CARLYLE

Kana and I ignored reality for hours in the hot sun, only getting up when we needed to cool off in the water or reapply sunscreen, then stretching right back on the sheet.

Just when my stomach had started growling, we heard Sol call to us from the back deck.

“We have food,” he shouted, waving us in. I stood and pulled my clothes on stiffly, my skin feeling tight and hot. There probably wasn’t enough SPF in the world to keep me from burning, but I didn’t care - being on the beach was fucking worth it. You couldn’t just go to Florida on vacation and not get a little burned, right?

“How are you not like a pile of ash right now?” I finally asked Kana as we trudged back up to the house. She barely looked flushed, as though her skin had repelled the sun.

She laughed. “Jai said you had a lot of funny ideas about vampires. I really don’t know where the daylight thing got started, but it’s not true. I mean, yeah, a lot of us love the night, but that’s because our senses are so amplified all the time. Nighttime is a break, because sounds are quieter, and there are fewer smells. Plus, we can see in the dark. Bright sun actually strains my eyes a lot. Anyway, my skin is constantly healing any burn I’m getting.”

“Wow. That’s cool,” I answered. Understatement of the year, right there. I’d do a lot more than kiss Jai to get a little of that power. I hugged my thin shirt closer as we made our way into the kitchen. The air conditioning made the rooms chilly compared to the baking we’d just done.

My stomach growled louder as I took in the white marble counter, spread with sliced bread, deli meat, cheeses, lettuce and tomato, and an assortment of condiments. Killian and Sol were already at the table, chowing down on thick sandwiches.

I made mine with three kinds of cheese, while Kana chopped everything up to make a plateful of salad. She rooted through the now-stocked cabinets, pulling out oil, vinegar, and a handful of seasonings to make a dressing. I was a little jealous when she was done - it seemed Jai’s cooking might run in the family.

With my childhood bouncing around in foster care, then on the streets, I’d never had the chance to learn to cook. LuAnn and I had only ever microwaved frozen dinners in our tiny camper.

“How was the sunbathing?” Sol asked as we sat. I was oddly happy to note that this new table was round, without a head chair.

“Absolute heaven,” Kana answered, then shoved a huge bite in her mouth.

“How was town?” I returned, tearing the crust from my sandwich.

“Shit place.” Killian shrugged, smirking at what I was doing with my bread. I flushed, realizing it probably was a kid thing to do. “We’re in a ritzy tourist area. There was a wine store and a cheese store and an ass-wiping store - all tha’ separate shit. We bought pretty much everything - not exactly a way to stay under the fuckin’ radar.”

“We’ll get into the next town over soon enough,” Sol reminded him. “Just have to wait for Dair to get the van.”

This reduced Killian to glares and muttered curses, and I knew he was missing his silver, two-seater car.

“Is it really that dangerous to go back to the other house and get your car?” I asked him, but he ignored me, brooding down at the table.

“When Dair siphons back, he might be able to tell us if the Ringmaster has people or spells on the house,” Sol said. “If it’s clean, there’s a chance, but we’re all pretty worried about how much power Dair used last night.”

“Jai will never let it happen,” Kana warned. “Get over it, Kills, baby. Ride something else to get your rocks off.”

I choked on my sandwich at her innuendo, and she tossed me a saucy grin.

“Fuck off, Kana,” Kills said, but there wasn’t any force behind it - he just sounded resigned. He stood and dumped his plate in the sink, stomping out of the room.

“Does he really miss the car that much?” I asked, staring at the empty chair he’d left. I’d never let myself get attached to anything really - physical possessions never stayed around long in my life. I didn’t quite understand, but I didn’t like seeing him so unhappy, either.

I missed my old ability to draw emotions from people. He’d never let me near enough to do such a thing, but I still wished there were a way to help.

“He’ll get over it,” Sol assured me. “Leaving stuff behind has happened to all of us. He just needs a few days to find a new toy.”

“He needs to get laid,” Kana said with a snort. “Asshole’s denying himself again, isn’t he?”

Sol rolled his coffee-brown eyes, nodding, and I cocked my head. “Denying himself?”

Kana frowned, playing with her salad. “Fae are pretty sexual creatures - like they really need physical contact to keep going. But Kills has some hang-ups. He feels like he doesn’t deserve things sometimes.”

If fae were sexual, what did that make mages and shifters? Fucking feral horndogs, I snorted to myself, then focused on what else she’d said.

“What do you mean, he doesn’t deserve things?” I tore the remaining crust of my bread into little pieces. What was crust, really, if not just burned bread?

She sighed. “Really, he should tell you this stuff. I don’t like to gossip. Just be patient with him.” She glanced at me, eyes narrowed a bit in protectiveness for her friend.

I nodded, although I wasn’t exactly sure what I needed to be patient about. I didn’t expect the redhead to ever really be a friend - he seemed too bent on keeping me at a distance.

“I think I’ll take a shower and maybe a nap,” I said, pushing away from the table. “I probably don’t need any more sun right now.”

“I bought more sunscreen and an umbrella,” Sol offered. I mumbled my thanks, but I still headed up to my room. Even though I’d been lying down all morning, I suddenly felt exhausted, and my skin was beginning to itch like crazy.

Instead of a shower, I chose the jacuzzi tub. I slouched low in the empty tub, watching the water rise inch by inch over my skin. I didn’t have any special soaps or oils to add, so I just let the pure heat ease its way through my body.

It stung a little on my sunburn, but the pain eased quickly. When the water reached my neck, I turned off the tap with my toes.

My eyes slid closed, and I welcomed the drowsiness that rolled in with the steam.

Somewhere in that in-between place, just before sleep totally claimed me, I began to dream. I’d done this before, dreaming semi-lucidly of flying and falling, only to have my body jerk awake.

This time was different, though.

At first, everything was blurry, like looking through smudged glass. As my focus sharpened, I realized all the colors were saturated, and my sense of smell seemed in overdrive as waves of stale air, sweat-soaked sheets, and rotting wood assaulted me. My body recoiled at the unpleasantness.

I could feel the warm bathwater slosh against my skin, but I remained in the dreamscape, somehow feeling present in both places.

Within the dream, I felt pain rippling across my skin and through my aching muscles. My body was curled into itself, shaking although I felt no cold. I twisted my head up and around, noting the too-close walls and stained, cracked linoleum floor. I lay on a mattress that was damp with cooled sweat, with no blanket for comfort.

It was a narrow trailer - not unlike LuAnn’s, really. Much sparser and dirtier. Smaller, with only a microwave and a mini-fridge. There were almost no possessions. No decorations on the walls.

No... not exactly true.

About eye level before me, scratched into the dated plywood paneling, was a landscape scene. It was both rough and artfully drawn, all at once. The artist had made use of what shoddy material was available to create the scene of rolling hills, a lake with a waterfall, and an arc across a swath of sky that had to be a rainbow, though there was no color at all to the carving.

Buried within the leaves of the forest were the letters that spelled out Haret, and my heart pounded.

My brain was still doing that weird thing of being both in the scene and thinking about the scene. Slowly, I decided I wasn’t fucking dreaming at all.

I’d never seen a place like this trailer, and my mind was unlikely to create such an odd scene. I twisted and tried to sit up and look at more of the room. Glancing down to get my bearings, I drew in a sharp breath.

What I’d been thinking of as my body was nothing but mist and shadow now. Through it, I glimpsed another, more solid form. I pushed up, and my view shifted so I could see who was actually in the bed - Jack.

Fucking hell. Where was he? My heart pounded with the idea that I could be actually seeing him. I didn’t know how our bond worked, but I’d seen enough magic this past week to believe it was possible that this was real in some way.

He was huddled on the mattress, shivering in sleep. His eyes were closed, and he was obviously dreaming.

"Jack?" I tried to yell, but of course, I wasn’t really there. He cried out in his sleep, his muscles twitching, and I tried to reach down to him. My hand brushed right through his form.

The edges of the room started to fade away, and I struggled to move or hold onto something, but I was being pulled out of the dream.

"Jack," I yelled again, but he still didn’t respond.

Spluttering awake, I found myself still in the bathtub. It seemed like I’d just barely fallen asleep, but the water was cold around my body. I blinked, looking around as though in a daze.

Had it just been a dream? Or had I somehow just visited Jack through our bond? Dammit, I needed to talk to Jai. We had no idea where the Ringmaster had Jack now. If this was a result of the mating bond, and I wasn’t dreaming, this could be a huge break.

I rose on shaky legs, the chilly water splashing around me. Grabbing a towel from the nearby ledge, I quickly dried myself and hurried into some clothing, wrapping the ends of my wet hair in the towel.

Kana wasn't in her room, and I didn't see anyone in any of the living room or kitchen areas. Following the sound of voices, I finally found Sol and Killian in a game room, shooting pool.

"Have you seen Jai?" I asked. Both shook their heads, and Sol walked around the pool table to give me a sideways hug. I shrugged him off, not in the mood. "I saw Jack."

That got the results I needed. The two boys immediately crowded near me, firing questions and cutting each other off as they tried to figure out what had happened.

"I need to talk to Jai," I demanded, raising my voice over theirs. Killian nodded, and to my surprise, jogged out of the room.

"Let's go into the living room to wait," Sol suggested. I nodded, still very shaken at what had possibly just happened. I let Sol lead me into the living room and settle me onto the couch to wait for the others. He brought me a cup of perfectly-sweetened coffee, then a blanket when I began to shiver.

Finally, Jai zipped into the room.

“Tell me everything,” he demanded, his eyes like black lasers on mine.