Sleeping Beauties Read Free Page B

hadn’t been the Dream King for over two centuries without learning
    how to manipulate a situation to his satisfaction.
    He had never believed in or had time for love and so, when presented with an opportunity to sell his soul to Hell for his dream power, he had taken it greedily with both hands. Here, in his dream realm, he wielded great power and had done much to further Hell’s treacherous agenda.
    He had also become capable of extreme cruelty.
    Alexander had seen a great many changes in Los Angeles over the past two hundred years but mankind’s capacity for fucking each other over for money, power, and sex never changed. This simple truth guaranteed that the Dream King’s position in Hell’s hierarchy would never be challenged. He would always be needed as an agent of darkness.
    If those three bitches failed to return his Book of Secrets, they would discover first-hand just how dark  things could get.
    ******
    Laurie
    “Quick, let me out,” Laurie said, her breath catching in her throat as her heart did somersaults. Byron, here after so many years of not seeing his face? She whispered a quick thank you to God for miracles, answered prayers, and all that as she scrambled to get out of the back of Seth’s SUV.
    “Alexander may have conjured him up from your me mory, Laurie,” Seth warned her from the driver’s seat, unlocking the back doors. “He may be just a part of the dream.”
    Laurie listened with half an ear as she stood outside of the vehicle, watching Byro n get out of his truck. She took him in as he walked towards her. He was a big man, all muscle with dark brown skin and a shaved head.  He looks exactly the same, she thought in wonder.
    “If you’re going to give my engagement ring back, you need to do bet ter than leave it with my mom, Laurie,” Byron said as he came to stand directly in front of her. “That was pretty chickenshit.”
    Because she couldn’t think beyond this moment, she took his hand and kissed it gently. Things in this dream realm were playing out as they should have in the real world two decades
    ago. “I know and I’m sorry,” she said softly, brushing back l ong blonde strands of her hair playing in the breeze.
    Byron’s eyes were red-rimmed from recent tears. “I get it, though. Maybe we are too young to get married right now but we can still raise our baby together as a family until you are ready. See, I know that all I want is you, whatever way I can have you.”
    Laurie’s eyes widened and she instinctively placed her hand on her belly. She had put her baby son with Byron up for adoption the moment he was born all of those years ago and never looked back but here in the dream realm…what, a dream baby? This had to be the most unreal
    shit she had ever experienced and she was prepared to chalk it up to Alexander’s cruelty and simply go along for the ride. She had no clue where Byron or her son were in the real world but being them one last time was worth it.
    Byron was scrutinizing her face and gestured at Seth’s SUV. “Who’s this guy?”
    Laurie cleared her throat nervously. “This is Seth, a friend of, uh, Chloe.” She looked back to see Chloe giving her the hurry up signal. “We have to go, Byron. You and I can talk later. I feel like there’s a lot unsaid and I don’t want to leave things this way. You deserve an explanation.”
    Byron nodded but before he could comment, Seth was out and coming around to where they stood. “Hey, Byron,” he said, extending his hand to him. They shook hands and Seth spoke again. “Laurie, I’ll take Chloe with me to where we need to be. Maybe you and Nicola can go
    with Byron to your apartment and the three of you can search for the book.” Seth gave her a meaningful look.
    Just as he had done with Chloe and Noah, Seth was giving her a second chance to say a
    proper goodbye to Byron. She gave him a bright, genuine smile. “Thank you, Seth. That would be great.” She turned to Byron. “We borrowed a very