The Nightmare (The Mist #2) - Regine Abel Page 0,27

those evil Nightmares?”

Naima’s breath caught in her throat when I pulled her tightly against me. She placed her palms on my chest as if to push me back but, interestingly, my woman didn’t. There was no guile or deception in her compliance. That turned me on.

“No,” my female said in a whisper. “I am not your reward. Being the apex predator in both our worlds will be. But if you cross over, as your anchor, you and I will spend time together.”

“As mates?” I insisted.

“No,” she said in a firm but gentle tone.

“How then?” I challenged, annoyed by her conviction and yet excited at the thought of breaking down her walls.

“I will be your coach, your mentor to help you learn the ways of my people,” Naima said. “You know little of the rules of our world. From what I’ve read about Transients, learning to adapt to human life, and especially the realities of a human body, can be challenging to figure out alone. Living in society can also be quite mystifying.”

Her excitement at that prospect was contagious. I tightened my hold around my woman’s slender waist. Naima’s eyes widened again as I leaned forward. She thought I was going to kiss her. I almost did. But I pressed a kiss at the corner of her mouth then brushed my lips against her soft skin all the way to her right ear.

“When I cross into your world, I will claim you as my mate,” I whispered in a voice full of promise.

She shivered, her hands on my chest tightening their grip. I straightened to stare her in the eyes. My right hand on her back slid up to wrap around her neck. Her lips parted in a soft gasp when I slightly squeezed.

“You will want me to,” I added, drawing her face towards mine by the hold around her neck. “I will drive you crazy for me.”

I crushed her lips in a searing but brief kiss. She stiffened at first, but once again didn’t fight back. A sense of triumph soared within me at the confused, inner tug-of-war and sliver of arousal I perceived from her. Yes, I would make her love me.

I released her and glided a few steps away, feeling bereft now that I no longer basked in the warmth of her body. She touched two fingers to her lips, visibly shaken by her conflicting emotions.

“Go back to sleep, my mate,” I said at last. “No Nightmare will further haunt you this night.”

Her eyes widened at my unexpected comment. “What? Wait! What does that mean? Will you come? Will you do it?”

I smiled in a non-committal fashion. It wasn’t fair as she couldn’t really see my ethereal features, but she could sense my responses.

“You will find out soon enough. Sweet dreams, my love.”

Without giving her a chance to argue, I sent her consciousness back to her body, only hanging on to a sliver of it, which I forwarded to the safety of a pretty memory of her youth. Naima often dreamt of that camp she’d gone to with her parents—one of the few times where they had simply been happy. No arguments, no fights, just a loving family spending quality time together. I would have her well-rested when next we meet.

For now, I had someone to talk to.

I crossed my protective wall, leaving the safety of my territory then opened my senses. With my great power, it took me seconds to locate my target. I sighed in annoyance realizing how far his host’s territory was located from here. I could teleport and be there in a blink, but I didn’t want to expend that much energy. It would only be a ten to fifteen-minute flight from here. Naturally, I munched on some easy prey along the way; Sparks too unaware to play tourists in the Mortal Plane while the portals were opened.

It struck me then that my days of feeding on Wishes might come to an end. I didn’t need my woman to tell me that they would be off-limits. For shame. Humans and their compassion were a mystery I hoped never to comprehend.

The thick walls of Risul’s domain crackled with their lethal warnings. They looked like rolling thunder clouds, rippling with lightning. Their intensity increased as I made my approach. I hovered at a safe distance, admiring with begrudging respect the defenses erected by a Wish. Risul had always been a careful and quiet one. He had built his power over the years, lurking in safe areas,