I ever see you while we’re awake?”
“You wish to?”
I nodded. “More than anything.”
“Hold me tightly, my Sara.” I did, and the air thickened and rippled around us. Once again, I heard street noises and the radio blaring one floor up, and I could smell the alley. I’d been so thoroughly enchanted by Micah, I hadn’t noticed the lack of my usual annoyances. But now that I was awake, they had returned, and there was a half-naked man in my bed.
I screamed, my wakeful self having no idea who Micah was or why he was here. Ever practical, Micah kissed me, effectively smothering my cries and jogging my memory at the same time. He knew he’d succeeded when I stopped screaming and kissed him back.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, still trembling. “It was so sudden!”
“It is hard to pull yourself to wakefulness so quickly,” he murmured. “You behaved much better than I did my first time.”
“I did?” He nodded, and wiped away tears I hadn’t noticed. “Thank you.”
“For what, my Sara?”
I didn’t get to answer. My screams must have woken Juliana, and she was banging on my door. “I’m fine!” I yelled. “Just a nightmare.”
“Open up!” Now she was jiggling the handle. Luckily, I always locked my door, a habit left over from sleeping in the dorms, but she was insistent. Once she had decided on doing something, nothing could stop her.
“She can’t find you here,” I whispered. “They’ll kill you if they find you.” Micah nodded, and in the next moment, he was gone. I don’t mean he left by way of the window, which I assumed was how he had gotten in; he was here, and then he wasn’t. I blinked, but was quickly dragged out of my amazement by Juliana’s banging and yelling. I pulled on my robe and threw open the door.
“You’re gonna wake the neighbors,” I admonished her.
“The way you screamed, I thought one of them was murdering you,” she countered.
“Aw. My Juliana in shining armor.” She responded with an artful sneer, and we were back to normal.
“It’s almost six, anyway. I’ll make some coffee.”
I nodded and shut the door to dress. Not only did I not want to explain my silk nightie to Juliana, but I figured I might as well get ready now. There wouldn’t be any more sleep for me at the moment. After I picked out a pair of jeans and a shirt, I took off my robe and almost screamed again. He had taken my panties again!
chapter 3
A few hours later, I dropped Juliana off at REES’s front door, and, being that it was my day off, peeled out of the parking lot like a teenage moron and cruised the streets for a while, intent upon securing a second (okay, third) caffeinated beverage. Thoughts I shouldn’t be thinking—things I wasn’t even supposed to know about—coursed through my mind, and I needed time to sort things out. Time, and maybe a bottle of tequila.
Not only had Micah known that I was of metal, he’d called me a Dreamwalker. Crap. Crap crap crap crap crap. Only the most powerful Elementals were able to enter other people’s dreams, and I’d spent the bulk of my life pretending to be as unpowerful as possible. Hell, I hadn’t even known I could dreamwalk, but I’d gone and done it twice now. While this development wasn’t wholly unexpected, it was still not good. Very, very not good.
You see, not only am I an Elemental, but my surname is Corbeau. I’m descended from the Raven clan, one of the most powerful lines of Elementals that have ever lived. Our collective hands have guided world events since before the time of the Merovingians. Of course, since the wars ended and magic has been outlawed, our influence have waned somewhat .
Pity. I’d make an awesome Elemental princess .
Despite the life-threatening risk of displaying my abilities, I’d always known that my power remained, coiled deep inside me, like a serpent waiting to strike, but I did my best to blend in with the Mundanes. I held down a menial office job, lived in an