The Fae King's Dream (Between Dawn and Dusk #2) - Jamie Schlosser Page 0,16
sunken ship. I see my dad’s brown hair peppered with white and my mom’s bleach-blond bob. A beige two-story house with a small front porch.
I remember wings and kindness. A gentle caress. Blood on my hands. My parents injured. A dream I can’t get out of.
Faerie.
None of the details connect to each other. It’s a jumbled mess, but at least it’s something.
I lock eyes with Damon. “You have wings but you’re not a demon or an angel.”
“That’s right.” He blows out a relieved breath.
“Something awful happened, and…” The next part comes out sounding like a question. “I’m not okay?”
“I visited you in the hospital.”
“You saw me?”
“I didn’t see you, per se.”
“Do you always talk in riddles?”
“Sometimes.”
“Am I a vegetable?”
He tilts his head to the side. “Like a carrot?”
“No.” I laugh, but my amusement quickly fades. “Brain dead.”
“You’re going to be just fine.” He clenches his jaw. “I have a plan, but for now, we need to level up out of here. I’d prefer you as close to consciousness as possible when I bring you to my world.”
“Wait.” My fingers find his hoodie pocket and I grasp the soft fabric. “This is my safe place.”
I remember more now—the lucid dreaming.
When Damon put me under after the crash, I went on autopilot and came to the world I created years ago.
This quaint downtown area isn’t big. I didn’t overreach when I built it. I went for something closer to reality than fantasy. It’s comfortable, stable, and secure. I have an apartment upstairs. There are great restaurants across the street. My neighbors are nice.
Running the back of his knuckles over my cheek, Damon gives me a sad look. “If I had it my way, I’d hole up in this building with you for the rest of our lives, just staying safe and having babies.”
“Babies?” Geez, this guy moves fast. “Why would you want that with me?”
“Can’t you feel it?” He flattens one of my hands over his heart.
Oh, I feel something, all right. I’ve had dreams where I got turned on. On occasion, I’ve even orgasmed in my sleep. Although I have no idea what sex is like, I’ve dreamed it quite vividly. Naked bodies. A pressure inside me. Roaming hands and deep kisses.
Everywhere Damon touches me, he leaves a tingling in his wake, reminding me of those brief glimpses of intimacy I’ve gotten in the past.
“We’re destined to be together,” he goes on passionately. “When fated mates lock eyes for the first time, they just know. From what I’ve been told, your soul aligns. Becomes complete.”
I’ve been staring at his eyes for minutes and I haven’t felt anything like that. “Are you sure?”
“It hasn’t happened yet because this is a dream.” Pressing his forehead to mine, he sighs. “We have so much to look forward to, Whitley. We need to start our lives, but we can’t do it here.”
There’s a worry wrinkle between his eyebrows and I want to rub it away. Moving back, I run my finger from the middle of his forehead to the tip of his perfect nose. When his warm breath puffs against my hand, goose bumps ripple over my arm.
He licks his lips, and my focus goes there as I move my palm to his cheek. Maybe he’s staring at my mouth, too. I’m not sure, because I can’t look away from his.
I want to kiss him.
Badly.
I’ve never been kissed before. Although guys have noticed me in the past, I never returned their attention. Because who would want a girl who prefers to spend her time consumed by a world that doesn’t exist?
But Damon found me here. He submerged himself in my imagination to be a part of it.
As he bends down, I push up on my tiptoes.
I’m pretty sure closing your eyes while kissing is the proper protocol, but I won’t do it. I need to keep them wide open, because it’d be a tragedy to miss one second of admiring this man.
We’re only an inch away from a lip lock when motion in my peripheral vision catches my attention. I turn my head, and Damon’s mouth connects with my cheek. To my left, black wisps are falling down the walls. Like soot.
“What’s that?”
When Damon follows my line of sight, a guttural growl comes from his throat. “No. No.”
Digging his fingers into my back, he clings to me. It’s a good thing he’s holding me up because my lightheadedness gets worse. If it weren’t for him, I’m not sure I could stay upright.