The Knight of Her Dreams (Dragons and Dreamphasers) (26 page)

Julianna thought quickly.  “I’ve never heard of
Barokka before.  Is it outside of Europe?”

Dominick gave a short laugh.  “I’d have to say,
‘Yes.’  It’s nowhere near that.  More accurately, it’s not going to be found on
any map of
Earth
.”

As he emphasized the last, she dropped her fork. 
“You’re from another
world
?”  He nodded, allowing her to process
this newest revelation.  “That’s amazing!” she said finally.

Gladdened by her enthusiastic reaction, Dominick
smiled.  “Would you like to hear more about it?’

Eyes bright, she nodded.  He told her of his home
on the island, as well as some of outer Chavernos.  Much as she had earlier, he
spoke of his own family and friends there, of his grandfather Chaos and the
palace.  The more he shared, the more she wanted to know, and he was clearly
pleased by her interest.

“This planet Chavernos of yours sounds far away,”
she told him, earning a nod.  “So tell me, what galaxy are you from?”

“Oh... this one,” Dominick replied lightly.

“
This
one?” she said
incredulously.  “But that’s impossible.”

“Not impossible.  Just well hidden.”  At her surprised
gape, he started reciting the planets she knew of.  “…and of course, there’s
Mars, Venus, Earth, Jupiter, and Chavernos.”  He nodded at the lack of
recognition in her eyes.  “I know.  Your world doesn’t know of us.  But then,
it is a large galaxy.”

“Even so, how can you miss a whole planet?”

“I’ll try to explain, but you’ll likely find it
hard to believe.  There’s a mist obscuring our world.  But not just an ordinary
mist.  It’s a field of magic, which both conceals and protects it.  Our oldest
scientists have speculated it’s always been there, although their own magic has
enhanced it, and since all dreamphasers who have visited Earth have never heard
mention of our world, apparently the mist is strong enough to conceal itself
from even the strongest telescopes.”

“You know of telescopes?”

“Of course.  We have our own variant here,
propelled by magic which can see through the field, but still a means of
viewing what’s out there.”

“Just how far away is your world?”

“Not as far as you might think.  Most times we’re
opposite your own planet in relation to the sun.”

“A hidden planet,” she murmured.  “Now I
know
I’m dreaming.”

He laughed good-naturedly, continuing to tell her
more about his world.  Like a child enraptured by a storyteller, Julianna
couldn’t hear enough about it.  Both on and outside the island, Chavernos
harbored many unusual and wonderful beings, some of which she’d only read about
in books.

Dominick mentioned having traveled in outer
Chavernos quite often in the past, telling her of the very real elves, dwarves,
sprites, trolls, and dragons, along with countless other unknown races and
creatures.

“Then of course there are half-elves,
half-dragons...”

“Half-
dragons
?  Now you
are
kidding.”

“No, really.  They’re not generally found in one
specific place, but they do exist throughout the planet.  You see, even most
pure-blood dragons have the ability to take on alternate forms, such as human
or elven, via a special magic.  This magic is strong enough that it actually
makes it possible for them to function completely in their alternate forms, so
if a dragon should fall in love with a human or elf in that form, it is
possible they can marry and have children.

“It is the children of such unions that have
become known as half-dragons, who receive the traits of both parents.  Of
course, they can morph into dragon form at will when they learn how.  However,
while they usually maintain their human or elven form for outward appearances,
they also have the inborn traits of:  extended lifelines that rival the long-lived
pure-blood dragons, resistance to fire and ice, and sometimes unique added
magical powers.”

“What’s it like living on a world where magic
truly exists?”

He shrugged with a knowing smile.  “It has its
advantages and drawbacks, the same as one might regard your world’s
technological advances.”

“But magic, Dominick...
real
magic!” Julianna’s eyes shone with wonder.  “It sounds like such a wonderful
place.  I wish I could see it someday.”

“Hmmm, maybe you can,” he mused, halting her
instantly before she could reply.  “Wait, love, don’t let me lead you falsely. 
I don’t mean in the real sense, of course.  But instead to draw from my
memories to show you a sample of Chavernos in the dream-state.”

Julianna nodded, a bit disappointed—partially
because she would have liked to be with Dominick in reality—but still accepted
his proposition for the future.

“Your world has its advantages too,” he
continued.  “I’m glad I have the ability to reach it, even though it’s only as
one looks through a window, or I wouldn’t have met you.  In which case, I
wouldn’t have had the pleasure of masquerading as a mysterious rogue that
second night in order to pursue a most tempting Earth damsel who ended up
chasing me instead.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever live that down,” she
admitted.  “I must have appeared so desperate.”

“Not to me,” said Dominick, shaking his head. 
“What I saw that night was a beautiful, unhappy woman that looked like she
could use a shoulder to lean on.”

“And you most certainly provided
that
.” 
He gave a mischievous shrug, but didn’t discount it, allowing a soft smile to
cross his expression.

“To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever been more
touched than to find you remembered my name, when I returned two months after
our first meeting.”  He leaned closer to stroke her cheek.  “Ever notice how a
name can sound a thousand times more endearing when spoken by the one you care
for?”

“Yes,” she agreed softly.

As he brushed his lips against her cheek, her
eyes shut blissfully.

“My Dominick...” she whispered.

“Always to you,” he said, cupping her chin in his
hand.  “And you, my sweet lady, will always be my Julianna.  A beautiful name
that expresses the beautiful woman you are.”  He drew nearer to kiss her lips
sweetly, lingeringly, earning a soft sound of agreement from her as he absently
began stroking her waist.

She felt pleasantly lightheaded even as he gently
disengaged from her to sit back in his own chair.  In moments, he had the empty
dishes and trays on the table vanish.

Despite his earlier words—although Julianna
suspected his spoken motives would resurface soon enough—Dominick did bring out
a few edible desserts for them.  One of them was her favorite—and his,
coincidentally enough—devil’s food cake.  Dominick told Julianna of the
never-ending joke among his guardian friends Buddy and Jarissa that although
Buddy’s kind was supposed to appreciate angel food cake, he didn’t, preferring
the ‘devil-cake’ version instead.

“Another good thing about the dream-state is that
eating this cake won’t add a pound to your real body,” he told her, noting her
appreciative expression.

“Mmmm, I’m definitely moving into the dream-state
permanently then,” she decided, earning a laugh from him.  Once they finished
eating, Dominick zapped away the rest of the dishes and silverware, leaving
only the candles upon the table.  “This was nice.  You really surprised me
tonight.”

“I’m glad,” he replied smiling, “but it shouldn’t
surprise you that I’d desire something more between us than just the physical
aspects of a relationship.”

Julianna felt her heart skip a beat.  “What do
you mean?” she asked softly.

He was silent for long moments.

“Julianna…”

“Yes?”

“Have you ever stood at the top of a rainbow
before?”

Despite her inner frustration at his evading her
question, Julianna’s curiosity was piqued, and she admitted having no knowledge
of such.  Dominick took her hand and led her along the beach to where one
section of a rainbow seemed almost tangible, despite its colorful misty
appearance.  When he started to walk directly towards it, she pulled back
apprehensively.

“If we walk straight through that, we’ll head
right into the ocean,” she protested.

“Have faith in me, Julianna,” he replied, gently
coaxing her to follow him.

To her surprise, as soon as they stood directly
in the rainbow mists, an invisible ground began to rise beneath their feet. 
Rather like walking up an invisible ramp.  Sensing her slight apprehension due
to the height looming before them, Dominick moved to her side, placing his arm
comfortingly about her waist as he beckoned her onward.  Whether due to its
being a dream, or Dominick himself, Julianna felt her reservations ease,
replaced by marvel at their present location.

“How is this possible?” she asked.

“A good imagination, the appropriate dreamphasing
conventions, and a most pleasant companion to be with.”  Julianna somehow felt
he’d evaded another of her questions, but said nothing.  “You have to let go of
your conventional knowledge, love.  Being in a dream is like taking a trip in
your mind, and there’s no limit to the possibilities.”

She was about to agree, but instead nearly lost
her footing, prompting her to clutch Dominick while his hold on her
strengthened protectively.  “I think I’d rather not just let go as you say.”

Not minding their current embrace, Dominick merely
smiled as they walked on.  As the top drew nearer, the lights became brighter. 
He mentioned this being since the tail ends of a rainbow usually seemed to
disappear first, so the colors were more vivid higher up.  Julianna wondered if
he wasn’t simply teasing her, but it seemed an amusing—if not completely
logical—explanation.  When they reached the top, he stopped them to gesture
towards the view below.

Julianna knew she shouldn’t look, but of course
curiosity got the better of her.  One glance, and the overwhelming reality of
the dizzying height took hold, her hands tightening around Dominick like a
vise, earning a chuckle from him.

“Remember, love, it’s only a dream,” he told her
comfortingly.  “And even if heaven forbid you fell from here, I’d keep you
safe.”

“Right,” she whispered, slowly calming down as he
began to gently massage her tense shoulders.  In no time at all, she’d
forgotten just where they were standing, shutting her eyes and smiling.

“Feel better?” he asked, continuing his
ministrations.

“Mmmm, I like what you’re doing.”

“Really?” he murmured against her cheek.  “Then I
suppose I shouldn’t stop now, should I?”

She turned about to face him, so he could bring
his mouth to hers, making no protest as his arms surrounded her. Nor when he
reached down long moments later to place his arm beneath her knees, lifting her
up before he gently lowered her amidst the dazzling colors of the rainbow’s
surface, sliding down beside her so as not to break their kiss.

“Dominick,” she breathed, “We can’t do this
here.  The rainbow...”

“Is the perfect place,” he finished, gazing into
her eyes.  “Don’t worry, love.  The span of this rainbow is broader than it
seems, and there are invisible borders along the edge to keep us safe.” 
Sensing her relax, a mischievous smile stole across his face, as he ran his
fingers lightly along her arm.  “So, my lady, I take it you’ve never done
this
at the top of a rainbow before.”

“Before last night, I’ve never done
this
at all.”

“I know.  I was there.”

His mouth descended on hers again, expertly
parting her lips to reach the softness within.  Between his deep kisses and his
strong hands sliding down to caress her, Julianna nearly forgot where they
were, except for occasional glimpses of the soft colors that played around
them.  Although the ground had seemed highly solid on the trek up here, the
surface they were lying on now seemed endlessly softer, no doubt thanks to her
companion’s forethought.

“Julianna… I want this time to last forever,” he
murmured, holding her easily with one arm, while his other hand reached within
the top folds of her gown.  At his warming touch there, Julianna found herself
gasping, one bare knee revealing itself when it raised up, her gown falling
back enticingly.

In response, while continuing his kisses, his
hand retreated to move lower, skimming down along her waist to her bare thigh,
stirring a tremor from her.  Deftly stealing under the gown, he began to stroke
upward, causing her to stir restlessly, breathing his name.

Smiling knowingly, Dominick withdrew to embrace
her again, brushing soft whispers of kisses across her mouth. She returned them
eagerly, reaching towards his chest to tug at the fabric she encountered. 
Gently assisting her in removing both his jacket and shirt, he then guided her
hands back to his bared skin.

Her fingers ran across his strong muscles,
marveling at this.  “You must take good care of yourself to be this fit,” she
whispered in admiration.  “Do you lift weights?”