Chapter Five
Kyryl closed his eyes and relaxed as the conversation continued to flow around him. He liked all of the vibrant personalities of the people who lived at Exodus, but sometimes, even he needed a little break from the noise and chaos.
Having family and friends close by was a blessing, but it could also be a problem. In this case, he thought there were too many distractions around for Jais to focus on the task at hand. If it were up to him, he would transport Jais to the middle of the desert to force him to focus. In fact, that wasn’t a bad idea. If Jais didn’t show any improvement soon, they would have to try that.
He didn’t have that same problem, though.
For Kyryl, a little meditation could be just as refreshing as a long night of sleep. Giving in, he let himself drift. Instead of blanking his mind out to everything, he thought about his favorite place back on his beloved home world. He imagined the garden outside of his wing of the palace in minute detail, recreating it piece by piece in his head.
He missed seeing the two ringed moons surrounded by thousands of shimmering stars in the dark purple sky. He pictured the silvery lavender moonlight gleaming down on the pink waterfall that spilled over a cropping of smooth white rocks to the lagoon below. Lava rocks heated the lagoon, making steam rise from the surface of the glowing water.
Tall trees with black bark, glowing pink blossoms, and silver leaves created a natural barrier around the entire area, though it was also protected by strong magical wards. He had put those in place himself using blood magic.
Since Ilius magic was elemental in nature, being surrounded by water, fire, air, and the land was good for cultivating his abilities. He liked sitting on the white stone bench by the lagoon so he could watch the waterfall. It had a hypnotic effect that allowed him to slip into a meditative, dream-like state easily.
He imagined the waterfall until it truly seemed like he was sitting there on the stone bench, feeling the cool breeze softly swirling around him. Closing his eyes, he breathed deep and centered himself as he focused on the tranquil sound of the waterfall.
“Who are you?”
Kyryl jerked in surprise at the sound of the husky feminine voice. At first, he’d figured he had simply imagined it. Even so, he felt compelled to open his eyes and glance around. When he turned his head, he saw an unknown female standing there bathed in the silvery purple moonlight.
Kyryl had never seen her before.
He was sure of that, but something about her seemed familiar. She had on a black leather vest and matching pants that many of the Krytos seemed to prefer to wear, though on her, it looked far more seductive than it was meant to be. The tight vest enhanced her full breasts and tiny waist to perfection, and the fitted pants molded to her toned legs, making them look miles long.
Her long black hair was pulled back into a thick braid, and inky lashes framed a pair of large black eyes that blinked in confusion as she glanced around the garden. Lush lips parted as she drew in a sharp breath, then she let it out on a little laugh that sounded like the sweetest music to his ears.
There was a strange purple glow surrounding her, making it look like she was pulsing with an inner moonlight. She was utterly breathtaking, with a gorgeous face and a strong body that appealed to his natural preferences. He wanted to run his hands over her golden skin to see if it was as soft as it looked. Wanted to grab hold of her and never let go.
He knew that sounded crazy, but he couldn’t help it.
Need for her pounded through his bloodstream like a primitive beat. He had never felt such a strong surge of desire before, and it almost drove him to his knees. He was baffled when he felt his body growing hard as steel, and he was glad the dark gray tunic vest he wore hid the erection that was straining against the confines of his pants.
Confusion warred with his longing for her. He had never fallen victim to unrestrained lust before and couldn’t understand why he was feeling it now in his dream state.
By the gods, it made him feel like he was losing his mind.
Perhaps this was some sort of mental attack. Considering that, his confusion shifted into anger.
“Who are you? How in hellfire did you get in here?”
Her dark gaze snapped back to him. “What do you mean?”
He gritted his teeth together in frustration before asking, “How did you get past my wards?”
Instead of answering, she shook her head slightly. “I knew I shouldn’t have had that last glass of wine. Or maybe it was the tequila shots that put me over the top. Yeah, it had to be the shots. I totally blame Melody for this. At least I can sleep my hangover off tomorrow.”
“You’re drunk right now?” Obviously, she had just said so. Jealousy and anger shot through him, making it difficult to think straight. “Who is Melody? Where are you? Who else are you with?”
She blinked at him again. “You ask a lot of weird questions. This is a very strange dream.”
“This is not a dream.”
“Sure it is,” she said dismissively. “By the gods, you really are pretty, though. I never knew I was this creative. I have to say I really do have good taste in dream males.”
“I am not a dream,” he insisted.
“You would be a whole lot prettier if you stopped talking.”
That made him want to shake some sense into her. This female certainly had a lot of nerve speaking to him like that.
“Maybe I should dye my hair a pretty color like yours. Is it pink or purple? I can’t really tell in this weird light. Maybe this is my subconscious telling me to go ahead and cut my hair.”
Using his magic, he released her hair from the braid, letting the long waves rain down her back freely. She gasped in surprise, then spun around in a circle as if searching for someone behind her.
“Who did that?”
He sighed heavily. “I did. Why would you cut it?”
“Because I want to try something new, and I’m tired of braiding it. Now, how did you undo my braid?”
“Magic.”
When she wobbled on her feet, she had to brace a hand on the trunk of a tree to remain upright. He had instinctively risen to his feet the moment she had appeared, and now he transported himself directly in front of her. The moment he grabbed her arm, he knew he had made a mistake.
He felt her.
He could actually feel her soft skin beneath his palm and felt the silky strands of her hair brush against his hand. That should have been impossible in his dream state. She could feel him, too, as was evident by the way she poked a finger at his chest.
“This is bullshit. Why do you get to have magic in my dream, but I don’t?”
Her denial was tiresome, but he was actually starting to enjoy it. Hellfire, she was adorable in her alcohol-induced confusion.
He knew he should step away from her, but he couldn’t make himself let go of her. His hands tingled where he made contact with her skin, and he wanted more. He wanted to touch every inch of her, but he knew it was wrong to feel that way.
As he slid his hand down her arm, he felt the rough abrasion of a healing wound there. Pure rage surged through him at the thought of her being hurt.
“What happened to your arm?”
Glancing down, she said, “I forgot all about that. I got sliced with a knife earlier, but at least we caught the thieves. I wonder if they will end up talking once we let them out of the cages.”
Cages?
Why in all the worlds would she speak of something like that so casually?
Who was this female? And who in the bloody fuck had hurt her?
“I want the name of the person who hurt you.”
“You’re bossy.”
“I am. Now, tell me who it was.”
She shrugged. “It was Carla Wexler. I’m going to make Wexler Technology pay big time for the shit they tried to pull tonight.” She glanced down at her arm again. “The Dragon Warrior water really does a good job at healing wounds. I mean, this was way worse a few hours ago.”
“You have access to Dragon Warrior water?”
“Of course.” She nodded toward the waterfall. “That must be why I’m dreaming about it now.”
“This waterfall is real.”
Well, it wasn’t in the dream state, but it was real back on Ilius. He didn’t bother explaining that at the moment since he figured it would just confuse her more.
“Sure it is.” She patted his chest placatingly, then started rubbing his pectoral muscles with a satisfied humming noise. “Nice. You sure are built.”
His body shivered with pleasure as she continued to stroke his chest down to his toned abdomen, but he grabbed her hand to stop her before she could venture further south. If she wrapped her hand around his throbbing erection, he was pretty sure he might throw her down on the ground and ravish her.
“You are playing with fire, little one.”
That name seemed to amuse her. She was tall for a female, but he was almost twice her size and towered over her. She didn’t seem the least bit intimidated by him, though. Then again, she still thought he was a figment of her imagination.
But he knew there was something more to what was happening.
“I’m not little.”
“You are compared to me. What is your name?”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t you know?”
He huffed out an impatient breath. “No, I don’t. Tell me.”
“You know, you should really try being a little nicer to me, considering this is my dream.”
It was a good thing he was a master of control, or he would be screaming with frustration by now. Be nicer, he reminded himself. Or else he would end up having to ask these questions several more times. “Will you tell me your name, little one?”
“Charm.” She stepped closer to him and traced her finger down the side of his neck. “It’s strange. I want to bite this little patch of skin right here. Why do I want to do that?”
“I don’t know.” He swallowed hard as she leaned against his chest. “Is that a Krytos trait? The biting thing?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never had that urge before,” she murmured as she nuzzled her face against his neck.
He knew he should pull away, but he couldn’t convince himself to move. Bracing himself for pain, he jerked in surprise when he felt her tongue swipe against his skin instead.
“Mmm, salty and sweet.”
He grabbed hold of her shoulders and held her away from him. He had never felt so outraged and turned on at the same time. “You licked me!”
“Yeah, and? It’s my dream, which means I can do whatever I want. And what I want is you.”
Fucking hell, she was trying to kill him.
“That could be dangerous.”
Pushing his hands away from her shoulders, she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in until their lips were only a breath apart. “A little danger can be fun.”
“You do not know me.”
“But I do,” she countered. “Since you are in my dream, you’re mine.”
He tried to protest, but her lips brushed against his, effectively silencing him. A firestorm of need swept through him, and with it came understanding. She was right. She wasn’t just a stranger or a figment of his imagination.
Charm was his mate, the one person destined to be his.
And somehow, she had reached across time and space to find him in a dream.