Dreamscape (22 page)

“Right. No one can touch me but you.” Her eyes narrow while
she tucks the knife I hand her into her belt. “You know, you sound like a
control freak, Seth.”

I swallow past a lump of regret and sigh. “I must maintain
my realm, Amelia. What you see as controlling I call survival.” When I extend
my hand, she takes it. “There is just one other thing we need to get straight
before we get you settled.”

“What’s that?”

“You will not leave your designated sleeping zone while in
the Dreamscape.”

She coughs out a laugh. “Designated sleeping zone?
Seriously?”

“Amelia, I have taken great measures to keep you safe. Even
if the unthinkable happens and an Erobos latches onto your life force, you will
merely wake up. If you were to wander my realm before I can return, they could
follow you here. The designated sleeping zone was created to keep them
contained, should they manage to return with you.”

“I thought I would just be in my room.”

I catch myself chewing on my upper lip, so I rub them
together, hoping she didn’t notice my worry. “It is not safe for you to dream
in your room without me being present. I cannot guarantee that once we slip out
of your dream world we will not be separated. If an Erobos followed you here
and accessed the fire wall, my realm would fall.” And so would I.

I take her hands, pulling her closer, making sure she is
paying attention. “Amelia, my realm is the only thing separating Earth from the
Erobos. If my realm falls, so will Earth.”

Her eyes widen and she nods. Increasing in tempo, her
heartbeat is the most telling response she gives. “As long as it isn’t in that
Den of—um, as long as it isn’t in your library, I’m good with it.”

I smile, imagining her draped across red velvet in nothing
but skin. When she slaps my shoulder, I laugh. She knows me so well, yet she
acts as if I am still a mystery for her. “That is exactly where you will sleep
if you intend to come with me.”

Anger flares inside me. Who does this guy think he is? He
can’t just tell me what to do and expect me to obey like I’m his dog. He’s
already got one of those. “No way,” I tell him. “There is no way I am ever
climbing those stairs again, let alone sleeping in that room with the glass
floor.”

Seth gives me a onceover before he smiles. “For your
information, that floor is solid crystal, not glass. It is ten times as strong
as any manmade structure you have ever lived in. That room is the safest place
you could be. I’ll take no arguing from you.”

“I won’t do it,” I tell him, folding my arms over my chest
and cocking my hip.

He gives me all of a half a second to prove me wrong. I’m
thrust over his shoulder as he heads for the library before I can say another
word. I’m not going to kick or scream or do anything that will compromise me,
but the moment he puts me down he better be ready.

I close my eyes as he ascends the stairs. All it would take
is for him to trip and I’d fall over a hundred feet. No. I won’t think about
that. I have to stay calm.

To my surprise he doesn’t set me on my feet at all. When I
open my eyes, he’s lowering me to the bed. The domed ceiling reflects a cascade
of pearlescent light over us.

I twist away from him, punch his shoulder, and glare full
force. “I can’t sleep here. It’s not even dark.”

“You may make it as light or as dark as you wish. This room
is designed for your needs. As before, merely speak your requirement and, apart
from an exit, you shall be accommodated.”

I lean back on my elbows and stare at him. “Do you realize
how freaky you are? You can’t just command me to do stuff. I should be able to
make my own decisions.”

“Until you are capable of protecting yourself, precautions
must be made. I thought you would be happy to begin your training. There is
only so much we can do in my realm. You must experience the Dreamscape yourself
to truly learn anything of value.”

He’s got me. I should feel comforted knowing that nothing
can reach me in here, but it feels more like I’ve been dumped in a cage with a
bowl of water and a bit of kibble.

“Fine,” I tell him, because there really is no point in
arguing with him. Maybe if I don’t think about where I am, I won’t have too
many problems.

Warm fingers brush the line of my jaw, making me shiver.
“Are you cold?” asks Seth. He doesn’t even move, but the covers suddenly shift
underneath me then slide along my body up to my chin.

“Nifty ability,” I say, smirking at him.

“Yes, well, I do what I can.” He manually adjusts the
blankets at my throat, his chest coming within inches of my face. When he leans
back, I make myself look away from him. Even in a T-shirt, he makes my mouth go
dry. He clears his throat and I narrow my eyes. Am I that obvious? Before I can
ask him, he says, “Are you ready?”

I nod, not knowing if I really am ready for this, but I
have to start somewhere. My stomach flutters as if someone released a thousand
bouncy balls inside me.

Seth stretches, yawning. “Would that I could take the spot
beside you, but unlike you, I have to be physically present to affect the
Dreamscape.”

“What?” I ask. What he said doesn’t make sense.

He flushes as though embarrassed or worried. “It’s
nothing,” he says, making me sure it
is
something.

Even though I’m dying to find out what he meant, I let it
go. I’m going to experience more of the Dreamscape soon enough, if I can ever
relax. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, imagining the pool and waterfall
I’ve come to love.

“Not there,” Seth murmurs into my ear. His warm breath
feathers wisps of hair around my face, not helping the shivering one bit. “The
ball, remember?”

How can I forget? “Why there?” I ask, making myself keep my
eyes closed. If I open my eyes, I’ll get lost in his.

His cheek brushes against mine as he inhales near my ear.
My head flies with dizziness. What is he doing to me? I can barely keep my wits
when he answers me, his breath tickling me to my toes. “I don’t want you to be
noticed at first. We shall enter the Dreamscape from a world you are not
connected to.”

“Okay,” I tell him, wishing I had a single clue what to
expect from here.

“It’s nineteen sixty-seven in uptown Manhattan. We’ve
arrive in style in my nineteen thirty-four cherry red Ford Coupe. The bellman
can’t take his eyes off you and neither can I. It is a small party for the
elite.”

“Whose dream is it?” I ask because he’s making me crazy
with desire, and I need to think about something else.

“Charlotte Robinson. She’s been in a coma for more than
forty years. This was her coming out party. The day she will never forget, the
day she lost everything, after finding the one thing she could have never hoped
for with her life as it was.”

I’m already sad for her. “What was that?”

“Her true love.”

I sit up, pushing Seth away from me. “What happened to
her?”

His head tilts, mirroring the angle of mine. “She was hit
by a car…sustained a traumatic brain injury. Her parents kept her on life
support, but her father just passed away last week. The estate is wealthy
enough to keep her going, but now that he is gone, the executor will likely
pull the plug.”

I gasp. “That’s awful. What did she lose that night?”

“Her secret boyfriend died after he whisked her away from
the ball for a stolen moment. She was reluctant to leave, and he, in his
excitement to get her alone, pulled her into road. They never saw the car
coming. The driver was distracted by a beautiful woman on the opposite
sidewalk. He only looked away for a moment, but that was all it took.”

“I don’t want to go there,” I say, gritting my teeth to
keep the unexpected tears from spilling into my eyes.

“Amelia,” Seth says in a consoling tone. “This woman has
relived her most favorite moment over and over again. She has never had a
nightmare, and, even though she has grown old and feeble, she will always
remember being young. She will also be reunited with her boyfriend shortly.
She’s almost off the radar. Hers is a safe world for you to enter. A dying
world.”

“Do I have to wear that dress again?”

Seth’s sparkling blue eyes rove over me playfully. “I would
love to see you in it again, or out would be good, too.”

I shove his chest and my fingers stick. “Stop being such a
guy.”

He laughs. “I can hardly be a girl.”

“No kidding.” I flip my hand to the side and lay back down.
“Whatever, but I want you to get us out of there fast. I don’t want to be there
when that lady kicks the bucket. Got it?”

He smiles. “Close your eyes.”

Amelia’s dark lashes flutter against her cheeks before she
complies to my demand. My eager heart beats steadily as I anticipate seeing her
in the green gown again.

The color is light enough to set off the moss of her eyes.
She will be unpredictable, but I’m looking forward to testing just what she is
capable of.

I talk to her in soothing tones, describing every minute
detail until her breathing steadies and her eyelids dance with the movement of
dreams.

I brush my fingers along the line of her hair, inhaling her
sultry scent before I make myself leave her. She will be safe, yet I cannot
help caving to the zing of my nerves.

I race to my room, barely taking a moment to pat Baltek on
the head. Hastily, I call the flames and rush through the barrier into the
Dreamscape.

Once through, I find the nearest portal and skip from world
to world until I’m there in the penthouse apartment. Normally the room is cast
in a sepia tinge, but tonight it is vibrant, alive with activity, alive because
Amelia has made it so.

I freeze when I reach the dance floor.

Another man holds Amelia in his arms, twirling her around
the room effortlessly.

A hushed grumble erupts from me before I can halt my
reaction. I don’t recognize him, but that doesn’t mean anything. He could
merely be a fragment of Charlotte’s memory; however, he could be the newest
Erobos agent recruited to infiltrate my realm. Not all of them come to us
tainted enough to tell. I cannot—will not—take chances with Amelia.

I amble over to the edge of the dance floor, grabbing a
glass of sparkling champagne from a passing waiter. I down the drink in one
gulp, raising a few perfectly plucked eyebrows. If only the drink could calm my
nerves. Unfortunately the Dreamscape is only as tangible as the dreamer’s mind
allows.

The Old Hollywood theme has been taken to a new level for
this affair. The partiers in question have attempted to capture the allure of
the time, but it is only Amelia that does it justice.

She takes my breath, watching her laugh up at the dark-haired
stranger. I study his face, his manner, every angle I can to jog some sort of
recollection, but there is nothing.

I only allow myself an instant to assess him before I
stride toward them to cut in. No man, not even a dream, will take her from me.

The fellow ignores me even though I follow his exaggerated
twists and turns. When I finally manage to tap his shoulder, he turns his head
and looks at me. He is at least six inches shorter than me, yet still quite a
bit taller than his flushing companion. His liquid brown eyes assess me before
he turns back to her, not bothering to comment.