Chapter 1
King
“King!” Sky yelled, jumping up and wrapping his legs around my hips.
Chuckling, I caught him. “What are you so happy about?”
His big, happy smile grew broader. “This is my favorite place in the Dream-veil.”
Glancing around the creepy field, I pulled my head back to really look at him. “Are you feeling okay?”
He giggled. So fucking adorable. “Yes, but when we have to send some spooky on out of someone’s dream, we don’t really get a chance to hang out.”
No, that was true. We’d ended up in several more people’s dreams since the night we helped Ego, but honestly, we pretty much had it down now.
I still wasn’t sure what the whole Sky being my tether thing was about since it seemed to me like his biggest job was summoning his psychopomp to get us what we needed and send us home.
My stomach rumbled uneasily about the whole hanging-out thing.
I knew Sky wanted us to spend more time together after work or on the weekends, and I wanted that too, but I still struggled with the fairness of it all.
The birthmarks proved that him being part of this—my dream world—wasn’t actually my fault, but like soul mates?
Those weren’t supposed to be real, and what if all of the excitement of this new journey was making him think or feel things that—
“Earth to King.” Once he knew he had my attention, he tilted his head. “Where did you go?”
“Sorry.” I set him on his feet and gestured around us. “I guess I’m just wondering how we keep ending up back in this place when there’s nothing here.”
Which was true. I hadn’t actively been thinking that, but I was curious.
Since Sky had been joining me in this space, the field surrounded by trees, I hadn’t been assaulted by bugs or anything.
There were often the sounds of animals moving restlessly in the distance and the conspiracy of ravens, but that was it.
We just came to this space and stood. Like he said, it was nice to hang out with him under the light of the moon, but also eerie.
“Too bad we don’t have a blanket or something to sit on,” Sky said. “We could have a picnic by moonlight.” He waggled his eyebrows.
Good grief, how could one human be so adorably attractive with every move they made?
“Too bad your familiar doesn’t join us here.
He’d probably get you anything you asked for,” I teased.
That little psychopomp-pup was crazy about Sky.
When we weren’t sending a spooky up into bits, he bounced at Sky’s feet or hung out in his arms, licking his face.
Sky’s face went contemplative. “Hm. I want to try something. Patchy,” he called.
“Patchy?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yep,” he said, popping his P. “I’ve decided that his name is patchy to match his coloring. Perfect, don’t you think?”
My response was cut off by the arrival of yips of joy as the pup—Patchy, apparently—appeared at Sky’s feet. My…boyfriend immediately dropped to his haunches and stroked his magical beast. “Hey, boy. Hi. You came. I didn’t know you’d appear if we didn’t need you. I’m so happy to see you.”
The two of them celebrated being together, and I smiled, watching them, but keeping one eye on our surroundings. Patchy hadn’t ever joined us here before, and a part of me was suspicious that he’d shown up this time because there was trouble lurking nearby.
“Hey, boy. I know you have a big, important job to do here, but it doesn’t look like there’s any trouble on the horizon. Do you think we can have a picnic?”
Patchy’s face tilted quizzically, eyeing his master with interest.
“I’m not sure he knows what you mean,” I volunteered.
Sky smiled brightly. “Of course. You’re so smart.”
I felt my face flush from his compliment.
It didn’t seem like that big a leap to me, but Sky made me feel like every word out of my mouth was so special and important.
It was so…nice. I knew Jetty and Gran loved me, and for years, they’d been the only two who didn’t make me feel like I was the odd man out when I spoke.
But Sky was the only person who’d ever made me feel like the things I shared were worthwhile and important. Like I was insightful or something.
Honestly, that was part of what concerned me. Maybe the little crush he’d had before had exploded into more only because he thought my dreamwalking ability made me interesting and unique.
If it was about my abilities and not me, then wouldn’t this fascination he had for me go away? Birthmarks and fate and all of that aside, Sky deserved freewill. He was such a bright light in a world of chaos and the unknown, and I didn’t want to trap him into being with me.
“Okay, Patchy,” he said, breaking into my worries and fears.
“What we need tonight is different than swords. We get to kick back and relax since there aren’t any spookies around, and you get to do that with us.
” The little pup barked, jumping into Sky’s face and licking his nose, obviously excited by Sky’s tone.
Sky giggled and hugged Patchy to him, then he leaned back. “First, we need a yellow and white plaid blanket to sit on.” Immediately, a spread cloth appeared next to Sky’s feet. He fist-pumped the air, then dropped down onto it and patted the spot next to him, blinking up at me coyishly.
As I sat next to him, Patchy jumped into his lap. “Next, we need a basket that has sliced cheese and apples, crackers, and…” He turned to me. “Do you want pepperoni or salami, King?”
Gran had given me a snack before bed, but now that Sky mentioned eating, my stomach rumbled like I was starving. Sky leaned up and kissed my cheek. “Both it is.” He nuzzled Patchy’s neck. “Did you hear that? King needs pepperoni and salami. And oh! Water bottles.”
He'd no sooner voiced his request than a brown handled basket appeared.
It had two flaps that flipped open toward the middle.
I expected Sky to dive in, but instead, he picked his pup up by the middle and held him up into the air.
“And what do you want? You need to have a snack too, and something to drink. What do you like, baby?”
Patchy yipped and wiggled, jumping down from Sky’s arms, and nosing at the basket. I leaned over, opened it, and pulled out a piece of the apple that came cut into slices. He licked at it, then scampered back. “Hm. I know what you want.”
“Try a piece of salami,” Sky said, wiggling on his butt like the puppy did. Seriously, how could anyone this exuberant have a good life with me?
Pushing my concerns to the side, I grabbed a piece of the salami and held it out. Patchy snatched it out of my fingers so fast that I barked out a laugh. He chewed a couple times, swallowed, then jumped onto my lap, butt wiggling as he nosed at the basket.
“Aww. King, look how cute he is.” We settled in with me holding Patchy in one arm, away from the basket, and us slipping him little pieces of the snacks from the basket as we shared the contents. It was…nice. Relaxing.
“So tell me your favorite memory as a kid,” Sky said before popping a piece of cheese in his mouth.
Sighing, I thought back. We’d already discussed my teenage hijinks with Jetty, but that was because a lot of those involved our ghost hunts, and Sky was as obsessed with those as I was. He’d digested every word with rapt attention.
Then an image of my gran, younger and less feeble, free and uninhabited, popped into my mind.
“What?” Sky asked. “Why are you smiling like that?”
I shook my head, letting the memories wash over me. Remembering my childish delight that my grandmother had been so cool—eccentric in the best possible ways. “Gran. All of my favorite memories from childhood are tied up in her.”
The frustration I’d continue to harbor toward her dissipated just that much more. A part of me still felt so betrayed by her and Pops’ silence. Silence that my mind kept telling me was lies by omission. But my heart—my heart understood.
It hadn’t been easy for me growing up in this town.
Not only because of who Gran was, but because it was a predominantly white area, with the influx of other minorities happening when I was a teen.
I couldn’t imagine what it had been like for my mother growing up here, the product of an interracial couple during that time in a small, often backwards town.
Would it have felt more like a burden to know what my future might hold? Would I have been more like my mom, more eager to give up the abilities in our family bloodline if I’d grown up knowing that the taunts from the other kids held shreds of truth?
“King,” Sky prompted with concern.
Determined to enjoy this interlude with Sky, I once again pushed my thoughts to the side and let myself picture Gran dancing under the light of the moon instead.
“When other children were adhering to strict bedtimes and going on playdates with other children, Gran gave me the most magical childhood.
“She’d let me stay up late while she danced in the backyard under the stars. Our home was full of music and laughter. She’d light candles in the darkness and we’d build forts where she’d read me stories of mystical places and realms.”
As I spoke, the memories swamped me. Things I’d forgotten as I grew up and let reason and normalcy dictate my own thoughts and actions. Sky lay down on his side, leaning on his elbow. “Go on.”
Like a large cedar chest unlocking, the rituals she performed and the potions she made, all the conversations I’d witnessed with someone who wasn’t visible, but I’d never doubted was there, swirled and came together into crystal clear images. “I knew, Sky.”
“What?” he asked, eyes glimmering with excited curiosity.
“Everything.” Picking Patchy up from my lap and setting him down between us, I mirrored Sky’s position.
“I’ve told you how Gran and I used to go to the Hallowed Tree on the back of the Willowhope property and how people used to stare at us when she still left the house regularly for strolls through town.