15
With a scream, Rayne sat up in the bed, flailing her arms out, her heart pounding. Her breath came in gasps as she struggled to calm herself down.
A hand touched her arm. Rayne screamed again and pistoned her arms out, slamming her fists into Mark's chest. He overbalanced and teetered on the edge of the bed. Rayne did not wait for him to fall. She tried to scramble away from him, whimpering, tears running down her face.
Mark had righted himself. He reached out and grabbed her arm before she could do more than put one foot on the floor. He pulled her backward, ignoring her curses, holding her arms to her sides so she couldn't fight him. He pulled her back between his legs and wrapped his arms around her, pinning her effectively against his chest.
Rayne was sobbing uncontrollably, not wanting him to touch her, but finding comfort in his warmth. He made a low soothing noise in his throat and used one hand to stroke her hair. He could feel her shaking against him. He closed his eyes, hugging her close, rocking side to side as he tried to ease her, to calm her down.
It had just been a dream, a stupid dream...Rayne tried to get her mind to accept that idea. It had been so damn...real. He'd killed Wynn...and he'd raped her. And he'd tried to kill her. She shuddered again, the images replaying themselves in her mind.
Mark felt her body shaking against his, and held her tighter. He had been sleeping deeply and Rayne's scream had jolted him immediately awake. And even before he moved to grab her, he already had an idea of what had happened.
Rayne's sobs eventually tapered off to occasional sniffles, but she did not relax in his arms. She slowly became aware of the fact that the T-shirt she'd worn to bed had ridden up; she could feel him pressed against her. He wasn't wearing anything. With a whimper, she tried to pull away.
"Rayne..." He whispered her name, his voice low.
"Let me go...let me go..." She repeated it over and over, twisting her body, trying to loosen his grip.
Mark sighed but still held onto her. "Tell me what you saw."
Rayne shuddered but said nothing.
"You saw me." Mark said softly. "You saw me...killing someone. A woman. And raping another. Was that it?"
Rayne froze. "M...me. You raped...me..." She took in a breath. "How did...you know?"
Mark was quiet for a few minutes. "I was...dreaming about it." It was a dream he'd had many times, so many that it had no power to unnerve him. The demon side of him reveled in the killing, the hurting.
"You..." She stopped and shook her head. "You did it again? The same thing you did last night...why did you do it?" She started crying again. "Why would you want me to see that? To feel it?"
Mark held on to her, rubbing her arms gently with his hands. He had not meant to fall asleep. He'd wanted to lay down next to her and go into her dream again, to be with her there again, but had fallen asleep and had a dream of his own. And she had somehow...seen it. Not only that, she had been an active participant.
The thought scared him. His demon side had possibly pulled her in, and used her in ways that his human side would never allow. That was not what he wanted. He had that in Pandora, he'd had his fill of that kind of animalistic behavior. That he'd lost control over his ability, that he'd used it while he was asleep, scared him. If he could slip, what was to say that his demon side would not eventually take over in his waking life?
Rayne was still crying, waiting for his answer. And how the hell could he answer her? She would not believe anything he said. "Rayne..." He cleared his throat. Sighing, closing his eyes, he held her close. "When I came of age, I discovered I had this ability...this power...to see other people's dreams. It's where I go at night, when my own dreams are too dark. I leave, I enter their dreams, I watch..." he shrugged. "It is an invasion of privacy of the worst kind, but I can not help it."
She said nothing. Mark resumed using the same low tone. "I discovered that I could make myself an active participant in others dreams. Which is what I did...last night. Do you remember what happened last night?" She nodded uncertainly. "Dominic has...the same power. Kind of. He cannot physically enter your dreams, but he can influence them. He is about mental domination. At least, until he can be near you physically."
Rayne shivered. "But you...were so real."
"I was there. I was there with you, and I had to do something to bring you back from him. I had to..." He stopped. "You were so cold Rayne. I had to warm you. I could not think of another way to do it."
She did not reply. He could feel her waiting for him to go on. He sighed heavily. "Tonight, I did not enter your dream. You entered mine."
"I..." She frowned. "How did I do that?"
"I do not know. Since my demon half awakened, I have had that dream, of being in a place like a hospital, of doing...what you saw..." He took a deep breath. "I have had it so many times that I am used to it. It holds no power to frighten me. And somehow...I pulled you in. It's the only explanation I can think of." He stroked her arm with his fingers. "I would never hurt you that way Rayne. I do not take what is not offered to me."
Mark let his words sink in. When she spoke, she surprised him.
"How could you stand to dream that so many times?" She asked softly. "It was so..." she could not find the right words.
"My demon side likes the thrill of pain, of..."
"No. I understand...that. But the place, the..." again she stopped, at a loss for words. "So lonely there. Lonely and...empty." She shivered again, feeling the remnant chill from the place where he'd been.
"It is me, Rayne. Inside. That is what I am."
Rayne bowed her head down, finally releasing the tension that she had been holding since he started talking. Mark waited, eyes closed, for her reaction. Again she surprised him.
"You can't be that...empty." She finally said. Her head came up and she looked around as if realizing for the first time where she was.
"But I am. I am." Mark whispered hoarsely.
"No. I don't believe that." Mark opened his eyes at the tone of her voice. "You took Randy in, right? You loved your family. You lost them, sure, but still..." she took a deep breath. "There can't be so much nothingness inside you. If there was, why would you even bother trying to get revenge on your father? Wouldn't you just...not care?"
Mark had no answer. Rayne apparently didn't need one. "I am afraid of you. But you already know that. You wanted that."
"Yes."
Rayne sighed. At least he'd admitted it. "I'm more scared of what might happen...if your father gets me. Even after this dream...stuff..." She shook her head. "I keep forgetting that you aren't doing this...to protect me. I don't know why that's so hard for me to accept."
"Rayne..."
"You can let me go now. I'm all right." She said, ignoring the sound of her name. His arms tightened momentarily, then relaxed. Rayne moved away from him, slid to the end of the bed, and sat there with her head down. Mark could think of nothing to say. She was right. He opened his mouth to at least try, but before he could say anything he sensed...
Head cocked to the side, he looked toward the window. Pandora. She had no reason to come here, but she was on her way. He looked at Rayne's back, and had a moment of panic. Randy was not here to use the touch on her, to put her under. Pandora might have already sensed her and was coming for her.
"Someone's coming..." He finally said. Rayne lifted her head but didn't look around. "Stay here, in this room. Do not come out for any reason."
Mark was getting up and gathering his clothes, jerking them on quickly.
"Is it...those people who want to kill me?" Rayne asked softly.
Mark tugged his boots on and looked at her. "Yes."
She nodded then lay down on the bed, curling on her side away from him. Mark spared her one last glance, wanting to tell her that he would take care of her...but he could not. She already knew the truth, lies would not ease her mind at this point. With a sigh he went out the door, mentally preparing himself to deal with Pandora.