Between Two Realms: Awaken

by Amber Flora

  I looked around anxiously for signs of an intruder. In an instant Mac leapt from the couch heading toward the door leading to the garage and pinned himself against the wall. The door swung open and Mac sprung away from it, seizing the man from behind. He wrapped his arms around the guy's throat. The intruder bit into his arm, Mac lost hold, and he rotated around, sending a deafening blow to Mac's abdomen and causing him to hunch over. He regained control, reaching for the guy’s ankle and sending him flying to ground with a hard thud. Mac ripped off his mask, exposing the man's face.

  “You feckin traitor, I ought to rip your balls off.”

  I saw the man smile as he reached his left hand down to his legs— he was going for a weapon.

  "Mac look out!" I screamed, grabbing my pepper spray off the counter and running toward the men.

  The man unsheathed his weapon, getting ready to strike when I came up in front of him, unleashing the pepper spray into his eyes. He let out a curse and before I could blink he was gone.

  "Are you okay?" I asked.

  "Careful when you use that thing, lass; you got some on me, too."

  I threw the pepper spray on the couch, gritting my teeth.

  “Next time I'll just let him slit your damn throat.” Mac got up shielding his eyes.

  “I had it under control.”

  Stubborn ass couldn’t even say thank you for saving his life.

  “Did you know that guy?” I asked, remembering Mac’s words toward the masked man.

  “Aye, he was on the guard before the attack on Avonya. We never saw him after that day. Thought him to be dead. Should have known the rat bastard had switched sides, he was always a sniveling little creep. Do you mind if I use your shower? The shit is starting to burn.”

  Ignoring his unappreciative tone I led him to the shower and went to get a towel out of the hall closet. When I walked back into the bathroom there stood a fully naked Mac in all his Irish glory. He had a small patch of chest hair that started on his six-pack abs and ended right above his belly button. His calves were solid muscle. I tried not to stare, but dammit, it had been awhile since I’d seen a naked man, and he was one hell of a specimen. I noticed a jagged scar on his inner thigh. It was sexy in a way that it made him look more vulnerable, more human. I quickly shut my eyes when they met up with his manhood, but the damage was done, I had seen it all and I had to admit it was quite a package. If this was him relaxed I could imagine why the ladies liked him, even with his annoying personal traits. I turned bright red, throwing the towel at him and hurrying out of the bathroom like my legs just caught fire.

  Twenty minutes later he strode out of the bathroom wearing blue jeans.

  “Do you have any peroxide?”

  I got up from the couch, motioning for him to follow me into the bedroom and grabbing the bottle from a drawer in my vanity.

  “What do you need it for?” I asked, not noticing any cuts inflicted.

  He pointed at his arm.

  “The damn mickey bit me! What are we in kindergarten? I'm afraid he could have given me rabies or something.”

  I laughed, pouring some peroxide on a cotton ball and dabbing the peroxide on the injured area on his arm.

  “Well you shouldn't have stolen his juice box,” I joked

  “If you were a juice box I'd drink every drop of you.”

  I pulled my arm back and Mac jerked his hand, seizing it.

  “I saw you staring at me in the bathroom,” He whispered suggestively.

  Mac leaned into my neck, kissing behind my ear, sending shivers down my spine. I instinctively moved myself closer to him without even realizing it. He cupped his right arm around my waist and pulled me so close my breasts touched his chest; he groaned with desire. I tilted my head back as his lips trailed from my ear to my neck softly licking and nipping as they went. He scooped me up in his arms, carrying me over to the bed and gently laid me on top of the sheets. He leaned over on top of me, the veins in his muscles tightening as he held himself up. His bright blue eyes sparkled as his lips came to meet mine and his tongue danced in my mouth. He tasted rugged and smelled like a campfire, manly and dangerous. The bristles from his five o’ clock shadow tickled my chin and caused my back to raise in anticipation.

  "Mac, Ashtyn, are you here?"

  I pushed him off me, jumping to my feet.

  “It's Cody,” I whispered.

  Mac rubbed the top of his head.

  "Aye, I know the sound of his voice. What lousy timing his has.’

  I straightened my shirt and brushed my hands through my hair, trying to give the appearance of normalcy.

  “Please don't tell him about this, I don't know what came over me. I have never acted this hastily.”

  He looked angry, like I had just slapped him.

  “It was a mistake was it? Don't ya worry, lass, I won't be telling your boyfriend how you almost went slumming with the shoddy Irish boy.”

  I reached for his arm, but he pulled it away, storming out of my bedroom. He slammed the door behind him.

  I don’t know what happened. I didn't mean to lead Mac on, although technically he seduced me, but I still couldn't figure out why I reciprocated. He was definitely an attractive man and the guy had moves, but I didn't like anything else about him. He was rude and vulgar and given his demeanor, he clearly didn't respect women. Would I have let it go all the way? Would I have slept with him? It didn't matter now, it was over and by morning he too would realize it was a mistake. Wouldn't he?

  Chapter 6

  Cody was confused when Mac strode out of Ashtyn's bedroom looking pissed off.

  She took a seat on the couch without making eye contact with either one of them. What the hell happened while he was away?

  “Hi, you really weren't gone long, although you missed some excitement.”

  He arched a brow, looking in Mac’s direction.

  “You two kept yourselves busy in my absence?”

  Mac walked over, sitting on the far end of couch.

  "Aye, she nearly blinded me and I got a bite mark on my arm.”

  Cody looked toward Ashtyn for some kind of indication but she wasn’t making eye contact.

  “We were attacked; the guy was about to slit Mac's throat so I pepper-sprayed him."

  He grabbed Ashtyn’s arm, looking her over.

  “You were what?”

  Mac stood up, slapping his friend on the shoulder.

  “Did I mention she nearly blinded me? Why is she being checked for injuries, I'm the traumatized one here,” he huffed, turning on the television.

  Cody walked over and flipped it off again.

  "We need to find a place to hide her. They found the cottage, it's not safe for her here anymore. Go pack some clothes.”

  He didn’t know how they knew the location of Ashtyn’s cottage. He himself had only found it a day ago, but none of that really mattered. Cody knew they weren’t going to stop. The last few times they had attacked it had only been one guy, but they would soon realize that plan wasn’t working. Next time there could be half a dozen more, and he wasn’t too keen on those numbers.

  I slung the pillow off my lap, abruptly standing.

  “Now wait just a damn minute. I’ve played your games up until now. I have even let you shack up in my home, but I will not— let me repeat myself— I will not leave my home.”

  Mac snorted “you see what I’ve had to put up with? I’m glad you’re back. I wish she had a bull horn instead of pepper spray. If I had gone deaf I wouldn’t have had to listen to that tongue.”

  The nerve of him! Just a minute ago he was trying to claim that tongue— now he hates it again? Oh, yeah BIG mistake letting him anywhere near me.

  “I’m done with this whole thing, let them come for me, once they realize I can’t give them what they want, they’ll move on to the next person.”

  Cody grabbed both of my shoulders, staring me straight in the eye.

  “I just stuck my neck out for you with the council. I know you
are swimming with fear and questions, but they will not move on! You are the Phoenix, if they can’t find Ser'ie they will kill you.”

  I couldn’t hear any more about the so-called savior and a world I knew nothing about. I had reached my breaking point. The waterworks were coming and I couldn’t turn them off. Tears streamed down my face.

  “I’m not your precious Phoenix, I’m a nobody, and this nobody is not leaving her home!”

  I ran out of the house slamming the door behind me; I knew they had been through a lot as well, but this house was all that remained of my uncle and my previous life. If I abandoned the house, it was as if I were giving up the last remnants of my human life.

  Cody started to go after her to tell her how reckless she was being until Mac pulled him back.

  “I know how much this means to ya, lad, but yer scaring the girl. We have had two lifetimes to deal with all of this, she’s had a couple days. Give her some time, she’ll come around.”

  “We are running out of time, Mac, we need to find Ser'ie before they do. She has to take her place as High Priestess.”

  Mac walked over to Cody, placing a hand on his dear friend's shoulder.

  “You know how I felt about your father; he was great man, but I wish you didn’t idolize the man so much. He wouldn’t have wanted you to spend your life on this quest. Deandra was an amazing woman but to think her daughter will save all of us and then to put that pressure on this girl—how could she not crack?”

  He jerked away from Mac, heading toward the door.

  “Deandra prophesied it, she told my mom about her vision; that's why she named her Ashtyn. Deandra said her heir will unite the realms and bring an end to the war.”

  Cody couldn’t comprehend why he was the only one who had faith in her. He would think they would all be jumping at the chance to save their world.

  “Maybe she’s right, maybe she isn’t, but, lad, if it’s fated it will be in its own time. If you push this on that girl she will only draw further away from you and her future. I’ll go after her, you need a little time to yourself as well.”

  I sat there on the bench by the pond looking at my reflection. What a mess I was.

  How could anyone put their faith in me? I don’t even know who I am, where I came from. This cottage is the only life I have ever known. When I was girl I use to imagine my father talking to me on this very bench. He told me he loved me and wished he could be with me. I begged him to take me with him—not that I didn’t love my Uncle; I did. Ken was an amazing man, but I felt the longing to be with my father; the need to feel like I truly belonged to someone. He would kiss my forehead and tell me someday we would be together, to be strong and then the dream would be over. How I longed to know him, to have some sort of connection with the man that created me. I didn’t have a picture of either of my parents. I only had my imagination to provide me an image that I held in my mind. I had hoped I looked like them. I thought maybe I had my father's eye color and mother’s hair. I wondered if my father even knew I existed and if he did, did he wonder whether I looked like him as well?

  Mac sat down beside me, the tears had ceased, but the pain lingered.

  “Go away, my tongue has nothing nice to say to you.”

  I didn’t look at him, I couldn’t. He made me feel ashamed for my moment of weakness.

  “Ah, lass, you told me not to tell Cody. If I had been nice to you then he would have known something had happened between us.”

  I laughed.

  “I doubt you're nice to anyone, regardless if you like them or not.”

  Mac stretched his arms over the back of the bench.

  “I have my moments. To be truthful I was starting to think you were some sort of robot, all this information and danger being thrown at you and you just plunged on. Someone mentions leaving your home and you go berserk. It’s ok to cry, lass; no one could blame ya. Cody doesn’t always say the right things, but he’s a good guy, I trust him with my life and you should too. You need friends right now.”

  I looked at him puzzled. He was such a strange creature. Why did I want to kiss him and slap him at the same time?

  “You do have a heart, Grinch.”

  He looked at me, agitated.

  “Who are these people you speak of? Mr. Clean and Grinch?”

  I hunched over, laughing. Did these guys live a cave? I guess dream realm didn’t get cable.

  “I need to find my father, maybe he has answers. I know it’s questionable whether he even had a relationship with my mother, but I need to know where I came from. I can’t give up everything I’ve ever known without having all the pieces of the puzzle.”

  Mac understood. He only had vague memories of his mother. He tried a few times to ask his father about her yet every time he asked about her it resulted in a backhand to the face. He wished he had just one good memory of her to hold on to. But he had plenty of Sarah, and the ache he felt from losing her still burned every day.

  “I tell you what, you go along with what Cody asks, just for a little while, and I’ll look for your dad for you.”

  I grinned, reaching over and hugging him tightly.

  “Thank you, Mac, you don’t know what that means to me.”

  “Oh, Macree, but I do.”

  I moved back to the other side of the bench.

  “Macree, is that the Irish term for Phoenix?”

  Mac got up and started walked back to the house.

  “Neh, ya are not my Phoenix, that is reserved for Cody.”

  Chapter 7

  “Where are we going?” I asked, sitting in the back seat of my own car while car Cody drove.

  “My apartment downtown.”

  Oh no, anywhere but downtown— this just keeps getting worse.

  “You have an apartment? Is that where you leave your body while you’re in dream realm?”

  Cody and Mac looked at each other and burst out laughing.

  “What, leave my body?” I smacked Mac in the back of the head, because I obviously couldn’t smack the driver.

  “Now what did ya go and do that for?” Mac scowled, rubbing his neck.

  “When you were passed out in my garage, you were in dream realm, right? Your body stayed behind.”

  He turned off the highway directly into the dreaded downtown traffic.

  “Yes, but I wasn’t completely in either realm. When I flashed back to warn you I had used so much of my energy I didn’t have enough to completely flash back to dream realm, I was stuck in between. When you flashed to the ruined city with me, your body wasn’t left in kitchen. Dreamwalkers can move back and forth from realms, but we can also send our souls there while we remain in the human realm. Just like you do when you daydream, your physical self remains here, but your soul drifts back and forth.”

  I tried wrapping my mind around what he was telling me.

  “So when I’m at work and I zone out imagining I’m backpacking in Europe I’m in dream realm?”

  “Yes, that’s one of the reasons we think your father might be human. Dreamwalkers can’t create dreams, we can only walk in them. If Deandra hadn’t had the magic realm help her create Avonya we would have had nothing of our own. Only humans and wizards can dream. Even vampires can’t have dreams— one of the reasons they don’t visit our realm too often. It reminds them too much of what they gave up to be immortal.”

  I thought about Mac saying Ser'ie thought dreamwalkers were the dominating race. How could that be if they couldn’t even manipulate their own world? To rely on the dreams of others to survive.

  We pulled into a garage underneath a ten story high rise. Cody drove the car onto a lift and scanned some sort badge. The lift began to rise up and up to finally what I assumed was the top floor. The doors opened on the lift to reveal another garage full of custom cars I have only seen in movies. He even had a couple motorcycles.

  “Holy macaroni, are all these yours?”

  Mac opened up his car door walking to the double doors leading to the apartment.


  “He’s compensating for something,” Mac smirked.

  Cody opened my door and led me inside. If I thought the garage was a movie, his apartment would have won an Oscar. The floor had fish in it— real fish swimming around under your feet. A sculpture much like the one I saw in the ruined city sat in a corner. A bar wrapped around the kitchen with drinks of all kinds stocking the shelves. Every piece of furniture was eloquently matched in white or light blue hues. The place wasn’t cluttered or gaudy: He had a simple white sofa and blue recliner and a glass coffee table in the shape of a horseshoe sat in the middle. Either Cody was OCD or he had an amazing maid. Nothing looked out of place, not a speck of dust in sight.

  “How do you pay for all this? How much time do you spend here?”

  Cody walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge, tossing it to me.

  “Being your guard pays well, and I’ve been spending more time in the human realm lately gathering intelligence.”

  I opened the bottle, scanning my surroundings.

  “Won’t they look for us here?”

  Mac pressed a button on the wall, which caused a television fit for a theater to materialize out of the wall.

  “This place is under Mac’s name. He’s owned it for years. He’s kind of undercover, a little harder to trace then me.”

  I threw an “I should have known look” to Mac.

  “Who’s overcompensating?” I retorted.

  “Aye, come here, lass, and I’ll show you what I’m compensating for.”

  Cody gave Mac a death stare and picked up my bags.

  “I’ll show you to your room.”

  He led me down a long hallway and up a winding set of stairs to a set of double doors.

  When Cody opened the doors it took my breath away. The middle of the room had a large white king-size bed with huge columns to the left and right of it that connected to the ceiling. A gold chandelier hung down the middle of the bed. The wall in front of the bed had a brick fireplace that was surrounded by lights coming out of the floor. Finally, behind the bed was a huge bookcase that lined the entire back wall and was covered with books. Martha Stewart had nothing on this place, its beauty made you want to weep.