Hunted Dreams by Elle Hill

opened his mouth for her. Their tongues met, damp breaths mingling. They tilted their heads to gain better access. Her breath came hot and fast.
    “You don’t strike me as the granny panty type,” he breathed against her mouth, then playfully nipped her lower lip.
    Katana laughed and moved a hand to her hip. Sure enough, she felt sturdy cotton under her fingertips.
    “I’m very sensible,” she said, and kissed the slight indentation in his chin. His beard stubble rasped against her tender lips. She grabbed him by the shoulders and drew him backward, toward the bed.
    “Not the word I’d use right now,” he growled, and kissed her so fiercely she forgot all about the bed, about walking, even about that inconvenient breathing thing. Reed slipped his hands down the back of her panties. The rough warmth of his hands tingled against the curves of her buttocks.
    She put her hands on his face, thumbs stroking his cheekbones, his temples, his eyebrows. She cupped his cheek with her left hand, and he turned his face to kiss her palm. Her legs parted in another step backward, and one of his slipped in between. She pressed herself against his thigh. One of his hands cupped the heavy weight of her breast. It felt hot, dry, and right .
    The tinny sound of hangers colliding drew them apart.
    Katana jumped and Reed lifted his head.
    “What was that?” he asked her thickly.
    Looking up at his handsome, flushed face with its broad features, she felt a weary, and all-too-familiar, mixture of fear and anger. Teeth gritting, eyes burning, she took a deep breath. Her hand still on his face, she said, “It’s come for us.” She looked at the closet door, which had unfolded back into its original configuration.
    Reed tilted his head. His breath hadn’t yet returned to normal. “Then stop it,” he said.
    Katana stepped backward until her hand dropped from his face and she could no longer smell him. Her nostrils flared. “I’d love to do that. Tell me how, Reed.”
    “This is your world.”
    “But you’re here to help me,” she insisted.
    He stared at her, and then walked to her and brushed a strand of hair behind her shoulder. He stroked down her shoulder until he came to her hand, which he grasped. “Okay,” he said. “Then let’s go look in the closet.”
    After a long moment, Katana nodded. Releasing her hand, Reed retrieved her nightgown and handed her the sword. She nodded her thanks and even managed a slight smile while dressing.
    They walked, side-by-side, to the closet door. All was quiet within. Katana stood before it for a few heartbeats before extending a hand to the fake doorknob.
    “If I don’t see you for a while,” she all but whispered, not meeting his eyes, “thank you.”
    Reed laid a hand on her shoulder.
    Katana inhaled, held her breath for a few seconds, and then snapped open the closet door on her exhale.
    Nothing. She poked a tentative hand inside the closet but encountered only sweaters and dresses. Slowly, she drew the closet door closed.
    “It’s gone,” she breathed.
    She heard Reed draw in a breath. “Well, it has shitty timing,” he remarked.
    She turned to him in surprise and found a small smile on his face. Laughing, she grabbed his hand and drew him toward the bed. When he raised his eyebrows, she grinned. “It’s the comfiest place to talk.”
    They sank down on the bed, she near the headboard, he in the middle. To her surprise, he spoke first.
    “Katana,” he said, “I know this is hard to wrap yourself around, but I’m a real person. I have a life, I get up in the morning, I work, I—well, lately I interact with some wack jobs. I only see you when I sleep.”
    She considered his words for a minute, all the while chewing the inside of her lip. “Of course you think that. I probably created you with a whole set of memories.”
    He opened his mouth, closed it, and then chuckled. “Good point,” he acknowledged. “I don’t know what to say except I know I’m my own