Page 38 of Dreaming of Darkness

As Grandmother released Bailey, Albtraum moved forward, “Sister,” he murmured, looking first to me for permission and then bending over to brush his lips over her knuckles. Bailey watched him with curious eyes.

“You’re Albtraum,” she said, her voice a little softer, the words a little drawn out. “You have to be. You two look quite a bit alike.”

Both of us raised our brows while Grandmother cackled.

Bailey blinked rapidly, “I mean, I meant that as a complement. Oh God, not a complaint to you Albtraum, I just meant.” Her words stumbled to a halt, and she finally just sighed, her hands falling wide. She stared at me. “Help.”

I chuckled, tucking her in closer to my body, the feel of her an instant balm to my earlier concerns. “Not quite identical and as you can see, I’m obviously better looking.”

“And I got all the brains, trust me,” Albtraum said, a smirking smile on his lips. “It is good to meet you, Sister. My brother has been entirely obsessed with you for some time now.”

I narrowed my eyes on my brother. “Careful with those secrets, Brother. Lest I be forced to release some of yours.”

“You think it’s a secret that you’ve been pining for your human?”Albtraum laughed, “Try again, everyone in the Plains is aware.”

“It appears we have somewhere else to be,” I said loudly, turning us away from Albtraum. But Bailey didn’t move, her gaze locked on the infant strapped to my brother’s chest.

“Is this her?”

Albtraum’s teasing smile was instantly replaced with a soft expression as he glanced down at the carefully swaddled baby. “My daughter.”

Bailey shifted, rising to her toes so she could look down at the sliver of exposed skin. Albtraum leaned down, frowning a little. “I would let you hold her, but she’s finally asleep.”

My mate grinned up at my brother, shaking her head, “I’m sure there will be plenty of time for me to hold her later.”

“How is Rifa?”

“Sleeping too, I wanted her to get used to coming with me, so I thought we’d just stop by to visit with Grandmother about final details. I had not realized you both would be here.” Altraum’s face was honest, “I apologize if we overwhelm you.”

“Only a little,” Bailey admitted, “But I don’t mind.”

Suddenly I need her alone. I had so much to show her, and time was slipping through my claws. Albtraum straightened, perhaps sensing my urgency, “Rifa is also looking forward to meeting you this evening, Bailey. Enjoy your day.”

Bailey turned, walking a few steps away before Albtraum grabbed my arm, halting me. “Have you told her about what happens at the end of the festival?”

I snorted, pulling free, “Not yet. I will.”

Albtraum nodded, releasing me to stroke over the baby. “Good, we will see you then. Don’t forget your part tonight.”

“I won’t,” I said over my shoulder, already following my mate as she moved towards the wall of paintings. We had so much to see.

Chapter Eleven

Bailey

Once upon a time, I’d laid down flat on the merry go round at the school playground and my friend Kat had spun me around and around, until I had to hold onto the bars to stay still, and the sky had been a blur of blue and white.

When I stood up, I’d staggered around, laughing at the way that my world was still so familiar, but at the sametime, everything around me was shifting, changing, keeping me just on the edge of wobbling.

That was how it felt to walk around Traum’s home. The Underworld and more specifically this village, was similar to the human world, the living world, in many ways. They had indoor plumbing - thank God – they lived in family groups in a scattering of small villages like this– and they were all different.

So far, we’d been by the small schoolhouse, where a group of incubi and succubuses had been working together on climbing in and out of dreams while also strengthening their abilities to move shadows.

That, Traum had said, was not meant to be a weapon, but rather a camouflage for the living world. I'd been surprised to find that while Traum and his family were all firmly in the ruby red territory, there were also incubus and succubus who were shades of grey, deep blue and even one male who I swear was such a dark purple he was nearly black.

“Where to next?” I asked, my fingers warm in Traum’s grip. After the school, he’d pulled me to a small shadowy alcove, and then we’d walked back out into the center of the town. “Wow, that was amazing. Did we just travel somehow?”

Traum grinned at me, all fang and beautiful red skin, “It will be a long night. I thought we would take a short rest.’

---