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“Well, at least you’re clothed this time,” he chuckled as he extended his hand to me.
I took it, hoisting myself off the ground, and brushed dirt off the knee length t-shirt I didn’t remember putting on with my other hand. Ares must have dressed me in it at some point during the night. I wasn’t wearing underwear though, so hopefully my vagina didn’t make a surprise appearance while I was sprawled out in the flowers. Keeping my hand in his, we walked through the field, further away from the noise.
It dawned on me that I was cuddled up with a drop-dead gorgeous, naked god in the real world and walking through a field with a handsome, albeit cryptic man in my subconscious. The only other time a man was in my dreams was when…
“Are you an incubus?” I asked. If he was, it would explain a lot.
“No. What makes you ask that, Diana?” His worried tone of voice sent prickles down my back. “Incubi can be manipulative, and if one is visiting your dreams, you need to ward your mind against them.”
“One of my friends that I’m staying with, Sebastian, is an incubus. But he doesn’t seem dangerous at all. He’s the reason I was able to escape and have somewhere to stay.” Sebastian may be a little possessive and jealous, but I doubted he would hurt me.
Azazel’s jaw tensed, and he gripped my hand a little tighter. “Either way, I think it’s best to ward your mind. Your dreams and subconscious are vulnerable, and should stay private. If you want to undo it later, you can.”
For some strange reason, I trusted Azazel. He had this authentic integrity that hit my soul. He had been there for me when I needed help, and he had a point. Even if I was sure Sebastian wouldn’t harm me, it would be smart to have control over who entered my mind, if only for protection. The guys did say there was another person after me. Who knew what kind of magic they possessed. Everyone in this magical community was packing all sorts of random powers. I wasn’t kidding with the guys earlier when I said they were like magical mafia.
“Give me your other hand, please.” I gave him my hand, and he raised both between us. “Close your eyes. I want you to imagine a sturdy door with a lock. Now imagine putting a key in and locking it. Say ‘My mind is closed to those without permission to enter’.”
“My mind is closed to those without permission to enter,” I repeated.
“Okay, open your eyes. Now, if someone wanted to enter your subconscious or dreams, they’d need your permission. The stronger your magic gets, the stronger the ward will become.”
How did he know about magic? Maybe I was too quick to trust him. Suddenly, all of these thoughts and questions collided in my mind. They were all pieces of the same puzzle, forming together to show me something I had overlooked before. I broke away from him and paced around as I thought aloud.
“You know I can do magic, which means you’ve done your homework on me. If you’re not an incubus, then you’re obviously some other kind of magical being.”
He stood there stoically, nodding with me in agreement while I powered through my thoughts.
“This is the second time you happened to be around when I needed help, and I doubt it’s a coincidence. I would even wager that you know how I’m getting myself into these situations, and if you do, feel free to share. You’re definitely not a figment of my imagination or a dream hottie, not that you aren’t handsome enough to be one, but I don’t think these are dreams. You’re visiting me with a purpose in mind.”
“You’re as smart as you are beautiful. Actually, this is the third time I’ve met you. The first time we were at a party in the 70s, but I lost you in a crowd. I'm not a figment of your imagination, and yes, I know a great many things about you, including that you're a witch.” My breathing hitched. He was the man in the paisley suit at the party in my dream with Bash. I recognized his curly hair now… but how was he in my dream? How could he keep finding me? Was he watching me, like the guys had? Waiting for the best moment to strike? “Calm down, I’m not stalking you. Remember the last time I saw you? I said I try to do the right thing and help people when I can? I can’t tell you everything, because I don’t have the full picture yet. You also have to find some things out on your own, but I’m here to guide you, to protect you in any way I can.”
“A 70s party? Azazel, that was a dream. Wait, what are you wearing?” For fuck’s sake, was he wearing a costume? His military uniform looked super old-school.
“That wasn’t a dream, just like how this isn’t a dream. There’s a battle happening right over there,” he said as he pointed toward where we’d come from. “That’s why I led us away from the cannonfire and gunshots. Historical accounts claim the battle moved further in the opposite direction, but I’d rather be safe than sorry, especially where you’re concerned.”
“You’re not making any sense, Zaz.” Zaz seemed like the perfect nickname for him because it was confusing and peculiar. “Please, be straight with me, tell me why you’re dressed in a strange military uniform, and what’s actually going on?”
“I’m wearing a northern Civil War military uniform–there’s cannons–why do you think that is Diana? Put the pieces together. You’re so close to figuring it out.” He took both my hands in his, holding my gaze as if it could help me figure out the answer.
A 70s party. A Civil War battle. “Am I traveling through time?”
“I knew you’d figure it out, Diana Rossi. You’re destined to change the world.” Zaz grinned at me, like I won the mega million jackpot, but I didn’t win anything.
This was literally another twist and turn in the shit-maze of my life. I felt like I was wandering around, and all of these monsters kept jumping out at me and chasing me down. I could never get away from them, and ended up passing the same hedgerows a million times.
“Who the fuck am I, that British Doctor on television? How am I time traveling? Am I just going to fall asleep and wake up in a different time period every night?”
“It’s one of your powers. I assume you’re time-hopping in your sleep because it’s where you’re the most relaxed and able to conduct magic. Time travel is a rare gift, and really hard to wield because it’s based on concentration and mastering your mind. As you come into your powers and they grow, you should be able to purposefully travel while awake, and bring your clothes with you, if you choose.” He quirked a brow at me in amusement.
“This is all way too much.” I started internally panicking. How could I possibly handle this?
“Diana, you’re destined to change the world. It’s important that you master your powers as soon as you can.”
Iwas notdestined to change the world. All I wanted to do was get this Red character out of my life and go back to the way things used to be.
“How did I go from having no men in my life, except Charlie, to five overbearing men who make decisions for me and tell me what’s going to happen, as if I have no choice in the matter?” I could feel my cheeks heat in anger. I hated getting angry, because I was either a yeller or a cryer, and I did not want to show weakness in front of Zaz right now.
The familiar tight chest and stinging tears that signaled an oncoming panic attack seized me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop them once they started. I was kidnapped two days ago and told that I was pronounced dead in a fire my obsessed fuck-buddy caused, with a smile on his face, because he’s an unhinged pyromaniac. I was never going to see my family or friends again, and I could kiss a career in law goodbye. Dead girls didn’t close out billion dollar mergers and acquisitions. Satan himself put a hit on me, even though I didn’t know he–or this entire supernatural nonsense–really existed until two days ago, and I was expected to help my captors kill him to ensure my own safety. And now, in addition to having powers I didn’t understand and couldn’t control, I could time travel, hop, whatever it’s called. This shit festival just kept devolving into a diarrhea parade of chaos.
