The Knight of Her Dreams (Dragons and Dreamphasers) (18 page)

No longer an immature teenager with a lovestruck
crush, but instead a more intelligent woman of twenty-five, she knew exactly
what he meant.

She also knew that while this might be a dream
come morning, the memories would be real now and likely remain so later as
well.  If she gave in to her current thoughts, would the rational side of her
mind condemn her when she woke up? she wondered.  And yet by the same token,
would it condemn her if she didn’t?  For once, Dominick didn’t seem to be
reading her mind, or else he surely would have been surprised at what she’d
been debating.

A debate that ended swiftly.

“I understand why,” she replied, gently moving
her hand to touch his cheek again lightly.  “But I still don’t want you to
leave.”  She could feel as well as hear his sharp intake of breath.  His
apparent shock was no more than her own, as she wasn’t typically the wanton
type, but it only took one glance in his eyes to strengthen her resolve again. 
“Please, Dominick,” she implored, “don’t leave me now.”

He hesitated for a moment, kissing her hand
fiercely afterwards.

“By heaven, Julianna,” he murmured, “I’ll fight
the rays of morning itself to stay with you.”

Dominick’s oath trailed off as he pulled her
close, kissing her stormily with unleashed passion.  Sharing the same desire,
Julianna’s feelings soared.  She was as eager as he to cherish this brief time
they had, no matter what happened later.

It was only when he broke away abruptly that any
sense of reality returned to her.

“This is all wrong,” Dominick said quietly, his
own breathing unsteady as he gestured towards the area around them.  “Any
two-bit moron could stumble upon us here when we don’t need disturbing, and
that’s the last thing I want, let alone to remain in a dark place like this. 
Besides, I wish to make amends for our earlier disagreement.”

Julianna gave a short laugh, stroking his cheek. 
“You can’t change the world to accommodate us at will,” she told him.  “I
understand.”

“I don’t believe you do,” he replied
mysteriously, giving her a quick kiss, before stepping back a few feet with a
knowing smile.  “Once more you underestimate my talents, my lady, thus let me
prove otherwise.  Close your eyes.”

“What?” she laughed.

“Trust me, Julianna.  You’ll see what I mean in a
few moments.”  As she followed his instructions with an amused smile, he echoed
her expression.  “Keep them closed, and it’ll soon seem as if that time before
never happened.”

She remained skeptical, even as she felt the wind
pick up around her.  “Dominick?” she whispered uncertainly.  He gave no reply
as she felt the ground disappear beneath her.

Gasping as the ground abruptly returned, Julianna
was almost afraid to open her eyes, until curiosity overwhelmed her.  The
familiar sound of ballroom music hit her ears before she realized she was
standing outside a large building, where a small staircase nearby led to the
entryway.  A formally dressed, older gray-haired man stood there, gazing her
way with a nod.

She was surprised to find her earlier torn attire
gone, replaced by a brand new formal gown, similar to the one she’d worn a few
days ago when she’d met Dominick again.  But this one was an ivory white
instead, combining lace with satin.  She was even wearing a matching set of
soft white slippers, rather like a fairy-tale.  If that was the case though,
where was the prince?

As if in answer, there was a slight rustle behind
her.

“Fair maiden, thou art a beauty to take away the
breath of any man, in dreams or otherwise,” came a deep but familiar voice. 
“Any man who doesn’t notice is indeed a fool.”

Turning with a smile, she gazed silently at the
man who’d recently become the prince of her dreams.  Dashing as always in
black, the warmth of his blue eyes now filled with appreciation and tenderness
as they met her own.

Before she could speak, Dominick stepped closer
to take her hand, kissing it gently, his eyes warming her with their gaze. 
“Now do you see just how versatile my powers can be?”

“Yes,” she replied.  “I’m amazed by it all.”

“There’s still much more I could show you,” he
said softly, not relinquishing her hand.  “If you’ll let me.”

She blushed, through a smile.  “I’d like that,”
she whispered.  “I want to experience everything with you.”

Dominick’s expression changed only slightly,
becoming more tender if possible.  “Then we shall, beginning tonight, my lady,”
he assured her, pulling her into his embrace.  Glad to feel the strength of his
arms about her once more, Julianna nestled her head against his chest comfortably. 
So much that she nearly fell forward when he abruptly pulled away.  “Now, come,
my lady.  The gathering awaits.”

Her eyes narrowed in confusion.  “Gathering?”

“Oh, didn’t I mention my unpredictable nature?”
he asked innocently, snapping his fingers.  “Knew I forgot something.  Well,
there’s nothing to be done about it now, nor I suspect in the future either. 
You’ll just have to trust me.”  Extending his hand towards her, Julianna took
it warily, allowing him to tuck it under his arm.

“I thought you didn’t like tongue-waggers.”

“I don’t,” he agreed, “but since this is a mere
dream, I find it highly unlikely we’ll find ourselves in a newspaper tomorrow. 
Therefore, we can do anything we want to, and let their tongues wag until they
fall out.”

Julianna laughed at the imagery as he led her up
the stairway to the open door of the ballroom.  The man nodded once to Dominick
before announcing their names, moving aside for them to enter.  Glancing about,
Julianna could see that this room was different from the mirrored one they’d
visited previously, with a large dance floor in the center, surrounded by
smaller tables.  However, once again, people wore clothing dated back a
century, conversing as before.

Patting her hand as he caught her staring at the
many couples whirling about the floor as they danced, Dominick led her towards
them without a word.  As before, she initially protested, but he countered this
easily, leading her into the appropriate steps.

In no time at all, she was enjoying herself,
smiling up at her companion as he squeezed her hand in admiration.  After that,
the lights became as stars to them, and the other people seemed to disappear. 
Neither noticed the sudden attentiveness they’d drawn from the crowd.

When the dance finally ended, Julianna’s face was
flushed a soft pink and she looked quite breathless.

And altogether beautiful
, Dominick thought.

He wasn’t the only one to notice, as several
pairs of male eyes lingered upon her.

Sighting a table where others were drawing punch
from a bowl, she gestured towards it.  “I know you’ve got unending stamina on
the dance floor, but some of us rookies get thirsty,” she told Dominick. 
“Would you mind?”

“Not a bit,” he replied.  “This night, your every
wish is granted, my lady.”  He kissed her hand lingeringly before departing,
earning a very dreamy look indeed from her.  If this was any indication of what
the rest of the evening would be like with him, she was looking forward to
whatever else lay in store.

“Angels do roam this world, and need not have wings,”
said a slightly familiar voice behind her.  Turning, her eyes widened as they
fell on three elegantly dressed men, led in front by the one who’d spoken.

“Daffordshire?” she mouthed in disbelief.

The other man nodded, amusement on his face. “Ah,
you remember me then, Miss Sherborne,” he told her.  “I heard your name
announced, along with your partner
Westbrooke
.”  He fairly hissed
the last.

“You’re quite correct, sir,” she replied, with a
nod.  “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be getting back to him.”  The other men
instantly came around to block her way.

One of whom, a darker-haired man who seemed a few
years her senior, cast her an appraising glance before smiling.  “There would
seem to be no rush, since the ladies here must choose several dance partners,
before rejoining their original ones.  Perhaps we can make your decision
easier.”

Ill at ease with their smothering attitude,
Julianna tried unsuccessfully to look past the men to find Dominick.

“If it’s Westbrooke you’re looking for, you’ll
not find him easily,” Daffordshire drawled casually.  “You see, he has a habit
of partnering as many women as he can, both on the dance floor and off.”

Blushing furiously, Julianna whirled to face
him.  “Look, Mr. Daft-in-the-Head, if you say one more word against my
companion, I’ll crack that empty skull of yours.”

Daffordshire merely laughed, nodding towards the
dance floor.  The other men ‘gently escorted’ Julianna, pushing her towards the
grinning man who caught her easily.  “Why, Miss Sherborne, I’m so happy to see
you’ve had a change of heart.”  Clasping her hand tightly so she couldn’t flee,
he slithered closer.  “Perhaps I won’t be as foolish as your earlier partner to
relinquish you for the evening.”

“You labeled yourself a fool as soon as you
opened your mouth, let alone started tormenting innocent women,” hissed a voice
full of barely controlled anger.

The younger man shot Dominick a look of disgust. 
“Out of the way, Westbrooke.  This one’s not yours anymore.”

“Don’t think I’m
yours
,” hissed
Julianna, ceasing her struggles just before kicking his unguarded leg.

Dominick nearly laughed upon witnessing her
familiar mode of attack, but his anger at Daffordshire was too strong.  Even
before the pained man recovered, he’d pulled Julianna behind him, clasping her
hand upon his shoulder.

“It would appear the lady has other plans,” he
said with a smirk.

“We’ll see about that!” snapped the younger man. 
“If you value this wench so much, prove your mettle with a duel!”

“Wench?” gasped Julianna.

Before she did the predictable thing of striking
out at him, Dominick blocked her intentions gently.

Glaring at Daffordshire, he folded his arms. 
“You know, it takes a complete chowderhead not to know when to take ‘no’ for an
answer from a woman.  Do other women know of your clams for brains?”  Growling
viciously, Daffordshire eyed the sword on his ally’s waist, unsheathing it
while drawing the crowd’s shocked surprise.  Dominick merely chuckled.  “I do
believe the clams are a bit feisty today and need taming.”  Gesturing to the
side, someone tossed a sword into his hand, which he caught easily.  “Now then,
Lord Daffy, shall we commence?”

The other man needed no more coaxing, lunging
forward to instigate Dominick’s defense.  He parried the attack easily, never
losing his look of amusement as the bout grew more heated.  Seeing that the
older man seemed to be toying with him, and that all the others knew it,
Daffordshire nervously loosened his collar.

“What’s the wench to you anyway that you can’t
share her, Westbrooke?” he demanded.

Dominick’s eyes twinkled dangerously.  “I’m not a
man open to such things.  And especially regarding the
lady
I
assume you’re referring to, let’s just say I’m too fond of her to share her
with the likes of you or any other man.”

Daffordshire sneered.  “After you lose this bout,
you’ll have no choice but to relinquish her to me this night.”

All amusement left Dominick instantly.  His
stance became aggressive, forcing the younger man backwards.  “Win or lose, the
lady has a mind of her own,” he hissed, “but right now, I wish to see you lose,
if only to pay back your ill remarks towards her.”

He jabbed at Daffordshire where he was
vulnerable, not striking the man, but causing him to drop his sword and leap
backwards sharply.  The irritated younger man never noticed his close proximity
to the fireplace.

Eyes widening as he felt the flames lick up
behind him, burning his unprotected posterior, Daffordshire leaped away with a
bellowing cry.

“Touché,” Dominick replied smugly.

Still afire, Daffordshire shouted to his bemused
allies for assistance, cursing their inattentive nature as they scrambled for
the punch bowl.  Picking it up, they sped back to their friend, tossing the
contents all over him, fairly drowning him in punch while dousing the flames.

Unfortunately for the soaked man, the slick bowl
slid from their grip, smacking Daffordshire firmly on the jaw as it knocked him
to the floor.

When it became evident that the downed fencer was
conscious enough to swear with a frenzy, several of the onlookers burst out laughing,
while Dominick gave the man an exaggerated bow.

“I believe I’ve proven the lady is mine, Lord
Daffy.  Now you’ll have to excuse us, but do enjoy the punch.”  Taking
Julianna’s hand, he led her away, earning a grateful hug from her.

As they passed the man who’d loaned Dominick the
sword, he returned it with an appreciative nod, while the other man looked as
impressed as the rest of the crowd.

His companion smiled when they were on their own
again.