by I. T. Lucas
“I have an idea. You can lie down on the back seat and cover your face with the sweatshirt you bought.”
“What if the police stop you?”
“I’ll thrall the cop to think you’re a dog.”
“That’s nasty, but I like it.”
49
Ella
Awake even though it was after midnight, Ella rubbed a finger over her lips, the phantom memory of Julian’s goodnight kiss still lingering despite the long hot shower she’d taken after he’d walked her home.
Her mother had been so ecstatic over their date that she hadn’t made a big fuss about the pink hair, or the raccoon eyes, or the Goth clothing and monster boots.
Vivian was okay with whatever got Ella out of the house, especially with Julian.
She should’ve gotten a tattoo at the mall. It had been a missed opportunity to do something wild and not get an earful from her mom about it.
Turning to her back, Ella stared at the ceiling.
Even though they hadn’t done anything special, the date with Julian had been magical. Other than her mother, she’d never felt as close to anyone, not even Parker.
She could see herself spending her life with Julian, and it would be a good one.
Except, she couldn’t help the feeling that it was all too good to be true. Life had taught her that shit happened often and for no good reason, and when everything seemed to be going her way, she should brace for a disaster to ruin it.
Ella still remembered how elated she’d felt when Parker was born. Being a big sister had been a wish come true, and for one wonderful year their family was as happy as could be.
But then her father was killed, and nothing was the same again. From the height of happiness, their family had descended into the pits of despair.
It had taken years for the pain of his loss to recede. The wound had crusted over, but the part of her heart that had died with her father remained numb.
Then things started to look up when Romeo showed up in her life. She’d thought she was falling in love, but that had been another disaster in the making.
Every time Ella had allowed herself to be happy, the universe decided that she didn’t deserve it.
What was it going to throw at her now?
Gorchenco’s goons sniffing out her trail?
Would Logan turn out to be a Doomer and storm the village because she somehow revealed its location even though she didn’t know where it was?
What if he ended up hurting Julian?
A shiver running down her spine, Ella curled up on her side and tucked her hands under the pillow. She needed to fall asleep and dream of him.
Hours passed as she tried to deep breathe herself to sleep, and when that didn't help, to count sheep. Eventually, though, exhaustion did the trick. Once again, Ella found herself walking along the shoreline, but Logan wasn’t there.
Should she try and call him? Would it work?
“Logan, where are you?”
The good thing about dreamland was that there were no other people on the beach unless she willed them to be there. Maybe she should try to do the same with Logan?
Closing her eyes, Ella willed him to appear at her side.
When a couple of minutes passed and nothing happened, she was ready to call it quits, but then the air in front of her shimmered, and Logan stepped out through what looked like an arched doorway. It blinked out of existence as soon as he was entirely on Ella’s side.
“You called?” He arched a brow.
“Yes, I did. I want to talk to you.”
Suspicion clouded his dark eyes. “About?”
“Gorchenco.”
Hopefully, Logan would buy the excuse. She knew he would get suspicious if she claimed to just want his company.
“What do you want to know?”
“Is he okay? I worry about him.”
As much as she wished it was just an excuse, it wasn’t. Gorchenco was too smart to buy her staged death. Something must’ve happened for him to concede defeat so quickly. It wasn’t like him to give up so soon.
“You must have a sixth sense, Ella. Gorchenco had a heart attack.”
When she gasped, he lifted his hand to quickly qualify. “He’s not dead. He’s recuperating on his Russian estate.”
“How do you know that?”
“Did you forget? I do business with him.”
“Right. He supplies you with weapons.”
“Indeed. No one can get the stuff he does. He must have excellent connections in the Russian military. Maybe even to Putin.”
“Perhaps they are related. Did you notice how much alike they look?”
He chuckled. “I don’t think they are, but maybe. Who knows? They might be distant cousins.”
If only she had a way to verify Gorchenco really had had a heart attack, she would know whether Logan was a separate entity from her or not.
“I don’t know if I believe you. He seemed very healthy to me. He didn’t overeat, or over drink, and he didn’t smoke.” Except for the one time he’d lit up a joint for her.
Logan shrugged. “You don’t have to take my word for it. Who knows? Maybe your guilty conscience is making it up.”
“Right. As if I would feel guilty for escaping from the guy who bought me and wanted to keep me against my will.”
Logan shrugged again.
Tomorrow, she could look for information about Gorchenco on the internet. Perhaps his supposed heart attack would be mentioned somewhere. But if it was, it would probably be in Russian. Unfortunately, she hadn’t learned it and would have to find someone who could read it.
Except, that would take time, and the need to know the truth couldn't wait that long.
“I need to ask you something.”
“I figured you didn’t call for me to talk about your husband.”
“He is not my anything,” she bristled. “That wedding was a sham. But that’s neither here nor there. I need to know whether you’re really a figment of my imagination or are you real?”
“Why? Do you want me, Ella?” He smirked. “Do you crave what only I can give you?”
“And what’s that?”
He cupped the back of her head and leaned, so his lips hovered a fraction of an inch away from hers. “Passion, Ella,” he murmured. “Like you’ve never experienced before.”
For reasons she refused to examine, he was affecting her, and she hated it. Why was he making her feel things she wanted to feel for Julian and no other?
Pushing on his chest, she took a step back and was surprised that he didn’t try to stop her.
“Tell me the truth, Logan. Are you real? Or am I making you up?”
He caressed her cheek with the tips of two fingers, much in the same way Julian had done, but Logan’s touch felt more erotic in nature than loving.
“If I tell you, my sweet Ella, you have to promise not to tell anyone.”
Seeing no other choice, she nodded.
“I need to hear you say it.”
“I promise not to tell anyone about you.”
He smiled with too much satisfaction over her small concession. “Very good. Just so you know, your promise is binding.”
“What does it mean?”
“It means that you really can’t tell anyone.”
“Well, I promised.”
Not that she had any intention of keeping the promise if he admitted to being a Doomer. Except, she couldn’t ask him if he was without giving herself away.
“I’m real. I’m a telepath like you, and that’s why I find you so fascinating. I’ve never met a woman who could do what I can.”
“If you were a telepath like me, you could’ve contacted me while I’m awake and not only in my dreams. Although that would’ve been one hell of an achievement since I have very strong protective walls up. Even my mother can’t communicate with me unless I allow it.”
“There is no fooling you, is there?” He sighed as if resigned to revealing his big secret, but it looked fak
e. “I don’t know anyone else who can do what I can, and the name I invented for my ability is dream-walker.”
“So, you can enter my mind while I dream but not while I’m awake?”
“It’s more complicated than that. The best way I can explain it is that when you dream you create another dimension, a non-physical one, and we can meet there if I happen to be dreaming at the same time.”
“Can you do it with anyone?”
He shook his head. “Only with people whom I’ve met in person, and only those who have at least some telepathic ability. I think the telepathy is the conduit for the dream encounters.”
For a change, he sounded sincere, and Ella believed him.
“So other than me, who else have you shared dreams with?”
“Very few people.” He caressed her cheek again. “I told you, my sweet Ella. You’re a rare treasure, and I intend to find you. And when I do, you’re not going to escape me as easily as you did the Russian. I’m going to keep you forever.”
50
Vivian
As the door to Ella’s room opened, Vivian reminded herself to stay calm and say nothing about the pink spikes on her daughter's head.
It had been quite a shock to see her return from her date with Julian looking nothing like her sweet little girl. Between the horrendous eye makeup that had been smeared all over her face and the dark shading under her cheekbones, she’d looked like a character from the zombie apocalypse.
But the smile on Ella’s face and the dreamy look in her eyes had been worth every splash of paint Amanda had applied to her face and hair.
Evidently, the date had gone very well. Vivian couldn’t wait to hear the details.
“Good morning.” Ella shuffled into the kitchen in her bunny slippers.
Her eyes seemed blurry, and at first glance, the dark circles under them looked like smeared makeup that she hadn’t done a good job washing off last night. On closer inspection, however, that wasn’t the case.
“Good morning. Did you have trouble sleeping again?”
“Uh-hum.” Ella lifted the coffee carafe and poured herself a cup.
“Good dreams or bad ones?”
“A little bit of both.”
When Ella didn’t elaborate, Vivian decided to drop the subject and move to the one she was more curious about.
“How did it go with Julian?”
A smile brightened Ella’s tired face. “Great. I dragged the poor guy all over the mall, and he didn’t complain even once.”
“That’s your proof that he’s a keeper. I was right.”
Ella rolled her eyes. “As if it was needed. Julian is every mother’s dream son-in-law. The question I keep asking myself is what the heck does he see in me?”
She took another sip of coffee. “If it was about my pretty face then the makeover should’ve turned him off.” She chuckled. “You should have seen his expression when he opened the door to let me in. He looked horrified.”
“You went to his house?”
Ella shrugged. “I returned the clothes I borrowed from him and used it as an excuse to ask him out.”
Ella had asked Julian out? Not the other way around?
If it weren’t early in the morning, Vivian would have opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate. There was no doubt Ella was getting better.
“I’m so happy that you initiated it.”
Cradling the cup in her hands, Ella leaned forward. “It was a test. I wanted to see his response. If he was willing to be seen with me in public when I looked like a cross between a fairy and a zombie, it would prove that he liked me for me and not just for my pretty face.”
“Given the way you were soaring on a cloud last night, I assume that he passed your test with flying colors.”
Ella raked her fingers through her short hair that thankfully wasn’t spiky anymore. With the glue washed out, there was nothing to hold it up. It was kind of cute, making Ella look like a pink-haired pixie.
“He exceeded my expectations. First of all, he admitted to hating the new look, which was really brave of him. And he was so much fun to be with. I wasn’t stressed, and I wasn’t anxious. I was as comfortable as if that was our hundredth date and not the first.”
Vivian wasn’t sure that was a good thing.
There should have been at least some sexual tension between them. A new couple that hadn’t been intimate yet shouldn’t feel so comfortable with each other on their first date or even the fifth or the seventh.
“Good morning, Mom, Tinker Bell,” Parker said as he entered the kitchen. “Is there anything to eat?”
“For you.” Ella rubbed her fingers over his head. “Fairy dust should do.”
“I’ll make French toast for everyone.” Vivian got up.
He blew at the imaginary dust. “I shall destroy your magic with my telekinetic power.”
Ella ruffled his hair. “Any luck discovering what your special talent is?”
He grimaced. “It’s not telekinesis, that’s for sure. And it’s not telepathy.”
“Did you try remote viewing?”
“I don’t know how.”
“Simple. You close your eyes and imagine some place you’ve never been to, and then look for it on the Internet to see if you were right.”
His eyes brightened. “I’m going to do it right now.”
Vivian waved her spatula. “Can it wait until after breakfast?”
“Sure. What else can I try?” he asked Ella.
“Precognition, but I guess that’s trickier. You can try to guess the lottery numbers and then check if you were close.”
That got Parker even more excited. “Why didn’t you tell me about it before? I could’ve asked Mom to buy me a ticket when we went shopping yesterday.”
Ella chuckled. “Don’t you want to test it first before spending your allowance money on it?”
“I was only going to spend one dollar.” Parker pouted.
Letting out a big yawn, Ella got up and stretched. “I need to get dressed.”
“Any plans for today?” Vivian asked.
“I thought about hanging out with Carol. She’s such a fascinating woman.”
“Has she invited you?”
Ella waved a hand. “She said I can come over whenever I want. But I’ll text her and ask if today is good for her.”
“Don’t forget that later today we are going to Dalhu’s art exhibition. You need to come home and change clothes.” Vivian glanced at the pink hair. “Maybe wear a wig too. We still have the short black one Amanda gave you.”
“It’s fine, Mom. I just need to put the gel on to spike it.”
“Please don’t. Maybe I can blow dry it for you, slick it back and away from your face?”
“Can we talk about it when I come back?”
Which in Ella speak meant forget it.
Vivian sighed. “Did you at least buy something nice to wear yesterday?”
“I got everyday stuff. I’ll borrow something from you.”
With Vivian’s closet getting frequent new updates courtesy of Magnus, Ella had plenty to choose from.
“Okay. Just be back on time. The exhibition is at six-thirty, and I want us to have dinner before we go. You need to be here no later than five.”
“I’ll be back long before that.”
51
Ella
As Ella walked down the pathway leading to Carol’s house, she was still asking herself the same question that had been bothering her since she’d woken up that morning.
How could she find out whether Logan was a Doomer without asking him point blank if he was? Which she couldn't do because she was pretending not to know anything about immortals.
Besides, after he’d threatened to find her and keep her, it was better if she didn’t engage with him at all. The chances of Logan ever finding her were slim, so she wasn’t scared, but it creeped her out.
Next time he showed up in her dream, she was going to ignore him and pretend he wasn’t there.
And she was certainly never voluntarily inviting him again.
Eventually, he would get tired of that and leave her alone.
But then she would have to find some other way to determine if he was a Doomer. Regrettably, it seemed like she had no choice but to dream share with him at least one more time.
Because if he was, she needed to tell Kian or Turner. Not that either of them could do anything about it, but maybe she should go away from the village for a while and hide somewhere until Logan stopped popping up in her dreams.
She should describe him to Dalhu and Robert, the two ex-Doomers who’d left the Brotherhood and joined the clan. Carol had access to one of them, and maybe she could arrange a meeting with the other.
During the makeover, Ella had planned to ask Amanda about a meeting with Dalhu, but even though the goddess’s daughter was nice and friendly, she was also as intimidating as her brother. Maybe even more so because she couldn't be manipulated like a man.
Even without realizing it, men were more inclined to listen to a pretty, young girl, as well as help her. Ella had no doubt that if a guy came to Kian with the same ambitious plan as she had, Kian would’ve thrown him out much less politely than he had her. The end result was the same, but at least she’d gotten to say what she’d come for.
When the path she was walking on intersected with another, Ella checked the village’s map on her phone and continued straight.
If she’d followed the directions Carol had given her, she would’ve gotten lost for sure. Luckily, Magnus had overheard them talking and gave Ella a map, but only after she’d refused his offer to walk her there. It was time she got familiar with her new home.
“There you are.” Carol waved at her from the doorway. “I was afraid you got lost.”
“I almost did. It’s good that Magnus gave me a map.”
“There is a map?” Carol threw the door open. “I didn’t know that.”
Inside, a guy Ella didn’t know was sitting on the couch and watching a football game.