“Don’t!” Gareth yelled, raising a hand as he stepped closer. “If we’re here, it’s for a reason. You want to discuss something that’s on your mind, so you dragged in the person you need help from.”
“How do you figure that?”
“It’s an old Aboriginal myth,” he said with a grin. “Since the incident with the demon and it using my so-called dreamwalking against me, I’ve been doing some research. By studying the ways of my people, I’m hoping to find out how common this is.”
“And is it common?”
“I’m not sure, but I do know that people with a lot of magical power can dream about their problems and find solutions by being led to the one person they were seeking answers from. So it looks like I need to help you find the answer.”
“That’s amazing.”
Gareth ran a hand through his curls and turned enough that I could see the Australian Aboriginal flag tattooed on the back of his left shoulder—the yellow disc in the middle divided the flag in half, the top was colored black and the bottom red. He sat on the end of the bed, pressing both hands against his thighs.
“I’m still getting the hang of it.”
“Have you entered many dreams?”
He looked at me, his hazel eyes shiny. “I’ve managed to peek into other people’s dreams, but you’re the only one I’ve been able to interact with.”
I nodded, not knowing what else to say. Being alone with him—even in a dreamscape—made me slightly uncomfortable. What happened between us had been forced by a demon, but Gareth later admitted he was attracted to me on several levels. He claimed he would never act because he knew I was happy with someone else.
“So, what’s on your mind?”
I felt my cheeks heat at his question. “Nothing’s on my mind.”
“Then why are we here?” He patted the bed beside him. “Come and sit down so we can talk about this. You look so awkward standing over there, like you’re scared of me.”
“I’m not scared,” I lied, because for some reason I kinda was.
“Prove it.” He ran his right palm over the red sheets, smoothing them out in invitation. “Sit with me.”
I sighed and made my reluctant way towards him, making sure to tuck the hem of my tee over my butt before sitting down. The fabric rode up my thighs, but there wasn’t much I could do about that.
“What’s going on with you?” he asked. “Wait, before you answer that, I know there’s always something going on in your life. I’m really sorry about what happened with Ebony. And just so you know, Shapiro’s on the case and his interest was piqued when he found out the victim worked with you. I think you should expect a call from him in the future.”
“Thanks for the warning.” I pressed my hand over his, daring to leave it there as I turned my face enough to look at him. I was instantly distracted by the way his eyes were so focused on mine. His skin radiated heat, causing my heart to speed up.
Gareth focused on our hands. “Maybe we’re here because we both want a place where we can be together, away from all the distractions in our awakened life.”
I shook my head but couldn’t reply.
“No? I know I didn’t imagine you saying that our sexy dream was a problem because you enjoyed it.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Not in so many words,” he whispered.
I moved my hand and he placed his completely over mine. As much as I wanted to move, I just couldn’t. Something about Gareth’s friendly touch always warred inside me—it bothered me, yet I found it comforting.
“Gareth,” I said.
His eyes darkened as he looked at my mouth. “Don’t start on the ‘I’m with someone’ lecture, okay? I’ve already told you I won’t do anything to come between you and Jason.” He sighed. “But that’s in the awakened world. This is totally different.” His hand snaked up my forearm, caressing me enough to rouse a shiver and causing my nipples to harden. “While we’re asleep, we can do anything we want.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that we could be together, in dreams.” His hand caressed my jaw before he swiveled my chin until I was looking at him. “We can be dream lovers.” It was the tiniest of whispers, but enough to sober me up. His face inched closer, those luscious lips almost on mine and I couldn’t help but remember when we’d kissed in my bedroom…
No! I jumped to my feet.
“Gareth, I don’t want to have this conversation with you every time we’re alone, okay?” I snapped, but he was at eye level with my breasts. “I need your help to sneak into the Spook Catcher Council.”
“Ah, so the truth finally comes out.” He rubbed his hands together and a mischievous grin curved the edges of his mouth. “I knew trying to seduce you would force the truth out.”
“What?” I couldn’t believe my ears. “You did that on purpose?”
He raised both palms into the air. “Guilty as charged.”
“So you weren’t serious about that whole dream-lovers thing?”
Gareth shook his head. “Nothing gets you more focused than someone trying to come between you and your boyfriend. Maybe you should learn to be more poker-faced, so your enemies don’t pick up on just how easy it is to bait you.”
As shocked as I was by his confession, he happened to be absolutely right. Mace had hurt me at the core by attempting to kill Papan.
I slapped his arm, hard. “You’re absolutely brilliant!” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Ha! You really had me going for a while.”
He looked away. “Sierra, can I be frank with you?”
“You know you can.”
“This was all a ploy to help you focus, but if you’d consented…I wouldn’t have hesitated.” His gaze was back on my chest, and I damned my nipples for reacting.
I nodded, worrying my lip. I owed him my own honesty. After all, we were finally overcoming this uncomfortable hurdle between us. “Gareth, I want to tell you something.” I sucked in a quick breath and spoke before he could interrupt. “I, you…ah, this is harder to word than I expected.”
“Don’t sweat it. I know what you’re trying to say.” He stood in front of me and took a strand of my long hair between his fingers, but his focus was on my face. “You’re in love with someone else, and you’re happy with him. You also feel a connection to me, which I believe stems from our magical roots. But what you really can’t bring yourself to say—and maybe even admit—is that if circumstances were different, if we’d met some other time in some other place, maybe we…”
The truth hung in the air between us and I couldn’t respond either way.
“I can respect that.” He released my hair and leaned over to plant a kiss on my cheek. As he moved away he added, “I’d rather have you as a friend than as nothing.”
This time I nodded.
“Now, tell me more about the Council.”
I spilled all the details about my bizarre call with Lee.
“What did this Henry guy tell you, anyway?”
“He mentioned the spook energy levels were getting dangerously high inside the building. He was going to help me sneak in so I could take care of the problem.” I sighed. “That was before he was killed.”
Gareth was quiet for several moments. “So you want me to go to the Council and scope it out on an official level?”
“Yes.”
He strolled to the window as he spoke. “I think I can do that without rousing too much suspicion. The investigation is still open, no one has figured out who killed Henry Sallas yet.” He pressed both hands against the windowsill, causing the muscles of his back to contract. “As long as Shapiro doesn’t find out, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
“Is he the only detective you guys have?”
Gareth spun around. “He’s not the only one, but he’s a good one. Do you know much a
bout what’s been going on at the Council the last few months?”
“Just what Roe’s told me,” I said. And that wasn’t much.
“The place is a mess. The majority of outside businesses that were leasing office space have vacated the premises. When they were on lockdown, it affected everyone inside the Tower and none of the other organizations appreciated the negative impacts on their businesses, so many found other office space to lease. There’s only a handful left, and no one really knows what the hell’s going on behind those walls.” He paused to take a breath. “I know that when the investigation about the explosion was conducted, the councilors cooperated, and nothing awry was found. But one thing I’ve learned since I started hanging with you is that when magic, demons and spooks are concerned, nothing’s impossible, and a lot can be withheld.”
I hadn’t expected others to run as far and fast away from the Council’s troubles as they could, but it made sense. The Council ruined everything they come in contact with, and their organization was slowly crumbling.
I need to get inside that building ASAP.
“Sierra, what is it?” Gareth asked, grabbing my attention.
“I’m coming with you.”
“What? No. Let me scope it out tomorrow afternoon and I’ll get back to you.”
“Gareth, I have to go and see things for myself.”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Yes—”
“Are you crazy? I’m not taking you into the den of danger. By the sounds of your phone conversation, there’s something really weird going on inside that building and I don’t think you should go anywhere near it.” He shook his head. “Besides, Jason would kill me. He’s already roughed me up once.”
“Gareth, I have to go with you. Lee’s in danger.” I didn’t know how to convince him, but I wasn’t taking no for an answer. Getting him to check out the area wouldn’t be enough. “I need to see just how serious the situation is. Everything Henry told me has to be true. Otherwise, Lee wouldn’t have helped him. She hated the councilors.”
“Did you stop long enough to consider this might be a trap?” His eyes were shiny with concern. “Did she mention the other councilors? Maybe they’re the ones setting the trap. Or worse, it could be that crazy Mace.”
“You could be right,” I said with a shrug. “But I have to go.”
“I don’t like this.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t like it either but we have no choice.”
“Sierra, let me go in first and then—”
“I’ve got spells at my disposal, remember? I can make myself invisible.”
He frowned.
“And don’t even think about spilling any of this to Oren or Papan in hopes of having them stop me.” I stepped up close, invading his personal space. “I need your help. I have to see what’s going on before I get anyone else involved.”
“I don’t know…”
“Please.”
“Sierra, this doesn’t feel right.”
Music echoed in the distance, it seemed to be weaving in from the window.
“Do you hear that?” I asked him.
He didn’t answer, actually wasn’t inside the room anymore. Where did he go?
The music became clearer and clearer, until I recognized it was my Ghostbusters ringtone.
The room swirled around me until I spun into darkness. My eyes snapped open and I sat up in bed. Sunlight slanted in from the windows, giving Papan’s hair a golden glow. He was asleep on his front, breathing evenly. He looked peaceful, as if he hadn’t almost died so many times in the past week.
My ringtone filled the room with its catchy tune, and I scrambled to pick up my phone before it woke my dreamy werewolf. “Hello?” I whispered.
“Oh, hey, it’s me.”
Gareth…
A shiver ran down my spine as the dream we’d shared filled my mind. We’d spoken about so much, settled our unspoken discomfort and formed a new kind of alliance that I had a feeling would now be fortified. I peeked to make sure Papan was still asleep.
“Why did you leave before me?”
“I needed a few minutes to think about what you asked.”
“What’s it going to be?”
A deep sigh echoed between us. “I’ll pick you up at six.”
“Thanks for doing this.”
“Yeah, yeah, you like to push the boundaries of friendship, don’t you?”
“You have no idea.”
“See you this arvo,” Gareth said, before hanging up.
I placed my mobile on the bedside table and thought about lying back in bed, but my mind was buzzing with thoughts that would keep me from further sleep. I really need a cup of coffee.
Having decided my next move, I kissed Papan’s stubbly cheek on my way out. After closing the bedroom door behind me, I headed downstairs. The kitchen was empty so I prepared a cup of coffee and sat at the table, sipping on the much-needed caffeine.
The sun streaming from the window bathed me in its warmth, and I was glad the second month of spring was changing up the weather. I was ready for long, summer days to keep the darkness at bay. Not that daylight was immune to monsters, but I preferred the hotter months.
I filled my lungs before exhaling. It felt good to take a proper breath without the stifling tension. It didn’t erase what happened to Ebony, or the uncertainty that lay ahead, but I did find a sense of solace. Papan was out of a coma and recovering. Ebony’s spirit might currently be trapped, but I was going to make sure this was a temporary setback. I would release Ebony from Maya’s grip and she would live out a spook-full life for as long as she wanted to stick around.
Shuffling from downstairs caught my attention seconds before Oren appeared.
“Good morning,” he said, giving me a quick peck on the top of my head on his way to the kettle. He was already dressed in a white business shirt, tucked into his tailored black pants, and polished shoes on his feet. His long white hair, in a low braided ponytail, now trailed down his back. He’d also shaved and hardly looked like the grieving man I’d sat with on the porch the night before.
“Hey,” I called back. “You look chipper this morning.”
He grabbed a cup from one of the cabinets and set about making tea. He sat across from me, causing the sun to frame his head with a halo.
“Do you want some of this in your coffee?” He opened his palm over the table, offering the pack full of herbs.
“What is it?”
“It helps deal with sorrow.”
I frowned. “You’re using magic to forget about Ebony’s death?”
“I’m using natural herbs to help ease the pain of her loss,” he said with a frown, staring at the green ball in his palm. “The irony is that Ebony introduced me to this. She was using quite a bit of it to wash away her own pain.”
A lump formed in my throat. It wasn’t right to judge him. Everyone dealt with loss differently, but I didn’t want to distance myself from the effects. Not immediately, anyway. Not when I’d made up my mind about Ebony’s situation not being final.
Whatever helps you cope, a nagging voice said inside my head.
“So, do you want some?”
I shook my head. “I don’t need it.”
Willow chose that moment to wander into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes. Unlike Oren who was ready to face the day, she was still wearing pajamas and her long hair was a mess. “Oh, hi,” she said, “I thought I heard voices.”
“Didn’t mean to wake you,” I said.
“You didn’t.” She sat on my left, so the three of us looked like we’d made a triangle. I knew how strong triangles were in terms of magic, and with the kitchen table between us I couldn’t help but remember The Ecliptic inscribed on the concrete floor inside this very house.
“Would you like a cup of tea or coffee?” Or
en asked.
“Yeah, thanks, I’d love a cup of coffee.” Willow rubbed her face.
“How are you feeling this morning?” I asked. If her puffy eyes and the dark circles were any indication, she wasn’t well.
“I feel drained, and a little hollow.” She sighed, loudly. “I just don’t know how much more death I can take, you know?”
“I can give you something that will help,” Oren called over his shoulder, as he prepared her coffee.
“Sure, why not?” Willow stared at the tabletop. “Michael is coming over later to study for the HSC.”
“He’s doing it this year too?”
“Sure is.”
“I’m sorry that you’re facing some of the most important exams of your life and there’s so much crap to deal with at home.” I hated to suggest this, but I owed it to her. “If you want to go and stay somewhere else, I would totally understand.”
“Where am I going to go? To Roe’s? Where everything will remind me of Eb?” she asked, shrugging a shoulder. “I’m fine.”
“You could stay with me,” Oren said as he placed a mug on the table in front of her.
She snorted. “You practically live here nowadays, so I’d be all alone anyway.”
“That’s true.” Oren chuckled. “Listen, while I’ve got the two of you to myself, I need to speak to you about something.”
“Oooh, that sounds serious.”
He looked at Willow. “I’m afraid it is.” When he turned my way for just an instant, I had a pretty good idea what he wanted to discuss. “I think it’s time we aired some family business that is well overdue. With everything that’s happened and what’s around the corner, it’s important for both of you to be well informed.”
I nodded. He’s right about that. The Obscurus played an unfair game, so knowledge was essential and provided as much power as any magical strength. Mace had revealed a nice nugget of information the night before—he didn’t know Grandma had moved onto the afterlife.
Oren sat back in his chair and focused on Willow. “I’m Sierra’s biological grandfather, which makes me yours as well.”
A Stitch on Time: Sierra Fox, Book 5 Page 8
