Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 117

Chapter 117: The cost of disobedience
Trace panted from the mental strain of what he’d tried to do. And failed… well, mostly failed.

“I’m sorry I can’t communicate with you better.” He offered quietly.

“We’ll figure out a way eventually,” She sighed deeply, her forehead tucked against his neck as they sat on the floor of the cave, side by side.

He could feel the wheels turning in her head, tell by her little twitches and breathing changes that she was trying to work out the mystery he’d given her. He’d pressed hard against the commands given to him, and it had hurt. Badly. Much worse than he wanted to admit.

He had created his new world in this way to preserve the memory Sanders had shown him. To watch it over and over again, and understand Oakdown’s power better. To see the tree in all its beauty, and marvel at it.

At the time, he hadn’t thought Anaisa would ever let him into her dreams again, let alone want to visit him. When she’d made the request, he’d striven to make his only goal to please her. To free her from pain.

It seemed his other motivations were still underneath, ready to trigger the commands and prevent him from acting the way he wanted to.

It was awful, but the way his wife now snuggled against him made it worth the pain. To show her how much he wanted to tell her things, even if she didn’t understand why or how he couldn’t.

She began to relax against him and breathe more deeply, and he smiled, nuzzling his face into her hair.

“Hey,” He whispered. “You can’t fall asleep. You’re already dreaming.”

“What happens if I do?” She murmured drowsily. “Will you follow me to those dreams?”

“I’ll follow you anywhere,” He promised, gently kissing the crown of her head.

Her lips pulled into a smile, and she shifted against him to get more comfortable. He chuckled.

“Hmm?” She hummed at him.

“You just make me happy,” He replied softly, and her eyes fluttered open. She lifted her head slightly to look at him.

“Do I really?” Her eyebrows scrunched together.

“Of course… when you’re not threatening me.” He teased.

“That was one time. Maybe two,” Anaisa nudged into him with her shoulder, “Now hush before I make it three.”

“I think threatening to threaten me already counts as number three,” Trace held up his fingers as he mockingly counted.

“You think arguing that is going to help your situation?” She quirked an eyebrow.

“Maybe I’m not in this to help my situation,” He gazed at her with mock severity. “Maybe I find it adorable when you lose your temper, and I’m trying to provoke it.”

“Calling my temper ‘adorable’ is a definite way to provoke it,” She warned, but he smiled unrepentantly.

“Excellent,” He beamed at her, and she finally smiled back.

“You won’t get away with that next time,” She settled back against his shoulder, and he reveled at the easy show of affection. He wished they could be this easy with each other in the real world…

But there were several reasons why not. For one thing Anaisa was far more guarded there than here. There were also far more people around, and if her identity was mistaken, and he was seen embracing, even kissing, the ‘princess’… the scandal would reach far and wide. He might even be executed just to stop its spread.

That didn’t sit well with him.

And so, he had to be content with holding the dream version of his wife.

“Someday,” He mumbled to himself.

“Someday what?” Anaisa stretched lightly before she blinked at him.

“Someday… I can hold you, in the real world,” He winced as the very honest words left his mouth. Too honest?

“You did, last night. You carried me up the stairs.” She reminded.

“And that, to you, was the same as sitting together, cuddled up?” He frowned.

“It’s cold in here,” She deflected, “and you haven’t given me a coat, so you have to be my coat instead.”

Trace chuckled in spite of himself. “I’m always happy to be of service.”

“How long do your dreams last?” Her arm that wrapped around his waist tightened slightly, causing his insides to react to her nearness.

“It depends,” He replied thoughtfully. “Eager to be gone? Should I make something to entertain you?”

With a wave of his fingers, flowers sprouted from the ground and the ceiling cracked to let in a shaft of glorious sunlight to feed them.

“They need water, too,” Anaisa reminded him, and he snapped his fingers. A stream sprung up from the middle of the cave and flowed ever more quickly downward into the cave.

“Is there enough air down here to sustain them?” Anaisa fretted next.

“I will make plenty.” Trace squeezed her. “Dream things do not need what you think they will require.”

“Does that apply to magical things? And people?” She asked, snuggling against him again. “Tell me all about being raised with magic. When did you know? What have you seen? What’s the most magnificent thing you’ve accomplished with your dream powers? Can you make me fly?”

He latched onto the last question. “You want to fly?”

“Absolutely,” Her eyes widened with excitement. “You had us ride those dragons before, but I want to fly without a mount, just to see what it is like.”

“May… may I come with you?” Trace asked a little fearfully.

“As long as you’re not a spoilsport,” Anaisa quirked an eyebrow. “If you are, I’ll throw you off a cliff.”

“That’s five.” He pursed his lips.

“Four! Four at the most! Probably only two!” Anaisa protested, standing up and taking his hand. He was disappointed she pulled away but gratified that she didn’t seem in any hurry to leave him. “Now come on. Please, Trace. Teach me how to fly.”

He looked into her pleading eyes, so eager, so precious. How could he refuse her when she held his hand so naturally?

“All right.” He agreed, waving to open up the ceiling of the cave to the sky above and squeezing her hand. “Let’s go fly.”