While she found his sarcasm entertaining, it still failed to make her laugh or smile given their worsening situation. "Aidan, this isn't a dream. I mean, yes, we're in a dream state, but when you wake up, it doesn't mean that Dolor won't be real. He is real and he's out to kill you."
He moved away from her. "Fine. Bring him on. I will be the last one standing."
"Bravado doesn't defeat a god."
"Then what does?"
She really wished he hadn't asked that particular question. "I don't know. Each one of us has something that will render us weak and allow someone to kill us. But we're not real big on letting other people know what those weaknesses are."
"And neither am I. I have no intention of letting anyone or anything knock me down."
She admired that about him, especially since he was human. "I want you to hold tight to that courage, Aidan. It might be the only thing that saves your life."
And with that she pulled him toward her and kissed him.
Aidan's breath caught at the forgotten sensation of a woman in his arms. She tasted of bliss and woman. Of wicked delights. And God help him, he wanted more of her.
His heart thrumming, he deepened the kiss as he pulled her even tighter against him.
Leta couldn't think straight as her tongue danced with his. It'd been centuries since she'd last kissed a man. Centuries since she felt this compelled to touch a man unless she was throwing a punch at him.
Aidan's desire set fire to her own bound emotions. But more than that, they unleashed the long-buried part of herself that missed her family. Closing her eyes, she remembered her husband and that miraculous feeling of belonging. Of loving someone and being loved by them.
She missed it so much. Craved it even more. No one should have to spend eternity alone, isolated from everyone, devoid of all emotions. What Zeus had done to her kind was deplorable.
Again, she heard the cry of Timor from across the sea that splashed against the crystal sands. Dolor was trying to use him to break through the barrier of the dream world so that he could fight them on the mortal plane where they were weakest. She needed to wake up Aidan and make him understand the threat they posed to him.
"I'll see you on the other side," she breathed before she pushed him away and forced him to wake up.
Aidan jerked awake. His heart pounding, he lifted his arm from his face to try and get his bearings. His movie was still playing in the background as the logs popped and settled around him.
It was then he saw Leta at his feet.
She blinked her eyes open as if she too were just waking up.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.
Leta started to answer, only to realize that if she told him, he'd toss her out. He would never believe her in this realm.
Dear Zeus, how was she ever going to convince him of the truth?
"Aidan..." She hesitated as she tried to think of something reasonable to say to him.
"Leta..." he mocked. "I told you to stay out of here."
"I know you did. It's just that I wanted to see you for a few minutes and you were asleep. I didn't want to disturb you."
"So you slept at my feet like a puppy? No offense, but that's creepy as hell. Next thing I know, you'll be trying on my clothes and sleeping in my bed."
She scoffed as she pushed herself to her feet. "Brad Pitt you're not."
"You're right. I'm the man who kicked him out of the number-one slot for best-looking actor three years in a row."
Leta rolled her eyes. "That's some ego you've got there."
"Yes it is and it's constantly being reinforced by women willing to do anything to get my attention." He raked her with a cold look. "How far are you willing to go?"
She screwed her face up at him. "Don't let that kiss go to your head. I was just curious."
"Yeah, babe, that's what they all-" Aidan froze as her words permeated his ire. "What kiss?"
Her face went pale. "There was a kiss?"
"In my dreams. How did you know that?"
She became suddenly fidgety. "Lucky guess."
"Yeah, right. The only person who's a worse actor than you is my old roommate whenever he was drunk. How did you know about my dream kiss?"
Leta swallowed as she grappled with what to tell him. But she kept coming back to one truth... "You're not going to believe me."
"Try me."
What the heck? The worst he could do was throw her out and he'd been trying to do that since the moment she arrived. It wasn't like she could die in the storm. For that matter, the storm only existed because she'd created it to give him a reason to invite her in.
"All right. I'm an Oneroi."
His features didn't change as he appeared to accept it. "An honor what?"
"Not honor.Own-nuh-roy . It's a god of sleep and I'm here to protect you."
He didn't even blink at her words. He merely stared at her with a blank expression as he continued to lie on the couch without moving.
Finally, he inhaled deeply. "Why am I having this bad Terminator flashback... My name is Kyle Rhys. Come with me if you want to live."
She crossed her arms over her chest. "This isn't a joke, Aidan."
He shot off the couch and moved to tower over her. Now there was no missing the disdain and disbelief bleeding out of every part of him. "No, it isn't and I don't find you amusing in the least."
"Then how did I know about the kiss you and I shared in your dreams?"
"Wishful thinking on your part."
She shook her head. "I told you in your dream and I'm telling you again... bravado won't defeat a god. If you really want to be the last man standing, you're going to have to trust me at your back."
Aidan reeled at her words.
No. It wasn't possible. Yet he recalled that moment from his dreams when he'd told her that. Clearly. Normally his dreams dissipated whenever he woke up. But he remembered every part of the last few minutes in his mind.
It wasn't possible. She couldn't have been there. She couldn't.
"How much beer did I drink?" he whispered, raking his hand through his hair. "Am I in a coma?"
She shook her head. "You're alive and awake. Fully conscious."
Yeah, right. "No," he said, still shaking his head at her. "I can't be. This is all wrong. You're all wrong. Things like this don't happen in real life." He felt as if he'd been trapped inside one of his movies.
In a script, he'd accept this.
In real life...
Bullshit!
She reached for him, but he quickly moved away from her. "Aidan, listen to me. Everything I told you is the truth. You have to trust in me."
"Uh-huh. If you're a god prove it. Make it stop snowing."
She gave him a peeved glare. "Parlor tricks to entertain humans are beneath us. But since you insist." She snapped her fingers and instantly the snow stopped.
Aidan felt his jaw drop again as he saw the clouds literally part to reveal a bright, sunny day-just like in his dreams. The rolling landscape was completely white as if fully cleansed.
Still his mind wouldn't accept it. This just couldn't happen. "Nice coincidence. Now get the hell out of my house."
"I can't," she said from between clenched teeth. "I need your anger to fight Dolor. If I leave you, he'll cut through you like a hot knife on butter."
"I already kicked his ass."
"In a dream, Aidan. Ever tried to manifest a sword with your thoughts in the real world? It doesn't happen, does it?"
Aidan hated to admit that she had a valid point. But it still didn't change the fact that this was lunacy.
"How do I know you're not lying to me?" he asked. "Show me something I can't argue against."
She spread her arms out, and as soon as she did, a sword appeared in her right hand. She turned the blade around and offered him the hilt. "Test it for yourself."
He did and it felt real enough. Sharp, heavy. There was no way she could have had something like this concealed on her body without his knowing it.
As much as he hated to admit it, it was beginning to look like she was telling the truth and that somehow the impossible was possible.
He lowered the sword. "How can this be?"
"We've always been here. Sometimes living among all of you, sometimes just as innocuous viewers of your lives. I'm one of those who volunteered to protect humanity."