Only in Her Dreams

Table of Contents

Title Page
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Author's Notes
About the Author

Only In Her Dreams

The Oneroi: Book 1

By

Christina McKnight

Copyright © 2012 by Christina McKnight

All rights reserved.
ISBN: 0988261707

ISBN-13: 978-0-9882617-0-9

La Loma Elite Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

[email protected]

Dedication

To my Daughter and Husband,

who spent many nights and weekends at

home while I labored away.

To my Mom,

who pushed me to share my

stories with the world.

To my Dad,

who taught me life is too short and unpredictable to

wait for your dreams to come to you.

To Brandi and Becky,

who saved my tail more times than I can count.

I don’t need my glasses to know you are my friends.

Prologue

Darius trained his eyes on the intimidating figure before him. Death surely awaited him if he allowed his gaze to stray.

The imposing figure finally spoke, his voice echoed off the cavernous walls surrounding them. “It’s been twenty-two years! What progress have you made?”

“She’s hidden well, my lord. My men and I have searched long and hard but to no avail.” Darius bowed his head showing the reverence his lord expected, but his eyes continued to watch warily through his lowered lashes.

“I thought we had an agreement, Darius.”

“We do, but I need more time.” Beads of sweat formed on his brow.

“More time? I’m not a patient man.”

A chorus of mocking snickers from the surrounding lifeless souls rang out behind Darius.
Why can’t they keep their fucking mouths shut?

The Dark One had several millennia under his belt and Darius didn’t see how a few more years would change anything.

Darius lifted his head, hoping to convey his confidence in his own words. “I’ll contact my informant again. He may have some new information, a new trail to follow.”
I fucking doubt it, but I don’t have to tell him that.

“This is your last warning. Do not make me question your loyalty to me or my cause. If I don’t get what I want, neither will you.”

“Understood.”

# # #

A high-pitched melody pulled Lucessa from an all-too-familiar dream as her cell phone chimed with the latest pop song. Was it Britney or Beyonce? She couldn’t keep up with who was popular in music and who was yesterday’s news. Damn her boss, Julie, for always messing with her phone.

She rolled from the center of her bed to her nightstand, and grabbed the phone.
Who would call this early on a Saturday morning?
“Hello?”

“Mrs. Flynn?” the voice on the other side asked.

“Yes, that’s me.” She held the phone away from her ear to squint at the display, but the number read ‘private.’
That’s weird.
Who blocks their number nowadays?
Telemarketers still addressed her by her maiden name, Sarcona. It’d been almost a year since she’d married Greg, but she was still working on changing everything over to her new name. Silly, but she cherished any connection to her parents; one dead and the other’s mind slipping further away by the day.

“Madame?” the male voice inquired.

“This is Lucessa Flynn. How can I help you?”

“I am sorry about the time of this call, but I could not delay this matter a moment longer.” The accent sounded foreign to her. She heard a hint of a French influence, but it also held something else. “I am calling in regards to Gregory Flynn. You are listed as his kin,” the man paused, “Is this correct?”

Her palms began to sweat and her breathing quickened. “Yes, yes. That’s me. Who’s this?” Rubbing her eyes, she lowered her legs over the side of the bed, careful not to disturb her dog sleeping on the floor. Lucessa tried to keep the apprehension from her voice. “Is Greg okay?”

“I regret to inform you that your husband is on his way home to you.”

Her heart lifted. Lucessa had been juggling two jobs to pay the mortgage, student loans and other bills, while maintaining a historical home in an older part of town. And caring for a puppy. She told herself daily and sometimes hourly, only four more months. Only four more months.

“That’s wonderful news.” Had he decided to withdraw from the six-month internship program in Uganda? He was probably homesick, having never traveled outside of California, but she wished he hadn’t given up so quickly. After all, he only had a few more months to finish. God, she missed him so much though, and the thought of having him home made her giddy. But why didn’t he call me himself? “Can I speak with him?”

“I believe you misunderstood, Mrs. Flynn. I must apologize, English is my second language.”

Dread, cold and heavy, settled in the pit of Lucessa’s stomach, threatening to pull her to the floor.

“I am afraid that Mr. Flynn has passed away due to a malarial infection.”

“A malarial infection? That’s impossible! He’s a doctor. He got all the necessary vaccinations before he left. There must be a mistake.”

“I am sorry, Madame.”

Her body hit the floor next to her bed as reality took hold of her. Sobs escaped her throat.

The rest of the conversation passed in a haze as she gave herself over to the tears. Her hand trembled as she struggled to keep the phone pressed to her ear. Lucessa caught the gist. Greg’s body would arrive back in the states within the week, but it would be held in quarantine at the Center for Disease Control located in San Francisco. She remembered asking several questions before the call ended, but the man’s answers were either totally unrelated to her question or completely unhelpful.

No, the man didn’t know how Greg contracted malaria, but he suggested an unhealthy soul may be to blame.

No, the man didn’t know when Greg’s body would be released to her.

No, the man didn’t know how to contact the CDC.

Lucessa opened her eyes. Her forehead rested against the side of her bed. When had she hung up her cell phone? Had she dreamt the whole conversation? Her body was tense, her chest ached with emptiness.
My life is changing forever--again.

Chapter 1

“How should I take this?” Guy slapped the missive on the mahogany desk for Maxim to read.

Dearest Brother,

Your secret is revealed. I suggest you make amends sooner rather than later. Don’t make your sacrifice in vain.

Always your Humble Servant,

Darius

Maxim stared at his elder brother while they both paced the large chamber, his feet dragging on the plush rug underfoot. Maxim and Guy resembled each other only in their blue eyes; they differed greatly in every other way. Guy was thirty-five years older, and it showed in the lines on his face and slightly stooped shoulders
.

The stress of leading the Oneiroi seemed to have aged his immortal brother. He held the problems of both Erebos and Earth squarely on his shoulders. And Maxim’s twin, Darius, wasn’t making it any easier.

Guy stopped his pacing in front of the oversized fireplace and faced the warm fire that licked the logs with bright orange flames. The blazing embers cast a shadowy figure against the far wall, which gave it the appearance that another attended their private meeting.

Neither spoke, the pop and sizzle of the resin-rich wood echoed in Maxim’s mind a thousand times louder than an approaching army.

Images of his twin materialized to dance in his mind’s eye--their joined bedchambers as children, the school work they evaded to play soldiers in the field behind their father’s stables and the bond they shared as they’d aged. That had all changed as Darius matured. Darius began holding Maxim at arm’s length shortly before their father passed. Now, they were not only separated by distance but also by their loyalties. Heartache pulled at Maxim’s chest.

“What is he trying to pull?” Guy said quietly. He resumed pacing as his fur-lined coat caressed the ground. Guy’s brow creased in concentration.

The message had been left at the gates sometime during the early morning hours. Its messenger had escaped the notice of the compound patrols. Maxim had been immediately summoned to Guy’s study.
How had Darius returned to Erebos?
Maxim feared this day would come and the power struggle would begin anew.

“He’s ready to make his move,” Maxim said as he stopped his pacing. The current problem not only impacted Erebos, but also the fate of Earth itself, and in turn, of mankind. He waited for his brother to give the instruction to intercept the current threat and possibly give Darius a death sentence.

“Have they taken the girl?” Guy asked.

“As far as I am aware, they have not.”

“As far as you are aware?” Guy whirled on his brother, his coat flying out behind him and the back lit flames magnified his rage. “As my second in command--not only my brother--I assigned you the responsibility of keeping a close eye on her. Have you fallen short in your duties?”

The room had turned hot and unbearable around him. “I have watched over her in her dreams, as you asked.”

“That is good.”

Maxim could never chance losing his brother’s respect. He’d decided after the schism with Darius many years ago, to pledge allegiance to his newfound brother. He made the decision consciously, verbally, and willingly. It’s what his father would’ve wanted.

His father, had set in place many safeguards for Erebos and Earth before he passed. Maxim couldn’t betray his father’s wishes as Darius had. There were reasons behind every law his father, and his father before that, established. They kept the Oneiroi safe, and it allowed mankind to live out its own destiny.

“You will travel to Earth and watch over her. Darius cannot be allowed to get his hands on her,” Guy commanded.

“Brother, that is forbidden.” Shock infused Maxim’s voice. “That is why you banished Darius and the Melas Oneiroi in the first place.”

“Nothing I wish is forbidden!” Guy’s stooped shoulders straightened with resolve. The sound of his angry voice reverberated off the walls in the large room. “I have spoken and you’ll obey. We must do everything in our power to ensure her safety, else both our worlds will be in ruins. I cannot fathom a world where Darius and his men have free reign to move between worlds at will--with zero safeguards.”

“Of course. I look not to challenge your authority.” Maxim turned to leave his brother’s study, to prepare for his journey to Earth.
Will my skills to be enough to keep her safe?

# # #

Lucessa stared at her bed. It was time to sleep again, but it was getting harder to succumb to it. She started to think the day would never come when she could abandon herself to sleep without the feeling of being watched. Her dreams hadn’t been her own in such a long time.

He was always there. Never talking but always watching. Intently. As if he knew her. Security, even in sleep, eluded her.

She’d lost her father and her husband. Her mother was slipping away, battling a memory loss that was progressing daily. Her dreams were the only place she could remember a family, someone who cared. But
he
insisted on intruding. Every happy memory and every nightmare included his presence. Why did he always show up? How could she get rid of him?