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Nerissa looked like she wanted to ask something, but I shook my head. I was getting a seriously weird feeling, and I wanted out of Roman’s place. She gave me a nod and we hurried into our clothes.
The limo driver dropped us off by the Jag and waited for us to get in and make sure everything was in working order, and then he took off back to Roman’s as we pulled out and headed home.
“What was it you wanted to ask?” I glanced at Nerissa as she leaned back against the seat. She was used to clubbing half the night, so I knew she wasn’t too worn out, although she did look tired. But I sensed something was bothering her.
“We haven’t even sent out invitations for our wedding. Roman passed, not even knowing when it would be. Why do you think so?”
That little fact hadn’t escaped my notice, either. “I have no clue, and I’m not sure I want to. But…I’m thinking…I don’t know. No, I don’t even want to speculate. Roman could have a thousand reasons for saying what he did, and I’d rather not assume. It’s dangerous to assume with vampires.”
“Yeah, I suppose. Just…the energy shifted, babe. By the time we left, I was totally creeped out. What happened? And why? And why do I never want to darken the inside of his house again?”
I didn’t answer as she turned her head to gaze out into the darkness. As we sped through the rain and mist rising off the asphalt, with the glittering rain splashing in the headlights, a dozen thoughts raced through my head, none of them pleasant to dwell on.
I went wandering in my dreams again, out on the Dream-Time, cloaked in mist and a burgundy hooded robe. I wasn’t looking for Roman—in fact, I didn’t want to see him at all for a while. Luckily, there were no official events coming up any time in the next few weeks.
As I skirted mist and rock, I tried to figure out why I was here. Sometimes I just dreamed, usually nightmares. And some days I slept in oblivion, blissfully unaware until the sunset called to me.
But when I went wandering out on the Dream-Time, there was usually a reason. I came to a boulder and sat down, waiting for some answer to come to me—a sign, or even just a tap on the shoulder.
The tap on the shoulder shocked the hell out of me, for two reasons. One, I really wasn’t expecting it, and two, it was a real tap on the shoulder and Chase was on the other end of the finger.
“Chase!” I jumped up. “What the hell are you doing out here on the Dream-Time?”
He was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a sports jacket, and his hair looked tousled, as if he hadn’t brushed it in a while. “I have no clue. Something must be wrong because I was sitting at my desk a little while ago and now I’m here and I have no memory of going home, or going to bed.”
“Pull up a rock and sit down.” I motioned to the space on the boulder next to me. At least, if I had to be stuck out here, I had company. “Can’t you just wake up or something? I can’t, but…you’re human.”
“Human with not so much elf in him?” He grinned. When I looked confused, he sighed and leaned back on his elbows. “Oh come on, you’ve been over here this long and you haven’t seen Monty Python? The rat skit?”
Again, I shook my head. “TV is Delilah’s department.”
“Never mind; if I have to explain the joke, it’s not funny.” He sighed and then sat upright again. “I feel like I should be remembering something, but it’s not coming to me.”
“I know—only for me, I feel like I should be finding something out, and I have no clue what it is.” I paused, then decided, what the hell, since we were here, we might as well shoot the bull. “How’s Sharah?”
“About the same. Crying a lot. Throwing up a lot. She and Iris are getting together to talk all things baby. Oh, she asked me this morning to pass along the info that Siobhan Morgan has left for the Isle of Man. She and Mitch need to get over there early enough before the baby is due. They left last week.”
I nodded. “I’m not down much with the baby thing, but I’m glad to hear she actually gets to do that. I can’t believe it’s been this long already since we helped her. That was a rough time…for both her and Mitch.”
Last year, shortly before the fall equinox, we’d helped a friend who had been stalked by an enemy of more than a hundred years. Now she was off to the Isle of Man Selkie Pod to have her baby and to reclaim a royal lineage.
“I hope she comes back. I hope she doesn’t stay there.” I paused, then drew swirls in the mist with my fingers. “So much has changed.”
“You can say that again.” Chase kicked a loose stone on the ground. “For Siobhan. For all of us.”
I wasn’t bored, but I was getting confused. What the hell were we doing out here? Especially Chase, who should be awake, at his desk. I stood up and dusted off the back of my robe. It was also confusing—I didn’t own a burgundy robe and had never even contemplated owning one. I could change my clothes at will out on the Dream-Time, since it was only my dream-self here, but I usually picked something that was more akin to my nature.
I turned back to ask Chase whether Carter had contacted him but stopped cold. Chase was slumped over on the boulder. I raced back to him.
“Chase, Chase!”
His head lolled to the side and I saw claw marks on his neck. Fuck! What the hell had happened?
“Chase, wake up! Can you hear me? Chase!” I shook him, pulling him up to a seated position, but he was out good.
“What the fuck do I do? Is anybody out here? Can anybody hear me?”
I didn’t like calling attention to myself on the Dream-Time, but I couldn’t wake up in order to get help, and it was obvious that Chase was in some sort of a crisis. I thought quickly. Who could hear me out here? And where was out here? I had no clue how to contact anybody.
