Dream Magic

by Michelle Mankin

  “Fiori,” I cried. “I can’t hold him.” My grip around Phoebus’ arm started to loosen. Fear seized my heart. I couldn’t lose her. I just couldn’t. In desperation, I reared back and kneed Phoebus in the balls.

  He grunted and doubled over with the knife clutched to his chest.

  Morpheus suddenly crashed through the window frame opposite me. Stone broke leftover glass and splintered wood at the same time as he flew in another. The gargoyle landed feet first, the Dream Falcon in a crouched battle stance. “Are you safe?” he growled sparing me not a single glance. His eyes narrowed with deadly purpose on Phoebus, his wings open and his sharp talons fully extending.

  “Yes, I am safe,” I assured him, my voice a raw whisper in awe of his fury and ferocity. Morpheus the warrior, a side of him I had only glimpsed. A head to toe shiver rolled through me.

  “Your definition of safe is not the same as mine.” A chastisement. “Never will I leave you again.” His iridescent eyes aglow, every muscle in his body taut and radiating alert energy, he stalked toward the monarch who had straightened with effort, knife in hand, his eyes dull with pain and a flicker of something else. Something I had never seen in them before.

  Fear.

  “Get behind Stone!” His body an impenetrable shield, the gargoyle stomped in front of Fiori and me, shuttling us backward, broken glass pulverizing to dust beneath his heavy feet. “Avert the princess’ eyes.”

  I knew what was about to happen. Violence hummed in the air. Retribution had the form of a winged mercenary. I knew no mercy would be shown. I felt no remorse. True justice was not for the fainthearted. I turned Fiori’s head into my chest, gathered her close and moved her to the farthest corner of the room.

  “You dare to threaten me, a son of Zeus?” Phoebus shouted. I couldn’t see any more, only hear…and feel what my beloved felt.

  “I do not threaten.” Morpheus delivered the menacing reply softly. I heard his slow advance over the shards of glass on the floor. I could feel them as they pierced his bare feet.

  The Sun God’s UV ray made no sound, but I smelled burning flesh, and my body convulsed. Clinging to Fiori, I felt the purpose of Morpheus as he powered through the pain, lifted into the air and descended on Phoebus like the apex predator that he was. Ferocious feet and hands ripped through weakened flesh that was no challenge for his primal fury or the power of his limbs and the razor sharp obsidian of his talons. Fiori lifted her head to the awful sounds of the Sun King’s demise. Crunched bones. Gurgling. Meaty thuds. The princess’ eyes grew wide. I framed her face with my hands and forced her to look at me, to focus on me. “It’s over,” I told her gently. Her lip trembled and her eyes filled. “For you. For your people. For us.” Warm tears leaked from her eyes spilling over my fingers. I stroked her back, my gaze glowing bright with pride for my avenging warrior. His victory. His heavy breaths. His elation. They were mine, too. But there was more. I knew now that I never could have defeated Phoebus on my own and acknowledging that didn’t make me feel weak. It made me feel strong. I had needed Morpheus. I had needed my friends, and they had come through for me. I wasn’t alone. I would never be alone anymore.

  “It’s over for me, too,” I admitted to Fiori. “All of it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Pushing everyone away. Pushing you away. When that knife came toward you, I thought I was going to lose you…” My voice got too shaky to continue. I pulled in a steadying breath. “I’m sorry. Sorry I hurt you. Sorry I was so blinded by my plans for revenge that I missed out on years that I could have shared with you as a friend, as a best friend. I love you, Fiori.”

  “I know,” she whispered. “As I love you, Cecilia.”

  Then the room fell silent, and I knew that the tyranny I had endured for nearly two decades was finally over.

  As that registered I felt something else. Something significant. A sweet lightness inside my spirit. I hadn’t experienced it in so long I almost didn’t remember what it felt like.

  Freedom.

  Fiori was grim faced, already bearing the weight of her royal mantle admirably as she walked among the cots in Amelia’s Grove pausing to speak a comforting word to those who had lost loved ones or lingering to be hooked up to an IV when a wound surpassed Donar’s skills.

  The remaining Sun Elves had readily bowed to her rule. The Sun King had not been well loved, and I think they looked forward to serving someone who was kindhearted and sane for a change.

  I didn’t regret ending her father’s life. My uncle had threatened my mate. He would have ended both of us without hesitation. He had tried and failed. But he was a Progeny. One of the Favored, and I was still an outlaw. The consequences would come, and swiftly, but not tonight.

  “You can release me. I’m not going anywhere,” Cecilia grumbled as my hold on her instinctively tightened. Whatever came we would face it together and woe to those who would oppose us.

  “No, I don’t think that I will.” I narrowed my gaze and tucked her closer into my side. “I like you like this, estrellita.”

  “Like what?”

  “Where you belong.” Alive. Healed. Soft curves pressed against me.

  She grinned.

  “Morpheus!” Billy called from the stairs, jogging down the last couple of steps and then striding purposefully toward us. Arla, Catonia and Shane followed right behind him. My younger brother’s crystalline blue eyes were wide as he drew closer and took in the changes that had already occurred in the La Ville Sombre because of Fiori’s thought forming. The squalid pod dwellings gone. Only the soaring atrium remained, the stars visible overhead looking close enough to touch through the gleaming glass canopy. The bright moonlight cascaded down on Amelia’s Grove where Cecilia and I had come to heal after the battle.

  “Where is Thyme?” I didn’t take offense that he sounded impatient. All else was secondary to finding his Fated. I felt a stab of guilt. I had been so absorbed in Cecilia’s recovery that I had not yet searched for my friend.

  “Let’s find her together, brother.” I squeezed Cecilia’s shoulder, noticing Shane drifting closer, eager eyes of his own scanning for someone.

  But for who exactly? I wondered. Thyme or Fiori?

  “I’ll go with you.” Cecilia peered up at me through her lashes, her arm tightening around my waist. “This belonging thing goes both ways, handsome.”

  It was my turn to grin.

  Many milled about looking for lost loved ones but we didn’t have to search long or hard.

  I let out a relieved breath noticing that Thyme had a new guardian. Apparently now that Cecilia had me and the princess had her soldiers, Stone had apparently attached himself to a new charge. Thyme sat nearly as still as the gargoyle. Her face was tipped up to the moon, her beautiful café au lait skin aglow with its light. Alone on the bench where I had wrapped my wings around Cecilia for the first time, she appeared at peace, her hands folded in her lap.

  “Thyme!” Billy shouted, locating her at the same moment. It seemed that those of us who were Fated had inner homing beacons for our other half.

  She lifted her head at the sound of his voice. Standing slowly, her violet eyes filling, Thyme stared at Billy as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. With a soft cry, she started moving, dipping between people, her cinnamon hair trailing like a joyous reunion banner behind her, her eyes on her beloved the entire time as if she feared he might disappear if she released him from her sight.

  “Baby,” Billy breathed, tears in his own eyes as he moved to meet her. It was heartrending to watch. I was nearly as choked up as he was.

  Thyme let out a ragged breath and…

  She brushed right past him.

  My jaw dropped.

  “Shane!” she exclaimed launching herself at him. He barely had time to catch her. “Oh, Shane,” she cried throwing her arms around his neck and holding on for dear life. “I thought you were dead,” she sobbed. “The last thing I remember was Apollyon stabbing you. When I woke up in the cel
l with Laveau I kept telling myself that I had to face reality. That I had seen you die. That I would never see you again. I didn’t want to go on.” She went up on her toes. “Only here you are like a miracle. I love you, mon amour.” She pressed a kiss to his stunned lips.

  “Bebe?” Shane looked at her like he had just been given everything he had ever hoped for but never dared to dream. He squeezed his eyes shut. His shoulders shook with the force of his emotion. His arms closed tightly around her.

  “Thyme,” Billy called her, and everyone’s shocked eyes swung to him. “What’s going on?” His voice sounded as rough as he looked.

  Thyme turned to regard him, her head cocked to the side, her eyes puzzled and completely devoid of recognition. “Who are you?” she asked.

  THE CREATOR – The Original Immortal

  HEIR – The three sons of the Creator, Zeus, Hades and Poseidon.

  ZEUS – Light Heir. Father of the Light Progeny.

  HADES – Dark Heir. Father of the Dark Progeny.

  POSEIDON – Neutral Heir. Father of the Neutral Progeny.

  PROGENY – A product of the union of an Heir and another Immortal.

  OFFSPRING – A product of the union of two Progeny.

  THE FAVORED – The Council of seven male Progeny jointly appointed by Zeus and Hades to rule on matters concerning The Code.

  FAVORED DARK PROGENY:

  APOLLYON – The god of the In Between.

  ARES – The god of war.

  HEPHAESTUS – The smithing god.

  FAVORED LIGHT PROGENY:

  EROS – The god of love.

  PHOEBUS – The sun god.

  HERMES – The messenger god.

  BACCHUS – The god of wine.

  THE CODE – A binding set of rules governing Progeny and Offspring.

  ENFORCERS – Those given the authority to apprehend violators of The Code and to carry out the judgments of the Council.

  PARENTAL INDENTIFIER – A tattoo like mark that appears on the wrist of an Offspring when he or she becomes fully immortal at the age of twenty-one. It mimics the talisman of their father.

  FATED ONES – Immortal couples bound by the power of the Creator’s magic spoken over them at birth.

  OBSIDIAN – Stone infused with the Creator’s magic. Potentially lethal to Immortals.

  ANCIENT – Four angelic winged beings who guarded the gates of the city on the Otherside before they succumbed to the temptations above and became the creators of the vampire race.

  OTHERSIDE – Heaven for immortals.

  NYX – The god of night. Husband of Hemera. Father of Shane, Morpheus and Billy.

  HEMERA – The goddess of the day. Wife to Nyx. Mother to Shane, Morpheus and Billy.

  Thank you for reading my book!

  Writing is a full time job. If I’m not working on marketing or jotting notes down on the notepad on my phone, I’m wearing out my author chair in the writing cave. Shoot me an email if you liked this book, I would love to hear from you. It gets lonely in the cave. I could always use a little encouragement.

  If you want to be notified about upcoming books, if you like rock star related swag, if you want to receive an advanced copy of the book I am currently writing, leave a review for this one and sign up to be a Black Cat Records fan:

  http://eepurl.com/Lvgzf

  Or if you really want to stay connected between releases consider becoming a Rock All Star. Join the group here:

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1673519816224970/

  Thank you for reading. Thank you for reviewing. Follow me on social media (the links are in my author bio) so we can stay in touch. And I’ll see you at a signing or in my next book!

  This one took a year to write. (Each of my books is a minimum six-month process 24-7, from rough drafts that take at least 6 weeks, to stylistic editing and then through several rounds of betas and rewrites.)

  I had an amazing team help me make Dream Magic…magical. I couldn’t have done it without them.

  Beta readers.

  It started with Lisa Anthony from my Indie Author Fix. It always starts with her. She is a staunch supporter of me and my writing and the best friend I have ever had.

  Then it went through rewrites with: Carol Allen from Promo Star Services and Star Angels’ Reviews http://www.promostarservices.com/

  –Here was a bit of our back and forth–

  Another good quote … My body is your body. My wings are now your own. My heart forever is only yours.”

  Carol • Mar 3, 1:54 PM

  Carol A

  WTF?????

  HOW COULD YOU?

  You are killing me with that ending! UGH

  Then Braine from Talks Supe Blog. http://www.talksupeblog.com/

  –I love that the story has a familiar tone to it. It actually reminds me of Sherilyn Kenyon’s early Dark Hunter books.–

  Brandee Price from Bookworm Brandee http://www.bookwormbrandee.blogspot.com/

  –Where I enjoyed all the symbolism in Strange Magic, I enjoyed the action of Dream Magic...where Strange Magic’s theme was more figurative, Dream Magic’s was more straightforward but I enjoyed that as well. The world building was well done and I’m anxious to see where we go from here. I know it’s not over despite the outcome in Dream Magic.–

  Then Lorna from Rapid Reads. http://rabidreads.ca/

  –Your world building is so intricate, and I really appreciate that. I think you stayed true to the world building from one book to the next. I also like how well realized each character was.–

  And last but not least. Lexie Lin from (un)Conventional Book Views. http://unconventionalbookviews.com/

  –I have started reading, and I really hope I’ll be up to the task of finding any mistakes, I’m already engrossed in the story!

  Michelle!

  I have finished reading, and all I can say is WOW! I don’t have any more comments about typos and such, and the few I found yesterday weren’t really major smile emoticon

  Thank you for writing such an amazing story, even if it ended on a quite dark note... Poor Billy!

  My “Dream Team” remains the same. Every time I write a book I hope and pray that they will stick with me because I would be lost and alone without them.–

  Michelle Warren author best friend and all the time encourager.

  Michelle Preast the brilliant cover designer for all my books. http://www.michelle-preast.com/

  Julie Titus my formatter and treasured friend. https://www.facebook.com/JTFormatting/

  –I want you to be 100% happy, so sending it to me this weekend would be a-okay.

  My copy editor. Dr. Diane Klein –who said at the introduction of Stone and Millie’s love affair “How do you come up with this stuff?” and when she finished the manuscript. “You are amazing.”

  Michelle Mankin is the New York Times bestselling author of the Black Cat Records series of novels.

  Rock Stars. Romance. Redemption.

  Love Evolution, Love Revolution, and Love Resolution are a BRUTAL STRENGTH centered trilogy, combining the plot underpinnings of Shakespeare with the drama, excitement, and indisputable sexiness of the rock ‘n roll industry.

  Things take a bit of an edgier, once upon a time turn with the TEMPEST series. These pierced, tatted, and troubled Seattle rockers are young and on the cusp of making it big, but with serious obstacles to overcome that may prevent them from ever getting there.

  Rock stars, myths, and legends collide with paranormal romance in a totally mesmerizing way in the MAGIC series.

  Catch the perfect wave with irresistible surfers in the ROCK STARS, SURF AND SECOND CHANCES series.

  Romance and self-discovery, the FINDING ME series is a Tempest spin off with a more experienced but familiar cast of characters.

  When Michelle is not prowling the streets of her Texas town listening to her rock or NOLA funk music much too loud, she is putting her daydreams down on paper or traveling the world with her family and friends, sometimes for real, and sometime
s just for pretend.

  BRUTAL STRENGTH series:

  Love Evolution

  Love Revolution

  Love Resolution

  Love Rock’ollection

  TEMPEST series (also available in audio):

  Irresistible Refrain

  Enticing Interlude

  Captivating Bridge

  Relentless Rhythm

  Tempest Raging

  Tempting Tempo: Summer 2016

  Scandalous Beat

  The MAGIC series (also available in audio)

  STRANGE MAGIC

  DREAM MAGIC: June 7, 2016

  TWISTED MAGIC

  ROCK STARS, SURF AND SECOND CHANCES series:

  Outside (also available in audio)

  Riptide

  Oceanside

  FINDING ME series (also available in audio):

  Find Me

  Remember Me

  Keep Me

  Connect with Michelle Mankin on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Michelle-Mankin/233503403414065