Page 13 of Sweet Dreams

Her lips curled in a soft smile. “Well, then I guess it’s your turn to read these to me.” She shoved a folder against my chest before turning and climbing onto her unmade bed. Settling there, she eyed me with eagerness. “Go on, there’s no way my subconscious sent tall, dark and demon-y to me and then made him incapable of reading my handwriting? I know it’s really bad but this is what I need. This test is going to be the end of me.”

I looked down at the notes, both the bolded typed text and small little arrows and sloppy handwriting in the margins. This was what she wanted me to do? I looked up at her, still confused.

“You want me to read this? That’s all.” I held the paper between us.

“I’ve heard that some people listen to their lectures in their sleep. Maybe this is my brain's solution.”

“Oh.” I cleared my throat. then moved stiffly over to sit at the chair she’d been in before. It creaked when I sat down on it. “Where should I start?”

“Hmm, probably defamation. It’s an oral exam, so I just need to be able to answer back to you–or Jesus–really to myself.” She laughed, the sound sliding over my mind like a caress, “This is trippy. But, at this point, I’ll take whatever I can get.”

The power thrummed again, still consistent between us. It made me giddy. No matter how odd this might be, this was working. This engagement between us, even not sexual, was powerful enough all on its own. And while I wanted to slink away, to hoard the knowledge and my newly cultivated power, I didn’t.

She had a test she needed to work on. And every second that I stayed made something deep in my soul purr in enjoyment.

My eyes found the section on defamation and I started reading.

Present day

"You know what," I stood, straightening my pant legs as I did. "Do it."

Traum poked his head back around the corner he'd passed. "What?"

"Put me to work."

His brow lowered, "Here at the ETA?"

"Anywhere."

"I take it you're finally going to tell me what's going on. Why are you here, in a town that you had no interest in until a few weeks ago?"

I nodded slowly. "I can." Hades, my throat was so fucking dry. "I need to stay here longer."

"Did Arafel..."

"No," I braced myself, "I'm here for her."

My older brother blinked, obviously trying to catch up.

"My mate. She's here in Salus Glen."

Chapter Four

Lulu

For all that my grandfather had always been an imposing, large man, his wife of forty years was the complete opposite. Tiny, with tight curls that were a wild mix of silver and blonde, she couldn’t hold still to save her life. She’d been my ride or die since the moment I showed up here in Salus and that hadn’t changed since I’d come back.

I stirred the soup she’d dropped on the table in front of me the moment I’d sat down. “Gigi, can you please sit down. You’re stressing me out.”

Mattie Yale gave me a withering look. “I’m stressing you out? Ma’am, you don’t look like you've been eating for days.” She pointed at the soup. “You eat, I’ll sit.”

Sighing, I picked up the spoon. “Fine.” The first spoonful was delicious, salty, and hot. I swallowed it, then another as I watched her smugly move across the sunshine yellow kitchen to sit at the table with me.

“Are you happy now?”

She smiled, a silver crown at the back of her mouth winking at me. “Very much.”

I swallowed another two bites, then tapped my spoon against the edge of the glass bowl. “I need to ask you something.”