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Authors: Jody Wallace
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a serious workout tomorrow.
Would she be allowed to clean house? Lillian had mentioned taking Maggie to their base. What was she going to tell Hayden? Would he remember anything?
“You have to sleep.” Lillian washed her face and slapped some antibiotic gel on her cheek. “You and Zeke have to complete the initial link in the dreamsphere before he’ll be able to protect you.”
Before he could protect everyone else too. A glance at the bathroom clock told her she and Lillian had gone to bed three hours ago. It seemed like days.
“You all said Zeke’s no good at mentoring.” She sat on the toilet lid and squeezed her fingers together. She had sand in the webbing, under her feet, sticking to her neck. “What if he can’t help me, either?”
“He’ll help you,” Lillian said firmly. “The reason he sucks as a mentor is because of his personality, not because he can’t do the job.”
If Zeke were up to the task, he’d have accepted Maggie in the first place. He was an adult capable of postponing—or ignoring—sexual desires. There was more to this. “I want to know about Harrisburg.”
“A misstep.” Lillian glanced down, poking through Maggie’s first aid kit. Apparently their team didn’t travel with their own. “Nobody’s perfect, Maggie. Don’t concern yourself. If Zeke wants you to know, he’ll tell you.”
Maggie knew what she’d heard in everyone’s voice, seen in their faces, whenever Harrisburg came up. “Several of you mentioned it. That seems like more than a misstep. If I need to know...”
“He’ll tell you,” Lillian repeated. “He’s your mentor now.”
Lillian had described the dreamsphere and what training would be like, but Maggie didn’t remember much about the nightmare Lillian had been unable to stop. Greyness. Dark, wispy monsters. A vampire trying to eat her. Chaotic fear and terror. Zeke said he’d already been in her mind once and she had no memories of him.
If she couldn’t recall anything, how could she help? How could she apply her best effort, how could she be of service? How could she do this?
She needed more time—time to digest everything happening to her.
She did not need to climb into bed with the sexiest man she’d ever met while terrified, nervous and covered in dirt.
“I can’t stand this sand all over me,” she decided. “I’m going to take a bath.”
Lillian cocked an eyebrow. “Take a shower, not a bath. Don’t fall asleep.”
“I won’t.” Despite her conviction, she yawned. “I’m too anxious to be tired.”
“You’re exhausted whether you realize it or not. You manifested three times in the past twenty-four hours. That’s hard work,” Lillian said with a dry grin.
Maggie yawned again, her jaw cracking. The bathroom had warmed and the bright light chased away nightmares and shadows. “Maybe I’m a little tired.”
“It won’t be me coming in here after you if you fall asleep in the tub,” Lillian warned. “I have to stand guard. It’ll be Zeke.”
“Is he mad because he didn’t want to be saddled with me?” Zeke hadn’t seemed interested in mentoring her, even though he’d kissed her. His mixed signals of attraction and annoyance did make the idea of becoming chummy with him less appealing.
“No, he’s not mad at you. It’s an awkward situation.” Lillian snapped the kit shut. “Go easy on him, Maggie. Cooperate as best you can, even if what he wants from you seems...odd. He’s got his own hang ups about doing this. If you can avoid butting heads with him, that will help us all. Do what he says, when he says, and how he says.”
“I don’t like being ordered around.” Maggie rubbed grit off her arms. “I don’t accept much of anything on faith.”
“Fake it,” Lillian advised. “And one more thing. Don’t have sex with him.”
Maggie’s face heated. “I hardly even know him.”
“Does that matter, when you’ve been thinking what I suspect you’ve been thinking about him?”
Would she be allowed to clean house? Lillian had mentioned taking Maggie to their base. What was she going to tell Hayden? Would he remember anything?
“You have to sleep.” Lillian washed her face and slapped some antibiotic gel on her cheek. “You and Zeke have to complete the initial link in the dreamsphere before he’ll be able to protect you.”
Before he could protect everyone else too. A glance at the bathroom clock told her she and Lillian had gone to bed three hours ago. It seemed like days.
“You all said Zeke’s no good at mentoring.” She sat on the toilet lid and squeezed her fingers together. She had sand in the webbing, under her feet, sticking to her neck. “What if he can’t help me, either?”
“He’ll help you,” Lillian said firmly. “The reason he sucks as a mentor is because of his personality, not because he can’t do the job.”
If Zeke were up to the task, he’d have accepted Maggie in the first place. He was an adult capable of postponing—or ignoring—sexual desires. There was more to this. “I want to know about Harrisburg.”
“A misstep.” Lillian glanced down, poking through Maggie’s first aid kit. Apparently their team didn’t travel with their own. “Nobody’s perfect, Maggie. Don’t concern yourself. If Zeke wants you to know, he’ll tell you.”
Maggie knew what she’d heard in everyone’s voice, seen in their faces, whenever Harrisburg came up. “Several of you mentioned it. That seems like more than a misstep. If I need to know...”
“He’ll tell you,” Lillian repeated. “He’s your mentor now.”
Lillian had described the dreamsphere and what training would be like, but Maggie didn’t remember much about the nightmare Lillian had been unable to stop. Greyness. Dark, wispy monsters. A vampire trying to eat her. Chaotic fear and terror. Zeke said he’d already been in her mind once and she had no memories of him.
If she couldn’t recall anything, how could she help? How could she apply her best effort, how could she be of service? How could she do this?
She needed more time—time to digest everything happening to her.
She did not need to climb into bed with the sexiest man she’d ever met while terrified, nervous and covered in dirt.
“I can’t stand this sand all over me,” she decided. “I’m going to take a bath.”
Lillian cocked an eyebrow. “Take a shower, not a bath. Don’t fall asleep.”
“I won’t.” Despite her conviction, she yawned. “I’m too anxious to be tired.”
“You’re exhausted whether you realize it or not. You manifested three times in the past twenty-four hours. That’s hard work,” Lillian said with a dry grin.
Maggie yawned again, her jaw cracking. The bathroom had warmed and the bright light chased away nightmares and shadows. “Maybe I’m a little tired.”
“It won’t be me coming in here after you if you fall asleep in the tub,” Lillian warned. “I have to stand guard. It’ll be Zeke.”
“Is he mad because he didn’t want to be saddled with me?” Zeke hadn’t seemed interested in mentoring her, even though he’d kissed her. His mixed signals of attraction and annoyance did make the idea of becoming chummy with him less appealing.
“No, he’s not mad at you. It’s an awkward situation.” Lillian snapped the kit shut. “Go easy on him, Maggie. Cooperate as best you can, even if what he wants from you seems...odd. He’s got his own hang ups about doing this. If you can avoid butting heads with him, that will help us all. Do what he says, when he says, and how he says.”
“I don’t like being ordered around.” Maggie rubbed grit off her arms. “I don’t accept much of anything on faith.”
“Fake it,” Lillian advised. “And one more thing. Don’t have sex with him.”
Maggie’s face heated. “I hardly even know him.”
“Does that matter, when you’ve been thinking what I suspect you’ve been thinking about him?”
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