Page 10 of Jacob Michaels is Trouble

The voices became louder with my ear pressed against the door, but I still couldn’t make out what it was they were saying. After a few moments, listening to what sounded like two voices quarreling or, maybe, debating, I crouched down next to the doorknob. I leveled my eye to the keyhole and looked through into the room beyond.

What I saw…was I really seeing this?

In the room beyond, seemingly lit by fire or candlelight was a pile of raw bones, gleaming white and splattered with blood. Sat upon what could only be described as the “throne” of bones was a hooded figure.

I knew that figure.

As if he knew I was watching, the hooded figure’s head turned towards the door.

Red eyes peered out of the hood and into the keyhole.

Then I was falling backward.

“Wake up, babe.” Lucas’ voice sounded muffled. “You’re having a dream, Rob.”

Red filled my vision as my eyes flew open, and I jerked awake in bed. A second later, the ceiling of Lucas’ bedroom came into view, illuminated by early morning sunlight streaming in through the windows. Jerkily, I looked around, checking the room for the hooded figure and those red eyes and the throne of bones. All I found was Lucas, in bed next to me, propped up on his elbow, smiling down at me like I was a dullard.

“Good morning, crazy.” He smiled wickedly.

“What the…”

“Bad dream?” He suggested.

Again, I found myself glancing around the room, making sure that I was really in Lucas’ bed, and the sun had washed away the darkness of the dream. Lingering in the back of my mind, I could practically see the room like an aura superimposed over the view of Lucas’ bedroom in his house. My first instinct was to tell Lucas about the dream, to explain how it made me feel. Something in the back of my mind told me that doing so would sound crazy. At the very least, it would not be received well. So, I kept my mouth shut, closed my eyes tightly and shook my head gently, clearing my vision, and chasing away the thought of the dream.

“You okay, babe?” Lucas had a furrowed brow when I opened my eyes.

“Yeah.” I gave a shaky sigh, then smiled. “Weird dreams because of a weird night, I guess.”

Lucas grinned. “It wasn’t all weird. Some of it was good.”

“There were some pretty good parts.” I agreed, propping myself up on my elbow so that my lips could reach his. “Did you sleep well?”

“I always sleep well with you beside me, Rob.”

The expression on his face let me know how stupid he thought the question had been.

“Same here.” I agreed once more.

Lucas’ eyes lingered on me, hungrily taking me in as I laid there beside him.

“Don’t you have work?”

“Yes.” He grumbled. “I wish I didn’t. But grandpa will be fit to be tied if I am not on time. Last week I was a few minutes late—because I had to run a mower down to Fremont. He about tore me a new asshole when I showed up at the store.”

A laugh escaped my throat, and Lucas silenced it with a kiss before he slung his legs over the side of the bed and slid away from me. He walked around and stood at my bedside, looking down at me, completely nude, creating a problematic situation for both of us. Grinning up at him, I attempted to act innocent.

“You better go,” I said, reaching up to push my hair back on my head.

Lucas reached down, his fingers finding their way into my hair. His fingertips massaged my scalp, and I couldn’t help but notice the proximity of my face to a particular part of him.

“Is there something you needed before you left?” I bit my bottom lip playfully as I gazed up at him.

Lucas groaned with frustration and his hand fell away from my head.

“I don’t have time.” He moaned.

“You underestimate my skills and overestimate your staying power.” I teased.