Dreamer (20 page)

“Do
you understand what you need to do?”

She tried to put her adoration into her gaze as she stared
up at her god. “Yes, Master.”

A dark tendril descended from the ceiling and stroked over
her face. She shivered as pure joy raced through her body in a tingling rush.
This was what she lived for, to please her master.

“I
will keep Zachary from your mind while you hunt her. My nightmares are already
using their host bodies to track her. They will report to you where she is.”
The
tendril wrapped in her hair and pulled hard. She arched back and spread her
legs, inviting him to take her as he wished.
“Do not fail me. If he learns his daughter lives he will no longer be
of any use to us.”

His presence pulled back until she was alone again in her
room. The infernal touch of Phthonus in her mind flared to life as, across
D.C., nightmares began to hunt for Shan Harrison.

“Shan!” a man yelled.

His voice, filled with fear and desperation, punched through
her dreams like a fist. Opening her eyes, she found herself staring into
Devon's frantic face.

“We have to stop meeting like this,” she joked in a joking
whisper that came out more as a croak.

“Thank the gods,” a woman said from behind Devon.

Clutching the blanket around her, Shan was glad to note that
someone had zipped her dress back up. A quick glance to her right revealed the
small silver-eyed female guard that had been at the bazaar. Eliana, that was
her name.

Devon wrapped her in his arms, and she caught a glimpse of
two men guarding the doorway of his office. They were all staring at her, and
she buried her face in his chest. “What happened?”

“I was going to ask you,” Devon said in a growling tone.
“One minute you’re sleeping peacefully, and the next, you're throwing off
massive waves of Destruction energy and screaming. You finally stopped
shrieking, but we couldn't wake you. You've been asleep for two hours.”

“You felt that evil too?” She shuddered at the memory of the
dream. “How is that possible? It was my dream. I've never had my nightmares
reach out into the real world.”

“Uh, we don't think you dream like the rest of us,” Eliana
said. “From the way your aura felt, we think you were in the Spirit Realm.”

“Oh, of course.” She slid off Devon's lap and tried to arrange
her dress around her. “What the hell is the Spirit Realm?”

Eliana gave Devon an arch look.

“Some mentor you are.” He growled in response, but Eliana
ignored him. “The Spirit Realm is where the gods live, both Creation and
Destruction. It's a real place, but...different.” Eliana looked embarrassed as
she gestured with her hands. “I guess it's kinda like dreaming, but your spirit
really travels there and leaves your body behind. Can you tell us anything
about where you were and who was with you?”

Devon stroked her cheek softly, and she held his hand to her
face. “I wasn't alone. There was some guy there dressed up in a black toga and
he had these giant hyena things with him. I didn't see his face… I couldn't
look at him.” They stared at her and fidgeted. “And there was some chick with
these weird crocodile demon-dog things.”

“Demon dogs?” Eliana turned pale and slumped against the
edge of the desk.

“Yeah.” She felt weak, as if she had run a marathon. The
memories of the dream began to fade, and she tried to recall the details. “He
was looking for someone and was pissed that he couldn't find her...or was it
him?” Shan's shoulders slumped, and she darted a glance at Devon. “I can't
really remember.”

Devon held Shan's face between his warm hands and examined
her closely. “You don't look so good.”

“I don't feel so good,” she said in a whisper. “It's all
fading away now. I usually don't remember much of my dreams after I wake up. I
used to keep a dream journal until one of my friends found it during a sleepover.
She read a couple pages and began having hysterics until her mom came and got
her.” Shan gave them a wan smile. “Her mom called Children's Protective
Services on my parents. Said there was no way a twelve-year-old girl could have
thought up such horrible things without some kind of abuse going on at home.”

Devon tucked her against his body and ran a soothing hand up
and down her back. The steady beat of his heart relaxed her spirit as much as
his touch comforted her body. She shivered, and his grip tightened until she
had a hard time breathing, but at least it stopped the shakes. The only thing
she could remember from her dream now was that whatever she had seen was so
powerful that she didn't stand a chance of surviving another confrontation. She
said a silent prayer of thanks to whoever had kept her alive.

“Take her home,” Eliana said and grabbed a pen off Devon's
desk, writing something down.

Devon went to pick Shan up, but she smacked his arm away. “I
can walk.”

Eliana snickered, and Devon gave Shan a narrow-eyed look. “I
would like to carry you.”

Blushing, she lifted her chin and straightened her
shoulders. “No, thank you.” She didn't want him to think he could just order
her around while they were out in public. Especially not in front of someone
like Eliana. Though she was small, the woman carried herself with a
self-assurance that Shan envied. She didn't want Eliana to think she was some
kind of weakling.

“Please.” He ran his fingertips down her arm. Her skin
hummed in response, and desire warmed her body, chasing away the last chills
from the dream.

Eliana coughed, and Shan strengthened her shields in a
hurry. “No, I'll walk.”

He narrowed his eyes but nodded. “If you stumble once, I'm
carrying you.”

Snorting, Shan folded the blanket and put it on the back of
the couch. His gaze was heavy on her, and she wondered if he would respect her
wishes or just toss her over his shoulder. While she enjoyed being submissive
to him in the bedroom, he was high if he thought that was going to happen
outside of their private time together.

“I'm going to call Aiden,” Eliana said and picked up Devon's
phone. “I'll let you know what we learn. Do you want me to call your mom?”

“No,” he said quickly. “She's with my dad.”

“Oh, yeah.” Eliana gave him a sympathetic look. “She stopped
by earlier today, and I talked to her for a few.” Smacking her forehead, she
set down the phone and opened one of the drawers of Devon's desk. “That reminds
me, she left this cloak for Shan.”

Moving over to Devon's desk, Shan couldn't help a happy
sigh. The cloak was made of black velvet with a gold silk lining. The image of
Isis with her wings spread was on the back in gold thread with turquoise and
coral beading. “Wow.”

“I'm glad you're going to be there,” Eliana said as she
handed Shan the cloak. “It's going to be my first Wild Hunt too.”

Devon glanced out the window at the setting sun. “We need to
get going. I want her behind wards before darkness falls.”

Eliana stiffened, and something in her stance shifted and
her gaze narrowed as she turned her total focus on Shan. “Is she being hunted?”

A protective angry look filled her beautiful face and Eliana
stood, then put herself between Shan and the window.

“Aren't we all?” Devon said in a mild voice. He pulled Shan
up against him and wrapped his arms around her in a not-so-subtle display of
possession.

“Do you need me to go with you?” Eliana's silver eyes
glittered, and her aura brushed against Shan's. Soft and rich, it smelled of
orange blossoms and vanilla.

“Shields,” he said in a chiding voice.

Blushing, Eliana rolled her neck and gave Shan a sheepish
smile. “Sorry about that. I'm still getting used to this whole
Chosen-of-a-war-god thing. Didn't mean to go all weird on you. I'm especially
protective of women.”

“It's okay,” Shan said in a soft voice and pried Devon's
arms off her. “I'm used to Devon going all uber-macho on me.”

Eliana laughed while Devon made an offended sound. “I like
her,” Eliana said to Devon. “You need a woman who won't fall down at your feet
worshiping you. Gods know you've had enough of those.”

Devon tugged at Shan's hand and led her out the door.
Irritated, Shan tried to jerk her hand out of his and narrowed her eyes at him
before turning to Eliana. “See you later.”

Eliana waved then dialed a phone number and frowned at the
sheet of paper.

Shan was all too aware of the silent menace rolling off
Devon. He wasn't happy about something, and she had a feeling it had to do with
her and Eliana. Had she offended him somehow? It's not as though she’d said
anything really bad about him.

“What's your problem?” she hissed out as Devon led them
through the halls with a ground-eating pace.

“Nothing.”

The coldness coming from him increased, and her own temper
sprang to life. She was the one whose life was under constant threat. She was
the one who had to deal with everything being turned inside out and upside
down. So she wanted to walk on her own two feet instead of being carried like
some child. Big deal. She was a grown woman who could make those decisions for
herself. They reached the exit, and Shan tried to jerk open the door to go out
first. With a low growl, Devon pushed her behind him.

“What, I'm supposed to walk two paces behind you like a good
little submissive?” She spat the words out with enough venom that it surprised
even her. A small part of her mind chided her for taking out her fear and anger
on Devon, but feeling bitchy was better than feeling scared.

“No.” He narrowed his eyes, and the lines around his mouth
deepened. “In case there is an attack, I want them to have to go through me to
get to you.”

Refusing to give him the satisfaction of being right, she
crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. Yes, she was being petty and
childish, but damnit she wanted him to see her as an equal, not a burden. True,
she wasn’t as strong as he was, or as magically talented, but she wasn’t stupid
and so far she’d manage to survive.

He opened the door, and she brazenly stepped in front of him
and hurried down the steps. With a muttered oath, he easily caught up to her,
as she had to pause and remember where they’d parked. The last of the afternoon
light had faded, and now dusk bathed the busy street. Golden light shone from
wrought iron lamps, and delicious and exotic scents poured from the local
restaurants.

“You will walk next to me.” The way he said this gave no
room for argument.

“You don't own me.” She tried to quicken her pace, but she
was not going to give into the indignity of actually running away from him. At
least, not in these boots. With late autumn rolling in the air quickly cooled
as the sun set and she shivered.

“Devon!” a woman called out.

They both turned, and Devon put his body in front of hers.
She considered stepping back in front of him, but she really didn't want to be
any closer to that woman. It was the beautiful brunette from the temple who
walked toward them. Actually, walked was a bad word. She rolled her hips as
though she was having sex. The silky green top she wore displayed her generous
assets, and a golden collar graced her slender throat.

“Hello, Maria,” Devon said in a stiff tone.

He tried to block her view of Shan, but her full lips lifted
into a smile. “Master, I've been waiting for you. What happened? Have I
displeased you?” Her big brown eyes filled with tears as she darted a glance at
Shan. “Did you get another new slave?”

Shan gripped her hands into fists and tried not to clutch
them over her chest. The woman's words struck her like a blow. Devon had sex
with this woman? She called him Master and wore a collar. Did that mean she was
his submissive? The thought of what Devon had just done with her back in his
office and on his couch flashed through her mind, but in her place she saw this
gorgeous woman. Jealousy filled her, and she wanted to slap the woman’s hand
away as she reached out to Devon.

She tried to look at Devon, but he refused to look at her.
“Shan, wait by the car for me.” Devon subtly turned his body to shield Maria
from view.

Her heart sank into her stomach. “Excuse me,” she muttered
and shoved an unresisting Devon aside. His big, menacing car was parked two
spots down, and she hurried to stand next to it. Her shoulders hunched as she
tried to regain control of her temper. She should be mad at Devon, not the
other woman. He was the one who was playing them both.

All his talk of honesty and truth between them. That seemed
to only extend to the bedroom. She glanced over her shoulder and found the
woman in an elegant kneel before him while he crossed his arms and stared at
her. People walking by stared and whispered. Maria took his hand and placed a
kiss on his palm, licking her way down and sucking his finger into her mouth
while tears streaked the mascara in black trails down her cheeks. Shan turned
away from the scene as her heart ached as though someone punched her in the
chest.

Humiliation, hurt, and anger had her sagging against the
door of the car. Staring at her reflection in the car's window, she attempted
to straighten her hair while her mind tried to protect her heart from what she
had seen. How dare he treat her like she mattered, like she was more than just
a student to him, while he had that woman waiting for him. That beautiful,
elegant woman who made all of Shan's self-doubts rush to the surface.

Damn it, she could still smell him on her skin while another
woman knelt at his feet.

“Let's go, Shan.” His voice moved over her, and the scent of
his aura brushed against her.

It took all of her self-control to keep from scratching his
eyes out. Keeping her back stiff, she stalked over to her side of the car and
jerked the door open. Sitting back into the deep leather seat, she angled her
body as far away from him as possible.

“What's wrong?” he asked as the big motor rumbled to life.