Dark Side of Dawn: The Nightmare Chronicles (15 page)

She looked surprised. “You don’t know much about my kind, do you?”

“No. Sorry.” Why did I get the feeling that I was about to learn more than I wanted to know?

A sly smile curved berry-red lips. “There is very little that isn’t ‘pleasant’ for us, as you put it. We feed on desire—or live on it, if that terminology makes you more comfortable. Everything else is muted, if not eliminated in the face of the dreamer’s desire.”

I stared at her, blinking slowly. “So, if a dreamer punches you in the face, it won’t hurt you because his desire overpowers your feelings?”

“Or hers,” she amended with a cheeky grin. “We service women as well.”

Of course she did. A lesbian would hardly have any
use for an incubus and his talents. Huh. Learn something new every day. Who would have thought my father had such a kinky side? He had created this world and everything in it, after all.

When I thought of that, it made my head swim. My father was a god. A freaking
god
.

“We should go. He’s probably wondering where we are,” I said, meaning Antwoine, of course. “Ready?”

She smoothed her long, delicate hands over her hips. Not an undergarment, line, or bulge to be seen. “Do I look acceptable?”

My eyes widened—a lot. “Uh, yes.”

“You think he’ll be pleased?”

“You do know that he’s aged since you last saw him?” I couldn’t believe she was concerned about how he would see her when she was undoubtedly as perfect now as she had been then.

“He’s still my Antwoine,” she replied with a bit of bite.

I smiled. “All right, then. I don’t think he’ll find you lacking, so don’t worry.”

She smiled back—a little shakily I noticed—and offered me her hand. “I’m ready. Take me to him, please.”

I took her warm fingers in mine, thought of Antwoine, and willed us to where he was—just like I had done with Verek and Hadria the other night. One minute we were in the garden at night and the next we
were standing on a walkway leading to a large white house with a huge front porch complete with old-fashioned swing. The full glory of a midday summer sun shone down upon us. Birds sang in thick, tall trees and the air smelled of flowers, fresh-cut grass, and baking apple pie.

Madrene turned a face lit with wonder toward me. “You really aren’t like the rest of us.”

I think she meant it as a compliment, so I tried really hard not to wince as I released her hand. “I know.”

She actually knelt before me. Before I knew what she was doing, she had lifted her skirt and gracefully sank to her knees on the stones, her head bowed. “Thank you, Your Highness. I am forever in your debt.”

“Oh my God, please get up.” I would have helped her, but I was scared I’d yank her slender form to her feet and hurt her in some way. “I really wish you wouldn’t do that. My name is Dawn.”

When she stood, she caught both of my clenched fists in her soft hands. She kissed my knuckles, and despite the redness of her lips, left no trace of cosmetic behind. Her lips were naturally that red. Can I hate her now?

“Dawn,” she repeated. My name sounded exotic on her lips. “I can never repay you…”

“Madrene?” Antwoine’s anxious tone cut her off, and had us both looking toward the porch.

I blinked. Hell, I
gaped
. I might have even gasped.
There, on the white-washed porch stood a man who sounded like my Antwoine, but that was where the similarities ended.

This Antwoine was young—maybe in his thirties. He still wasn’t all that tall, but he was fit and muscular, wearing khaki trousers and a white shirt open at the throat. He looked like a cross between Denzil Washington and a young Morgan Freeman with a little Sydney Poitier thrown in. He looked gorgeous—and smart and classy. Damn. This was how Madrene saw him. How he saw himself.

Madrene’s big doe eyes filled with tears as she dropped my hands like hot potatoes. “Antwoine!” And then she ran to him, and he was down those steps in one leap, catching her up in his arms and swinging her around like they were in a phone company commercial.

When I realized they were both crying I knew it was time to leave. This was private. Smiling, and yes, a little teary myself, I turned to go.

“Dawn.”

I glanced over my shoulder at Antwoine’s voice. He looked so young as he smiled at me, tears trickling down his cheeks. “Thank you.”

I nodded, throat too choked up to speak, and then took myself away from the happy scene. I went looking for Noah. We had a system where if we hadn’t agreed
to meet in his dreams I’d announce myself first. For lack of a better way, I actually climbed a set of steps to a heavy oak door complete with gothic gargoyle-head knocker. He answered almost immediately, and my heart soared at the smile on his face.

“Hey, Doc.” Black eyes sparkled, and I understood the power Madrene got from being the object of desire. “Nice dress.”

A little while later, I felt the familiar buzzing of someone from the Dreaming “calling.” Would I ever develop the ability to suss out who wanted to talk to me? “Dream Waiting” would be much appreciated.

I stumbled upon my friend Julie’s dream and went in. She was dreaming about being in a Starbucks trying to order a chai latte, but she was naked and had no money. I tried not to look. And I didn’t give her money. I know, I’m a bad friend, but I wasn’t here to call attention to myself. I was here so whoever was paging me would have to talk to me in a “public” place. Having been ambushed by Karatos in the past, and knowing that there were those out to get me, made me a little more cautious about answering unfamiliar summons.

I sat at a table in the far corner where Julie couldn’t see me as she patted her naked thighs and cursed herself for not having brought a purse. Within a few sec
onds, I was joined by a guy in tight jeans, black boots, and a black sweater. Verek. The Nightmare was every bit as gorgeous as he was intimidating.

“What’s up?” I asked as he slid into the chair opposite me.

“I need to talk to you,” he replied, glancing around, as though making sure we were alone. “You need to be careful.”

“Of what?” Did he know about Antwoine and Madrene? No, that was impossible. How could he?

Seemingly satisfied that we weren’t being watched, he turned his pale gaze to mine. “Of the Warden.”

I hadn’t seen or heard of her since she told me that she’d undone what I did to Durdan. I had been kinda hoping she’d forgotten about me. “I haven’t done anything for her to ride my ass for.” Okay, so maybe that was a lie, but I really hadn’t broken any rules.

Verek leaned his large forearms on the table. “Dawn, she hates you almost as much as she resents Morpheus. She’ll do whatever necessary to destroy you—even set you up.”

I frowned, trying to ignore the sick churning in my stomach. “How do you know this?”

He didn’t flinch, didn’t hesitate. “Because I’ve been spying on you for her.”

If he had punched me in the face I would have been less surprised. “You bastard.”

He shushed me, glancing around again. “I’m here now. Doesn’t that tell you something?”

“Yeah, that you’re a two-faced, lying jerk!” I fought to keep my voice low. “I thought you were loyal to my father!”

“I am.” He scowled. “And to you. That’s why I’m here.”

“To spy?”

“To ask you to be careful. Until I can find out what she is up to, you’re not safe.”

“Have you told my father about this?”

He shook his head. “Not without concrete proof. The Warden hasn’t asked me to do anything wrong, just sneaky.”

“She can’t hurt me,” I insisted. “I can’t die in this world. All she can do is push to have me unmade, and the Council won’t do that without reason.”

He stared at me—hard. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you—she’s looking to give them a reason.”

“But why?” It came out whinier than I thought. “I’m nothing to her.”

Verek looked as though he’d like to argue that, but instead he said, “If she has you unmade, you won’t be of both worlds anymore. You won’t be a threat. All of those who think you might destroy us will be relieved, and all of us who believe you are the herald of change will be proven wrong.”

I blinked. “Herald of change?”

He sighed. “The one that will bring about the change necessary to save our world.”

Oh yeah, Hadria’s prophecy.

Verek ran a hand over his jaw. “Dawn, I’m afraid the Warden might try to harm you. Will you just promise me that you’ll be careful?”

He sounded like Noah. Gah. What was the good of being something special if no one thought you could take care of yourself?

But this was Verek. He trained me. He knew more about me than I did at times, and he had never given me reason to doubt him. Even now, I could tell that he had taken a big chance coming to see me like this. His trust in me might well get him in some very serious trouble with his boss. The least I could do is listen.

“I promise,” I replied. “I’ll be careful.” And I would be. The Warden couldn’t enter the human realm, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t get to me if she wanted. The woman had power.

Verek was visibly relieved. “Thank you.”

“Dawn?” came a surprised voice. “What are you doing here?”

I looked up to see Julie coming toward me. She was dressed now and carrying a paper cup that had to be at least a foot tall. I smiled despite myself. Even in dreams the girl liked her coffee—and a lot of it.

“I…” I glanced at Verek, but he was gone. Vanished. He really was a jerk. “I’m waiting for you.”

My friend grinned. “Yay.” And then she sat down beside me and started talking about things that I’m sure made sense to her on some level, but were one step up from gibberish to me. Sometimes dreams were just that—dreams. Nothing dark and scary, no big problem that needed solving—just the human brain dancing around, cleaning out its closet, trying to figure out what to keep and what to donate to Goodwill.

The fact that Julie didn’t need my help with anything, or wasn’t declaring me a prophet or the destroyer of worlds, was nice. She didn’t tell me to be careful. She didn’t tell me to watch my step. She told me about an article she’d read on bacon being good for your skin, something that I’m pretty sure was wishful thinking. And I sat back in my chair, summoned up a chai latte of my own, and listened to my friend talk with a smile on my face.

Sure, it wasn’t my idea of the perfect dream, but it was a pretty damn good one all the same.

I woke up to find Noah sitting in a chair, his bare feet propped up on the bed. He had a sketch pad in one hand, a pencil in the other, and a serious expression on his face. His hair was a mess and he needed a shave. His T-shirt was wrinkled and his paint-splattered jeans
were baggy with holes in the knees. In short, he looked undeniably sexy.

“You are
not
drawing me.” It was more of a warning than a command.

He made a face at me over the top of the pad. “Yeah, I am. And I’m almost done, so hold still.”

So I lay there in the mussed sheets, enjoying the watery sunlight coming through the huge windows as it bathed me in warmth. I could curl up here and sleep all day, like a fat contented cat.

“That’s quite a smile,” Noah commented when he finally put the pad down. He pivoted out of the chair to join me on the bed. “Did you sleep well?”

I nodded. “I did.”

He eyed me with mock suspicion. “Good dreams?”

I chuckled, thinking of Julie and her naked Starbucks run. “Yeah. They were.”

“Hmm.” He ran a finger down my bare arm. “Should I be jealous that I wasn’t part of them?”

“No. It was just silly stuff.” Unless you included the warning from Verek, of course, but I wasn’t going to worry about that right now. I would take his advice and be careful, but I wasn’t going to cower in fear from the Warden. “Julie was in it.”

He smiled. “The two of you weren’t pillow-fighting in your panties were you?”

I rolled my eyes. He was such a guy sometimes. “No, but she was naked.”

Dark eyebrows shot up as his gaze lit up. “You dirty girl.” He propped himself up on his elbow. “Tell me all about it.”

“We were at Starbucks,” I replied with a laugh. “Getting lattes.”

“Were they
sexy
lattes?”

I couldn’t help it. Who wouldn’t burst out laughing in the face of such blatant foolishness? He laughed too, and we locked gazes, grinning at each other long after the laughter faded.

It was then that I felt the pinch in my heart—a sudden sharpness that made it difficult to breath, and made Noah suddenly all the more beautiful to my eyes. It was the moment I realized that I wasn’t
falling
in love with him, but that I had already fallen.

I opened my mouth, desperate to say something, to confess to this newfound revelation before it consumed me. Unfortunately, my cell phone chose that exact time to ring. I rolled and lunged for it, not caring if I mooned him in the process.

“Hello?”

“Dawnie?”

“Hi, Ivy.” It was my oldest sister. “What’s up?”

I felt Noah ease off the bed. “I’m going to make cof
fee,” he murmured, and gave my arm a pat. I flashed him a quick glance and a nod.

“I just wanted to tell you that the specialist went to see Mom today.”

“And?” Ivy was the queen of the dramatic pause.

“Oh, Dawnie! She actually
moved
!”

“What?” This wasn’t fear I felt—not of Mom waking up. No, this was surprise, and okay; yes, there was some fear as well. Who the hell was this guy that he could actually break through my father’s spell? No human could do that. He had to be a conman or something.

“She moved her finger.”

I bet she did. Probably trying to flip him the bird. “Ivy, that might have just been involuntary.” The moment I spoke I knew I should have kept my mouth shut.

“You weren’t there,” my sister retorted hotly. “I know what I saw. He got a reaction out of her, Dawn. Why can’t you believe that?”

“Because he’s seen her what, twice? And now I’m to believe he’s done what no one else has ever been able to do?” Not even me? Oh, that was a huge and unpleasant realization to have at such a moment. I didn’t want to believe in this guy because believing in him would be admitting that he had some greater pull than my mother’s favored child—me. And if there was a human with that kind of power, not only over dreams, but over my
mother, I would do one better than believe in him—I’d be downright scared.