The Knight of Her Dreams (Dragons and Dreamphasers) (40 page)

Smiling down at her, he
patted her hand reassuringly, even as he called out to a small group of people
seated at a nearby table.  They all looked up with smiles, beckoning the pair to
join them.  Julianna smiled back shyly and felt herself led over by Dominick’s
comforting arm around her waist.  There were six people seated, three men and
three women, sitting alternately.  One of whom she recognized.

“Here’s the happy couple,”
laughed Riff, standing to slap his brother’s shoulder good-naturedly.  Quieter,
he added, “What took you so long anyway?  We were starting to think you might
have gotten sidetracked or something.”

Julianna blushed with a
smile, knowing he wasn’t far off.

“Never mind that,” snapped
Dominick.  “What are
you
doing here after what you pulled last
night?”

“Now, Dom,” he replied
smiling, “I know I made a slight error in judgment…”

“
Slight?
”

“Okay, maybe a bit more
than that.  But how could I not be here when you invited the others to a
gathering for something you said was important?”  He gestured towards Buddy and
Jarissa.  “Besides, those two aren’t dreamphasers, and needed an escort to be
here.”

Dominick took a deep,
calming breath.  “You’re not off the hook.  We’ll discuss this later.”

“Great!” Riff replied
jovially, turning an appreciative glance at his companion.  “And, Julianna,
you’re looking most enchanting tonight,” he said, giving a wolf-whistle.

Dominick gripped his
shoulder meaningfully.  “That’s enough out of you, brother,” he said, forcing a
smile which had an edge to it.  “Or there will be more than
words
when we get home.”

“Fair enough,” sighed Riff,
sitting beside Kiri who was shaking her head.  “What?” he remarked quietly.  “I
was just being a gentleman.”  The others laughed audibly.  “Hey, hey… that’s
enough out of you.  We’re not
all
guardian angels at this table!”

Turning to the three women
beside their respective companions, Dominick smiled cordially to each. 
“Ladies, might I say you all look ravishing tonight, as you always do.”  The
trio laughed, leaving Julianna curious, even as another woman walked up to
them.

“Always a charmer,
Dominick,” said the woman with flaming red hair.

“I have to be so around
such lovely women, Capricia,” he told her, flashing her a wink.  “Although I
must admit being partial to one certain redhead here.”

Julianna missed the knowing
look exchanged between the pair, seeing only Dominick’s intense stare upon the
flawless beauty Capricia.  No doubt appropriately named!  The woman’s eyes
danced as she tossed back the long, fiery red hair that cascaded past her
shoulders.  No doubt a natural red, Julianna thought enviously, wishing her own
hair was truly that, as it used to be in her childhood.

Having realized from the
start that she wasn’t truly a redhead, Dominick had once told her that brown
hair or red, she’d be beautiful either way, boosting her self-esteem several
points.  But now, noticing his lingering gaze that seemed so drawn to this
redheaded woman—while remembering his last comment to her—she wondered with
hurt just what the look of interest in his eyes meant.

Oblivious to her expression
as Capricia walked away, the other women at the table laughed merrily, causing
Julianna’s cheeks to flush.  It wasn’t just the redhead.  The way they all eyed
him, she couldn’t help but wonder how well he knew them.  Were these some of
the girlfriends he’d once sought out, and was he now missing their company,
even as he resigned himself to spend his life with her? she wondered sadly.

Just noticing this,
Dominick eyed her gently and hugged her close.  “Capricia came with her
boyfriend, who happens to be a friend of mine as well.  We’ve always been
strictly friends, love, as is true of all those here,” he murmured, feeling her
relax slightly as he clasped her hand tightly.  “And I assure you,” he added
with a knowing smile, “there won’t be anymore women in my life other than my
beautiful bride-to-be, who coincidentally happens to be the same redhead I
referred to.”

At the look of understanding
that brightened her eyes, he emphasized his words with a long kiss, even as one
of the other men coughed to break them apart again.

“Is there something you’re
not telling us here?” he inquired, his eyes mischievously questioning.  “Come
on, come on, we need more details.”

“All in due time, Inferno,”
laughed Dominick.  “Julianna, this is one of my most trusted friends.”

Julianna smiled and reached
out her hand towards him.  “I’m glad to meet someone Dominick thinks so highly
of,” she said, surprised when Inferno took her hand—not to shake it—but to kiss
it gently.

“And it’s most certainly a
pleasure to meet a very beautiful lady that my friend apparently thinks equally
highly of,” he said smiling.  “By that glow in your eyes, I can tell that you
must be as fond of Dominick as he is of you.”

She blushed with a nod,
taking a moment to appraise him.  He had neatly trimmed sandy blond hair, with
warm amber-brown eyes that seemed to emanate a welcome.  From his strong set
chin, the wisdom in his expression, and his amiable smile, it spoke volumes of
trust and confidence.

“His name was aptly chosen
for his ability to both conjure flame or extinguish it,” Dominick continued,
“As is the case with many dreamphasers, it’s a second inborn ability.”

She cast another look at
the man and found herself agreeing that the name indeed suited him.  It was in
the man’s eyes, she decided, which almost seemed to hold the flicker of flames
themselves.

“As you can see, Dominick
isn’t the only charmer at this table,” laughed the woman beside him.

Julianna noticed that like
the redhead, this woman also had a striking beauty.  Her fair blonde hair was
long and shimmered, a striking contrast to her sun-tanned skin and dark emerald
green eyes.  Eyes that now looked adoringly at Inferno, easing any worries
Julianna had about her wanting Dominick.

“That’s Psych,” he told
her, earning her attention again.  “Our resident songbird.  She can hit notes
that register outside normal hearing, although still in pitch.”

She nodded appreciatively
at the comment.  “That, plus if you ever need to get attention, I can let out a
sound that will overwhelm any other.  Great for quieting a crowd in a hurry.”

“Which might be useful
later,” Dominick agreed, turning towards his brother.  “You’ve already met Riff,
obviously,” he murmured, clearing his throat.

Riff took on a look of
hurt.  “Dom, you wound me,” he said with mock seriousness, turning to
Julianna.  “You don’t have to worry, dear lady.  I assure you, I’m a most
trustworthy soul when you get to know me.”

Dominick glared at him. 
“She knows enough, and if you want that ‘trustworthy’
body
of
yours intact, just mind yourself.”

“He’d better,” sing-songed
the woman beside him.

As Julianna met her gaze
with a short laugh, they exchanged friendly knowing smiles that indicated an
instant camaraderie.  The woman had upward brushed shoulder-length, wavy copper
hair with gold highlights, and bright brown eyes that glittered with
intelligence and fun, not to mention a look of mischief that Julianna knew
quite well herself.  Dominick smiled at the pair, not surprised that their
similar attitudes would make them fast friends.

“Julianna, this is Kiri.  A
lady who has more than just a quick mind.  She has the ability to read the
thoughts of others, when it comes to surface thoughts, in addition to
occasionally being able to get impressions from objects about events occurring
around them.”

Kiri reached out to shake
Julianna’s hand.  “That last part helps when you use healing magic on someone
unconscious, to find out what may be the source of the problem when they can’t
communicate it.”

Julianna’s eyes grew
curious.  “But if you’re already also a dreamphaser, wouldn’t healing be a
third ability?  Dominick mentioned that supernaturals only have one or two.”

“My healing powers are
learned magic, not inborn.  Many of Chavernos are scholars of learned magic,
who never had inborn abilities.”

“Could I learn, even though
I’m from Earth?”

“It’s certainly possible,
though some take to it easier than others.  If you were on our world, I’d be
happy to help with what I know.  Mind you, there are others more versed in
learned magic here tonight, including one you know quite well.”  She smiled at
her silent friend.  “Dominick, don’t tell me you haven’t mentioned your own
abilities outside of being a dreamphaser.”

He shook his head with a
smile.  “It’s hardly worth mentioning.”

Riff snorted.  “That’s
right,
don’t
tell your girlfriend you’re working towards being a
high-ranking mage.  Who’ll notice when furniture rearranges itself, or dinner
is served from a floating tray?”

Julianna’s eyes widened. 
“Is that true?  Can you really do magic outside of the dream-state?”

“Yes, it’s true, although I
still have much to learn.”

“That’s amazing!”

Visibly pleased, he
shrugged.  “It helps when your dragon companion knows a thing or two.  But
before Kiri gives away all of my secrets, it might interest you to know that
she’s an avid reader of romance novels too.”

Kiri leaned forward
conspiratorially.  “It helps to pass the time while you’re waiting for Mr. Right.”

“Hey!” protested Riff.

“What, ‘hey’?”

“Your Mr.’s
right
here
, in case you’ve forgotten.”

“Please!  You wouldn’t know
the meaning of romance if it bit you on the…”

His mouth effectively
silenced hers with such conviction, the others were taken aback.  Just when she
visibly softened, he pulled away, his eyes defiantly looking into hers.

“Tell yourself that,” he
whispered, abruptly getting up from the table.

Although the others didn’t
stop him, Kiri still looked a bit dazed.

The third woman at the
table, with long, curly brown hair, leaned forward in her chair.  “Okay, then,”
she said, smiling playfully at Julianna.  “And I didn’t even have a hand in
that one.  Though very often, guardian devils like to stir up mischief between
two lovers.”

Kiri’s eyes lost their
glazed look.  “We’re
not
lovers!” she protested.

The guardian devil sighed. 
“Not everyone needs to be a mind-reader to figure
some
things
out.”  Ignoring her friend’s angry blush, she refocused on her audience.  “I’m
Jarissa.  Half guardian devil, half guardian angel, which means…”

“Chaos,” mumbled the
remaining man at the table.

She smirked at him.  “Leave
the dreamphaser out of this, halo-boy.  Now, if you’ll be your good, half-angel
self and stop interrupting…”  He growled, while she turned back again.  “It
means, although I may cause minor mischief, I do try to watch out for my fellow
sisters on this world.  When Dominick first mentioned you, it took a little
convincing to realize his intentions with you were honorable.”  The guardian
angel coughed loudly.  “All right, a
lot
of convincing.  But I’m
glad he proved my concerns wrong, for both your sakes.”

Julianna smiled as Dominick
hugged her close meaningfully.

“Which brings us to this
last gentleman,” he said, gesturing.  This is Buddy, who is a primary guardian
angel, but with a half-devil side as well.  Not surprisingly, he shared similar
concern, though I think we all understand one another now.”

“Very true,” agreed Buddy,
kissing her hand cordially as Inferno had.  “Welcome to our humble group, dear
lady.”

“Did you just say
‘humble’?” exclaimed Riff, rejoining them with a drink.  The others echoed his
curious look.

“Hey, it’s an expression!”
Buddy protested.  As the others slowly laughed at his seriousness, he sighed. 
“They’re a tough crowd sometimes, but they’re still fun on occasion.”

“So it would seem,” laughed
Julianna.  “I’m honored to meet all of you.”  A few raised their glasses
politely.  “So, do you all get together here frequently in the dream-state?’

Kiri shrugged her
shoulders.  “Now and then,” she agreed, a smirk forming.  “Except recently
without Dominick for some reason.  You wouldn’t happen to know where he’s been
for the past few weeks, would you?”  As a few of the others laughed softly,
Julianna found herself blushing, but tried her best to maintain a confident
air.

“Could be,” she said
cryptically, eyeing Dominick knowingly while sharing a mischievous smile with
him that two errant teenagers might wear.

Squeezing her hand,
Dominick spoke quickly.  “Not to interrupt, but dreams only last so long,” he
stated simply, his smile becoming serious.  “Thank you all for coming, my
friends.  I wanted all of you to be the first to hear the news.”

“Finally!” Riff whispered
noticeably, earning a rap on the shoulder from Kiri.