Dreamwalker (Stormwalker #5) - Allyson James Page 0,60

was in civvies—his running shorts and a T-shirt, but he carried his gun in one hand, holster in the other.

When he saw Maya slide from the pickup, he kept the weapon pointed skyward but he didn’t holster it. “Maya, what the hell are you doing?”

“Rescuing you.” Maya looked past him to the doorway. “You stay away from him!”

A young woman with blond hair had emerged behind Nash, and gazed at her, bewildered. “Maya?” Her voice was thin and worried.

I hopped out of the truck and approached Maya, my heart thumping. I felt Mick right behind me, and Drake behind him. The morning was clear and bright, no storm. Drake was the only one of us whose magical ability was still strong.

Nash’s pistol leveled again. He didn’t aim at anyone, but he was ready to fire if necessary, and I knew from experience that Nash was a dead shot.

I also noticed he didn’t look his usual healthy self. Nash was a robust man in great shape, but this morning, his face was gray, his eyes glittering too brightly. With anyone else, I might suspect a hangover, but Nash didn’t get drunk—at least not anytime I’d known about.

Amy, on the other hand, seemed … sated. She swept her gaze over us, pretending to be intimidated, but I saw the glee that lurked in her green eyes.

“Get away from her, Nash,” Maya said. “She’s evil.” She pointed an angry finger at Amy. “Janet told me all about what you did to him.”

This Nash, from our past, had no idea what she was talking about, who I was, who Mick and Drake were. He only knew he was a sheriff’s deputy and his crazy ex-girlfriend, Maya, had come to stir up trouble.

He spoke calmly, in spite of his mounting rage. “Maya, move your truck and go back home. Take your friends with you. If you do it now, I won’t arrest you.”

Not the way to calm down Maya. She stomped forward, beautiful even in the shapeless coveralls, and planted her fists on her hips. “Don’t even think about arresting me, Nash Jones. I’ll kick your ass.”

“Maya,” I said cautiously. I came forward, my eye on Amy, who was the bigger threat. No matter how innocuous she looked, she might be possessed at this moment by a goddess of ultimate destruction.

Amy was watching me, half confused, half delighted, the two natures warring within her. This might be a dream, yes, but gods had ways of manipulating dreams and reality as they pleased. In this reality, my mother might find a way to connect with me through Amy, to latch on to me and not let go.

I took a breath, feeling the warmth of Mick behind me. My goddess mother could fry him in a heartbeat, and Mick, robbed of his dragon-ness, had no defenses.

Had Emmett planned this? Was it his scheme to loose the goddess from Beneath on us in my dreams? Steal the mirror while we were distracted? Had he taken Mick’s dragon powers from him so we didn’t stand a chance?

If so, why hadn’t Emmett neutralized Nash? Nash, though he might not believe it himself, was probably the greatest danger to Emmett’s power.

Nash, oblivious at the moment, glowered at Maya. “Get back in the truck, Maya, or I swear to God I will arrest you.”

“Go ahead. You know you’ve always wanted to put me in cuffs.”

Nash’s face went from gray to unhealthy red. “Do it. I’ll talk to you later.”

Maya didn’t move. “Not until you get away from her. Come with me, Nash. We’ll talk about old times. Remember? When you used to sleep with me?”

Nash hated to discuss his personal life with anyone, let alone in front of his new girlfriend and three complete strangers. “Maya …”

“Are you happy?” Maya called past him to Amy. “You couldn’t stop at being prom queen and having the whole town love you. You had to steal my boyfriend on top of it. I hope Janet flattens you.”

“Who the hell is Janet?” Nash’s gray eyes were hard as he flicked his gaze to me, Mick, and Drake. “Who are these people?”

“My friends.” Maya said it proudly. “We’re here to rescue you, Nash.”

“Maya, for the last time …”

Nash’s growl was cut off by Amy herself, who stepped down from the porch. “Enough!”

The word rang through the air, tingeing the mild day with harsh coldness. Everything about the Beneath goddess was icy and colorless.

She came on toward Nash and put a hand on his arm. He flinched slightly