“Heather, can you walk me to my room?”
“Um—I guess so. Are you drunk?”
“A little,” I lie.
“Me too.” She laughs.
As we meet my door I begin giving her instructions. It’s my world tonight. I’m going to give it all I’ve got.
Loosen her up, she looks nervous.
“Hey, lay on the bed. I wanna show you something.”
“Um—okay.” She lays down watching me closely.
“Do you like dancing, Heather?”
“No. I’m not good at it.”
“That’s too bad. Do you wanna see me dance?”
“Uh—yeah,” she stumbles over her words.
I point the remote at the iPod dock, having preselected the perfect music for the occasion. Enigma fills the room, and by the look on her face she realizes something amazing is about to happen.
I lose my shirt, avoiding any amount of reason before I can change my mind. My skirt follows, slithering to the floor. As I pass by the mirror I notice the curves of my thighs, I look good.
“Whoa, what are you doing, Syd?”
“Dancing for my sexy girl. You don’t like it, baby?” I move slowly—seductively, as her eyes eat away at my bare flesh.
She lays speechless on the soft bed, her mouth hanging partially open. Her tongue grazes her teeth. She’s getting weak—exactly as I want her. This is the moment, not a dream. I’m doing this, no matter what. I drink in the power I feel. It wets my mouth like ice cold water in the desert. I’m enjoying myself more than I should. Teasing her is fun. I feel the pleasure Eve must have felt as she crossed that forbidden line in the Garden of Eden. Her breathing is heavy and her shyness melts away like smooth chocolate on a hot plate. That sexy essence within her emerges as it has in many times in my recent dreams. As she lifts herself from the bed, making her way into my space, my own breath begins to quicken. This is for Nick. No amount of pleasure she can provide me will alter my agenda. She takes the reins, digging her beautiful white teeth into my bottom lip and then grabs my waist, throwing me on to the bed. She trails her fingers down my thigh while she digs her tongue into to my skin. As she nibbles on my wrist I make a noise only known to those who have experienced sheer ecstasy. As hard as I’m trying to keep myself in the position of control I’m losing it quickly. Her lips put me into a trance, her tongue swirls in a circular motion over my skin causing nerve impulses to go wild throughout my entire body. She knows exactly what she’s doing. My consciousness floats in and out as her warm tongue drags down my leg, then back up hitting a spot I have never felt before. I picture Nick’s face as she burrows into my insides, taking over the reasonable part of my brain. As soon as I see his face in my mind I begin to daze out. That’s when I hear him.
“Sydney, what the hell are you doing? Get her off you, now!”
“I brought her here for you. Now, get what you need and hurry up!”
“Fuck no! Get her off of you now, Sydney!”
“No, Dominick. I didn’t do all this for nothing. She’s here, she’s completely inebriated. Do it now.”
“I can’t focus on anything aside from the fact that her hands are all over you. I’m going to fucking kill her.”
“The longer you wait the longer she is going to have her hands, her tongue, and her mouth all over me. I’m pulling out of meditation now, you have less than a minute to go in and get what you need, make it count.”
I open my eyes to find she is fully atop me now. At some point her clothes seem to have come off too. Things are getting too close. I’m pretty certain a full minute has passed, long enough for Dominick to have gotten what he needs. If I don’t hit the brakes, this will go too far.
“I’m just not ready for this yet, Heather. Stop.”
She doesn’t though. I’m pinned under her strong arms, completely unable to get up. She bites the inside my neck, I feel blood flowing.
“Heather, stop it!”
Again, she ignores me, thrusting her tongue harder into my skin, drinking the blood her bite ripped from my sensitive skin.
The candle beside my bed flips on to the floor, extinguishing the only light in the room. That has to be Nick. He’s penetrated her mind. Her face turns white and her body becomes limp, falling atop me as I wait in fear. Her body convulses and shivers. He got to her. I don’t want him to hurt her, I can’t stomach that. I have no idea what’s going on between them right now.
“Dominick, stop it, that’s enough!” I plead with him as I pull myself into meditation.
I’m unsure what I’ve missed, but she is in sheer terror as her face twists and contorts. The only words I hear come from his mouth are bolstering severe curses and threats.
Poor Heather, she thinks I am trying to develop a relationship with her and I lead her into a terrifying den of insanity. Bracelet or not, I can’t allow this to continue.
“Let her go, Dominick. Now!”
She jumps off me with intensity as he releases her. “I’m sorry, Syd, I’m so fucking sorry.” She runs from my room, blood dripping from her mouth and nose. Her feet slam the floor as she makes her way into her room, slamming the door behind her.
I throw my clothes back on, fearfully shaking in the center of my bed. I did this to myself. How could I have been so stupid? Heather is mentally fucked right now. All I wanted was to find out the truth, not land her in an asylum.
Floating between meditation and reality has become easier, somewhat like second nature.
“I’m taking a sleeping pill. You be ready when I get there because I’m really pissed off at you right now. You took it too far, Nick.”
I quickly pop the Ambien I had stashed in my purse—furious, sad and completely confused. This isn’t me; I led her right into the lion’s den, knowing full well he would annihilate her when he found out what I was doing.
I close my eyes, letting the medication fully mingle with the wine. Succumbing to the darkness of the man I now realize I love.
***
“What did you do to her?”
“She hurt you, you’re bleeding! She bit you like a fucking animal. Come here.”
“No, I’m not doing anything until I know what you did.”
“I showed her what I would do to her if she ever came near you again. Leave it at that.”
“I led her to that point. She’s drunk Dominick, she was completely blind-sided. I wanted you to get information, not hurt her.”
“Honey, it’s all mental. I didn’t hurt her—exactly.”
“She ran out of here bleeding. What did you do?”
“I made her smash her own face in with that candle. She wasn’t going to stop. You have no clue what she was thinking. She was going to hurt you. She was going to force you to...” His eyes blaze in anger.
My head becomes blurry at the words he just imparted. He was protecting me. I don’t know the side of her he knows, I can only see from the outside. I need to look into his memory to be able to really understand the severity of his words.
“Can I see?”
“Go ahead.”
I dig deeply for a moment, still new at the art of fishing through the mind of another person. He was telling the truth. I saw her, and he was right. She wasn’t going to stop, she couldn’t. She has deeper problems than I could have ever imagined.
My body begins to tremble as I see her in the true light Nick was able to shine. He saved me from—myself, and from her in uncontrollable impulses.
“I told you, baby, I wouldn’t lie. I had no choice.”
He pulls me into his arms, holding me with an intensity I’ve never experienced in my life. I’ve never felt so safe, so—loved.
“I love you, Nick.”
“No, you don’t.”
“What? How can you say I don’t love you after the lengths I went to tonight to try to find answers?”
“I trusted you, I stayed out of your head and you go behind my back and do something as stupid as this? What were you thinking? You aren’t dea
ling with a girl who has a little crush on you, Syd. She is obsessed. She had no intention of stopping. If I hadn’t done what I did, there is no telling what would have happened. You wanna know the scariest part? It’s not that she didn’t want to stop, she COULDN’T stop. What does that tell you?”
“That she’s drunk and used bad judgment.”
“No, it says that she has no boundaries to what she will do to have you, in every disgusting way possible.”
“I understand now, and I’m sorry for going behind your back, but can we just focus on the important part here please? What did you find?”
“This conversation is NOT over, Sydney.” He sighs at me disapprovingly, but answers my question. “I saw a few things, not much. Heather was standing over my body. There were wires everywhere, monitors beeping; I think it must have been right before I died. Mrs. Peyton was there, they were fighting. I couldn’t hear what they were saying. It was still fuzzy, I couldn’t fully see anything. At least now we know they were both in on it somehow. Heather knows Mrs. Peyton.”
“She knows Mrs. Peyton? I can’t believe this. This is huge news. Kinda off subject, but I do think I’ve figured out why you can’t reach her mind. She’s on medication. She said it was from nightmares that she had when she first moved in. Courtesy of you, no doubt. The medication is probably what’s keeping her mind unreachable.”
“Makes sense, I guess,” he replies sullenly, evidently sour at tonight’s events.
“Look, I know you’re pissed at me about tonight, but I had to. I had a chance and I cashed in. Don’t be mad at me, Nick.”
“Oh, Sydney honey, I’m not mad—I’m fucking furious. You put yourself in this position because I asked you to help me. I did this to you.”
“I put myself in that position because—because…I love you.”
This has to be the first smile that has settled in his eyes, reflecting supreme happiness.
“You really do?”
“I don’t know how, but yes. I have known you for such a short time. I guess sometimes fate steps in and we don’t get to choose.”
“I love you, too, Sydney. More than I have ever loved another person in my life.”
“I know.”
“I don’t want to crossover.”
“You can’t stay like this forever, Nick.”
“I don’t want to go any place you aren’t going to be.”
“We will figure it out, somehow. I have something now that I didn’t have an hour ago—leverage.”
“Leverage?”
“I will guilt her into talking. She hurt me. ”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. She’s not right in the head.”
“I know how to handle her. No worries.”
“Right, because you had everything under control just now…”
“Look, we just admitted we love each other. In the best of circumstances we are never going to work out. Can you just stop running that sexy mouth and kiss me for a change, while we still can?”
“That, I can do.”
He gently touches his lips to mine, soft and sweet. For the first time since we met there is no tampering, no lust, no urgency—just love.
“Don’t you ever—and I mean EVER—do that shit again, Sydney.”
“Never, Nick. I promise.”
“Now, close your eyes and get ready for your surprise.”
7
Making Magic
Utter amazement seems a hugely understated word in describing the scene before me as I open my eyes. Everything I have ever hoped to experience is resting in the palm of my hand. Sprite fairies wisp past my face, stopping only to kiss my eye lids. The air moves with a shimmer that one might only expect to find in a dream—which is exactly where I am. Here with Nick, as he makes every beautiful dream come to life. He has converted my room into an amusement park of every wish I’ve ever hoped for. There is no bed, no dresser, no apartment walls at all. We seem to be in a beautiful park, its dusk outside. A rushing waterfall tingles my ears with its flowing waters, a warm breeze flows through my dancing red curls, slowly unfolding them along my bare shoulders. I’m no longer wearing the taunting ensemble I had thrown at Heather earlier in the evening; instead a sleeveless spring dress of sparkling ivory flows across me like a feather weight scarf. It drapes loosely, hitting just above my knees. The fabric feels as if it’s been sewn of clean fresh air, so light against my glowing skin. There are no boundaries to the place we are. Green hills roll into the horizon which is illuminated by a soft pink and orange haze. The sun sinks naturally into the grassy floor. The only thing more I could wish for is that this dream had a replay button. I could watch that sunset over and over again and never tire of the beautiful scene. It’s unnaturally perfect, but it leaves me in sheer amazement.
Just as I wish for the sun to rise and fall again, it unfolds before me, recreating the scene just as it played out a moment ago. My eyes widen, as Nick watches carefree from a short distance away. He looks so peaceful as he watches me enjoy my surprise.
“This is my surprise—everything I wish for? Wow, Nick! I don’t know what to say. This is so—perfect, if that’s even a good enough word.”
He shrugs with a grin, savoring the happiness he has provided. “Have fun with it.”
Dominick has allowed my own personal desires to paint the picture for this brilliant date. Words couldn’t describe the emotions I feel right now. Euphoric might be the closest, though still not strong enough a description.
I begin thinking of everything I have never attempted to wish for at the cost of reality never having allowed it. I envision witches kissing vampires under the moonlight of a purple sky. They appear just as I imagined them. They are so captured within each other, like they’ve been looking for each other for a lifetime. My feelings for Dominick seem to be influencing the behavior of my fatal lovers, as they won’t take their eyes off each other. Witnessing true love and desire is a beautiful experience. I set the stage for a darker mood as violet lightning bolts stain my green roiling fields, turning the grass charcoal black, then melting into a sea of dark waves. I’ve always wanted to see a black ocean. Everyone’s ideas of paradise are different, but mine seem to lean into a realm of darkness—dark paradise, tropical disaster. At any rate this is the most exhilarating moment of my life. It feels real—so real the torrential waves are beginning to make me nervous. The fierce water hits my face with force, knocking me under. The more fearful I become the more I realize I have stepped out of the best dream I’ve ever had and straight into my worst nightmare. Drowning is my biggest fear, has been since I was a child. I panic as I begin to go under.
“Sydney, be careful. Don’t let your fears swallow you. You’re in control here,” Nick warns me sternly.
“I can’t, Dominick, I’m drowning!” Salty black water fills my mouth and nose. My lungs burn for oxygen as I sink deeper into my thrashing angry ocean.
“Change the scene. I won’t change it for you, it’s your dream,” He demands.
I grab at the water that now fully drenches my head, desperate for something to grip and pull myself back to the surface. My vision is blurry from lack of oxygen. Dominick’s face swims behind my eyes. How can he be so calm when I’m drowning in front of him?
“Sydney, you aren’t in an ocean, you’re dreaming. Breathe, baby. Trust me.”
I put my life in his words, trusting that he would never lead me to harm. I close my eyes, inhaling deeply. My stinging lungs find instant relief as I fill them to bursting capacity with fresh clean air. The sea water passes through my lungs invisibly, like nothing more than a bad thought floating through my head. Absolutely nothing is as it seems here in this world. The struggle within me dissipates as I grasp for new thoughts to pluck me from this ocean. In a matter of seconds I awake in one of the most special places in my memory. I’ve taken myself to the courtyard where I first saw my beautiful Dominick. He stands perched against the tree, just as I remember. His smile is genuine this time, not evil.
His strong protective arms are open, waiting to receive me. I run to him, landing in my safe place.
“I was so scared.”
“I’m sorry, I should have warned you about mixing nightmares with dreams, but you fell into it too fast. You really like to land yourself in trouble and give me a heart attack, don’t you, Kitten?”
“You looked perfectly calm to me, Asshole. I’m the one who was panicking. It felt so real, my chest is still throbbing. I really couldn’t breathe.”
“Remember what I told you before: nothing can hurt you here except yourself. You weren’t drowning. You were holding your own breath because you thought you were drowning. Just do me a favor and try to keep your dreams in a happy zone until you learn how to control your mind, will you?” He shakes his head with a cocky, yet relieved grin.
“So much for you being my knight in shining armor,” I sulk.
“You had things under control. You need to learn mind control. It’ll be useful while you’re here. It’s not doing you any favors for me to bail you out every time you have a bad thought, that’s doing nothing more than keeping you reliant on me, and I might not always be here to protect you. Understand?”
“I get it. Can I take us somewhere else now? I want to go somewhere—happy.”
“Where you go, I go.” He smirks.
Hand in hand we easily slip to another location, one of my very favorite places. Not a place of fantasy, but a place of wonderful memories.
“Do you know where we are, Nick?”
“No, but I like it.”
“This is the backyard of my childhood home.”
It is exactly as I remember it. The grass has been perfectly manicured, and I can smell the clippings. It reminds me of a summer morning. The pool is clean and sparkling. My favorite large oak tree still stands with a tire swing hanging from the largest branch. Again, I’ve set the mood at dusk, my favorite time of day. I gaze into the bulb of the light post Daddy installed when I was six years old. I can almost feel his stubble on my face as he would hug me tightly. I can see him.
Dreamers (The Dreamers Series) Page 11
