Eventually frustration had forced Carter out of bed. He’d taken a hot shower, needing to wash away the dirt he felt on his body even though a quick glance had shown him that he was perfectly clean. Carter had felt the dirt though.
After he was dressed, Carter sat in front of his laptop, trying to figure out what to search for. Typing in a search for oracles had resulted in nothing but texts on mythology. Nothing that would help Carter understand Aaron better. Or how to help the other man.
There was something about Aaron that called Carter’s protective instincts. Other than the few minutes when Aaron hadbeen flirting with him, before the vision, and everything else that had happened, the man seemed almost sad. Troubled.
Carter had always enjoyed a good mystery and maybe that was all this was. Him wanting to figure things out. But he also wanted to make sure that Aaron was okay.
If he knew where Aaron lived, he would have gone over to make sure the man was still in bed. Not wandering around half-naked in the woods.
It was a dream. Just a dream. Except Carter had touched Aaron.
Since everyone he knew was still asleep, Carter had spent an hour googling the state park. There were three hiking paths that would take him near water. That was where he would start.
He’d been loaded up and on his way just as the first rays of the sun broke the horizon. Shifting the pack on his back, Carter left the marked trail where the printed map showed he wouldn’t be far from the water source. This was the third spot that he had tried.
It was now a few hours since he had first set out and Carter was losing hope. So far he hadn’t recognized any of the trees or area from the night before. Was this a mistake? Had it just been a dream and nothing more? No, Carter believed in what he had felt.
Aaron’s soft skin, the lost look in his eyes, the near desperation in his words as he stated he needed to figure things out.
Why was it all on Aaron? Carter couldn’t help feeling like Aaron had been dealing with too much on his own for far toolong. Even the way that Bastian had stated that they were used to Aaron’s visions bothered Carter. Like okay, they were used to them, but what were they doing about it? Was it touch that forced Aaron into a vision?
That was all Carter had done. Shook the man’s hand and that sent Aaron into a vision that had knocked him out.
Should Aaron wear gloves? It might seem odd to the people in town but wouldn’t it be better than Aaron just seizing and being put at risk? So many questions and yet Carter didn’t know how to help.
Turning in a circle, he realized that he’d stopped paying attention to the map in his hand and was deep within the forest.
Wait! The flowers. Carter had seen those the night before. The stems were long and the purple flowers with dark centers swayed in the gentle breeze. Had he found the spot?
Carter stuffed the map into his back pocket. Yanking the water bottle out of the side of his backpack, Carter downed several big gulps. He was getting warm now that the sun had burned off the mist from the morning.
Even the thick canopy of leaves from above that hid most of the sun didn’t keep the heat away.
He had more water and some food in his backpack just in case he did find the puppies.
And he could feel that he was close. All that hiking and he had stumbled into the right area after all. Hmm. Moving forward with careful steps, Carter tried to remember the way to the drop where he’d gone down and found the puppies.
Would they be there? Did those three little puppies exist in reality? Why else would Aaron be dreaming about them?
As he walked around, Carter tried to listen for a sound, something, that told him that there were puppies out there.
He had to be close.
Had to be.
Carter was nearly ready to give up when there was a short yip and…talking. Someone was talking? Shit! So he wasn’t out there alone. He rushed forward, over some logs, around a thick tree that had been blocking his view, of the very place that Carter had gone down the hill in the dream.
There was someone else there indeed.
“Shh, it’s okay. You’ll be okay now, I promise.”
Carter grinned. Sadly, this time Aaron was fully dressed, but he was there. “You found them.”
Aaron jolted, letting out a little scream as he fell over. He snapped his chin in Carter’s direction and scowled. “You scared me.”
Carter chuckled while making his way down the hill.
Aaron had a blanket in his hands that was wiggling around. He was holding the blanket close to his chest but that didn’t stop a tiny black nose from peeking out.
