Only in Her Dreams

by Christina McKnight

  She turned to Darius who sat at the kitchen table in the dark. “I’m hungry. Do you have anything to eat?” she asked.

  Darius hadn’t moved in a while, and she thought he hadn’t heard her. Instead, Alexander stood and grabbed something out of one of the bags they’d lugged into the cabin.

  “Here,” he said, tossing something small to her.

  A granola bar landed on her lap. Peanut butter and chocolate chip...yummy. This will tide me over for all of ten minutes.

  “Can I get one too?” Sandy asked. Alexander tossed one her way and returned to his seat by the door.

  “What’s up with him?” Lucessa pointed in Darius’s direction.

  “He’s attempting to contact his older brother,” Alexander said.

  His older brother? My father! Part of her was elated. The other part never wanted to see the man who’d abandoned her and her mother, not because he’d died in an accident, but because Erebos was more important than his family. Not only that, but he ordered the mind wipe that had taken her mother from her. How can I forgive a man who is responsible for all this? She didn’t care about Erebos or that he was the leader of some ancient mythological order.

  These thoughts only made Lucessa worry about her mother, sitting in the care home, alone. If she failed to help Darius achieve his goal, would he go after her mom next? She couldn’t think of that now.

  If Lucessa wasn’t able to get away by tomorrow, she’d miss her visit with her mother. She’d never missed a visit, not in all these years. One time, about four years ago, she’d driven in the middle of a downpour complete with lightning and thunder to visit her mother on her regular day. She always envisioned that today would be the day her mother remembered her and she couldn’t miss that.

  She leaned against the back of the armchair, ripped open her granola bar and ate it quickly. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten.

  Again, her mind wandered to her present situation. She couldn’t count on her father to help. She wasn’t important enough to jeopardize his responsibilities in Erebos and the Oneiroi. A part of her understood the burden of responsibility her father felt, but she’d also like to be important to him.

  The last thing she remembered seeing was Sandy dozing off on the couch, her head lying against Greg’s shoulder, unknown to the sleeping woman. Greg stared off at nothing. Lucessa felt her eye lids droop low.

  Chapter 35

  She snuggled in for a good night’s sleep in preparation for tomorrows ski trip.

  The sound of breaking glass and a male grunt caused her to jump out of bed. He’d come for her again. She’d been running ever since--through the darkness and snow. Her whole body hurt, but she pushed on.

  Snow covered her bare feet as she ran for her life. The man was gaining on her. She heard his breathing, his heavy footsteps and his frequent cursing. Her familiarity with the area wouldn’t guarantee her survival.

  Her breath came out in ragged gasps. Her bare legs under her night dress were cut and bleeding as she made her way through the forested area. Branches scraped and scratched her arms, their needles coming away blood soaked. She glanced down at the snow-packed earth. Her blood left a trail for the man to follow. Her bloody feet slipped and slid as if she ice skated across the snow.

  He screamed her name, “Lucessa! Lucessa!”

  Fear coursed through her body and she pushed forward. The familiar was starting to disappear. She’d never explored this far beyond her family’s cabin. The trees became denser, obscuring her view of the area in front of her.

  Cold air nipped at her face, numbing her nose and ears. If the branches tore at her face, she didn’t feel it. She squeezed between two trees, spotting dense underbrush to her left. She dove behind the cover, hoping to calm her erratic heartbeat.

  “Lucessa! Lucessa!” the man shouted, as she crouched safely out of view. Would her bloody trail give away her hiding spot?

  A booted foot landed a few feet from where she hid. Her hand clasped across her mouth to mute the sound of her heavy breathing.

  “Lucessa.” The foot continued away from her, leaving her to listen to the man’s receding shouts.

  The shouts ceased. She waited for what seemed like an eternity. She rose from the freezing earth and looked around to judge her location. The pine trees were so thick she couldn’t see very far in any direction. They blocked her view of the moon. The hard packed snow made following her footsteps impossible. Looking around, she saw her trail of blood clinging to pine needles and droplets splayed in the snow.

  Her breathing calmed. She knew she had to move, despite her body’s protests. She started to retrace her trail of red. She moved as quietly as possible. Her ripped night dress hung from her battered body, but she was too frozen to feel the cold seeping through the material or cuts that laced her body.

  “There you are.” The gravelly voice, familiar but unsettling, spoke softly in her ear.

  The gasp that escaped her cracked, swollen lips echoed in her ears. She ran fast, but she knew he would follow.

  # # #

  What’s going on? He’d been unable to sense his brother. And now, he couldn’t make contact with Lucessa. The pain of watching her run while trees and underbrush marred her delicate skin broke his heart. He understood her feelings were magnified in dream form--the happy moments multiplied by ten--but her fears were also intensified. He wished he could take back all that he’d done, the pain he’d caused her, but that was impossible without wiping her mind. The consequences of this option loomed and he contemplated other alternatives. I’ve made a mess of everything.

  He had to locate her. Talking to her in her dream had been a complete disaster. She no longer trusted him and he couldn’t blame her.

  His only option was to wait. Darius wouldn’t delay long in making his demands. If my twin harms her, he will have me to deal with. Maxim was tired of protecting everyone. There was only one person he wanted to protect now. Lucessa.

  Once he had her back, he wouldn’t waste any time or create any more regrets, and he’d let her know exactly how he felt. He would no longer be the helpless pawn in the war between his brothers.

  # # #

  Guy stood in the doorway and watched her as she peered out the window, into the garden below. Her gaze settled on nothing, flitting from one side of the garden to the other. She was still as beautiful as the day they’d met, her mahogany hair flowing down her back, untamed and wild.

  My Marie. My beautiful, compassionate, understanding Marie. Time and distance hasn’t diminished my love for you!

  Look at what he’d reduced her to. Staring, unseeing out a window. She hadn’t a care in the world, but with that relief she no longer knew how to care.

  He leaned his head against the door jamb and blinked back the tears that threatened to overtake him. How he missed her. They’d both been so carefree. Against his father’s wishes, but with his consent, Guy had left Erebos-–never to return. He chose love over his father’s people. At the time, it was worth the sacrifice. He’d gotten a job, bought a home for Marie and himself, and then after ten years together they’d been surprised with a child. Something neither of them thought possible.

  Guy remembered holding Lucessa for the first time and the happiness on Marie’s face. Their first Christmas was magical. They didn’t have much in the way of material things, but they’d had a roof over their heads, food in their bellies and love.

  Yes, most of all love.

  As the years passed, he’d been able to make a better living, taking his family on vacations to the mountains and the beach. They were always together, his little family.

  He liked to think his father was proud of the way he’d lived his life, carving a way without the privilege of power or position. Marie came from an Italian family who owned a local restaurant. She’d been raised as a hard worker, spending many days, nights, and holidays in the kitchen alongside her mother, cooking. Marie had instilled in him a sense of accomplishment and a passion for life.
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  As he watched, Marie lifted her hand from the armrest and began rubbing the base of her ring finger, the same spot where Guy had placed a small emerald ring forty years ago. She caressed the spot as if she knew something was out of place, missing.

  Guy was here to fix that. Erebos be damned!

  “Marie,” he whispered and walked in to the room.

  He proceeded slowly, so as not to frighten her. Shock coursed through his body when she turned her head toward him, her blue eyes leveling him with a questioning glare. He saw a hint of recognition cross her face, but it disappeared just as quickly, replaced with confusion. Her skin was paler than he remembered, but still as flawless, with not one wrinkle.

  “Marie, it’s me...Guy. Do you remember me, love?” He held his breath in anticipation of her answer.

  She shifted her body toward him. The years had been good to her. Her body had filled out in all the right spots. She was no longer the young woman he’d left to fend for herself and their daughter, but a mature woman.

  “Where’ve you been? I’ve waited so long for you.”

  Her answer was nothing he’d expected, but all he’d hoped for. Maybe she wasn’t as damaged as Lucessa and Maxim thought. “May I have a seat?”

  “Of course.” She gestured to the chair next to her. “I always knew you’d return for me.”

  “I only heard you’ve been sick. I am sorry I didn’t come sooner.”

  “I understand, Guy. You’ve many responsibilities, but you’re here now and everything will be okay.”

  “Yes, I’m here. Would you like to go see Lucessa? I have yet to see her.”

  His stomach fell when confusion clouded her face. “Who is Lucessa?”

  “Our daughter Marie...you must remember her,” he pleaded.

  “Our daughter? We couldn’t have children, but I knew that from the start. I’m okay with that.”

  “But we did have a child, Marie. She’s thirty years old now and she looks exactly like you. Please think hard, you must remember her,” he said. “We were overjoyed to bring her into our family.” He reached out and took her hands in his. His finger rubbed the spot where her wedding ring once rested, the same spot she’d caressed just moments earlier.

  She stared at him blankly.

  “Please, you must remember her. She is beautiful, smart, and compassionate. Just like her mother.” Her expression didn’t change and Guy was afraid he may have frightened her. She would retreat into the shell she’d called home for so many years.

  “I just want to go home, Guy. My garden must be in a dreadful state after all this time.”

  How can I break her heart again and tell her we don’t have a home to go to? It was time he heal her, and hopefully return all her missing memories. He detangled his hands from hers and reached for her face, caressing his thumbs over her brows as his palms moved against the sides of her head. His fingers entwined in her mahogany hair.

  “Marie, I have missed you so much. Not a day has passed that I did not long for you...and our family.” Guy closed his eyes and concentrated on her.

  His whole body tensed and a pain grew in his gut, radiating up and extending through his arms. An electrical current shot into Marie’s mind from his fingertips. Bits and piece of their shared life flashed through his mind. He saw himself as the young college student who’d roamed the campus, looking for a place to fit in. Another memory replaced it...he gazed at himself in a tuxedo surrounded by beautiful roses, waiting at the end of the aisle. Their wedding day!

  Marie’s memories rushed through his mind, returning to her.

  She struggled in his grasp at the overload of information entering her fragile mind. A sharp intake of breath and the fight drained from her body. Guy straightened and opened his eyes, staring into Marie’s unguarded ones. He saw hurt, pain, and confusion mirrored back at him.

  “There was a car wreck...” her eyes widened as the memories flooded her mind. “We have a daughter...lights filled the car...I heard the sound of breaking glass.”

  She was remembering. Everything.

  “You were bleeding and I couldn’t get to you...a man came and took Lucessa from the car.”

  Again, she paused. A faraway look entered her eyes.

  “Lucessa! I remember her. She was so young. We loved her so much. I loved her so much!”

  “We still love her very much. She’s alive and a wonderful young woman.”

  “I know! She visits me often. Every time she was here I felt, deep down, that I knew her...that I know her still,” Marie said with excitement.

  “She did, Marie. All these years she has loved you as much as I have loved you.” Hope for their future filled him.

  “Take me to her, Guy.”

  Chapter 36

  Maxim finished his second bottle of wine as the sun reached its zenith. He’d been unable to sleep or even calm his nerves through the night and into the morning. He opened his first bottle of wine not long after the sun crested over the horizon. There was still no contact or demands from Darius. What is he waiting for?

  He paced from the living room to the kitchen and upstairs, over and over. The wait for news was killing him. He had to check in with Guy by the end of the day. After he blew off their meeting last night, his brother would be mad. And probably sensed things were out of control.

  His boot steps echoed though the empty house, Goosey right on his heels. The dog hung her head. She sensed the dire circumstances. He’d gone over and over all his options and unfortunately he only had one. Wait.

  A sound on the front porch drew his attention from his pacing. My imagination must be working overtime. Goosey took off for the front door, barking wildly as she went. His heart jumped.

  His twin must be ready to negotiate. What Darius didn’t realize is there would be no negotiating where Lucessa was concerned. He’d release her or die.

  Again, his boots echoed purposefully through the empty house. The time had come for him to bring Lucessa home and fulfill his promise to Guy, once and for all.

  His hand flew forward, nearly ripping the front door off its hinges. His hope was that his twin stood on the other side of the door. Red hot rage had overtaken his body and his fist itched to connect with Darius’s face. But his brother wouldn’t be stupid enough to come himself, leaving Lucessa unattended with his Melas Oneiroi. Even Alexander could not be trusted with her.

  As the door swung open, his eyes alighted on a familiar looking woman, an expectant smile on her face. It slowly faded. “It’s you! The dreams...”

  Marie. Maxim took a step back. His eldest brother stood next to the woman. He held her lovingly by the hand.

  “Brother mine, please come in.” Maxim stepped aside to allow them entrance.

  “Where’s Lucessa?” Guy pushed the door wider.

  His brother was dressed in black cargo pants and a matching black sweater. Maxim couldn’t remember the last time his brother hadn’t worn his large fur coat. Lucessa’s mother wore a long skirt and floral print blouse under a warm winter jacket.

  “Unfortunately, she is not here at the moment.”

  “Not here at the moment? Where is she?”

  “I’m not exactly sure...” Maxim stalled Guy.

  “You’re here to watch her, protect her. And you’re telling me you do not know where she is?” His brother was right.

  “Please, introduce me, Guy.”

  Maxim and Guy looked at the woman between them.

  His brother, always being polite, took over the introductions.

  “Marie, may I introduce you to my youngest brother, Maxim Lucas. Maxim, this is my beloved Marie. Marie Sarcona.”

  Bowing low, Maxim addressed Marie. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet the woman who filled by brother’s heart.”

  “This is not our first introduction, as you may remember. You rescued Lucessa and then took my memories.” Her glare pinned him in his spot.

  “My apologies, Mrs. Sarcona. I’ve made many mistakes,” Maxim said rising from his
bow.

  “Yes, we’ve talked about that.” Marie cast a small smile in Guy’s direction. “All is forgiven. Guy has explained the promise you made to him and I’d like to thank you for looking after Lucessa during our absence.”

  “Don’t thank me just yet,” Maxim said. She is as regal as any queen. It was time to come clean.

  “What’s going on, Maxim?” Guy stepped into the conversation, his face showing concern.

  “I think Darius took her.”

  “Well, go get her!”

  “Problem with that is I can’t find him.”

  “Why not?” Marie chimed in, her head moving back and forth between the two men as she spoke.

  “Since we share our twin bond, normally I can concentrate on him and travel to where he is, but I’ve been unable to sense him since last night.”

  “So what do we do now?” Marie asked anxiously.

  “I’ve been waiting here for any word from him. He has to want something, he’ll make his demands soon. I’m sure of it.” Maxim turned and headed for the living room, his brother and Marie following closely. “You know it is very dangerous for you to be here, right?”

  “Obviously I came just in time. When were you going to tell me my daughter had been taken?”

  “During my evening report?”

  “Do not test me, Maxim. You will not like what happens,” Guy threatened. “Tell me everything you know.”

  Maxim started by telling Guy about returning from Erebos the previous night and going in search of Darius. His brother interrupted, to point out that Maxim hadn’t been to Erebos last night and that was one of the reasons Guy was on earth now. He took Guy, with Marie sitting quietly nearby, through his search of Darius’s current lodging and the Melas telling him that Darius had left earlier with Alexander and with three others in tow. Guy asked several questions as Maxim retold the events of the last eighteen hours.

  Yes, two of the people with Darius were Lucessa and her husband, Greg.