Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
Zack was dreaming.
He became aware of that as soon as he opened his eyes and glanced around. Awareness, even in his unconscious state, wasn’t something he’d ever experienced in a dream state before. At least, not to this level.
But he knew what he was looking at didn’t really exist.
He was standing on a beach he’d never seen before on an island that hovered in the sky. The light from the big red sun was muted, creating a pink haze over the land. Pale pink sand felt sugary soft beneath his bare feet, and the dark red water lapped at the shoreline in gentle waves and cascaded down into a flowing waterfall that seemed to fall off the edge of the world.
The beach was surrounded by a grove of strange trees with silver bark and vividly glowing blue flowers growing on its branches. Some of those flowers had blossomed into blue fruit that hung from some of the branches in long bunches. They looked like grapes, but the bunches of fruit were glowing as if they had been injected with some sort of radioactive material.
Overhead, a mixture of pink, purple, and orange gas clouds spanned across the dark sky. Beyond the clouds, an array of shimmering stars could be seen far closer than should have been possible. It was as if the planet and space collided with no atmosphere in between. The view was so amazing that it couldn’t be real.
“It is real,” Jecca countered as she walked up to join him. “Just not here and now.”
She was wearing a flowing black gown that sparkled in the dim light. It made her look like a goddess, but that wasn’t surprising. She would look beautiful in anything she wore. He realized he was wearing a matching tunic shirt and flowing pants. While the outfit looked more casual on him, the material felt luxurious against his skin. He wasn’t sure how he could feel clothing in a dream.
Then again, nothing was making much sense at the moment, so he didn’t waste time trying to figure that out.
“This is a planet I like to visit that is close to my home world,” she explained. “It is a good place to retreat to for a little solitude. I know there are many things we have to take care of back in the real world, but that can wait until we are ready to leave here.”
He wondered if he could control the strange dreamworld, and wished for somewhere they could sit and relax together. Suddenly, a giant bed appeared on the beach decorated with black satin sheets and a gossamer silver canopy. He gawked at the creation, a little stunned that it had actually worked.
“Did I do that?”
“Aye, you did.” She chuckled as she took his hand in hers and led him over to the bed. “Come, let us rest together.”
He waited until they were snuggled together on the bed before he said, “So, how exactly am I dreaming of this planet when I’ve never been there?”
“I am able to show it to you through our connection. Since we are fully bonded now, I have complete access to your mind, as you do mine. It is the way of Dragon Warrior mates.”
That gave him a jolt. He’d known she was special, but he hadn’t realized she was a Dragon Warrior until they had bonded. It was odd to have someone occupying his mind, but it didn’t feel intrusive to have Jecca there with him.
Actually, it felt like she belonged there.
She was his mate, after all.
Jecca had been right about them figuring out what was going on after they’d had sex. He wasn’t exactly sure why it worked, but he was grateful it had. Now, he remembered everything. While they had been stuck in the fantasy world created by the damaged power cell, he’d truly believed that they had been superheroes living on Earth.
That type of integration into an illusion was dangerous, and he hadn’t been able to tell what was real or fake until she had shown up. Since he hadn’t had a chance to select a superpower before shit had gone sideways, he guessed he hadn’t gotten that perk when the power cell blew. But now he was mated to a powerful Dragon Warrior, he had no need for superpowers.
She was a real superhero with magic.
“Technically, so are you.”
“I’m what?” he asked, a little distracted as the front slit in her flowing skirt opened and the long length of her legs was exposed.
“You are a superhero with magic as well.”
That startled him out of his appreciation of her legs. “What?”
“We will get back to that.” Sitting up, she took his hands in hers and smiled. “First, allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Jecca Tesera, Dragon Warrior, and your one true mate.”
He laughed and said, “It’s nice to officially meet you, Jecca.” Then, something she’d said struck him. “Wait…you said your name was Tesera? You wouldn’t happen to be related to Xavier and Galan Tesera, would you?”
“Aye, they are my cousins. Do you know them?”
He barely held back a groan as he nodded. He’d been introduced to Xavier and Galan Tesera and Thorn and Brydan Volis right after they had met their mate, Alexis. It didn’t hurt admitting he’d been pretty intimidated by them, and he was sort of glad they had moved to Tartarus to be closer to their sister.
“Their sister is my cousin Katra who is mated to Lord Jaden Tor of Tartarus.”
“You have a lot of family.”
She laughed. “Those are just some of my cousins. I also have two sets of twin brothers, and you know about my twin sister, Jaya. And then there are my parents, the Kings and Queen of the Palace on the Isle of Mist.”
Fucking hell. She wasn’t just a Dragon Warrior, but a royal one. “Does that mean you are a princess?”
She nodded. “Which makes you a prince.”
This time, he did groan out loud. “This is making my head hurt.”
Smiling, she said, “You will be able to figure out who everyone is before we return to Arcadia for a visit once you view my memories. Accessing information that way is something you will get used to with time.”
He wasn’t so sure he would ever get used to that, but he didn’t bother arguing that point. Besides, his head really was starting to hurt and so was his leg. He reached down to rub at his thigh as phantom pain shot through the limb. Of course, his leg was back to being flesh and blood in the dream.
When he noticed she was frowning down at his legs, he playfully wiggled his bare feet. “Not the same view as back in the real world,” he quipped, keeping his tone light. “Did you get a chance to see my bionic leg? Pretty scary, huh?”
“Actually, it is not. I mean, nay, it was not scary. But also, it is not just real within the dream.”
“What does that mean?”
She paused before answering, and he instantly knew she wasn’t dodging the question. Instead, she was trying to figure out how to explain what was happening properly so he wouldn’t freak out. He realized he was picking up some of her thoughts even though he didn’t mean to.
Her shoulders slumped. “I need to apologize to you. I should have explained about our mating before we bonded.”
“I don’t understand why you are apologizing. You lost your memories and didn’t know what was going on any more than I did at the time. Besides, I was totally a willing participant and still am.”
“When we bonded, I sent a lot of magic into you. That sped up the conversion process to transform you into a Dragon Warrior. It is why we are in this dream right now.”
Conversion. There was that word again.
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Zack asked, confused. “From what I know about Dragon Warriors, I assumed that’s what would happen.”
“But that is not why I…” Her words trailed off as she reached out and took his hands in hers. “You feel a little pain right now because your body is in the process of healing itself. That also means your skull and your leg.”
That stunned him speechless.
“I never want you to think that I judged you because of your previous injuries. You were a soldier and were wounded trying to help people. That was honorable and brave, and you fought your way back from a dark place to recover. In my eyes, you are perfect even with what others might deem imperfections.”
He swallowed hard as he fought back his emotions. He didn’t have to show her how much those words meant to him when he knew she could feel it for herself. Yes, rehab and recovery had been hard won, but he understood how lucky he was to be mated to a Dragon Warrior. Not only would he have magic now, but being given a healthy and whole body again was a gift beyond compare.
But her acceptance meant more to him than anything else.
“The conversion process is painful, so I drew you into this dream while we wait for your body to heal. I should have explained all of this to you before—”
Cutting off her words, he kissed her with all the love and passion he felt for her as he pressed her back against the bed. “How long are we going to be in this dream?”
Smiling, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Long enough for us to enjoy this bed you created.”
Zack chuckled, then sobered again as he stared down at her. He’d never been in love before her, so he never really thought about how to describe it. He didn’t have the words to properly tell her what she meant to him now. Even so, he thought he should give it his best shot.
“What you’ve given me…”
“Do not worry, mate. I understand,” she said with a soft smile.
Unwilling to have her let him off the hook that easy, he spoke gruffly. “I never want you to think I am taking any of this for granted. Having you, being mated to you, is a gift beyond measure. I love you, Jecca. I know it sounds crazy since we just met, but it’s true. So fucking true that it scares me.”
“Not crazy,” she countered, shifting closer to her so she could wrap herself around him. “It is the same for me. I have never loved before you. I love you, Zack Keller. And I will keep on loving you until all the stars blink out. We are mated, bonded together for all eternity.”
He brushed his lips against hers in another kiss. “That’s a long time.”
“Even if all the worlds burn, I will be with you until the universe turns to ash. And even then nothing will come between us,” she vowed solemnly. “Not even death.”
Nothing said romance like a little apocalyptic reference.
That statement thrilled him even if it was slightly terrifying. Dragon Warriors were nothing if not thorough when expressing a mate’s devotion. And honestly, he couldn’t think of anything better than spending all of eternity with her.