Free Dreamscape by Christie Rich Page B

longevity of the soul. The vessel
of the soul may change, but the soul is forever. It is only substance that
corrupts and must be controlled. Immortality means you will retain your
physical form; however, that does not preclude you or me from getting hurt. At
least in death, pain stops. For Oneiroi, we can regenerate, yet we feel. We
bleed.”
    She runs her fingers along the edge of a cushion. “And I am
like you now?”
    I frown, worried about the choice I must make. “Almost.
Unless we are mated, if you return to the mortal realm, you will be fully
mortal again.”

    Mated? So many emotions roll inside me. The word mate mixed with Seth sends a zing through my belly. Heat branches out in my
cheeks until I have to glance away from him. I don’t look away fast enough to
miss his smile. I cringe, not because his smile alarms me, but because seeing
it makes my heart ache for a man I will never have.
    “I’m sorry,” he says, his voice soft with compassion. His
smile reminds me of Jason in a strange way. In fact, he has many of the same
mannerisms, which is really disturbing. I’m starting to wonder if Jason is one
of the brothers Seth mentioned, but why wouldn’t he have come for me himself if
that were the case? If Jason were real, I don’t know what I would do. “I have
no desire to make you uncomfortable. I am merely attempting to explain things
to you.”
    I wave him off. “It’s fine. So, let me see if I understand
what you’ve told me so far. We are on the brink of losing the Earth to the
Erobos, which are what those guys that chased us are?” He nods and I take a
deep breath to steady my heartbeat. “You think I agreed to come here?”
    He shifts in his chair and crosses his legs. “You and I had
an agreement.”
    The surety in his tone makes me question all I think I
know. “Why don’t I remember our agreement?”
    His eyes sweep over me. “It’s complicated.”
    “This whole thing is a little overwhelming, Seth, so I
don’t think adding a little info to the mix is going to mean much of a
difference. I’m asking you for answers, even if I won’t like them.”
    He scratches the scruff that sharpens the angles of his
jaw. “As I said before, I need to show you something, and that’s why it’s
complicated. I no longer have the ability to show you what I need to easily.”
    “But there is a way?”
    “You are overwrought as it is. I am uncertain if showing
you right now would be the best course.”
    I sit up and pull my feet underneath me. “Yeah, I’m upset.
Having my life threatened kind of does that to me, but I need to know what is
going on.”
    He nods, his blue eyes intense. “I blew the portal to
Richard’s dream world. It was necessary. I could no longer take Daegan looking
at you, and in the state I was in, I needed to sever his influence on me.
However, I may have been a bit hasty. You see, I only have access to one other
world at the moment and I am hesitant to call it forward. If I am to show you
what you need to know, I need to use that world.”
    I shrug and pick at a scab on my arm. “So what’s the
problem? I’m not going to freak out.”
    “You most definitely will freak out , Amelia. It is
your dream world.”

    Hope springs in my heart, but if I know Amelia, she will
not take well to the news I will give her. I’ve been preparing for a new
companion for a very long time, but I could have never prepared for the way
this girl affects me. The truth is, it has only been four years since I first
noticed her.
    Her dreams called to me at a moment when I was particularly
weak. She was the brightness that broke through my storm. I keep reminding
myself she doesn’t remember the time we’ve spent together. When I show her who
I am, will she continue to deny our connection to protect herself? Will she
distance herself from me further?
    That doesn’t matter. I won her over once. I can do it
again.
    All I have to do is be patient. Her full lips pinch
together, making me wonder