Chapter One
Hannah stared from afar at the pale, golden bubble surrounding Liam’s dream. She lingered as far from it as she could, like a reluctant observer, torn between fascination and worry. Why was she here? Going into the dreams of others usually required a lot of work and as much of an understanding of the individual as possible. She slipped into dreams by accident only if she knew the person well. Until now.
She neither knew Liam well nor studied him extensively. This shouldn’t be possible. What did it mean about her powers? Were they growing, changing, or was there something wrong with her?
There was a groan from within the dream. Her heart raced. Almost unwillingly, she padded closer on bare feet to the translucent bubble, until she could see Liam clearly.
He was straddling a woman. Their golden bodies moved together in a slow rhythm. Her legs wrapped around his back. As she watched, he rocked faster and faster.
Their moans of pleasure built until Hannah felt her own need rising. She didn’t want to watch, but seeing the perfect muscles of his ass left her transfixed. A longing to touch him filled her. The need was so powerful that she stepped into the bubble and moved toward him.
He turned. They both did. And suddenly, she was staring at herself beneath the Keltair male. The Hannah beneath him vanished. He rose from the ground, his gazed fixed on her.
“Come back. I need you.”
She awoke, sweating. And frustrated beyond belief. What the hell was she doing jumping into Liam’s dreams when she’d spent the past few weeks doing her best to avoid him at every turn? She pushed her tangled black hair out of her face and wiped at the moisture on her forehead. Her whole body was tied in one giant knot.
Without wanting to, she sat up in bed, her gaze trained on the door to her quarters. Just a few steps across the hall, Liam was lying in bed dreaming about having sex with her. It would be so easy just to go over and—
No! She would not allow herself to be distracted any further. Not only was she already up too early on combat testing day, she was exhausted from Dream Jumping. She threw herself back on her pillows and groaned, rubbing her face. There was no more denying the very simple fact that if she didn’t have sex soon, she was going to explode.
She’d been putting it off for reasons she didn’t want to consider. But no more. By the end of the night, she promised herself, she’d have done the deed. With someone.
Putting her hand on her stomach, she closed her eyes. It just wasn’t soon enough. Glancing at the clock again, she saw that she still had plenty of time. She walked to her dresser and pulled out Turbo. It wasn’t sex with a real man, but it was the next best thing.
An hour later, she was showered and dressed in her deep blue uniform. Her golden Starflight Academy logo shone on the front of her button-down shirt. Smoothing back her hair one last time, she smiled at her own reflection.
In a short time, she’d have her first combat test. By the afternoon, all the teachers will have posted their scores. She was bound and determined to be at the top of every list.
Even though Liam is my biggest competition.
She scowled at the thought. Her only competition should be herself, wasn’t that what her father always said?
Her computer console played an angry tune. Speak of the devil! Her heart raced as she crossed the floor and sat down in front of her desk. Taking a deep breath, she hit the blue button on the screen.
Fleet Admiral Stowe, better known as her father, was staring down at a pile of papers on his desk. A pen had been placed behind his ear, slightly disturbing his neatly trimmed, silver hair. Next to his elbow, a small glass held an amber-colored liquid. His most expensive scotch.
None of this was good. The admiral didn’t allow a single hair to get out of place.Or drink during the daytime. And the fact that he was contacting her…well, none of it boded well for
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