Trying to be covert, Aaron glanced over one shoulder then the other.
Nothing.
No one.
At least, that was what someone wanted Aaron to believe. Who, though? Who would be this deep in the forest. Animal. Magical. Other? Had to be paranormal, right?
A yip and a whine had Aaron slowing his steps.
The puppies. Why was he dreaming about puppies? Weird.
Standing in place, Aaron waited to see if he would hear them again.
There! To the left. Aaron headed carefully in the direction from where he heard the sound. Every few steps, Aaron paused and listened. Reaching the area where Aaron thought the noises were coming from, he stopped in his tracks, seeing the naked back of a man.
“Carter?” Aaron asked quietly. What in the actual hell was going on?
Turning, Carter faced him with a frown. “How did I get out here?”
Aaron shrugged. “Dream?” That was his best guess anyway.
“My dream or yours?” Carter questioned. “Because while this does feel dreamlike, it also feels different.”
Aaron sighed as he strode forward. Wasn’t it enough that he suffered through the confusion? Now his poor mate had to be dragged along with him. Aaron wouldn’t blame Carter if he ran far away from Aaron. Trying to make light of the situation, Aaron offered a smile and joke. “Welcome to my weird life.”
“You did this?” Carter’s tone held an edge of accusation.
“Probably,” Aaron offered with a shrug. How could he explain to Carter when Aaron didn’t know how his powerworked? “It’s…a thing. Although I’ve never brought anyone else along for the ride before. Sorry.”
Carter grabbed his arm. “I can feel you.”
Yes. Carter’s fingers were firm where they held Aaron’s arm tight. Electricity raced up Aaron’s arm from the touch.
“How?” Carter demanded.
Hadn’t they been through this? Not that Aaron could blame Carter for having questions. It was strange. Aaron was strange. Although maybe Aaron might be able to figure out the mystery with Carter’s help. “I could use your help. I think.”
“You think?” Carter released Aaron’s arm.
“I keep dreaming about three things,” Aaron shared. “Puppies, rainbows, and flowers.”
Carter lifted an eyebrow while the edges of his lips curled into the start of a grin.
Aaron waved off that reaction. Like he hadn’t been teased enough by Bas, Leo, and the other guys. “I thought I heard whining and yips.”
“I did too,” Carter said. “I followed the noise to around here.” He waved at the area below him.
The landscape in front of them curved down to a shallow river. Damn. That didn’t seem easy to trek. His first instinct was to drop onto his butt and just slide down. That didn’t seem like a sexy move with Carter watching. Of course, falling on his face wouldn’t be sexy either.
Another yip.
“I have to check it out,” Aaron said. Whether he made a fool of himself or not, Aaron was going down that slope.
“Be careful. It doesn’t look…safe.”
He hadn’t gotten this close before. If this helped him put the pieces together, it was important for Aaron to follow through with wherever this dream took him. He gave Carter a quick nod. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. At least he hoped.
Carter caught Aaron’s elbow before he could start down.
