Chapter Seventeen
When Wyatt returned, he looked dazed, exhausted, and more than a little out of sorts. Morpheus had a similar look—all but the exhaustion. The god had settled Wyatt down and after saying he’d be back for dinner, he’d disappeared.
Wyatt fell into a deep sleep for nearly two hours during which Rach checked on him frequently. Closer to the dinner hour, she went to check on him again, and he was up, dressed, and looking much refreshed. He wouldn’t tell her about his training session with Morpheus other than to say it had gone well, he believed, and it had been harder than he’d anticipated.
Rach had a feeling she’d need to pry the answers out of the god since Wyatt didn’t seem ready to reveal what all had gone on. Now all she had to do was corner the great God of Dreams and get him to talk.
Rach saw the guys head off to start to work out and walked out into the backyard. She waited for a short time and settled onto the double swing that was in the backyard. “Morpheus?” She called the god out by his name, calling him to her as she frequently did her uncle Apollo or even Ares. “Come on and talk to me. I want to know what you did to my sweet Wyatt today that wore him out. Please, I promise I won’t be angry with you.”
Ares snickered, and Apollo gave him two thumbs up. “Poor bastard,” she heard Apollo say to Ares. “He’s got no idea what he’s in for. Especially if he fell for that line.”
Morpheus moved her way, she could practically see him moving from Olympus and onto the mortal plane; he stopped a foot short of the swing. “What occurs in the training sessions is up to the trainee to discuss. It’s not my place to speak on his behalf.”
“I’m not asking you about that. I just want to be sure that Wyatt is okay and you aren’t pushing him too hard.” She patted the seat at her side. “Or you aren’t letting him push himself too far. I know him, and he pushes. He’ll push even more because it’s me that he’s protecting.”
He narrowed his eyes at her and crossed his arms over his chest while spreading his feet in a wider stance. “He is perfectly fine. Working in the dreaming is much different than here in reality. Especially for one not used to slipping into that reality on any plane. He’s worked on the metaphysical when rescuing you from the dreams, but he’ll have to learn to slide into them on the physical as well. Once he’s strong enough to take it.”
“This won’t harm him, will it? Truth if you would, please. I need to be sure that whatever he does won’t put him in danger. You know me well enough to know that I would know if you were lying, so please don’t. I only want the truth.”
“Gods don’t lie. They can obscure the truth and speak around it, but they cannot outright lie. Unless it’s Hades and he’s found a way around the loophole that binds the rest of us. He is in no danger. Because of his ancestry, he already has all the necessary building blocks in place. The issue is getting them lined up correctly and training someone who up to this moment never had this sort of training before. It’s exhausting. It will drain him completely. But in the end, it’s a skill that could well assist in helping to defeat Hades where I, nor any of my cohorts, can tread.
“When he sleeps, he won’t dream after the sessions, thus restoring himself quickly to full functionality. I’ve taught him to turn off the portion of his mind that wants to slip into the dreaming for the power naps to ensure he doesn’t tire himself more with unnecessary dream walking.”
“You will watch over him while he’s dreaming? You’ll make sure he’s protected in the dreaming? You won’t let him push too far and hurt himself?” She knew Wyatt and knew that he would do whatever it was to protect her.
“I will be in the dreams with him every step of the way during his training. I will also be watching over him when you all are sleeping. I have been since this venture truly began. But I can’t interfere if Hades is involved. I’ll coach from the sidelines, but that’s as far as I can go in the way of assistance. He’ll be fine, Rachael. Wyatt has a good head on his shoulders, and while you may not realize it, he thinks everything through before proceeding.”
“And is there any way that you can tag his soul so that if he becomes lost in the dreaming you will be able to find him? I worry about him not coming back to me when he pulls me free from that rotten bastard. Can you do that, for me, please?”
“The dreams are my domain, Rachael. I know when every soul around the globe is in the dreaming. I can with pinpoint accuracy find anyone I wish. You cannot hide from me in that realm. Even as I stand here, I know who in the world is currently in the dreaming and what they are dreaming about. He is my blood, he could never become lost in the dreaming in a way I couldn’t find him. Believe in that.”
“Thank you. As long as you’re protecting him, I’m happy. Thank you for doing that for me. Will he have access to weaponry should he need it in the dreaming?” she wanted to know. “Because I’m worried that Hades will pull out weapons to use against him.”
“He has access to many things in the dreaming, things even he doesn’t yet know about. In time, he will learn of them all. I can’t overload him with too much information at once. He will keep you safe, and I will watch over you all. Leave it at that, Rachael. There is much I cannot and will not tell you. It’s safer for everyone if I do not.”
“Will he always come back to me after training with you and fall flat on his face to sleep for hours on end? If so, we might have to rethink when you guys do your training.” Rachael didn’t like the fact that he was so tired.
“For the first while, yes, he will. In time, like any training, he’ll be able to go longer without tiring. The best time to train him is when you are awake, which means doing it during the day so that you’re safe. You also cannot sleep when he returns from training as he is outside the dreaming during that time and cannot step in should Hades come for you. Because of the rules governing us gods, neither could I.”
“Okay, that makes sense. I’ll make sure I’m nice and rested up before he comes back. Dieter will help keep me awake during those times Wyatt sleeps after his training. Can I sleep during his training? Would he be able to come for me should I fall asleep while he’s training?”
“Potentially,” Morpheus said with a slow nod. “He’s not tuned into the dreaming fully yet, so try not to sleep during the day if you can avoid it. He’ll only train for two of your hours each day before returning. No more, no less. It shouldn’t be hard for you to stay awake for four total hours since he’ll only need two hours of rest to be rejuvenated after the training.”
“Thank you for explaining. I appreciate it. Also, thank you for watching over him. I love that man, and I need him in my life.”
“He is blood, he is family,” Morpheus said. He looked over his shoulder to the house. “They’re getting ready to start serving. We should go inside before your men come looking for you. They are most concerned that you are out here all on your own.”
“They know you’re with me,” she assured the god. “They know that you will watch over me and keep me safe because in an odd way I’m family to you. However, if we want any of the good stuff, we better go now. They’re serving borscht today. Will you stay for food?”
“I’m here to discover if Ares was pulling my leg on how good this borscht is. He wishes to build a monument to its quality, texture, and the emotion it evokes. Personally, I think he’s taken one too many blows to the head over the years, but we shall see.”
“It’s delicious, very much so, however, it’s not something to build a monument to.” She rose from the seat she had settled on and smiled. “How about you walk in with me? That way they know I haven’t hurt you and vice versa.”
Morpheus let out a snort as he eyed her up and down. “I wouldn’t advise it. You would end up hurting yourself more than me. I doubt your men would think so kindly of me after that. Besides which, dinner is about to be served, and it’s rude to be late to a meal.”
“Yes, it is. Let’s go and have our dinner. Again, thank you,” Rach told Morpheus and linked her arm in his. “You are very good to me and even better to Wyatt. You are family.”
He gave her an odd look as they walked into the house. Then again, so did Ares, Apollo, and Artemis when they entered. Morpheus walked her around the table to her spot between Wyatt and Dieter and pulled out her chair for her.
“Thank you.” She patted his hand and took her seat. She looked around the table; it was a little comedic because everyone was stopped dead in their tracks. “What?” Rach asked with a frown. “I told you I wouldn’t hurt the big guy. He and I just had a lovely chat.”
“You… She… Holy fuck,” Ares sputtered.
Apollo leaned around Dieter to catch her chin in his fingers, tipping her head this way and that. “You touched Morpheus. What were you thinking, Rach? Don’t you know the harm that can be caused from touching him or being touched by him?”
Artemis eyed Morpheus as he eased into the chair next to her. “I guess you figured out what her plan was before she did it, given she appears not to be off the deep end.”
“She broadcasts her intent with that expressive face of hers. She also practically screams all her thoughts out into the universe,” Morpheus said. “I would never harm one of ours. Shame on all of you for believing otherwise.”
“And I did tell him that we would walk in together. Anyone that knows me knows that means I’m going to touch you.” She shook her head. “He would never hurt me. I’m his. Many over great-granddaughter-in-law or something weird like that because of my relationship with Wyatt. Right?”
“More or less,” he told her. “Ignore the idiots, Rach. They’re usually so unaware of everything they fail to remember I need to be aware at all times. Wouldn’t do to turn have the world insane from inadvertent contact.”
“Thank you for protecting me, then. I appreciate it. I knew you wouldn’t hurt me. They should know that you would never hurt me as well.” She grinned as she spoke .
“They should have, but some are not as bright as others. Even the ones that supposedly know me best.” Shaking his head, Morpheus turned to accept the bowl from Mikhail. “Thank you.” He set the dish down and inhaled the scents wafting from it.
“It’s super delicious. Even the smell of it is yummy,” Rach told Morpheus as she accepted her bowl as well. “Dig in. You’ll want to eat fast so you can get seconds, you know.” Around the house, there were seconds and thirds, and some people were lucky enough to get fourths and fifths.
He lifted his spoon, scooped up a bit, and took a delicate sip. A moment later, an emotion she couldn’t quite name rippled over the god’s face. “That is splendid. Ares was not exaggerating on this one point.”
“I don’t exaggerate,” Ares protested.
“Much,” Apollo said. “Usually only twice a month, but never about Mikhail’s borscht. It wouldn’t be right to do so. Besides, there’s no way to undersell something this good.”
“I agree.” Rach watched as everyone began to eat and smiled. This was her family. They were all dysfunctional and weird, but she loved them all. She couldn’t believe how happy she was and just how lucky. Life was damn good.
Well, it was until Hermes appeared and took a seat, clearing his throat. “About that list.”
They had all seen the list that he had removed the names of two women from, the list that had also shown the men related to the gods. So if he was here now talking to them about the list, that meant that another woman was in trouble and life was about to become complicated once more.
The End
www.april-zyon.com
Other Books by April Zyon:
www.evernightpublishing.com/april-zyon
If you enjoyed this book, you may also like:
Dark Moon by Jessica Marting
Subject 26-A by Scarlett J Rose
The Alpha’s Pride by Deidre Huesmann
EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®