metal frame. With the small amount of light entering the car window, he was able to make out the girl in the picture. She posed in a white dress and a huge smile. Next to her stood a tall, auburn-haired man. The image appeared fairly recent, while the portrait taken the night before had been older. She’d matured nicely.

  “I believe it is a wedding picture, Master.”

  “Tell me something that’s not completely obvious, you moron.” The wheels spun in Darius’s head. They’d found it, now they needed to find the man in the picture. “Was he in her house?”