by M. R. Polish
I gave a short nod. “Probably.”
My mom came closer with my dad not too far behind her. “Ailaina, if you could find us another place to stay that would be great. I don’t think we’ll need it for too long. It seems like Nicholas is in a rush to hurry this along.”
A shiver coursed down my spine. “Well, I’m in no hurry, but I think I might know why he is.” All eyes were centered on me. “When Meadow came to me the last time I was asleep, she said Nicholas was sick and didn’t have the energy to come to me himself.”
My dad folded his arms and stared out over the flames that were beginning to die down. “What do you think it means?”
I shifted my weight. “The first time I saw him in my dreams back in Tennessee, he told me I changed everything. The elements shifted when I woke up Moriah and the others. He was really mad, obviously, but it was more than that. He said I would need to give him my blood. Maybe he didn’t mean blood for his breeds, but he really meant for himself?”
Ian twisted me so I faced him. “I don’t understand. Why would he need your blood? I thought it was just for the breeds. And why haven’t you told me sooner?”
“I don’t know if you noticed, but the breeds we’ve fought on this trip were stronger than they were a couple months ago. They each had vials of Belladonna, which is hard for any magical being to carry. So, maybe when I awakened Moriah, the weak ones died, but the ones that survived became stronger?” I noticed Ailaina wince when I mentioned Belladonna. Between my poisoning and her capture, we both had every right to freak out with that stuff. “So what if the shift in elements made a shift in his spell? Does that mean he needs my blood to live?”
Ian’s face lit up. “You made Nicholas weak.”
I smiled. “Exactly.”
My dad rubbed his chin and ran his fingers through the short stubble. “It makes sense. Why else would so many breeds be out at once? They’ve always reserved their energy, but if they know Nicholas is dying, then they’d want to find you to save him—to save themselves, if nothing else.”
“Gee, thanks, Dad, that made me feel so much better,” I joked.
He winked at me. “That’s what I’m here for.”
My mom let out a small huff. “While you two joke around, this is serious. We are gonna need someone on watch twenty-four hours. We can’t take any chances.”
I shrugged. “Well, it’s not like I’m sleeping a lot right now.” Just the thought of sleep both excited and scared me. I could feel myself weakening with each waking hour but my fear of what—or who— awaited me in my dreams was enough to keep me alert. I wasn’t sure how long I could stay awake, but maybe one or two energy drinks couldn’t hurt.
Jarak
My head pounded furiously as I pried my eyes open. I tried to move but my hands were tied behind my back. I wiggled my fingers and stiffened when I felt another set of hands tied to mine. My head shot up, and I cringed as the pain worsened with the movement. Blinking rapidly, the light in the room was almost blinding because of a raging headache.
Where was I? Where was Maztic? I couldn’t feel him.
Oh no, what happened to Es?
Thoughts raced through my mind. I opened my eyes wide, not caring about the pain anymore. I cursed inwardly as my throat constricted and my mouth went dry. The room we were in was a gray holding room of sorts. One door in and out with no windows. I tried to recall the last thing I remembered before passing out.
Es accused me of having something to do with what happened on the plane. My heart ached at the memory of her face. When she mentioned Julie, all things started to make sense and I ran off to find her. What a fool I’d been. I knew Julie had been up to something, but I never guessed that she’d trade sides. Thinking about it, maybe she was never truly on our side to begin with. But, it was so hard for me, and since she came back, the curse to love her deepened. I couldn’t just leave her, or send her away.
Could I?
I wiggled again, desperate to free myself of the bindings and get out of there as fast as I could. I needed to find Es and Ian.
“Calm down, lover,” Julie said behind me. So, she was who I was tied to. Go figure. Letting out a long breath, I strained to keep calm. It was so tough when I wanted to kiss her and kill her at the same time.
“What kind of mess did you get us into this time?” I muttered through clenched teeth.
“Me?” She sounded innocent, but I knew better. “I could ask you the same thing. Maybe if you could get that little tramp out of your head we wouldn’t be in this mess?”
I yanked on the rope that connected us. “Es is not a tramp, and I haven’t had anything to do with her, just like you wanted. I haven’t really talked to her in months. I can’t believe I listened to you. I coulda had something real with her.”
“Tsk, tsk. You could never have anything with her or anyone, your heart belongs to me.”
“Yeah, well, my heart was almost detached from your wickedness. I was so close to breaking your spell. Yes, I found out all about how you cursed me to love you before you died. And for the record, I wanted to love her, I did love her. But then you came back to life and while I ached to hold her I couldn’t because of you. Now she’s in love with my brother.”
“Well, I am glad to know my spell has worked through all these years. She’ll never love you like that. I saved you from heartache.”
“You haven’t saved me from anything,” I growled.
“You should be nice to me if you want me to help get you out of here.”
I smirked. “You can get us out of here? You’re the reason we’re here in the first place. Besides, we don’t even know where we are.”
“Jarak, you’re seriously not that naïve, are you? That snooty little flight attendant must have had us brought to the B.O.M.B office, but don’t worry. I have connections.”
The metal door swung open hard, hitting the wall and creating a loud echo in the room that reverberated in my head, making me cringe in pain. One of the first things I wanted to find out was how they were able to use magic on me and render me unconscious. Other than Es, Adonia, and Victor, I didn’t think anyone had the capability.
An older woman came in with long black hair. Only a few streaks of gray showed her age. I couldn’t help but wonder if she possessed magic since witches were immortal and rarely showed traits of an aging human. Her charcoal dress suit complimented her tiny figure, and she had what looked like a 9mm holstered on her hip, but I could be wrong because the 8md looked a lot like the one humans used. Only, the 8md was deathly to all magical beings, including guardians and witches. Very few beings even had one. They were hard to find, even to those who searched for them.
She slammed the door shut and walked over to us. “Enjoying your stay with us so far? How’s your head?” Her voice was softer than I thought it would be. I almost expected to hear something nasally, though she sounded far from nice. Her condescending tone was enough for me to guess that Julie was right about where we were.
“Hurts,” I replied. Not that I expected to get any sympathy from her.
“Well, that’s what I am here for. I’m MaryAnn and I’m the head forensic nurse at the B.O.M.B.”
Well, that confirmed it. She pulled out a syringe from her back pocket and tapped it to mix the contents inside. I watched as the fluid went from clear to cloudy. My heart raced as I wondered what she would do with it, and what it contained. She was not in Julie's line of sight, so I knew she had no idea what was in store for us.
I turned to whisper over my shoulder, “If you're going to get us out of here, now is a good time."
“Oh, I don't think you'll be going anywhere,” MaryAnn said as she flipped the lid off the syringe.
“Julie, seriously,” I whispered harsher. With my feet I tried to push back farther away from MaryAnn. “Look I had nothing to do with whatever happened on the plane. I swear, it wasn't me.”
“I know.” She was faster than I could blink and push the needle into my bicep. At first the l
iquid was ice cold around the point of entry, but then it turned hot, like a searing flame that shot down my veins. I grit my teeth and held my breath as I waited for the heat to subside. I tried to twist my head enough to see Julie, but the room started to swim and my chin dropped to my chest.
I was coherent enough to hear MaryAnn talking to Julie, but too drugged to respond. MaryAnn's voice was garbled. “The infamous Julie has graced me with her presence. You know there was a time when you would have helped me with an interrogation. It's so sad to see the direction you’ve gone.”
“MaryAnn, nice to see you too.” They both laughed. Why would they be laughing?
I felt the tug of the rope that bound me to Julie as it was untied. I tried to pick my head up, but it was too heavy. Julie moved away from me and the rope was replaced.
“We have to take him, you know that, right?” MaryAnn’s voice sounded farther away. Maybe she stood by the door, but I couldn’t tell. “Hurry, we don’t have a lot of time.”
The door slammed shut and everything went black.
Ten
Esmerelda
“I ’m not sleeping.” I was so tired I couldn’t even hide the frustration in my voice. How long had it been since I slept? Two or three days? Maybe four? My hours all blurred together as I fought to keep my eyes open.
“I know you’re not, that’s why I’m telling you to.” Ian pushed me back on the bed and lowered himself down next to me.
“Ian.” I placed a hand on his chest. “I can’t lie down.” Even as I said it, I felt my eyes close. I jerked them open and tried to sit up.
Ian kept his arm around me, keeping me down. I didn’t have enough strength to fight him and fell back to the pillow.
My mom sat down on the other side of me. “Es, you’re making yourself sick. You may be immortal, but even witches need sleep. Immortality doesn’t mean you can’t die, or get sick. There are still things out there that can kill us, just not as easily as a mortal. Like Belladonna can kill you. Sleep is still essential, and you need it.”
I shook my head. “I can’t. If Nicholas finds me, he finds all of us. I don’t want to see him right now.” My voice sounded far away, detached from me. I couldn’t help but giggle over the slurring sound I made with each word. I was definitely overtired.
A hand rested on my forehead. “I will keep him away. I won’t sleep until you awaken.” It was my mom. Her confident voice gave me the peace I needed.
Hope filled me. “Really? You can do that?”
“Of course.”
I wasn’t sure if she meant it. Her tone didn’t sound too convincing, but my body didn’t care anymore.
Ian
“Can you really keep Nicholas away while she sleeps?” I looked down at Es. Her eyes were closed, but I could still see the dark circles around them. Her face was taut. It was hard not to notice she was wearing herself thin.
But, she was still so beautiful. I pushed a strand of hair off her face and
“I don’t know, but she wouldn’t sleep otherwise. I’m going to try something though. Just promise stay with her. Tomorrow is her birthday, too many of those we’ve not celebrated together. She shouldn’t be alone again.” Her tone was serious, and I couldn’t figure out why she thought I’d leave Es.
I nodded. No one was going to take me away from her. Not now, not ever.
Adonia stood and stretched with her hands on her back. “Ailaina and Torres should be back soon with our drinks. Personally, a cup of coffee is what I’ll need. It’s going to be a long night.”
“That’s an understatement.” I yawned, suddenly feeling extremely tired. I pulled Es up so her head rested comfortably on my shoulder and wrapped my arm around her. Within seconds, my eyes closed.
Esmerelda
I looked around cautiously, standing outside Jarak’s cabin. Fog swirled around my feet and ankles. Footsteps crunched leaves somewhere behind me. Spinning around, I raised my hands and took a stance, ready to defend myself against Nicholas.
My breathing hitched when Ian walked through the fog. I relaxed. It had been forever since I’d dreamed of him. His all-black clothing made him look like a shadow walking through the mist.
“Hey, good looking. I didn’t expect to see you here.” I met him halfway and reached up to place a kiss on his cheek.
His brow rose. “I meet you in your dreams and that’s all I get?”
I smiled. It was so nice to relax for a moment with him. I almost forgot what it was like to just soak in everything about him.
He smirked. “Strange.”
“What is?”
“This. I mean, one minute I was laying on a bed and the next I’m here, at Jarak’s cabin with you.”
That was strange. “It’s a dream, Ian. Right?” I felt my heartbeat pick up faster. “My mom said she’d let me sleep.”
Ian took my hands. “If it was just a dream, then how can you remember everything from while you were awake? Besides, after you fell asleep, Adonia told me that she could only try and for me to not leave…” He trailed off.
“To not leave what?”
“You. She said not to leave you. Now I get it. She didn’t know if she could keep Nicholas away so she sent me. That’s why I’m not really sleeping either, but yet I am.”
Great, one more person who could see into my head. Was nothing sacred anymore?
He let go of my hands and ran his up and down my arms. “Es, it’s not all that bad. We’re alone.” He wiggled his brows and I couldn’t help the giggle that escaped my lips.
“Yes, we’re alone. For now.”
“I’ve been wanting some alone time with you.”
I reached up on my tiptoes and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Oh really? And just why would you be wanting that?”
Ian picked me up and carried me up onto the deck, then gently sat down in the porch-swing with me on his lap. I didn’t care if it was a dream or not, I also wanted time alone with him. So many things just kept getting in the way.
“Es, you’re so beautiful.” He rested his forehead on mine and ran his hands through my hair. “Happy Birthday.”
I cocked my head slightly. I had been so busy and so tired that I didn’t even realize my birthday was already here. Looking into his eyes, I couldn’t imagine a better present than to be with Ian in my dreams. I trailed my finger down his face and across his jaw line. He had a five o’clock shadow and I loved it.
His hand found its way to my lower back and tingles spread out across my body. It seemed like forever since we’d been close, but something about this moment felt different. Maybe it was because we were in a dream-like state, but I didn’t care. His touch warmed my skin.
His other hand held the back of my neck and he used it to pull me closer to his mouth. At first, his kiss was soft and feather light, but we both wanted more. I could feel his urgency deepen with mine. It no longer mattered where we were, or what was going on around us. All that mattered was us and this moment, and it was long overdue.
We’d never before let ourselves get carried away further than a kiss, but I wanted more. I needed more, and I was pretty sure he did too. I lifted his shirt up over his head and dropped it to the deck. Running my hands over his chest, I could feel his muscles and the way they flexed with each movement. He wasn’t just my boyfriend; he was my protector, my guardian.
And he was all mine.
I cuddled up in the blanket Ian brought out for me, waiting for him to return with some hot cocoa. If this was a dream, it was the best dream I could ever have. I couldn’t keep the smile from my face as I thought about Ian.
He crawled up on the porch-swing and wrapped his arms around me. He was still shirtless and I loved seeing him this way. I leaned my head back on his chest. “Ian, when we wake up…” I wasn’t sure how to put words to my thoughts.
He kissed the top of my head. “Es, you amaze me. I will never leave you, and when we wake up you better bet I will be finding another hotel room, because I want to show you things that n
ot even a dream can make come true.” His voice was deep and husky.
My heart fluttered with his words. I wish he knew just how much I looked forward to it, and how much he had already made my dreams come true.
He took a deep breath and I could feel the heat as he exhaled on my neck, making me shiver with a different warmth. He reached up and raked his fingers through my hair, moving it off my face. “When we get out of this, I mean all of it, not just this amazing dream, but everything. After Nicholas is stopped and we don’t have anyone trying to kill us, I want to take you home.”
I smiled wider. “I’d like that. Although, I don’t really call Jarak’s cabin home.”
“No, Es, I really mean home, as in my home. I wanna sit with you like this on my porch and look out over the ocean and watch the sun rise and set with you.”
I twisted slightly to tip my head up and see his face. “Ocean?”
His face lit up and he gave me a wink. “Well, yeah, Hawaii is surrounded by it, so it’s hard not to see the ocean at some point. It just so happens that I own a small part of beach and a tiny hut that would be perfect for the two of us.”
“Hawaii? Are you serious? Just the two of us?”
“Very serious. I look forward to spending a week just in bed, but for now we need to get moving.” His tone went low and serious.
My smile dropped and I looked out to where he gazed. “What’s wrong?”
I didn’t want my happy dream to end, but I guess it was just a dream after all—kind of. A branch snapped somewhere beyond the tree line and I jumped. Ian grabbed his shirt and put it on. We both stood up but he never let go of my hand.
“Just remember, Es, it’s a dream.”
I laughed. “It didn’t feel like one until now.”
“I have the pleasure of seeing the lovebirds.” Meadow walked out from behind a tree. She glanced up and traced a finger down the trunk. “Jarak’s home. Nice, but where are you really? You’ve never changed your location before. You’ve always portrayed your whereabouts in your dreams. I know you aren’t really back in Idaho.”
