"What is?"
She took a deep breath and lifted her eyes to his.
"In my family only one girl is born. They usually live a long life. Except for my mother I guess. She, um..."
She trailed off, looking distressed. Dylan hastened to put her at ease again, as quickly as possible.
He didn't want their mutually weird families to mess up this date.
"It's okay. We don't have to talk about it."
She shook her head, as if dispelling the unpleasant thoughts inside.
"No, it's okay. She disappeared when I was seven. We don't know what happened to her to this day. She wouldn't just run off though. She loved us. Gran and I. We tried to find her, even hired a private detective after the police stopped looking. But we never found a trace."
Her eyes were shining with her emotions. He realized he'd never seen anything so beautiful in his life. Or felt someone else's sadness as keenly.
"I like to think... that's she's out there somewhere. Trying to find her way back to us."
His eyes were wide as he stared at her. Kaylia was so proud. Too proud to cry in front of him, even if it seemed like she might want to. She'd been through so much and was so strong. Brave too.
His life had been more than charmed compared to everything she'd told him.
And he could tell she was just scratching the surface. Growing up as an orphan... with no idea what had happened to her one parent. It must have been so hard.
"I'm so sorry Kaylia."
"Thank you. Anyway, she's not dead. I would know it if she was. But I can't find her when I'm- you know..."
"Dream walking."
"Yes! That's it exactly. Dream walking. I never called it that before, but it's perfect."
"What do you call it?"
She shrugged gracefully.
"Traveling I guess. Or just- going places. You have a special way with words, you know that? I'm not special like you."
He leaned across the table and took her hand.
"Yes, you are. Only you're even more special. I can barely do what you can do. Plus, you're much prettier."
She rolled her eyes and shook her head adamantly.
"All I can do is draw. I'm a hard worker and my grades always came easy. But that's it. Other than-"
He smiled at her. She was such a funny little thing. Didn't she know how incredible she was? She started fidgeting with her empty desert plate, self-conscious under his frank gaze.
Apparently not.
But he'd be happy to show her.
In fact, he was going to make it his life's purpose.
Kaylia
✪
Kaylia stood facing Dylan outside her dorm. She felt awkward, not quite knowing what to do with her hands. He didn't seem nervous though. He was looking at her in that intense way of his.
And smiling. Just the tiniest trace of a smile. But it was there.
She looked away, realizing she'd been staring at his lips.
They'd been walking around campus for over an hour now, neither one of them wanting the night to end. But it was getting late now, and they'd run out of excuses.
Plus after drinking all that wine, Kaylia really had to pee.
They'd been talking almost the entire time, sharing stories from their pasts. Some things they seemed to know intrinsically about each other, others came as a complete surprise.
For example, Dylan considered his family's housekeeper Rosa to be his second mother. So while Kaylia had only her Grandmother, Dylan had had an overabundance of mothering in his life. He'd admitted that he'd taken up half of his hobbies and sports just to get away from the house. Not that he minded all the extra love and affection, he just needed to be on his own sometimes. He wasn't soft or spoiled from all the attention though. He just seemed to take things as they came, without questioning.
Kaylia was nothing like that. She worried about everything. She'd had to look out for herself and her Gran her whole life. Even before her beautiful mother Catherine had disappeared, she'd been ethereal somehow- a wisp of a woman who seemed to be barely tethered to the earth.
Kaylia had basically raised herself and liked to stand on her own two feet. She'd been like that since she was a small child. She didn't like to ask for help, or even know how to.
Instead of finding these differences unappealing, they'd both been fascinated by their disparate upbringings. Neither looked down on the other or found each other lacking. It was almost as if they were two halves to the same whole.
Once they'd started talking, it was like a damn had burst. But they'd walked quietly hand in hand part of the time too. Just being connected like, palm to palm, had seemed to be another form of communication. It all felt so natural, almost like it did in the dreams.
Now they were face to face. He had closed the gap, standing so close that she could feel the heat radiating off his body. He was so warm and Kaylia was always cold, even in the balmy early fall night.
Dylan was staring into her eyes, moving inexorably closer and closer toward her. She knew he was going to kiss her, had known all night that this is where the date was leading. It felt inevitable as the sun rising and setting but exciting all the same. His hands lifted and clasped her shoulders as she let her gaze drift down to his softly smiling lips.
Her eyelids fluttered shut as she felt his breath across her face. And then his lips were on hers, molding, sliding, seeking. For a moment she relaxed, realizing there was nothing to fear. Her lips softly parted and he dove inside, all gentleness gone.
Kaylia's heart was pounding as the world seemed to tilt. His hands gripped her tighter as hers wrapped around his neck. The kiss seemed to go on and on, as heat poured out of him into her.
She heard him whisper her name reverently as he stared down at her. He lowered his head again and this time the kiss went wild. His tongue plunged into her mouth, seeking and stroking and soothing her.
Her arms were wrapped around his neck as he lifted her leg, molding her body around his hips. She whimpered at the feeling of him pressing against her. His hands held her firmly as the keep deepened even more.
With a gasp he ripped his mouth from hers and bent over in pain.
"Are you alright?"
She pressed her hand against his back. He was burning up, hot to the touch even through his shirt. He jerked away and stared at her, breathing heavily. And then he ran.
Kaylia stood there, feeling as if the earth was shattering around her.
Something was wrong.
Something was very, very wrong.
When Dylan had turned to look at her, his eyes looked strange. It took her a moment to put her finger on what it was exactly that was bothering her, other than the fact that kissing her seemed to cause him some sort of physical pain.
And then it hit her. He'd looked like he had in that one drawing she'd done weeks ago.
He'd been staring at her with a look of utter terror, but it was more than that.
It was his eyes. His eyes were red.
Dylan
✪
He'd almost hurt her. In that moment, when he'd look at Kaylia, he'd seen something to devour. Just for a split second, but it had been there.
Eat. Bite. Tear.
His conscience had reared up almost as quickly, telling him no. Not her. Never her.
The horror of his feelings terrified him. He had to get away before he did something terrible. He had to get as far as he could from the source of all of it.
Kaylia.
He ran through campus, not returning to the athlete housing. He ran past the neat rows of townhouses and straight into the woods. Only when he was miles from campus, out of breath, bent over and heaving did he stop.
He had never run that fast in his life, or been more afraid. Nothing scared Dylan Westen. Why should it? His life had been charmed.
The strangest thing was, he had a feeling that was about to change.
He wiped his lips on his s
leeve. His arm came away wet. He'd been drooling.
Jesus Dyl, one kiss from a pretty girl and you start drooling?
He wanted to laugh at the joke, the idea was so ridiculous. But for some reason it just wasn't funny.
It wasn't funny at all.
In fact, at that moment, it was probably the least funny thing he'd heard in his life.
It took him over an hour to walk back to the edge of campus. He'd gone even further than he'd realized. His roommates were in bed by the time he crawled under the covers. He didn't shower, preferring to have the scent of the forest with him.
That night, when he dreamt, he returned there.
Chapter Nine
Kaylia
⚔
Kaylia hadn't seen Dylan since their date. He hadn't taken any meals at the field house, at least not when she was working. She wondered if that was something he would do: find out when she was working somehow and stay away.
He was definitely avoiding her for some reason. And it hurt. It hurt her to the core.
But that wasn't even the worse part.
She hadn't even seen him in her dreams.
It had been over a week now. The only glimpse she'd gotten of Dylan had been in English lit. She'd spent the entire period excruciatingly aware of his nearness. Three times she'd nearly caught his eye. He'd been watching her surreptitiously but turned away the moment she'd looked.
Their eyes caught for a split second before he looked away again.
For that brief moment though, the look in his eyes had been utterly bereft. No, devastated. He looked as if she'd done something wrong. Something to hurt him.
What the hell was going on with him?
Kaylia waited for him after class but he must have gone out through the fire exit. He was that desperate to avoid her apparently. She had a terrible feeling in her chest. It was as if someone had reached inside her and put a block of ice inside, where her heart should be.
Snap out of it Kaylia.
He didn't like her anymore. That was all. He was a rich gorgeous guy and she was... her. A mousy little thing. There was no reason for him to like her to begin with other than their odd connection.
And yet... he had liked her. A lot. She knew he had. But something must have turned him off. Her breath must have been bad, or her kisses had left him cold. It happened every day. It was a simple story that happened every day all over the world and no reason to cry.
Except, it wasn't just a simple story this time, and she knew it.
Kaylia worked yet another shift at the field hall, working herself harder than usual once she'd realized he wasn't going to show up. She volunteered to carry the heavy crates full of produce, stacking them in the cold room. She kept hoping that if she worked hard enough, she'd wear herself out so she could sleep. Every night this week had been the same. Fitful sleep with no traveling and no visitors.
Even Charisse was starting to notice the bags under her eyes, silently handing her an eye mask and concealer this morning. They might not have anything in common other than their gender, but Charisse wasn't the selfish brat she had seemed at first. She certainly had a soft spot for her waif of a roommate.
Wearily Kaylia walked back to her dorm. She showered and climbed into bed, finally falling into an uneasy slumber.
That night when she slept, something different happened.
This time she dreamed, but she couldn't control where she was going.
She was being dragged toward something. Every instinct told her to fight it, to grab onto the earth beneath her, to hold on as hard as she could. When she woke up, her fingers and toes were clenched.
Dylan
⚔
Every night since their date he had the dream. Every night, it was the same. He was alone, in a cold dark room. It was stone. Underground somewhere. Chains held him down, with shackles around his wrists and ankles.
No, they didn't just hold him.
They burned him.
Dylan twisted against his bonds, making them burn even more deeply into his flesh.
He opened his mouth to scream but a roar came out. He sounded like a wild beast, trapped and angry. He sounded like an animal.
A big one.
Each morning he woke up exhausted, with marks on his wrists and ankles from where the chains had held him. Each morning he watched as the marks faded before his eyes.
He was tired but his body was stronger than ever. His reflexes twice as fast. No, they were ten times as fast. He knew what the guys were saying about him. That he juiced. That there was something wrong with him. Nobody should be that fast. That strong.
He was a machine.
He thrived on the competition. Thrived on the game. But then he'd have to go to sleep again. Earlier each night. He'd be filled with dread as he fell into bed, profoundly exhausted, as if he could not stay awake another second.
And then the horror began again.
Every night he'd hope for something new, for some relief from the pain. But it was the same every night since the night he'd kissed her lips. Kaylia. For the first time he was lucid dreaming without her. But somehow, she had started it all.
He knew what he needed to do.
He needed to end it. To sever their bond. Then maybe he would go back to normal again.
It would be like cutting out a part of himself, but he had no choice. The hunger and aggression was too strong. It was tearing him apart. He had to do something to stop it.
Otherwise he was afraid of what he might do.
The guys on the team were wrong. He wasn't turning into a machine. He was changing into a monster.
In the morning, he went to see her. He waited outside her dorm, staring up at the window that he somehow knew was hers. The bed covered with the homespun quilt, the other side of the room an explosion of pink ruffles.
His beautiful girl huddled over a sketchpad.
Before he even texted, her face had appeared in the window. It was as if she'd sensed him. The sight of her made his stomach clench with anxiety and longing. Another minute and she was downstairs, her face still soft and vulnerable from sleep.
Even now, knowing what he had to do, he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and hold her. Tell her everything was going to be okay. That he would never leave her.
But he had to.
Dylan balled his hands into fists, shoving them deep into his pockets.
Just... get it over with man.
"Hey."
"Hey. Are you... alright?"
He just stared at her. He wanted to memorize her face. He wanted to make sure he never forgot the girl that shouldn't have been real but was.
"Not really."
"I haven't seen you lately. Did I do something wrong?"
Her face was vulnerable as she chewed her full bottom lip. He felt disgusted with himself for not being stronger. If he tried harder- maybe he could resist the urges. Maybe he could avoid hurting her.
But that was a lie. He had fought with everything he had. Nothing would slow the dangerous feelings inside him.
Except this.
He shook his head vehemently. Then he sighed.
"No it's not you. But you were right. There is something- wrong."
"Wrong?"
"There's something too risky about us being together. I wish I could explain it. You feel it too, don't you?"
Her mouth dropped open in surprise. For a moment he thought she would argue with him. Fight him. He hoped she would.
She would tell him they would face this together. She would tell him she wanted to be with him- even if he was a monster. She would take him in her arms and kiss him, telling him she would never let him go.
But instead she nodded. His heart sank. He'd wanted her to reason with him- to tell him it didn't matter- that they'd find a solution together. Instead she just nodded and gave him a sad smile.
"Goodbye Dylan."
Then she walked away.
Chapter Ten
Kaylia
♒
The next few weeks passed in a blur for Kaylia. She went about her business woodenly, feeling strangely hollow inside. It was stupid to feel that way. She barely knew Dylan. At least that's what she told herself again and again.
And yet she felt as if she had lost something precious. Dylan had made her feel like she was something more than just a shy little girl. Without him, it felt like the other half of herself was gone.
She was being pathetic.
So she picked herself up and got on with it. She went to class. She went to work. She'd been waiting for college forever. She might as well make the most of it.
As usual, she excelled at her studies. All except for Freshman Lit. She barely heard a word the professor said. She almost transferred out of the class, feeling foolish at the way her heart leapt every time she saw Dylan there.
She hadn't caught him looking at her again but she was certain she could feel his eyes on her sometimes. She noticed that Dylan had dark shadows under his eyes as well.
His and hers matching eye bags.
How... romantic.
Of course, she was sure he had moved on. She often saw girls trailing behind him, approaching him, almost glomming onto him. She had a strange feeling that he hated it.
That, like her, he wanted to be left alone.
But there was no way to know if that was true, or if it was wishful thinking.
Her ability to dream walk had returned, slowly at first. She felt tentative in a way she never had before. Almost like she was a stranger in the once familiar world of night. She stuck closer to home too, exploring the campus and city nearby.
It was hard but she forced herself to stay away from Dylan, even when her feet led her invariably to the athletic housing complex. She felt his pull though. She knew he was out there, dream walking without her. His power seemed to have grown, even as her own diminished.
The Key (Heartfire) Page 5
