The Knight of Her Dreams (Dragons and Dreamphasers) (44 page)

Ever a renegade, the
dark-haired man bore a most striking resemblance to Buddy.  Thanks to his
shared looks to the guardian angel, Dual often took great amusement in
attempting to fool Jarissa into mistaking one for the other.  Not to mention
the fact that he’d made many attempts to seduce her away from Buddy, although
she’d once claimed she’d rather return to the Guardian realm permanently than
do that.

Not very flattering to say
the least!

One of the most apt and
notorious dreamphasers on Chavernos, Dual easily used his powers to gain access
to the party the night before.  His trait for granting nightmares to his
enemies, his persuasive ability for corrupting innocents, not to mention his
assassin missions, had earned him a dark reputation among all but the baser
inhabitants of Barokka.  So it wasn’t surprising why his presence affected many
in Lost Limbo quite negatively.

Not only in Buddy’s case,
but especially Dominick’s.  Many times, the latter had avenged those that Dual
had wronged, usually amongst the females, also disrupting many of his other
dark plans over the years.  One time, he’d even rescued Jarissa from Dual’s
dark intentions, his constant opposition only fueling their bitter enmity.

And now there was the added
incident of the map.

Just thinking of the truth
he’d learned from Alarius, Dual was determined to get back at his longstanding
enemy yet again, but only when
he
deemed it a suitable time.

Turning to catch sight of
the trio at the bar, a slow smile spread across his face.  Sitting down at an
adjacent table, he then turned his back to them in order to converse with his
own friends.  Dominick and the others realized full well that he could easily
eavesdrop, but all silently recognized that Dual was a difficult slime to get
rid of.

“It’s been months since he
last came here,” Zantarl quietly told the pair.  “I wonder why he’s decided to
foist his presence upon us this time.”

“Let’s hope it’s a very
short visit,” murmured Dominick.  “Of all the times when I don’t want to deal
with him, it’s now, with word of my engagement circulating about.”

“I wish I could have been
there last night to hear it firsthand, son,” Zantarl replied with a sad smile. 
“But alas, a dreamphaser I’m not.  The best I can hope for is that one day
you’ll find a way to bring your bride here, so I can meet her at your wedding.”

“A hope we share, believe
me.”

“Any word from the folks
yet?” asked Riff.

“No,” sighed Dominick. 
“But unfortunately, there
has
been word from Julianna’s
ex-boyfriend.  His name’s Roger Collins, and she used to have strong feelings for
him since they met as teenagers.”

“Really?  Well then, are
you sure she wouldn’t go back to…”

“No,” Dominick interrupted
adamantly.  “He’s hurt her badly emotionally, fooling around with another woman
as retaliation when she didn’t want to sleep with him, and she wants nothing
more to do with him.  The problem is, now that Julianna and I are happy
together, that bastard’s decided that he’s
sorry
for the way he
treated her and wants another chance.  She doesn’t want to give him one, but it
seems he refuses to leave her alone.  He keeps calling her.”

“And you’re sure she
harbors no old feelings for him?”

Dominick considered this
silently, his mind playing back the memories of their time together.  Over the
past few weeks, Julianna had only mentioned Roger in passing, regarding his
bothering her.  Dominick had asked her how she felt about this, and she firmly
stated that she’d sooner become a nun than have Roger so much as touch her
now.  The conjured image had been so amusing to both, considering their nightly
encounters lately, that they were soon overcome with mutual laughter.  After
that, they’d used the remaining hours of the night to remove any notions of her
setting down the celibate road.

“After all the time we’ve
spent together, I’d swear that she doesn’t.”  The unfocused, nearly absent look
in Dominick’s eyes confirmed that he was once more lost to those memories,
earning a knowing smirk from Riff.

“Considering your probable
notions of a never-ending honeymoon with Julianna, if you bring her to our world,
Chaos should have no problem getting those great-grandkids he wants so badly. 
If not for the impossibility of having kids in the dream-state, I’m sure I and
everyone else would wonder if you didn’t
have
to marry her by
now...”

Dominick elbowed him sharply
in the ribs, only bringing forth soft laughter from his endlessly joking
brother.  Inwardly he knew that this side of Riff’s humor was harmless, and
that he only did it to annoy him, but it was often difficult to remember this
all the time.

From where he sat, Dual
grinned at what he’d just overheard.  So that tempting morsel Julianna had
another admirer on her homeworld, did she?  And someone she’d known for years. 
Dominick must surely be
thrilled
by that knowledge!
he thought. 
It certainly brought him no little amusement to hear of his enemy’s problems,
to provide for what might otherwise be a rather uneventful visit.

Come to think of it, why
not add to the amusement?
he decided, getting up to walk over to the bar
counter.  The three men looked up at him suspiciously, but said nothing.

“Zantarl, get me something
with a little kick in it,” he said nonchalantly.

“I’d like to give him a
kick...” murmured Dominick, quickly calmed by his attentive brother.

Feigning surprise, Dual
turned to his frowning adversary and grinned again.  “Ah, by the dreams of
night, if it isn’t Dominick of the Westbrooke brothers.  It would seem those
nightmare beasts I sent after you a few months ago haven’t roughed you up any
worse for the wear.”

“Nor has one managed to
rearrange your sick attitude,” hissed Riff, locking angry gazes with him for a
moment before Dual gave his annoying smile again.  If nothing else, both
brothers shared the same hatred of him.

As if he’d disappeared,
Dual returned his attention to Dominick, who was doing his best to ignore him. 
“So how has your sweet betrothed Julianna been lately?  Still as lovely as she
was at the announcement of your engagement the other night?”  As expected,
Dominick’s head spun around to face him.

“Keep your filthy thoughts from
my fiancée,” he growled in warning.  “She’s done nothing to you, so leave her
alone.”

“And why would I wish to
harm her?” he laughed.  “I found her to be a most enjoyable companion that
evening.”

Dominick nearly jumped out
of his chair, stopped only by Riff and Zantarl on either side of him.  “Liar. 
She was with
me
that night!”

“Not when she ran away from
you, remember?  A most remarkably beautiful woman when one sees her in the
proper light.  Long auburn hair that curls most enticingly around her, brown
eyes that sparkle in the light, soft skin just made to be touched...”

Not a dreamphaser to be
held back when provoked, Dominick pulled free of the rest to connect a direct
hit on Dual’s jaw, knocking him into another table.  Giving a lopsided
malicious grin, Dual was up in moments, scoring a few punches against his
enemy.  About evenly matched, Dominick’s anger gave him a slight edge though,
and with a sharp jab to the stomach, Dual was finally downed.

Glancing up with a bleeding
mouth, his eyes shot fire as he pointed a menacing finger towards Dominick. 
“You’ve just made a big mistake, Westbrooke,” he hissed.  “Up until now, I only
chatted with your precious Julianna.  But no more... because now I finally know
how to strike where you’ll feel it in your guts forever.  You’d just better
watch your back, my not-so-wise enemy... and
hers
!”

Dominick’s own expression
darkened warningly.  “If you touch her, Dual, there won’t be a grave deep
enough to hold all the pieces I’ll break you into!”

Before he could step
forward again, Zantarl gripped his shoulders, turning an ominous look to Dual. 
“You’ve been warned.  Now you’d better leave, lest I decide to press charges
for your brawling in here like a madman.”

Dual was about to protest,
but then thought better of it.  “Clever, Zantarl, considering he was the
instigator.  But I have other sport to plan, so I’ll let it go this time.” 
Shooting a last meaningful glance at his enemy, Dual added, “By demon’s teeth,
it’s not over yet between us, Westbrooke.  Not to mention, your supposed
bride-to-be.  Enjoy having her all to yourself while you can, because it won’t
be for long.”  In moments, he’d departed.

“I should kill him,” hissed
Dominick.

“And be forced behind iron
bars where you’ll have even less chance of spending your life with Julianna?”
Zantarl asked firmly.  “No, son, I think not.  Better you forget this meeting
with that black-tongued demon and simply look forward to your wedding.  His
barbs will probably lose their poison by the end of this day.”

Slowly, Dominick shook his
head.  “I’m afraid Dual doesn’t operate that way, Zan,” he said knowingly. 
“But so help me, he’d better think twice about bothering Julianna.  Because if
he ever touches her, then threats of jail will be a minor penalty for bringing
his miserable life to an end.”

He never noticed the pair
who appeared behind him, faces grim.

*****

Last night’s bridal shower
in the dream-state—due to Dominick’s thoughtful friends—had been quite a
surprise to Julianna.  Having expected to be with her fiancé, she’d instead
found herself in another location with Kiri and the gals, who quickly explained
that although they couldn’t give her the typical bridal shower presents until
she came to Chavernos, they could certainly get a head-start on the party
itself.  In the meantime, they mentioned that Dominick was being similarly
thrown a bachelor party by the guys.

That last met with some
concern from her, knowing all too well what could go on at those parties on
Earth, and what was no doubt the same regarding dreamphasers in the
dream-state!

“You’re absolutely right,”
agreed Kiri, folding her arms.  “Men and their bachelor parties... why, if I
ever decided to get married—especially if it was to Riff—I’d show up as a
dancing girl at his bachelor party and
really
give him something
to stare at!”

“No doubt wielding an axe,”
murmured Psych.

“Or a spiked mace,” added
Jarissa.

“Gals, gals, hold on,”
interrupted Kiri, resting a sisterly arm around Julianna’s shoulder.  “Now I
think we’re all unanimous on our opinions about the men and their bachelor
party, but we’re not going to let our little bride-to-be spend the night
worrying about it, are we?”  There was a chorus of negation from the pair,
earning a broad smile from Kiri.  “Good!” she said, turning to Julianna
cheerfully.  “We’ll show those men that they don’t bother us with their
shenanigans.”

“Fine by me,” she decided
with a smile.  Inwardly, their soothing words were nothing less than Julianna
expected from her newfound friends.

What she
hadn’t
expected was their plans for her bridal shower.

Moments later, the lights
dimmed around them, earning her curiosity.  No doubt a show of some sort, she
thought, just before realizing what
kind
it was.  As stage lights
came on, several very handsome—very stripping—men appeared who won the cheers
and applause of the many other observing women.

For long minutes, Julianna
could only gape, eyes wide, until she suddenly heard Jarissa shout, “Over here,
honey!  This one’s planning on getting married soon!”

Whirling to face her, she
said in a piercing whisper, “Jarissa, what are you doing?”

The latter merely grinned
conspiratorially as one of the men jumped from the newly lit stage to stride
over to their table.  Julianna turned towards him slowly, feeling her face
blush crimson.  He looked very much like any other handsome brown-haired,
blue-eyed muscle man, differing only by the aspect of his being garbed in
minimal attire.

“So you’re the gal
Westbrooke’s marrying, are you?” he said jovially, earning a silent nod from
her.  “He chose well, ma’am.  You’re a beauty indeed.”

“Th-thank you,” she gasped
out, trying hard to keep her eyes strictly on his face.

“And since the groom seems
to be elsewhere at the moment, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to get in a little
dance time with the bride.”  Before she could say a word in negation, he swept
her up in his arms as lightly as a feather, carrying her towards the stage. 
“Come on, sweetie, smile,” he encouraged.  “This is your night.”

“N-no, really,” she
protested futilely.  “I-I’m not used to this sort of thing.  One of the
others...”

He shushed her quickly,
whispering in her ear, “Don’t worry, my lady.  Your future husband understands
the gals you’re with, and being a good friend of his, I’ll make sure these guys
stay in line.”  At her hesitancy, he added, “If it’ll cheer your mood any, he’s
sent a message that he loves you alone, and that he has no desire to seek the
company of the females brought to his bachelor party.”