Snuggling closer to Hadeon, she felt his erection rub against the curve of her butt. She obviously wasn’t the only one who was hot and bothered by their closeness. Looked like he was in for a long, hard night. Pun intended. Dovina barely stifled a giggle and fell asleep with a tiny smile on her face.
She’d figure it all out in the morning.
* * * * *
The dream started slowly. She was aware it was a dream but she couldn’t make herself wake up no matter how hard she tried. Frowning, she turned in a circle, trying 81
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to get her bearings. She was barefoot, wearing her pajama bottoms and T-shirt that she’d worn to bed. The ground beneath her feet changed, becoming cooler and slightly softer. Moss. She was standing on moss and dirt.
She squinted into the darkness, wishing she could see in the dark as well as Hadeon. Someone was watching her. She could sense their gaze on her. “Who’s there?”
she demanded.
This was her dream. Damned if she’d let someone else have control of it. “Faran. Is that you, you coward?” Maybe it wasn’t wise to insult him, but she was sick to death of all of this.
She could sense she’d startled him. The world around her lightened perceptibly. She was standing just off the path near the bridge in the woods. Predictable, but fitting. Dovina crept off to the right, searching for a weapon. She’d dropped a large branch somewhere around here the last time Hadeon and the horseman had fought. It should still be here. Her big toe hit it first and she swore.
The horseman laughed. He came toward her then, the horse he was riding slowly plodded along the trail, its hooves striking the packed ground hard. He was taunting her.
Angry, she bent down and grabbed the branch, hefting it in her hands. The wood was rough beneath her palms. The weight was satisfying in her hands. She wasn’t totally defenseless.
“You’re a coward,” she accused again. “Chasing down an unarmed woman in her dreams. It’s a wonder the Shadow Lord ever bothered with you.”
“You know nothing of it.” Fury layered the horseman’s voice.
“I know plenty,” she retorted. “You weren’t warrior enough to do your duty. You gave away your honor for a second’s pleasure and now you’ve lost your soul to a demon.”
“Untrue.” The horseman’s roar split the night. She could see him perfectly now. He sat atop his horse no more than ten feet away. He squared his shoulders. “You have no idea what the darkness is like. It’s like a blanket, warm and comforting at first. Then it threatens to choke you, strangling the very life from your body.”
Pity stirred deep in her belly. She felt sorry for Faran. That didn’t mean she was going to let him kill her though. He’d made his choices. No one forced him over to the dark side.
“Why didn’t you talk to the other warriors? Maybe one of them could have helped you deal with it.” She was surprised by how separate they all seemed. They needed to form deeper bonds of friendship, to help pull one another from the darkness. She was going to talk to the Shadow Lord if she got out of this alive. Or, at the very least, have Hadeon talk to him for her.
“Weaklings, all of them,” he spat. “Willing to spend eternity at the beck and call of a powerless lord who cares nothing about them.”
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“You’re angry at yourself because you were weak. You gave in to the darkness and now a demon owns your soul.” She knew she was right.
The horseman dismounted, spurs jingling as he started toward her. “You will give me back my soul. With your light, I will have enough power to wrest it back from the demon. Then, I will be free.”
Dovina shook her head sadly. “You will never be free, Faran. If you do this, the demon will have a greater hold on your soul. He’ll ask you to do more and more obscene things like this until there is nothing left of the man you were. Don’t you see?
The demon is draining your essence to strengthen himself. The more you do his bidding, the more he is able to steal from you.”
The horseman shook his head. “You are wrong, woman. I will take what I need to be strong.”
He was too far gone. He’d bought into the demon’s promise because he had no choice. He’d already forfeited his soul and he knew it. It was like a person with a gambling addiction trying to pay off his debts by betting on the horses or playing cards. You might win the occasional time, but you just kept digging your way deeper into debt until there was no way out.
Dovina raised the branch to her waist, holding it securely with two hands. The horseman drew his sword. The metallic swish sent a shiver of fear down her spine. Now would be a good time for Hadeon to appear. He couldn’t enter her dreams at will as Faran could. The Shadow Lord said she was psychic, had untapped power. It was time for her to use it. She’d pulled Hadeon into her dream once before, using the deep connection between them to do so. Could she do it again?
She had to try. If she didn’t, she was as good as dead. There was no escaping the horseman this time.
Mentally, she screamed his name.
As though he’d been waiting for the call, Hadeon appeared in front of her, sword drawn and ready to fight to the death to protect her.
The horseman gave a battle cry and surged forward. His shape flickered and the outline of his head appeared on his shoulders. Hadeon met him with a bloodcurdling cry of his own. Metal clashed. Sparks flew. There was no backing down by either man. Not this time.
Hadeon fought like a man possessed, his weapon an extension of his body. His shoulder muscles bulged and rippled as he swung at his opponent. His blond hair hung down his back like a banner. His strong legs were spread, feet planted on the ground. His movements were fluid. There was no hesitation. No thought. Swordplay was as instinctual to him as breathing.
The horseman was just as skilled to her untrained eye. He matched Hadeon stroke for stroke with his sword. Both men were sweating. She could see the horseman now, his image coming into clearer view as he fought. He had wavy black hair, black eyes and his thin lips were curled in a menacing sneer. He was handsome in a cruel way. 83
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Faran was determined to destroy her and steal her life essence. Hadeon was just as resolute in his vow to protect her.
Dovina felt a shift in the air around her. Evil. It coated her skin and tasted like oil on her tongue. She pulled her gaze away from the fight. The larger threat was out there. Watching. Waiting to pounce.
The dream demon.
If his minion could get into her dreams, so could the dream demon. With the combined power of Faran and the demon, they could get past her normal reserves and invade her dreams, attacking her when she was asleep and most vulnerable. It was a terrible ability and one they were only too happy to wield to strengthen themselves. A blinding pain sent Dovina to her knees. She grabbed hold of her head and her stick rolled down her thighs and thudded to the ground in front of her. Something was trying to get into her mind.
Hadeon.
She screamed his name in her head. She heard him yell her name as a blast of excruciating pain lashed through her. Her body jerked, snapping backward. Sweat rolled down her temples. She felt as though someone were trying to pull the very life out of her.
Oh god. The demon was trying to steal her life essence for himself while both warriors were distracted.
She could feel Hadeon reaching for her with his mind. The connection between them was strong. His strength allowed her to push the pain away enough for her to fight back.
A stick wasn’t going to stop the demon. Dovina fought back with the only weapon she had. Her mind. It was hard to think. Almost impossible to focus. The pain was crushing her. She fell onto the ground, spine arching, fingers digging into her head. She was blind, unable to see past the excruciating agony beating at her. The sound of male grunts and metal clanging faded into the background, but she felt Hadeon in her mind, steadying her, offering her anything she needed to survive. Dovina concentrated on her breath
ing. In and out. In and out. In her mind, she built a wall. Not of stone or darkness, but of light. She was light. The Shadow Lord had told her she had a special light within her. One able to pull a warrior back from the darkness. Maybe she could harness it to keep the darkness out. The flip side of any power was that it could be used as a weapon. Dovina mentally flicked a switch in her mind, pretending the light inside her was like a lamp waiting to spring to life, and lit up the barrier she’d erected. It flared like a supernova. The horrible roar of the demon blasted her eardrums. She also heard the horseman cry out and felt Hadeon’s shock. She tried to push him out of her dream to protect him. The light was as real in this realm as they were and could severely injure him, possibly even kill him.
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Pain lanced her brain as the demon tried to weaken her enough so she’d lose her focus. Dovina gritted her teeth and held on. Reaching deep into her core, she fed the light into the barrier in the mind.
Then she went beyond a mere barrier. She formed a ray of light in her mind, refining it until it was like a laser beam, and sent it flaring out, searching for the demon. The creature bellowed and snorted and counterattacked.
Dovina felt her entire body jerk off the ground and go flying through the air. It crashed back down, her bones rattling with the jarring force. She briefly lost the light as the wind was knocked out of her. The demon gave a trumpet of triumph as he sped toward her.
Hadeon gave a yell. She sensed him moving in her direction. There was no time to warn him to stay away. No time to protect him from what she was about to do. She played possum until the last second. The moment she sensed the demon next to her, she gave it everything she had, pushing the light outward. She wanted to fry his demon ass.
The light blasted the demon back. She heard an unholy shriek and then the pressure in her head, the unrelenting pain was gone. Dovina lay in the dirt gasping for breath. She whispered Hadeon’s name.
She felt him tugging her toward him. Her eyelids fluttered open. The area looked like a war zone. Trees were down, the ground was churned up. The stench of burned flesh filled the air. Although there was no moon or stars, nothing but darkness, she could see well enough. Hadeon was sprawled out on the ground next to her. He still gripped his sword in his hand. His face, chest and hands were red, burned from the light she’d sent out to protect herself.
Dovina gave a cry of distress. She was afraid to touch him. Didn’t want to hurt him any more than she already had. Her head swiveled, searching the darkness. Where was the horseman?
“He’s gone.” Hadeon’s voice was hoarse. “The light was too much for him. When you blasted the demon, the horseman lost his ability to stay in your dream.”
“We’ve got to get out of here.” Dovina struggled to stand and wondered how she was going to be able to move Hadeon.
Before she could figure out how to help him, he gritted his teeth, rolled to his side and knelt up. From there, he struggled to his feet. Dovina put her hands on his waist to steady him. “What can I do?”
She was on the verge of tears. She couldn’t bear for Hadeon to be hurt. Closing her eyes, she pictured them back in the hotel room, lying on the bed. The world shifted. The battered woods faded and she felt the firm mattress beneath her. Opening her eyes, she flipped over and got her first really good glimpse of Hadeon. She’d left the bathroom light on and it was more than enough to let her know just how injured he was.
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Blisters were already forming on his arms and chest. His sword was still gripped tight in his hand, not because he wouldn’t put his weapon down, but because he couldn’t. The metal and skin had welded together.
Her breathing was coming fast and she forced herself to take long, slow ones. It wouldn’t do him any good if she started to hyperventilate. His eyes fluttered open. She could see the pain in their black depths.
“What can I do? You’re immortal. Can’t we fix this?”
Hadeon tried to give her a smile of reassurance that threatened to break her heart.
“I need to return to the Shadow Realm. I will heal there.”
She wanted to scream at him not to leave her. She wanted to ask how long he’d be gone for and if she’d ever see him again. Instead, she climbed off the bed and helped him sit up. Thankfully, his back was unharmed.
Hadeon pushed off the bed and shuffled to the corner of the room. He reached up and cupped the side of her face. “You’ll be safe. The horseman went toward his demon master to help him and took the full brunt of the light blast. If he’s not destroyed, he’s wishing he was.”
Dovina bit her lower lip and nodded.
Hadeon began to fade before her very eyes. She couldn’t even kiss him goodbye because his lips were burned and peeling. He stepped back into the shadows and disappeared from sight.
Dovina gave a cry and fell to her knees. Bowing forward, she finally gave in to tears, crying as though her heart were breaking.
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Chapter Ten
Dovina’s long weekend ended, but she didn’t go home. She did something she’d never done before in her life. She called the head of her department and lied, claiming a family matter needed her attention. She didn’t want to leave, afraid if she did, she might never see Hadeon again.
She’d spent the last few days working between bouts of crying and self-pity. She was alive. She was grateful for that, but she wanted more. She wanted Hadeon. His leaving had left a huge hole in her heart.
She’d called her parents, telling them nothing of her ordeal. She’d finished her article and written several more. Enough to keep the head of her department more than happy. She’d even emailed some of the literary and paranormal journals she regularly contributed to and had found homes for her work.
On a purely professional level, life had never been better. On a personal level, her life sucked. She’d written in her journal about her experience and then deleted the entire file from her computer. No one would ever believe her. But on the off chance someone might, she didn’t want to risk the information about the Shadow Ryders falling into the wrong hands.
It was Halloween tomorrow night. She should be thrilled beyond anything to be in Sleepy Hollow for the holiday. She couldn’t bring herself to care. She’d walked back to the graveyard and the bridge at dusk every day, hoping Hadeon would be there. Each evening, disappointment hit her anew.
The nights were the worst. She was dreaming, but these were dreams purely of her own creation. Each one featured her and Hadeon making love in various positions. He’d taken her outside by the bridge where they’d met, they’d had steaming sex in the shower again and, in one heated encounter, he’d leaned her over her desk at work, pounding into her until she came.
Each morning, she’d awake totally naked, her clothing kicked away. Her nipples would be tight, aching buds and she’d be wet between her legs, throbbing, waiting for Hadeon’s thick cock to fill her. Sweat slicked her body and her skin would be almost too sensitive to touch.
This morning had been even worse. For a moment when she was waking, she swore she could feel Hadeon’s arms wrapped around her.
“Stop it,” she scolded herself. She closed her laptop and shoved away from the table. Her stomach growled but she wasn’t hungry. Not really. Maybe she’d order something from room service later. It was almost time for her to leave to drive to the cemetery for her nightly vigil.
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She wasn’t sure she had the heart to do it. She couldn’t bear another disappointment. Sitting on the side of the bed, she lifted his pillow and brought it to her face. She hadn’t allowed housekeeping to change the linens, but Hadeon’s scent was beginning to fade.
“Come back to me,” she whispered.
The air around her pulsed and thickened. She dropped the pillow and surged to her feet, calling her lover’s name. “Hadeon.”
One corner of the room disappeared
, the wallpaper fading from view, the air turning black and thick. She reached out her hand, barely daring to breathe. He stepped out of the dark mist, strong and tall and handsome. He had a few new scars on his face and arms, but she didn’t care. To her, he was absolutely perfect. She gave a glad cry and flung herself at him, hugging him to her. He was here and he was fine. Dovina was so caught up in her happiness, it took her a moment to realize he wasn’t hugging her back. His arms were stiff at his sides and the muscles in his chest and shoulders were rigid.
Slowly, she pulled back and stared at him. His black fathomless eyes gave away nothing of what he was thinking or feeling. There was no sign of her lustful lover, only the immortal warrior.
Feeling awkward, she stepped back and self-consciously tucked a stray lock of hair into her lopsided bun. “Umm, it’s good to see you. You’re healed.” That sounded totally lame, but she didn’t know what else to say. I love you somehow didn’t seem appropriate given Hadeon’s aloofness.
He inclined his head. “I told you I’d heal in the Shadow Realm.”
She nodded and wrapped her arms around her waist, feeling very cold inside and out. “So you did. I’m glad.” It was obvious to her that their affair was over now that the horseman and demon were no longer a threat. At least she thought they were no longer a threat. “What about the horseman?”
“Gone.” Hadeon hung his head and rubbed the back of his neck. “The demon tried to save itself, but didn’t escape in time. Faran is now a soulless shade wandering the Otherworld. A ghostly apparition with no true form or power. He is truly lost in the shadows forever.”
Dovina shivered, not able to imagine such a fate. She swallowed hard, feeling pity for Faran in spite of what he’d tried to do to her. “I guess your job here is done.” That’s what he’d come back to tell her. He was finished. They were finished.
“Thanks for saving my life.” She’d almost killed him in the process, but he hadn’t left her to save himself. For that, she was eternally grateful. Hadeon gave a growl of frustration and took a step toward her. Menace and anger rolled off him in waves, battering her like a windstorm. What was his problem? What did he want from her? His job was done. He was free to go. 88
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