“Keep fighting, Lacey,” Colton—the real one—said, “and we’ll keep fighting to get to you.”
They disappeared, and I was back in the snow, on my knees. It was like someone had dropped me from a great height, right into the place this nightmare began. I stood in the parking lot outside the sleep clinic.
The door opened, and Rick strode out. He looked younger, and bright-eyed, but when he saw me, he frowned. “I gave you this job because I pitied you. Lonely little high school dropout. Not skilled at anything. Paid you more money than you were worth. Put my life on hold for you. Why do you stay here?”
Of all the nightmares Mara had given me, this one was the most obvious. There were things I knew. Colton and Thorn loved me. Aaron had watched me from afar. Oliver appreciated my stubbornness because it matched his own.
As if thinking of him had conjured him, Oliver appeared next to me. He wrapped his hand around mine. “He’s not real.” He lifted his chin toward Rick.
“I know,” I replied. “Mara might be able to throw me into nightmares, but she can’t make me believe they’re real.” I glanced at Oliver. Starting with Aaron, who’d once stepped into my real-life nightmare, I could see clearly. Finally.
“He’s not real. None of this is.”
It was dark outside the clinic, but I imagined the sun rising. It would start there, in the east. Weak at first, because this was winter, but still bright enough to illuminate the world.
Oliver’s hand loosened in my grasp, so I tightened it. The sun was up. That was when people woke up. It was when the monsters went back to their little corners of the darkness as we opened our eyes and faced a new day.
“It’s time for Mara to go back to the darkness.” Somehow, I knew what to do. But I needed the four brightest souls with me to do it.
As if wanting them conjured them, Aaron, Colton, and Thorn suddenly stood shoulder-to-shoulder with me.
They made me see myself clearly, but I did the same for them. We were equal partners, and in order to push this monster into a hole she’d never find a way out of, we had to work together.
“There’s a lock,” I whispered, “but you can only see it when the sun is out.” This was my dream, and I had the control.
The sun rose higher, hitting the steps of the clinic first. Rick still stood there, frowning, but as the first ray touched his foot, he shifted. He shrunk and withered into the bent form of Mara.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“It’s daytime,” I replied.
“The sun will hit the windows next,” Aaron began before his brother added, “and you can see the shape of the sigil in the glass.”
“You’re idiots,” the hag spat at us, but her voice shook.
Colton gripped my shoulder, and Thorn touched my waist. My first crushes. The first boys I loved. But they weren’t the last, they weren’t the only. The Chees had arrived into my life and opened me up in a way I’d never have believed possible. I reached for Oliver and Aaron. They squeezed my fingers tightly.
I was absolutely not alone. And while I might not have been the beacon of light they thought I was, my darkness didn’t scare them in the least.
I stared at the sigil. It was a pentagram. I was sure I didn’t understand that symbol, and that it meant things I didn’t understand outside of the way it was portrayed in modern times. That might actually be interesting to learn about sometime, when I wasn’t in the middle of this. I could even ask Aaron to explain it to me. Maybe when we were naked. I smirked at the thought. Yes, I wasn’t scared.
This was my dream. That meant I controlled it, and I was done with Mara. I’d done what I could for the voices calling me. It was time for me to be done with this.
If she liked this snowy world, she could stay here forever with nothing to feed off of and nothing to terrorize, until she shriveled and died.
“Mara.” I had never thought to be in this position again, never thought I’d have to put down another monster. But since I did, it was much nicer to not have to do it alone. “Count the snowflakes.”
She sucked in a breath. “I… I…” Funny that she thought for a second she might have the chance to resist. This was my nightmare. I was in charge. The snow started to fall, and she lifted her head, her eyes widening.
“Fucking brilliant,” Oliver whispered. “The snow never stops. It’s Sisyphus. I love it.”
I wasn’t done. That sigil. The pentagram. It was speaking to me, even if I didn’t know exactly what it meant. I needed to affix that symbol. And I needed something stronger than just a door.
She was Mara after all. Even if I died, I wanted her stuck.
“Get behind me.” I lifted my hand as they did. This was my dream. I had to keep reminding myself.
I was bricking the bitch in.
They came fast. It was like a video game that Rick used to play. I had to stack bricks one after another, fitting them together until they surrounded the hag as she counted the snowflakes. I held my breath. My arms were getting heavy, and my fear was I’d wake up too early, too fast.
No, I would get this done.
Brick by brick, piece by piece, until it was finally done.
I bent over, holding my knees. “Aaron. Draw the pentagram on it.”
He rushed forward, and with steady hands, he did as I’d asked.
Mara shrieked. I couldn’t see her. But she was still counting.
She would be forever, because the snowflakes would never stop.
“I’d love to wake up now. Who can make that happen?” I asked.
Oliver grabbed me hard. He put his arms around my waist and kissed me. Our tongues dueled, snow falling around us. The sensations were too much. The smooth glide of his tongue, the demanding press of his lips. I was awash.
And then, I was awake and nestled between Colton and Oliver like nothing had ever happened.
Oliver turned fast, wrapping me up. He glanced over my naked shoulder to Colton. “Colt.”
I barely had time to process the flash of skin and the press of his lips on my cheek before he was gone.
“I hope you appreciate this!” Colton yelled through the door.
Oliver shifted so he was over me. He was still wearing clothes, whereas I was totally naked. Gaze on mine, he smiled. “I do.”
“Shouldn’t we check in?” But already, my hips were curling toward his body. I knew what I was supposed to do—make sure everyone was alive and well—but I trusted Colton to yell if they weren’t, and I had Oliver in my arms.
“I have been waiting for this,” Oliver whispered. He grazed his lips from my mouth down my neck.
Shivering, I grabbed at the waist of his shirt. “I’m the only one naked.”
“Relax.” His hands went to mine, entwining our fingers before he pushed them above my head and held them there. “I’ve been waiting a fucking decade. Let me take my time.”
Time. We had all the time in the world. But I wanted him now. I made a sound, one of frustration and desperation, but Oliver only smiled. Of course, he did. He was the only person who could match me for digging in their heels.
I flexed, attempting to free myself, but he only shook his head. His lips were doing distracting, delicious things to my neck, and I could admit, I didn’t really try that hard. Especially not when he shifted down my body to latch on to my nipple. Biting gently, he blew warm air across my skin, then moved to the next breast and gave it the same treatment.
I opened my legs, wrapped my ankles around his waist, and ground myself against him. He let me.
The denim of his pants was rough, but I didn’t care. I needed something to ease the throbbing ache between my legs. “Oliver.”
Ignoring me, he sucked my nipple into his mouth, tongue swirling around the tip.
“Oliver.”
He merely shook his head, sucking a little bit harder.
I cried out. My back bowed off the bed. He shifted, moving both of my hands to one of his to snake the other between my legs. Right away, he foun
d my clit and began to rub.
I thrashed on the pillows. This was good, but it wasn’t what I needed.
Him filling me. Slamming into me. That was what I needed.
One finger pressed into me, joined by another, and then a third. He withdrew, then thrust inside again.
“Oliver.” He must have heard the utter frustration this time, because he laughed, low in his throat.
Lifting his head, he met my gaze, amusement warring with heat as he caressed me by just looking at me with those dark eyes. “Okay, Lacey. This time, I will hurry up. But just this time. Next time we’re together, you’re going to appreciate that I want to take my time with you. Hours of me worshiping you before I make you come.”
That sounded like heaven. But right then, I was still riding the high of what had just happened. I couldn’t wait. I couldn’t settle. I might actually explode.
He pulled off his pants, and I helped to undress the rest of him. He was so beautiful, so strong, so mine. I’d never really understand how we’d found each other, how any of this worked, but I loved it, and I was keeping him. End of story.
“I’m on the pill,” I whispered, and he shifted to slide into me.
For just a second, he stayed like that, skin to skin with me. He was bare, and I was in heaven. This was what I wished for, how I craved it to be.
Oliver flared his nostrils. “Someday.”
I understood what he was saying. Someday, there really wouldn’t be anything keeping us from starting our own family.
“I’m clean. I get tested all the time for an insurance policy I have to maintain. Although, the idea of you having my baby makes me hard—harder—we aren’t there yet. I’ll take care of you, Lacey. I promise it. Always.”
With the utmost care, he pressed back inside of me. I sighed. It wasn’t the same, but it was still pretty damned close to perfect. I closed my eyes for one second to savor this, to make a memory for long cold nights. I would never forget how it was to be joined with Oliver like this.
I opened my lids, and he leaned down to kiss me. The tip of my nose. My lips. Both of my cheeks. It was so sweet.
“I love you, baby.” He’d never called me that before, and I doubted, given what I knew about Oliver, that he’d do that anywhere but here. That nickname was just for this moment.
I stroked my hand down the side of his cheek. “I love you, too. Thank you for finding me.”
“Oh, Lacey. I always will.”
He pulled out slightly and then pressed back in, rubbing against my clit as he did. He moaned, closing his eyes. “You’re like coming home. You’re… everything.”
I kissed him. “More please. Hard. I need so much from you right now.”
He nodded. “Whatever you need, whenever you need it.”
With my gaze caught in his, he began to pump faster, angling his hips as he studied me. He took in every nuance or movement I made. When I gasped, he smiled. His length dragged so perfectly inside me, I couldn’t stand it. I wanted my hands free to grab his ass and yank him into me, but he kept me still, open to him, but totally at his mercy.
Oliver gritted his teeth, and it was my turn to smile. He was holding off, waiting for me. Good. Let him suffer a little bit for what he was doing to me. Reading me like a book, he laughed and released me.
I wrapped myself around him, holding him to me as he pounded harder. In seconds, I was coming, fluttering around him and clamping down as my orgasm exploded.
He followed me with a long groan. Two slow drags, and he held himself still before collapsing on top of me.
I relished his weight and only hugged him harder. I had him. He was mine, and the future looked so bright.
12
We didn’t cuddle as long as I’d have liked, because I was fully aware of the other guys. I wanted to rest in Oliver’s arms, but another part of me wanted to make sure they were okay.
Oliver sensed the change in my mood and with a groan, rolled off the bed. “Wherever we decide to live, I want to make sure we have lots of space.”
Huh. I hadn’t thought about that. His words made it clear that this place, my home, wasn’t where we would end up.
The thought made me a little sad. I loved Anchorage. The bite of the cold and the seemingly endless winter, but—Oliver pulled on his jeans and buttoned them, flashing me a half-grin—I loved these guys more.
I’d even go back to the desert for them.
I found a pair of soft pants and a baggy sweatshirt and put it on, not bothering with underwear. My plan was to check in and then jump into the shower. Not only did I need to clean up from what I just did with Oliver, but I wanted to wipe away any trace of the nightmare we’d just faced.
Oliver didn’t even bother with his t-shirt. “You mind if I join you in the shower?” The heat in his gaze promised more than getting clean, and my face warmed in answer.
“Okay.”
He opened the door to my room, and I followed him downstairs and down the short hall to the living room. The TV was on—thank god—and Colton and Thorn were sprawled on the sofa.
“Everyone okay?” I asked.
Colton glanced up at me and smiled. “We just defeated the bad guy, Lace.” He lifted the soda in his hand. “We’re celebrating.”
I laughed, feeling a little guilty that all I’d had on hand was diet soda, but he seemed content. Glancing around, I searched for Aaron.
“Where’s Aaron?” I asked.
“Calling home,” Thorn answered. “He wanted to check in.”
Shit. I should have thought of that.
I turned to Oliver. “Your dad.”
He nodded. “Aaron’s got it.”
That was never going to be an easy relationship, Oliver and his father. But it wasn’t toxic. People threw that word around a lot. Seemed to me if neither was wishing the other ill, then it was probably good enough, even if I could have wished for more than that for them.
I also needed to check in with Rick.
The doorbell rang, and I jumped. Okay. Maybe I still had a lot of nerves to work through when it came to everything that had happened.
Thorn was on his feet. As he passed me, he stroked his finger over my cheek. “I’ll get it, and, Lacey, you were so brave out there. In the nightmares. You didn’t flinch.”
Oh, I had. Internally. But if they hadn’t seen it, then okay, I’d pretend I’d been all brave and shit. Why not?
“You guys were amazing to be there like that.”
Thorn threw open the door, and Rick strode in holding a brown paper bag. He smiled at the room, and I could have cried from seeing him. He was so normal. Nothing untoward had happened to him. He hadn’t just had a weird supernatural experience. Rick looked just like he should look… as Rick.
He held up the bag. “I brought bagels and cream cheese.”
“Oh.” Oliver grinned, taking the bag from him. “You’re my hero, man. I didn’t feel like cooking.”
Colton rushed the bag. “I’m starving for carbs.”
“Me, too,” Thorn supplied. “Thank you, Rick.”
“You’re welcome. Lacey, the other night was weird.”
Other night? What time was it? I looked around. There was light coming through the window. It was as though we’d just slept through a night, not won a war and lived through an ordeal. Just a regular night.
I hugged Rick. “I’m happy you’re getting happy.”
“Yeah. Yeah. We don’t need to do mushy. I came by to tell you that I have a job for you.”
I stopped to digest that new piece of information. A job. “I don’t think I can take it.”
His mouth fell open. “You’re saying no? Why? You never say no.”
He’d been the one to tell me to get a life. Hopefully, he would feel about my news the way I felt about his. “I think I need to sell my house, and I think we’re going to have to leave here.”
Oliver spun around. He made eye contact with Colton who shook his head. I hadn’t discussed this with any of them yet. I
knew what they’d say. They’d stay here. Yet, their lives weren’t here. Oliver had a practice he should get back to. Colton had left some archaeological dig. Thorn had made a lot of money. Aaron had a career.
I had Rick, and I was loathe to leave him. But the truth was, I could go and start over a lot easier than they could.
He cleared his throat. “It’s time?”
“I think it is.” I knew it was.
“Well, shit, kid. I kind of hate that. But it makes the rest of this conversation a lot easier, too.”
Whatever it was, it would need to happen with something in my stomach. All of us went into the kitchen. Colton was already shoving the bagel halves into the toaster while Oliver made a new pot of coffee.
I sat at the table, waiting. Rick pushed his hand through his hair. “The job was actually the business. I’m buying an RV. Gonna live the retired life right.”
Was he now? I shook my head, grinning down at my scarred wooden table. “And you were going to leave me the business of cheating husbands and wives with secret gambling debts? What a gift.”
He kicked me gently under the table. “Pays the bills. But if you’re leavin’ and I’m leavin’…well, I guess it’s just going to die a natural death.” He didn’t look too upset about it. In fact, when Oliver handed him a bagel and slid him the cream cheese, Rick winked at me and took a huge bite. “So where are you thinking of going?”
I looked at the guys. Colton had been on assignment. “Where are we going?”
He opened his mouth to answer, when something caught his attention behind me.
“Hey.” Cold air hit my neck, and I spun to see Aaron. His face was pale, and his hand shook as he dragged his hand down his face. “I just got off the phone with Mom. She asked us to come home.”
“What? Why?” Oliver stood, his chair scraping across the floor.
“Dad left. Packed a bag and drove off. Said there was something he had to fix. For us.”
“Shit.” Oliver tossed his bagel on the table, while Colton and Thorn exchanged a look.
I guessed that moved up my timetable. I’d be leaving Anchorage a lot sooner than I thought.
“Anything I can do?” Rick asked, eyes narrowed.
Voices in the Darkness Page 18
