Pretty Nightmare (Creeping Beautiful Book 2), page 21
“If I want to fuck a girl, I’m gonna. If that’s what you’re asking.”
He tilts his head at me. “Do you fuck a lot of girls, McKay? Because you’ve never brought one home.”
“I don’t bring anyone home. And neither do you. But you sure as shit did fuck Misha’s brains out for nearly a decade, didn’t you?”
“Were you jealous?”
“Of Misha? That traitor? She got what she had coming.”
“I killed her. James Fenici told me to.” He shrugs. “But she wasn’t the kind of woman you bring home, even if I didn’t kill her.”
“That’s my point. You’re home, Adam. Donovan is home. Indie and Maggie are home. Everyone else stays outside those gates. That’s been an unsaid agreement between us since the beginning. And that’s not gonna change.”
He’s quiet for a moment.
“So do you have a problem with me keeping things the same?”
“I can’t actually think of a single time I recall seeing you with a girl, McKay.”
“Exactly.”
He shrugs. “That’s fine with me, then.”
I sit up, take off my shirt, then kick my boots off too. Adam watches me the whole time, his eyes lingering on my chest and abs. “You wish you had these abs.” I joke with him.
“Every fucking day.” He grins at me. Then he stands up, takes off his shirt too. Eyes almost never leaving mine. And he walks over to the bed. He pauses for a moment. Maybe wondering if I’ll come up with some excuse to stop him from doing what’s coming next.
But I don’t.
There’s only one reason we’re sharing a room tonight.
He leans one knee on the edge of the bed, then straddles my legs, his hands braced on either side of my head, his hips pressing into mine. His cock is hard and mine responds in kind when he rests the full weight of his lower body on me.
His blue eyes are locked on me, his jaw a little tense as he leans down. Our lips touch and my hands come out from behind my head to grab the thick muscles of his shoulders.
His mouth feels familiar now. And our tongues seek each other out as I slide my fingers into his hair and grab it. The kiss turns harder and more urgent. And then his upper body drops lower and we’re pressed together, his hips grinding against mine.
When we break apart, he rolls off to the side and unbuckles my belt. Still watching me for… something. A sign of resistance, maybe.
But I don’t resist. And just as he finishes tugging on my zipper I’m already dragging my jeans down my legs. He pops the button on his jeans too. And then, just a few moments later, we’re lying naked next to each other. His hand on my cock, pumping it in his fist. And my hand reaching under his balls to cup them. Squeezing gently, the way I squeeze my own when I’m jerking myself off.
I don’t know how far we’re gonna go.
I don’t know what this looks like tomorrow.
I don’t know anything.
And when he leans his head down to take my cock in his mouth, I stop worrying about it.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - INDIE
“Donovan!” I shake him awake.
He opens his eyes to find me peering down at him with worry.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” I whisper, not wanting to wake up Maggie down the hall. “You punched me!”
“What?”
“I think you were having a bad dream. Or maybe I was having a bad dream?”
“Fuck,” he says, sitting up. “I was having a dream.” He looks over at the window, then glances at the clock. It’s still very early. Just past five.
“I was having a dream too.” I’m still breathing hard from the memory of it. “Fucking forest. I hate that dream.”
“Forest?” Donovan is still confused. “I was in a forest too.”
“It was that hypnosis. I know it. It brought back memories.”
“What kind of memories?”
I shake my head. “Running. I was running. Like… full on, heart-pumping running. For my life, or something.”
“Was someone chasing you?” His eyes dart back and forth as he looks at me. Like there’s something hidden behind them.
I squint my eyes, thinking. Then I shrug. “I dunno. It’s fading now. Fucking forest.”
“What kind of forest was it? Like the one here? Or—”
“No. Tropical. A jungle. What kind of forest were you in?”
“Same.”
I flop back on the bed, so close to him our shoulders are touching. “That’s weird, don’t you think?”
“Maybe?”
I prop myself up on one elbow so I can see him. “Maybe? You don’t think it’s weird that we have the same dream on the same night?”
“Was it the same? We don’t know. Maybe it was just the imagery from the relaxation tape?”
Relaxation tape? Is he for real?
“Was there a beach?” he asks.
“No. It was just a forest.”
“So it can’t be the tape. Just a coincidence.”
“Not likely.”
He shrugs. “Bad dream. That’s all. I’ve had plenty of them over the years. Just like this, in fact. So for sure, it wasn’t the tape. I’ve listened to that dozens and dozens of times.”
I sigh.
He pulls me towards him, wrapping his arms around me. “You’re safe. You’re fine, Indie.”
He says these words softly. Like he needs to be careful with me. And it helps. Donovan has always been helpful in stressful situations. But I can’t get the feeling of that dream out of my mind.
My heart was pounding. Fear. That I know for sure. It was filled with fear.
Hmm. “Someone was there with me.”
“Where?”
“In the dream.”
“Hmm. There was someone in my dream too. Was it a little girl? Mine was a little girl.”
I scrunch up my face, trying to remember. “I don’t know. It’s all fuzzy now. The only thing left is the lingering feelings, ya know?”
We’re quiet for a little bit. But I can tell by Donovan’s breathing that he’s not drifting off to sleep. “What are you thinking about?”
“The dream,” he says. “The little girl. She reminded me of you.”
“Me? Why?”
“She looked like you.”
“Hmm. She was a little killer?”
“Maybe?”
“Do you think she was real? Or just…a dream girl?”
“Not sure. She had a name though.”
“What was it?”
“I don’t remember. Something weird.”
“Weird how? Like Indie Anna?” I giggle. I can’t help it.
“Yeah. But no. It was one word, I think. Fuck, why can’t I remember?”
“Stupid dreams. What is the point of dreams, anyway?”
“They’re emotional manifestations of unresolved problems in real life.”
“Right. It was kinda rhetorical. But OK. That is such a you answer.”
He turns his head to look at me. “Sorry. Medical school just comes rushing back at the most inappropriate moments.”
I yawn. “It’s almost dawn. Should we just get up?”
“Fuck that.”
I lean my head on his chest and listen to his heartbeats. They’re still very fast. “Having trouble letting go?”
“Huh?”
“Your heart is racing.”
“Oh. Yeah. I’m just… it was a weird dream, Indie. It felt so… real. More like a memory.”
“Hmm. Maybe we should try the”—I make air quotes—“‘relaxation tape’ again. Hey, I have an idea!”
“Hm?”
“We should do it together this time. Both of us. Make a new sequence. In your weird American voice. Only this time, we’re in that forest. Because we were both there, right?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe we were on the same island? Not the snake island. The other island. What was your island called where you grew up? And how have I never asked you this before?”
He turns his head to look at me. “You didn’t pay any attention to me when you were little. You were too anxious to go outside with Nathan.”
“Yeah.” I flop back into my pillow. “But what was it called?”
“Banyan Key. Because we had those strangler fig trees everywhere.”
“Strangler figs. What the hell is a strangler fig?”
“It’s a parasitic tree that wraps around the trunks of other trees and eventually kills them.”
“Eww. Like a snake. Snake Island. I’ve been there.”
“Yeah, you have.”
“No. Not the auction island. Snake Island. That was a real place they used to take us. That’s what we called it, anyway. Because all the trees looked like they were being strangled by snakes.”
“Hmm.”
“You’re doing that again.”
“Doing what?”
“Going ‘hmm, hmm, hmm.’ I hate that. Just tell me what you’re thinking.”
“We might’ve been on the same island, Indie. I’m sure there are banyan trees on a whole bunch of islands. They’re an invasive species, after all. But… another Company island that had so many your made-up name for it was Snake Island? I’m not sure that’s a coincidence.”
“Especially after our twin dreams.”
“Yeah.”
“So? You wanna do it? Or not?”
“Make a new tape? Go for a little mind journey?”
“You did promise me an adventure today. And obviously Carter didn’t come try to kill us in our sleep, so you’re really on the hook for something adventurous.”
“I did promise that.” He sighs. “OK. I have another digital recorder right here.” He opens up his bedside table drawer and pulls it out. “I’ll make a new tape and we can listen to it together while the other one records. Can’t hurt, right?”
I go check on Maggie. Can never be too sure. And Donovan starts making the new guide tape.
Maggie is fine. She’s snoring like a buzzsaw and all her floppy arms and legs are tangled in the covers.
She reminds me of long-ago days when I used to be all floppy arms and legs too.
I blow her a kiss, then creep back down the hallway to Donovan’s room and close the door behind me.
He’s just finishing up the tape. And it’s weird to hear a traditional American accent coming from his normally Caribbean-British mouth. It makes him look different too. For some reason I can’t quite explain.
I remain quiet while he adds a few more prompts. And then he stops the recorder and rewinds to the beginning. “Ready?”
“I’m ready.”
We both lie down on the bed. Hands on our stomachs. Staring up at the ceiling.
CHAPTER NINETEEN - DONOVAN
“Hold on.” I swing my legs out of bed. “I just thought of something.” I pull my medical bag out of the closet and open it up, looking for the small vial of clear liquid. I hold it up to the hazy pre-dawn light filtering in through the window and check the level.
“What’s that?”
I look down in my bag and grab two syringes and two tourniquets, and then go back to the bed and take Indie’s arm.
“What is that?” she repeats, but doesn’t resist when I tie off her arm and snap the veins in the crook of her elbow.
“Brevital. It’s a short-acting sedative. And I’m going to give you a very small dose. You’re gonna feel it in seconds and it will only last about five minutes. But this will be enough to get us into the proper relaxation state. Your head will be a little foggy as you wake up. Just lean into it. Relax. Don’t panic or think about anything but the voice. I’ll set the recorder to start at the five-and-a-half-minute mark so we’re awake enough to hear it. I’ve given you this lots of times, so I know how you’ll react. It’s safe.”
She shrugs. “I’m not worried.”
I load two syringes, mine with a little more than Indie’s since I’m a lot heavier than she is. But not as much as the typical anesthesia dose. Then I tie off my own arm. I want us to go under as close together as I can get it. And this shit is so fast-acting, with such a short duration, I’ll have to move quick.
Then I set the digital recorder to play in five and a half minutes, and wait for her to give me a nod of permission.
God. Is it weird that I’ve been sedating her for so long, and so often, that we have an unspoken consent procedure?
I definitely think it is.
I push the drug into Indie’s veins, then snap off her tourniquet and watch her as it hits her bloodstream. It takes about thirty seconds for the drug to make it to her heart, then a couple more to get up to her brain. Her eyes flutter and she exhales a long breath, her head rolling to the side.
I’m already pushing my own dose in. And the second I snap the tourniquet off, I can already feel it.
I barely have time to set the needles down on the bedside table before I’m sinking down too.
And then… darkness.
SESSION #1
INDIE AND DONOVAN
DREAM THERAPY
VOICE: Where are you?
Where am I?
I look around. A tall, thick canopy of trees. Just like my dream.
Describe your dream.
It’s dark. Not the dark of the understory in the daytime. But real, proper darkness. I can just barely make out a bit of moon between the leaves above my head. It’s full.
Can you see anything else?
I turn around, listening for something. I’m not sure what, I just know that I should be listening. But there’s no one there.
Can you see anything else?
Yes. I see… kids. Other kids. My age. We’re all in a group but I’m standing apart from them a little bit. Oh… there’s that girl. She has a weird name. But I can’t remember it. She’s crying and this is upsetting to me. I really want her to stop crying.
Why? Is she scaring you?
No.
Then why do you care if she cries?
Because this is what they want. And if she gives them what they want, she will make them happy. And then she’ll disappear.
Where do you think she will go?
Someplace bad.
How do you know that? Maybe she’s being taken someplace nice.
No. That’s not what happens. That’s what they tell me. They tell all of them that. But it’s a lie. Nothing good happens when kids come here. And even worse things happen when they take them away.
I think you’re just imagining that, Donovan. There’s nothing going on here. This island is a paradise. You have a very advanced imagination. You’re a genius. And sometimes geniuses have… issues. That’s all. Just a small issue distinguishing between real and imaginary. This is all imaginary. These kids aren’t even here. And neither are you. You’re lying down on a bed inside a big old house on the Old Pearl River.
I don’t believe you. I think you’re lying. I think you’ve always been lying.
Why would I lie to you? That doesn’t even make sense. This island is fun. You get to run in the woods.
I don’t like the running.
But you always win. You’re a very good runner, Donovan. Unlike Carter.
What?
…
What did you just say?
…
Hello?
…
Answer me, you piece of fucking shit voice!
“Donovan!”
Where is he? Where is he? Answer me!
“Donovan! For fuck’s sake!”
A hard slap across my face makes me jolt awake. I sit up out of instinct and just… pant. Barely able to catch my breath.
“Jesus. You scared me!”
“What?” I turn and find Indie on her knees, her body twisted so she can see my face.
“You fucking scared me! You weren’t breathing.”
I take a deep breath. “Seems to be working fine.”
“No shit, you dumbass! I punched you in the chest. That made you gasp. And then when you didn’t open your eyes, I slapped your face.”
“Really?” I look around again, the drug wearing off quickly. “Wait. How are you so awake? We just went down.”
“Didn’t you just hear me? I woke up. You didn’t.”
“That’s crazy. I feel fine.”
“Oh, my God.” She slaps herself on her forehead. “I’m never doing this with you again. I think you had a bad reaction, Donovan. I think you almost died.”
I laugh. “It’s pretty hard to kill someone with the dose I gave us. It wasn’t even close enough to knock us straight out. It was just a sedation. Oh!” I turn and grab the recorder. “What did we say?”
“I didn’t listen to it.”
I study the recorder. “But it’s not on. Someone turned it off.”
“Or”—Indie is still mad. I think I really did scare her—“you didn’t turn it on.”
“Of course I turned it on. That was the whole point of doing this.” I sigh. “Well, do you remember anything? Did you answer any of the questions?”
“No. It didn’t ask me anything. I was in like a dream state, and it was a forest. Just like my nightmare. But I didn’t hear any questions.”
“Dammit. How did I fuck this up so bad? And I heard questions. They weren’t exactly the ones I recorded though.”
“That’s because it didn’t play.”
“What are you guys doing?”
We both look over at the door where Maggie is standing in her bed shorts and t-shirt.
Indie gets up off the bed and walks over to her, turning her around by the shoulders and marching her into the hallway. “Come on, let’s get breakfast. Donovan promised we could do something adventurous today and I have big plans that you’re going to love. You coming, Donovan?”
I nod, then catch myself. “Yes. I’ll be right down.”
Right after I listen to this tape.
