Dreamland

Alex fell backwards onto his ass and pulled me with him as he leaned against the bed. “Ant and I were discussing what to do about Deacon LeClair. He has the Book of the Dead? you called it? He’s worried that Brandon Holt is in town and gonna buy it. No idea who he is.”

I sighed. “Holt is supposedly leader of the New World Order. An organization that’s trying to make the supernatural world known to the real world. Scarlet Snow wanted me to check out Abraham and check to see if he was getting involved.”

“He is.” Alex added, “Brandon was at a poker game James was at. They kinda think I’m working for them.”

“So hanging out with me is probably not going to work out well.”

Alex smirked against my skin before he bit into my neck and suckled it softly. I groaned and tried not to squirm against him. “If you play my little pet I think it’ll work well.”

“What kinda pet, Alex?”

“Not submissive, but at my beck and call.” He said with a sly smile.

“I amat your beck and call.” I said. “As long as you don’t call me while I’m working.”

“Which you are supposed to be on vacation.” Alex chuckled, “Some vacation working for the bitch Snow.”

I shrugged and felt Alex’s arms tighten around me and pressed a kiss to my neck. “Mhmmmm. It could be worse.” And I could think of so many things worse than working for Scarlet Snow. Being hunted by a less than honorable assassin comes to mind. I was thankful it was at least a man with some sort of moral compass. I wanted to know who wanted me dead. I wasn’t panicked over it which surprised Alex at least that’s the impression I got from his mind inside mine.

I wished for more of him, he got so much more out of me and he didn’t communicate worth a shit. I resemble that remark. echoed in my head. But Alex spoke, “Come to bed. Let’s try something.” Even before I could answer Alex was helping me up and tugging me towards the bed. I watched as he climbed up and crawled across to the pillows and laid down on his back. He patted the bed next to him, “Trust me.”

And it was that easy. I sat down and kicked off my shoes and laid down next to Alex. I rested my head on his shoulder and pressed my stomach as close to him as possible. His arm wrapped around me. “I’m going to nudge you to sleep alright?”

I gave him a slight nod and he pressed me tight against him and I felt that distinct urge to sleep and soon was drifting in emptiness. It wasn’t black but it wasn’t a normal dream either.

Behind me a voice echoed, “Good it worked.” Alex held out his hand and he smiled. “This is the void.”

As I reached out and took Alex’s hand I felt a sudden jerk and we were outside at the beach and my mind went a billion miles an hour as the sand rushed between my toes and I backed away. But everywhere there was sand.

“Nox.” Alex pulled me against him and I looked into his stunning blue eyes. “Nox.” He said again, “Babe, it’s just a dream. The sand isn’t real.”

I thought in my head, Next time you take me to a beach I need a little warning.

Alex grinned and pressed a kiss to my lips and distracted me from the panic. This is my favorite place.

I broke the kiss and pressed my forehead to Alex’s before taking a step away to look around the beach. I didn’t look down at the sand. I looked out across the blue water, it was churning, and cresting, the sky was as grey as Alex’s eyes when he was angry. “Are you mad now?” I asked.

He wrapped his arm around my waist, “No, but it does reflect my moods.”

A smile spread across my lips, “So it’s never perfectly sunny here.”

Alex shoulder checked me before he laughed, “It is when I’m with you. Not lately, but it was where I went after you left me every night.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It is what it is. I thought after the night I kept you with me it would be over, but I never saw you again. What is that thing that came for you?”

I shook my head. “No idea.”

Alex pulled me and I took a step and the beach vanished and we were in the void again. Outside of everything, bubbles floated everywhere, cables ran everywhere. Where the fuck were we. Alex answered, “This is how I find people in the dreams. It’s easier if I make a connection. Alex pointed down at the ground as he squatted down to point at a thick cable, “This is Benji. Years of forging a relationship. It’s grown over the years.”

There was a thin black line dripping with red Alex plucked. “This is Ant. It’s already strong.”

“I thought you hated Ant.”

Alex smirked. “I did, still do in a way.” He didn’t look up at me kept staring at the thread he was holding with two fingers, “He has something I’ll never have.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“You.”

“You have me, now and forever.” I said without hesitation.

Alex shook his head. “No. That’s not what I mean Nox. There is a part of you that I’ll never have because he has it. Something I can’t ever replace for you.”

“You want me to have no friends?” I asked saddened by the thought.

Alex growled, “No, that’s not what I said. We all need strong friends like I have Benji.” We flew across the line to where it ended and Alex pointed at the darkened globe in front of him. “If I wanted to enter Ant’s dream I could, but I would have to beat through his shield. But that’s not why we came. He pointed at a thick cord, more like a vine, or a snake, it moved ‘slithered’ and was almost alive. “That’s Ant’s connection to you. Nox, we used to have one. I don’t know what happened to it.” We stepped back to Alex’s point and we looked for the vine. But it was no where to be seen. “I used to be able to find you so easily even without the cord now it’s like you don’t exist.”

“I’m right here.”

Alex laughed, “You’d think that would make it easy huh?” We moved back to where we had been sleeping. “Here I am.” He pointed at a void – nothing. “Because I’m here.”

Alex touched the surface of the orb and I shivered as if Alex had touched me. The orb was shimmering and shining multi-colored array. Like an opal on a sunny day. There were connections leaving the orb but there was a black organism growing around it, almost encompassing the whole thing. “It’s gotten bigger since I last saw it. I haven’t seen this in over five years, Nox. I can’t see your connection to me either. To you I don’t exist.”

Alex stepped away from the orb and smiled. “I can find anyone here. They don’t even need to be asleep. I can’t enter their dreams unless they sleep but I can find anyone. Think of your assassin.”

“Okay.” I said as I thought about the encounter with Darwynn, what he looked like, the amber color of his lion eyes in his human face. The sound of his voice. The words he said, the fear in his eyes when I captured him.

Alex touched my shoulder, “We’re here.” He pointed to an orb that looked more like a desert than anything – a savannah. Alex touched the orb and smiled. “He’s awake, but I’ll be back now that I know where he is.”

“What are you going to do?” I asked.

Alex pressed a kiss to my lips and whispered, “Wake.”