Weaver of Dreams (17 page)

The Spirits must be shining down on him. She bought it. Bless that sweet woman for saving him from having to break her heart and his.

Zane gave the child a kiss on her tiny forehead, then kissed Maggie deeply before leaving through the front door of her home. Once outside, he pulled, albeit reluctantly, from the dream . . .

Zane peeled his arms away from the warm woman lying beside him and rolled from the bed. He looked down as she turned onto her stomach to lie exactly over the spot his body had vacated. One arm snaked under her pillow, hugging it to her face like she would a lover.

Light streamed in around the closed blind in the window to illuminate the room. Morning arrived to bring a sunny day. Maggie would be waking soon which meant he needed to go, but Zane just couldn’t seem to leave yet, especially when he gazed down on the woman he loved.

She looked so sexy lying there. The hem of her gown raised above her knees, gave him an unobstructed view of her thighs. He gently tugged the nightgown down to cover her legs before pulling up the sheet and comforter over her.

It was difficult enough to leave her without the temptation of her body. Zane wasn’t sure he could go. Everything within him screamed to remain by her side. Hold her, comfort her. Be the man she so dearly wanted and deserve. Be the one she could believe in.

Zane wished he could be her everything, and yet he knew it could not be.

He looked down on her, watched her eyes dart back and forth under her lids. Still in the dream, no doubt taking care of their child, Maggie waited for him to return. But he couldn’t.

Not now, not ever.

This had to be the last time he would visit her. Each time they were together made their connection stronger. Trying to leave was akin to trying to rip his arm from its socket—it could be done, but with great effort and pain.

He could not bear to leave her again. This would be the last time he forced himself through this torture.

Brushing her hair back from her forehead, he bent at the waist to whisper in her ear, “I hope you will keep me in your heart, as I will keep you in my heart and mind forever.”

When he stood, the wide grin on her face graced him with its girlish charm. It made his heart soar, gave him hope she might have heard him, if only in her subconscious mind.

She stirred, signaling him the time to take his leave had come. He aimed his magick at the mirror over her vanity. It swirled into a portal as he made his way across the room. His vision blurred and he wiped the lone tear that streaked down his cheek. Tears? He gazed at his wet finger in disbelief. He never cried. A knot formed in his throat.

Zane allowed himself one last look over his shoulder at the slumbering woman on the bed before his form became incorporeal and he pushed back into his dimension.

Maggie struggled to push through the haze of sleep, sensing someone was in her room watching her. Through slitted eyes, she saw what looked like a man wearing jeans and a green sweater. One minute he stood across the room, the next he disappeared.

She wiped her eyes and cleared away the remnants of her dream, before she glanced around her room once more. Everything appeared to be all right. Each item sat in its rightful place—no one was there. She must have been half-dreaming when she thought she saw a man in her room who looked so much like the one from her dream.

And what a wonderful dream it had been. Maggie rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling as she ruminated on what happened in her dream.

It had been over a week since she had last dreamed of Zane. When she first saw him standing by the water in her dream forest, she didn’t believe it was actually him. But when he spoke, all doubts left her. He’d said mean things to her at first, but then confessed he cared.

Maggie wrapped her arms around her waist in a bracing hug, remembering the happiness his proclamation elicited.

“Why can’t I find a man like him in real life?” she asked herself, stretching her arms and legs in opposite directions. “Probably because you talk to yourself like a crazy person.”

Maggie unfolded from the bed, feeling well rested for the first time in years and headed to the bathroom to take care of her morning necessities. Once bathed and dressed, she made her way to her kitchen and retrieved a cup of coffee, more from ritual than from need.

She settled on the couch in the living room and turned on the morning news. As interviews played in the background, her thoughts returned to the previous night’s dream. She remembered the way Zane had regarded the infant in his arms. The look on his face, a combination of awe and wonder, made him seem like he was afraid he would break it.

Maggie chuckled. Even in her dreams, a man was still a man. They all seemed a little afraid of babies, at least of holding them for the first time.

But Zane got over his discomfort fast, much quicker than a real man would. By the time he handed the little girl back, he seemed relaxed and happy at least for a minute, then his face darkened.

I’m going to get some diapers.

Those were the last words he uttered before walking out the door. She awoke from the dream before he could come back.

Maggie sighed, wondering what might have happened if she had stayed asleep. Would they have made love, like they had in the dream on the deserted island?

She had to admit, dreams with Zane were never boring. Sheesh, why couldn’t she find a nice man in the real world? He didn’t have to be as handsome or sexy as Zane, just someone who would treat her with respect and love her.

The way Zane did.

Maggie took a sip of coffee. She had it bad for her dream guy. She’d confessed she cared about him in their dream and she really did. In fact, if she was honest with herself, she would admit her feeling bordered on love.

“You’ve got to get over him, Maggie. It does no good to sit here wishing he was real. You’ve got to get out there and find yourself a real man.”

Deciding her pep talk was good advice, Maggie pushed off the couch, determined to do just that.

I’m going to get some diapers.

Those had been his last words to Maggie in the dream. How could he have left without saying something better? He would forever regret the last thing said to her.

Going back to Maggie again had been a mistake. Their shared dream had been so vivid, too similar to what it would be like to be with her in the real world. Instead of getting her out of his system, the visit lodged her deeper in his soul.

He battled constantly not to go visit her in her dreams. Willing to take whatever he could get, Zane entertained living with her, if only in her dreams. And that was not a good thing.

That would be no life—not for her or him. She deserved so much more. Maggie should have a real man, a person who could be with her. Someone who would love her, give her a child to love and adore. A man who could protect her, be there for her when she needed him.

His life had been so simple before. She drew him to her in a way that made him abandon all reason. Though a constant struggle not to go to her, he somehow resisted.

Each time he thought to go to her, he forced himself to the falls to meditate. Like now, he would hover beside the water, listen to its soothing cadence. Absorbing the colors and sounds, he concentrated on them, trying to block out the thoughts of her.

And just like now, it didn’t work.

The red swirls in the water reminded him of the red highlights in her hair. The yellows and greens of the meadow reminded him of her eyes. Even in the quiet whisper of the wind through the tall grass, he could hear her soft sighs.

Without conscious thought he opened a portal to her room and looked through. In her empty room, sunlight streamed through the window to light her bed. She must be at work, he surmised, and stuck his head through the opening.

At once his corporeal flesh registered the warmth of the sun, the smell of her perfume. His nose took a deep inhale of its own volition. Smelled like, home? Love?

Before he could come to a decision, the sound of a voice drew his energy back into the Dream Weaver dimension.

“Greetings, Peacemaker,” the familiar voice called. “Blessings this day.”

“And to you, Gracyn.”

Her energy settled next to him, feeling more mellifluous than his, calm and peaceful. With her beside him, Zane felt a little more at ease.

“Going to feed?” she asked. “Do not let me stop you from your repast.”

“I have recently fed.” Zane moved slightly away from his mentor, wondering why she’d come. He refused to ask though, knowing she would reveal why she was there in her own time. Wise and intelligent, Gracyn always contemplated an issue fully before sharing her thoughts on the subject.

The pair sat in silence by the water. Zane’s mind wandered to thoughts of Maggie. He wondered how her day was going. Was she counseling some students? Had she been dreaming of him?

It seemed like forever since he saw her. He wasn’t sure exactly how long it had been, but it had been too long.

“You seem pensive, Zane,” Gracyn commented in a soft voice, drawing him from his thoughts of Maggie. “You are not yourself. Jolan is concerned.”

“Jolan came to you to tell tales on me?”

“No. He made a sojourn to the Council.”

“Why?”

“He was summoned.”

Zane silently waited for her further explanation, wondering what the Council could want with Jolan. A few minutes later his patience was rewarded.

“I recommended we find another Peacemaker,” his mentor finally informed him.

Zane’s energy bobbed in the tall grass from the shock at her statement. “Whatever for? Is the Ruling Council not pleased with the way I perform my duties?”

“I can feel the change in your energy, Zane. Be at peace. You did your job well.”

“Then why would you need another Peacemaker?”

Gracyn’s energy flowed to and fro. If she were in human form, she would have been pacing. “I think it is best to have a backup,” she replied softly.

“Is the Council expecting trouble?”

“No. But it is always wise to have two of something, is it not?”

What game did she play? In the centuries he had been alive, he had always been the only Peacemaker. They never needed two. His kind went rogue infrequently, making it easy for one Peacemaker to dispense justice. Zane could not imagine why two Peacemakers would ever be needed, unless the Council intended to strip him of his position.

“Have I displeased the Council in some way?”

“Were you not brought before them to be praised for providing judgment to Amnon?”

Yes, the Council sang his praises, but Zane knew the Council could be fastidious. His suspicion made him move, mirroring his mentor’s movements. “Then why train a second Peacemaker?”

“As I have already said, I thought it best to have a backup.”

“But . . .”

Gracyn’s energy stopped. She hovered in front of Zane, and her calm essence washed over him. “Zane, you are troubled. I can feel it.”

“Yes, because the Council is apparently displeased with my performance.”

“No, Zane. That is not it. Not entirely. When I came to find you, you were already troubled.”

He tried to keep his struggles private, hidden away from those around him, but it seemed they weren’t hidden as well as he thought. First Jolan sensed his unrest, and now Gracyn could tell he was troubled, perhaps he should confess. After all, humans believed confession benefitted the soul.

“I am,” Zane paused searching for just the right word, “unsettled.”

“You and I have known each other a long time, Zane. I helped you become a Peacemaker, and you watched as I joined the Council. We have been a part of each other’s lives for centuries. You can tell me what is troubling you.”

Could he? Would she think his obsession with the human to be an addiction?

A thought struck him. Maybe they thought their current Peacemaker had turned rogue and were preparing a replacement to kill him. It would explain why they were training another Peacemaker.

“It is the human woman, is it not?” Gracyn correctly guessed.

Zane knew better than to lie to a Council member, even if he felt close to her—especially because they were close. “I cannot stop thinking about her.”

“Have you been back to visit her dreams?”

“Once, since I killed Amnon.”

“Why do you think of her still?”

“There was something about her, Gracyn. She consumed my soul, entangled all my senses.”

“You love her.”

The world shifted around him. He couldn’t be in love with a human. It wasn’t done. “I do not love Maggie,” he denied. Even as the words came from him he knew they were a lie. His spirit ached for her.

“You do,” Gracyn’s voice softened as she continued. “I can hear it in the way you say her name.”

The Great Spirits help him, but he did love the woman.
Maggie
. Thinking her name bought her image to his mind’s eye. Images of her on the sandy beach. Images of her in this meadow.

“What am I going to do?”

“Go to her.”

Zane could not have been more shocked at his mentor’s advice if she had asked him to kill her. “What?”

“Go to her, Zane. Visit the human world for a time.”

“Get her out of my system, as the humans would say,” Zane quoted Jolan’s advice. Advice which he knew first hand wouldn’t work.

“Perhaps that.”

Zane got the distinct impression Gracyn held something back.

“Zane, go to the woman. Spend time with her in the human world, not the dream world. See what happens.”

“It doesn’t matter what would happen. I can’t be with her.”

“Love will find a way.”

“Only in human movies and books.”

“So cynical. Are you not a Dream Weaver? Who says the only dreams you can weave are in the subconscious? Go to her; weave a dream for the two of you. If it is meant to be, it will happen.”

“But I am not human. I cannot remain in their world.”

“It is a little known fact that Dream Weavers can remain in the human world for an extended period of time.”

“Why have I not heard that before?”

“What I am about to say is for Council ears only. I will have your vow of honor you will not divulge to another what I am about to tell you.”

“You have my vow. I swear to the Great Spirits above I will not repeat what you tell me.”

Gracyn paused, seemed to weigh the sincerity of his vow. After several minutes she must have decided to trust him for she spoke. “The Council thought it best to keep the knowledge that we can remain in human form from our people. Thinking they must return to our world after they feed was a way to discourage anyone from over-indulging. It put a time limit on the amount of time our people could absorb energy.”

“Why would they do such a thing?”

“They were afraid that if a Dream Weaver fed too much, even positive emotions could become addictive.”

“So by putting a time limit on the amount of time we could stay in the human world, they hoped to keep us in line.”

“Addiction free, Zane,” Gracyn corrected. “So will you go, visit the human world for a time?”

Zane assimilated the information Gracyn had shared. He never would have thought that when he came to the falls to meditate, he would learn he could be with Maggie—at least for a little while. But a little while with her in the real world was better than not at all. He made his decision.

“I’ll go to her.”

Maggie sat in her living room, surfing the internet on her laptop, in an attempt to find the number for a new drycleaner. She’d just come from her usual cleaners, upset because they lost the clothes she’d dropped off last week. When she showed up with her receipt, she waited patiently as the gentleman perused the automated rack. Suit after suit scrolled by, but hers were nowhere to be found.

She didn’t have time to be one of those people who went to the dry cleaners every week, so she would take them to be cleaned a bunch at a time. Which explained why she now found herself in her current predicament. She had very few work clothes left in her closet, since she’d taken a pile of them to the cleaners. A pile that was now gone.

This was just the latest of a string of bad luck. In the past week and a half, she had a flat tire strand her at school, and the GPS unit had been stolen from her car. To top it off, her dream man had only visited her once in her dreams. Yep, it seemed Karma was out to bite her on the butt.

The sound of her cell phone ringing pulled her from her thoughts. She pushed aside the laptop and crossed the room to fish the thing out of her purse.

“Hello?” Silence met her greeting.

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

Maggie held the phone away from her, looking down at the screen. The blinking icon told her she had a voicemail.
Guess I didn’t pick up in time
. She tapped the code to access her voicemail on the keypad.

“Maggie,” She recognized Mark’s voice. Great, what else could go wrong this week? “I have some news about the lawsuit.”

Her stomach twisted in anticipation. This could not be good. “The Burtons dropped the suit. It’s over. We don’t have to go to court. Have a great weekend. I know Jennifer and I will.”

Maggie could just imagine the kind of “great weekend” Jennifer Lawler and Mark would be having, but she wasn’t going to let anything spoil her mood. Knowing the parents dropped the suit made Maggie feel lighter, like the weight of the world had been taken from her shoulders. She wouldn’t have to go to court and could get back to doing her job instead of preparing for the ridiculous lawsuit.

“Wonder why they dropped it?”

Maggie briefly thought about calling Mark to find out the answer to her question, but quickly dismissed the idea. It didn’t matter why. Maybe they realized the school had the law on their side of the issue. Maybe they found another way to pay for the private school they wanted to send their son to. It just didn’t matter. All that mattered was the family dropped the suit and she would not have to act as the District’s spokesperson anymore.

A genuine smile lit her face. Her week suddenly looked up. Maybe the old adage was true, bad luck came in threes—flat tire, stolen GPS, and lost clothes. Now her streak was broken. From here on out, the only thing coming her way would be good luck.

For the first time in months, the tension eased from her muscles. She could breathe a little easier, free of the oppressive stress. She cracked her knuckles, relieving the pressure in her joints. Maggie did a little happy dance, unable to contain her joy.

She needed to celebrate. She needed to shop, especially since she now needed to buy some new work clothes. Too bad Leigh went to Europe on a business trip. Oh well, she’d just have to somehow make it through a shopping trip without her.

A wide grin lifted the corners of her mouth as she put her phone back in her purse, grabbed her keys, and left, practically skipping to her car.

Two hours later, Maggie stepped from the mall with a smile, her arms full of bags. It seemed like her luck had changed. Everything she chose off the sales rack fit perfectly. She bought a new wardrobe and it hadn’t cost her a fortune.

Only the near constant sensation of being watched as she went from store to store marred the otherwise perfect day. After she checked over her shoulder several times throughout the day to find nothing, she chalked the feeling up to unjustified paranoia.

Her cellphone rang as she exited through the automatic doors. When she extracted the phone, one of her shopping bags caught on the bottom of her purse jerking her wrist. Her cell shot from her hand and flung across the paved entryway, skittering to a stop near an alcove.