Wolf Dream (11 page)

Chapter
Ten

Happy Birthday

Esmerelda

“I’m not sleeping.” I was so tired I couldn’t even hide the frustration in my voice. How long had it been since I slept? Two or three days? Maybe four? My hours all blurred together as I fought to keep my eyes open.

“I know you’re not, that’s why I’m telling you to.” Ian pushed me back on the bed and laid next to me.

“Ian.” I placed a hand on his chest. “I can’t lay down.” Even as I said it, I felt my eyes close. I jerked them open and tried to sit up.

Ian kept his
arm around me, keeping me down. I didn’t have enough strength to fight him and fell back to the pillow.

My mom sat down on the other side of me. “Es, you’re making yourself sick. You may be immortal
, but even witches need sleep. Immortality doesn’t mean you can’t die, or get sick. There are still things out there that can kill us, just not as easily as a mortal. Like a gunshot won’t kill you, but Belladonna can. Sleep is still essential, and you need it.”

I shook my head. “I can’t. If Nicholas finds me, he finds all of us. I don’t want to see him right now.” I wasn’t sure, but my voice sounded far away, detached from me. I couldn’t help but
want to giggle over the slurring sound I made with each word. I was definitely overtired.

She placed a hand on my forehead. “I will keep him away. I won’t sleep
until you awaken.”

Hope filled me. “Really? You can do that?”

She gave a faint smile. “Of course.”

I wasn’t sure if she meant it. Her tone didn’t sound too convincing
, but my body didn’t care anymore.

Ian

“Can you really keep Nicholas away while she sleeps?” I looked down at Es. Her eyes were closed, and I could still see the dark circles around them. Her face was taut. It was hard not to notice she was wearing herself thin.

“I don’t know, but she wouldn’t sleep otherwise. I’m going to try
something though. Just stay with her.” Her tone was serious, but I couldn’t figure out why she thought I’d leave Es. I nodded. No one was going to take me away from Es. Not now, not ever.

Adonia stood and stretched with her hands on her back.
“Ailaina and Torres should be back soon with our drinks. Personally, a cup of coffee is what I’ll need.”

“That’s an understatement.” I yawned, suddenly feeling extremely tired. I pulled Es up so her head rested comfortably on my shoulder and wrapped my arm around her. Within seconds, my eyes closed.

Esmerelda

I looked around cautiously
, standing outside back at Jarak’s cabin. Fog swirled around my feet and ankles. Footsteps crunched leaves somewhere behind me. I spun around, ready to face Nicholas.

My breathing hitched when Ian walked through the fog. I relaxed a little seeing him. It
had been forever since I’d dreamed of him. His all-black clothing made him look like a shadow walking through the mist.

“Hey
, good looking. I didn’t expect to see you here.” I met him halfway and reached up to place a kiss on his cheek.

His brow rose. “That’s all I get?”

I smiled. It was so nice to relax for a moment with him. I almost forgot what it was like to just soak in everything about him.

He smirked
. “Strange.”

“What is?”

“This. I mean, one minute I was laying on a bed with you and the next I’m here, at Jarak’s cabin with you.”

That was strange. “It’s a dream, Ian. Right?” I felt my heartbeat pick up faster. “My mom said she’d let me sleep.”

Ian took my hands. “If it was just a dream, then how can you remember everything from while you were awake? Besides, after you fell asleep, Adonia told me that she could only try and for me to not leave…” he trailed off.

“To not leave what?”

“You. She said not to leave you. Now I get it. She didn’t know if she could keep Nicholas away so she sent me. That’s why I’m not really sleeping either.”

Great, one more person who could see into my head. Was nothing sacred anymore?

He let go of my hands and ran his up and down my arms. “Es, it’s not all that bad. We’re alone.” He wiggled his brows and I couldn’t help the giggle that escaped my lips.

“Yes, we’re alone. For now.”

“I’ve been wanting some alone time with you.”

I reached up on my tiptoes and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Oh really? And just why would you be wanting that?”

Ian picked me up and carried me up onto the deck, then gently sat down in the porch-swing with me on his lap. I didn’t care if it was a dream or not, I also wanted time alone with him. So many things just kept getting in the way.

“Es, you’re so beautiful.” He rested his forehead on mine and ran his hands through my hair.
“Happy Birthday.”

I cocked my head slightly. I had been so busy and so tired that I didn’t even realize today was my birthday.
Looking into his eyes, I couldn’t imagine a better present than to be with Ian in my dreams. I trailed my finger down his face and across his jawline. He had a five o’clock shadow and I loved it. His hand found its way to my lower back and tingles spread out across my body. It seemed like forever since we’d been close, but something about this moment felt different. Maybe it was because we were in a dream-like state, but I didn’t care. His touch warmed my skin.

His other hand held the back of my neck and he used it to pull me closer to his mouth. At first, his kiss was soft and feather light, but we both wanted more. I could feel his urgency deepen with mine. It no longer mattered where we were, or what was going on around us
. All that mattered was us and this moment, and it was long overdue.

We’d never
before let ourselves get carried away further than a kiss, but I wanted more. I needed more, and I was pretty sure he did too. I lifted his shirt up over his head and dropped it to the deck. Running my hands over his chest, I could feel his muscles and the way they flexed with each movement. He wasn’t just my boyfriend; he was my protector, my guardian.

A
nd he was all mine.

I cuddled up in the blanket Ian brought out for me, waiting for him to return with some hot cocoa. If this was a dream, it was the best dream I could ever have. I couldn’t keep the smile from my face as I thought about Ian. He was my first, and I only wondered if
, when we awoke, things would be the same. Would I still be a virgin or did this count? I bit my bottom lip as I thought about our first time. I don’t think anyone would have been as slow and careful as he was.

Ian
crawled up on the porch-swing and wrapped his arms around me. He was still shirtless and I loved seeing him this way. I leaned my head back on his chest. “Ian, when we wake up…” I wasn’t sure how to put words to my thoughts.

He kissed the top of my head. “Es, you amaze me. I will never leave you, and when we wake up you better bet I will be finding another hotel room, because I want to show you things that not even a dream can make come true.”
His voice was deep and husky.

My heart fluttered with his words.
I wish he knew just how much I looked forward to it, and how much he had already made my dreams come true.

He took a deep breath and I could feel the heat as he exhaled on my neck
, making me shiver with a different warmth. He reached up and raked his fingers through my hair, moving it off my face. “When we get out of this, I mean all of it, not just this amazing dream, but everything. After Nicholas is stopped and we don’t have anyone trying to kill us, I want to take you home.”

I smiled wider. “I’d like that. Although, I don’t really call Jarak’s cabin home.”

“No, Es, I really mean home, as in my home. I wanna sit with you like this on my porch and look out over the ocean and watch the sun rise and set with you.”

I twisted slightly to tip my head up and see his face. “Ocean?”

His face lit up and he gave me a wink. “Well, yeah, Hawaii is surrounded by it, so it’s hard not to see the ocean at some point. It just so happens that I own a small part of beach and a tiny hut that would be perfect for the two of us.”

“Hawaii? Are you serious? Just the two of us?”

“Very serious. I look forward to spending a week just in bed, but for now we need to get moving.” His tone went low and serious.

My smile dropped and I looked out to where he gazed. “What’s wrong?”

I didn’t want my happy dream to end, but I guess it was just a dream after all—kind of. A branch snapped somewhere beyond the tree line and I jumped. Ian grabbed his shirt and put it on. We both stood up but he never let go of my hand.

“Just remember, Es, it’s a dream.”

I laughed. “It didn’t feel like one until now.”

“I have the pl
easure of seeing the lovebirds.” Meadow walked out from behind a tree. She glanced up and traced a finger down the trunk. “Jarak’s home. Nice, but where are you really? You’ve never changed your location before. You’ve always portrayed your whereabouts in your dreams. I know you aren’t really back in Idaho.”

I gripped Ian’s hand tighter.
It’s just a dream,
I chanted to myself.

She walked closer until she stood about five feet away, her long trench-like coat
leaving a trail of dust behind her. “Awww, sweetheart, when are you gonna learn that this is more than a dream, that it’s real.”