The Knight of Her Dreams (Dragons and Dreamphasers) (28 page)

“Then what’s the delay?”

Not one to ignore a challenge, Julianna strode
forward, yet stopped at the water’s edge to tentatively dip her foot within. 
Dominick’s words were true.  The waters were like those in a heated swimming
pool.  And despite the silvery appearance, the water droplets were crystal
clear against her foot as she looked down upon it... just before a large splash
of water soaked her, bringing a startled scream from her.

“This year, Julianna,” laughed Dominick.

“Oh, you’ll pay for that, dreamphaser!” she
replied with a smirk, splashing him back and drenching him completely.  As he
brushed his eyes clear, Dominick strode forward with a grin, picking her up while
she was lost to her own laughter.

“You’re all washed up, my dear lady.  Or soon
will be,” he chuckled, carrying her towards the deeper water.

She gave a mock display of protest, while he
asked her what she’d be willing to do in exchange for his placing her back on
the dry sands again.  Some of her suggestions certainly seemed tempting enough!
he thought, just before he tripped—truly by accident—dumping them headfirst
into the waters.

They both reemerged laughing, just before they
continued a playful contest of splashes.  One that was abruptly dismissed
shortly afterwards when Dominick picked up his opponent and began kissing her. 
Fortunately, she could stand here, although only her head and shoulders were
visible, unlike Dominick who was taller.

Despite the aspect of water, it didn’t deter
certain desires in the dream-state, so in no time, the pair ended up
skinny-dipping after all.  Inwardly, Julianna had doubts about his intentions. 
After all, weren’t they running the risk of drowning?

As usual, Dominick’s persuasive confidence won
out as he pulled her close, caressing her thoroughly beneath the waters, while
kissing her thoroughly above them.  Not certain what to expect, she let him
take the lead, putting her arms about his neck to kiss him back.

“My sweet Julianna...” he murmured, smoothing her
wet hair back against her forehead as he continued to kiss her hungrily.

She responded eagerly, even as he abruptly lifted
her from the ocean floor, so he could reach her neck and the softness of her
breasts without being hindered by the water.  Helpless in his arms, she arched
back and gasped, hearing as well as feeling him laugh in a seductively knowing
voice against her bare skin.  She decided it was a good thing it was dark out,
so her newly flushed face wasn’t so apparent.

He lowered her to kiss her mouth again, erasing
any discomforting thoughts she might have felt.  Even with the water all around
them, Julianna was very conscious of the sensations her body felt as it slid
down along his.

Apparently, he felt it too.

“By Chavernos,” he groaned against her mouth.  “I
can see how mermaids like you might entice a man to risk drowning for them.”

“I’d rather have the enticement without the
drowning, thank you very much,” she laughed.

“Even if it’s merely a drowning in passion rather
than water?”

“Mmmm, now
that
sounds tempting.”

He gave a low chuckle against her cheek.  “Then
allow me to show you, my beautiful mermaid.”

After a few more kisses, such playful teasing
became more serious, as he lifted her again to follow through on his words. 
She caught on instantly, keeping her arms about his neck as her legs hugged him
most affectionately.  Even more when Dominick’s hands supported her as he
skillfully joined them underwater, earning a gasp of delight from her, and warm
agreement from him.

They moved together as smoothly as the ocean
waves, their voices blending softly as they did.

Spurred on by their passion, the pair allowed
their desire to carry them through a whirlwind sea of emotions.  When they
soared over the final crest, she murmured Dominick’s name, complementing his
ecstatic reply.

Still clasping him to her, Julianna’s head fell
forward against his shoulder, tired again but blissful as she felt him kiss her
neck and whisper endearments that she couldn’t quite hear.  The tenderness
there was enough, she decided, still feeling a bit dazed as he shifted her in
his arms slightly to carry her from the waters.

To her surprise, she glanced down to see them
garbed in their swimsuits again. 
How on Earth does he keep doing that?
she wondered absently.

As he knelt to place her gently on the sands,
settling down beside her, while continuing to hold her close, Julianna felt
such a wave of contentment and happiness flood through her, she decided to
finally tell him of her feelings.  Regardless of the outcome, at least she’d
always have tonight to hold onto with fond remembrance.

“Dominick...”

“Shhh,” he interrupted, placing a finger against
her lips.  “Before you say a word, I wish to continue our earlier conversation
regarding what I said about being unsure of our relationship as it stands now. 
Julianna, after tonight, I’m even more convinced of this, since it seems to
have gotten so... well, out-of-control very quickly and unexpectedly.”

Her love-filled heart now felt close to
shattering, and she could only pray he wouldn’t notice the shudder that tore
through her.  He was about to sunder their relationship, and here she’d been
about to tell him that she loved him.

Again, I’m a fool!
her mind mocked her.

“I understand,” she told him softly.

Dominick stared at her in surprise.  “You do?”

“Yes,” she whispered.  “Will you leave now, or
wait until this dream ends?”  As his eyes widened silently, she bit her lip and
continued.  “I’d prefer it if you wouldn’t mind waiting, since I’ll certainly
miss you in the future.  Unless... maybe it would be better for you to just
leave now, and break things off quickly.”

“No,” he interrupted.

“No, meaning you’ll stay until I wake up?” she
asked hopefully.

He shook his head.  “I meant no, as in I don’t
want to lose you at all,” he said seriously.  “Julianna, I don’t know where you
got the idea that I wanted to leave you after tonight, but I can assure you I
don’t.  I happen to love you, my little temptress, and if you think I’m just
going to sit back and let you share our intimacies with some other oaf like
Roger Collins, then you’re out of your pretty little mind!”

“You what?” she gasped, her heart nearly stopping
in anxious anticipation.

“You heard me, Julianna.  I won’t allow another
to...”

“No,” she interrupted.  “Before that.  When you
called me a temptress, you said that you...”

“That I love you?” he asked gently, earning a
silent nod.  His expression softened with a smile.  “Yes.  I love you, Julianna
Sherborne,” he murmured, kissing her tenderly.  “And of course I want to keep
seeing you, whether for long chats, candle lit dinners, or anything else.”

“For how long?” she ventured.

Dominick’s eyes held hers.  “Indefinitely,” he
whispered.  “I wish to see you night after night.”  His elation was soon
dampened upon seeing tears in his companion’s eyes.  “Julianna?  What have I
said to upset you now?  I thought...”

“No, no,” she laughed, brushing her eyes clear. 
“I’m not upset; it’s just the opposite.  You see, that’s what I wanted to tell
you before.  I love you too.”

After a brief pause, Dominick echoed her
laughter, pulling her close to kiss her cheek.  “I think it’s safe to say we
deserve each other,” he told her, noting thankfully that her shining eyes were
happy again.  He reached forward to clasp her hands, kissing them quickly.  “My
lady, this night is only the beginning.  I promise I’m going to make all our
future evenings as wonderful as this one.”

Tears blurred her vision again, although her
smile shone through them.  “How could any evening be other than wonderful as
long as you’re with me?” she whispered.

In response, he embraced her again, rocking her
gently in his arms as he gestured for the music to play softly again, both
content with the revelation of their shared love.  Dominick knew it would
surely cause its own problems, and his grandfather would never understand.  But
despite his daytime separations from Julianna that loomed before him, he could
only see that a few hours with her each night would be more precious to him
than all the fulltime availability of any woman Chaos might prefer for him,
including Sionne.

When daybreak prepared to separate the lovers
again with its disturbing inevitability, it no longer mattered to the pair. 
Even as they kissed with a familiar desperate longing, feeling themselves
gradually losing touch with each other, they knew it would only be a brief
separation until the morrow would reunite them.  The truth of their love
remained strength enough until then.

Gone were any other worries.

“Gone?” Dual snarled, the next morning.  “What do
you mean he’s
gone
?”  The man beside him fumbled at an attempt to
reply, and the angry dreamphaser gave him a quick shake.  “You were told to
keep him here!”

“I-I didn’t know he’d sneak out in the middle of
the night,” stammered the innkeeper.  “I posted a man at the door.”

“But not the window,” drawled Quell, gesturing
towards the telltale breeze whooshing through a pair of swinging shutters.
“I’ll say this for Alarius; he’s certainly got more guts than I pegged him
for.”

“And more stupidity,” hissed Dual, tossing the
innkeeper to the floor roughly.  Glaring at the cowering man, he added
maliciously, “You’re lucky I’m not in the mood to kill
you
for
that same offense, you spineless idiot.  Now get out of my sight before I
change my mind!”  The innkeeper gave a quick nod and vanished, leaving Quell
chuckling in his absence.  Dual wasn’t pleased.  “Listen to your name and
quell
your amusement, so we can deal with the matter at hand.”

“Alarius?  Be serious, Dual. 
He’s a desperate man, but he can’t have gotten far.”

The dreamphaser sneered.  “You’re
as foolish as he is if you believe that.  An elf in hiding could take days or
even weeks to uncover.”

“Foolish is the way you decided
to handle this whole affair,” replied Quell.  “By the netherworld, we should
have just reasoned with Alarius and paid what he needs in exchange for that
damned map.  He’s no doubt gone to find the treasure immediately, and after
that, he’ll probably have words with Dominick, and...”

“Quiet!” thundered Dual, his gray eyes nearly
glowing red.  “It seems to matter little to you that the map was
mine
,
before that accursed dreamphaser stole it out from under me to give to his
simpleminded friend who’s just escaped with it.  Alarius has no
right
to those treasures!”

As expected, Quell deemed it best
not to comment further, knowing the dark dreamphaser’s mind was closed once
more to the merits of reasoning.

Reasoning!
Dual sneered, as he often did with this subject.  When had that
approach ever proven useful?  Ever since he was a child, Dual had developed a
dislike against such foolishness, remembering how the tactic hadn’t helped his
prematurely deceased mother.

She’d been killed by his late father’s hand.

Not too surprising, since the man that sired him
had been part demon himself, not to mention a corrupt and well-known assassin
among the darker inhabitants of Chavernos.  His mother, while by no means a
saint, hadn’t deserved what transpired over the years any more than her son
did.  Formerly a chorus girl in a tavern, she became enamored of the handsome
dark-eyed assassin who frequented the place due to an admiration of her equally
appealing form.

To the surprise of everyone, he married her.

To no one’s surprise, six months later, Dual was
born.

Over the next several years, constant fights
escalated within that stormy household.  Dual’s father made no secret of his
many affairs with other women during missions to rid clients of ‘unwanted’
disturbances.  To this end, his wife made frequent attempts to reason with him,
asking him to refrain from all of this, meeting with no long-term success.

Finally, her anger boiled over one night,
threatening her husband that she’d have an affair herself, since
he
wasn’t being faithful.  Shouting that he’d kill her if she did, his father
nearly beat her senseless that night.

Dual had been four years old when he accidentally
witnessed the whole scene from the nearby staircase.

And then his father noticed him.

The boy, young as he was, could only see his
mother curled up in pain, crying out as he ran towards her.  When his father
attempted to grab his arm, Dual began to beat his little fists against him
angrily, not seeing the anger forming in the elder one’s eyes.  His mother did
see it, and out of maternal instinct, tried to hold back her violent husband
from venting his anger on the child.  She failed, as with one blow, he rendered
her unconscious.

Dual never forgot the beating he’d received from
the man’s hands that night, nor the many that followed over the next several
years.  After that night, his mother lived in fear, her husband threatening
each night to come after them should they attempt to leave.  Despite the
weakened spirit his mother had been beaten into, the boy still loved her,
promising to find a way to free them both one day.