When a human sleeps, they expect to feel safe, to be safe, to only dream. Yet that illusion was a lie. Dreams can become reality and when they do, no mortal is safe.
When I realized I was conscious I realized that I felt nothing. There was no sensation, no cold, no sense of being. I was surrounded by the dark abyss of nothing. I existed but I did not exist in this void. I still could sense my own emotions and what I felt was terror. I could do nothing but simply be in this place and it terrified me. I could not speak, only think. I couldn't call for help. I was stuck.
Then the haunting laughter echoed around me. It bounced around me as if millions were laughing all at once. My mind ached from the sound but I couldn't raise hands to block the assault of noise. It was cruel and callous laughter. Taunting. Superior. Something was there with me and I didn't know who or even what it was, only that it laughed at my pain and helplessness.
A flash of light illuminated the darkness and though I heard the laughter, there was no one around me. I saw the red light glow and even then only keep the darkness barely at bay. I blinked frantically as my eyes attempted to focus in the red light but since there was nothing to really focus on, it only served to make my eyes hurt. Now that the light was there I began to feel again. I felt something digging into me and realized that I was tied up with something. The light was unusually warm and I felt sweat begin to gather on my body.
The laughter stopped as suddenly as it began only to be replaced by soul wrenching wails. The sheer intensity of pain and heartbreak in the sound tore at my very soul. I felt tears stream down my face but I couldn't help them. Through the wails I felt their pain. I empathized. They began to steadily get louder and the light began to get brighter. Was I finally being saved?
Hands grabbed at my body. I felt so many it was hard to distinguish how many truly were grabbing at me. However they didn't try to free me from my bonds. They grabbed and pulled my body, dragging me toward the ungodly wails. The red light strengthened as they pulled and so did the heat. I was sweating ferociously by this point and I felt afraid again. Something wasn't right.
I saw the crack first, a line of solid black encased by a seething movement of red liquid. I could see the darkness above and the red light around me.
Then I saw them and I screamed in absolute terror.
They were all stripped, flayed muscles that dripped with blood. They had no skin and I could see the muscles burn and melt away even as they regrew. Blood streamed from their wounds and oh god, their heads. There were no eyes, only gaping, bloody holes. Their mouths were sliced as if the teeth were violently ripped out. They wailed around me – though I don't know how they even could – and I screamed in terror.
I could not fight; I was bound with something that prevented me from moving. I felt the blood cover me, wash over me, and bathe me until I felt it seep into my skin. The heat made my skin blister and I felt the pain from the burns forming on my skin.
I was going to die.
"Kerys!" I screamed.
The hands drug me farther toward the boiling heat.
"Bruadar!"
I felt one of their mouths touch my head and I cried out in denial.
"Gaia!"
I knew my skin was close to melting away. The heat was too intense; I was running out of options.
I didn't want to call him, but I was his. I was a warrior under his care. He wanted me. He would save me. "ARES!" I called to him, I wanted him. In this moment there was no pride. I needed him.
But he never came.
"Ares," I whispered brokenly. When I needed him, he wasn't there for me.
The hands seemed to sense my despair and pulled me harder, more frantically. The pain was so intense I nearly lost consciousness, but there was one more I could call.
"Morpheus." I could barely force the name past my lips and felt myself giving away to the pain. Then two cool hands grabbed my body and yanked.
Suddenly there were no hands, there was no heat, there was no pain. It was completely dark once again, but now, I felt and knew I existed.
"Mortal," he purred.
"Morpheus." I burst into tears and flung myself forward into his chest. I felt the coldness of him but I clung to him. He was alive, he was real, and he was my lifeline. "I was so scared, Morpheus, so scared. I was going to die." I sobbed violently into his chest and I felt two strong, cold arms wrap around me. He dropped his chin onto the top of my head and held me.
"Mortal," he said, his tone serious. "Why were you in the gates of Tartarus?"
Tartarus. I had almost gone to the Underworld. I sobbed louder and my body began shaking even more violently. The arms around me tightened and slowly I began to calm myself down. He had saved me and I needed to know how I'd ended up in that hellish place.
"I," I began through the tears and shaking. "I remember waking up in darkness. Gaia had sent me to sleep so I wouldn't dream of Ares before I was ready." I shuddered at the thought but pushed the memories away; I couldn't handle anything more right now. "There was nothing. I really didn't exist, but I did. I couldn't feel anything. Then I saw this light and I could feel again. I was bound with something and I couldn't move, but I could feel. Then…they grabbed me." I broke into sobs at the thought of those gruesome things and Morpheus simply held me.
"You were in another plane of dreamwalking, mortal. A place where only gods tread." I felt his hands began to play with my hair as he held me and I allowed him to. It made me feel better. "A mortal of your caliber cannot make it to the higher plane."
"How?" I asked simply.
"You were taken there by someone. Usually I can trace the residual energy of dreamwalking and especially if one is crossing over to another plane. I saw nothing."
"Who could do that?"
"An Oneroi or a god. Who would hate you enough, dear Eveleen?"
There was only one name that came to mind. "Aphrodite." I hadn't expected her to strike this early or this soon; I hadn't truly done anything with Ares. Yet.
"Very good, mortal," he purred. "She has covered her tracks well and the blame will never be placed on her delicate shoulders. I warned you to be prepared for this, mortal. She will strike where she cannot be seen."
"I didn't expect it to be so soon." I shuddered again and felt him chuckled.
"Mortal, a jealous woman is not to be underestimated. But she will not drag you to that place again. I will not allow it." He tucked my hair behind my ear. "Now I will watch you even when you are commanded to sleep. She will have a difficult time getting past me, little mortal. I am a god and this is my domain."
"Thank you, Morpheus."
"The war has only begun, mortal."
"I know," I replied seriously. And now that I'd experienced what it was, I knew the true weight of what was going to be coming for me.
"Call your fae to stay by your side when you wake," Morpheus commanded, his tone playful, but his point serious. "Do not train. The gates of Tartarus will suck your very essence and you were close enough to be affected. This is something even Gaia cannot heal. Rest but be guarded. I don't know where the little she-god will strike next."
"I will, Morpheus."
"I will also fashion a medallion for you to wear. It will protect you from all minor intrusions while you sleep and will help track whoever takes you. I will give it to you later today." My face scrunched up in confusion and I looked up at the swirling blackness above my head. I fanned at the inky blackness and heard Morpheus chuckle. The blackness receded to show his dark eyes, but nothing more of his face or body. Clever bastard.
"You exist outside of dreams?"
He burst into laughter, a loud amused sound I never expected to hear from him. "Oh, Eveleen, I am the god of dreams but I exist on the mortal plane as well." He chuckled. "Mortals," he drawled as if it was an amusing insult. I glared at him.
"It was a legitimate question," I defended.
"Just a stupid one." I glared harder and I saw the whiteness of his teeth as he smiled. "Do not worry, you are not the only stupid mortal to ask me that question and you will not be the last. Now, mortal, wake up. You have been dreamwalking enough for one night." He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "Wake and be protected."
When I finally awoke after my dreamwalk, I felt sluggish and lethargic. When I attempted to move it felt as if I was moving through thick sand. I barely could manage to lift my arm off the bed before it fell back, energy drained. I couldn't manage to wake to full alertness but even then I realized, this is what Morpheus was speaking of. He had warned that I would be exhausted by Tartarus. So I heeded his last order and called for my new protector.
"Bruadar, I have need of a champion." The words were one I never thought I would say but appropriate for the circumstance. I saw the portal open beside of my bed and the beautiful fae step through. His eyes were lazy with latent desire as they leisurely drank in the sight in front of him.
"I will be your champion, Eveleen." It took much effort for my mouth to spread into a grin but it was all that I could manage. I saw the instant where he realized something was wrong and the desire quickly faded to a look of genuine concern. "What ails you, beauty?"
I chuckled at the question; words couldn't really adequately explain what happened in the dream. "Somehow I was taken even though I was commanded not to dream." Talking was painful to me and I had to stop to breathe and ride out the pain.
"Speak with your mind, beauty," he commanded even as he knelt beside of my bed. He lifted his hands and a green glow began to emit from his hands.
"Someone managed to bind my soul and drag me to a place where no living mortal should go. Tartarus."
His eyes whipped to mine with such ferocity that it made me afraid. "You were attacked," he stated with certainty. "Under my watch you were attacked. You called for me, mortal. I see that in your time of need I was not able to hear you."
"You could not protect me in my dreams, Bru."
"No, but I should have thought to protect you even there." It was a rare sight for him to be this serious but even so he became even colder and intent as the green glow brightened. "I cannot even heal you, beauty. Tartarus has stolen your very croí."
"I know. Morpheus warned me." I felt Bruadar's mind touch my own as he scanned my memories.
"You are fortunate to have called Morpheus," he conceded. "And he is correct. Magic can heal bodies and restore the soul. But what we cannot restore is a mortal's essence. Their croí. Only ambrosia can heal you instantly and you as a mortal cannot imbibe."
"What can't you can't restore my croí? Isn't that just my soul?"
"No. A human is a soul encased by a shell in the most basic sense," Bruadar explained as he gathered me into his arms. "You die because the soul is not strong enough to hold the bond to the shell. The soul will never truly die, only pass to another plane of existence. The soul is always whole and intact, only appearing to weaken when the bond begins to weaken. Understand?"
He adjusted me into a sitting position, leaning my body against the wall behind me. With a wave he conjured a bowl of soup and a spoon, dipping the utensil into the hot liquid and lifting it to my mouth. I barely had the strength to let my jaw open and swallow but I knew I had to at least eat to get my strength back.
"I think." He continued to feed me leisurely, his thumb wiping away trails of spilled soup that ran down the sides of my chin. I was grateful for the tender gaze; it kept me from feeling uncomfortable with this level of intimacy and my show of weakness.
"Your croí is the very material, the fabric of a soul."
"Like the strands."
"Exactly how the strands make life so does your soul have the croí made to sustain it. When the croí is sucked away from the soul it takes your very nature, your being. A soul is not meant to be destroyed unless it is deserving of true death and that is very rare, Eveleen."
"But there are other mortals in Tartarus. Why doesn't it take their croí?"
"Tartarus is meant to house and punish for eons, not to kill. On the inside a mortal's croí is safe enough. But you went through a crack in the gates. There is no protection for a mortal's croí there; nor is it safe for a god to remain for long. You are lucky to have survived." When he lifted the spoon up I shook my head and the food disappeared.
"Eveleen." I heard the voice and recognized it as Gaia's. I tried to turn my head to look at her but instead it sort of fell to the side. I had no energy to even lift my head but Bruadar was already there, turning me to see the newcomer. Gaia stood ramrod straight and her eyes glinting and angry. Even without the second sight I could see the unearthly glow of her strands.
She was pissed.
"Gaia..." I trailed off, unsure of what to say.
"She dared to strike at my personal attendant," she stated. In her voice was power and retribution. I relaxed as I realized the anger wasn't directed at me.
"She dared to strike what was under my protection," Bruadar replied, his own power flickering with suppressed rage. Between the two my chest hurt from the pressure of their angry power, as mine even weakly swirled to try to protect me. Gaia nodded once, a regal gesture that accepted his claim.
"I have spoken with Morpheus. I cannot openly accuse her of this attack and to do so without proof would not be wise." Bruadar was quiet but I could feel him waiting, listening. "I can do nothing while she strikes at what is mine." Finally their power both calmed and I breathed easier.
"I will not leave her side," Bruadar promised. Gaia looked at him, truly looked at him both as a god and man. She saw all and judged him accordingly.
"Good," she finally stated. "Morpheus will watch her during the night. You cannot be with her all of the time so I will need you to watch over her when my duties call me away. A fae cannot stay in the halls of Olympus for long without suspicion."
"We need to keep the details a secret. No one must suspect that we know who truly engineered this." Gaia nodded sagely at Bruadar's advice.
"What about Ares? I serve him too."
"But he is the boy toy of Aphrodite. A man ruled by his dick really isn't qualified to guard the thing his woman hates." Bruadar's tone was one of empathy and disgust; he understood that a man was ruled by certain things but he still hated that Ares was currently sleeping with the thing that had attacked me.
"Then Achilles? He must be told since I will be alone with him to train. He'll have to watch over me then."
"Then Achilles will be forced to tell the god he serves," Gaia replied easily.
"Don't I serve the same god?" I asked her quietly.
"You are my attendant and will always be. Just because Ares has given you a sash does not mean you belong to him. I will be selfish and keep you all to myself." I smiled at the admission and judging by Gaia's small smile, I was meant to relax with that comment. "For now Ares is away fighting with Odin. It is up to the two of us to keep you safe." Gaia came and sat on the bed, gently caressing my hair with her delicate hand. "We will discuss your attack when they return. For now let us focus on keeping you safe."
"You are weak now, Eveleen," Bruadar explained as he threaded his fingers through my hair in a tender gesture. "You must rest to regain your croí."
"Before she rests." The voice was familiar and I knew immediately who it was. I turned my head and finally glimpsed the eyes that had kept me safe all along. He wore dark leather that hugged his body and a leather trench coat that swayed when he walked, a contrast to the light and airiness of Olympus. He was tall and lean, and his exposed arms showed defined muscle, though not bulky as I had seen on other gods. His face was beautiful as one would expect of a god, though his irises were black. His eyes in daylight were disconcerting to a point even though I had seen them. Though what made me smile most was the thick head of dark hair that streamed around his shoulders. Why he would play with mine when he had his own luxurious hair, I had no idea.
"Morpheus," I managed to whisper. It cost me to say his name; the pain was intense. Bruadar looked at me and quirked an eyebrow. The small chastisement was enough for me and I smiled in return.
"Eveleen. Any more dumb questions you have for me?"
"Ass," I replied easily with a small smile. He smirked and made his way over. Bruadar looked at him and stood, allowing him access to my limp form.
"Here is the amulet I promised." He lifted my head and dropped the chain over it, making sure to pull my hair from around the chain. However he kept a strand in his fingers and rolled it around, smiling to himself as he did so.
"Amulet?" Bruadar asked, noting the familiarity that the god showed toward me.
"It is infused with my essence. Any god or mortal that dares to dreamwalk with her, I would know of it immediately. She may have gotten past me but I am the king of dreams. None can match my power and I have given it to keep her safe." Bruadar smirked.
"King of dreams? A grandly claim."
"But not unwarranted," Morpheus replied calmly, confidently. Bruadar's smirk widened.
"So you say."
"Hold, fae," Gaia said with a chuckle. "Your mischief isn't needed here." Morpheus looked at Bruadar, gauged him in his own way, and sent him a small smile.
"Mischief is what he lives on. Though, it would be interesting to see what he could dream about tonight."
"I yield, I yield," Bruadar said as he raised his hands in surrender. He was amused at being bested and it was enough to make me smile softly. "I'll dream of beautiful women tonight."
"You'll hope, fae," Morpheus replied easily. Bruadar's smirk widened in amusement. "Now let the mortal sleep. She tries too hard to stay awake as it is." The three gods looked toward me and saw that I was fighting to keep my eyes open. Morpheus knelt beside me and ran his fingers through my hair. Now instead of seeing only his eyes, I saw the smile of amusement on his face and instead of Puck, it reminded me of Bruadar. The two gods were more similar than I'd thought originally. "Eveleen, you will dream well tonight. I guarantee it. Relax and let your mind wander. You will have no need for guards when you have the King of dreams watching over you." He took away his hand and covered my eyes. "Sleep." The command was given with his power and I felt it taking hold.
"Thank you, Morpheus." I managed to say to his mind before I let myself fall under the compulsion.
I woke to a violent shift and I fought to open my eyes to see what it was that was moving me. It was hard; I still felt complete exhaustion even as I felt less pain.
"Who did this?" The voice was familiar, almost painfully so. It wasn't anyone who had tended to me the past couple of times I'd awakened for food and nourishment. Finally I managed to open my eyes and focus on the person who held me.
"Achilles?" I murmured. He turned back to me quickly, his eyes searching my own.
"Eveleen. Tell me what happened immediately."
"Why are you here?" It didn't hurt as much to talk anymore, so I knew I was healing. That was at least a plus.
"We won and came back yesterday. You weren't there to greet us and you weren't at your lessons today. I came to find you and I find you like this? Explain." His worried voice had gradually hardened to the battle general of training I'd come to get used to. The familiarity of the tone made me smile.
"I was attacked," I said simply. He wouldn't appreciate my teasing or taking the situation lightly at the moment. He would need simple answers, simple truths, and only then would he be appeased.
"By who?"
"I don't know." Not truth, but we had decided to not say our suspicions. They couldn't be proven and provoking her by accusing her while I was weak wasn't the right way to handle the delicate situation.
"How?"
"They dreamwalked and took me to Tartarus."
"Tartarus?!" His hold tightened on me and his face held fury, more so than I'd ever seen on anyone ever before. "You were tortured?" Even in anger he was beautiful, something dark and passionate.
"No, they dropped me through a crack in the walls." He exploded with a few sentences of what I assumed was Greek swearing before looking back at me.
"You are lucky to have survived."
"I know," I said with a smile. "Morpheus fashioned an amulet for me that will protect my dreams. He blocked anyone from dreamwalking with me as I heal."
"How do you feel?" he asked, the anger finally abating.
"Exhausted. The pain has mostly gone away but I'm still exhausted." Achilles sighed and his grip loosened on me as he laid me back on the bed.
"She will need another week to recover." Achilles turned at Bruadar's voice, both of us seeing the portal before it closed. "She is recovering well for a mortal, but she spent too long in the crack before she was rescued."
"Do you know who did this?" Achilles asked.
"I will not say," Bruadar said with a smirk. Achilles looked at him and I saw theories being drawn, facts being strung together, and his eyes darkened as a conclusion was reached. He sighed as he released the hold of his brilliant anger.
"I see." He looked back at me. "So, warrior of Ares, we win our war to come back you've lost yours?" his face was beautiful as he looked down at me and the smile he gave was pure sin. Things were back to normal as the anger had passed. I was grateful.
"Only the battle, attendant of Ares," I teased in return. "The war is far from won or lost." Achilles' grin widened.
"Oh Eveleen, not many could survive falling into a crack of Tartarus. You impress me."
"You're just easy to please." Achilles threw back his head and laughed, even as Bruadar chuckled at my audacity.
"You will be fine, Eveleen," he murmured.
"Where are Ajax and Grace? Is Ajax off picking up women?" Achilles' grin widened.
"Perhaps. I will tell him the one that matters is asking for him." I rolled my eyes at him.
"A man will always come when a true woman calls for him," Bruadar agreed. For a moment the two men's eyes met, and a thousand words passed between their grins. Lechers, the both of them, but amusing all the same.
"It is so," Achilles agreed. "And Eveleen is such a woman."
"Aye," Brudar stated and both men looked to me.
"Just because I'm weak doesn't mean I don't have time to plan revenge later."
Achilles leaned close to where his lips brushed my ear. "I count on it, beautiful Eveleen." I swatted at him as best as I could, though it was more a flop than a strike, but Achilles got the message. He grinned.
"Go away. I'm too weak to even hold up with you anyway."
"That's when the man does all the work," Bruadar all but purred. I didn't have to look to know the exact look that adorned his beautiful features, and it was identical to Achilles.
"You two together are a nightmare." Both men laughed.
"I hear my woman wants me." I shifted my gaze to see Ajax leaning against the doorframe, a cocky grin on his face. He must have teleported in once Achilles contacted him.
"Your woman?" Grace asked, pushing him aside as she walked through the door. "That'll be your dreams."
"And what fantastic dreams they are," he easily replied. Grace rolled her eyes but grinned regardless. I saw the moment her eyes took in my form and the hardened flash of anger.
"I will slaughter who did this," she stated lowly. Achilles turned back to her but said nothing.
Ajax pushed off the doorframe and came into the room to look at me. He too stood stiff as he looked me over and I could see a hint of the red haze forming around him. "Aye, we should have been here."
"You couldn't have helped me in a dreamwalk," I said softly.
"You are ours and you were attacked. That is what matters," Grace stated as she came to my side. "Are you healing?"
"She's stronger but it will be a few days still until she will be up and about," Bruadar answered for me. "However it will be longer yet before she can train again. Perhaps a week or so."
"Well, a week off of training. I want one too, Achilles," Ajax teased. Achilles cocked an eyebrow in disbelief.
"A beautiful woman deserves time off. I don't think you entirely fit into that category, old friend."
"You'd be impressed what he could fit into," Grace shot back. "I want a week off too, and I do fit into that category." She crossed her arms and flipped her hair back in a purely defiant gesture. Achilles grinned at her.
"You might be beautiful, but you serve another master."
"Kinky," she replied with a quick grin.
"Ah, I'd give the world to be a true master to our beautiful Eveleen." Achilles turned back with his lust filled eyes and I started to shake my head.
"No. No, no, no. No." Everyone started to laugh even as my cheeks reddened again.
"Beautiful mortal, you wound me with your constant rejection." He gently thumbed my lips as he purred the words and the blush deepened.
"I doubt if anything can wound that arrogance of yours," Grace replied for me.
A knock had the four people in the room turning to the doorway. To my surprise it was someone who I didn't know. He was older, perhaps in his fourties, with curly brown hair. It was long enough to have a curl or two, and his beard spanned a sharp jawline. He carried wisdom in his dark brown eyes and had an air of experience to him. Finally I spotted the red sash that he wore around his waist, and noted the breastplate matched the people in the room. He was a personal attendant.
"Ah, Odysseus!" Achilles greeted brightly.
"Achilles." He stepped into the room. "Eveleen. I bring you the bow as promised by Artemis." To be honest I had truly forgotten the promise to me from the goddess. It was after I had first come to Olympus and lost to Ares, and she had wanted me to accompany her on a hunt and promised a bow so that I could do so.
The bow itself was a beautiful forest green, lain with intricate designs of emerald. The handle and string were red as if to symbolize my affiliation with Ares. Swirls of green looped around the bow as if vines grew on it. Truly, it was a work of the gods.
"It's beautiful," I replied. He came to my side and held the bow near my hand. To my surprise he lifted my hand and placed it on the bow, letting me feel it for the first time. It was cool to the touch and sang beneath my fingertips.
"The metal was forged by Hephaestus, made for a servant of Gaia. It will welcome your touch as a bow should. It is yours now and you must make a name of it for yourself."
"As much as I would like to, I don't have the skill to make a name for it yet." Odysseus smiled.
"Then I will teach you when you are able. A bow such as this requires a master that knows its full potential, and you do not have the training." He flipped over my wrist. "I see you know how to at least wield a bow, that is a start."
"We told Odysseus about you already," Grace spoke. "How we are training you with our time."
"A good endeavor. Anyone who wishes should be able to learn how to fight."
"She's a good student, and an even better woman," Ajax said with a huge grin.
"A warrior is what she should be, not a woman," Odysseus corrected.
Grace snorted in amusement. "Good luck with that," she replied as she looked at Achilles. He grinned down at me even as he stroked my cheek once.
"I'll kill you, I swear it," I threatened. It didn't help that a kitten had a stronger bite than me at the moment and the three warriors training me laughed.
Odysseus sighed. "You should all act as benefitting your station."
"Can they not act as my friends?" I asked quietly with a smile of my own. Odysseus dropped my hand and stood, watching me with a gaze I didn't recognize.
"Friends, are they?"
"I like to think so. They've been so kind to me since I've been here. They've taught me to fight, laughed with me, made me feel welcome. Maybe they're supposed to act dignified, but I like them this way."
"I see," he said simply, a small smile on his face. "The bow will await you here." He lifted it and waved his hand. The bow hovered as he let it go and moved over to the corner of the room and out of everyone else's way. "I hope that you will get well soon, Eveleen. I will train you as I have promised." He bowed slightly to us and left my room.
"And that….is Odysseus," Achilles broke the silence, grinning down at me. "Diplomatic as ever, always acts his position. What a dull life." Ajax chuckled and nodded once toward the blond.
"He is like this with everyone," Grace explained. "Calm, collected, never one to give offense." She shrugged. "It isn't my style, nor is it theirs. We act the way we wish. We have earned our place in the great halls of Olympus."
"I don't mind the way you act," I said with a smile. "I may be embarrassed all the time from certain people, but you've done nothing but make me feel welcome. I'll always be grateful for that." I yawned, the perpetual tiredness creeping up on me again.
"Sleep, beautiful mortal." Achilles knelt and pressed his lips against my forehead in a tender gesture. My cheeks warmed as everyone knew they would but instead of pressing for more, he stood again. "We will come when we have time tomorrow."
"As if I would leave with being outdone by you," Ajax scoffed. He knelt and kissed my forehead like Achilles had done. "We will train for you while you recover."
"Says you," Grace replied, rolling her eyes. "I just got back from a war. I'm going to relax and find a good man that can handle me." Achilles turned to her and she held up a hand. "You haven't seen Camilla today and I'm not going to fight her without someone warming my bed first."
"I guess that leaves me, doesn't it?" Ajax threw an arm over her shoulders and she sent him a smoldering look and a smirk of sin.
"And if it did?"
"Not in my room it doesn't," I murmured with another yawn. Three grins appeared at my grouchy statement and all turned and walked out of my room, talking with one another about the status of the cold spot in Grace's bed.
When the room quieted, Bruadar flowed off of the wall he had been leaning on and made his way to my side. "Beauty. Sleep well for I will watch over you this night." He leaned over me and I closed my eyes, expecting the kiss on the forehead. Instead I felt pressure on my lips and my eyes whipped open even as Bruadar was pulling away. "Though you play with them, I am still your champion, Eveleen."
"I'll kill you too, Bru." My threat had his mischievous grin sliding onto his face as if it never left.
"What a way to go, beauty." He winked at me and stood, waving his hand. The green portal opened and he mock saluted once before stepping through it. Once the portal closed, the lights darkened to let me sleep. Even though I was miffed at him, his antics made me smile. If he accepted you, Bruadar would care for you like no other. I was glad to call him friend.
Now alone I yawned deeper and turned my body away from the door. I snuggled into the pillows and bunched the blankets around myself, letting my eyes close. I felt the moment that Morpheus reached into my mind from the amulet, guiding my mind into a place of rest. I could sense his watchfulness and I knew that tonight I would be protected. I would be safe.
My friends were watching over me.