Aspen and the Dream Walkers (27 page)
Read Aspen and the Dream Walkers Online
Authors: Caroline Swart
Tags: #top, #free fantasy, #dream walkers, #free romance young adult books, #caroline swart
Once she’d washed her hair with green-apple
shampoo and scrubbed her skin clean until it was rosy, she pulled
out a baby-pink dress with a mid-length sleeve that was perfect for
evening. She towel-dried her thick hair and then wrapped her hands
around the long strands and concentrated. A tiny burst of
electricity spread from her fingertips to envelop the long locks,
and within seconds her hair was dry and hung straight down to her
waist. Ginny’s tip about using her power as a hair dryer worked
well, and she’d have to thank her when she saw her friend
again.
Norma had made an effort with the meal
tonight, and Aspen wanted to dress for the occasion. White
high-heeled slip-ons looked good when paired with the dress her dad
had bought for her two days ago. He’d replaced every item of
clothing in her closet with brand new, fashionable clothing, and
assured her she’d never have to wear thrift-shop seconds again.
She glanced at her reflection in the mirror
before she left the room. The face that stared back at her was
radiant—her eyes were pure silver and her skin glowed in the light.
She wondered when Dylan would come back again, and if he would ever
see her as anything more than a Halfling. It would be difficult to
face him, knowing that she loved him, if he didn’t accept her for
what she was.
Maybe things would be better once they’d had
a chance to talk. He hadn’t been in touch with Ruby either, she’d
heard, and she wasn’t sure what to think. The smell of fried
chicken was stronger now, and she sighed and walked downstairs to
the kitchen.
Someone knocked on the front door, and a
thousand butterflies filled her stomach. Was he back?
“Answer the door please, Princess,” her
father’s voice echoed from the kitchen.
“I’ll get it.”
As she reached the door, she placed a hand on
the handle and pulled it open quickly. Her heart pounded in her
chest and a deep breath caught in her throat.
Dylan stood on the step before her, looking
so handsome in the light of dusk. The sun had just set behind him,
painting the sky in shades of pink, lavender, and blue, with the
bright evening star above his shoulder.
A slow smile teased his lips as his gaze
roamed over Aspen from her hair to her feet, and then back up to
her mouth.
“I’ve missed you.”
His first words surprised her. In the fading
light, his blue eyes seemed darker, and he stared at her intently.
Slowly, he reached out to touch her hand, but this time he jerked
slightly. The drugging zing of electricity snaked along her hand
and tingled all the way up her back.
Dylan closed his eyes and sighed in pleasure.
“Ah, that feels so good.”
“Why, what do you mean?” Aspen looked at him
in surprise.
Gently, he tugged her hand until she stood on
the ground next to him, and then enveloped her in his arms. Dipping
his head, he ran his nose along her chin.
“Did I tell you that I missed you?”
Her skin hummed. “Um, yeah, you did.”
She pulled back from his hold and looked into
his eyes. His gaze was steady and he ran long fingers down her
spine. Around them, the trills and chirps of crickets became louder
in the evening air, almost drowning out the loud thud of her
heartbeat.
“Did you know I feel the same way you do when
you touch me?” he whispered against her ear.
Gooseflesh ran down her arms, and her eyes
widened as his words sank in. “Um, no. You didn’t tell me.”
Dylan tucked her completely against his warm
body, and she shivered at the charge that ran across their skin. “I
couldn’t. I didn’t want you to know how you affect me.”
“But I thought, you and Ruby . . .”
Her sentence hung in the air.
Dylan shook his head. “Ruby is just a
friend.”
“A friend with benefits.” It was difficult to
keep her voice low. “It’s obvious that she wants you, and you don’t
seem to mind.”
“Ruby is trying to make Caden notice her.
We’ve been friends for years—she’s like my little sister.”
“If that’s what a little sister acts like,
then you’ve got family issues. You might think she doesn’t want
you, but you haven’t seen the way she looks at you.”
Dylan’s lips quirked. “Are you jealous?” He
brushed his mouth against her jaw, and she inhaled sharply.
“She called me a Halfling.”
He stiffened. “I was mad at her when she said
that, and I told her to apologize. She knows she went too far. Her
brother likes you, and she thought you were playing me against Ray.
All Fire Walkers have short fuses, and her temper took over.”
“Ray? No, I’ve never liked him the way I
. . .” With a mental kick, she clamped her mouth
shut.
“The way you what?” Dylan smiled and his
expression softened.
“Nothing.”
A light switched on in the living room,
bathing the front yard in a balmy yellow glow. Tiny insects
immediately circled the illuminated area.
“Ah, Aspen.” Sighing, Dylan pulled her back
into his warmth. She stood still while he rocked her back and forth
gently.
Scared that he would stop holding her, she
asked quietly, “Where did you go?”
“Demothi needed an ingredient for his spell.
I traveled to the city of Muda with Caden to get what he needed.
He’s finally completed the spell, and your mother will be able to
come back with us.”
Pushing away from his chest, she cried, “Are
you serious?”
“Yes, we can tell your parents in a second.”
He threaded his fingers through her long tresses and held her head
in the palm of his hands.
“I want to tell you something before we go
back to Lanta.” The burning look he gave her caused the blood to
pound in her veins. “I think you’re amazing.”
She blinked. Her voice was a whisper.
“Really?”
“Yes, I wanted to tell you that you are
beautiful and that you drive me crazy. Crazy for you.” He brought
his lips in line with hers and pressed a tiny kiss against them. “I
think about you,” he kissed her again, “all the time.” He left his
mouth next to hers as he spoke, and her lips curved into a smile
next to his.
She could feel soft stubble on his chin, and
she breathed in his clean, soapy scent that combined with the
fragrance of the evening air.
“I want to know if you feel the same.”
It took a second for her to understand him,
and she didn’t respond right away. Dylan tilted his head to kiss
along her jaw. “It’s okay, I can wait,” he said in a tight
voice.
She reached up to touch his cheek and saw the
wounded look in his eyes. “I do. I mean, I feel the same,” she
answered finally.
With a groan, his face lit up, and he
squeezed her against him tightly, then lifted her in the air and
spun her around. Aspen let out a shaky laugh, and her heart flipped
over in her chest.
Once she was on the ground, he looked at her
tenderly. “Will you be my girlfriend? I want everyone to know
you’re mine.”
This time she was absolutely speechless, and
the zinging feeling in her muscles threatened to overwhelm her.
“I don’t want to share you with anyone,” he
went on. “I want people like Ray and anyone else to know that
you’re taken.”
Without being told, Aspen knew her eyes had
turned silver. Her skin raced with electricity from the emotions
that swirled in her chest, and she felt as if she’d fly up into the
air at any moment.
Dylan seemed to sense that and held on to her
tightly. “Will you?” he repeated.
“Yes, I will.”
He dropped his head and his lips met hers
tenderly. With fingers splayed around his neck, she kissed him back
and melted into his chest. After a second, he deepened the kiss,
and every nerve in her body sang with excitement.
At the sound of someone clearing his throat
behind them, and Dylan released her abruptly.
Holding a hand over her reddened mouth, Aspen
turned around. Her dad stood in the doorway with a stern look on
his face.
“Dylan, good to see you back here, son. Do
you have any news?”
As though protecting her, Dylan threaded his
fingers through hers. He pulled her behind his back and stepped
forward. “Yes, sir. Demothi has completed the spell and says you
can try it out when you’re ready.”
Roman smiled broadly. “Excellent. That’s the
best news ever. Come on in, son. There’s enough supper for all of
us.”
“Thank you, sir. But if you don’t mind, we’ll
be there in a minute.” Dylan ran a hand through his hair
nervously.
Roman stared at the two of them. “Don’t be
long then. We’ll be taking Norma to her new home straight after
dinner.”
“Yes, sir.” Dylan nodded his head and as soon
as Roman had turned his back, he pulled Aspen into his arms
again.
“My pretty princess, you’ve made me so happy.
I love you. Do you know that?”
She stared at him in wonder and then buried
her face against his neck. It was so good to be in his arms, and he
made a deep sound in the back of his throat that made her shiver in
delight.
“I love you too,” she whispered. “I’m so
happy that you’re here. I don’t think my life can get any better
than this.”
Dylan smiled down at her. “I think I fell for
you the moment that I saw you in class. You looked so pretty, and I
wanted to keep you all to myself. I couldn’t handle the way that
Ray was touching you. I’ve been planning something bad for him for
a while already.”
“Hah! You have no clue how close I came to
letting Ruby drown. I couldn’t stand it when she wrapped herself
around you.” Aspen punched his shoulder lightly.
Dylan lifted her chin and ran a thumb over
her bottom lip. “Maybe we should go inside and eat before your dad
comes to get us.” He smiled. “I belong to you now, and no one is
going to come between us ever again.”
After pressing one more kiss against the side
of her mouth, he wrapped an arm around her waist and they walked
into the house together.
THE END
A huge thank-you to my husband for his support and
for putting up with all the hours I’ve spent in front of the
computer. I’d also like to thank my amazing son, Jared, for sharing
my interest in the written word and for being my inspiration in
life.
A special thanks to Pam Berehulke of Bulletproof
Editing. I was so lucky to find someone with such sage advice and
thorough editing skills.
Thank you to my niece, Aspen Swart. She asked me to
write a book for young adults, and I created the world of Lanta for
her. The letter she wrote was the catalyst I’d been waiting for,
and I named the main character after her. In fact, a big thank-you
to all my friends and relatives, whose names have been used as
characters in my stories. But most of all, thank you to all those
who have taken the time to read my book. I really hope you enjoyed
it.
Liquid Gold
Dream Walkers series:
Aspen and the Dream Walkers
Ruby and the Fire Walkers (coming Fall 2014)
Caroline Swart spent three years as a
professional singer in a band touring South Africa before studying
to be a computer programmer. She is an avid reader, and wrote her
first book for friends in middle school.
After living in Atlanta and New Jersey and
touring parts of Europe, she moved back to her hometown of Port
Elizabeth in South Africa, where she runs a software development
company with her husband.
She has a passion for writing, art, music,
and programming, and her son, Jared, is following in his mother’s
footsteps with plans to publish his own work shortly.
Visit her website at:
Or follow her on Facebook:
Contents
Chapter 12 – Practice Makes
Perfect
Chapter 22 – Dungeons and
Castles
Chapter 23 – Bolt from the
Blue
