Pursued(144)

For the first time, the dream woman seemed to lose her composure. "Ah yes, the lovely Lauren," she snarled. "The one you choose over all others. Except you haven't been choosing her lately, have you? You haven't touched her since I started sending you these dreams. It's too…unsettling, isn't it?"

The soft hand cupping his cock tightened and the mystery woman began to change again.

Xairn knew what was coming next but he still flinched when her skin turned from white to a creamy, light mocha and her hair became long and silky and black. Her eyes lost their exotic tilt as well as their slitted pupils and became a normal human shape. Their color, though, was anything but normal. They became a lovely, golden amber—a shade no one else but his mate, Lauren possessed.

"Lauren," he whispered hoarsely.

The female thing threw back its head and laughed. "Yes, I can be her for you. I can be Lauren." She was suddenly naked, the white, star-shaped birthmark between her breasts glimmering in the darkness. "I can be anyone you desire. Anyone…at all."

"You're not really her. Leave me—go away!" he demanded but she only laughed and the hand on his cock began to stroke up and down in a sensual way his body couldn't help but react to.

"Your sexual hunger makes you weak, Scourge," she whispered in his ear. "Weak and needy…"

"No…no, please!" He twisted to get away from her but he was frozen, helpless…

Suddenly a new hand was shaking his shoulder. "Xairn?" said a familiar voice. "Xairn, honey, are you okay?"

** * * * *



Xairn sat up with a shout that scared Little One right off the bed. She whimpered and tucked her tail between her legs, huddling near the doorway in fear.

Lauren climbed out of bed and soothed the frightened puppy before letting her out of the bedroom. Then she closed the door behind her and called for some soft lighting. The room lights obeyed her and she was able to see her man sitting up in bed, a wild look in his eyes.

"Xairn?" she said gently, coming back to him. "Baby, are you okay?"

"Yes…no." He shook his head. "I'm not certain. I just…I think I need some air."

He started to get up but Lauren pushed him right back down again. "No, I don't think so." She frowned and crossed her arms over her breasts. "You and I are going to have a little talk."

Xairn shook his head wearily. "Not now, Lauren. It's…not a good time."

"No time is a good time with you, lately." She poked a finger at his broad chest. "Every time I try to say anything to you besides what we're having for supper, you run. Well, not anymore—something is going on and we're going to talk about it right now."

Xairn groaned and looked so unhappy that Lauren nearly relented. But then she remembered the fact that they hadn't had sex in weeks or a decent conversation in even longer than that. "You have to make him talk," she heard Olivia's voice whispering in her ear. Lifting her chin, Lauren decided to take her cousin's wise advice to heart and do just that.

"Baby," she said, softening her tone. "Come on now, please don't be like that. I didn't mean to sound harsh but I need you to talk to me—tell me what's going on."

"I…" Xairn gave a defeated sigh. "I didn't want to say anything because I hoped…hoped they would go away."

"You hoped what would go away?" Lauren asked, puzzled.

"The dreams." He dropped his head into his hands again. "The Goddess-damned dreams. Every night I have them and they're getting worse."

"Tell me." Lauren sat beside him and reached out to rub his shoulders, but Xairn flinched away from her touch. Trying not to show how much his avoidance hurt her, she sat back a little and looked at him. "Tell me," she said again. "Start at the beginning."

Briefly, in clipped, painful words, he told her of the strange woman he kept seeing. The one who looked like her.

"She…torments me," he admitted in a harsh whisper. "Touches me, even when I don't want her to. But I can't seem to stop her. I don't know what to do."

Lauren felt like an icy hand had gripped her heart. "This dream—you think it's your subconscious telling you that I have you trapped?" she asked, forcing the words out with difficulty. "I mean maybe now that I'm having a baby, you're feeling tied down and—"

"It's nothing like that," Xairn interrupted, frowning. "You're having our baby, Lauren." He put a gentle hand on her belly. "A baby we both want very much."

Lauren was touched—it was the first time he'd touched her voluntarily in weeks. She felt a thrill go through her as his warm palm branded her skin through the silky-sheer negligee she wore.