Page 12 of Miles

6

Savannah

I was having a dream.I knew it was a dream, since what was happening in it was not the sort of thing that happened in waking life.

I’d always wondered about people who claimed to have lucid dreams, who could alter the course of what they dreamed of rather than simply witnessing what went on around them.

I was on the back of a dragon, flying through the air.

Yes. This was a dream.

Where it came from, I had no idea. Pain meds, I guessed. Because I’d never dreamed anything so crazy before. Or so vivid.

The scales under my hands were a deep golden color which seemed to glow in the light from the sun, threatening to blind me. I had to look away, over the top of the beast’s horned head, off into the distance. There was nothing but blue water and even bluer sky in front of us.

Wind roared in my ears, and I turned my head just enough to catch sight of massive wings beating against the rush of air. They were gossamer thin, like the wings of butterflies. How could anything so delicate be so strong? How did they keep us airborne? I didn’t want to think on it too long, or else the delicious excitement racing through my veins would turn to fear, and that would ruin everything.

But it was a dream, wasn’t it? So there was nothing to be afraid of. I sat astride, my thighs pressed against the dragon’s sides, and the play of muscle beneath them had a humbling effect.

I was nothing compared to the beast I rode. It could kill me in an instant and fly off without a care, or toss me from its back and let me drown in the bottomless ocean beneath us. I ran a hand over its scaly back and heard a low rumble—whether it appreciated the caress or not, I couldn’t say.

A joyful whoop escaped me, and I laughed at the sound of it. I had never felt so free.

“Wake up, sleepyhead.”

I stirred at the sound of a familiar voice.

A crooning, cajoling voice. Almost teasing.

Memory stirred and warned me, too late, not to open my eyes. I was already in the act of doing so when everything came together, and I realized who was waiting for me.

His cold eyes were the first thing I noticed.

Beady eyes, eyes without a drop of empathy or even a touch of kindness. He looked down at me as though I were his possession.

“What did you think you were going to accomplish?” he whispered, almost seductive.

I had always been able to see how he could bend others to his will, as he had a strong personality. It just so happened to repulse me.

“Antonio,” I breathed, my heart going a mile a minute and nausea threatening to overtake me. The entire world was crashing down around my head as I stared up at him in horror. “How did you find me?”

“Don’t you know by now?” He leaned closer, close enough that I could smell his cologne and the liquor on his breath. His already nasty eyes narrowed, making him appear even more menacing. “You can never get away from me. You’re mine. There’s nowhere you can go where I won’t be able to find you.”

I sat partway up, my mouth open in a silent scream. Only silent because I couldn’t breathe—had I been able to draw a full, painless breath, I would’ve screamed the place down.

A sharp, stabbing pain hit me in the ribs and radiated through the rest of my body, freezing me stiff.

“Relax, relax.”

A pair of hands settled on my shoulders, and a soothing voice worked its way into my consciousness.

“You had a bad dream, is all. You’re safe here. You’re safe with us.”

My eyes darted around, taking in my surroundings.

I was in the same room I’d woken up in earlier in the day, except there was no more sunlight. It was night, pitch dark outside the still-open doors leading to the private patio.

A single lamp shone in the corner, casting the room in shadow.

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