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“Fuck, Brinna!” he yelled, slapping his hands over his now stinging nipples. “No maiming!”
She grinned, ducking away from his possible retaliation. “That wasn’t maiming!” She laughed, and despite the pain, he liked that sound. “That was a demonstration.”
Unable to help himself, he smiled. “Brinna Fareview! You are monstrous.”
She shook her head and laughed again, and he noted the beautiful lines she made—her neck, her jaw, the plait of her hair, her shoulders, her hands pressed against her belly. Her vibrant color pulsed with her joy so that he had to squint again. “Never forget it, Lucian Uraiahs. Now do you believe me? You’re still here. You felt that. And you remember it.”
“Fine. I’ll suspend my disbelief. And that still hurts.”
Her eyebrows arched. “And yet, you’re still here.”
“You wouldn’t let me do that to you,” he groused.
“Lucian!” she breathed, but her cheeks heated, and Luc wondered if maybe she might enjoy it.
He straightened, still swiping at his nipples, but they were feeling infinitely better now that she was blushing. “So I’m here. You’re here.” He took a breath and decided to come clean. “I dreamed of being here earlier. Of this place. Of you. I woke up because Nix called me from my nap to tell me about the hedge.” He waved a hand at the monstrosity. “How did I know about this before knowing about it?”
“I was in that dream with you. You asked me if I was safe… your voice brought me out.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I don’t either, Lucian. But this really seems like it’s happening.” Her eyes searched his face before she turned slightly away. “The question is, whose dream are we in?” She tapped her chin, then pointed at him. “We both need to think of a neutral place—not a place the other would know—and we’ll think of it at the same time, to see if the dream takes us.”
“Okay. I get where you’re going with that.”
“Here.” She held out her hands. “I feel like we need to be connected.”
Luc looked down at her outstretched hands, stepped closer, then took them. The image of Tarley and Lachlan standing this way at their wedding flitted through his mind, and his heart jumped as his chest warmed. It was such an unbidden and ridiculous thought. So he focused on the feel of Brinna’s hands in his, how small they were. How smooth and soft she felt against his own skin.
“Close your eyes,” she ordered.
Luc did.
“Okay. Now think of your place.”
He tried to, and when he next opened his eyes, they were standing in a bedroom.Nice Luc, he chastised himself. The room was cast in sunset colors, a gentle sea breeze wafting through open windows. Panels of sheer fabric moved with the air. He remembered the place from Roaming. It was on an island in the middle of an aqua sea where the tranquility had made him feel… different. Better.
“Oh,” Brinna gasped. “Yours, then.” She released his hands and stepped back, turning to take in the room.
Shame felt hot, accusatory. “I’m sorry. I didn’t–”
“It’s beautiful,” she said with an expelled breath.
His shame melted away, and he smiled. “Look outside,” he said, grabbing hold of her hand and leading her to the balcony beyond the open windows. The vista beyond offered an aqua swath of blue ocean that stretched out beyond them as far as the eye could see. Hovering on the horizon, a burning sun. Breaking waves intermittently washed the white sand. People walked along the shoreline, hand in hand, and buildings rose around them in colorful relief: pinks, blues, whites, yellows, greens, all cast in the golden light of the setting sun. It was beautiful, a favorite of the places he’d ever spent time, one he’d come to often when he needed space to think.
Brinna gasped, her hand squeezing his. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Luc studied her face, enamored with her awe. “It is beautiful.”
Without dropping his hand, Brinna leaned against the balcony to look down. He held tight to her hand, sobered suddenly at the thought of her being hurt.
“Tell me how this is possible,” she said, straightening and turning to face him, her hand still in his.
Feeling guilty because his own wishes were at odds with Nix’s, Luc released her hand and walked back into the room, where he took a seat on the edge of the bed, elbows to knees as he stared at the terra cotta floor. “I don’t have an answer. I’m a little taken aback, and I’ve grown up around gods.”
Brinna’s bare feet appeared in his line of sight. “You’re a god.”
He looked up. “Was.”
