sky to return to their
lonely kingdom. Carrick searched every inch of forest as he flew, just in case
he caught a glimpse of his Brook.
****
When nightfall approached, Valen led her back to the quiet house. He
murmured goodnight, and she hurriedly climbed the steps to her room. She
hadn’t bothered to change. Brook simply sat at her window, the one that
looked upon the forest. She watched the shadows conquer; the noisy night
animals began to roam. Somewhere behind those trees, trolls resided. Beyond
them, her Carrick lived and she prayed he was close to finding her. She
snuggled in the big chair, pulled the comforter over her body and fell asleep.
The dream had an eerie glow about it. She stood with Carrick, holding
his hand and staring out the window of Valen’s house. There was not a roof
above them. Shouldn’t she understand why? The Dream Brook stood and
swirled. She danced as she removed her clothes.
However, when she turned around Carrick and Valen were at the edge
of the cliff. Each lost their balance at the same time. Panic made her run
toward them, each hand reaching out to save them. The thought of losing either
one was heart breaking. Both men clasped a hand. Her eyes widened, she
tugged hard but they weighed a damn ton. Brook could not save them both.
The solution was obvious now only one could be rescued. She had to choose.
Who would it be?
Brook refused to open her eyes even though she was awake. The dream
was out of reach, but she never got her answer. Who exactly did her
subconscious pick? Why was Valen suddenly in the running for her heart?
Brook opened her eyes huddled in a chair and sighed. Were everyone’s dreams
so cryptic?
Sunrise brought low, dark clouds. They floated across the sky as if
someone had painted them. It was pretty, the contrast between the suns rays
urging to break through and the dark forest hording its shadows. What she
needed was a hot cup of tea and a good book to waste the hours away.
She was about to close her eyes to try to catch the ending of that frantic
dream when movement caught her eye. To the left, just inside the trees
something disturbed the serene silence. She leaned forward, watched closely
and saw Valen running toward the house.
“Trolls…” She jumped upward, hair mangled; clothes messed from the
previous day and charged down the steps. What if they followed him here?
What if she caused the destruction of his beloved home? She stumbled. Her
heels landed hard on the floor, but she sprang forward. Her hand tugged wildly
on the doorknob just as Valen shot toward her. “Is it trolls?”
“Get in the house!” He pushed her back, behind the door and stood in
the frame. “The trolls didn’t see me but those fucking fireflies did.” He
slammed the door shut but two managed to enter. “Damn it…” He swatted and
cursed at them.
“They’re not going to hurt you…unless they’re some sort of mythical
Irish creature too.”
He snorted. “No, they’re just attracted to fairies and give away any
good positions.”
She couldn’t stop the giggle as he kept jerking his head back and forth.
He was wrestling the air, and it was a hysterical sight. The little creatures
glowed and out maneuvered the swats aimed their way. His eyes shifted to her
lips, to her laughter and she quickly covered it with her hand. “Sorry…you’re
just… bad ass man swatting at fireflies…” More laughter and she pressed her
lips tightly together to stifle it.
“Think that’s funny, huh?” He moved toward her and the fireflies
moved with him.
They began to circle her, little glowing bodies bounced off her check
and back. Barely felt as Valen stepped even closer. Brook froze; she could feel
his breath on her forehead and looked up into his beautiful eyes. She wanted to
kiss him, she intended to press her lips to his and open her body to his touch.
Thank God, that firefly bounced off her nose and broke the lusty spell.
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