Page 28 of Sweet Dreams

“Fuck, okay.”

Cool air rushed over my skin and I shivered as he stepped closer, crowding up against me as he continued to murmur soft things. But, I couldn’t focus on his words anymore. Everything was blurring.

“Wait, I don’t want to.”

“You have to, baby. Wake up for me. I’ll be right there?”

I looked up, his handsome face blurring. I squinted at him, feeling faint. “Zaldi?”

“I’ll be right there.”

***

Zaldi

She’d unknowingly pulled me into her dream. Lulu had pulled me in. At first, I’d been so surprised to see the Underworld shrink away from me, my family disappearing right before my eyes, that I had merely stared at the complicated structure of her dream. But, I’d recognized it after a breath, seen every inch of it years ago. It was her old college dorm room. The place I’d first met her years ago. The palace that had cemented my feelings for her, long before she ever would’ve guessed that I was real.

Somehow we've ended up right back there, at the beginning of our relationship.

Yet, that wasn’t what was distracting me now as I suddenly was thrown back into my living space in the Underworld. It was the fact that Lulu hadn’t known she was dreaming. Or rather, it hadn’t been a dream she merely dozed her way into.

No, she was hurt.

My mate was hurt.

And I was fucking furious about it.

I came back into being raging, my entire body shaking from both the rush of Dreamwalking and the horror of what I’d realized at the end. I knew my power was out of control, but I wouldn’t risk clamping down on it yet. She might need me like this.

At my most primal.

And my most dangerous.

The power throbbed in my veins, making my muscles expand, my fangs ache. If I had looked in a mirror, my eyes would’ve been glowing the same bright red of my skin. All this to say, I’m sure it was a shock for me to appear, full mate fury, in the middle of what appeared to be a mid-day meal preparation.

My sister leaped up from where she had been reading a book and rushed towards me, yelling for Albtraum to come quick.

He rounded the table and made his way to me, his deep red skin flushed with power as well. I growled at his attempt to intimidate me. It might work on his constituents, but I was his brother. He would need to get the fuck out of the way. And quickly. “I am going back,” I growled, trying to keep my voice low, even as the rasp in it made it nearly unperceivable.

“We know,” Albtraum said, his voice gentle, “When you were snatched into that dream, Arafel walked after you to be sure everything was alright. He knew instantly it wasn’t a sleeping dream but one from an injury.”

I nearly whimpered at the mention of it, my instincts still raging. This was a waste of time. I needed to leave. My magic rose like a tidal wave in my chest. “I need to get to her. I’m leaving! Now!”

Albtraum stared wide-eyed at me and I knew on some level that I looked completely insane, I had never felt like this. Never acted like this.

But, I would now. Especially if they didn't get their shit together.

“Get me there now, Albtraum, or I will go to Arafel and ask him myself.””

He blinked rapidly. “No, sorry. Of course. You need to get back there, check on your mate.”

Antheia appeared at my side, a hand pressing against my forearm. I flinched, growling at her before I recognized her scent. “Easy, brother. I just wanted to give you this.” She pressed something cool and round into my palm before taking a quick step back. I glanced down. An obol lay there, the gilded edges shining back up at me. My breathing slowed, and I glanced at her, my mind still too focused on getting to Lulu to come up with the questions I needed to ask my little sister.

Because obols were not common. They were not even allowed unless in very specific circumstances. And for her to just give me one. I snarled, “What is this?”

“Arafel left you a pass to the Living world, but that,” She gestured at the coin, “That’s just in case. You should never be trapped where you don’t want to be.”

Her smile was sad, her eyes soft in a way that triggered every one of my protective instincts once again. “Antheia…”