“Tell me about the dreams,” I encouraged.
She lay her hands over mine and let her head fall back on my shoulder.
“They’re all memories from my childhood. Memories I’ve forgotten. In each one there is this boy. The same one. He always helps me. I didn’t remember him until the dreams started but now I think they’re real memories. Not just dreams. I can remember them so clearly it’s as if I’m there,” she paused and pointed to the tree in front of us. “That tree, I climbed it once. I was mad because Wyatt said I couldn’t do it because I was a girl. I wanted to prove him wrong. I climbed it but I, I fell... and he caught me.”
“Wyatt?”
She shook her head, “No. The boy. He helped me find my mother in a crowd when I got lost and there are other times. I’ve seen him. I know him.”
The angry jealous snarl escaped me before I could stop it.
Pagan jerked around in my arms to frown up at me, “ what?”
I shook my head and took a deep breath. This wasn’t an emotion I was good with just yet. I was beginning to wonder if I ever would be. I was selfish and possessive. Pagan was mine.
“You believe he’s real?” I managed to ask. I needed to keep focused on the issue at hand. I hated knowing someone else had saved her as a child. It didn’t set well with me. Something was off. She’d forgotten and now the memories were back. The voice. I needed to find this voice.
“Yes. I think the boy is the voice in my ear,” she squeezed my arms, “stop snarling Dank. You’re not an animal. Jeez.”
She was right of course. But I was angry. The possessive need to claim her as mine was overwhelming. This voice was too close to her if he was getting in her dreams. It was the night time while I was away that he got close to her. I’d have to change that. No more dreams. I would just need to be gone more during the day. I hated being away from her when she was awake. But I was left without much of a choice. This... this thing was too close to her.
“I’m not going to leave you at night anymore. Not until I’ve ended this.”
Pagan frowned and shook her head, “No. I don’t want you to be gone during the day. I’ll miss you.”
I’d miss her too. “I don’t like him being that close to you. He’s getting in your head at night because I’m not there to feel him. To stop him.”
She chewed on her bottom lip and studied my chest a moment then finally looked back up at me.
“What about Gee?”
“What about her?”
“She could stay with me. For right now.”
She could. She wouldn’t be crazy about it but then Gee liked Pagan as much as Pagan liked Gee. I could trust Gee to get me if Pagan needed me.
“I’ll talk to Gee.”
Pagan beamed at me and wrapped her arms around my neck.
“You’re so easy. I hardly ever have to argue with you.”
I kissed the tip of her nose, “I like making you smile Pagan.”
“And I like hearing your sexy voice say sweet things to me,” she replied.
“Kiss me Dank,” she whispered, pressing her lips against mine. This wasn’t something I encouraged. The few times we’d kissed her soul had tried to release from her body. I couldn’t seem to figure out how to stop that. Our kisses were always short. Now, other things... we spent time doing those other things.
“Hmmm... you think you can hold onto your soul this time?” I murmured against her lips.
She giggled, “I’ll try.”
The taste of her sweet tongue sent all other thoughts far from my mind. Instantly, I had one need. One purpose. Pagan. Satisfaction seeped through me as I ran my tongue across her bottom lip fighting the urge to bite it. The plump swell always tempted me. A soft little moan brought me back to my senses and I felt her soul began to react to the draw she felt toward me. Gently, I broke the kiss and put distance between the two of us while we stood staring hungrily at each other and taking very fast short breaths.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
Shaking my head, I smiled at her innocent apology. Her soul knew it was mine. The fact that she was so willing to surrender it was actually precious to me. Even though it caused extreme frustration when I wanted to wrap her in my arms and kiss her senseless for hours at a time. Until we found an answer to her soul’s draw towards me, that wouldn’t be happening.