Ciarán’s face was soft as he replied, “Don’t worry, bro. We’re being careful. Nix is safe.”
I threw my head back and swallowed, my Adam’s apple bobbing as I worked to believe him. The Councilmen might hate every rebellion member, but the red X painted on Nix was the brightest target. If they saw a way to take her down for her transgressions against them, they would do it without question.
“We’ve got Damien working on vetting people’s intentions by mind reading, and I’m helping too. Souls are funny things. Good, bad, dark, evil, light, fluffy, pink... you never know what you’re going to find.” Ciar plopped five gumballs into his mouth, stashing as many as he could in his cheeks before starting to chew. Waggling his eyebrows, he held up a finger in a ‘wait for it’ gesture while he blew the world’s largest imaginary bubble.
“Can you tell them I said hello?” I requested, knowing the sentiment didn’t reflect nearly enough of what I truly wished to tell them. The bubble grew to the size of his face and beyond until I was staring at a bulb of Pepto Bismol pink. I knew Ciar was trying to cheer me up, it was a nice gesture I appreciated, but even Ciar and his goofy self couldn’t seem to snap me from my melancholy. To be honest, nothing would until I saw Nix again.
The bubble popped, the pieces of gum turning into little pink butterflies that flew away as Ciarán wove his dream magic.
“They miss you, you know.” Ciar misted and appeared right next to me, the facade of sweets and his candy store fading away until we stood in the ether. His hand landed on my arm as he gave it a gentle squeeze.
A trapeze appeared above us suddenly, and then Ciar was jumping to grab hold of it before hooking his knees over the bar and hanging upside down as he swayed. “Hang in there, Gummy,” he called with a salute, as he tossed a handful of the gummy snakes and worms he’d gathered from his pocket to batter against my head. He gave me an exaggerated wink as I sputtered before evaporating in a haze of clear mist.
“Wait!” I shouted, as black faded into the edges of my dream and I started to panic, fighting back the deep REM sleep that would bring nothing but the abyss. “We have a standing agreement. You’re supposed to tell me about Nix!”
“What about her?” Ciarán’s voice came at me from all sides, everywhere and nowhere at once.
“Anything! Everything! What about how she’s doing to start?” I threw my hands away from my side as I spun in a slow circle, trying to catch even a glimmer of Ciarán in the deepening onyx shadows of my mind. I didn’t remember my dreams ever being so dark before, but maybe it was some kind of incarnation of my mental state at the moment. The less happy I was, the darker the natural state of my dreams became.
Stark silence permeated my dream and I balled my fists, willing myself to stay in this sleep state.
Nix, I begged the impending ebony.
Mate, my Basilisk hissed in my head, mournfully coiling up, just as upset about being away from her as I was.
Slowly, the darkness yielded to color, the bland scene blooming into dusky blues and warm golds. There was a cabana of sorts with sheer fabric draped in the place of walls, and the sound of crashing waves created a peaceful white noise that helped relax the tense set of my shoulders. An easy breeze blew against my skin so softly it could have been real, and when I gazed up, I saw a million stars emerging in the twilight sky.
God, what I wouldn’t give to take Nix somewhere like this for real, which probably had something to do with why I’d unknowingly conjured it up.
My Basilisk stretched out, wishing for the heat of the beach rather than the cool silky sheets of our reality, but the illusion was nice nonetheless.
I could almost feel the spark of Nix’s magic warming me, and my heart rate jumped when I heard her sweet voice.
“Joshua.” That sound. I closed my eyes, letting the beautiful melody of Nix’s voice repair my aching heart, even if it was just part of the dream. This was the only place I ever felt close to her. I even swore I heard her feminine giggle. “Joshua,” she called again... only this time it was more insistent.
I opened my eyes to see her shadowed form appearing behind one long, gauzy curtain.
“Nix?” I was moving before her name even left my lips, running into the sand and scooping her up as I swung her around in a circle. “Nix.” Her name was a prayer, a plea, and a goddamn promise. “Nix,” I repeated, just needing the validation that she was here in my arms.
We were nothing more than clinging arms and legs, a mash of lips, and a tangle of tongues as I consumed her with my mouth. She tasted just as sweet as I remembered, and that pure, flowery and smoky scent enveloped me as I held her close. I kissed her again and again, pouring every ounce of happiness I had into showing her how incredible it was to see her.
I groaned at the feel of her beautiful body pressed against mine, and I pushed away the nagging reminder that this wasn’t real. It felt real, she smelled real, and her skin was a soft caress against mine as I set her on her feet. But I refused to let her out of my embrace, too enamored with having her near to release her completely.
“I miss you,” Nix murmured as she turned her head, letting me kiss her temple while she drew in a deep breath. “So, so much.”
“I know, baby. I miss you too. Just remember I’ll be with you again soon. This is only temporary.” The words were for her as much as they were for me. I needed the reminder to get through another day.
We couldn’t get enough, just drinking each other in. Nix popped up on her tiptoes and started to kiss a line along the bottom of my jaw. I couldn’t resist pulling her closer, bringing her flush with the lines of my body even though I knew she’d feel how much I missed her.
A breathy gasp escaped her lips when my arousal pressed against her abdomen, that spark of desire flaring to life in her eyes. “I want you to come home, Joshua,” she begged, and it broke my heart to hear the needy tone of her voice.
“Trust me, Nix. There’s nowhere I’d rather be. But at least we have this. How did you—” I glanced around, indicating the dream.
“The mind is nearly as interesting as the soul,” Ciarán remarked, still not reappearing, but his voice was a gentle reminder that we weren’t alone.
A light blush worked over Nix’s cheeks at having just made out in front of the Celt, but she didn’t pull away. “Ciarán has been practicing linking souls since you left. We wanted to surprise you.” Nix’s fingers played with my hair, her touch soothing me and settling the raging storm inside.
“Thought you might appreciate a pick-me-up. And I’m leaving now… as much as I can anyway. Not that I’d want to watch this.” I could almost see the man’s shudder. He truly did perceive Nix as his sister, despite his pretend flirting to drive my brothers insane. “You two behave. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t… you know what? That doesn’t really work in this scenario. If it was Rini, I’d—”
“I think I’d be shocked over the few things you wouldn’t do,” I interjected dryly, even as I tightened my hold on Nix.
Ciar gasped in afront. “My sweet little python, you wound me.”
“Ciar,” Nix barked, gently but firmly.
“Right. Toodles, my dears.”