A Trace of Moonlight (27 page)

She blinked at me. “Your eyes are glowing, Abby.” She took a step back. “I don’t think you’re who you say you are—Ion?” Panic crossed over her face. “But he isn’t . . . get out! Get away!”

My eyes?

I barely had time to process this bit of information before the auditorium began to collapse. Plaster sifted down like hail. A chunk of the ceiling shattered inches away from my feet and I ducked, scrambling for the door.

“Mel!” She wheeled on her heel, bolting off the stage and disappearing into the dust kicked up by the debris. I tripped on the broken violin, the wood melting into a sticky puddle as the floor dissolved.

I sank into the stage and into the darkness.

“Shit.” I pulled my own shield tightly around me, just in case. Melanie wasn’t a Dreamer, but I was in her head and there was no telling what she might do

I pressed my way through the darkness, my shields glowing dimly. It was enough light to see that there was nothing here at all.

No hope for it, then . . . I’d scared her off and I didn’t have it in me to chase her down like a frightened rabbit. Although it also begged the question: How was I going to get out of here?

“Melanie! You have to wake up! We need you! We’re coming for you, Mel. You have to let me out!”

My only answer was silence. And then a soft beam of light appeared below me. My exit? Abruptly I sank, as though some great force was shunting me down and out. I didn’t fight it, unsurprised when I was deposited neatly outside Melanie’s Dreaming Heart, the hole shutting behind me with a despondent clank.

H
ow can you have been so goddamned stupid?” Sonja paced around my kitchen, her wings flared out in irritation. “You can’t go slamming into someone’s Heart like that! And those freaking sharks . . . attacking it?”

Brystion ran a thumb over my wrist. “Well, maybe if you’d trained her better . . .”

“Fuck you!” His sister whirled on him. “All of it. I never asked to try to train her . . . and even aside from that,
you
gave her your power. Bad enough she barely knows what she’s doing, but now she’s got abilities
no
mortal DreamWalker should have. This is
your
goddamned mess.”

He drew himself up, his mouth opening in anger before abruptly shutting. “You’re right. It is.” A slow sigh escaped him. “But Abby’s paying the price for that, not you, so let’s not be pulling any martyr cards today, shall we?”

The succubus snarled beneath her breath before turning to me. “You’re going to have to fix him somehow. Give it back.”

He raised a brow at us. “And what if I don’t want it?” Ion’s hand crept into mine, fingers entwining tightly. “I have no regrets.” His eyes darted away as he said it, giving lie to the words, but there was no doubt in my mind that he wanted to believe them.

“I never wanted you to do this, Ion.” I shook my head. “But we’ll figure it out somehow.” A wry smile crossed my face. “Maybe I’ll visit your dreams next time . . . a little quid pro quo, perhaps?”

An odd look flickered over his face, but he said nothing.

“You may have to,” Sonja said bluntly. “Chances are that’s the only way this is going to be reversed. Not to mention we have no idea what the long-term effects will be on Abby.”

He waved her off. “Let’s focus on trying to find Melanie. My problems can wait.”

“Christ—why do you think I’m talking about this? I need
you,
Brystion, not some half-trained DreamWalker. We’re lucky she didn’t burn out the poor woman’s mind the way she went stomping around there.”

“Well it’s not like you gave me any direction,” I retorted, my own ire starting to creep to the forefront. Tensions were high and I could let some of the attitude slide, but I wasn’t going to just sit here and take it either. “You told me to follow the path, and I did. And then you were gone.”

Ion’s eyes narrowed. “You let her go by herself?”

“I wasn’t expecting her to take off like that. She shouldn’t have been able to.”

Phineas looked up from my laptop, blinking rapidly. Unable to be much help during the DreamWalking, the unicorn had lost himself in a series of RPG
games. I’d found him passed out on the keyboard this morning—he’d simply played himself into oblivion. It couldn’t be healthy, but depression took multiple forms, and if he needed a little self-wallowing to get over the loss of his horn, then that was fine with me.

“Please shush, children. Some of us have Reapers to fight.”

I went over and shut the laptop, ignoring his squeal of dismay.

“And some of us have more to worry about than blowing up pixel baddies.”

“Whatever. Every ending was the same anyway.” He snarled at me, teeth bared. “Marauder Shields, my rainbow-farting ass.”

“Focus, dude.”

“Fine. Then maybe the three of you should stop reiterating the obvious and go find Mel. You know she’s in a hospital, probably in New York, right? Freaking start calling them.”

“If you’d been paying attention, you’d have realized we’ve already done that.” And I had. As soon as I’d been bounced out of Melanie’s dreams, I’d called every hospital in NYC, but not a one had a patient by Mel’s name. I stroked my hand down the little unicorn’s spine, trying to soothe him.

Brystion tapped his fingers on the table, pounding out a rhythm I didn’t recognize. “I’ve had enough of this.” I turned to Sonja. “We’re going to need more help than us to get her out and we’re wasting time. Find Nobu and tell him to get his ass over this way. Tithe bullshit or no, he wouldn’t let
her
die.” I twisted the ring on my middle finger. “It’s time to bring out the big guns.”

“I was bringing out the big guns—until
somebody
turned off my game,” Phineas muttered, stalking into the other room. The TV switched on a second later, the
SpongeBob SquarePants
theme drifting back into the kitchen.

I stared at my feet, trying not to sigh. My husband might be out chasing Maurice, but capturing him would be moot if we didn’t get Melanie back in action. I had a moment of reflection, wondering at my own calculating coolness, but if it served me better for it, then I would take it.

“What if I can’t find Nobu?” Sonja paused as she headed toward the door.

“Use your daemonly wiles.” I fluttered my fingers at her. “Isn’t there like a Diner’s Club for Daemons or something? Little black books?”

She glared at me, the door slamming behind her as she left.

“You might want to tone down that sarcasm, Abby. After all, she
is
trying to help.” Ion pulled me into his lap so his chin could rest on my shoulder. “This isn’t like you. I think Sonja may be right.”

I nipped at his lip, sucking it hard. “Watch me care.”

He pulled away. “I’m serious. You’re different. Coming back from the Dreaming this time? You’re like . . .”

“I’m acting like you, you mean?”

I eyed the set of his jaw and wondered what it would be like to kiss it, a dark hunger filling my belly with a burning roil. I straddled him, pushing his shoulders so the chair tipped to the floor.

The breath rushed out of him with a whoosh. Not that he was protesting, exactly, but I’d taken him by surprise. Still, a moment later and my shirt was
stripped from my body as my tongue plunged deep into the velvet contours of his mouth.

He let out a grunt, his fingers biting into my shoulders as he nipped my breasts through my bra. The electric tingle shot through the tips of my nipples and planted firmly in my groin. I arched against him, his hands fumbling with the clasp.

A moment later and I was free, grinding into him with a fierceness that surprised even me. I sucked in a deep breath, but I was helpless to stop it. Somehow I staggered to my feet, tugging at his arms until he stood.

I wasn’t quite ready to take him right on the kitchen floor. Not when there was a perfectly serviceable bed in the other room.

A flicker of masculine desire shone on his face, and if there was anything hesitant about it, he hid it well.

We stared at each other, the scenario playing out between us. Stupid to do it. Stupid to even think on it. But here we were.

Abruptly he scooped me up, my legs locking behind him as he launched us toward my bedroom, his mouth firmly on mine. At least we’d be stupid together. For some reason the thought was strangely comforting.

He didn’t bother asking me if I was sure, shucking off the remainder of his clothes with a quick twist before tumbling me backward into the bed. A moment later and he’d yanked off my jeans, hesitating for the briefest of moments before burying his face in my neck. The awkwardness of earlier fled, and it was just the two of us, stretched out and wonderfully naked.

There were no words between us. Time was slipping away by the second, and even if we both knew this wasn’t the wisest course, we were committed to it. When he sprawled on top of me, my legs parted to receive
him without hesitation. He placed his hand over my eyes to shut them.

“Breathe,” he murmured.

My head tipped back as I did what he asked, my body thrumming with need. The bells in my hair chimed enthusiastically and I chuckled. “Is this the part where you say, ‘You complete me’?”

“Mmmph. Closer to say I complete you, I think.” He found the sweet spot at the base of my throat and I hummed my approval. “But really, at this point we’re kind of stuck with each other, wouldn’t you say? It’s not a TouchStone bond, but you’re obviously carrying some part of me in you, anyway.”

“Not as much as I could be. You still talk too damn much, Ion.” He smiled against my mouth and let me roll him over, content to have me take the lead.

“Only when it comes to you.”

And then there was no more time for words. Everything was soft touches and warmth as our fingers found each other with bold strokes.
This is mine . . . and this . . . and this.
My body knew it to be true and opened beneath it.

“Missed this,” he sighed.

“It hasn’t been that long, has it?”

He pressed a finger to my lips. “Now who’s talking too much?” His mouth curved up with a hint of his old arrogance. “Guess I’m not working hard enough.”

Before I could respond, he pulled me down, capturing the sound as his hand wandered between my thighs, chuckling when he found me wet.

“Exactly as I remember.”

He nipped me hard, tilting my hips up to play there.

I writhed on top of him, crying out as his mouth found a nipple, working in tandem to the rhythmic
stroking of my clit until my arms could barely hold me up from trembling.

“That’s more like it.” His smile grew wider.

With a grunt, I lifted onto my knees, squirming when his cock brushed over my sex. I hung there for a moment, rocking my hips until his eyes narrowed.

“Tease,” he growled, snatching me down and thrusting his way deep.

There was nothing left except the blood pounding in my ears as we moved together. He was surprisingly vocal. More so than I remembered, but maybe that was his newfound mortality coming through.

“Deliciously noisy thing,” I purred at him. He rumbled his agreement, twisting so that I was now beneath him, my legs wrapped around him as he thrust in earnest. My hands fisted in his hair as the headboard slammed into the wall again and again.

He stiffened, shouting out his pleasure, and I reveled in it, the sound tipping me over the heady wall of my own release. I pulsed around him, the bells in my hair chiming wildly as my thighs clamped his hips.

“Fuck, Abby,” he sighed, sliding off to curl around me. I shivered beneath the damp of my sweat and he tucked the scattered blanket around us. “My first time as a mortal.”

“Gee, if I’d known I’d be popping your cherry I would have attempted to make it more memorable.”

He gave me a dry smile. “I think you did well enough.” His mouth found mine for a long, drawn-out kiss. “We’ll have to do it again sometime.”

“Indeed,” Talivar said coolly from the doorway. “Maybe next time you’ll invite me to the party.” The King strode in wearing dark jeans and a plaid button-down, his hair hanging loose. His gaze hardened
as it fell on me and a hot flush rushed over my face.

“I’d say I’m sorry,” Brystion drawled, his hand running over my shoulder possessively. “But I’m not.”

I pulled away from him, shame biting at my belly. “You’re not helping,” I snapped, pressing my palm to my forehead. “I’m sorry, Talivar. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“Right.” Pain flashed in Talivar’s face. “Get dressed and meet me out there. We have news to discuss.”

He whirled out of the bedroom, anger clinging to him like a shadow.

“Fuck.” I punched my pillow. “Fuck!”

“He doesn’t get to be upset, Abby. Your marriage is a sham, and he knows it.” Ion slid off the other side of the bed.

“That doesn’t mean what we did was right,” I said bitterly. “Your essence inside me or not . . . it was a dick move.”

“Oh, so now it’s my fault. Me and my daemonic essence.” He bristled, throwing on his shirt with a savage tug.

“That’s not what I said . . .”

“But it’s what you meant.” He shuffled into his pants. “Maybe instead of blaming everyone else for your issues you should look at yourself.” He thrust a finger at me. “I know damn well what it’s like to feel that hunger, but there’s an element of responsibility that rests on your shoulders.” His dark eyes fixed on me, something sad flashing in their depths. “You were looking for an excuse. Glad I could provide you with that.”