Dreamscape (36 page)

Having had enough of his
chitchat, I make my move, crashing our lips together. He yields to me, but soon
he’s leading. Somehow, I don’t mind so much.

Peter sits across from me, avoiding my gaze, as usual. I
don’t believe he has ever seen my office since I remodeled. Is he so angry at
me, he hasn’t noticed? Perhaps he doesn’t care. I have much explaining to do
where Amelia is concerned.

I’d rather be with Amelia than here with my brothers, but
she is resting. She needs time to recover, and I need answers as well. I glance
at Peter again. He ignores me. How many centuries he will take to forgive me is
up for debate. I’ve told him I was sorry every time we’ve seen each other since
I gave in to temptation and stole his recruit right out from under him. He may
have found her, but she became my mark after one look. It was the beginning of
the Oneiroi fall into darkness.

I wasn’t the only one of my brothers who went after Rhea,
but I was the one that caught her first. She was mysticism wrapped in a beauty
the likes of which I had never encountered. That should have been reason enough
to avoid her, but she latched on to most of us at one point or another. No one
had an inkling what she was doing.

Her purity only came into question when she trapped me in my
realm. It had been a place of safety and sanctuary for my people and our
recruits from before Earth was targeted by Eros—before they used Rhea to turn
Oneiroi one by one into the Erobos that have nearly succeeded in eradicating
our race. She was our first Orphic. Somehow, she was able to conceal the
darkness within her, and only presented the light we craved.

We had no idea Volos had recruited her first. She wove a web
of destruction from the moment she entered the Dreamscape until the moment she
slunk into the Metaspace with the monsters she created. Daegan was her champion,
but I somehow doubt he was the prize she sought. Although Volos is a monster,
he can take any form. His thrall is legendary. No one has escaped him, yet that
does not lessen Rhea’s betrayal.

Oneiroi are careful when choosing a mate. Knowing one has eternity
to find a partner does not make for hasty decisions, but now, the risk is
greater. Despite the earlier mission, Peter has not had occasion to meet
Amelia. Perhaps he should never meet her. Further dissention would prove fatal
to my race, and I am not in a sharing mood, especially after Rhea.

Zed is the first to break the silence. “The Sibylline—”

I cut him off. “Orphic.”

Zed frowns. “They were eliminated.”

“We don’t know that for sure,” says Ian. “This will sound
odd, but once again, I am in agreement with Seth.”

If he means to boost my confidence, he does not succeed.

Zed turns to Peter. “What do you think?”

Peter keeps his face lowered. Even his voice holds no
emotion. “What I think has no bearing here. Facts remain despite opinion. The
man was possessed with thousands of Eros. No Sibylline could withstand that
level of darkness.”

My eyes roam to the monitor that keeps track of Amelia. All
I desire to do is return to my realm. To capture her warmth in my arms and
never let her go.

Peter continues, pulling my attention once again, “Speaking
of Sibyllines, what happened back there with yours?”

I shrug. “She is full of light. It is the only explanation.”

He stands, pacing behind Ian and Zed. “There is rarely only
one explanation.”

My jaw clenches. “She’s not Orphic.”

“How would you know?” asks Zed, making me want to punch him
for giving Peter more fuel.

Ian growls. “Bickering over Amelia will get us nowhere. She
accomplished an amazing feat, no one else has managed, I might add. Speculating
about her origins will only aid the Erobos. We need to shelter her, bring her
into our fold, not point speculative fingers.”

I grin at him. “Thank you, Ian.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “You should have told us about
her.”

I lift my hands in acknowledgement. “I am sorry. I was
worried how some of you would react. When I found her world, I discovered an
oasis. Every time I visited her, I was energized. She has kept me balanced for
a few years now. It wasn’t until recently that I made the decision to recruit
her.”

Peter stops his pacing and leans across his vacated chair.
“I thought we had agreed recruits were out of the question until the Erobos are
handled, now two of you have them.”

“I believe our decision premature. Olivia is a godsend,”
says Zed.

I stare at Peter, wondering how his mood shifted so quickly.
“I don’t need your permission to acquire a recruit.”

His head shakes while his fists bunch. I’ve never seen him
so volatile. “I should have never come here. It is a waste of my efforts.”

Zed shifts in his seat. “Speaking of your efforts, you have
not reported on your region in a while.”

He hasn’t? Why hasn’t Zed told me this?

Peter pales. “This is not about me.”

Three heads snap his way.

“What has happened, brother?” asks Zed.

Peter takes his chair. His features have fallen, which
cannot be good. He will not look a single one of us in the eye. When he speaks,
I can hardly believe what he says. “I may be compromised. I don’t remember much
of the last hour.”

Ian leaps to his feet, pulling his blades. Zed too, rises.
It takes me a moment to understand what is happening.

I pull my blade, regret rising up my throat. This is absurd.
We must have heard him wrong. He couldn’t have brought Eros into headquarters.
That would be unthinkable.

As if in answer to my spiraling thoughts, he lifts his head
and smiles. His eyes swirl with the darkness inside.

We have fail safes for a reason. How did he make it past the
nymphs?

Horror clouds my mind. He didn’t make it past the nymphs. He
must have used the Erobos portal.

With no time to think further, I rush my brother, only
hoping we can contain him in my office. None of us desires to harm Peter, but
each of us stabs him in turn.

A laugh rings from his mouth,
haunting and violent. The monitors flicker then extinguish, plunging the room
and my mind into darkness.

I’d like to thank a few amazing people for helping me with
Dreamscape. This is by no means a complete list, but these are the people that
have touched my life and made my journey as a writer better and easier.

To Terri, Misty, Krystle, Karla, and Nancy for being the
best beta readers in the world. Thank you for your support and believing in me.
Terri, you have blessed my life with your insights. Nancy, you are a true
friend and I am thankful for you. Thank you for teaching me and helping me
traverse this difficult road.

To all the readers and bloggers who have taken the time to
share my books with your friends and family, I thank you from the bottom of my
heart. You are the reason I am where I am right now. Every time you share your
honest review, it helps spread the word about my books.

To my creator for sending me such a rich life full of
blessings and pain. I am thankful for all my experiences, for I would not be
who I am without them.

Christie Rich lives in a small town in Northern Utah with
her husband, two kids, spastic dog that thinks she’s a horse, and two lazy
cats. Christie loves to be creative. Whether writing, painting, or exploring
something new, she spends the majority of her free time unlocking the creations
inside of her.

How to Contact Christie Rich (I love hearing from
readers):

Blog:
http://christierich.blogspot.com/

Email:
[email protected]

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/authorchristier

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Christie-Rich/214197338637188

Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5147170.Christie_Rich

Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/christielrich/

Other books by Christie Rich:

Five
(Elemental Enmity Book I)

Dark Matter
(Elemental Enmity Book II)

Genesis
(Elemental Enmity Book III)

Horizon
(Elemental Enmity Book IV)

I hope you enjoyed reading
Dreamscape as much as I enjoyed writing it. As an independent author, getting
the word out about my book is vital to its success, so if you liked Dreamscape
please consider telling your friends and writing a review at the store where
you purchased it. I appreciate your support.

If you would like to be
contacted when I release a new book please send an email to
[email protected]
with New Releases in the title and I will add you to my New Releases list. You
will only be contacted when I have a new book out.

If you are like me you read much
faster than your favorite authors can write. I honestly wish I could release a
book a day, but alas, the writing process is much more time consuming than the
reading process, lol.

I thought you might like to know
some of the authors I’ve read lately that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. Here they
are in no particular order.

Nancy Straight
—her
Touched
Series
is one of the most original I’ve encountered.
Blood
Debt
is the first book and I had to finish that book! I even took it
grocery shopping with me. I think the other customers thought I was insane when
I yelled, “No way!” right in the middle of the frozen section. The Centaurs in
this series are gentlemen and they are hot. What more could you want? Oh, how
about a free book?
Meeting
Destiny
from her
Destiny Series
is free for download. That was a
great series, too, but I love the
Touched Series
more.

Helen Boswell
—I’m reading
Mythology
right now, and it has me glued to the pages. I love her concept of Angels,
which she calls guardians, and Demons. This is a refreshing read that hasn’t
let me down yet.

CJ
Archer
—Holy crow, I love this woman’s writing. I read her
Emily
Chambers Spirit Medium Trilogy
. The first book in the series is free.
The minute I started reading I was pulled into the story. Miss Archer writes
both YA and Adult regency romances that seem to always have a bit of the
paranormal in them.

SM Boyce
—If you have a bit of a fantasy
lover in you, you might enjoy Boyce’s
Grimoire
Trilogy
. It has an epic feel, but it is more modern than other epics
I’ve read. There’s a deep seeded Romance throughout the books, so far, and I’m
totally into it. Two books are out in the series and the third should come out
sometime this fall. Oh, and did I mention that Boyce has recently made
Lichgates
free?

Rebecca Hamilton
—Her
Forever
Girl Series
is original and heart pounding. I loved the world she
created and her vampire mythology is different than any I’ve seen. It’s taking
her a bit longer than I want to get the books out, but she runs her own
publishing company and is the mother of young children. I’m giving her a bit of
slack, lol. The next in the series will be released this year.

Amy Bartol
—
The
Premonition Series
. I've read some pretty good Angel books, but Amy
Bartol has kicked them all out of my mind. This has to be my favorite series
right now. Amy is awesome. She has such a great writing style that pulled me in
and hasn't let go yet. There are four books out now and there will be at least
one more. She is seriously one of my favorite writers. I will read anything she
writes.

H.D.
Gordon
—If you're looking for a kick-butt heroine,
Blood
Warrior
might be your book. This series is great and packed full of
emotion. It's an unconventional read that has some pretty hard topics in it.
There's a romance, but think of it as star crossed lovers. H.D. has branched
out into chilling thrillers and even horror if you like those genres. She is
talented and her writing is wonderful.

There are so many others I love,
but these are a few of the authors you may not have heard of that I’ve
absolutely enjoyed. I’d love to hear your recommendations, too. Friend me on
Goodreads and we can talk about books!