Only in Her Dreams (25 page)

He preferred his women more like Sandy with a small, slim but firm body and large breasts as if made to topple her over. The blonde hair and green eyes only added to Sandy’s appeal.

His eyes moved to Sandy who sat next to him, just out of reach. She was obviously mad at him. He longed for her to look at him, see him. But her eyes followed Darius.
She slept with him!
Lust oozed from her every pore.

The next day or so was going to be hell.

Peeking at Lucessa from the corner of his eye, he noticed she also averted her gaze. She didn’t focus on any particular object. Her eyes held a faraway look.

Chapter 33

How things had changed. It was now Hera who viewed the scrying bowls, day and night--not that there was a night in Olympus. This feud was hurting more than the demigods she assumed. It now spilled over and jeopardized the women these men held close. “Unacceptable,” Hera muttered.

This madness must end...and now. She’d been forbidden to interfere in matters pertaining to the demigods, and she could not change any human’s destiny.
Fate is out of my control, but still there must be something I can do to prevent the impending tragedy.

“Adelle,” Hera called to her attending servant. “Please tell my lover that I request his presence.” She lowered herself to the pillows littering the floor. It would not do to look anxious or nervous. Zeus did not react kindly to a woman’s tender side. Concentrating, she relaxed the muscles in her face, hoping to portray passivity and disinterest.

Confident, solid footsteps echoed down the wide corridor of the palace. A lighter step hurried to keep pace with her oversized lord.

“She wishes your presence in the sun room.”

“Do you not think I know where my woman resides?”

Lovely, he is already on edge.
Hera arranged her skirts to cover her porcelain white ankles and leaned to the side, as if she hadn’t a care in the world. As if the weight of all womankind did not hang heavily around her neck. “My lover,” she whispered as Zeus entered the room.

Chapter 34

Maxim returned to Lucessa’s house to keep watch. At first glance, the household appeared settled in for the night. No lights shone through the front windows. He tried the front door. Locked.
Good sign.
His feet sounded on the hollow porch as he continued around to the gate leading into the backyard. The same gate Darius had stood by as he waited for his Melas to ransack Lucessa’s house. He was greeted by two large paws on his chest, nearly knocking him over when he slipped through the opening.

“Goosey, what are you doing out so late?” He scratched the dog behind the ear. Lucessa never left Goosey outside for longer than it took the dog to use the lawn. It was possible that Lucessa was awake and standing in the kitchen, waiting for Goosey to return to the back door. Maxim leaned against the side of the house and stuck his head out to look around the corner. The kitchen light was on, but no one waited for Goosey’s return.

Taking a chance no one was on the ground floor he went to the back door and tried the handle. Unlocked.
Not good.

He pushed the door wide. She’d be mad he was back, but he had to check on her. In his three days with her, Lucessa had never left Goosey outside unattended for more than a few minutes.

“Hello? Lucessa? Greg?” he called into the house. He didn’t want to surprise anyone and get a baseball bat to the head. Again.

The kitchen looked the same as when he left earlier, the dishes from dinner still sat in the sink. Goosey rushed in behind him and headed for the stairs.

“Is she up there, girl?” He crept up the stairs, not wishing to wake her if she’d fallen asleep. Her door and the door to the guest room stood open and empty, her bed looked slept in. A night lamp lay broken on the floor.

Maxim descended the stairs two at a time to the first floor, through the kitchen and into the living room. The couch was empty, too. Dread moved through his body, speeding up his heart rate. Her car was in the driveway.
Where in the hell is she?

One name and place came to mind. His twin had taken things too far. Maxim closed his eyes and concentrated on Darius last known “residence”.

He walked through the front yard of the dilapidated house and through the open doorway. Melas Oneiroi laid all over the front room; naked women, drug paraphernalia and empty bottles littered all available surfaces. Stepping over bodies, he made his way to the hallway. The door he sought stood open. There was no one inside.
I can’t keep covering for you!

He retreated to the front room in search of Alexander. His eyes scanned the room.

Grabbing the closest Melas, Maxim lifted him off the ground until they were face to face. “Where is Darius?”

The Melas showed hardly any reaction, no flinch or ‘what the hell’. Nothing. He was probably drugged out of his mind. But when he responded, his voice was slurred and a lazy smile crawled along his lips. “Aw, they left ‘bout two hours ago.”

“They? What do you mean ‘they’?” Maxim demanded, shaking the man to loosen his tongue.

“Darius, Alexander and a few others. Not Melas. One man and two women. Now let me be,” the man protested.

Maxim dropped him to the floor and rushed out of the house. Once outside, he closed his eyes and concentrated on thoughts of his twin. Opening his eyes, he still stood outside his brother’s hellhole.
What the...?

His body didn’t sense Darius at all. His twin wasn’t near.

Closing his eyes once again, he thought of Lucessa’s house. When he opened his eyes, he stood on the front porch, with Goosey barking on the other side of the door, her giant paws scratching.

He entered the house through the back door again. Everything looked the same. She hadn’t returned. The group who’d left with Darius and Alexander were Lucessa and Greg.

# # #

Maxim paced outside his brother’s study for the second time that night. Every time he brought Guy news, it became progressively worse. He still didn’t know why Darius was so interested in Lucessa. So she was Guy’s adopted daughter, but Guy wouldn’t jeopardize the whole of Erebos for the safety of one girl.
What advantage did this give Darius?

Strong arming Guy into handing Erebos over to him was ludicrous. Threatening Guy’s family would be punished by death, Maxim had no doubt. Darius didn’t know what he was getting himself into. He could still find Darius, and in the process, make sure Guy never found out.

Maxim raised his hand to knock but paused. Instead, he closed his eyes and returned to Lucessa’s house.
I can handle my twin without Guy’s interference.

# # #

The fire warmed the shack quickly and dispersed extra light into the corners of the room. Lucessa looked around. The floor was wooden and dusty, the kitchen crude. All the windows were boarded over. If she had to escape, the only way was through the front door. The same door Alexander guarded.

From her vantage point in the armchair, she could see everyone in the room. Sandy and Greg still sat on the couch--as far apart as they could get. Their eyes never met. Neither attempted conversation. But that wasn’t her problem.

She turned to Darius who sat at the kitchen table in the dark. “I’m hungry. Do you have anything to eat?” she asked.

Darius hadn’t moved in a while, and she thought he hadn’t heard her. Instead, Alexander stood and grabbed something out of one of the bags they’d lugged into the cabin.

“Here,” he said, tossing something small to her.

A granola bar landed on her lap. Peanut butter and chocolate chip...yummy.
This will tide me over for all of ten minutes.

“Can I get one too?” Sandy asked. Alexander tossed one her way and returned to his seat by the door.

“What’s up with him?” Lucessa pointed in Darius’s direction.

“He’s attempting to contact his older brother,” Alexander said.

His older brother? My father!
Part of her was elated. The other part never wanted to see the man who’d abandoned her and her mother, not because he’d died in an accident, but because Erebos was more important than his family. Not only that, but he ordered the mind wipe that had taken her mother from her.
How can I forgive a man who is responsible for all this?
She didn’t care about Erebos or that he was the leader of some ancient mythological order.

These thoughts only made Lucessa worry about her mother, sitting in the care home, alone. If she failed to help Darius achieve his goal, would he go after her mom next? She couldn’t think of that now.

If Lucessa wasn’t able to get away by tomorrow, she’d miss her visit with her mother. She’d never missed a visit, not in all these years. One time, about four years ago, she’d driven in the middle of a downpour complete with lightning and thunder to visit her mother on her regular day. She always envisioned that today would be the day her mother remembered her and she couldn’t miss that.

She leaned against the back of the armchair, ripped open her granola bar and ate it quickly. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten.

Again, her mind wandered to her present situation. She couldn’t count on her father to help. She wasn’t important enough to jeopardize his responsibilities in Erebos and the Oneiroi. A part of her understood the burden of responsibility her father felt, but she’d also like to be important to him.

The last thing she remembered seeing was Sandy dozing off on the couch, her head lying against Greg’s shoulder, unknown to the sleeping woman. Greg stared off at nothing. Lucessa felt her eye lids droop low.

Chapter 35

She snuggled in for a good night’s sleep in preparation for tomorrows ski trip.

The sound of breaking glass and a male grunt caused her to jump out of bed. He’d come for her again. She’d been running ever since--through the darkness and snow. Her whole body hurt, but she pushed on.

Snow covered her bare feet as she ran for her life. The man was gaining on her. She heard his breathing, his heavy footsteps and his frequent cursing. Her familiarity with the area wouldn’t guarantee her survival.

Her breath came out in ragged gasps. Her bare legs under her night dress were cut and bleeding as she made her way through the forested area. Branches scraped and scratched her arms, their needles coming away blood soaked. She glanced down at the snow-packed earth. Her blood left a trail for the man to follow. Her bloody feet slipped and slid as if she ice skated across the snow.

He screamed her name, “Lucessa! Lucessa!”

Fear coursed through her body and she pushed forward. The familiar was starting to disappear. She’d never explored this far beyond her family’s cabin. The trees became denser, obscuring her view of the area in front of her.

Cold air nipped at her face, numbing her nose and ears. If the branches tore at her face, she didn’t feel it. She squeezed between two trees, spotting dense underbrush to her left. She dove behind the cover, hoping to calm her erratic heartbeat.

“Lucessa! Lucessa!” the man shouted, as she crouched safely out of view. Would her bloody trail give away her hiding spot?

A booted foot landed a few feet from where she hid. Her hand clasped across her mouth to mute the sound of her heavy breathing.

“Lucessa.” The foot continued away from her, leaving her to listen to the man’s receding shouts.

The shouts ceased. She waited for what seemed like an eternity. She rose from the freezing earth and looked around to judge her location. The pine trees were so thick she couldn’t see very far in any direction. They blocked her view of the moon. The hard packed snow made following her footsteps impossible. Looking around, she saw her trail of blood clinging to pine needles and droplets splayed in the snow.

Her breathing calmed. She knew she had to move, despite her body’s protests. She started to retrace her trail of red. She moved as quietly as possible. Her ripped night dress hung from her battered body, but she was too frozen to feel the cold seeping through the material or cuts that laced her body.

“There you are.” The gravelly voice, familiar but unsettling, spoke softly in her ear.

The gasp that escaped her cracked, swollen lips echoed in her ears. She ran fast, but she knew he would follow.

# # #

What’s going on?
He’d been unable to sense his brother. And now, he couldn’t make contact with Lucessa. The pain of watching her run while trees and underbrush marred her delicate skin broke his heart. He understood her feelings were magnified in dream form--the happy moments multiplied by ten--but her fears were also intensified. He wished he could take back all that he’d done, the pain he’d caused her, but that was impossible without wiping her mind. The consequences of this option loomed and he contemplated other alternatives.
I’ve made a mess of everything.

He had to locate her. Talking to her in her dream had been a complete disaster. She no longer trusted him and he couldn’t blame her.

His only option was to wait. Darius wouldn’t delay long in making his demands.
If my twin harms her, he will have me to deal with.
Maxim was tired of protecting everyone. There was only one person he wanted to protect now.
Lucessa.

Once he had her back, he wouldn’t waste any time or create any more regrets, and he’d let her know exactly how he felt. He would no longer be the helpless pawn in the war between his brothers.

# # #

Guy stood in the doorway and watched her as she peered out the window, into the garden below. Her gaze settled on nothing, flitting from one side of the garden to the other. She was still as beautiful as the day they’d met, her mahogany hair flowing down her back, untamed and wild.