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Stone’s smile had disappeared. “No.”
“Is this about protecting her from Nathan? Or about keeping her close to you?”
“Neither,” Stone said. “You think I don’t see through you? You just want to make her happy.”
“I thinkhappymight be a reach at the moment. I’d settle for her not having nightmares anymore.”
Stone looked stricken for a second at the thought, then flipped right over into his usual mode: irritation. “Why are you so soft for this girl, anyway? For all we know, she betrayed Brennan. She could be just as guilty as Nathan.”
“I don’t believe that, and neither do you,” I shot back. “You’re trying to be hard, but you’re just being stupid.”
“Be careful with her,” Stone said.
I was prepared to be furious at him, and when he grabbed my shoulder and leaned in, I almost punched him in the face.
But all he said was, “I’ve already lost one brother. I can’t lose you, Shaw.”
The words were unexpected, and my fury cooled in a second. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me.”
“Good.” He released my shoulder, patted it. His face shuttered as if he regretted that brief, small show of emotion. “Maybe one day you’ll even make yourself useful.”
CHAPTER26
Liam
I couldn’t bringmyself to talk to the girl. She was the one from my dreams, I was almost sure of it, and I wanted to tell her she’d saved my life. I’d clung to her dreams when I was chained up, embracing the flood of unconsciousness that let me slip close to her.
The Longroads would’ve driven me mad if I hadn’t been able to step into her dreams, into the soft, tender world she’d imagined at night: the swaying trees she loved, wandering barefoot through the forest behind her house and into other worlds, where dragons swooped overhead or where she stepped into a city built on magic, where flowers bloomed along the stone walls and glowed at night. She’d had the most beautiful dreams.
Her dream world was ruined now. I tossed and turned, trying to escape her dreams. She dreamt, over and over, of Nathan’s leering face, of rough hands, of the scent of blood. They were fragments of memory, sharp and dangerous, and we were both surrounded by them.
I tried to get out of her nightmares, but I found myself in another. I was walking, but I couldn’t see; I shuffled forward, my hand tracing the wall. Then I fell forward, letting myself twist into the wolf, and I rose onto my four paws, blinking my eyes open. The world opened into sunshine, and I opened my eyes, the nightmare fading as it turned into a dream.
I broke away, finally, my head aching as I sat up. God, this was why I slept as a wolf, almost all the time. Karissa had been worried about me, so I’d tried to make her happy by coming inside, but it made me miserable.
I’d put in an appearance. Made an effort. I could go wolf out again. It wasn’t like they expected anything different.
But when I got out of bed, the mirror opposite me caught my attention and horrified me. My body, my dark hair was reflected back, but the face…
My face was ruined.
I raised shaking hands to touch the damaged angles of my cheeks, my jaw. My eyes were empty pockets, so I couldn’t make sense of how I was even seeing myself in the mirror. My face had been shattered and it had healed, but… wrong.
Sometimes I had visions of the future.
This monstrous visage must be my future.
And then I realized I wasn’t truly awake as my vision faded back to darkness. Horror washed through me. The worst was when I couldn’t escape the dreams.
In my dream—my vision—someone was touching me. A warm, soft palm ran down my torso to delve beneath the waistband of my pants, and her voice murmured in my ear. It was a familiar voice from long ago. I couldn’t see anything, but I didn’t need to see her to know her; for once, the darkness didn’t hold any fear.
Instead, I turned toward her in my dream. Her lips met mine, and every sense was elevated as I explored the curves of her body.
“I want you,” she whispered into my ear, and my body responded, my cock rising against her palm.
She was so perfect, the way her breasts felt under my grip, the soft give of her breaths, the scent of her rising from between her thighs. I caressed my fingers through her slick folds and heard her moan under her breath, and my lips enveloped hers, taking the moan for my own.
I wanted to stay in this dream, but of course, it was the one that faded. When I opened my eyes, I could see again.
