“I hate everyone here.”
“Even me?” Dean pouts.
“Especially you.” I laugh, the easy banter between us catching our friends off guard.
I can’t even imagine how shocked they’d be if they found out Dean kissed me last night. And again this morning, before I left for training.
It’s strange how I haven’t been able to stop smiling since. Everything reminds me of how his lips felt against mine, or the way his arm held me tight.
I never thought a kiss could make every nerve in my body light up.
I never thought I could crave the taste of someone’s lips.
Dean might not be the only one obsessed here.
Before I can convince myself the worst is behind me, Dean clears his throat.
“There’s more.” He nudges my shoulder. I glare at him to shut up, but he doesn’t budge. When I refuse to say anything, he turns to Grace. “She’s been having nightmares.”
Traitor.
“What kind of nightmares?”
Grace sits up, looking at me like she’s trying to dissect what I’m not saying, and it makes my skin crawl.
I wait for her to drop it, but Dean’s insistence keeps their attention locked on me.
I lean back with a groan before I grumble, “Tiberius can dreamwalk. I haven’t been able to sever the connection between us, and he loves haunting my dreams.”
Nevaeh clears her throat loudly, giving me a pointed look.
Why is everyone suddenly on my ass?
“Ugh, fine.” I sigh. “The last few times, if he hurt me in the dream state, I woke up with bruises in the same places.” Dean’s grip on me tightens when I admit, “I think he’s getting stronger.”
Grace has been researching my kind since we met, constantly digging for more information about merfolk beyond what I’veshared. She suggests a few potions she could easily drum up, but I don’t want the side effects.
They would dull my emotions and alertness, and I can’t afford that. Tiberius is a threat in my dreams, but he’ll be worse if I face him, and my mind is in shambles.
Anxo senses my reluctance and offers another solution. “I could help, but that means I’d be inside your mind while you sleep, building walls that will keep him out. It won’t be a one-time thing either. If he comes to hurt you, I’ll need to be awake to fight him off when you can’t.”
The thought of another person inside my head makes my stomach twist.
“You’re not sitting next to me while I sleep.”
“I second that,” Dean growls, quickly turning it into a cough when everyone looks at him.
“Then we need Hermani’s help.” Anxo settles. “The Queen of pixies will have a better solution.”
Seiji groans. “I don’t like her!”
Anxo laughs. “That’s because you always manage to piss her off. One of these days you’re going to get your ass kicked, and won’t come to the rescue.”
“Impossible. You love your mate, and she loves me. Nevaeh would be devastated if something happened to me.”
Harvey snorts. “You’re widely overestimating your worth.”
I can’t help but laugh, and then a thumb hooks under my chin, turning my head. Before I can react, Dean leans in and presses a soft kiss to my lips, likeit’s the most natural thing in the world.
