Chapter 56 - Not a Dream This Time

Arik woke up blearily, confused. He could’ve sworn that he’d heard Kerri’s voice. The door opened and Kerri came in.

Oh hell, not another one of those dreams.

He looked at her warily. “I’m dreaming again.”

She cocked her head and looked at him. “No, you’re not.”

“I think someone should slap me now. I need to wake up.”

Kerri grinned. “If you insist.” She sat down on the bed next to him and slapped him.

He touched his cheek and sat up. “Okay, I’m definitely awake. The Kerri in my dreams would never slap me.”

Her grin got wider. “I can do that again if you want.”

He cupped his hands around her face. It was Kerri. She was here. It wasn’t a dream. She was actually really here right next to him.

He laughed in wonder and relief. “It’s you. It’s really you.”

She smiled and ran her hands through his hair. “Yeah, baby. It’s me.”

He kissed her long and deep and hard.

And the best part? This time she didn’t disappear or fade away into thin air, and he didn’t suddenly wake up to find himself making out with his pillow.

***

“It’s really you,” he murmured, hugging her close to him.

She laughed. “Did it take you that long to figure it out? What gave me away?”

He grinned and kissed the top of her head. “The sex.”

She rolled her eyes and kissed his neck. “Oh, I have something to give you,” she said, lifting her head from his chest. She reached behind her, unclasped the necklace and handed it back to him. “Here.”

He frowned. “You don’t want it?”

“No. I mean, yes, I do. But…you should keep it. After all, it’s the only memory you have left of your father.”

“What do you mean?”

“A.D.? Arik Driscoll?” She put on Arik’s necklace for him. “This is just something to remember him by.”

“Why? It’s not like he’s dead.”

She cleared her throat uncomfortably. “Actually…”

“You killed him?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe, maybe not.”

“What did you do?”

“I uh, set the building on fire, and then I built like a massive wall around it so that they couldn’t get out. I know it’s going to take them like five minutes to drill a hole through with the magic, but we were escaping, so…”

“We?”

“Yeah. Mick came to break us out. Oh, and we brought Sitara back with us.”

Arik stiffened. “Sitara?”

“Yeah.”

“Isn’t that kind of…awkward?”

She began lazily tracing random patterns on his chest. “Not really. I uh, have to tell you something.”

He kissed the top of her head again. “What is it?”

She sat up and so did he. She opened and closed her mouth for a few times.

“Sitara’s not your True Love,” she said finally.

Arik laughed. “I know that,” he said, running his fingers lightly up and down her arm.

She cleared her throat again. “Uh, she’s Joshua’s True Love.”

He froze. “What?”

She smiled weakly. “Yeah.”

Arik took time to digest this, letting the information absorb. Then after a while, he nodded. “Okay.”

Now it was her turn to look surprised. “What?”

He shrugged, smiling. “I’m happy for Joshua and Sitara. They’re good people and deserve each other.” His smile dropped a little. “Except when Sitara betrayed us, but—”

“Yeah, I’m going to have to tell you something else.”

“Yes?”

“Sitara left because Ty threatened to tell you about her and Joshua, and she didn’t want to upset you or Joshua, and she didn’t want to break your friendship. So uh, yeah, she left.”

He blinked a few times. “Well, then. They’re both good people. So, you’re saying Mick came to bust you guys out tonight instead of tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“He said something about ‘feeling like it’. Who is this Mick anyway?”

Arik grinned. “Mel introduced him to Drake, and in exchange for his help to save you, Drake promised to uh, please him.”

“I thought he looked gay.”

“So where’s Sitara now?”

“Probably off in Joshua’s room doing the same thing we were doing a few minutes ago.” She kissed him.

“I have to say, what we did back there, that was pretty amazing. I mean…that was probably the best.”

She grinned. “Wanna top that?”

He grinned right back at her. “I never can resist a challenge.”

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