Only in Her Dreams by Christina McKnight Page A

his shoulders. Sometimes he wished he were brave enough to walk away from it all, live the simple life Guy had chosen on Earth. Give up his powers in return for zero responsibility. He would gladly give up his ability to move between Erebos and Earth, his gift to influence the lives of mankind, and the power to think himself to another place. But after all Guy had given up to return to Erebos, that option was not open to Maxim. He had to see this situation through. Hopefully salvation for his twin would be granted in the process.
    Lucessa reentered the room, a half bottle of wine clutched in her hand. She’d risen to refresh her wine glass.
    Would she refuse his help and banish him from her house? The thought that he’d be unable to fulfill his promise to Guy was unthinkable.
    “So, how are we going to catch the evil Oneiroi?” A smirk pulled up the corner of her mouth.
    “We? First off, there will be no ‘we’ in this. And make the evil Oneiroi, plural. In Erebos they are called Melas Oneiroi.”
    The smile slowly drained from her face.
     
    # # #
     
    He was the crazy one, Lucessa was sure of it. But what did it say about her that she sensed he told the truth? All this talk about Oneiroi, Melas Oneiroi, and Erebos had to be complete and utter nonsense. In her studies of Greek mythology, that one quarter her freshman year of high school, she’d never heard of Erebos or dream watchers. And wasn’t all that stuff made up anyways?
    That’s why it’s called mythology, right? Next, she’d find herself looking for proof that vampires and werewolves existed. Where will it end?
    She should call the cops, but how could she make a move without alerting him. Maxim would be safer in a facility--with doctors trained to help the deranged. Where will that leave me? He was the man from her dreams. She probably belonged in the padded cell next to his. What a great pair they’d make. Maybe they’d benefit from group counseling sessions and deal with both their delusions at the same time. They could swap happy pills in the general area of the hospital. Assuming, they were given permission to socialize with the general population.
    Again, she forced herself to play along with his game. She didn’t feel threatened by him, so what was the harm? It helped that he wasn’t bad to look at. There were worse ways to spend an evening, right?
    “Yes, I said we . You can’t take full responsibility for keeping me safe. I’m capable of protecting myself.” She flipped her hand in the air to lighten the mood. The conversation had become far too serious for her liking.
    “It sounds like you are patronizing me, Lucessa.” He stood and paced the living room. “This is a serious matter.”
    She took a deep swallow of merlot, its earthy flavor trailed down her throat, as she thought about her next move. She suspected he spoke the truth; there was no other way to explain his appearance in her dreams. Her being insane was not an idea she was ready to entertain.
    Whatever she was mixed up in was bigger than she was, possibly even bigger than Maxim. Still she needed some reassurance this was indeed the truth. If it was, her life was about to change...again.
    Maxim continued to pace.
    “Give me one reason why I should believe any of this.” There, she’d said it. Now the ball was in his court.
    Maxim halted and faced her. “Because I rescued you from the crash that killed your father. Our destinies were set in motion then. We are forever linked. Get used to it.” The hard edge in his tone startled her as she looked into his flushed face.
    It took a minute to sink in. That was the nightmare that visited most often. The headlights shone into the back seat; she clutched her most treasured possession; the sound of torn and crushed metal; and then the strong arms that pulled her from the vehicle before it exploded. She pushed the memory back down where it belonged.
    She shivered, the aching loneliness took her in its thrall as always. She lived