Chapter 4

That thought just chased itself around his head and came at him at strange times in the next twelve hours. But now Bliss was here, she'd met him at the foot of the stairs and followed him into the dining room. He was gentle as he sat her in the chair next to his. He was conscious of her needs. He'd filled her glass with a sweet wine and made her laugh with his wit.

Chal could see the nervousness in her eyes and he did whatever he could to make her more at ease. He served her the fine, rich food that Giselle prepared. When the servants finally withdrew, leaving them alone in the dining room, Chal was ready.

"There are many names for what you do but never in anything I explored was the name dream-weaver mentioned. What exactly do you do?"

Bliss lifted her glass and took a small sip of the red wine. Then she closed her eyes and sighed. With another sigh, she lifted her napkin to dab at her lips before she replaced it in her lap. "I told you, Chal. What I am is passed from mother to daughter since the beginning of life on this planet. We are the beings that control dreams and use them when we need to. Weavers have worked in the background of almost every big event in history. We've also been called Muses, if that helps."

"No. I would have heard of them before this. I mean, I've heard of Muses but I always believed that was just a term mortals use when they have a burst of inspiration." He cocked his head to the side and his obsidian hair slid over his shoulder. He flipped it back and gave her his full attention again.

Bliss smiled. "Just like a human." She sighed. "Do you remember in 1924? The huge train wreck that tore up rails and dug the engine into the ground. The crash happened just outside of a tiny town in the Midwest. Do you remember how many men and women died that day?"

"I was supposed to be on that train. It was an overnight from San Francisco to ... to Washington."

"Why didn't you go, Chal? What kept you from making that trip?"

"I woke that evening from a bad dream. Oh, God ... I'd dreamed about the crash."

"Yes, you did." Bliss deftly sliced off a small bite of her delicious roast. "And guess who gave you that dream?"

"It couldn't be you. You don't look old enough to vote." He reached out and took her hand in his. "So are you telling me that your kind has some kind of psychic ability? That you know what will happen before it actually does?"

"Not always, Chal. But if it happens to someone we care about, we are capable to change things just enough to protect that person. You knew a dream weaver then and she loved you very much, enough that she was able to cast that dream and give you that feeling to keep you off that train." She lifted her glass again and took another small sip. "Now do you understand?"

"I'm not sure," he answered and a chuckle escaped his beautiful mouth. "It's all kind of spinning in here right now."

"Well, you're part vampire, part incubus. That's a very strange combination as well."

"And you speak like none of this is out of the realm of possibility. So which one of us should be more amazed?"

"I know what I am, and I've seen a lot. The man you took me from, he was a real monster. If you had any idea of what he put me through day after day since my father sold me to him..." She shivered delicately and closed her eyes to try to block out the memories.

"He hurt you?"

It was a question but it wasn't his words that caught her attention, it was the emotion behind them. If she said yes, she had no doubt that he would find Master Donald again. Maybe this time he wouldn't stop until the man was dead. She couldn't let him do that.

"I healed." She glanced his way and saw his jaw move as he ground his teeth. "Dentures on vampires don't exactly work very well."

"What?" Chal glanced at her, confused.

"Your teeth, you're grinding them. Chal, he didn't do anything to me, nothing that will last. If you hurt him, or kill him, that is on me for the rest of my existence. If he were to get lucky and kill you ... That is unthinkable to me. Please." She reached out and took his hand in hers. "Let it go."

Chal looked into her perfect blue eyes and sighed. "You do that pretty well," he said with a smile.

"Do what?" Her brow furled as she stared over at him.

"Get your own way." He chuckled. "I'm surprised Darcy wasn't wearing the collar and have you prancing him around naked behind you."

"I'd never want that ass naked, behind me or ahead of me." She shuddered. "The thought is repulsive."

He rose from his seat and came to crouch down next to her chair. "Do you find me repulsive?"

Bliss wiped her mouth carefully before she dropped her napkin onto her plate. Turning in her chair she faced Chal. "Repulsive, no. I don't think I could find a woman who would consider you repulsive." Her fingers gently touched his jaw and her thumb brushed over his cheekbones. His smile was beautiful and it drew an answering grin from her. He had the face of an angel with the mischievous look in his eyes of a two-year-old looking for trouble. She knew she would have a hard time if she thought to rein him in.

"May I make love to you now, here, on this mortal plane?" His eyes glowed and his teeth grew, the incisors lengthening.

She blinked and then ran her fingers over his mouth, feeling the sharp teeth that had grown until they almost covered his bottom lip. Her blue eyes didn't leave his face. "I want to say yes, Chal. I truly do, but..."

"But..." he encouraged.

She clasped her hands over his and stared over his head at the fire that burned in the fireplace. "I ... I want to say yes..."

"But..." he urged.

"Donald Darcy was a malicious beast, Chal."

He lifted his hand cupping her soft cheek against his palm. "Do you remember the dream?"

"The one I gave you just a while ago?"

"Yes. There is one thing that you did in that dream that was exactly the way it would happen. I will never force you, Bliss I will never take anything from you that you wouldn't give unstintingly."

Bliss smiled and she leaned forward, her soft lips touching one sharp cheekbone. "You know, you give vampires a bad name, Chal. You're going to have me believing that all vampires are as tame as puppies."

He threw back his head and laughed, intoxicated by her. "Maybe Pit Bulls, Bliss I can't think that any man could be cruel to you. It would be like pulling the wings off of butterflies." He drew her closer, watching as her eyelashes fluttered and closed over the soft blue of her eyes. His mouth touched hers and he moaned as her taste flooded him. She moaned softly as well, her hand coming up to tangle in his hair, holding him close.

He lifted his mouth once, his lips tracing over her eyelashes. "Shall we take this upstairs, Bliss?"

Her eyes opened and she stared up at him. "Please..."

"Please what, sweetheart?" He waited, anxious to hear what her conditions would be.

"Don't hurt me..."

Chal stared down into her eyes, seeing the plea and the fright in them. "I'd never hurt you, Bliss"

She nodded though there was still fear in her eyes. He stood and held her hand. "Will you come with me?"

She nodded and rose moving closer to him as he tucked her hand under his arm. "It's a beautiful night, Bliss, will you go for a walk with me in the garden?"

"But ... I thought..." She glanced toward the door that would lead them to the wide staircase.

"We have all night, Bliss. Right now I just want to see you in the moonlight. You'll be lovely bathed in the pale glow of the moon's rays." He dipped his head and kissed her lips gently. When he went to pull back, her hand was tangled in his hair and held him in place. She groaned and breathed in the fiery passion that he exuded so easily.

It didn't take much coaxing from her and he parted her lips. An almost feral growl came from deep in his chest. When he finally did lift his mouth, his forehead rested against hers and he laughed a bit self-consciously. "You don't play fair, Bliss"