too.”
“I’m sick of fucking.”
Connor stilled, staring at him in obvious stupefaction. “Who are you, and what have you done with my best friend?”
Aidan’s laugh was harsh. “You know me, Bruce. Would I put anyone at risk without a damn good reason?”
“Men aren’t the same when they’re pussy-whipped. You know that. You’ve seen it.”
Walking to the end of the porch, Aidan set his hands on the wooden rail and watched as the sky grew lighter. Tick tock. He hadn’t yet bathed, and the scent of hard sex clung to his skin. It riled everything primitive within him, while thrusting home how unique Lyssa’s appeal to himwas. Their time together was not something to be washed away and forgotten.
“Look around,” Aidan said, his gaze moving over the rolling mountain view. “None of this is real. It’s all an illusion to keep us sane in this conduit.”
“And you think what you have with this Dreamer is ‘real’?” Connor snorted. “It’s a dream , Cross. It’s all in your head. You’ve never touched her, kissed her, fucked her. You’re living in two different worlds. This , at least, is filled with people you know are ‘real.’”
How could he explain? How could he put into words how Lyssa’s dream touch was so much more alive to him than another Guardian’s?
“She’s a veterinarian.” Aidan faced his friend. “She has a way with animals and wounded souls. She loves pasta, especially when it’s served with cream sauce and sun-dried tomatoes. She drives too fast and gets a lot of tickets, but she doesn’t mind. ‘You only live once.’ That’s her motto. She loves the beach and margaritas, and looks sexy as hell in a bikini. She’s dating a guy named Chad and she likes him, but it’s me she wants.” The last made him smile.
Connor sank to sit on the top step and dropped his blond head in his hands. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because she’s not just a Dreamer, she’s real. And when I’m with her, I feel real.”
Blowing out a frustrated breath, Connor asked, “What will you do? It’s not as if you can pull her from her slipstream and hide her.”
Aidan rested his hip against the rail and crossed his arms. “I have to keep Lyssa from entering the Twilight.”
“How the fuck…?” Scowling, Connor shot to his feet.“No way! No way in hell. You don’t even know how the Elders created the fissure the first time.”
“They know. It’s not as if I have a choice. I don’t have enough time to do anything productive here. On the Outside, I can—”
“You can what? The answers you need are in here, not out there.”
“Yes,” Aidan said quietly. “That’s true.”
Connor’s eyes widened. “You want to drag me into this?”
“I’m not asking you for anything. Except your discretion. But if you’re feeling altruistic and decide to help me, I won’t refuse.”
“Cut the crap.” Connor shot him a scathing sidelong glance. “I’ve always been your second. Damned if I’ll stop now. Then it would be my fuckup instead of yours. And this …This, my friend, is all you.”
Aidan’s mouth curved with a grateful smile.
Descending the three short steps to the front lawn, Connor began prowling in obvious frustration. He moved with a warrior’s grace, despite his massive size, the weight of which compressed the grass beneath his feet and left a trail in his wake. “What do you need me to do?”
“After I leave, find a way into the Temple of the Elders and access the database. See if you can find a way to bring me back. I’ve got an idea that will allow me to work on this while I’m gone, but you’re right. Most of what I’ll need will be here.”
“What’s your plan for how you’re going to reach your Dreamer?”
“It’s a poor plan, but it’s the only one I’ve got.”
“Are you going to tell me what it is?”
“Well, I imagine I’ll just grab an Elder and hold him hostage until he tells me what I need to do.”
Connor jerked to
“I’m sick of fucking.”
Connor stilled, staring at him in obvious stupefaction. “Who are you, and what have you done with my best friend?”
Aidan’s laugh was harsh. “You know me, Bruce. Would I put anyone at risk without a damn good reason?”
“Men aren’t the same when they’re pussy-whipped. You know that. You’ve seen it.”
Walking to the end of the porch, Aidan set his hands on the wooden rail and watched as the sky grew lighter. Tick tock. He hadn’t yet bathed, and the scent of hard sex clung to his skin. It riled everything primitive within him, while thrusting home how unique Lyssa’s appeal to himwas. Their time together was not something to be washed away and forgotten.
“Look around,” Aidan said, his gaze moving over the rolling mountain view. “None of this is real. It’s all an illusion to keep us sane in this conduit.”
“And you think what you have with this Dreamer is ‘real’?” Connor snorted. “It’s a dream , Cross. It’s all in your head. You’ve never touched her, kissed her, fucked her. You’re living in two different worlds. This , at least, is filled with people you know are ‘real.’”
How could he explain? How could he put into words how Lyssa’s dream touch was so much more alive to him than another Guardian’s?
“She’s a veterinarian.” Aidan faced his friend. “She has a way with animals and wounded souls. She loves pasta, especially when it’s served with cream sauce and sun-dried tomatoes. She drives too fast and gets a lot of tickets, but she doesn’t mind. ‘You only live once.’ That’s her motto. She loves the beach and margaritas, and looks sexy as hell in a bikini. She’s dating a guy named Chad and she likes him, but it’s me she wants.” The last made him smile.
Connor sank to sit on the top step and dropped his blond head in his hands. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because she’s not just a Dreamer, she’s real. And when I’m with her, I feel real.”
Blowing out a frustrated breath, Connor asked, “What will you do? It’s not as if you can pull her from her slipstream and hide her.”
Aidan rested his hip against the rail and crossed his arms. “I have to keep Lyssa from entering the Twilight.”
“How the fuck…?” Scowling, Connor shot to his feet.“No way! No way in hell. You don’t even know how the Elders created the fissure the first time.”
“They know. It’s not as if I have a choice. I don’t have enough time to do anything productive here. On the Outside, I can—”
“You can what? The answers you need are in here, not out there.”
“Yes,” Aidan said quietly. “That’s true.”
Connor’s eyes widened. “You want to drag me into this?”
“I’m not asking you for anything. Except your discretion. But if you’re feeling altruistic and decide to help me, I won’t refuse.”
“Cut the crap.” Connor shot him a scathing sidelong glance. “I’ve always been your second. Damned if I’ll stop now. Then it would be my fuckup instead of yours. And this …This, my friend, is all you.”
Aidan’s mouth curved with a grateful smile.
Descending the three short steps to the front lawn, Connor began prowling in obvious frustration. He moved with a warrior’s grace, despite his massive size, the weight of which compressed the grass beneath his feet and left a trail in his wake. “What do you need me to do?”
“After I leave, find a way into the Temple of the Elders and access the database. See if you can find a way to bring me back. I’ve got an idea that will allow me to work on this while I’m gone, but you’re right. Most of what I’ll need will be here.”
“What’s your plan for how you’re going to reach your Dreamer?”
“It’s a poor plan, but it’s the only one I’ve got.”
“Are you going to tell me what it is?”
“Well, I imagine I’ll just grab an Elder and hold him hostage until he tells me what I need to do.”
Connor jerked to
Similar Books
