I did not know how to respond, for I’d already dreamt of her. Her beauty pierced me to my core, and made all other women seem drab in comparison.
I hunted well that day, as I have every day since I dreamt of her. I wear myself out so I can fall asleep quickly. I only want to be with her.
I must find her, even if she lives across the ocean.
April 27th, 1868
I am bound by the moon.
This is a lesson my father did not teach me. I learned it from the woman who comes in the night. She told me to hurry.
I am going to find her. I saw the name of the town. She showed me on a piece of paper.
I know where she lives. It’s fifty miles away. I feel as though I could run there.
But I must be careful.
The full moon brought on a dangerous change…
Pray for me. I do not desire to become a demon.
Chapter 23
Krista
“Make sure you get that juicy one too! We’ll have that for lunch, and pickle the green ones.”
I nodded, holding my apron in front of me. I grabbed a ripe tomato, adding it to the pile of unripe tomatoes in my lap.
“That’s good for the first batch. Let’s get inside.”
I turned and froze.
“Uh… Gran?”
Dozens of animals were in our path. A stray cat, with a chewed looking ear. Birds of all different colors. Chipmunks and a couple of squirrels.
Oddly enough, the cat didn’t make a move to pounce on any of the tiny animals.
“Oh, how lovely.” She clapped her hands together and smiled. “They must be here to see you.”
“Me?”
“They never do this for me! But they always did for your mother.”
“Should I… pet them?”
She gave me a incredulous look.
“No child. Not unless you want rabies. They just want to be near you. It’s enough.”
I laughed, shaking my head. Gran was always so practical. I shouldn’t be surprised that she was the same way about magic.
“I can’t wait for you to meet Dean, Gran.”
“I look forward to it, child.”
She held out her hand and I took it. A shiver ran through me. There was a sudden rustling in the air. We looked at each other and then behind us.
What we saw nearly made me drop my late tomatoes.
Gran’s garden was remarkable, and clearly magical. It stayed in bloom most of the year, even sprouting a few flowers in the dead of winter. But this was something else.
The plum tree was in bloom. Fluffy, pale pink flowers were everywhere. It was my favorite, exquisitely lovely, just as it was every Spring. Only this was in bloom about six months too early.
She squeezed my hand.
“This is dangerous.”
“The tree?”
“Us being together. It’s going to create a powerful draw to them.”
“Them?”
“The bad ones. The dark strain.”
“Gray Beard. He has mom.”
“Him, and his vicious progeny too.”
I followed her inside, and she told me everything she could remember. We cleaned and sliced the ripe tomato, eating it raw on white bread with mayonaise. Then the small unripe green ones were added to a mason jar with spices and apple cider vinegar.
Gran added sugar and salt to distilled water, stirring it until it was dissolved. Then she poured the mixture over the tomatoes and sealed the lids, setting them in a tub of hot water.
All the while, she talked.
And I listened.
Chapter 24
Dean
I pulled up outside Krista's grandmother's house. I'd been driving for hours and now I was here. I had no idea what I was going to say. Or how I was going to get Krista to come with me. Or agree to the plans I had already set in motion.
I stared at the tiny dilapidated bungalow for a moment before I got out. The neighborhood was poor, the houses ill tended. It was a far cry from the manicured lawns that I'd played on as a child.
The only thing about this house that stood out was the late roses that still clung to the house, covering it on either side of the small entryway. They should have been dormant in late November, but they were still blooming in a stunning profusion of pale pink blooms.
It should have made me smile.
Instead, it really brought the truth home. Krista was a witch. Her mother had been a witch and the woman who grew these flowers in the middle of early winter was most certainly also a witch.
I was keenly aware that Krista's life had not been easy. And being with me- being who and what I was- was about to make it exponentially more difficult. I felt a pang of guilt in my gut. But there was nothing I could do about it now.
If I could go back in time and not meet her, or not acknowledge her... I would not. I could not have stayed away from her if I tried.
For the first time in my life, I believed in love. Real love, not just a crush or a fleeting attraction. I believed in destiny. I believed in sacrificing myself for someone else. And I would do that for her.
No matter the cost.
I gripped the steering wheel hard, turning my knuckles white.
I would keep her safe.
I had to.
A curtain fluttered. Someone had seen me out front. Krista must have realized I was here. She always seemed to know.
Just like I could feel her when she was close.
We were magnets. Perpetually drawn together. Instead of frightening me, the thought gave me comfort.
I climbed out of the car and walked to the front door. I was not surprised when Krista opened it before I even had a chance to knock. I smiled at the sight of her in her oversized cardigan, with a faded blue bandana tied over her head.
She had the same effect on me every single time I saw her. I felt the wind get knocked out of me as I looked at her. Her beauty, so fragile and yet enduring. Her size, small and curvy and somehow just right.
Her sweet vanilla scent, almost like she’d been making cookies… her energy... Her soul.
Her big brown eyes blinked up at me. I smiled, relaxing instantly in her presence.
"Hi."
She smiled tentatively. She looked worried. She should be worried.
I was about to rock her world.
"Hi. Come in. I want you to meet Gran.”
I followed her inside.
“We don’t have much time.”
“What’s the rush?”
"I'm bringing you back to school with me a few days early."
She stared at me. She seemed to know there was more to the story than I was letting on. I wasn't ready to tell her yet. But I would.
Soon.
"Okay."
"I got us a place to stay. A house near school."
“A house? Off campus?“
“Yes. It’s safer.”
“I can’t just move in with you, Dean.”
“Yes you can. And you should.”
I shook my head.
“It doesn’t mean we have to do anything together. You can have your own room. I just need to keep you safe.”
She frowned at me, looking unconvinced.
"We can talk about this later. Is it okay if we leave now? There's some stuff we need to get before it gets dark. We can get your stuff from the dorm tomorrow."
She nodded and led me into the house. I met her Gran and had a surprisingly good slice of homeade apple pie. An hour later, we were on the road.
In fits and starts I tried to fill her in on what my parents had told me. On the journal. I didn't want to scare her. But I made sure to impress on her the danger she was in.
That she needed me to protect her.
She had to be cautious, awake and asleep. I would keep her safe, but she still had to be on her guard. The Others would be coming for her.
Maybe they already were.
I'd already started making a plan to keep her safe. I was listing the security measu
res we would take when she interrupted me.
"Dean…”
I glanced at her. She was staring out of the window looking like a lost, vulnerable girl. She was so beautiful it made my stomach ache.
“I have news too.”
“Tell me.”
"I know where my mother is. She's alive."
I tore my eyes off the road to look at her again. This time she was staring at me. This time I saw her eyes. I'd been wrong.
Krista didn't look lost.
She looked determined.
"We're going to go and get her."
“Where?”
“In the house n on the island.”
“The one with the dungeon.”
“Yes.”
“They have her. The Others.”
“Yes.”
“Have you seen them?”
She didn’t answer me for the longest time.
And then she did. So softly I almost didn’t hear it. So softly that I knew she’d been keeping secrets for a while.
“Yes.”
Chapter 25
Krista
Dean was true to his word.
I ran my hands over the pretty cotton quilt, covered in climbing roses. I had my quilt from Gran, but this would be nice on cool nights. Dean asked if I liked it and I nodded.
I didn’t love the idea of him spending so much money on me, but he insisted. It was his house too. And our fates were intwined.
That was hard to argue with.
I watched as Dean loaded up our cart with the matching sheets, pillows and even a heart-shaped throw pillow that matched. He chose dark blue sheets and a gray comforter for his bed.
I asked for a twin, and he got a queen.
I knew he was hoping I would join him in it. And I might, even if it was just to sleep. But having my own room and bed made me feel better about this crazy thing we were doing.
I trailed behind them as Dean chose lamps and chairs and even a sofa. He was dropping serious cash here.
It made me nervous.
But the house was cute. We’d arrived early this morning. And the thought of living with him did make me feel safer.
Charise hadn’t been so happy about it however. I’d called her earlier and got a lecture about Prince Charming getting bored with Cinderella if she gave away ‘the milk for free.’
I was pretty sure I knew what she was saying, but it didn’t seem like it applied to us. First of all, Prince Charming wasn’t human. And second of all, we were pre-ordained by fate, or something like that.
Plus, I wasn’t exactly giving away any milk at the moment.
I sighed. I just wanted to go home and go through Dean’s grandfather’s journal with him. To see if there was anything we could do. Marathon shopping wasn’t my favorite activity, and I’d never done it on anything like this scale before.
The local thrift store didn’t really count.
“Ready?”
I nodded eagerly. I was more than ready. I was exhausted.
Unrelenting fear will do that to you, I guess.
“You are sure you don’t want anything else?”
“Yes. Thank you though.”
He shook his head, grinning.
“You’re going to have to get used to being spoiled.”
“I’m afraid to get used to anything, at this point.”
His eyes darkened and he stilled. The girl ringing us up didn’t notice. I could have kicked myself.
“Your delivery will arrive between 5 and 7 PM. Will someone be there to accept it?”
Dean nodded and I exhaled. But his eyes were on me.
“I will keep you safe.”
“I know. It’s just…”
“What?”
I closed my eyes and sighed.
“Can we pick up some pizza?”
He smiled in relief. It was easier to pretend that everyone and everything was alright. That this was normal.
“You got it, angel.”
Chapter 26
Dean
Krista sat primly on one of the bar stools that came with the house. I watched her eating, leaning against the marble counter top and drinking a cold beer. I found that one or two helped me sleep. Or helped me fall asleep.
Nothing really helped me after that.
What happened in the dreamscape was impossible to control.
I flipped through my grandfather’s journal again.
“Anything good?”
I shook my head, frowning in consternation.
“I’m not sure. The language is pretty archaic. And I’m not sure they really knew more than we do. He didn’t write it all down anyway.”
She took another dainty bite. I stared at her, feeling that panic setting in again. She was so sweet, so delicate… I didn’t know what I would do if they tried to harm her.
Go postal, werewolf style most likely.
“My Gran was starting to remember things. From before she was spelled to forget. Maybe she will come up with something that will help us get mom back.”
“I searched online about werewolves. It was mostly pop culture nonsense.”
“Like what?”
I grimaced.
“Romance novels.”
She blushed bright pink.
“I happen to like romance novels.”
“Oh, you do, do you?”
She nodded, not noticing that I was getting closer as I walked around the island in the middle of the kitchen.
“Well, not all of them, but the sweet ones… Gran and my mom used to read a bunch of them. I inherited the tamer ones.”
I pounced on her, wrapping my arms around her from behind.
“I’ll give you a romance novel.”
I buried my face in her neck, giving her ticklish kisses. I skimmed my fingers over her ribs and she laughed until she hiccuped.
“Dean!”
I shook my head.
“It’s not my fault you are so ticklish.”
I watched the laughter fade from her eyes, replaced with something else. Desire. The doorbell rang just as I was about to kiss her.
I groaned.
“I guess that’s the furniture. Alarm company comes tomorrow. And then we can really start setting up security.”
“Okay. And Dean?”
I turned back to look at her. My angel. She was trying to be brave, I knew.
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me. Ever.”
“Because you think of me as yours.”
I nodded slowly, knowing that wasn’t the most feminist way to look at things. But it was how I felt. I smiled as her cheeks got pink again.
The doorbell rang and I shook my head.
“I need to get that. Unless you want to camp out on the floor? Could be romantic.”
She shook her head.
“Go on. I’ll clean up in here.”
“Don’t rush. Eat.”
“It’s just empty calories. And tomato sauce.”
I grinned wolfishly.
“You could use some empty calories.”
I was still smiling as I left the room, even as a crumpled up paper plate soared past my head.
“Hey!”
“Not sorry!”
My angel wasn’t just mysterious, sweet and beautiful. She also had a pretty good arm.
Sneak peek of Dreamshifters Book Three
Captured Dreams Excerpt
Dean
Running.
I was running blindly, crashing through the tall grasses. I had no idea what was in front of me, but I knew what was behind me.
Someone was chasing me.
No. They were chasing Krista. She was hidden in the dreamscape, not far west of here. I was on the coast, running on all fours from a pack of them. I had no idea how many of them there were.
But I knew that if they caught me, they would finish me.
I didn't know what would happen if you were killed in a dream but I didn't want to find o
ut. Especially since my dreams were far from ordinary.
I woke up with a shudder, reaching for Krista. She was beside me, sound asleep. Her breathing was shallow. She drew in a ragged breath and cried out. Something was happening to her in the dream.
Gently I slid my arms around her and began to whisper in her ear. We had developed a system for waking each other up. Almost every night now, one of us had to escape from the dream.
We were beyond exhausted from it, to be honest.
They were getting closer. I wondered what would happen when they caught up with us. I knew I didn't have long to find out.
"Wake up now, Krista. Wake up. They are too close. You have to wake up."
Her eyes opened with a snap. The warm golden color looked darker in our bedroom at night. She looked at me, reaching out to touch my face. I smiled at her, pulling her into my arms.
Our bed. Our room. Our house.
I'd rented us a place off campus, figuring a single family house would be easier to protect. It was on a pretty residential street with sidewalks and families. It would be hard to sneak up on us.
I was still setting up security measures outside and inside. Video cameras. A fence. An alarm system. Bars on the windows.
I'd had to pay extra to the landlord to do all that, and promise to take it down when we left. But I didn't care. It was worth it.
Krista was worth all the money and time and effort in the world.
All the blood, sweat and tears I had to give too.
But it wasn't just that. The past few weeks had also seen the first real normalcy we'd had in a long time. And a glimpse of what the future might bring.
Living in a cute little house with her made me feel like we were married. A normal couple who loved each other. A couple who wanted to grow old together and start a family.
And I liked that. More than I could have ever imagined. I hadn't mentioned it to her yet, but I would.
I wanted her to be mine, forever. In name. I wanted everything.
I was going to marry Krista Thomas.
If we survived this.
Moon Bound (Dreamshifters Book 2) Page 8