Dreams of Lethe, page 1
part #2 of Lethe Chronicles Series
DREAMS OF LETHE
LETHE CHRONICLES II
LEXIE TALIONIS
CONTENTS
Preface
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Afterword
About the Author
PREFACE
Dreams of Lethe is a dark-fantasy romance: the fantasy is dark and the romance…complicated.
As with any story I write, this book is not safe. The only thing I promise is that no matter how dark it gets, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and a happy ending—even in Hell.
1
Lying on her side, Jo curled her knees to her chest while wisps of air tickled her skin, the spritely puffs dancing to a seductive melody calling her to rise. Haunting notes reached out through the grass, through the trees, drifting on the soft evening breeze that carried with it the fragrant scents of the forest. She breathed in deeply, no longer tired but so beautifully relaxed she didn’t want to open her eyes.
They were safe now. No more desert. No more burning. No more pain.
A smile spreading across her face, she stretched out on her back, feeling for Adam and Christopher.
Her hands fell through empty space, and her eyes flew open.
The sky above swarmed with red clouds, blocking all but the faintest light from getting through. Around her, the ground teemed with plants of every possible shape and size, glowing from within in an orchestra of colors.
“No…no no no…” Sickness filled her as she pushed herself to her feet, taking in her naked, too-perfect body.
The forest hummed, the music lilting and falling in waves while particles of light twinkled and glistened through the trees—from the trees. One tree in particular bore some type of large glowing fruit that vibrated with each swell of sound as if the light inside would burst forth.
Jo’s heart pounded. This must be a dream. She just hadn’t dreamt in so long, she’d forgotten how real it could feel. And it felt very, very real.
A shiver went through her when another breeze whisked over her skin, and she wrapped her arms around her body, warming herself. Only a dream.
Only a dream…
Jo blinked rapidly and looked around.
“Hello?” she whispered.
Hello…
The air grew more fragrant, and her body began to relax.
“Where are you?” Her voice lifted above a whisper, a warm curiosity filling her.
Where are you…
The lights of the strange fruit tree flickered, and Jo hesitated only a moment before moving forward, her steps slow and cautious. The tangled brush beneath her seemed to move aside while she walked, the thick roots bubbling up below the surface to caress the bottoms of her feet. A smile touched her lips. She didn’t remember having such pleasant dreams before.
The fruit of the tree was much larger than she’d realized, and she stared up in awe as she approached. Was it edible?
Edible…
Her smile grew, and she reached above her, standing on her toes to touch the fruit. The smooth flesh mesmerized her, distracting her from the root slowly winding its way around her ankle and sliding up to her knee…her thigh…higher…
Jo was still smiling when the hard, sharp end penetrated her, spearing through her body and tearing a scream from her lungs that raced through the night. Answering shrieks and wails filled the air, but her own scream faded into a gurgle as her lungs filled with a sweet, glowing sap that spilled out from her mouth, flowing down in ripples until it encased her entire body.
Her skin burned. Not like it had with the fire, but from the slow, insidious acid eating through her flesh from the outside and from within. The pain brought with it a madness, whispers from a hundred voices clawing at her mind as the branches of the tree reached for her, lifting her high into the darkness above to hang aloft in the night sky. And from the dark recesses of her mind, the voice continued to speak.
Catch the children. Don’t let them fall.
Jo felt the tears burning behind her eyelids while the acid ate away at the thin membrane protecting her eyes.
Push them off and watch them break.
Who are you! With the last of her awareness, she shouted the thought into the blackness. A giggle tinkled that quickly turned into a loud wail, bombarding Jo with image after horrific image. A mother. Her two innocent little ones, so young. So trusting. Thrown from high above, their bodies broken on the pavement below before the mother spread her arms to join them.
The wailing grew and grew, the melody casting out its lure, while the sap devoured Jo’s flesh, absorbing her until her thoughts became one with the many, the pain now an exquisite madness, and all she could see was blood.
“Jo! Baby, wake up!”
She sucked in air in a loud heave, sitting up with gasping breaths. She couldn’t get enough air. Adam patted her back, chewing the inside of his cheek as he watched her.
“You okay now?”
Her tortured breathing didn’t allow her to answer, but she flung her arms around him, crushing him to her.
“It’s okay, baby. It was just a nightmare.” He started to rub her back, and she looked around frantically before jumping out of bed and racing for the door. “For fuck’s sake, Jo…”
She ignored his irritation, racing down the hall to bang on the door of the room Christopher was sleeping in. He was rubbing his eyes as he opened it, and she threw herself in his arms, bursting into tears in his neck. He didn’t hesitate, wrapping his arms around her tightly and holding her close.
“What happened?” The steadiness of his voice flowed through her, the calm dampening her terror, and her sobs slowly subsided. She felt him look above her head.
“Fucking bullshit,” Adam muttered, walking up behind her. “Fine. You can sleep with us. I don’t want her having nightmares about it.”
Christopher’s arms wrapped around her more tightly as a deep shudder went through her.
“It wasn’t—“ she froze. It wasn’t a nightmare? The only sound around her was her own breathing while both men waited, listening intently.
Her heart thundered in her chest, but she carefully stood upright once more, her lashes sweeping down to hide her eyes.
Of course it was a nightmare. She was right here with them and had been the entire time. A nightmare…and she was acting like a terrified child.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, stepping away. “I—“
Christopher pulled her back, cupping her cheek in his palm softly but firmly as he raised her eyes to his.
“What happened, Jo.” It wasn’t a question but an order.
But the moment she saw his eyes, so full of concern. So alive. So here. All she could do was cry.
His kisses were soft on her cheeks, but he didn’t release her from answering.
“Tell me,” he whispered.
“I don’t know.” Her words were barely audible, coming out in a tiny cry.
“Fuck. Baby? It was just a nightmare, right? Tell me it was just a nightmare.” His voice was hoarse now as he stepped forward, brushing her hair back from her temple while she leaned weakly against Christopher.
“It had to be,” she whispered. “It just…it felt so real. Like I was back in, well, I think I was dreaming I was on the planet we saw. With the red clouds.”
The men exchanged glances, and she closed her eyes. Maybe they thought she was crazy. Or that she couldn’t handle all the trauma they’d been through.
“Neither of you had a…nightmare?” she whispered.
“No, baby.”
“No, Jo. But we weren’t awake when it took us. It might have affected you differently.” Christopher’s voice was as calm as ever, but she could hear the worry underneath. Was he placating her? Like when they’d played chess? He’d thought she was inferior before. Even if he loved her now, maybe that was still underneath.
She stepped back, wiping the tears away.
“Sorry. I’m fine. I didn’t mean to make a big scene. You know I used to have nightmares—it’s just been a long time since we’ve had normal sleep. I forgot how they felt.”
Christopher’s eyes seemed to burn a bit, but she avoided his gaze and turned to walk back to the room. She grabbed a nightgown and threw it over her head before turning to walk back out the door, stopping when they both leaned in the doorway, watching her with serious expressions.
“I’m just going to grab something to eat. You guys can go back to sleep. I’ll be back up in a bit.”
Adam raised a brow at her with a little laugh and grabbed a pair of sweats. Christopher had a t-shirt and boxers on, and she could see he wasn’t planning on letting her be alone, either.
She gritted her teeth and walked past them but didn’t argue when they followed her. The middle of the night snack felt like sawdust in her mouth, every movement a labor as their eyes never left her. So much for hiding out downstairs awake the rest of the night.
“We can watch tv,” Christopher suggested quietly, seeming to read her mind a bit too well.
“I’m not a baby.” She didn’t look up to
“Bab—” Adam began, stopping when she glared at him.
“I’m going back to bed. You two do whatever you want.”
She marched up the stairs, frustrated almost to tears that she couldn’t just hide. That they would see every single weakness. For over a year, she’d been the only one even capable of being awake at night, but she had no advantages here. No superior skills in anything.
Just a chronic problem with nightmares, a gift leftover from her upbringing. And now after everything they’d been through…
She crawled into bed as soon as she got in the room and closed her eyes, not bothering to remove her nightgown. Why was she the only one affected? Adam had been alone there for months without them. And Christopher had experienced decapitation for fuck’s sake. Why was she the only one traumatized enough to have a nightmare? Was she that much mentally weaker?
The bed shifted, and she heard Adam exhale when Christopher curled up behind her, his touch sending a tremor through her. She might not want them to know she was scared out of her mind, but she was. And if she had to sleep, then having them both there, surrounding her was hugely comforting. She pushed back into him, all worries about their bodies reconnecting gone from her mind now, pushed out by the far greater fear looming in wait for her: she would have to sleep again.
But not tonight. Tonight she would pretend. Her breaths grew longer, steady. She knew well how to moderate them—she’d had to learn years before to deal with her insomnia. But she wouldn’t allow it to put her to sleep again tonight.
She waited until Adam and Christopher had fallen into a deep sleep, and she opened her eyes once again to stare into darkness and wait for the dawn.
A yawn stretched Jo’s jaw as she sat at the counter watching Christopher cook. This was something he enjoyed, and since she could barely think let alone try to put something in the microwave, she decided to just sit and watch.
“Did you sleep at all?” Adam crossed his arms, standing beside her with a deep frown.
She blinked one eye up at him. Her other was too tired to open.
“Why would you ask me—“ she paused to yawn again. “That?” Both her eyes closed this time, and she groaned and dropped her face on the counter.
The memory of the dream was still all too vivid, but her body was so exhausted, she couldn’t work up any huge worry about it. It was a dream, after all.
“Where’s your ring!”
Her groan was low and guttural, but she didn’t look up.
“I put it in the thingy. So it wouldn’t get damaged.” Or caught on everything. Or poke her in the eyes when she rubbed them.
She heard him muttering as he marched toward the stairs, and she whimpered, keeping her face down. The light sound of scraping on a pan preceded the enticing aroma of the omelette placed in front of her.
“Thank you,” she said, looking up with bleary eyes.
He didn’t look like he thought she was cute.
“You were pretending. To sleep.”
She avoided his eyes and grabbed her fork.
“I didn’t want you two staying up all night.”
“You were up all night.”
“Yes, and I can do that all by myself. Like a big girl.” She laughed at herself, a little intoxicated with sheer exhaustion. But she stopped when he didn’t laugh with her.
When she snuck a glance at him, it looked as if he had more to say. But Adam’s footsteps were approaching again, and he turned back to the stove. Jo dug her fork in and took a bite, closing her eyes once again. Bliss. Christopher did this as well as he did everything else. Perfectly.
Adam tugged at her left hand, and she splayed her fingers without opening her eyes. The ring slipped on, and she made a small sound.
“Don’t you fucking complain about wearing it,” he said gruffly, and she jumped up to grab him before he walked away, suddenly very awake.
“I love it,” she breathed up at him, her eyes open and earnest. “I am just soooo tired.” Her fork waved around wildly, punctuating her words, and he grabbed it.
“Sit down, and I’ll feed you.”
She snatched it back with a narrowed look and plopped back on the barstool to continue eating.
But half an hour later, she was curled up on the couch while Christopher sat beside her on his laptop. Adam was pacing around making phone calls, walking in and out of the room, the rich baritone of his voice lulling her into sleep. She was safe. They were here, awake, watching over her. A sigh left her lips, and she allowed herself to drift off at last.
The breeze teased her skin while the melody wrapped itself around her, but Jo scrambled to her feet, wide awake with terror. The spot she was in looked nearly identical to where she’d woken in her dream before. And this…this did not feel like a dream.
The melody changed, and Jo looked back to where the tree had been. The huge glowing fruit still hung on its branches, including the one she’d—
And down will come baby cradle and all.
The pod she’d been in lowered itself to the ground as Jo felt a serenity stealing over her. She quickly pinched herself, the sharp sting feeling quite real and catapulting her into action.
She ran.
Come back…my baby…come back.
Her feet flew over the grass and brush, their tangled vines no longer moving aside for her but seeming to cling to her ankles before she ripped them away as she flew. On and on she ran until she escaped the dense root system, her steps slowing as the forest darkened and the glowing plants disappeared until only a few remained.
A tremor went through her. Were the dark plants good? Like the dark sands had been good? At least, sort of good…
Jo glanced over her shoulder to the glowing jungle behind her, the lights of the tree hidden from view now. But the faint sounds of the melody still called her, its sticky sweetness enticing her to return. Her hands covered her ears, trying to block out the sound. No use. It slipped into every crevice, filling her and stealing away her thoughts until all she wanted was to drift away into its sweet embrace.
She couldn’t stay here.
Her eyes faced forward once more, a thickness building in the air until it choked her. The darkness closed in with every step, and each moment that took her farther from the music cast her adrift in the dense black hollow.
The music disappeared at last. This was far enough.
She stood trembling, her eyes peering into the deep around her. This was only a nightmare. Come on—she knew how to get out of nightmares. She knew how to wake herself. Wake up!
A low crackle jerked her head to the side, the sound reminiscent of walking through leaves in the autumn. The crackling increased and she began stepping back toward the lights. Maybe she’d come too far. Maybe she could fight the music’s hypnotic allure.
The faint glow behind her cast just enough light to see the shadows move as a pale creature stepped from between the trees, and she froze, all her strength draining from her body. It took halting steps, walking on all fours but pausing to raise its hand—claws—above the ground before reaching down to move again. Strong cords of muscle stretched throughout its form beneath a white shroud of bone, as if the muscles themselves were not made of flesh.
Below its neck, two smaller arms stretched out, clasping a rounded white object matching the creature’s body. Jo’s heart beat painfully against her ribs. A skull. It held a skull, stroking it almost lovingly beneath its own massive, monstrous head of bone with two sets of teeth. Giant fangs grinned in a perpetual obscene mask of death while a thick set of outer flat teeth blocked their access, their straight line running up to become a long snout that ran in a smooth curve up over a broad neck. There were no eyes.
And it was coming toward her.
Jo’s feet flew back toward the tree, and a shriek sounded behind her, the thundering on the ground sending vibrations through her the moment before large bony fingers wrapped around her, tearing her off her feet as she screamed and sobbed, and the enormous gaping mouth with both sets of teeth fully extended pulled her forward and began ripping the flesh from her body.
