A Wicked Beginning by Calinda B Page B

swallow you whole unless your spirit is pure. This explains the star dreamling, but it does not explain what it wants with you.” He pursed his lips thoughtfully. “And while you may have a pure spirit… may …since you have already engaged with Chérie and lived to tell about it…” He gave a look in Cam’s direction. “No, it’s not yet clear, one way or the other, if the star dreamling is friend or foe. We don’t know what it wants of you.”
    “It fucking wants to kill me, that’s what...” Cam winced and looked down at this leg. The ghoulish burning light was gone, replaced by four distinct claw mark scars cut through the ragged, red skin. His lip curled in disgust as he reached down to touch the slashes. “There goes me and summer shorts,” he joked, then laughed without mirth. “Fuck…this thing wants me six feet under.”
    “Like I said, we don’t know that yet…” Manoko said. “True, it gave you a venomous greeting. But it could have been testing you…testing your purity. Did you perhaps see anything while you were out there?”
    Cam shuddered. He leaned his back against the wall. “I’m not sure I can make any sense out of it.”
    “Just tell us what you saw, brother.”
    Cam gave a long exhale. “I saw a lot of darkness…a lot of nothingness. Weird shapes and shit… I was racing through space like I was riding the biggest motherfucking rapids I have ever seen. Then I saw a path coming out of a vast forest. I followed the path through the dark woods until it got to a fork.”
    “Then what did you do?” I asked. Manoko gave a nod of concurrence.
    “I just stood there. I didn’t know which way to go. Both routes appealed to me. I took a step towards one, and the dream lynx appeared, teeth bared, hackles raised. He was crouched like he was ready to take me down and shred me to pieces. I backed off of that path and started down the other path. Same thing happened with the lynx. Then Severe came tearing out of the brush and the lynx disappeared.”
    Severe stood up, waving her tail like a helicopter propeller.
    “She’s a good girl.” Manoko reached over and gave her head a loving scratch.
    “Then I woke up. I didn’t recognize you two. Chérie looked like this goddess-like creature I saw in that dream I mentioned to you this morning.”
    “The one with the lynx…” Manoko stated.
    “Yeah…and you looked like some strange God or something. You had horns and a face like some strange animal. You were taller than you are now.” Cam gave a nervous laugh. “You’re already big enough, dude.” He crumpled a handful of the bed covers. “The only one who made any sense to me was your mutt. That’s what snapped me back.”
    Again Severe barked as if to agree. Manoko got to his feet. “This is a puzzle. The signs are unclear. I need to consult with the Grandmothers to find out more. And you…” He glared at me. “You need to be careful with that energy of yours. I think the star dreamling is using your power as a gateway.”
    I groaned. “Does that mean I don’t get to awaken the ka’kriyayaga? I’m just starting to get to learn how to use it.”
    “Maybe…we don’t know yet. There are a lot of questions to be answered. I’ll let you figure that one out. But watch out…I mean it. We don’t know if the star dreamling is an ally or an enemy to Cam. You wouldn’t want your amorous explorations to result in the destruction of your boy here.”
    I turned my head towards Cam whose face held a pained expression. He probably felt tortured if I knew Cam…and I believe I knew Cam…that man loved making love, being sensual, and participating in all things physical. Especially with me, if his words were true. I imagine that he cared less about his destruction than putting a limit on his sexual advances with me…especially since we just started reacquainting ourselves with one another.
    “You okay to head back into the kitchen?” Manoko inquired, heading out the door.