The Knight of Her Dreams (Dragons and Dreamphasers) (38 page)

Her eyes narrowed.  “If you
wouldn’t leave so often, no doubt to find your
own
endless rank
of paramours, maybe I wouldn’t need these mindless fools!” she replied in
kind.  “Why I bother with you at all, I have no idea, since all you ever do is...”

Dual cut off her words with
another forceful kiss, breaking down her attempted resistance to his advances. 
Pulling her leg around his, his hand skimmed upward, a deviant knowing look in
his eyes at her responding shiver.

“Because, my jewel, you know
I’m the only one who can give you what you want, both in reality and the
dream-state,” he whispered against her ear, lifting her into his arms before
she could protest.  “Maybe you need a reminder of this,” he added, kissing her
again as he brought her inside the house.  For her part, Sireni needed no
further convincing, kicking the door shut lightly with her foot.

*****

An hour later, Sireni
stretched contentedly beneath her bed covers, eyeing Dual as he stood gazing
out her window, leaning one arm against the wall.

They were a well-matched
pair, she knew, neither one seeking marriage or commitment, but holding a bond
between them that no outside paramours could sever.  Both shared the same
dreamphasing ability, often meeting in the dream-state, even when they were
separated by distance across Chavernos.  Not to mention, both reveled in
creating havoc wherever they went.

Running one finger lightly
atop the blanket as she shifted to one side, Sireni leaned on her elbow and
smiled knowingly.  Despite Dual’s constant arguments over what she did in his
absence, it was never enough for him to deny the passion they could only find
with each other.  She might not be using her magic on him, but he was as caught
as the others were—perhaps even more—nonetheless.

Just the way she liked
things.

“Still so angry, you don’t
want to come back to bed?” she asked.

He turned to her with a
knowing smile.  “You know anger’s never a deterrent between us where
that’s
concerned,” he replied softly.  “No, I was merely thinking how to handle
another current problem, regarding a certain old adversary of mine.”

Sireni gave a bored sigh,
leaning back against the pillows again.  “I won’t ask which one
that
is.  Dual, you really should end this vendetta of yours against Dominick.  You
always end up at an impasse, and if the pendulum swings any one way, it’s on
his side.”

“Ah,” he laughed, waving
one finger at her.  “But not this time.  Not when I have his friend Alarius
held hostage.”  Sireni bolted upright, knowing instantly where this was coming
from.

“Since you mention Alarius,
did you get the treasures?” she asked breathlessly.

“As monetary as ever,” he
replied with a low laugh, walking over to stroke her cheek.  As she shrugged
his hand aside, impatient for him to continue, he obliged lightly. 
“Unfortunately, Alarius attempted to find the treasures first, and disappeared
with the map.”

Sireni’s eyes darkened as
she hit him once on the chest.  “You idiot!” she yelled.  “How could you let
that inferior half-elf get the upper hand over us?”

Grabbing her wrist, Dual
tightened his grip to silence her.  “You didn’t let me finish, my clever
viper,” he hissed, immediately regaining his earlier nonchalance.  “Quell and I
prevented his complete escape, obtaining both the map
and
the
treasures from him.  Half of which we’ve brought back with us already.”  He
gave a short laugh.  “Ironically enough, we’re storing them in the same place
that we’re keeping poor Alarius, fool that he was to interfere.”

She sighed at the last. 
“Why bother with him?” she asked with annoyance.  “If you have the treasures,
let him return to his family and be done with it.  After all, if Chaos finds
out he’s missing, you’ll be at the top of his list of suspects.”

“I know,” he replied
offishly.  “I adore living on the edge, despite that pitiful excuse for a
ruler.”

“A ruler who could use his
powers to destroy you, if he chose,” she reminded him.  “You certainly didn’t
choose very wisely to become an enemy of his grandson.”

“Ah,” he said, touching her
chin lightly.  “But then one cannot choose whom one hates... or loves, now can
one?”

Sireni cast her head back
with a forced laugh.  “Love!” she replied derisively.  “I know better than to
believe
that
emotion exists between us, so don’t hint otherwise. 
But do tell me what Dominick’s done this time to incur your wrath.”

“He was the one who gave
the map to that simpleton,” hissed Dual, “and the one who stole it from the
castle ruins to begin with.”  Sireni groaned in frustration.  “Before you
consider the matter so trivial, remember that the self-same map was responsible
for bringing in
your
portion of the treasures.”

That
did
put
things in a different light, she thought.

“So what do you intend to
do with Dominick this time?  Send another death battalion after him in his
dreams?”

“Interesting notion, but
no.  Not this time.”  Dual’s smile became a dark grin.  “He’s gotten off too
easy in the past.  This time, I intend to seek out a vulnerable weakness in
him, and then strike hard where it hurts him most.  After that, I imagine he’ll
think twice before interfering with my plans anymore.”  Reclining leisurely
against the headboard, he reached out one hand to cup Sireni’s cheek.  “Tell
me, my fair-haired vixen, do you know of anything I might be able to use
against this eternal enemy of mine?”

“Funny you should mention
that,” she said, smoothing her hair back.  “When I was over at Lost Limbo
today, I learned that there are rumors among the dreamphasers that Dominick’s
sending out invitations to his friends to appear for a gathering tonight for
some reason.”

Dual warded this off with
one hand.  “I’m sure it’s nothing important,” he replied.  “That bunch always
seem to pack together like drow-beasts.”

“Hmmm, maybe, but let me
tell you the rest.  Since further rumors have declared Dominick absent in
meetings with his friends over the past few weeks, it’s been assumed that
there’s something going on, leaving everyone curious to find out what. 
Naturally, those who’ve overheard the communicated invitations have told
others, so nearly
all
the other dreamphasers
also
plan to appear at the scheduled location in the dream-state.”

His easy smile faded into a
dark expression.  “That
does
sound a bit peculiar,” he decided in
a low voice.  “And perhaps worth looking into.”

“Does that mean you’re
intending to be there without his knowing?” she inquired.

“Perhaps.  At least until I
find out what’s going on.”  Twining a strand of her blonde hair about his
fingers, he pulled her closer with a suggestive grin.  “But that won’t be until
later,” he whispered, kissing her quickly.  “Until then, let me demonstrate my
appreciation for your helpful information.”

Sireni merely smiled in
pleased responsiveness.

*****

Julianna hadn’t been able
to concentrate on anything today, so it was only by some miracle that her work
got accomplished, partially due to some helpful assistance by her concerned
friend.  When Marybeth asked if she was well, she’d said she was.  Yet
inwardly, she couldn’t deny the mixed emotions plaguing her.

She was engaged to marry
the man she loved, who treated her with more love, respect, understanding, and
devoted affection than she’d known with anyone else.

An engagement to be
announced solely in a dream tonight.

And alas, the possible
prospect of only being allowed a few hours a night with Dominick for the rest
of her life couldn’t help but sadden her.  Rather like Cupid and Psyche, except
those two both existed on the same world, and at least they could ultimately be
married.

Although she wouldn’t
burden Dominick with her other concern, she was also truly saddened by the
knowledge that they couldn’t have children unless they reached each other. 
Watching Sammy playing now, she sighed with regret.  She would have loved to
have a child with Dominick someday.

But who knew?  Maybe one
day it would be possible.

She’d already decided that
she’d rather be happy with Dominick for the allotted time they had, than be
subjected to a life of unhappiness without him.  For she knew that she could
never love another similarly, nor could she see sacrificing so much as she was
willing to for Dominick.

Right now, what bothered
her most was that she couldn’t tell anyone of her engagement, lest they think
she’d lost her mind entirely.  Hell, it wouldn’t be hard for her to believe so
either, if not for Dominick’s recurring appearances every night... and if of
course, she didn’t love him so much.

Now home, sitting on the
sofa, she absently touched up the sketch she’d been drawing of him, which she’d
been working on for an hour.  She hoped her minor art talent combined with her
vivid memories could do her future husband justice.  It would seem so, because
once she held back the picture to appraise it, she felt a wave of immediate
longing.  This might well be the only way she’d ever see him in reality, and it
pained her terribly.

She wasn’t even aware of
the tears in her eyes, until she felt Sammy’s little hand patting hers gently. 
“Aunt Julie, why are you crying?” he asked, his eyes filled with curiosity. 
She had to smile in spite of herself.  Young as he was, there was little her
precious five-year-old nephew missed.

“I’m all right,
sweetheart,” she told him, brushing the tears away.  “Just a bit of dust,
that’s all.”

“You look sad,” the boy
persisted.

Maintaining her smile, she
brushed a loose strand back from the boy’s forehead and nodded.  “Yes, I am a
bit sad, Sammy,” she replied softly.  That was all her adoring nephew needed to
hear.  He instantly jumped on the sofa, hugging his arms around her and gazing
up expectantly for a reason, just before he noticed her drawing of Dominick.

“Who’s that, Aunt Julie?”
he asked.

Julianna was about to
disclaim its being anyone in particular, but just the notion renewed tears in
her eyes.  Without much thought, she whispered, “Someone I care about very
much.”

“But who
is
he?”  She looked down at her nephew with fond sadness, knowing she couldn’t
tell him the truth either. 

But then again, she also
knew that children often had an odd capacity for understanding and believing in
what adults didn’t.  Surely it wouldn’t be wrong to mention Dominick lightly,
as he himself had inquired about Sammy.

“He’s a dear friend of
mine,” she began.  “His name is Dominick, and he lives far away from here.”

“In another state?”

If only it was that simple.

“Well... not exactly.” 
With a smile of conspiracy, she lowered her voice.  “If I tell you where he’s
really from, you’d have to promise to keep it to ourselves.”

“You mean, like a secret?”

“Exactly.  Promise you
won’t tell anyone else?”  He nodded vigorously, a smile lighting his features
too, as it seemed like a fun game, and he sensed one of Julianna’s creative
stories about to begin.  “Dominick comes from...”  She cast a furtive glance in
both directions to seem more dramatic, and lowered her voice.  “Another world,
Sammy!”  At his intake of breath, she had to stifle a laugh as she nodded.

“You mean like Mars?”

“Well, not Mars.  He comes
from a hidden planet on the other side of the sun known as Chavernos.”

“Ka-ven-us,” he replied,
testing the syllables.

“More like Kah-vern-ohs,”
she corrected gently.  The next time he said it, he’d recited it properly,
earning a grin of admiration from his aunt at his quick learning ability.

“If he’s so far away, how’d
you meet him?”

“Ah...” Julianna said
dramatically.  “Through a special magic power he has.”

The boy’s eyes brightened
like stars as she told him how Dominick had appeared to her in her dreams every
night—carefully omitting, of course, the romantic aspects of their nightly
meetings, since those things certainly weren’t meant for a child’s ears!

Sammy didn’t seem to mind,
fascinated by Dominick’s rescuing his aunt from some bad guys, involving their
daring escape from the space ship.  Julianna altered its ending slightly, since
it hadn’t been very pleasant at the time.

From her words, Sammy
mentioned wishing that he could have been there to see a real spaceship, and
that he would have helped Dominick protect her.  She nearly laughed, but
instead told him quite solemnly that she knew the bad guys wouldn’t have stood
a chance against the two bravest men in her life, earning a smile of pride from
her nephew.

Unknown to both, Vicki was
standing just outside the doorway, listening in to this rather strange tale of
Julianna’s.  If nothing else, she’d admit her sister certainly had one hell of
an imagination!  Having arrived in time to overhear most of the tale, she’d
carefully avoided the pair’s notice, but had to force down laughter several
times.  It was after secretly eavesdropping for nearly ten minutes that Crystal
came up behind her, startling her slightly.