The Dream Walker (6 page)

“Okay, we ready?” Noah asked, a scowl on his face.

“
Yes,” Hudson said. “What’s wrong, Noah?”

Noah
’s gaze traveled over all of them, then he walked to the bar. “Nothing. Just some . . . stuff with Abby.”

“
What stuff?” Hudson asked. “Are you pissing off my little girl again?”

It was strange to Nico that Hudson was Abby
’s father. They looked the same age, but Hudson had well over a thousand years on her. If Nico studied them side-by-side, he could see just a hint of Hudson in Abby, mainly in her personality traits. One thing they both shared was stubbornness.

Noah glared at him.

“Well?”

“
Three words, Hudson. None. Of. Your. Business.”

“
That’s four, Noah,” Jovan said.

“
What-fucking-ever,” Noah grumbled as he poured a scotch and slammed it down.

“
Hmm . . . I wonder if what-fucking-ever would be considered one word or three,” Jovan said, and Nico smiled.

“
I think it depends on how you say it. It could be one; it could be three. But really, it’s just semantics, right?” Hudson said.

“
Yep,” Rayner said. “The meaning is understood loud and clear.”

No one said anything else.

The chatter stopped with Noah’s arrival, and it had been that way for a few months now. It was as if Noah had become the doom and gloom of the house. Nico knew he had taken Talin’s death very hard, and Nico guessed Noah felt a little responsible for it, but he’d never confirmed it with anyone.

The minutes ticked by, and the elevator dinged again, announcing an arrival. All eyes were on the entrance to the Great Room as Faith, Abby, and Liberty walked in, with Beverly holding Killian trailing behind the
m.
All the females wore simple white dresses, and Killian had on a white shirt and pants.

Each Warrior went to his mate, and hugs and kisses were exchanged, except Noah. He and Abby just looked at each other as if they would rather be anywhere else but in the same room together.

“Is Annis ready?” Jovan asked Liberty.

“
She is. Where’s Cohen?”

“
Right here,” he said, stepping into the room. The male grinned and looked happy and healthy. He also rocked the gold.

“
Well, let’s get this thing going,” Hudson said. “Nico, you give Annis a call in about five minutes and tell her we’re ready. Escort her out to the ceremony.”

Nico nodded and everyone left, Blake trailing behind. He waited the instructed five minutes, then called to Annis, “Ready?”

“Yes. I’ll be up.”

A moment later, she stepped out of the elevator.
“You look amazing,” he said with a smile.

Annis stood before him in a loose golden pantsuit, the low neckline revealing the cleavage of her breasts. Her firm arms were on display, and the pants swirled around her ankles as a dress would. It was only when she walked that he could tell she was wearing pants. Her black hair hung in waves around her shoulders, and he detected just a hint of makeup on her fine features.

“I told Abby I would never put on a dress again, so we compromised on this,” Annis said.

Nico smiled, remembering the way Annis had ripped the golden gown when Micah had forced them to fight one another. Annis would never be caught in a dress again as she always wanted to be battle-ready.

“It’s an excellent compromise,” Nico said.

They embraced briefly, and Nico took her hand and they went outside. The full moon shone brightly in the dark night sky. Everyone stood in a half circle with Cohen in the middle. It was a beautiful sight, with the gold shirts intermixed with the white dresses the females wore. Three-foot golden candelabras surrounded them, with yellow flames flickering from golden candles. Even Blake managed a smile as they stepped out of the silo.

Arm in arm they followed the golden runner to the ceremony. As they walked, Annis gave his bicep a squeeze. Nico looked down at her, and she smiled at him. When they reached the circle, he said in their native language, “May your love bring you centuries of happiness.” He handed her off to Cohen and stepped back. The circle closed around Cohen and Annis.

As Hudson began the incantation, Nico joined in, as did the other males. It spoke of a union, love transcending time, and honoring each other. After the third time, Hudson started the traditional human ceremony.

Nico took it all in. Cohen stared at Annis with such intensity and so much passion. Annis gazed back at him, her face calm and cool, her love for Cohen practically radiating off her. Nico knew he had been instrumental in getting them together, He was glad he had dream-walked on Cohen, because before him were two people who were madly in love. Nico silently prayed for their health and happiness.

There was a question niggling at the back of his mind. Would he ever experience the type of love these two had? Would he ever find a female who accepted his ability?

Chapter 11

Blake
’s feet pounded on the treadmill. He’d love to go for a run outside, but it was the middle of summer in Phoenix, and the last time he looked temperatures were hovering at one hundred and fourteen. The most exercise he would do in that heat would be to walk from the silo to the car, and that was with deep protest.

The Sex Pistol
’s “Anarchy in the UK” blasted through the speakers. Unfortunately, it wasn’t loud enough to drown out his thoughts.

As he stood in the mating circle the other night, he realized he had been holding on to a sliver of hope regarding Annis, hoping that she would realize he was the one for her. As he listened to the Warriors’ chant, it felt like a stone settled in his chest. When the ceremony was completed, and Cohen took her in his arms and kissed her with such passion, Blake had to turn his head. He simply couldn
’t watch. It was then that the knowledge that Annis would never be his really sunk in, and a serious funk had overtaken him. He was trying to outrun it but wasn’t having any luck.

His phone on the dashboard of the treadmill lit up, flashing NOAH across the screen. Blake knew he should pick it up, but really didn
’t feel like dealing with anyone. A moment later, it lit up again. Apparently, Noah wasn’t going to be ignored.

Sighing, he shut off the treadmill and picked up the remote to kill the music.
“Hey, Noah,” he said.

“
Can you come up to the kitchen, Blake?”

“
Right now? I’m in the middle of a workout.”

“
Sorry, man. Need you right now.”

Dammit.

“Okay. I’ll be right up.”

Blake pushed the off button and grabbed a towel. Wiping his face, he headed for the door. As he rode the elevator up, he wondered what Noah wanted.

The steel parte
d,
and Noah was standing against the stove, his arms crossed over his chest, staring down at the floor.

“
What’s up?” Blake asked, stepping out of the elevator.

“
Abby and Beverly want to go shopping in Phoenix, and I want you to go with them.”

Blake could think of a thousand things he
’d rather do. Get stung by a jellyfish. Have his teeth removed. Cover himself in sugar and sit on an anthill. Well, maybe not the anthill, but he sure as shit didn’t want to go shopping.

“
Why, Noah? And Abby’s your mate, why don’t you go?”

Noah sighed and rubbed his forehead with his finger.
“Abby and I aren’t getting along right now. I offered to go, and she said she didn’t want me to. So I need someone to go, and I picked you.”

“
Noah, I—“

“
Hi, guys!” Abby said, walking into the kitchen, her brown hair swaying around her shoulders. She wore jean shorts and a yellow tank top, her long legs tanned and toned. Her yellow flip-flops snapped with each step she took. “We’re going to take off in a few minutes, Noah. We’ll be back by four.”

“
Blake is going to go with you,” Noah said, not meeting her gaze.

Abby
’s face hardened. “That’s not necessary.”

“
Yes, it is,” Noah said, looking at her with a “this is not up for debate” look.

Abby
’s cheeks turned red, and Blake realized he was about to be in the middle of a fight. “I’ll just go shower and you guys can talk it out while—”

“
No, Blake,” Noah said. “This isn’t up for discussion.”

“
Noah, I’m not a child,” Abby said.

“
I’m very aware of that, Abby.”

“
Then quit treating me like one!” Abby yelled. Blake looked at the floor. That anthill was looking pretty good compared to being in the middle of this.

“
I’m not treating you like a child! I’m trying to keep you safe! I don’t know why it’s so hard for you to see that!”

“
We’ve been over this a thousand times these past few months, Noah,” Abby said, her voice low and controlled. “I can’t live with someone hovering over my shoulder every second in the name of safety.”

So, they
’d been fighting about this for a while. It explained Noah’s bad attitude the past few months.

“
You don’t see what I see on a daily basis,” Noah said, his nostrils flaring. “I lost Talin, and I almost lost you once. It’s not going to happen again.”

“
Talin was not your fault, and you know that. And that’s exactly the point, Noah. You have totally shut me out from your work, which also happens to be most of your life!”

“
I’m trying to protect you from it!” Noah shouted.

“
You expect me just to sit here waiting for you? My needs and what I want out of life are irrelevant to you!”

“
What do you mean your needs are irrelevant? You have everything you could possibly want! God knows you do enough shopping!”

“
N
o,
I don’t have everything I want, Noah. The material things I have are just that . . .things. Just like you aren’t going to let me go shopping, you refuse to even consider us starting a family!”

Whoa. Babies? Blake really didn
’t belong in this conversation. Good God. Would someone please come and interrupt them so Blake could get the hell out of here? “I’m just going to—”

“
No, you’re not!” Noah yelled. “You stay right there, Blake! And how can you want to bring a kid into a world that is so fucked up, Abby? How selfish is that?”

“
You don’t know what that child will be capable of! Maybe he or she would be the one to save this world! But guess what? I don’t really know what’s going on out there except for what I see on the evening news because you shut me out!”

There was a minute of silence as Noah and Abby stared each other down.

“Beverly and I are going by ourselves, Noah.”

Noah shook his head.
“No, you’re not. Give Blake five minutes to shower and he’ll go with you. You won’t even know he’s there.”

“
You’re really not going to budge on this,” Abby said quietly, crossing her arms over her chest.

“
No, I’m not. You’re too important to me.”

Abby nodded.
“Fine. You win, Noah.”

As she turned to leave the room, Blake noticed her teary eyes. He understood both sides of the argument. Before Blake came along, Abby had almost been killed by a Colonist, and from what he had been told, it about sent Noah over the edge. It was simple: Noah loved Abby fiercely, and he knew the dangers lurking out there beyond the human scum. However, Abby did as well—she had been a victim of a Colonist. And then there was The Platoon, a group of SR44 males who had been sent to carry on the SR44ian race. Unfortunately, their leader, Micah, was a few roses short of a full bouquet. They had also gunned down Talin in cold blood and almost killed Jovan and Cohen in the process. Even so, Blake thought that Noah was taking her safety just a little too far. He had, in essence, squashed Abby
’s freedom. She had become a prisoner in her own home.

“
Well, that went well,” Blake said.

Noah nodded.
“Yeah, it went over like a case of herpes. But she has to understand it’s for her own good.”

They stood in silence for a moment, then Noah walked out of the room. Blake watched him go, his steps slow, his head hanging down as if he were carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Maybe he was.

Chapter
12

The next morning, Nico was up early. Late last night, Noah had sent him a text calling for a meeting at 8:00 a.m. Nico rolled out of bed at six, went down to the gym to spar with Hudson for an hour, then headed for the shower. As he studied his reflection in the mirror, he gingerly touched the red marks on his chest and arm. He was going to have a few good bruises from his sparring match—one thanks to Hudson
’s shoe, and the other from Hudson’s fist. Sparring with Hudson was always an education in the art of fighting, but frankly, Nico was getting tired of being schooled. He hoped the right hook he had landed on Hudson’s cheekbone did some damage.

He pulled on a tank top and some sweat
s,
then ran his fingers through his wet hair. He took the elevator to the kitchen, where Hudson was brewing a pot of coffee and his son, Killian, was stacking soft-sided blocks on the floor.

“
Hey, man,” Hudson said. “How’s the arm?”

Nico looked at the red mark on his bicep.
“It looks like it’s going to get ugly.”

Hudson nodded.
“Yeah, it does. I’m sorry about that.”

“
No worries,” Nico said, reaching in the cupboard for a coffee cup. It was green and shaped like an alien head, complete with two big, black eyes. Nico appreciated the humor. “Anyone else up yet?”

Hudson shook his head.
“Haven’t seen anyone, which is odd since Noah is usually up by now and working in the War Room.”

That was strange. But maybe the male was catching up on sleep he desperately needed.

Nico watched Killian for a few moments as his coffee cooled. The kid stacked up the blocks, then took a spatula and knocked them down. He giggled as the blocks scattered, and Nico couldn’t help but smile, wondering if he would ever have children of his ow
n.
He didn’t see himself as a family guy, but who knew.

He glanced over at Hudson, who was also watching Killian, and took a sip of coffee.

“He’ll do this for the next hour,” Hudson said, smiling. “He loves to build stuff up and then annihilate it.”

Nico chuckled.
“You know he gets his ability and desire to destroy things from you, right?”

Hudson laughed.
“Yeah, I do. Beverly’s worried he’s too violent, and I keep telling her he’s just a daddy’s boy.”

They watched Killian as he carefully built the blocks back up and talked to himself. Nico couldn
’t understand what he was saying, but whatever it was, it was important based on the serious look on his face.

Nico took another sip of coffee.
“Good stuff, Hudson. Thanks a lot.”

“
Sure, man. Glad you enjoy it.”

“
Watch, Daddy!” Killian yelled. “Watch, Nico!” He swung the spatula, and the blocks came tumbling down. Killian burst out giggling as if it was the funniest thing he had ever seen.

“
Nice job, Killian,” Hudson said.

“
We should start calling you the Destroyer,” Nico said to Killian.

Hudson laughed.
“Sounds good to me, but Bev would never go for it.”

“
I’ll get a shirt made up,” Nico said with a wink.

He headed down the hall to the War Room, thinking what it would be like to have a child. Would he make a good father? He saw the love written on Hudson
’s face every time he looked at Killian. What would it feel like to love someone with such an intense ferocity?

Well, before he could think of kids, he had to find a mate, and even though he was lonely, there wasn
’t a potential mate anywhere on the horizon. However, more than once he had found himself wishing he had someone to hold hands with, to greet with a kiss, to snuggle up with while watching a movie, and Blake just wouldn’t do. On the rare occasion where he did step out to find the company of a female, it was nothing more than sex.

He flipped on the light and headed for his chair when he saw a piece of paper on the table in front of Noah
’s chair. He went over to see what it was and almost dropped his coffee cup.

Oh shit.

He reread the note, just to be sure what he was seeing was correct. Then he closed his eyes and shook his head as if doing so would dislodge what he had seen. Honestly, he should have realized this one was coming.

He opened his eyes and read it again.

Dear Noah,

I’m sorry to have to do this, but I can’t take it anymore. Ever since Talin’s death—a death you weren’t responsible for—you have been different. You’ve been difficult and nasty, and I’ve tried to be there for you, but you just keep pushing me away.

I need time to decide what to do, so I
’ve left for a few days. I know you are going to be upset, but I need some space to figure out how to repair our relationship, how I can make you see that the world isn’t that terrible. Or maybe you can’t see that. I don’t know.

I will call you soon to let you know I
’m okay. Please don’t trace my call and come and find me. I really need this time away from you and everyone to figure out what is going to be best for me. I’m trusting you on this, Noah.

Love,

Abby

Nico ran his hand over his face. Obviously he wasn’t supposed to see this note. Noah was usually up by now and always headed straight for the War Room.

Today he hadn
’t.

Rayner walked in.
“Hey, Spidey,” he said, referring to the fact that Nico’s eyes glowed silver, his SR44 color. “What’s going on?”

“
Trouble.”

“
Oh yeah? Your spidey senses tingling?”

“
No, but a grenade is about to go off,” Nico said, holding up the letter.

Rayner walked over and took it from him. His eyes grew wide as he read it.
“Oh shit.”

“
My exact thoughts.”

Jovan came in.
“What’s shakin’, ladies?”

Rayner handed him the note.

“Oh shit.”

At least they were all in agreement with that sentiment.

Cohen and Annis came in, hand in hand, followed by Hudson.

“
What’s going on?” Cohen asked.

“
The shit’s about to hit the fan,” Jovan said, handing the note over to Cohen. Hudson read it over his shoulder.

“
Oh hell,” Hudson said. “He ran off my little girl.”

Nico noticed Annis said nothing, and he wondered if she knew Abby had plans to leave
.

Noah walked in.
“Hey, guys. Has anyone seen Abby?”

No one said a word; they all just stared at him.

“What’s going on here?” Noah asked, his eyes narrowing.

Hudson stepped forward and handed him the note.
“Abby’s gone, Noah.”

“
Goddammit!” Noah said. “I told her not to leave, even for a little while without a Warrior, or at least Blake! This pisses me off—”

“
No, my friend. She didn’t leave for a little while. She’s gone, as in, gone for a long period of time,” Hudson said, motioning toward the note.

The silence was deafening as Noah read the letter.
“Gone?” he whispered.

He looked around the room then down at the note again.
“I can’t believe this,” he said. There was a beat of silence, and he balled up the paper and tossed it across the room. “I can’t fucking believe this!”

And . . . the grenade went off.

Noah paced the room, and everyone moved to get out of his way. “What the fuck is she thinking?” he screamed.

No one answered.

Noah picked up a chair and threw it against the large white screen that hung from the ceiling. They all watched in fall on top of the big, black granite table.

Nico studied the scene with detached fascination, wondering
once again what it would be like to love someone that fiercely. He glanced over at Cohen and Annis. Even though Annis was very capable of taking care of herself, Cohen had put himself between her and Noah. Cohen’s muscles tensed, as if he were ready to spring into action to defend her at any moment.

“
What the hell is going on in here?” Faith said from the doorway as Noah tossed another chair.

“
Faith, stay out of his way,” Rayner said, moving toward her.

“
Noah, what are you doing?” Faith asked as another chair flew through the air, hitting the bank of computers.

“
Abby’s gone,” Rayner said in a low voice. “Left a note.”

Faith nodded.
“I know. She told me she was leaving.”

Noah had picked up another chair, but stopped his toss mid-air and turned to Faith.
“You knew?”

Faith nodded.
“And I don’t blame her, Noah.”

This seemed to be the proverbial wet blanket thrown on the situation.

“Excuse me?” Noah said.

“
You’ve become an overprotective, overbearing pain in the ass.”

Noah
’s nostrils actually flared.

“
She’s right, Noah,” Beverly said from the doorway with Killian propped on her hip. “Especially toward Abby.”

Noah flinched. He was getting his ass verbally beaten by the female
s.
“I just wanted to protect her,” he said in a low voice. He set the chair down and planted his butt in it.

“
Give her space, Noah,” Beverly said in a quiet voice. “Don’t trace her phone when she calls you. Don’t go after her. She’s fine.”

“
Do you know where she is, Bev?” Hudson asked.

Beverly nodded.
“I do, and so do Faith, Annis and Liberty.”

“
Where? Where is she?” Noah asked.

“
We’re not telling you, Noah,” Beverly said. “She needs time and space.”

Noah seemed to fall apart. He bent forward and put his head in his hands. A low moan escaped his throat, and he rocked back and forth.

Nico looked over the scene in the room. Rayner held Faith against his chest. Hudson had a protective arm slung over Beverly’s shoulder. Jovan and Liberty stood side by side holding hands, as did Cohen and Annis. The only one missing was Blake.

Nico heard the low ding of the elevator from down the hallway. A moment later, Blake walked into the room.

As he took it all in, Nico could see the shock on his face.

“
Jesus. What the hell happened in here?” Blake asked, taking in the destroyed screen, overturned furniture, and possibly ruined computers.

“
A grenade went off,” Nico muttered under his breath.